Ire or Ibi: Looking back FORWARD on a message from Baba Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

agbo ato

in traditional yoruba culture it is custom to quote the ancestors before expressing a personal opinion
so lets start to examine some of the more common proverbs and consider intergrating them into our
conversation

lets start with the very first sentence of odu ifa

bit by bit we eat the head of the rat

in ode remo rat is eating almost every day
to eat the head you need to be very careful not to cut yourself on the bones

so this odu is saying that we do everything with care and patience and we eat the head of the rat because
we do not waste anything

and the rat is sacred to ifa so the head of the rat symbolises the wisdom of ifa
which we learn bit by bit

we are constantly destroying our limited world view and replacing it with a world view that is a little larger than the day before

this process is called ire

holding on to old perceptions of the world is called ibi

so

everyday we get up in the morning and we have a choice

ire

ibi

the choice for ibi is safe because it is familiar

the choice for ire is dangerous and fearful because it involves the total loss of self
as we create a new perception of self and world

which is why

ifa is based on the search for courage

the courage needed to constantly re invent who we are what we believe and what we know

anyone who claims to know every thing and always be right is an idiot who lacks courage and has no clue

so

bit by bit

ire
or
ibi

life is choice

ire
baba

(this is an original posting by Baba Awo Falokun Fatunmbi from the Awo Study Center when the board was active) - ire eOsw,

'Fagbemi (Ogbe'sa) aka Born Divine