When should one go to the Ifa priest?

When should one go to see the Ifa priest?

The Ifa priest is seen in authentic African community as the person who has best understanding of our world, I mean human life. So we go to him/her not only to know who we are spiritually but also in order to understand or have solutions to anything that seems to be beyond our explanation like failure in business (why despite my efforts, I never happen to reach the fixed goal) or why do I always have bad dreams like being raped or seeing snakes running after me, etc. Apart from the above mentioned situations, here are some cases often make people call for the Ifa priest.

1-Adôgo Fa (when a woman is pregnant)

The Ifa priest is called for when a woman is pregnant. This is known in Benin as “Adôgo Fa”. This type of reading is requested to every father-to-be for the security of the child to be born because spirituality is so high in Africa that witches and wizards are able to read out the destiny of the baby from her mother’s womb and can prevent the good from happening as well. Through the Adôgo Fa, you are prescribed measures to take so as to avoid all traps from the wicked. Sometimes, the mother bearing the baby is just prescribed a new lifestyle till she delivers, not necessarily because of any wicked plan but maybe because this will be of great help in achieving his/her destiny. If the baby is already attacked before you go to the Ifa priest, then a sacrifice is required for deities to break the evil plan.

2- Agbassa (to know more about a new-born child)

A divination is required when a new child has seen the light. This divination is part of an important ceremony which varies from one family to another. It can be considered similar to what is known in European system as baptism, which most people today call naming ceremony.  In Benin, especially in Vodun-Hwendo (West African spirituality) such ceremony does not take place before the new born child sees three (03) moonlights, that is three months. It is only after three months that we can admit that the baby has completed his/her trip to our world and we can then question his/her arrival. Some families may consider longer than three months but not less. When parents are abroad when they conceive the child, they can take it whenever they come back home. This divination aims at finding out which ancestors in the family or which deity has opened the door of the family to the new born, on which spiritual sign was the child born and what should be his/her lifestyle for a happy life. Measures are taken by the priest to avoid revealing everything to the crowd since among them we may have all type of people (wickedness). The mother observes the given lifestyle till the child grow to some age. For example, if okra soup is prohibited to the new-born during the Agbassa, her mother will no longer eat okra soup till the child stops sucking her mom’s breasts.

3- Mè j’ayi Fa (when a person is dead)

The Ifa priest is paid a visit for a divination when someone dies. The goal of this reading is to know if it is a natural death or it is related to something else. This reading is important because it can prevent other deaths in the family. For example someone may die because he was doing no good to the family. He holds some spiritual technology tools (fetishes) and does nothing than hurt people in the community and deities have got rid of him or he has been victim of one of his own traps. Maybe he had already activated the machine before passing away. The reading will help deactivate it. Sometimes, you will notice a series of deaths in some families within few months. Such things are avoided if Mè J’ayi Fa were carried out when the first person dies. This consultation is also important because when it is done help solve different problems within members of the family. For example if there were misunderstanding or dispute between or among some members, the dead may say that he can be buried only when understanding and forgiveness occur among the target members, and promise danger if his request is not followed as prescribed.

4- Xwé Fa (new year divination)
Every authentic practitioner of West African spirituality (Vodun-Hwɛndo) takes this exercise every year. This divination is generally done either in mid-december (between 15-25) or the second half of January (from 15 to beginning Feb.). The main question we ask Ifa in this reading is "How should I take this year for it to be successful with sound health?" Ifa on this occasion will reveal the challenges you are going to face in different domains during the year and tell you how to overcome them as well. If you were initiated to Ifa, the best way to do this reading is to bring your shrine to an Ifa priest or invite one in your house to feed the shrine and do the Xwé Fa with your Ifa shrine (the nuts). The priesthood of every main district takes this exercise for the well-being of their people and the kingdom palace calls for selected priests to do it for the well-being of the whole kingdom(country). When it is tot personal but concerns a whole community or a whole country, the reading is then called Tô Fa.

5- Fa Titè (for men) and Fa Sinsèn (for women): Initiation to Fa

When you are willing to know yourself more, to know who you are spiritually, what clan you spiritually belong to, what energy governs you, you call for the Fa priest, not for an ordinary divination but to get initiated to Ifa. This process consists in finding out which Odu ( spiritual sign/clan/house) you belong to and what deities go with your sign. A lifestyle is prescribed for life, I mean a lifestyle you have to follow till you pass away. You are put into direct contact with your Sè Kpoli (your god creator) and related deities. Everybody is allowed to get initiated to Ifa but it is not necessary for everyone to take that initiation. When some signs often come out when you take Fa reading, the initiation to Fa may become your only chance for rescue. In the other case, sacrifices after readings are enough to help as solutions.

Many are the other cases in which one can go to the Ifa priest. When you have a consistent project, a trip, self-employment issue, marrital life, health problems, etc. you can go to the Ifa priest. Anyway, considering Ifa priest as an important library or advisor does not make him/her a master of all mysteries of life. "The Babalawo has been doing great about life but has not yet mastered great about life", sang Gbèzé. It is on these words of the singer that I'm going to say " let's keep in touch!"