Prince Justice J Faloye
I was amazed as a kid that three men left from different parts of the world to follow a star to where a child was born. I wished I could be wise like them. Overtime I heard the Yoruba phrase ifura logun agba, instinct was the weapon of the elders, and I wondered what informed those body warning signs. All humans recognize good luck and jinxes of all types. It is an integral part of wisdom to understand and employ or avoid certain essences. If there is an aura of good luck and prosperity, and you make yourself available, there are possibilities of a favorable outcome but if you sleep or do nothing, you might just have a pleasant feeling of nothingness.
Personal charms, objects or actions could evoke essences, which is why some ignorantly label them idol worshipping, but what could bring those essences to everyone. To be a successful farmer you must understand the obvious Sun positions that results in seasons that dictate our planting and harvesting of food. The Moon positioning and 28 days orbit is tied to a woman’s mensual ovulation period during which pregnancy can occur in just two days. These two essences that create and sustain humanity are tied to planetary bodies, so what influences or essences do other planetary bodies bring? What evokes essences of information, money, work, health, justice, revolution, death etc?
The essence of money is most sought after. As an Economist, I studied economic upturns and downturns that are not fully explained by known variables. However delving into ancient knowledge systems, I realized our ancestors had identified every spiritual and philosophical essence of life that were conceptualized into what were called Orisas, and not just the Sun (Orunmila) and Moon (Yemoja) essences. These African Spiritual Sciences outlined by Ifa spread to Summer (Mesopotamia), India, Rome and across the world, labelled as astrology. Over time humanity tied all known essences and their interrelationships to planetary bodies of our solar system, which were portrayed with a 360 degrees cycle of life called the Zodiac, which like clocks and calendars were divided into 12 sectors, signs or houses of 30 degrees each, which are further broken down into 10 degrees/days known as decans.
In Yorubaland, timekeepers known Aworawo have disappeared due to colonial epistemicide that has brainwashed and constricted Africans to economic slavery, whereby we are economically dependent on our slavemasters and their knowledge. The majority are poor and perishing for the lack of knowledge to make money, therefore indulging in money rituals or japa, instead of identifying and flowing with the natural essence of money.
Aje is the Yoruba spiritual and philosophical essence of trading, money and economics, and is located in one of the 12 Zodiac signs, but because money, business and economic prosperity is a mixture of different essences, it can’t be tied to just one of the seven great Yoruba Orisa essences.
According to Yoruba mythology, Aje had relationships with Olokun/Neptune that some call her father (natural or adopted), Orunmila/Sun that gave her wisdom to prosper, Oya/Pluto, Osun/Venus, Esu/Mercury, Ogun/Mars and probably other Orisas. Aje spiritual and philosophical essences appears to be a mix of Osun essence of appreciation of value; Esu essence of information; Olokun, essence of the largest and rich portion of the Oduduwa planet; Ogun essence of positive action, hard work and war, and Oya/Pluto essence of revolutionary change. In Western astrology, while personal income is placed in the second house ruled by Osun/Venus, shared resources and economics is tied to the 8th house attributed to Oya/Pluto, but they don’t fully capture the Orisa Aje essences.
In Ifa, the ever evolving African information retrieval system, Aje is tied to Olokun as.a daughter, the source of Aje, being the largest and richest portion of Earth, but there are questions of whether Olokun influence on Aje/economics might be tied to the overall effect of the outgoing 2000yr Age of Olokun of maritime trade, which also led to the phrase Ifa Olokun Asorodayo. As we know Ifa, the African knowledge bank began to evolve during Orunmila (Sun) Age twelve thousand years ago, when humanity settled down to seasonal farming of Yams, first using palm kernels then kolanuts for divination which was long before the Olokun era of cowries.
Likewise, Aje trade structures existed long before the Age of Olokun (23AD to 2023) of sea resources and maritime trade, since humans initially exchanged agricultural and mining products and conducted majority of trade across land with camels and other beasts of burden, establishing intercontinental trade routes during Age of Osun/Taurus from 4000 to 2000BC. Afterwards, we moved into the Age of Ogun/Aries, the age of Ajagungbade and conquering for Aje resources from 2000BC to 1AD. And, as we now move into the new incoming 2000yr Shango era of the air, Shango’s digital online trade will surpass Olokun maritime trade, thereby resulting in Aje Shango.
Considering the 2000 year civilizational cycle and the 165 year Olokun orbit, Olokun’s rich seabeds that cover 70% of Earth, its essence of maritime trade as well as its leadership of collective spiritual, organic and colonial consciousness, Olokun essences might dictate the long term features of economic activity and systems, based on available technology and territorial leadership and control, but not shorter term influences on economics and money. Just as the 84 year Shango cycle won’t fully explain Aje in the digital age.
There are shorter orbits of Osun, Ogun and Esu that could be tied to every day economic cycles and windfalls. Osun and Esu, unlike other Orisas are represented with two sectors, feminine and masculine, accounting for 4 out of the 12 Zodiac signs. Osun is represented by Libra and Taurus, while Esu is Virgo and Gemini. Ogun’s feminine side would have been Scorpio but it has been articulated to Oya, the force of revolutionary change, whose orbit is the longest – 250yrs and can’t be used alone to explain temporal economic swings. Nevertheless, astrology regards Oya as the ruler of the 8th house of shared resources, credit, sex, death.
In the cycle of life, Ogun is linked to Orunmila/Leo wisdom and creativity and Obatala/Sagittarius civilizational structures. The combination of Ogun and Obatala breeds Oshoosi essence of the second Obatala decan (December 3rd to 12th) whose force is used to protect Obatala civilization and laws. The combination of Oguns hard work and Orunmila wisdom in the 3rd decan of Leo (13 to 22 August) and 2nd Decan of Aries (31st March to 9th April) could bring wealth, like Aje is said to have approached Orunmila for wisdom of prosperity, but the double fire energies can’t fully explain Aje feminine and intellectual side of economics.
Igbos Nri civilization based on blacksmithing and iron (Ogun) might have coupled up with Orunmila wisdom, which still influences their economics and their red Ogun caps and dressing. Some might go further to emphasize that the Igbo essences of Ogun and Orunmila, two fire signs, is what makes them singled out for being too economically aggressive. The Ogun-Orunmila business model covers production and retailing but not all business and economics.
In the case of philosophical and spiritual essences of Osun, the first decan of Libra is Osun intellectual house, the second decan is Shango (Aquarius) the judicious use of Information, which can lead to profit especially in morally justified knowledge based businesses. The third is Gemini/aggressive Esu for marketing. On the other side of Osun, the material side, the first decan of Taurus is Osun tangible property, the second decan is Virgo, Esu intellectual house of information, while the third decan is Obaluaye/Capricorn that covers the essence of structure of everything, especially in this case financial institutions. Obaluaye 29 year orbit might decide the lifecycles of financial and economic institutions but too long for business cycles. Since money according to Economists is a veil, an intellectual concept of value, these Osun combinations are close to Aje.
In the case of the philosophical and spiritual essences of Esu, the first decan of Virgo is Esu intellectual house, the second decan is Obaluaye/Capricorn for structuring information and communication systems, especially business information systems, while the third is Osun for business information. In Esu masculine sign of Gemini, the first decan is the physical manifestation of Esu, the second decan is Osun/Libra for economic information, while the third decan is ruled by Shango/Aquarius for overall Justice. As noted there are Esu and Osun combinations in the four signs of Osun and Esu, but since Osun has a greater propensity for value, Osun signs are more likely than Esu to inhabit Aje short term essence. This is either Osuns house of Libra third decan ruled by Esu or Osuns house of Taurus second decan ruled by Esu/Virgo.
With regards to Ogun’s feminine side, Oya in Scorpio, the essence of revolutionary change and moralistic force is the first decan, while the second decan is ruled by Olokun whose combination with Oya results in change in political and economic direction and leadership over a very long term since both have long 165 year and 250 year orbits that coincide once in 500yrs, the last being the Western global economic dominance, capitalism built on slave trade. The third decan is Yemoja/moon the essence of fertility, a combination of the longest and shortest orbits, which is why astrology ties it is to short term unexpected economic windfalls of Aje
Over decades of personal studying all trends of essences, I discovered that if I make the effort to be open to the most likely source of money from others when the moon is in my eight house, eight signs from mine, there was a higher chance of success in a month, as the moon passes through all the signs every 28 days. Like the two days when the moon is in the sign of fertility that makes a woman pregnant, some days are auspicious for making money.
As stated above, money making involves different essences from Orunmila (Sun) for wisdom for speculating, Esu (Mercury) for information, Osun (Venus) for value, Yemoja (Moon) for fruitful endeavors, Ogun for hardwork, war and forceful endeavors like Ogundebeje tied to thieving, Obaluaye (Saturn) for structure, Obatala (Jupiter) for civilizational prosperity, Shango (Uranus) for technology and justice, Olokun for maritime trade and economic control, to Oya for revolutionary change that can turn poor into rich. It all depends on what essence you seek whether for short term windfalls and speculating, business structure, business information and analysis etc. The point is to know what you want and when there are favorable short or long term trends, and not just pray blindly to an almighty God that has put an automatic system in place. Ifa being a responsible social system doesn’t include money rituals, but money mathematics.
Osa a gbe gbogbo waa… if you know what you want and make a positive step towards it.
