The incomplete presentation of Yoruba civilization as an art without science, due to the Abrahamic cultural imperialism, has made it easy to demonize and denigrate it, making it irrelevant to the ‘modern’ populations.
Thanks to science, especially genetics, astronomy, natural geography and electromagnetism, we are now understanding the wisdom of our ancestors. We now know about electromagnetic pulses emitted by everything in the universe and how it affects our thinking, reality and future. The 256 electromagnetic pulses of Ifa was the foundation of computing. We know that the greatest emitters of electromagnetic essences are planets.
We know from the Godwanaland/Pangea theory that the continents broke and widened as claimed by Ile Ife.
DNA studies have proven right what was regarded as mere Yoruba creation tribal myth by showing that Yorubas are the oldest full sized humans, dated to 87,000yrs ago. Yorubas have had the longest time to observe and conceptualize natural laws, therefore naturally the oldest human civilization. IFA-AFA-IHA-EHA-FA the 16 sector Original African Information Retrieval system that laid the foundations of all South and Middlebelt groups, is the world’s first knowledge bank that later became religion.
Unfortunately the advent of linear thinking Abrahamic imperialists, Arabic Islamists through Bornu and Europeans Crusaders from the corrupted and arrested our intellectual evolution, preventing the articulation of spiritual concepts into scientific utilitarian concepts.
We see Orishas as independent spiritual concepts instead of a well articulated representation of the universe and its interrelated parts. On a circle that represents the universe, Orishas are specifically placed to highlight their interconnection.
At the center is Orunmila represented by the Sun, the source of life and wisdom, around which all Orishas revolve to bring about our Ifa civilization. Science has made us realize that Orishas are cyclical spiritual essences.
Oduduwa mentioned at the beginning of humanity is not the same as the Oduduwa mentioned at the beginning of monarchy tens of thousands of years afterwards. Oduduwa is the spiritual essence of leadership tied to planet Earth.
Starting from the evolution, Yemanja is diametrically opposite, 180 degrees, to Obaluaye. The arts say Yemanja was the mother of Obaluaye which is backed by science that proves the planet was initially covered by water and its receding gave birth land. While Yemanja is tied to menses cycles, Obaluaye is tied to life cycles.
Some mix the qualities of Esu with that of Shango. But it is clear on the cycle that though Esu is the spiritual essence of Information, while Shango is its application to bring about Justice. Esu is astronomically represented by the planet Mercury which is the next to the Sun, represented by Orunmila. Mercury is the backing to Esu, Jesus and other prophets to each peoples, therefore labelled the truth and the only way to the Sun, God.
Esu is diametrically opposite to Olokun and Obatala since it is represented twice on the cycle. Meaning the feminine Esu that creates information is averse ot Olokun based on mystery of the ocean beds, while the forceful Esu that uses information as a force is related to Obatala, the represents organized knowledge, philosophy, law, religion.
Shango on the other hand is the spiritual essence of Justice, the application of the data provided by Esu, which is also inspired by Shangos marriage to Osun (love and equality) and Oya (revolution).
Osun astronomically is the second planet to the Sun, tied to fertility, love, money etc. As Shango is the macro application of Esus product, Olokun is the higher level and application of Osun. While Osun is about love, Olokun is about collective love through religious and political dogma, while Osun is about beauty, Olokun is about films, drugs etc. both esoteric.
Osun (love/diplomacy) is the diametrically opposite of Ogun (war) on the cycle. Ogun kills life while Osun breeds life, most interesting is while Ogun appears unbeatable as it wages war with brute force, Osun defeats it by slowly rusting its capabilities.
Ogun higher use is Oya, which directs Oguns force to socially beneficially purposes as winds of revolutionary change.
Nowhere do Yoruba claim Orishas are the full representation of God, the universe, but as utilitarian spiritual and philosophical foundations to guide Man towards the different essences of our life experiences.
Holy books capture God at a particular point in time, but to Yorubas the essence of God and universe is an ongoing experience. This is why Ifa can never be outdated since it is a cyclic system and not a script.
Unfortunately modernists have confined Ifa to an art, always starting with Oun lo difa, once upon a time, instead of going beyond the superficial arts to explain the essences. One of the greatest disservices of Abrahamic modernity is the changing of the calendar, restarting it at 8,000yrs of Yoruba lunar calendar to 1AD, not only whitewashing our tens of thousands of years of knowledge, but by confusing our Aworawo science and knowledge of the universe by changing from a four day week, 7 week month and 13 moons/month year. The 13th moon known as the blue moon was the Oduduwa moon.
We as a people must understand and propagate these natural laws and truths, in a utilitarian format to guide our youth and strengthen the Original African civilization that spread from Nigeria to Gambia and South Africa.
