The overall purpose of receiving the Hand of Ifa is for destiny alignment. In many instances, when you receive the Hand of Ifa, you receive the following items: These guidelines direct the individual on what they should or should not do to live a more productive life. The devotee’s or initiate’s taboos are likewise revealed during Isefa and itefa ceremonies.

Odus received during Isefa are temporary, while odus received during Itefa are permanent. Divination will reveal the odu (sacred wisdom of Ifa), which the devotee should live by according to their destiny. In which case if a person chooses to initiate before receiving isefa, they acquire this sacred icon during their Itefa ceremony.Įither way, a priest or priestess must perform divination to fully understand the devotees’ path. Itefa cannot be performed remotely – the devotee must be present for this ceremony. Some people choose to receive the Hand of Ifa before full initiation (Itefa) for this and other reasons. As Ifa practice becomes more widespread in different parts of the world, it is not always possible for the devotee to be in the presence of a Babalawo or Iyanifa during such ceremonies. However, it is becoming more common for priests and priestesses to conduct such ceremonies in the absence of the receiver. The Isefa is consecrated and presented through a sacred ceremony typically performed in the devotee’s presence. In which case, the High Priest of Ifa serves as a guardian angel for the practitioner. This sacred totem provides an individual with power, abundance, blessings, intelligence, wisdom, and the divine asé of Orunmila. This process is designed to assist the devotee in living a more productive and positive life. Isefa is the first step in a blessed journey into the Ifa tradition. In other situations, cost prohibitions may necessitate that the practitioner obtains their Orunmila and Eshu icons at different times.

However, some diasporic traditions typically give one at a time.

It is more common to receive both when working with a Nigerian priest or priestess. Though, some Babalwos or Iyanifas only provide one sacred artifact for either Orunmila or Eshu during an Isefa ceremony. Therefore, his presence is necessary for rituals. Eshu, the messenger Orisha, always gets the first portion of every offering as he opens the road for us to communicate with other Orishas. Typically Ifa devotees receive 21 ikins for Orunmila and one icon for Eshu. This is the first sacred Orisha pot or icon that devotees receive during an Isefa ceremony.

The Hand of Ifa or Isefa in the Yoruba language is a set of consecrated ikin dedicated to Orunmila.

Initiation of ifa