Babalawo Orisha

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Ibori – Learn How To Feed

Your Ori

Ibori is a very simple but powerful

ritual that can be done to connect
with your Ori while ritually
cleansing and feeding it.

The ritual presented below has

been presented in basic form.
When Ibori is performed by a
Babalawo or Orisa priest, it often
becomes a much more involved
endeavor.

However, for the sake of

simplicity, the basic ritual has
been presented here. It is also
important to note that the ability
to divine is an important part of
performing Ibori, as you can
determine:
Whether an Ibori needs to be
performed?
What specific offerings your Ori
needs?
Whether your Ori has accepted
the offerings after they have been
made?

IFA Divination: One can

determine this by learning the 16
major Odu IFA positions using
Opèle or Ikin as they provide very
deep and super clear from IFA.

The Ikin or Opele must be fully

consecrated before being engaged
for IFA divination.
NOTE: Consult a
renowned Babalawo
to consecrate your
Ikin or Opele.

EBO AND OFFERINGS

There are many basic oHerings to

one’s Ori. Obviously, it is best if
these are determined via
divination whenever possible.
The following questions may be
asked through casting IFA:
Does my Ori need to receive an
offering at this time?
Does it need to receive (insert
individual items until you find
what it wants?
Are there any other offerings that
my Ori requires at this time?

Some materials often used to feed

one’s Ori are:
1. Omiero
2. Cool water (omi tutu)
3. Honey (oyin)
4. Dry gin (oti)
5. Dried fish (eja aro)
6. Bitter kola nut (orogbo)
7. Kola-nut (obi abata)
8. Sugar cane (ireke)
9. Red palm oil (epo pupa)
10. Efun (native chalk)
11. Shea butter (ori)
12. Coconut milk
13. Meat
14. Fruits

Some of the above oHerings are

given for the following reasons:

Cool water – to cool, calm and

refresh, especially to ease a “hot”
situation

Honey – to sweeten and bring

joy

Dry gin – to bring pleasure and

strength

Kola-nut – to stimulate, give life,

avert problems and bring wisdom.
Kola-nut is a very important
component!

Bitter kola – good for ase, also

protection and longevity

Sugar cane – to bring sweetness

and ire

Palm oil – to smooth, sustain &

ease, also used for abundance

Shea butter – to protect and

soothe

Coconut milk – to oHer a very

strong cooling energy

Meat – to oHer strength

Fruits – to make one’s destiny

fruitful and add nourishment to
ones destiny

The simplest oHering is pure cool

water. Even when nothing else is
available, we always have cool
water and this can be used to cool
the Ori, to ease the mind and to
remove the “heat” from our
heads.

Often the head (ori) is also

washed in a specially prepared
Omiero made by a Babalawo or
Olorisa. Omiero, as most people
know it, is water with certain
herbs, the combination
determined by the use in
question. It may also include
blood from an animal.

In Africa, depending on area,

Omiero refers to snail blood or
snail blood in water or snail blood
in water with ewe ero.

Omi-ero; “Omi” is the word for

water and “ero” is a plant. Snail
blood is white and is Obatala’s
favorite oHering.

It is the most powerful cooling

and tranquility inducing
compound you can use on your
Ori.

It also imparts the wisdom of

Obatala. Ero is a powerful plant
or ewe for its cooling and calming
properties as well as its attraction
of ire (good fortune).

We bring the qualities of Obatala

and Orunmila into our heads
when doing ibori.

One of the best and most

powerful omiero for this speciZc
task is one made with:
Spring water
Snail blood
Ewe ero
Coconut water
Soft meat
Efun (white native chalk)
Ori butter (shea butter)

Any combination of these

products will do, if you don’t
have all of them. Ewe ero can be
found at any botanica.

If you can Znd African snails in

your area great, if not, local ones
will do. You cut open the snail
and squeeze out the blood into
the water.

Get a fresh green coconut and add

its water to your water. You can
chop up the soft meat and add it
to the omiero or use it to place on
top of your head later, under your
head wrap.

Add some ori butter and efun.

Both are easy to get. If you have a
Babalawo who can make it for
you, that is optimal.

If not, state your intent as you

add each ingredient and why you
are adding that ingredient. This
omiero can also be used as a bath.

One’s Ori is very sensitive and one

should always be careful what
they are placing on their Ori. The
importance of this cannot be
stressed enough. This is why
divining to determine what one’s
Ori requires is very important.

There are times that one’s Ori will

be stimulated “heated” but this
should only be done after one has
been properly trained because one
must know the proper way of
cooling the Ori after it has been
stimulated.
TIME TO PERFORM IBORI

Ibori is best performed in the

morning, before talking to anyone
but then you would have to spend
the rest of the day indoors, which
is not practical for many people so
you can do it in the evening, at a
time when you will not have to
leave the house again for any
reason.

You should also make sure that

you will be relatively undisturbed
after the ritual takes place, as you
will need to remain “cool” for the
rest of evening.

Before starting the actual oHering,

take a bath or shower. If you have
any consecrated black soap (highly
recommended), you may use that
to cleanse your head of any
negative energy that may have
accumulated.

Another reason why it is best to

have divination done is that you
may need to do some work to
remove negative energy before
you do Ibori.

Relax and wash away the physical

dirt, but also try to release some
of the emotional/spiritual dirt
that we all pick up each day.

Take as much time as you need for

this part, as it is very important to
be relaxed when you begin
working with your Ori.

After your bath or shower, dress

in the lightest color clothing you
can Znd – ideally an all white
outZt, including under garments.

Avoid anything very bright or

dark. Go to the area you have
designated for the Ibori ceremony.
Some people choose to do this
before their Ancestral shrine, if
they have not ritually received
Igba’Ori.

Wherever the ritual is performed,

it is important that the area be
neat and clean and free from any
disturbances for the duration of
the ritual itself. The space should
be consecrated with Holy water.
PERFORMING IBORI

Washing – sprinkle the water

around and say; omi tutu (cool
water), Ile tutu (cool earth), Esu
tutu (if you have an esu sprinkle
it), Egun tutu (ancestors), Ire
Orunmila, ire, ire, ire o!

Anointing – the tongue or

mouth is the source of ofo ase –
the power of the word. Most of
the time, ataare pepper, palm oil
or kola is used. In this case, you
would use the one for Obatala,
which is efun. Just lick it. I like to
say this oriki when I do anointing:
Ase Orisa enu u mi o. Ase Orisa
enu u mi. Eyi ti mo ba ti wi.
N’Irunmole o gba. Ase Orisa enu
u mi. The ase of Orisa in my
mouth. The ase of Orisa in my
mouth. Whatever I say, is what
the divinities will sanction. The
ase of Orisa in my mouth.

Invoking – Chants and prayer

are an important part of any Ifa
ritual, no matter how simple or
how complex. Before beginning
the formal ritual itself, one should
chant iba (homage), oriki and in
this case chants to Ori.

Feeding – oHer the sacriZcial

items listed above to your Ori.

Reading – cast IFA using Ikin or

opele to verify acceptance of
oHerings.

We must say our “Iba’s” (homage)

which are used to start all ritual.

IBA’SE – IFA PRAYER

OF PRAISE

Ope ni fun Olorun

Gratitude to the owner of the

realm of the Ancestors

Iba Olodumare

Oba ajiki Homage to the Creator,

the King who we praise Zrst

Iba Ogege, Oba ti ngb’ aiye gun

Homage to Mother Earth, who

sustains the Universal alignment
of all things in nature

Iba Onile

Homage to the Spirit of the Earth

Iba Elawori

Homage to the Spirit of purity

Iba’se ila Oorun

Homage to the power of the East

Iba’se iwo Oorun

Homage to the power of the West

Iba’se Ariwa

Homage to the power of the

North

Iba’se Guusu

Homage to the power of the

South

Iba atiwo Orun

Homage to all things that live in

the invisible realm

Iba Ori

Homage to the Spirit of

Consciousness

Iba Ori inu

Homage to the Spirit of the Inner

Self

Iba Iponri ti o wa l’Orun

Homage to the Spirit of the

Higher Self who lives in the
Invisible Realm of the Ancestors

Orun Ori nile, e oo jiyin, e oo

jabo oun ti e ri

The Invisible Realm of the

Ancestors is the permanent home
of the Inner Self, it is there that
the Inner Self accounts for what it
has done during the Journey to
Earth

Iba Orunmila, Eleri ipin iku dudu

atewo, oro to si gbogbo ona

Homage to the Spirit of Destiny,

Witness to Creation, the averter
of Death, the Power of the Word
that opens all doors

Iba Awo Akoda

Homage to the Diviner named

Akoda, the Zrst student of
Orunmila

Iba Awo Aseda

Homage to the Diviner named

Aseda, the one who taught Ifa to
the world

Iba Egun, Egungun kiki Egungun

Homage to the Ancestors, I give

respect to the realm of the
ancestors

Iba Awon Iya Wa, Eleiye

Homage to our Mothers, Owners

of Birds

Iba Esu Odara, Okunrin ori ita,

ara Oke itase, ao Z ida re lale

Homage to the Divine Messenger

of Transformation, the Man of
the Crossroads, from the Hill of
Creation, we wil use your sword
to touch the Earth

Iba gbogbo Orisa

Homage to all the Orisa

Iba gbogbo Irunmole

Homage to all the Irunmole

Iba baba

Iba yeye

Homage to my father and homage

to my mother

Ibashe, Ibashe, Ibashe, O

Oriki Ori (Prayers To

Ori)

Ori san mi,

Ori san mi,

Ori san mi

Ori san igede

Ori san igede

Ori san igede

Ori oto san mi ki nni owo lowo

Ori tan san mi ki nbimo le mio

Ori oto san mi ki nni ayaOri oto

san mi ki nkole mole

Ori ni ma sin

Ori ni ma sin

Ori ni ma sin

Oloma ajiki

Iwa’ ni mope