The Eternal Wisdom of Ifa Divination (Yoruba)
Orunmila, the Orisha of wisdom and divination, received the sacred Odu Ifa from Olodumare at the beginning of time. The Ifa system consists of 256 sacred verses (Odu) that encode the entire knowledge of the universe—history, medicine, philosophy, and prophecy. Orunmila taught the Ifa to humanity through Babalawos (fathers of secrets), the priests trained to interpret the sacred palm nuts and divination chain. According to legend, Orunmila was present at the creation of the world and recorded everything that would happen. The first Babalawo was Ẹla, the son of Orunmila. Ifa divination is used f