Adura
An Ifa Prayer Book For Beginners Vol. I, 2nd Edition
Moving The Ase By Alufa A.S. Umar Sharif, MA
Copyrighted Materials
This book is copyrighted by Sharif Enterprizes, Inc. [DBA Ile Awo Orisa. The House of the Mysteries of Orisa in Phoenix, Arizona.] Reproduction of this publication, in part or in whole, whether in print, digital, or electronic format, without the expressed written permission of the author is prohibited. Sale of such reproductions is a violation of the Copyright Laws. Published in the U.S. By Sharif Enterprizes, Inc. [DBA - Ile Awo Orisa] © February, 2006 ISBN: 0-9637036-5-X
To order additional copies of this CD Interactive Book, write to: Ile Awo Orisa C/O Sharif Enterprizes, Inc. P.O. Box 51282 Phoenix, Arizona 85076-1282
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Dedication This work is dedicated to The Source of Human Spirituality and to those who believe in the Power of Prayer.
Acknowledgements My greatest sources of motivation for all that I do are my children and my desire that they and their children can live in a more peaceful world, and find peace in the world in which they live. My greatest source of inspiration is this magical realm in which you and I live. And my greatest sources of determination are my many students, friends, and godchildren who are a part of my mystic journey. Much gratitude is due my first Yoruba teacher, Chief Adetunji Olokodana, Priest of Obatala and sixteenth generation Babalawo. Also my sincerest appreciation for Ayanfe Omo Oshun, Iya Ile Awo Orisa (Alexis Thielke) and Chief Adeyela Adelekan, Moderator of All Babalawos Worldwide, whom I am both blessed and most grateful to have in my life as a brother, friend, mentor, and advisor.
Homage to The One Who Sends, And to those who are sent! Homage to Orisa and Ancestors, And to those who return Home to Good News! Iba Se Olodumare! For more information about the authors Journey to the Root, Chief Adeyela Adelekan and Ile Awo Orisa, PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:
http://sharif-enterprizes.com/ifa-source-ile-ife
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Contents Chapter
1.
Topic
Preface to Vol. I, 1st Edition Preface to Vol. I, 2nd Edition How to Use this CD Interactive Book
v vii viii
Introduction: The Path of Ifa Consciousness
9
A Working Vocabulary
11
v v v v v v v v v v v
Vowels Consonants Useful Pronouns Useful Verbs Useful Nouns Self Quiz #1 Self Quiz #2 Useful Adjectives Useful Prepositions Useful Conjunctions Answers to Self Quiz #1 and Self Quiz #2
12 13 14 15 17 19 20 21 21 21 22
2.
A Brief Overview of Ifa Cosmology
23
3.
Iba Se Orisa [Homage to Orisha]
28
4.
Appendix
37
v v v v v v
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Page
The 401 Irunmole Orin Ti Ishipaya Traditional Ifa Stories Future Publications Bibliography and Recommended Readings Epilogue
38 48 49 50 50 51
Preface Vol. I, 1st Edition It’s been six years since I wrote the 1st Edition of Adura: Ifa Prayer Book For Beginners, Vol. I. The world has changed in some very dramatic ways since then, but the importance of Adura (prayer) in our everyday lives is as important today as ever before. For that reason, I repeat here, my preface from the 1st Edition. I’ve included additional comments within [] that were not part of the original preface and made only a few grammatical and format edits, and clarifications. When a person memorizes the traditional prayers of a religion in a language that is foreign to them, it is often the case that they find it difficult to maintain an emotional commitment to the prayers. After a while, the prayers become void of meaning and passion because the supplicant is not understanding and ‘feeling’ the meaning of the words at their deepest level. [This may be the reason why even after learning to speak a second language, a person in the heat of emotion will most often revert back to their native language to express themselves.] Until now, the solution to that problem was to master the foreign language to a level of fluency where one could recite the prayers with understanding, a process that could take many years. I experienced this phenomenon when I would pray the Islamic (Salat) prayers in Arabic. [There seemed to be a fundamental disconnection between the emotions in my heart, the process of recitation of my prayers, and the process of translation going on in my mind.] Similarly, there are a whole set of prayers or Iriki to the Orisha in the Ifa tradition which are to be recited in the Yoruba language. At some point on your and my journey it will be to our benefit to learn the language of the tradition that we are studying and following. Teaching you the traditional Iriki will require a teacher more knowledgeable of the Yoruba language than myself. But in the meantime, if you are a student and believer in Ifa, and you want be able to pray with deep passion and understanding, from the very depth of your souls, and if you want to be able to make these supplications in the Yoruba language, this book is for you! This book is designed to help you accomplish that wonderful purpose. The Iba Se Orisha (Homage to Orisha) included in this book are not the traditional Iriki but are based on the traditional and accepted characteristics of the Eight Principle Orisha. This Ifa Prayer Book For Beginners provides you with a very simple vocabulary, a set of prayer templates, and an overview of Ifa so that you can create your own prayers. This brief little handbook will enable you to create prayers of praise to Olodumare [God] and the Orisha [Spiritual Forces], Prayers of Supplication for yourself, and Prayers of Supplication for others, your loved ones and friends. You will be able to create dozens of such prayers using the simple guidelines offered in this book. After only a few hours of study and practice, you will be able to pray in the Yoruba language with passion, understanding and power. The Working Vocabulary is presented in the next section, Chapter 1, so that you can begin studying immediately, while you are reading and thinking about Ifa Cosmology and the Principle Orisha. By the time you complete Chapters 2 and 3, you will be ready to begin plugging your vocabulary terms into the Prayer Templates provided in Chapters 1-3. This edition of Adura also contains the Yoruba names of the 256 Orisa Odu from the Sacred Oracle of Ifa, and a list of Other Orisa in addition to those introduced in the Iba Se Orisa section. We sincerely hope and pray that you enjoy and benefit from Adura: An Ifa Prayer Book for Beginners.
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Mo juba awo Olodumare!!! Fun wa ni itona e ati iranlowo e!!! I humble myself before the mystery of God!!! Bestow upon us Your guidance and Your help!!! Alufa Umar Sharif
Preface to this 2nd Edition My purpose in writing this 2nd Edition of Adura remains as it was expressed in the Preface to the 1st Edition. However, my journey to Ile-Ife, Nigeria and my continued experiences with Orisa have filled me with an even greater desire to provide you with the basic tools to further your Dialogue with The Divine. Science and Spirituality have arrived at an important intersection and our scientific knowledge of the nature of creation can now enhance our understanding of the nature of prayer. Many religions or religious views argue that ‘their god’ is the One True God. But we should then ask, “Why then do people of all religious ideologies and traditions, and individuals from atheist to religious fundamentalists have their ‘prayers’ answered?” Perhaps prayer is more than a Dialogue with The Divine. Maybe prayer is the process of calling forth Manifestations of The Divine (wittingly and unwittingly). Perhaps prayer is that state of At-one-ment, or Samadhi (a East Indian Sanskrit expression meaning that moment when the individual meditating and the object of meditation become one), that I will refer to here as Moving The Ase. We often hear ourselves say, “Be careful what you pray for!” So why do we (human beings) pray for seemingly good things that don’t happen, and pray to avoid apparently bad things that do happen? Is our purely deistic understanding of the mechanisms of prayer sufficient to guide us into its true power? Are the mechanisms of prayer bounded by the words that we speak and the moments in which we speak them? Or do our prayers and their influence begin long before we speak them and continue long after we have spoken them? And more importantly, are the consequences that we see the result of the words that we have spoken, or are they the manifestations of that which truly vibrates in the heart, though it is contrary to the words we’ve uttered in our moments of prayer? We often approach our trials and difficulties in life as though they are the punishment of The Divine. But there are those who would argue (and I’m one of them) that WE call things into existence in our individual and collective lives by our words, choices, actions, and that which we exude from the heart; and that this ‘calling-things-forth’ is both the magic and the trial of this world. This book will offer comment on some of the questions raised. It will also follow the same basic format at Vol. I with an Expanded Working Vocabulary, an Expanded Overview of Ifa Cosmology, an Expanded Iba Se Orisa, and New Self Quizzes and Templates. You will also find a wealth of information on our web site at: http://sharif-enterprizes.com/ifa-source-ile-ife. Technology has already advanced since the 1st Edition was published and now we can bring you this 2nd Edition of Adura in this NEW CD-R Format. You’ll find hyperlinks to our web site to help you with the lessons. Just click on the links and close the pop-up windows when you’re done. Thank you for supporting the goals of Ile Awo Orisa [The House of the Mysteries of Orisa] by purchasing a copy of this book. Alufa Umar Sharif May Orisa and Ancestors Remove all obstacles from your Path!
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How to Use This CD Interactive Book Adura: The Ifa Prayer Book For Beginners, 2nd Ed. is designed to make your learning process easy, convenient, and fun. As you read through the book, you will find highlighted words that have been hyperlinked to other pages in the text, or to the Internet. If you’re viewing this CD then your already know that you will need Adobe Acrobatic Reader in order to view the book as a PDF document. You will also need to be connected to the Internet in order to view information available on the Ile Awo Orisa web site. You can download a copy of Adobe Acrobatic Reader by clicking on the above link. Adobe Acrobatic Reader will allow you to view the book in a scrolling 1-page or 2-page format on your computer screen. It will also allow you to zoom in or out to increase the size of the text on your screen. You should be able to have your Adobe Acrobatic Reader and Internet connection open at the same time so that you can flow smoothly between programs. The text also uses a color scheme to assist you in easily identifying various categories of information. For example, in most of the vocabulary lists and exercises, English words are highlighted in green, while the Yoruba words and expressions are in yellow. Most quoted material appears in blue. We hope this format makes it easier to enjoy spending time reading and studying the book. At the end of each Iba Se Orisa you will find a link to information about that Orisa on our web site, further enhancing your knowledge. You will also find a brief bibliography in the Appendix to increase you resources and assist you in enhancing your knowledge of our birthright tradition.
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