Ase Ti N Bo Wa Si'ile Aye: The Power of Coming to Earth by Fagbemijo Amosun Fakayode The birth of a baby is a miraculous and divine event. It is the coming of a Soul from Heaven to Earth. It is a very sacred event. We know from Odù Ifá (the mystical and esoteric body of wisdom of OLÓDÙMARÈ, The Universe) that much effort and many steps must be taken (or ignored, at one's own peril) for the soul to make the journey from Heaven to Earth. One of the foremost steps that must be completed is the act of Ìkúnlè, kneeling, to receive one's Destiny. We are taught that this is a very crucial step that all beings must take before journeying from the Spiritual Realm (Heaven) to Earth, as one cannot ever re-choose their Destiny – not in this lifetime, at least. Ifá teaches us that one can only re-choose Destiny by journeying back to Heaven and then going through the process of coming to Earth all over again. Thus it is only through reincarnation that we can re-choose our Destiny. This verse of Ifa shows us that our Destiny is with us by choice, and that it is a contract that is binding until death. This choice takes place in the Realm of Àjàlámòpín. On this Odù Ifá Ogbè Òbàrà says: “We knelt down and choose our Destinies
But upon getting to Earth, we are rushing to much
Destiny cannot be chosen again Unless we reincarnate
Ifá divination was performed for Èdò
The one who shall paddle the Humans from Heaven...”
Once one has chosen their destiny, they will go on to the next stage of transition from Heaven to Earth called the domain of Ìwòrì Bogbè Olókó which means “Ìwòrì Bogbè, The Hoe Seller”. Here, we learn through Odù Ifá, we are each given a hoe and told to dig. We are given 3 months time to dig with the hoe. This hole we are digging without knowing what is will be for or why we are doing it. Once complete, this ditch will be known as Kòtò Ofò, meaning the Pit of Loss. Also, in Odù Ifá we learn that the deeper this hole is, the harder our life on Earth will be, as it is imperative to spiritually fill the Pit of Loss before one can experience blessings and successes in life. On this Odù Ifá Ìwòrìbogbè says:
“The successful person on Earth is the lazy person in Heaven Ifá's declaration to Òrúnmìlà
When he was leading seven divinities to the
world...” This verse of Ifá explains when Òrúnmìlà, custodian of the Ifá oracle, was sent on a primordial mission by God, OLÓDÙMARÈ. He was to lead an expedition of 7 divine forces to Earth. Before departing for the journey, Òrúnmìlà went to an Ifá priest for divination. The priest told Òrúnmìlà that “The successful person on Earth is the lazy person in Heaven”. The priest told Òrúnmìlà that he will be asked to dig as part of his journey from Heaven to Earth, and that he should not dig deeply for it will affect his success on Earth. He was also told to make a sacrifice. Òrúnmìlà complied. Òrúnmìlà, remembering the advice of the Ifa priest, merely scraped the ground once with his hoe when he arrived at the domain of Ìwòrì Bogbè Olókó. Then he sat and waited patiently, resting and enjoying the scene as the other Divine Forces all dug and dug. The other divine forces Òrúnmìlà was leading to Earth did not go for Ifá consultation before the voyage, thus they were not privy to the Pit of Loss and what the purpose of digging was. Ògún, the Òrísà (Divine Primordial Force) of Iron and War, dug as furiously he could, taking as little breaks as possible, for the entire duration of the 3 months. His Pit of Loss was very large. This is why upon coming to Earth, Òrísà Ògún had many troubles acquiring good things in life on this sojourn. His Pit of Loss was so large that as soon as he would be close to attaining progress in life, he would lose out on the potential progress as the ditch he dug was so large it caused great spiritual impediment. Only though the offering of ritual sacrifices will the Kòtò Ofò become filled and success in life can be achieved. Upon getting to Earth, the other Divine Forces soon realized that their lots' in life were much more difficult than that of Òrúnmìlà. They then went to Òrúnmìlà and asked him why his things were always well and his life easy, while their own things were difficult and unsuccessful. To this Òrúnmìlà replied, “the successful person on Earth is the lazy person in Heaven.” He then reminded them all of their time at the domain of Ìwòrì Bogbè Olókó and the sizes of the ditches they all dug. He advised them to always go for Ifá consultation before any large undertaking.
