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From left to right it's Eshu, Oshe'Tura, Jaap Verduijn. What a team (amused but slightly worried grin)! By the way... the update format below is in African style i.e. d/m/y with a 24 hour clock.

Last update 19-2-2012 at 18:24:31 .

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Home page » Pages » Four Cowries AKA Obi

Four Cowries AKA Obi

Lot of stuff coming up...

There's much more to Four Cowries or Obi divination than initially meets the eye! You can make it either as simple, or as complex as you want. In fact, with four cowries you can do the exact same as one can do with Opele or Ikin! But that's a bit beyond the scope of this page... right here we'll explore some of the simpler variations. It will take me some time, so please have patience! Much more is coming up, in the sections below!

Alafia

The basic essence of Alafia is "Yes" with some blessing attached. Many diviners consider it necessary to ask again, but in my personal experience that's not really a necessity. Alafia simple means "Ys" in 99 out of every 100 cases. And if you happen to encounter that 100tyh case, your gut feeling (that a colloquialism for Ori) will tell you so... and then you can ask again.

Okanran

Essentially Okanran means "No, but...". However, the "but" is kind of superfluous, because when Okanran appears in Four Cowrie divination, one goes on asking anyway... after all, we want some clear "Yes" answer! So the appearance of Okanran should prompt you to rethink/reformulate your question, in order to arrive at a positive "Yes".

Ejife

Ejife is considered a very clear "Yes"! No doubt about it! No need to keep asking, simply proceed from that "yes" on. Generally Ejife is considered to be a firmer "yes" than Alafia, but I don't fully agree with that point of view. What I do agree with, is that Ejife doesn't need a follow-up question to make matters more clear... it's "Yes". Period.

Etawa

Essentially the meaning of Etawa is "Yes, but...". The "but" refers to the fact that you're on the right track, but there's somewhat more to the issue tha meets the eye. Rephrasing the question, or slightly changing the angle of attack, repeatedly if necessary, will eventually lead to a clear "Yes" or "No".

Oyeku

The meaning of Oyeku can be quite varied. Some people are scared shitless when this pattern appears, but I never could discover any negativity in it. Depending on the circumstances it can mean a definite "No", but far more often the appearance of Oyeku means that the Ancesters (Egun) want to speak, emphasizing the answer to the original question. So: ask that exact question again, and don't be surprised in Oyeku appears... again! Then ask the questionfor the third time, and when either Alafia, Ejife or Etawa appears it means an absolute, undoubtable, totally definite "Yes!", and when Okanran appear it means an equally firm and definite "No". The Ancestors have spoken.

Ifa-Orisha, an introduction to Ifa divination