You have always known, haven’t you? That, deep down, you carry within you the quiet awareness that life is more than flesh and bone. Somewhere inside, you know you are an old soul and that your being extends far beyond what your eyes can see. Your journey on earth is not accidental. It is a school, a place of instruction where you learn how to use your immortal power wisely. Each challenge, each victory, each act of character is part of this training.
When you cultivate wisdom, discipline, and maturity of spirit, you move closer to completion in what can be called Earth University. At that point, your Ori—the divine consciousness within you—carries you toward higher states of being, lifting you beyond the endless cycle of return.
Different traditions have given names to this attainment. In Christianity, it is the Christ-like state of light. In Buddhism, it is Buddhahood. In ancient India, it was spoken of as Yogini or Dakini. In Ifa, it is the path of becoming Orisa. Orisa are not remote gods cut off from human life. They are human beings whose Ori was elevated through wisdom, service, and power until they became divinities. This means that the potential of Orisa is already alive within you.
Ori and the Perfect State
Ifa is clear: your Ori is the center of this path. Ori holds the blueprint of your destiny. It is Ori that carries you toward wholeness, Ori that shapes your journey, Ori that determines whether you will find peace or struggle. The Odu Irete Ofun says:
Atefun-tefun
Dia fun Okanlenirino Irunmole
Won nlo sode Apere
Atefun-tefun eyin oni
Awo Ori lo dia fun Ori
Ori nlo sode Apere
Won ni ki won sakaale ebo ni sise
Ori nikan nikan ni nbe leyin ti nsebo
Ebo Ori waa da ladaju
Ori gbona j’Orisa
Ori ma gbona j’Orisa
Ori nikan nikan lo ko won l’Apeere
Ko si Orisa to to nii gbe
Leyin Ori eni
Ori gbona j’Orisa
Translation:
The diviner who marks chalk on the crocodile’s back
Cast Ifa for the 401 Irunmole going to Apere, the perfect state.
He also cast for Ori, when Ori set out for Apere.
All were told to make sacrifice.
Only Ori made the sacrifice, and it was abundantly rewarded.
It was Ori alone that attained Apere.
Ori is greater than the Orisa.
No Orisa can carry a person beyond their Ori.
Ori is higher than the Orisa.
You see here that your Ori is the very root of transcendence. No Orisa, no ancestor, no outside force can carry you beyond what your Ori has chosen. When you honor your Ori, you open the path to Apere—the state of completion.
Human Beings Become Orisa
Another teaching, from Owonrin Ose, makes this even more direct:
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ní, ènìyàn ló dà Orìṣà,
Èmi ní, ènìyàn ló dà Orìṣà.
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ní, ẹ̀yin ò rí Ogun?
Ó jẹ́ ènìyàn nígbà kan,
Ṣùgbọ́n nígbà tó di ọlọ́gbọ́n àti alágàra,
Ó dì Orìṣà.
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ní, ẹ̀yin ò rí Òbàtálá?
Ó jẹ́ ènìyàn nígbà kan,
Ṣùgbọ́n nígbà tó di ọlọ́gbọ́n àti alágbára,
Ó dì Orìṣà.
Ọ̀rúnmìlà ní, àwọn tó gbon, ní wọ́n ńbọ.
Ènì tó gbon, nìí jẹ́ wọ́n máa bọ.
Èèyàn ni ń di Orìṣà.
Translation:
Orunmila said, it is human beings who become Orisa.
I answered, it is human beings who become Orisa.
Orunmila said, do you not see Ogun?
He was once a human being.
But when he became wise and powerful,
he became Orisa.
Orunmila said, do you not see Obatala?
He was once a human being.
But when he became wise and full of power,
he became Orisa.
Orunmila said, it is the wise who are worshipped.
It is the wise who are revered.
It is human beings who become Orisa.
This is your reminder: Orisa are not unreachable gods. They are examples of what you are capable of becoming. Wisdom, discipline, humility, and power refined in service are the qualities that lift a person into divinity. When you cultivate these in yourself, you walk the same path Ogun and Obatala walked. You too are on the road to becoming Orisa.
The End of Reincarnation
The Odu Irosun Iwori tells the story of those who were weary of returning to earth again and again. They begged Orunmila to allow them to remain in heaven, free from the cycles of birth and death. Orunmila explained that they could not remain in heaven until they reached the “good position.”
The good position is not escape from life, but the fulfillment of it. It is the state in which you live with wisdom, with good character, with joy, with freedom from fear. It is the state where you refrain from stealing, lying, and harming others because you understand that all evil acts return with their consequences. It is the state where you serve the poor, lift up those in need, and increase the prosperity of the world rather than diminish it.
Until your Ori has achieved this good position, you will return again and again. When you do attain it, the cycle is broken, and you ascend to higher being.
The Work of Forgiveness
Finally, Oyeku Batutu teaches that forgiveness is essential to this path.
Orunmila will forgive me,
The forgiver forgives.
If water kills a person, it shall be forgiven.
If a king kills a person, he will be forgiven.
Orunmila, let me be forgiven in this case.
In all cases, the rain is forgiven by the community.
Two cocks and 1200 cowries should be offered as sacrifice.
Ifa medicine is made from leaves and tude,
mixed with Iyerosun.
Place two cowries in the mixture, tie them with cotton string,
and wear them as a necklace for protection.
This verse reminds you that without forgiveness, your Ori cannot rise. Forgiveness of others, forgiveness of yourself, forgiveness of life itself is what releases you from heaviness. To hold bitterness is to hold yourself down. To forgive is to lighten your being, to move closer to Apere.
Walking the Science of Ifa
Ifa is not about escape from the earth. It is about completing your purpose here. When you align with your Ori, cultivate wisdom, practice humility, serve others, and forgive, you walk the path that leads beyond reincarnation. This is not imagination or blind belief—it is the science of Ifa, a clear law of cause and effect.
Every act of kindness, every sacrifice for the poor, every choice to govern your speech with patience, every moment you forgive instead of resent—these are the steps of transcendence. They are what make you whole. They are what lift you toward becoming Orisa.
The path is already before you. Your Ori has carried it from the beginning. Your task is to walk it with courage, with humility, and with the wisdom that you, too, are destined to rise.
