The Misalignment of Ori

The misalignment of someone’s Ori to an Orisa other than their true one is a common phenomenon in the Ifa community. It is way too common. Odds are that as many as nine out of ten Orisa worshippers that have had their Ori identified or, even worse, have been initiated have been misinformed.

Not many people take this condition very seriously. But, our true Orisa is our true strength. Without our strength we will never reach maximum potential. When we try to pull our strength from a source other than the one that we have been custom made for chances are the end result will be us being less successful than we should be. If an individual walks with a misaligned Ori chances are just too excellent that they will be off path. At best one can only hope to walk parallel to their true path while encountering barriers and difficulties that would not have been had they been on their true path. The worst case scenario will have the Orisa worshipper so far off path and getting further away with each and every passing day.

When someone gets their Ori identified to an Orisa there is a tendency for that person to trust so completely that the information given to them is accurate and truthful. Something about sitting on a mat in front of someone with a divining tool converts people into thoughtless, non-questioning sheep. Granted, there aren’t many ways to actually verify that the information being received is correct. But there are some observable facts that can give an indication if the integrity of the method used to give the information is correct.

There are as many as two hundred Orisas actively participating in our Ori development. For one person to go to one particular Orisa the odds would be one in two hundred. Now, if two people are getting initiated at the very same time and both are going to the same Orisa something might be wrong. The odds of something like this happening is somewhere in the neighborhood of one in forty thousand. With each initiate that’s going to the same Orisa multiply the odds by 200 and you get an idea of how astronomical the odds are. The math isn’t totally accurate. An assumption is made that the number of people is evenly distributed amongst Orisas. But some Orisas have many more children than others. But still you get an appreciation for how truly incredible this occurrence can be. Yet it happens quite often in the Orisa community.

Orisas do not trade their children away. The identity of your Ori was established long before you were born. This is not a guess, it’s a fact. What in the world would possess an Orisa to trade their child away? If someone claims that your Ori has changed since the last reading you received then chances are good you’re probably not receiving accurate information. What is important is that one gets accurate information as to which Orisa rules their Ori. Anyone can throw shells on a plank of wood, look in a book, read a scripture, and try to figure out the information. It could be Orunmila trying to communicate or, and much more likely, it could be nothing more than a flick of a wrist Las Vegas style. Anyone can go through the motions of making contact with Orunmila and passing along the information for a price. But truly accurate diviners will enter a dialog with Baba and get the information exactly and accurately.

Don’t be fooled by personality quirks either. Just because someone cries often does not necessarily mean they are a child of Yemonja. Just because someone looks at themselves in the mirror a lot does not mean they are a child of Osun. Just because somebody can repair cars doesn’t mean they are a child of Ogun. Just because someone is street savvy doesn’t mean they are a child of Sango. If your orientation is being assumed because of behavior then start acting as if your Orisa was Oya and run like the wind.

To receive an orientation to the wrong Orisa can leave us ill prepared for life’s issues. Some Orisas accept wandering children to a point. Some Orisas will watch and try to guide their adopted children through some of the pitfalls. But only the true parent can nurture their children to their maximum potential. Some Orisas don’t even bother with adoption at all. For example, woe is the person who is told their Orisa is Sango or Ogun when it is not. To be misguided to the wrong Orisa is worse than never having your Orisa revealed because the person who is never told who their Orisa is will still look.

Orientation is not something we can choose. It isn’t something an Orisa can change. No ritual can change it. Nothing we do here on earth or in heaven can change it. It is part of who we are and we all know how difficult it is to change those proverbial stripes.