THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•Little by little, the bird builds its nest.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•The cultivator is alone, but those who eat are many.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE MANY HEALTH VALUES OF GARCINIA COLA GUTTIFERAE BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

Garcinia Cola Guttiferae has so many health values for human beings. Despite the fact that history had it that she was once a woman very close to Orunmila (god of divination). She offended him one day and Orunmila put a spell on her. She went to the forest and turned herself to a tree that grew the seeds that we know as Garcinia Cola Guttiferae today. A deity known as SANGO (god of thunder and lightning) is fond of having it as its appeasement. While appeasing, it is cut in form of lobes as kola nuts to divine and do some findings. While divining, questions will be asked and the findings will give answers to such questions. Aside from the fact that it is commonly eaten in the spiritual traditional circles, it also has a lot of health benefits and values if the seeds, roots,:stem back and fruits are put to use to take care of our health. Garcinia Cola takes care of health problems like dysentery, bronchitis, cough and feverish conditions. It also takes care of health problems such as toothache, throat and respiratory ailments, liver disorders, headache and it is also an anticancer seed.

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•When the laborer is praised, his cutlass begins to cut keenly.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•When the leg does not walk, the stomach does not eat.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•No matter how full a river is, it wants to swell further.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•A man is the central pole of the house.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

•The bigger the head the bigger the headaches.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE SAYING OF OUR ELDERS

One of The Sayings of Our Elders.....A woman has no good character but yet complains of no good suitor.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN 2015

DOGS KEEP HUNTERS' COMPANY DURING HUNTING

One of the sayings of our elders......The dog that will get lost will not listen to the hunter's whistle. The dogs are domestic animals and they are very obedient to their owners. They are not only friendly but very good in running errands for their owners. The hunters' dogs are very good in hunting for their masters. 

And they make sure that their kills are taken to their masters. Some dogs have been trained by the hunters to kill all kinds of animal in the bush. Animals like rabbit, antelope, hare, snake e.t.c. While in the jungle, the hunter always makes use of his whistle to connect to his dog whenever they are hunting together. And the dogs are good in running to catch up with any fleeing animal that they want to kill. 

The dogs and the hunters understand each other very well. So, whenever there is a danger, the hunter blows his whistle to warn the dog of an impending danger of wild animals ahead. The dog listens to such message and both the hunter and the dog are safe. But if the dog refuses to listen, such dog may get missing or die. 

This above saying is used in curbing someone to desist from what he is doing which may eventually hurt his life if he refuses to do so or stopping. Conclusively, moderation and caution are advised to someone turning deaf ears to the above cliche.

•BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN Copyrights: © 2015

THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IFA ORACLE AND NUMEROLOGY (PART 3) BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

The next corpus of Ifa Oracle that I want to look into the meanings in line with the sixteen corpuses that we have been dealing with is called IWORI MEJI. And the meanings of IWORI MEJI are as follows : you will be more successful where you were born than abroad, if you are abroad, do not harm anybody, goodness, progress and joy are your lot, If you want to travel abroad, be patient. Do not travel yet. The deities can also appeased to turn things around for better. 

While in Numerology, the meanings of number three Life Path are as follows : Positive Characteristics : 3s are imaginative, expressive communicators and artists. They are tolerant, joyful, optimistic, inspiring, talented, jovial, youthful, dynamic........the list goes on. 

The Negative Characteristic : For as inspirational as 3s are, there is a price. They are often vain, extravagant and prone to complaining. Intolerance, hypocrisy, impatience and superficiality are par for the course when it comes to 3s. It should be noted that Ifa Oracle's corpuses are chanted in verses by the priest. And embedded in chants are meanings and solutions to any problem. 

We shall discuss more on this subject matter in the next write up.

© Olalekan Oduntan 2015.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IFA ORACLE AND NUMEROLOGY (PART 2) BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

In my earlier write up, I explained the meanings of a corpus of Ifa Oracle called EJIOGBE in comparison with the meanings of number one in Numerology. And I leave the understanding to my numerous readers. Today, I will talk about another corpus of Ifa Oracle next in number to EJIOGBE called OYEKU MEJI. And I will compare it with the meanings of the number two in Numerology. 

The meanings of corpus of Ifa Oracle known as OYEKU MEJI are as follows: Problems at work place or working without having anything to show for it. If careless, properties will be lost or stolen. The person for whom this corpus appears is going through a lot of difficulty. Except certain deities are appeased before all these mentioned things can be averted. 

But in the Numerology, the meanings of number two are completely different and they are as follows : Positive Characteristics: Sensitive, tactful, diplomatic and cooperative, The 2s tend to be peacemakers and they are loving, studious and patient. A 2 may express many musical or feminine qualities and also tends to be sensual and intuitive. 

While the Negative Characteristics are as follows : The 2s are often discontent and can be seen as spoiled or lazy. They can be careless, particularly with the truth, but when criticized for their faults are over sensitive. It should be noted that the meanings of numbers in Numerology that I am presently dealing with are referred to as LIFE PATH. 

Next time, I shall talk more about the meanings of corpuses of Ifa Oracle and more numbers in the Life Path of Numerology in comparison with each other.

© Olalekan Oduntan 2015.

THE EFFICACY OF HUNTARIA UMBELLATA IN HERBAL MEDICINE

Huntaria Umbellata © Olalekan Oduntan

Huntaria Umbellata's seeds are very bitter and they are gift for mankind. The medicinal aspect is the bitterness that is helpful to human body. The seeds are chewable and they fight worms in the body. To get the full efficacy of Huntaria umbellata's seeds, they should be soaked in the water for about two or three days before the soaked water is ready for drinking. 

Huntaria umbellata's seeds regulate the sugar in human body, so they are very good for diabetic patients. The wonderful thing about these seeds is that they are also good in fighting chronic piles in human bodies. They can also be chewed as deserts after eating our meals or chewing after intake of sugary foods. 

Huntaria umbellata's seeds help in fighting and removing cholesterol in the human bodies. The seeds also aid indigestion and constipation in human body. Huntaria umbellata's seeds expel parasitic worms in both children and adults and they remove the worms preventing women from getting pregnant. 

The efficacies of huntaria umbellata's seeds can not really be over emphasized as they are indeed very valuable and of great health value to mankind. If human beings can ignore the bitter effect of Huntaria umbellata, the bodies will benefit much more from the seeds. After all, what is bitter is more useful and beneficial inside the body than what is sweet.

By Olalekan Oduntan

Copyright: © 2015

THE SHRINE OF OUR ANCESTORS BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

The Shrine of Esu, Eegun and Ogun

This shrine belonging to our forefathers is a place where all prayers are answered! This particular shrine harbors three deities namely the god of confusion (ESU), the god of Masquerade (EGUNGUN) and god of iron (OGUN). The shrine represents all these deities while being appeased there. 

ESU, the god of confusion lives at the three cross roads and whenever there is confusion in somebody's life, it is appeased and turns things around for better for that person. Likewise OGUN, the god of iron, this deity is also appeased wherever there is always an accident in somebody's life. As soon as that is done, everything is brought back to normalcy. 

EGUNGUN is the god of masquerade and it is appeased wherever somebody is having bad dreams or witchcraft problems. Once this deity is appeased, all the problems of the victim will cease to exist. The significance of this wonderful shrine is the potency and positive effects it has on the lives of the numerous people flocking there because whenever anything is sought for in prayers there, that wish always comes to pass. And this is the gift from our ancestral parents to us!

The Shrine remains the traditional holy temple of our forefathers. But unfortunately today, due to the different religions brought to us from the West, we are condemning this special gift as fettish today. And the so called religions that we so much cherish has made us to be worshippers only and not spiritual at all. We have been disconnected from our ancestral lineage. And the testimony of this is haunting our children today because it is right there in our ways of life and noticeable even in our ways of reasoning, worship, fashion, tradition and culture.

Our cultural and traditional values are eroding and going into total extinction. The birds are not sounding like like birds anymore, the rats are not sounding like rats and human beings are not sounding like human beings. We should go back to where we are coming from if we do not know where we are going. Let us all embrace our culture and tradition because they are our own! I rest my case!!!

Copyrights: © Olalekan Oduntan 2015

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN IFA ORACLE AND NUMEROLOGY BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

IFA ORACLE and NUMEROLOGY have just small differences in terms of comparison because they are both talking about numbers when it comes to divination. IFA ORACLE is much deeper than NUMEROLOGY because it talks about the issues relating to the past, the present and the future. 

While numerology is busy calculating the numbers, Ifa Oracle goes straight into the message straight through divination. Ifa Oracle has so many corpuses. There are sixteen basic corpuses which other corpuses are merged with to bring messages forth. 

There are two hundred and fifty six corpuses of IFA that are used as guides by the Ifa priest. And all the information concerning the corpuses is known to the priest just like the information and numbers concerning the Numerology are known to the Numerologist. I will be dealing with the subject matter in parts as this very one can not provide all the information to the issue at hand. These are the sixteen basic corpuses of Ifa Oracle. 

The first is EJIOGBE. If this corpus comes out, it means goodness in everything. Like success at work, in travelling, riches, having good kids, getting married to a good person, progress to enviable position and if you are from royal house, you will become either a king or a chief. That is the illustrative explanation for EJIOGBE. We have other corpuses like OYEKU MEJI, IWORI MEJI, ODI MEJI, IROSUN MEJI, OWONRIN MEJI, OBARA MEJI, OKANRAN MEJI, OGUNDA MEJI, OSA MEJI, EKA MEJI, OTURUPON MEJI, OTURA MEJI, IRETE MEJI, OSE MEJI and OFUN MEJI. 

All these corpuses have their meanings and illustrations just like Numerology. But in Numerology, there are twelve basic numbers illustrating the information of each number as the case may be. And the numbers are ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE, ELEVEN, TWENTY TWO AND THIRTY THREE. 

For Example, Positive Characteristics: Individualistic and independent, showing leadership and drive. The number 1 is masculine, focused, an originator and self starter, It is also progressive, strong willed, courageous (in a constructive way). Negative Characteristic: 1s can be stubborn, selfish, weak and undisciplined, or a pariah. 

In my subsequent write ups, I will explain the meanings of the remaining corpuses of Ifa Oracle as related to the meanings of the remaining numbers in Numerology that I have not touched.

© Olalekan Oduntan 2015.

THE POPULAR LAWARIKO MASQUERADE BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

LAWARIKO is a masquerade from Owu in Abeokuta Ogun state. And it specifically comes out in the night while everybody will be sleeping. This masquerade comes out once in three years. Before the actual day of the festival for the masquerade, a lot of money would have been set aside for the entertainment of the guests that will come from far and near to grace the occasion. The AGAN DAY of LAWRIKO is always full of pegeantry and fanfare. Women are forbidden from seeing this masquerade while the few men close it are very powerful. The significance of this masquerade is that whenever it comes out, it cleanses the land. Even without a lot of people having access to it because it comes out in the night, its impact is still felt in the land. LAWARIKO MASQUERADE is one of the gifts that our tradition and culture have given to us. And it is the lineage of our forefathers.

USES OF POTTERIES IN HERBAL WORLD BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

A very long time ago before Africans were colonized, mud pots did not only serve as refrigerators for cooling water for our forefathers, they were also useful to them in many ways. Mud pots were used to do their cooking and bringing water from the streams. The mud plates were also used to serve their meals and the smaller ones in form of modern day cups were used in dinking water. The mud pots are of different sizes and they are sold today by the herbs sellers. 

The pots are also useful in the herbal curative world because they are used in cooking the medicinal herbs for anybody suffering for ailment or the other. The pots are also used to carry sacrifices at nights to appease the gods. In fact, the usefulness of mud pots can not be over emphasized either for domestic or spiritual relevance. 

The pots are made with clay, they are molded into different sizes and shapes by the potters. After, they are made to dry very well for a long time before using the fire to dry them up completely. They are always made in large quantities.

Copyrights: © Olalekan Oduntan 2015

REVIEW ON THE BOOK 'ODARA' BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

The book 'ODARA' was first written in 1998, and it was staged for the first time for Chevron's end of the year party. It had veteran actors like Olu Okekanye who played the role Orunmila while Lanre Omiyinka (Baba Ijesha today) played the role of the hunched back man. Sunday Eselekhomhen played the role of Odara while Olalekan Oduntan was the chanter for the play. We also had Late Ayantunji Amoo on the lead talking drum while Amos Olutokun was his back up drummer. We had Osagie Okedigun and Dare Olasunkanmi as part of the production team. The play was produced by Mary Emoabino while Olalekan Oduntan directed it. I had another attempt staging the play for some shows abroad in April 2015, but due to some logistic problems, the planned trip did not see the light of the day. The production had people like Femi Olaiya, Dalmas Wemimo Omolade, Efe Mary Orhorha, Tina Nkechi Okwuosa, Patrick Diabuah, Seyi Allen, Victor Coker. Ruth Taye Ogbodu, Toyin Olokodana James, Rita Abosede Benedict, Janet Olufunmilayo Abe, Kerri Chukwuemeka Daniel, Joy Amata, Jennifer Samson and Oluewu Abiola Oladipupo. The play was produced by Olalekan Oduntan and directed by Williams Ekpo. The play is about how God Almighty rejected the devil and condemned him to the world after disobeying Him. The devil got to the world and he was being blamed for virtually all the problems troubling the dwellers of the world. Humans consulted Orunmila to help in removing their percieved enemy from the world forgetting that devil is the bringer of money. The world was hiterto without money and nobody liked the situation at all. The world became very calm and peaceful but yet humans still complained that there were no sparkles and bubbles in it to make life very interesting for them. They cosulted Orunmila again to bring the devil back to the world, an idea that he warned them against. But they insisted in bringing the devil back to the world. And of course, the devil was brought back, the rest is now history. The play is avalable on www.amazon.com.

BOOK REVIEW ON THE BOOK VENGEANCE BY OLALEKAN ODUNTAN.

VENGEANCE is the story of two jolly good friends who are facing abject poverty in their lives. But one is still poorer than the other one. Enitan is poorer than his friend Olaosebikan. The two friends are farmers and the income they make from their farm produce is not sufficient for them to live a very good life. So, they decide to go and see an Ifa priest named Egbeji to look into the future for them. In the course of his findings, Egbeji discovers that Enitan will be richer than his friend Olaosebikan. He tells the two friends about their future and Olaosebikan becomes jealous of his friend's future. He goes to make weapons and charms to kill his Enitan in order to halt his destiny. But unfortunately for him, reverse is the case because instead of his friend to die, he becomes very rich and popular who now wines and dines with the king and some other important people in the society. Olaosebikan can not believe this sudden turn around change in his friend life. So, he decides to do to himself what he has previously done to Enitan, and he meets his untimely death there as a result of that. This book is available on www.amazon.com