Initiations
When the world was still very young Orula was sent to earth in search of a land called Ilé Ifé, the spiritual capital of the world, where he was to teach Ifá and the proper way to live to the people who lived there. When Orula came to the world with his Ifá, he arrived at a place called Onika, which was on the shores of the sea. Leading out from Onika were sixteen roads, and Orula patiently began taking each road to its end, one at a time. Each road was more difficult than the last, and on his travels he encountered all the peoples of the world, but none of the roads led to Ilé Ifé.
There was finally only one road left, a desolate path leading straight into the shifting sands of the desert. Orula followed this last road until he was stumbling blind through the sand, his clothes in tatters, and with no food or water. As he was about to give up out of despair, through clouded eyes he thought he spied a tiny oasis with a small pool of water and somehow managed to crawl his way over to it.
When he arrived at the oasis, he found three sacred trees. An iroko, an araba, and a palm tree were growing next to the spring. Orula was delirious as he cried out to Olófin that he had failed his quest to find the sacred city of Ilé Ifé and that he was tired of the endless traveling and hardship.
Suddenly Orula heard a thunderous voice saying, “The more you look, the less you see. You do not even see what is right in front of your own nose.”
The voice then ordered Orula to take his Ifá in his hands, submerge the ekin nuts in the spring, and throw the water into his eyes and over his back. As he did so, he heard singing. “Alagba nfo gede … oju, alagba nfo gede … ofo.” 1 When he looked up his eyes were clear, and just in front of him was the entrance to Ilé Ifé.
And from that day forward that spring with its three sacred trees became the first Igbodún for the initiation of new babalawos.
“The best way to know nothing is to try to learn everything at once.”
At OrishaNet.org I am asked more questions regarding initiations than all of the other subjects combined, with at least three quarters of the e-mails I receive being about initiations. Often enough they are straightforward requests to be initiated, but important questions regarding initiation also come in on a regular basis. How do I know if this is the right path for me? What kind of commitment will be expected of me? What steps do I need to take to get initiated?
Is Santería the Right Path for Me?
The first piece of advice I can give is unless there is a real emergency, take your time to learn about the religion to see if it’s right for you. Santería is an exceptionally serious religion requiring serious commitment with serious amounts of work involved, especially in the higher levels of initiation. As santeros and babalawos we live our religion twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Even what, when, where or how we eat, sleep or even make love can be affected by what the orichas ask of us. You should also take your time in choosing your godparents, the priests whom you will be entrusting with your spiritual well-being and advancement. Are they serious about the religion themselves? Are they honest and helpful toward their godchildren? And, although priests in our religion often lead extremely busy lives, your madrina (godmother) or padrino should be willing to give you a reasonable amount of their time and it should not be entirely about money. Santeros and babalawos have to eat too and should be paid decently for the work they do, but if you can’t get even a moment of their time without money being involved you might want to think twice before making what should be a lifetime commitment with them.
On the subject of money, the would-be initiate should know that they are not buying an oricha or an initiation. The derecho (money) they pay for the initiation is ritual payment for the actual work being done and the materials needed for the initiation. Many initiations require an immeasurable amount of work from multiple highly trained priests, and that costs money and it is only right that the initiate pay for this labor. This is accompanied by the sad fact that most people in our society will not appreciate an initiation unless the cost makes it dear to them.
The Orichas Make the Final Decision
Whether someone is to be initiated at any level in Santería is up to Ifá and the orichas. Most of the time the way a person finds out is when it comes up during a consultation with Ifá or with the shells that a person needs to receive one or more initiations. An oricha can also come down and possess one of their priests who tell you that you need to receive an initiation. One may also be told they don’t need initiations or that they should not receive certain initiations at all. There are also odduns that may say the person is not suitable for that particular priest for one reason or another.
There are some rules of thumb that can be helpful. If you go to a priest who tells everyone that they need to receive the whole pantheon of orichas and initiations immediately even if everything is going great in their lives, it should pop up some warning flags. While it can happen that the orichas will want you to receive a lot of initiations quickly it is an extremely rare occurrence. In more than twenty years of working as a priest in the religion I have experienced the orichas calling for this only a handful of times. Not everyone is meant to be in the religion, much less become a santero or babalawo.
In my own case, the very first time I was seen with Ifá the oddun that came up was the one where the Table of Ifá was born. In that oddun Ifá said that I needed to become a babalawo, as I was born to be an Ifá priest, and that I had been practicing Ifá in heaven before coming to this world. But even then my padrino-to-be told me that whether or not I was to become a babalawo had to be confirmed by Ifá directly when I received my abo faca. By confirming everything with Ifá and the orichas every step of the way, we avoid running into problems and can be sure of success. We can also be sure that the orichas will be content with us.
What Kind of Commitment Will Be Expected of Me?
In the beginning initiations, such as receiving the elekes (necklaces), the commitment is serious but not terribly onerous. For instance, you are expected to go to your godparents’ house on the anniversary of their initiations as priests. On the feast day of their oricha you are to go with a plate, two coconuts, two candles, and a derecho if the godparent is a santero; or a plate, two ñames (Caribbean yams—Dioscorea rotundata), two candles, and the derecho if they are a babalawo. You are also expected to go and help with basic chores such as cleaning or plucking chickens any time your godparents have a ceremony. Many times it is while doing these chores that godparents will teach you, and you generally learn a lot from helping them.
When you actually receive an oricha, such as Echu Elegguá and the warriors Oggún, Ochossi, and Osun, you are expected to take care of that oricha for life. Initiation as a santero or babalawo is a very big and lifelong commitment, so the decision on whether or not to be initiated into the priesthood should be taken very seriously. Those who are initiated on a whim and later decided to abandon the orichas risk incurring the wrath of their own orichas, and that does not usually end well. Not everyone is born to be a santero or a babalawo.
How Do I Find an Ilé?
Again, you should take your time choosing the right ilé. Are the godparents close to their orichas? Are they concerned with teaching their godchildren to learn our religion and culture well? In this religion we don’t learn through classes or seminars but learn directly from our padrinos. Most of our learning is done while working to help our godparents.
If a babalawo or oloricha is kind enough to invite you to a ceremony you are being offered a great opportunity and should go. Ask what you can bring and what you should wear. This will show them that you are being respectful and serious. In fact, being respectful every step of the way is extremely important. You are dealing with priestesses and priests in a religion and culture based on respect so if you are rude and demanding they will not want to have anything to do with you.
If you receive an initiation and simply wait expecting your madrina or padrino to sit you down and teach you secrets about the orichas without paying your dues and working you will probably do a lot of waiting and very little learning. In fact, initiations only allow us to be in the room during ceremonies for that oricha. From there it is up to us to take the initiative and help our madrinas and padrinos with the hard and dirty work of cleaning, preparing, holding, and any other type of hard work. It is during this time that most padrinos and madrinas teach their godchildren things about the ceremonies and orichas. In my case my early training was with my padrino Guillermo who was very traditional and very tough, and everything I learned was gained through hard work and a lot of patience.
Godparents will have their own style of teaching. Some are easygoing and some are strict like my padrino Guillermo. But for all of us knowledge is something to be earned, not bought, sold, or given away.
Which Initiation Goes First?
In the strictest ilés a person would often receive their guerreros and kofá or abo faca before receiving their elekes.2 This is because the kofá or abo faca ceremony is typically when a person finds out the identity of their oricha. This way they are sure to receive the necklaces for their oricha. Otherwise the elekes will have to be prepared as if the person is a child of Obatalá, and make any necessary changes once the initiate learns the identity of their oricha. With that being said, once again it is all up to Ifá and the orichas. Sometimes Ifá will say the person needs their elekes first. There are also ilés that give the necklaces first. Neither way is really wrong. It depends on the Ocha house you belong to.
There are initiations like the elekes that are performed solely by the iworos, and the iworos perform the vast majority of the rituals within the initiation of the oricha priest called the kariocha. Because this is a book on Ifá we will focus on the initiations received through Ifá from the hands of the babalawos.
During one’s lifetime a person might be called on to receive a number of other orichas through Ifá. For instance, one might need to receive Olokun, the owner of the sea and its depths, and Oddua, the most powerful oricha in Olófin’s court who represents both life and death, which we learned about in Chapter Six. These immensely powerful orichas are both received with in-depth itás and impart a tremendous amount of aché to our lives.
Guerreros
The guerreros, or warriors, are the fundamental initiation in the religion. Receiving the guerreros is a big step because it formally makes a person part of an ilé with all the attendant responsibilities and obligations. The most obvious is the need to go over to your oluwo’s (babalawo godfather’s) home for the anniversary of his initiation as an Ifá priest and the celebration of Orunmila’s birthday.
The babalawo begins the process by performing a special divination with ecuele to find out which camino of Echu accompanies the godchild-to-be out of the more than 250 possible paths of Echu. They also find out what stones or other objects are needed because each path of Echu is constructed differently. Each of the paths of Echu has special strengths, and some of these paths require special care and treatment. Echu is crucial for communication with the orichas, as well as keeping our doors and roads open while closing those that wish to do you harm.3
Besides Echu, Oggún, Ochossi, and Osun are also received when the guerreros are prepared by a babalawo. They all live near the front door of the house, except for Osun, who is placed in a high place within the home. Oggún is the oricha of war as well as the blacksmith of the orichas. This is why technology often starts as weapons and only later gets used for more peaceful purposes. Oggún defends us and our homes, and helps us to find work. Ochossi is the oricha of the hunt and uses bows, arrows, and traps to capture his prey. He is also the policeman of the orichas and because of this the police are sometimes referred to as Ochossis. Ochossi also defends us, helps us to avoid traps, and guides us to hunt the good things in life. The warriors are close friends and always travel together which is why they are received as a group.
Twenty-one days after you receive your warriors, you should have an entrada (entrance) where your Guerreros are fed at your home. This is the beginning of your reciprocal relationship with your Guerreros and will continue most often with weekly Monday offerings of candle, rum, cigars, and water along with their special prayers. Over time instruction is given as to how to give obí to the warriors to ask them simple yes or no questions.
Iworos also give their own version of the warriors, but there are a couple major differences between the two versions. First, instead of receiving Echu in full the initiate receives an Elegguá whose name and path will be learned if and when they are fully initiated as a santero in the kariocha ceremony. The Echu given by the babalawos cannot be used in the kariocha ceremony because Echu is simply too powerful to be put to someone’s head, so an Elegguá must be prepared for the initiation. Second, santeros aren’t empowered to give Osun, which is specifically an Ifá staff. Osun watches over the well-being of the initiate and will fall over to warn the initiate of impending danger. Despite the differences the warriors given by santeros are also effective as many people who have received them will attest. The warriors are the first line of defense for initiates and are depended on to fight and win their battles.
One Thanksgiving afternoon a person came to my home three times. Apparently a friend of his had decided that he had been the victim of some sort of witchcraft and that we had been the source. With each visit the person became more agitated and more threatening. On the third visit he resorted to a death threat. I ran to confront him about it, but he had already left.
A couple months later he appeared at our neighborhood supermarket, where I confronted him, but he stomped off. When we went to leave the store I realized the entrance might be a good spot for an ambush. I went ahead and as the automatic doors opened I leapt out to one side to lend an element of surprise to anyone who might be waiting. Fortunately no one was waiting there, but a couple of men who had seen the confrontation had a story to tell.
Apparently the man had indeed intended to ambush us and had gone to his car to retrieve a sword he kept in the trunk, but as he pulled the sword out a burly black man in a van parked next to him said, “What the (blank) do you think you’re doing?”
Our wayward neighbor simply responded, “(blank) you.”
To this, the man in van pulled out a .357 Magnum and put it right into our would-be attacker’s face. With that, our neighbor threw his sword on the seat, jumped into his car, and sped off. From that day forward, whenever he saw us, he would hurriedly cross to the other side of the street to avoid us. Oggún fought our battle for us that day, and we did not have to lift a finger. That is why we say “may Oggún always fight your battles for you” when we give the warriors to a new initiate.
Kofá and Abo faca: The Hand of Orula
The ceremony known as kofá for women and abo faca for men is the fundamental initiation into Ifá. This initiation bestows the Orula’s blessings on the person as well as placing them under the wise oricha’s protection. During the three-day initiation the initiate receives Orula, who will live in a small porcelain or wooden container, and will receive an extensive itá where their destiny is revealed. The babalawos will close the itá with an inquiry into which oricha is the initiate’s Olorí oricha (Owner of the Head) or tutelary oricha.
On the last day an iddé (bracelet) made of green and yellow beads is put on the person’s left wrist in a short ceremony. This bracelet, whose full name is idefá (Ifa’s iddé), identifies them as one of Orula’s children and ikú cannot take them without asking Orula’s permission due to the ancient pact Orula made with Death. Not all parts of Africa have this exact ceremony but there are two rituals that are performed everywhere for babies to help the child be properly situated in the world. These are Ikoshe W’aye (stepping into the world) and Imorí (knowing the head). They later receive an initiation known as ishefá that is very much the equivalent to the kofá and the abo faca.
Though for the most part the kofá and abo faca ceremonies are very similar, women undergo more ceremonies than their male counterparts. Women who have received their kofá are known as apetebís and are the caretakers of Orunmila. An apetebí is considered to be elder to the men who have received abo faca, and they are allowed to participate in ceremonies that are closed to abo faca initiates. The apetebí is considered the right hand of the babalawo and are highly respected.
One of the roles of the apetebí is to dance for the babalawos when there is a drumming ceremony for the orichas because babalawos are prohibited from dancing. While the drummers play the songs for Orula the apetebís dance in a circle around the babalawos, and the babalawos put money to each apetebí’s head as they pass. This derecho is payment for their work and is used to buy items for the apetebí’s oricha or Orula.
When we receive kofá or abo faca besides putting us under the protection and blessings of Orunmila, we are informed of our itan (road or destiny). Probably the most important part of the initiation, the itá is a deep divination using the Table of Ifá that is performed by three or more babalawos. Orula, who was given the title Elerí Iküín by Olodumare, is the only oricha allowed to witness our destinies being bestowed upon us. Therefore, Ifá is the only oricha empowered by Olodumare to reveal that destiny to us. During the itá the true nature of the person is revealed along with in-depth advice on how to best live out our lives. By following Orunmila’s advice the person can advance in life and avoid the pitfalls that can happen to most people.
As part of our destiny we are often given a number of ewós pertaining to the oddun that must be followed. These prohibitions are not a punishment but are intended to protect us as with the godchild who was prohibited from eating pork. By revealing our path in life Ifá gives us the means to live out our lives in the most fulfilling way possible. Unfortunately, most of us spend our days undoing ourselves working counter to our own destinies, and only finding problems in life because of it. Our destiny is the story of our lives as it is played out against the backdrop of the universe. Although most of our destinies were written before we were even born, there are many things we can do to better or worsen our fate. This is the meaning of the refrán “Each person is as Obatalá made them, but what we become is up to us.”
Each oddun has irés and osogbos, its own good and bad fortunes, that are the consequences of how we live out our destinies. We say that how our lives will end up depends on how we live our oddun in life. A person can do the things that will ensure they mostly receive the irés of their sign or they can act in such a way that will force us to experience mostly the osogbos and their consequences. This is what we call living our irés or living our osogbos. Ultimately our fate is in our hands.
Ocha/Kariocha
Commonly referred to as “Making Ocha” the kariocha is the initiation of a new iworo. Although it is properly in the terrain of the oriatés and santeros, I had to include this ceremony because it can be such a perfect example of how well things work when the oriatés, babalawos, and iworos cooperate in perfect harmony.
It appears that at one point babalawos had a much larger role in the kariocha ceremony than they do now. In some lineages babalawos were in charge of shaving the head of the new initiate and on some occasions even carrying out the itá performed on the third day of the kariocha. On these occasions, even the itá was sometimes performed using the Table of Ifá instead of the orichas’ shells. Agreements were later made that defined the roles of the obá oriaté and the babalawo in the ceremony. Although no solid evidence has been found, most people in Cuba believe that some sort of agreement was made between the legendary Tata Gaitán and the seminal oriaté Obadimeyi. The babalawo’s role in the ceremony was greatly lessened and is now relatively light with many of the jobs now the responsibility of the oriaté.4
Many babalawos still blame Tata Gaitán for making this agreement that lessened the babalawo’s role in the kariocha. These babalawos believe this agreement ultimately created a slippery slope allowing certain oriatés to attempt a power play on the babalawos and allowing them to perform ceremonies and initiations that are traditionally part of the babalawos’ role. However, all evidence shows that during the time of Tata Gaitán and Obadimeyi only the deepest respect was shown between babalawos and oriatés. It wasn’t until long after the deaths of both Tata Gaitán and Obadimeyi that any of these problems began to appear. The fact is, the oriaté has been responsible for most of the kariocha ceremony, with the babalawos only exercising the roles listed above since as far back as the 1930s and this should be respected. The obá oriaté is indispensable in the religion and the depth of their knowledge is worthy of the greatest respect. Their immense knowledge and wisdom make these specialists second only to the babalawos. Babalawos and oriatés are the two summits of the Lucumí religion.
Making Ifá: The Initiation of the Babalawo
The initiation of a babalawo is called making Ifá. The initiation is exceptionally intensive, and like the kariocha initiation of the iworos, lasts for one week. For the ceremony to be considered valid by Orula as well as other babalawos Olófin’s canister, also called Igba Iwá Odun or Odun’s calabash of all existence, must be in the room. Her presence lends the new initiate her aché and enables them to work with the odduns of Ifá. New babalawos actually begin their training during the week long initiation, a big difference between making Ifá and the kariocha ceremony is that the new santeros must wait at least three months to start learning in earnest.
After this there are two more levels or grades in Ifá. One is kuanado that is a ceremony empowering the babalawo to use the knife to sacrifice four-legged animals and allows the babalawo to initiate new babalawos. The second is when a babalawo achieves the highest grade in Ifá upon receiving Olófin or “God’s Mysteries.” These initiates, commonly called Olofistas or omo odun are rare because Olófin is to be given only to those babalawos who are not only very experienced and knowledgeable, but also uphold the very highest ethical standards.