Prayers to Iroko at the foot of the Ceiba to grant Our Wishes

Iroko is an Orisha related to desires, whether good or bad, his ashé gives shelter to those who need the shade produced by its branches to rest and then move on.

Iroko is a powerful Orisha who lives in the ceiba. He is holy, male and old, although some believers indicate that he is really female.

The sacred spirit that lives in the Ceiba tree, for some lives in the root while for others it lives in the leaves. All the Orishas are venerated in Irokó, an ancestral tree with great religious value.

In spirituality, the ceiba is a tree highly revered among Africans, for the Yorubas it is related to a path of Obatala and it is the throne or staff of Olofi.

For its sacred meaning and spiritual value in the Osha this tree is not cut down, nor is it burned and to knock down one of them, one must consult with a babalawo and ask for the permission of the deity.

Among Iroko's offerings, young bulls that have not yet mated are sacrificed to him. And in the light of the lit candles to invoke him, hen, roosters, chickens, duck and guanajos are offered to him, all white, for Iroko's relationship with Obbatalá.

How do we ask the Orisha Iroko?

Iroko can help us grant our wishes, open paths and bring health and abundance, and this also reminds us of the Havana tradition of giving the Ceiba del Templete three laps while making a wish.

We go to Iroko to pray and we entrust him with our goals, our secrets and our deepest hopes, so that the spirit of La Ceiba listens to us and helps us.

We offer you a lit candle and ask you to listen to our prayers and help us make them come true. Let us remember that we must be grateful to Iroko when he grants us his grace.

Offerings are made to Iroko similar to those made to the Eggunes (spirits) at the foot of the Ceiba, to which a red cloth is also tied and blessed, since the deity is closely related to the spirits.

We can ask him at home, but if we have the opportunity to go to the foot of the Ceiba we go to pray and ask that our wishes be fulfilled, with great faith and trust in Iroko's powers.

So we pray to Iroko to help us with a special request:

Spirit of the Ceiba, kind and protective Iroko, you who intercede for men and shelter them with your mantle of blessings
Wanderer's Orisha, you who spread your branches and shelter your children, thus protecting them from all evil
Iroko, sacred spirit, you who guard everything that is worshiped in the world
Hear my request, my holy one, and do not abandon me in these moments of difficulty
Iroko, who protects everything that is sacred and dear, and proudly stands as a lookout for the Yoruba pantheon
I ask you, Spirit of the Ceiba, to grant me (make the request with great faith)
And that you remove pain and misfortune from my path, bringing instead joy and happiness
Wrap me in your branches so that I never suffer and protect me with your shadow so that I can keep walking until I reach my goals.
Allow Iroko to achieve everything that I have proposed in life, in order to walk always grateful for your blessings.
My saint, always intercede for me so that I do not fall before bad influences or negative desires
So be it