The Life of Owonrin Meji
The continuous biography of this odù's own spiritual evolution — celestial works, then earthly works — told as one unfolding life. Click any title to read it.
Ojuani Meyi Performs Divination for Mankind
The most important work that Ojuani Meyi performed in Heaven was the divination he carried out for the men Fefe and Ale (Ilẹ̀)(Wind and Soil) when they were coming toward the world.
He advised them to perform a sacrifice with a palm frond, a parrot feather, and a sheep to their guardian angels, and to each give a goat to Eshu.
Ilẹ̀, who was very calm, patient, and a very good listener, quickly performed the sacrifices. Fefe Eye, on the other hand, was** full of electricity** and was so conceited that he did not consider it necessary to make any sacrifice at all.
Both departed for Earth at the same time. Upon reaching the boundary between Heaven and Earth, they took different paths. Ilẹ̀ was very successful on Earth, where he became the anchor of salvation for all of God's living creatures. They had been told in Heaven that they would live forever if they performed the sacrifices.
Since Ilẹ̀ was the only one who had made the sacrifice, it resulted that every plant or animal that came into the world first had to pay him respects by touching the ground with its head.
Fefe, on the other hand, could not live a peaceful life on Earth; his dwelling was ephemeral because he dedicated himself to moving back and forth between Heaven and Earth.
This is the reason why the groundhas a stable and permanent existence on Earth, while the wind is not only invincible, but has no known [physical] existence. His presence can only be felt; it cannot be seen.
Yoruba Terms & Phrases
- Ojuani Meyi: (Owanrin Meji) One of the sixteen principal signs (Odu) of the Ifá divination system.
- Fefe: (Afẹ́fẹ́) Refers to the Wind or the breeze.
- Ale: (Ilẹ̀) Refers to the Ground, the Soil, or the Earth itself.
- Eshu: (Èṣù) The Orisha of the crossroads, the messenger, and the enforcer of justice/sacrifice.
- Fefe Eye: Likely a variation of Afẹ́fẹ́, possibly emphasizing its swift or bird-like (Eiye) nature as it moves through the air.
The Patakín Corpus — 1 to 14
Presented in strict numerical order as in the source Tratado. Click any title to read it.
01The Chameleon and the Dog
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Patakín:
The Chameleon, who had only one color and lacked a collar, was very envious. For this reason he hated the Dog --- for whenever he saw the Dog he saw him in a different color and with a collar around his neck.
One day the Chameleon asked the Dog how he managed to always have a different color, while he himself could not, and the Dog even looked more beautiful than him. The Chameleon thought about this and said: "I am going to find out how this is possible."
The next day the Chameleon went to Orunmila's house to find a thing that would make him equal to the Dog. Orunmila told him to be careful --- not to envy anyone, and not to wish anyone ill, because the evil one seeks for another, falls upon oneself. Then Orunmila performed rogación for him and said: "Go --- you are now as you wished."
When the Chameleon reached the bush, he climbed a tree and immediately changed color. Just then he noticed the Dog and called him: "Look, brother." And jumping to another branch, he changed color again. The Dog watched him --- but the Chameleon could never beat the Dog. Seeing this, the Chameleon returned to Orunmila's house, asking him for another thing --- to dominate the Dog by his gaze and defeat him.
Orunmila answered: "What you wish is an evil thing, and remember: the harm one does and wishes for another, comes back upon oneself." But the Chameleon insisted so much that Orunmila finally agreed to please him and performed a work. He took some powders and gave them to him. As he handed them over, he warned the Chameleon that he must first go home without looking at anyone in the street; until then, he must not use the powders.
When the Chameleon arrived at his house, he knocked at the door, and his mother came to open it. The Chameleon forgot the warning Orunmila had given him, and as soon as his mother opened the door, he raised his eyes and looked at her --- and she fell dead the moment he looked.
From then on, whenever people see a Chameleon, they throw stones at him and beat him with sticks. And from that time, the Chameleon changes branches, also changes color, and a kind of collar appears in his throat which he sticks out. The Chameleon is cursed because he killed his Iyaré (Mother).
Note: The evil you do --- upon yourself it will return.
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