What is ifa?
Ifa is the name of the divination system in Yoruba religion. It uses palm nuts or cowrie shells scattered across a board, mat or marked field. Depending on what side up the markers fall and what region they land in, the diviner is given a particular number — sort of like the I Ching. This number stands for a sign, or odu/odun. There are more than 250 of them, and a proper babalawo knows all of them by memory. Each odun (http://www.lucumi.com/odunsigns.cfm) is associated with certain energies, certain rituals and a specific pataki or itan — that is, a proverb or teaching story. In Santeria/Lukumi, the babalawos of each family get together once a year and cast the odu for the year, which determines how the year will go, what sacrifices followers should make, and the general spiritual tone of the practice. Confusingly, “ifa” can refer to the process of divination, the orisha who rules divination, or even the entirety of Yoruba traditional religion, depending on who you ask.
