➤ The Best Ifa Signs《What are they and their Meaning》

Last Update: September 7, 2022

Practicing the various religions implies knowing their fundamentals and deepen them. Like any spiritual practice, it is necessary that the concepts, in addition to being understood, are also felt by those who follow one of these religious systems.

In the case of Santeria, it is worth noting that there are numerous codes and symbols by which he is governed, so that if you are his follower you have to know and understand them, so that your deepening is always profitable for you.

What are the Ifa Signs?

The Ifa oddun are considered the fundamental basis of the divinatory system of Osha-Ifa-Santeria. A babalawo is the one who believes in Ifa and practices the ways that his ancestors used to solve a problem or when they have to make an important decision.

For this, they are based on the knowledge of the Ifa Signs, which are in summary 256 geometric symbols. They can be considered as a «Universal Information Bank» with which interpret life situations.

Ifa signs and their meanings

Ifa signs are the ones that can help you during the reading that the priest will give you. As I mentioned before, they are 256 santeria signs in total although they start from the essentials that are 16 ifa signs. Each of those 16 main symbols combine to make a total of 256.

Each Ifá sign and its combinations consist of numerous stories, fables and verses of the Yoruba people and are applied by the babalawos to find a solution in spiritual or personal aspects about a problem or situation.

Here we mention the 16 main signs of Orula and their meaning:

eyiogbe: the beginning of everything in heaven and earth.
oyekun: the kingdom of the dead
Iwori: divinations, intelligence and prophesying.
odi: perversion and vices.
irony: religiosity and human suffering.
ojuani: spiritual phenomena.
Obara: wisdom and wealth.
okana: confusion and setbacks.
ogunda: permanent struggle and power.
bear: the spirit world.
Ika: sorcery and wickedness.
otrupon: disease and damage.
other: stability and actions.
go away: reincarnation and past lives.
oshe: religious secrets
Ofun or Oragun: the mysteries and the understanding of things.

What are the best signs of Ifa?

Because it is a divination system, it can be said that all of them are important. The Ifa guide you as to the best way to proceed when you have uncertainties.

There are signs to which a negative meaning can be attributedbut in reality everything depends on the attitude and interpretation that is made.

They represent centuries of wisdom and knowledge, so they all contain moral teachings that serve as a spiritual guide.

All Ifa signs are important and it depends on the interpretation that is made of them is that they can be considered some of the best, but you will not find a list of “best”.

However, the top 16 they can be considered as the best because from them the combinations that are the foundation of religion start. These are:

What are the strongest signs?

Because each ifa sign has numerous interpretations it is difficult to establish which is stronger. However, according to various opinions the sign Odi Meji and his Omoluos it is one of the strongest of the Ifa literary corpus. This is said because:

recommends close cycles for open other cycles in your life. It refers to aspects such as sexual temptation. Talk about repentance and bad intentions.

How to read the signs of ifa?

By tradition, the Odun of Ifa are read from right to left. Each odun or ifa sign It is made up of 4 sets of 2 brands and here we explain how to read them.

At the start of the ceremony the priest takes the seeds which are indicating the signs. The celebrant must have a sacred board in which he makes 8 strokes. to make the strokes must use the Iyefa or divine dust of Ifa.
Each sign is related to a sentence in the form of verse or prose which is interpreted by the babalawo. the celebrant is reading and interpreting the signs in order to give a solution to the problems of the person who practices the session. The person receives a Olofin’s message. The quote must end with a NATO sign.

How to learn the oddun of ifá?

Study this religion and learn to how to read ifa signs millennial means that you must know its foundations, which can take time, so the more you study the signs, the more you can deepen your knowledge.

The signs are not a rigid concept that you can just learn.

You must study each ifa sign relates to a phrase or saying. It is up to the Babalawo to do the appropriate interpretation depending on the person who is consulting it. For this reason, learning the signs is not a matter of memory, but of deepen and internalize their meanings. For this it is important he drove of the board to study which gives you ease in the process of learning the signs.

How are the signs written?

Ifa signs are governed by a phonological system in Yoruba which is composed of 18 consonants, most of them very close to the Arabic phonological system. Vowels do not have close equivalents to the system of arabic sounds. The Yoruba is a tonal system in which each tone defines the meaning of those words.

How to know my sign?

Many religious believe that the only way to know your tutelary orisha is through a babalawo.
The diversity and expansion of the Yoruba belief in Latin America has allowed different interpretations, so there is a discrepancy about how to know the sign. There is a current that indicates that you Yoruba sign can be known by birthdate of the person.

What are the Ifa signs for mooring?

The Odu of Ifa in charge of making mooring and unmooring is Oyekun Bara.

“This was where Eshu was able to tie up the horse. It is also where for the first time tied up the dead« This Odu is in charge of removing from the darkness the spirit of the deceased awo. Here the person interested in another And he wants me to come back to him.

The ethical code of Oyekun Bara says:

«The Awo achieves his desires with cunning and skillnever with brute force»

To speak and to know a religion is a subject that covers innumerable concepts and interpretations. Because it is a religion with African origins from many years ago and that has been adapting to different realities, it favors different types of interpretations.

The 256 Signs of Ifa