
The Ifá priest is that religious man who is enshrined in the doctrines of Orumila, the great oracle of the Yoruba Pantheon.
The Babalawo is the interpreter of the duties and teachings that the great diviner transmits to the religious community, he must treasure a large volume of knowledge that has been inherited from generations to generations of olúos and their ancestors.
The Babalawo delivers to his godchildren Elegguá and the other warrior Orishas, the ikofa or the hand of Orula, Ozun and other powers of Ifá.
- This celebrates his day on October 4, festivity in which Orunmila is venerated throughout the world.
The Babalawos: The head of the Ruler of Ifá
The Ifá priest is the only one in charge of working with Orumila, of consulting and marking through the Ifá odunes the destiny of the person and the corresponding guardian angel.
In the sacred Rule of Ifá, women only receive the ikofa and only heterosexual men have the power to be consecrated in the room of the saint of Ifá, since this type of rituals are directed to them, as well as the consecration of the Osha el becoming Ifá has an uninterrupted ceremonial duration of seven consecutive days.
The foundations of Ifá are the stone and the ikines, elements with which the Ifá priest works.
The Babalawo makes ebbó and paraldos on the Orumila board, relying on his attributes such as the irofá and the yefá. He is the only religious person capable of making predictions using the ékule.
The Babalawo before being consecrated in Ifá must be consecrated in the Osha or have received the religious powers that are required before taking the path of Ifá, because Orumila marks the performance of many ceremonies at the foot of the rest of the Orishas and if the Babalawo does not have the Orisha designated for the ceremony by the great oracle, this cannot be carried out.
Although the Babalawo is the head of the Osha-Ifá Rule, there are many religious houses that do not allow an Ifá priest who does not have his saint crowned and has only washed it, to enter the saint's room while they are performing the ceremonies of the Osha, for not having the secret of these rituals and not having been given the saint's room.
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