IFA

 The word Ifa also refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom, 2nd to Olodumare, intellectual development as well as the name of the religion itself.

 

In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of binary codes, called Odu, that are interpreted by a diviner.

 

Diviner - the Ifa priest aka babalawo or priestess aka Iyanifa who have been initiated into the secrets by way of a holy ceremony of initiation to Orunmila. The priests and priestess’s are referred to as “The Keeper of Secrets” .

 

The Ifa divination system itself connects to the Sacred Corpus of Odu providing insight to one’s life and surrounding circumstances. The priests and priestess’s of Ifa work with deities called Orisa of which they could also be initiated into as well, which give them the title of Babalorisa or Iyalorisa.