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Ifá: A Forest of Mystery PDF

385 Pages·2016·6.99 MB·English
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ifÂ: a forest of mystery nicholaj de mattos frisvold IFÁ A forest of mystery bibliothËque rouge mmxvi Publisher Scarlet Imprint / Bibliothèque Rouge Text © Nicholaj De Mattos Frisvold, 2016 Illustrations © Childerico Typography & design Alkistis Dimech eisbn 978-0-9931200-2-2 All rights reserved: no part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, or any other means, without prior permission being sought and obtained in writing from the publisher. www.scarletimprint.com Contents Preface by Chief Ògúnṣínà Adéwuyì Introduction part i · a philosophy of character The timeless wisdom of Ifá Ôrúnmìlà and the secret structure of odù The art of divination The cosmology of Ifá part ii · a forest of mystery Ëjì ogbË · The moist air of consciousness ɚyĘkú mÊjì · The mother of the spirit of death ìwòrì mÊjì · Celestial agriculture in the land of transformation òdí mÊjì · The house of deep comfort ìròsùn mÊjì · The rivers of consciousness ɚwɳnrín mÊjì · The sweet and biɢer traɣ ɚbárá mÊjì · The fork in the road ɚkànrán mÊjì · The crossroad the heart gave ògúndá mÊjì · The relentless pathmaker ɚsá mÊjì · The mysteries of the birds of night ìká mÊjì · The wiɣed cobra of fire òtúrúpɚn mÊjì · The secret path of truth òtúrá mÊjì · Love’s gentle harmony ìrẹtĘ mÊjì · The author of fate ɚṣĖ mÊjì · The sweetness of mystery òfún mÊjì · The calabash of ɫaracter ɚṣĖtúrá · Èṣù and the design of the world Glossary Bibliography Index Illustrations ɚrúnmìlà Ëjì ogbË ɚyĘkú mÊjì ìwòrì mÊjì òdí mÊjì ìròsùn mÊjì ɚwɳnrín mÊjì ɚbárá mÊjì ɚkànrán mÊjì ògúndá mÊjì ɚsá mÊjì ìká mÊjì òtúrúpɚn mÊjì òtúrá mÊjì ìrẹtĘ mÊjì ɚṣɶ mÊjì òfún mÊjì ɚṣɶtúrá Preface This book ensures that Ifá spreads across the world, something which is not only exciting, but also divine. In my perception, those people who spread Ifá as a consequence of integrating its tenets as a way of life, a philosophy or religion, should be known as ọmọ ìrúnmọlẹ, ‘true children of divinity.’ These people, independent of their colour, race, sex, customs, culture and creed are indeed the true children of divinity. They speak Ifá, act Ifá, demonstrate Ifá, learn Ifá and teach Ifá to the world, and in this way they represent the tradition itself. What other word can be used to qualify these great souls and beings other than using the Ifá term ìṣeṣe? From the perspective of Ifá, ìṣeṣe means ‘the great tradition’ in the sense of being an old and venerable religious philosophy maintained and preserved by trusted and devoted people who clamour for knowledge, wisdom, understanding and good character in the physical plane of existence. Ìṣeṣe is the true language of Ifá that causes Ifá to spread across the world. For me personally, Nicholaj is one of the greatest ọmọ ìrúnmọlẹ that I have encountered. His dedication, his way of life and his character testifies to this. He speaks, learns, teaches, lives and writes Ifá. In doing this he is making sure that the knowledge of Ifá is not shrouded in secrecy but disseminated throughout the world as this knowledge is transformed into written texts, in the form of a book that will benefit humankind. This work is a result of a desire to grow in spirit and dedication to Ifá only possible for a true devotee. This book demonstrates how the principle of Ifá flows in the bloodstream of Nicholaj and makes him tradition itself. No other word than ìṣeṣe can be used when intellectual prudence, wisdom of diction and light of knowledge takes the shape of ìwà rere (good character) as in this work. As a true disciple of Olódùmarè, an initiate of Ifá and a member of Ọgbɳni, the society of wise men, Nicholaj with this work establishes his name in the mind, soul and the spirit of people whenever Ifá is mentioned. What this work accomplishes is to make a mark, announcing a century of miracles and wonders for Ifá. I say it is a miracle and a wonder because we see today many Yoruba people who instead of embracing their own customs, religion, culture and philosophy are leaving it behind. So it is in truth a miracle to see how a Western man embraces the principles of Ifá, this great storehouse of wisdom that offers insight into the mysterious mind of Olódùmarè – the infinite being and ageless spirit that brought all things into existence – with such great wisdom that was passed down through his diviner and messenger known as orunmila bara agbonniregun akeyo ifa akeyo gbogbo agbaye (orunmila father of agbonniregun, the teacher of Ifá and the renowned master of Earth). And like Ôrúnmìlà, Nicholaj has not only embraced Ifá, but he has made an effort to spread its wisdom. In doing this he has not only brought Ifá to people unfamiliar with the tradition but he has also made it possible for people to bring this old and venerable faith into the lives of others, for the sake of improving the quality of life of all humanity, now and in the future. I am aware I am giving a lot of praise, but in truth this work is truly remarkable. Not only in its way of disseminating the wisdom of Ifá, but also how this work enables the legacy of Ifá to thrive upon the earth. For those reading this book it will bring hope, as this work radiates light and wisdom, the kind of light we find at the source of all things. I am grateful to Olódùmarè and his ìrúnmọlẹs as I am grateful for Nicholaj’s confidence in me, to such an extent that I was asked to write this preface for such a great work. I am grateful for Nicholaj’s dedication, companionship and support of myself, Ifá and his family. I pray that Olódùmarè will always illuminate Nicholaj and his apetẹbi, Adétutu and may his family wherever in the world they might be, be blessed, because for a true devotee of Ifá, humankind is his family. This book shines forth from the aafín imɳ (palace of splendour and light) and imparts ìṣeṣe to the world. This book is a reminder to all the children of Odùduwá how rich their culture, tradition, religion and wisdom truly are. Nicholaj is a good student, a great teacher, a faithful priest, a laudable author, an impressive researcher, a commendable educationist, a praiseworthy pathfinder and I do hope this great work is just the beginning of his dissemination of the wisdom of Ifá. In wise ways Nicholaj has acted with

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Ifá: A Forest of Mystery by Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold is a major study on the cosmology, metaphysics, philosophy and divination system of Ifá, written by a tradition holder and member of the council of elders, known as the Ogboni society, of Abeokuta, Nigeria.Ifá – an alternative name for its
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