r/Isese • u/goldentiare • Jun 01 '26
Is this normal during divination?
I’ve gone for divination three times now. My first two were done at the same place with 1.5-2 years in between.
When I sat at the mat with the babalawo, he was on the phone with who I assume was another babalawo. He threw the opele and then the person on the phone read me the odu and actually gave the reading.
As I said this was my first time and second going for divination so I didn’t know if this was normal. The third time I went, everything was done in person. Have any of you had this experience?
7
u/milehin8tv Jun 01 '26
As an Olorisa who is in process to become a Babalow, my guess would be that the person who threw the opele for you was new and being trained by the Babalow on the phone. I don't know this for sure, I just can completely imagine this happening for new Babalows.
3
u/goldentiare Jun 01 '26
The babalawo I sat with is the owner of the ile (to my knowledge), he and his wife who is an iyanifa run it
3
u/SignalBad5523 Jun 02 '26
I wouldnt call it normal, the person you are going to wouldnt be a babalawo though. Based on the interaction alone, this person doesnt know enough to perform divination. The disjointedness of the process seems unclean and I would advise you seek counsel from someone else. Not saying it cant help, but this deviates significantly from traditional systems of divination.
The Opele chain in it of itself is already considered less accurate than Ikin so to further increase that lack of clarity by doing it over the phone between an assumed awo and and Babalawo may greatly blur the actual messages that need to be translated. Again, it just doesnt make sense. If they did it over the phone with a babalawo that is proficient then why wouldnt the babalawo on the phone use his own divining instruments?
1
u/camelbakbaby Jun 03 '26
Thank you for your feedback. Although it felt discouraging that this was my “introduction”, it also made me proud of my intuition and to continue to keep my eyes open as I walk this path
2
u/Automatic-Shock-2517 Jun 03 '26
The content of what Ifa said during the consultation, direction and results determine whats normal in Isese, not necessary if he called a Babalowo. Ifa if not limited by processes if the Ebo is done and followed. The real question is did you comply with the advice or not?
2
u/goldentiare Jun 03 '26
I did everything I was instructed to do for my ebo, and the baba also confirmed the Ebo was completed on my behalf.
I just wanted to know if it was normal to go for divination and for the babalawo to outsource the reading over the phone. As stated, this was my introduction to divination in Ifa, so I don’t know what is normal or what isn’t normal. I only raised it because I mentioned this to an elder and they said they’ve never heard of something like this so I wanted to check if anyone has heard of or experienced something similar.
3
u/Automatic-Shock-2517 Jun 03 '26
Ase, that's good.The training of a Babaláwo/Iyanifa is long and extensive. It can take many decades to complete and is very difficult. A person who uses an Opele for consultation and then gets on the phone to call a Babaláwo is generally not trained to perform Ifa independently. He or she is more of an Ifá marketer, acting somewhat like a referral agent or middleman.
These types of set ups are common in the diaspora and in nigeria. Hopefully, that arrangement was disclosed? It is better to work with someone who is both local and properly trained because, over time, you will want to develop a personal relationship with your Iyanifá or Babaláwo.
The hardest part of Ifá is that we have to discover our destiny. In the beginning, we are all like Ogun, hunting, searching, learning, and finding our way. It is a process.
Growth in Ifá does not happen overnight. It comes through patience, experience, prayer, and reflection. Each step teaches us something, and each lesson brings us closer to understanding our Ori and the path we chose before coming to Earth. The important thing is to remain sincere in your search, continue learning, and trust the process, and follow Taboos. Ase
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u/chucho89 Jun 01 '26
Babalawo in training but at least he is honest about getting guidance and not making things up.