The Orisa Oge

Although the responsibilities of Baba Oge and Baba Esu are closely related, these two Orisas have distinctly different functions. Esu is the Orisa that opens the door that leads to our path. Once we start down our path it is Baba Oge that guides us along our path.

Like many Orisas that have been forgotten or minimized Baba Oge’s duties have been totally and mistakenly attributed to another Orisa. Most people incorrectly give Baba Esu credit for Baba Oge’s work. Thankfully, like the other forgotten Orisas, Oge doesn’t get angry for the oversight and goes about his business as usual. Oge shares in Esu’s water which is much appreciated since Oge is the Orisa of the arid savannahs of the desert. Baba Oge is not into the candy like Esu. Ask Oge and he’d guess that Esu’s love for candy is due to his alternate child persona. Oge prefers fresh fruit or meat.

As our guide along our life path Baba Oge tries to steer people to keep our direction true. But we have to be in tuned to our spirituality enough to actually comprehend our direction as well as follow the pushes and pulls he is giving us as course corrections. He monitors our actions and behaviors and responds accordingly. Baba doesn’t actually pay attention to each and every person on their path individually, but he wills things to happen. It’s a concept that’s difficult to explain or grasp due to our limited spatial views in this cosmos. But suffice it to say that he can use multiple views from multiple angles in order to know who needs what at any given point.

In a small way it is kind of like playing pool. A pool player will take a complete view of what’s happening on a pool table and knows how to manipulate each ball to get the intended result. Once he makes a decision or plan of action he’ll use one ball to manipulate another ball. He can bank one of the balls off the side of the table to get the ball in the pocket and set things up for his next shot. Baba knows how to put things in motion to get the results he wants.

Unfortunately, most people are very closed spiritually and never stay on target. Too many people are struggling just to make ends meet based on or because of the poor choices they’ve made in their life. These people are unable or unwilling to stay on target and therefore don’t listen to the hints given. Add to this the problem that so many people are wasting so much time asking Esu to lead them when he already has done his part to open the doorway to their path. Baba Esu has many other people to tend to plus other tasks that he needs to perform. Sadly, Esu has no choice but to ignore the many requests for help and many people will start to feel abandoned and frustrated. In reality, if the people will sit quiet and open up they will learn that it is they who have abandoned Orisa long before they ever started.

Most people are very selfish and child like. These people want things that are not on their path to begin with, but are attracted to nevertheless. If what you ask for isn’t meant for you, or worse isn’t good for you, Oge will not help you leave your path to obtain it. If, as many people do, the decision is made to leave the path, whether knowingly or not, and obtain a desired item that is not part of our plan, that is the prerogative of the individual. If in the process this person looses their way and gets lost or confused they have only themselves to blame. This person needs to go back to Esu to open another door back to their path. But in order to do this, the individual must be willing to abandon that which brought them off their path to begin with. Basically, there’s absolutely no point in bringing an item known to be a distraction from our path down our path. The individual will waste precious time and energy on an item that isn’t even part of their destiny. Plus, dragging this distraction along like a weighted anchor gives not just Oge and Esu but all Orisas more work to keep someone flowing along their path straight and true.

People need to learn to trust the Orisa completely. If a person was meant to have something or if something was good for someone to have along their way, once the person asked for it the opportunity for it will easily open up along their path. If the devotee feels that he/she has become lost or things are so bad that they feel that they are loosing everything else in pursuit of a desired something then common sense should help this person figure out that they have faltered and are no longer on their path.

Sometimes people make the decision to try and keep their distractions at the expense of potentially everything else in their life. They will have what they think they want but will live miserably with it. Such is the life of the wealthy person who has all the material possessions their heart can ever hope for but still can’t find happiness. Another example is the person who has finally attracted the man or woman of their dreams but lives unhappily. These people will refuse to let go of the very thing (wealth) or person (their unloving spouse) in their life that brings them their pain. Both of these situations may be learning experiences. But these learning experiences are distractions away from the true lessons intended for one’s path according to the divine plan.

Unfortunately, if an individual follows the wrong path to their death, they will go unfulfilled and look back at their life’s path feeling it was a disappointing waste. If one is fortunate enough to discover Baba Oge they would do well to give this Orisa ebo and ask for guidance. He can only steer us in the direction of the things that are planned as part of our path. We have the choice to listen or not.