One thing is clear, both Ori-Inu and Ori-Apere must be in harmony to ensure success in life. If you have made the best of the choices in terms of Ori-Apere, that is Akunleyan, Akunlegba and Ayanmo and if you have chosen a bad Ori-Inu, that is if you do not have good character, you will not be able to actualize the potentials of your Ori-Apere.

Traditionally, on the third day of our birth, our parents seek to find out the type of Ori we have chosen so as to know how to support us toward actualizing our destiny. The process of finding out this destiny is called “Akosejaye”. It is the belief of the Yoruba that Orunmila is a close associate of Orisa Ajala Mo’pin. Orunmila is always at hand whenever any new creature comes to the domain of Orisa Ajala Mo’pin to choose his Ori. Orunmila Opitan, Eleri Ipin, that is Orunmila the great historian and the witness to destiny.

An experienced Babalawo is employed to cast Ifa divination to determine the child’s destiny. If in the process it is discovered that the child’s choices of Akunleyan and Akunlegba are found to be unfavorable, special rituals and sacrifices are then prescribed to change the destiny to a more favorable one. In the same vein, the parents are also advised of how to nurture the child to bring about good character so that destiny can be fulfilled. According to the Yoruba, “riru ebo nii gbe’ni, airu ebo kii gbeniyan”. The fact that a bad destiny can be altered through the appropriate rituals and sacrifice is confirmed by a verse in Odu Ifa Owonrin-Meji, which goes thus:

“Agbon mi jia jia ma ja
Adia fun Bayewo Obinrin
Nigbati nfo mi ju sugbere omo
Ebo won ni ko se
Igba ti o ma bi
Ofi omo naa bi Okunrin
Won s’omo ni Oganrara
Oganrara ko mu ire kankan lowo
Aye re wa le ko-ko bi ota
Won ni ki Ogannrara wa to ina awo ile, orun awo ode
Ina awo ile, orun awo ode
Ki won so je, ki won so je, ki won ma ba fi ibi mumu kan mumu
Awonrinwon awo oko, Alamuu awo eba ogiri
Ki won so je, ki won so je, ki won ma ba fi ibi hai-hai kan hai-hai
Oge eye aye, kowe eye Ode Orun
Ki won so je, ki won so je, ki eye obalusa meji ma ba fi oju kan ra won
Ikun  ni fi Agbari se ile,
Kelebe ni nfi ona ofun se iyewu
Ete oke, ete isale la fi se haa!!!-ho!!! Odo to kun
Apo ju ikun ti bo gbo ara mon le lo
Awon naa se Ifa sun Oganra nigbati O f’omiju sugbere gbogbo ire
Nje Ire Aje,Aya, Omo, Ile , ogbo ato hun mi mo wa wi
Eledumare fi fun mi, Oganrara.”

Translation:

The coco-nut dangles and dangles but does not fall off
Cast divination for the woman called Bayero
When she was lamenting her inability to have children
She was asked to make sacrifice
When she delivered
She gave birth to a male child
The child was named Oga-nra-ra
Oganrara therefore consulted Orun (sun), the external Diviner
Oganrara consulted Ina (fire), the in-house diviner
The both did their best for him to making sure their heat do not touch each other
He consulted the Alligator, the diviner from the bush and the Lizard, the diviner that lives on the wall, they both tried their best for him making sure their tails do not touch each other
He consulted Oge, the earthly bird and kowe, the celestial bird
They both tried their best for him making sure they both birds of spirits do not see each other
The mucous resides in the nostril
The phlegm resides in the throat
It is both the upper and the lower lips
That are used to exclaim that a river has over flown its borders
A potbelly over shadows the body
All the above divined for Oganrara
When he was lamenting his bad fortune
I desire the blessings of wealth, wife, children, houses, and long life
May the Almighty God provide all for me, Oganrara.

In the Yoruba tradition Ori is regarded as a deity. As such, if one’s condition in life becomes unsatisfactory, then one’s Ori-Apere has to be appeased through some prescribed rituals and sacrifices and, with improvement in one’s character, things will become good. A verse in a song in Ile-Ife dialect has this to say:

“Ma ran ‘ni l’oja Ilare o, ma ran ni’l’oja Oba
Kan ba mi r’obi bo, ma mu k’Ori mi Apere o
K’Eleda mi mo gb’ibode.”

“I will send someone to Ilare and Oba markets
To buy kolanuts for me to appease my Ori-Apere
So that my destiny will not be doomed.”

Another Odu Ifa verse says:

“Iworan Olokun
A b’ara le kokoko bi Ori ota
O d’Ifa fun Ori-Apere
Omo atakara s’ola
Nje ibi Ori gbe l’owo, Akara
Ori je won o ka mi mo won, Akara
Ibi Ori gbe n bi’mo, Akara
Ori je won o ka mi mo won, Akara
Ibi Ori gbe n ni’re gbogbo, Akara
Ori je won o ka mi mon won Akara.”

“Iworan Olokun
Cast Ifa divination for Ori-Apere
Who became wealthy by merely selling bean cake?
Wherever Ori is wealthy let me be included
Wherever Ori has many children, let me be included
Wherever Ori has all the good things of life
Let me be included.”

The blessed Ori who became wealthy from selling bean cake. The king with the golden staff. Ori who defends you faster than any Orisa. Ori who brings you forth to this world and will never abandon you. The head of the poor is not blessed. The head of the rich shines. When you wake up in the morning appease your Ori. Ori is the source of your blessings. May our Ori continue to support us in life. Ase.

There is a saying among the Yoruba:

We knelt down and choose our destiny
When we got to the earth we are all in a hurry
We cannot go back to heaven
To alter our course
The only alternative is to consult Ifa
And offer the required sacrifice
This is the only way to improve our life.

This is why it is very important that everyone should have Ifa so that one will have an idea of what destiny one has chosen and which Orisa accompanied one on the journey to this world.

We must however not lose sight of one thing. For you to have the good things of life as destined for you at birth, you must display good character because it is this Ori-Inu that will assist you in actualizing the potentials of your destiny, Ori-Apere.

My prayer for all of us is “ki Ori-Inu wa ma ba t’ode wa je”, that is, may our behavior not jeopardize the actualization of our destiny.

Aboru aboye abosisie!