Iwa Pele

OLODUMARE asks all human through his word IFA given to us by sage Orunmila to exhibit good character,  so that the world can be a good place for all. The act of doing what is expected of us with total discipline according to Yoruba tradition is called IWA PELE or ISESE,  which can be translated into gentle character  or different  loving attribute.  This is a state where you consider all men as   brothers, and ready to sacrifice whatever in your position to aid your brother to success so that  your brother, that form the integral part of the society, will have a reciprocal positive attribute and attitudes toward life and towards other human in the cosmos. 

This kind of attitude is called ISESE LAGBA .  A Divine love devoid of hatred and jealous will attract peace , harmony and serenity , not only that , will prolong lives and sound health . While at the passing of time , things become good and better , and the passage to the world beyond in the old age becomes a sleeping  stage and blissful step.

The element of  IWA PELE can be noticed from the life of OBATALA OSEREMAGBO , that is OBATALA  the ancient of days.  He ensured that nothing bothers him , nothing disturbs his peace of mind , and nothing troubles him, because he knows that the divine intervention will resolve all things to his advantage, and he has done his own part of loving his other divinities and blessed other human in creation . Obatala teaches us that life of anger , hatred , jealous and wickedness can be avoided through thorough discipline which is the attribute of IWA PELE or ISESE . 

Yoruba says that a word is enough for the wise, whenever you come across of a text that teaches dedication, discipline and devotion to spiritual enlightenment. Belief in your absolute inner power which is the seat of divinity and the realm  of spirituality , and to align with deeper force need a change of attitude and  good character . When a man engaged in personal hatred , anger at will , and jealous in an unjust manner , what is he doing to himself?  A great danger , error of highest spiritual pedigree, and he is reducing  his days of lives. Life is too short to be angry with anything. Cultivate the habit of ORISAALA and  pray for peace to dwell in your mind .

According to OGBE OGUNDA

Ibinu o se  niikankan funmi

Suuru ni baba iwa

Agba to ni suuru

Ohun gbogbo lo ni

Won o moo jogba

Won o moo jato

Won a si moo jaye IFA  gbindingbindin  bi eni layin

A difa  fun baba imole abewu gereje

Niijo tin lo  si oko kewu

Translation

Anger brings no profit

Patience is the best of human characters

The elderly that is patient

Would with time  posses  all he desires

Their types would enjoy  old age

They would enjoy steadfastness

Also a life of chief divinity OBATALA  as if he is licking  honey

Cast ifa oracle  for the elderly  man with flowing robes

On the day he was going to learn a particular  study

According to the verse above , there was a man who was learning IFA philosophy in the house of Orunmila. He had undergone all the tasks of learning and mastered all the rudiment of IFA divination system . The man was taught all the means and the method of divination , as well as act of sacrifice . He also learned other spiritual system of knowing the mind of OLODUMARE .  He decided to relocate to a new place to learn more and sought more spiritual power . He came to Orunmila telling hi his  intention. He gave obeisance to Orunmila and told him the reason for his decision . Orunmila asked him the place and the disciple answered his master that a far away place to  his home .

Orunmila questioned him that: Did you think that the learning is different from the one  I taught you ? And the man answered YES. When then do you intend to travel?  Asked Orunmila again .Tomorrow , he replied. In that case  come back here before you go, so that I can tell you something that would  be of benefit to you on the journey, Orunmila said. Tell me now , the learner urged. Tomorrow , replied Orunmila.

Happy , the learner priest went back to his house to inform his family. He called his wife and informed her of his intention . I have even told my master , he asked me to return  tomorrow  for final instruction before my departure, the learner priest told his wife. Quickly, they packed a handy bundle to take along and retired for the night.  

The next day , early in the morning , the learner priest went to Orunmila`s house . He prostrated flat on his face  and reminded Orunmila of his planned trip. How long would you stay in this place ? Orunmila asked . Sixteen years my lord , but it would take me about a year to get to the place . While you are along the way , do not walk in stormy winds. Orunmila said . Is that why you asked me to wait till today?  The man asked. Yes,  Orunmila replied. But you could have told me this yesterday . He countered. That is true, but you would get to know the reason soon, Orunmila said .

Well, is that all ? The man asked. No, you still have to return tomorrow. Replied again Orunmila .But you can tell me now , the man asked  with eagerness. Tomorrow, Orunmila repeated.

The next day , the elderly man returned , this time with his handy pack and the other things he needed on his way . I am here for the instruction before I start my journey . Alright, said Orunmila. Don`t swim or paddle a boat in a full river , he said . But that is like the one you told me yesterday , the learner priest said . That is true, replied Orunmila. Is that all ?  No. When would the rest be? Tomorrow.

Left with no option , the man left for home for the second time . He returned the third day as instructed by Orunmila . Hanging on his shoulder was a gourd inside which was water to drink along the way . He dropped this by the entrance , venerated IFA , and prostrated to greet his teacher.  I am here again.  He said eagerly. Sit down , Orunmila said and continued with the IFA that he was chanting .  The learner priest waited for a long time before Orunmila finally spoke- You must not strap  any sharp instruments  or objects on you when  you are returning  home , he said . That is fine, the man replied.  Is that all? No ,Orunmila said. When would the rest be ? Tomorrow.

The man was so confused he forgot his gourd of water by the entrance  of  Orunmila `s house . He got home and complained to his wife about the events and Orunmila`s attitude toward his trip .  I don`t think  baba akeyo, that is Orunmila , wants me to go on this journey. But you should at least be obedient, the wife said .  He asked me to come back tomorrow on the fourth occasion now, and suppose  he asks me to come back again tomorrow, if I visit  again? Just visit him and hear what he wants to tell you, the wife advised.

The next day , unlike very early in the morning  when he usually went to Orunmila . It was almost noon before he called. He entered , greeted and venerated  IFA and prostrated .  Orunmila greeted him back and asked him to wait .  I would soon be with you . You must not be pushed to impulsive anger on the same day anyone makes you angry. Orunmila said as he came out of his inner room . But what relationship has these instruction with my trip? The learner priest asked . Orunmila did not even answer him . Can I leave now ? He asked with some pessimism . Yes,  Orunmila said. Happy he was about to leave, when he saw his gourd by the entrance . He took it and quickly said a goodbye to his wife.

NOTE –   All this delay tactics was to drill the man and ensure that he assimilated the character of meekness, gentility and patient, which is the basis of life path toward light, knowledge and understanding.

Some months after his departure, in mid afternoon , he was resting under the shade  of a tree when suddenly the atmosphere  changed . The windstorm was so bad that he could not see far ahead . If this rain should start and meet me here , I would be soaked and cold, he thought. Should I not run to find a shelter if I can see any nearby?  While  thinking  of what to do , he remembered  the words of Orunmila . And this man has never said anything without its coming to pass?  Should I walk in this storm and ignore him?

It was at this point that two men met him still under the shade of the tree. Why don`t you let us go together or why are you hiding there? They asked him. No, my teacher said I should not walk in stormy winds, he replied. Well we are leaving as we intend to see a shed just ahead where we would hide till the rain subsides. I am not moving  away from here , Baba Imole said . When the two travellers realized that he was not going to bulge, they left . Soon the storm stopped after a very heavy downpour. Baba imole brushed off the rain water on his makeshift dress made of palm fronds and he decided to move.  If not because of what this man told me , would I not have had companion to talk to while on this journey ?  In any case , I will have to walk and hope I can catch up with them .

He had hardly walked for more than half a day when he met the two people who tried to convince him to go along with them. They had been crushed to death by a falling tree. Unbelieving what lay on the 

ground . Baba Imole screamed aloud giving reverence to IFA. For the umpteenth time , your word has been vindicated. He said.

Quickly, he left and travelled for a long time until he suddenly saw a rive . It was so expansive and full because of the rain that has been falling all the while. How do I cross this river? He wondered. In the midst of his worry, a man with his wife met him at the bank. Let us ask for a ferry man to paddle us across, the man told him. No ! He replied. But why? We all can enter the canoe at once and it is almost nightfall.  Do you intend to sleep here? No, until the level of the water falls.  When do you think that would be? Even if it is ten days , I will wait, he replied.

After efforts to convince him fell on deaf ears, the man with his family entered the canoe and left . When they got to the middle of the river , the canoe man lost control and it capsized . All the passengers on board drowned.  Orunmila`s  student  opened his mouth in wonder while he watched helplessly from the river bank . This man told me four things , two of which have been proved true, he said in awe.

Few days after this, the flow subsided. He got another ferry man to paddle him to the other side . At last , he arrived safely at his destination after a year of travelling . He stayed in the faraway city for about sixteen years during which he was taught all he intended to learn.

At the conclusion of his tutoring, he set out on his return journey. While packing his little belongings, he saw an instrument which he used in piercing hard nuts . He took it and tied it to his waist , the rest of his load  he carried on his head and left . After crossing the river of the other time , he remembered what could have happened  to him if he had not listened to the words of his mentor.  It was then he remembered the instrument at his side .  And this man talked about having any sharp instrument  on me as I return home, he thought aloud . Promptly he removed it an threw it away .

About one year later he entered ILE-IFE, however, it was late into the night and he did not want to disturb anyone or announce his return . He made straight for his house . Since house in the olden days were made of leaves and consequently have no doors he entered without having to knock .

As he peeped into the dim light, he noticed his wife sleeping and beside her on the mat was a man!  Ah this woman has been bringing his men friends to sleep with her even inside my house! What could she be thinking?  That I would not return again? Humans are untrustworthy. This is the same person that promised heaven and earth when I was leaving . There is no other option, I must kill the two of them while they are still sleeping, Baba Imole said to himself .

Quickly , he reached for his side to bring out the instrument . His side was empty . It was then he remembered he had thrown it away .  Ah,  this man did not predict this one well, he said almost aloud . If I had not thrown away this sharp thing, would I not have used it to stab the two of them to death ? There is no problem, he thought putting his forefinger in his mouth.  I would use the pestle of the yam mortal to crush their heads. He rushed out of the room to the yard where he remembered his wife used to proud yam for him. He collected the pestle and ram towards the house.

He was about to descend on the man when he remembered the last warning of Orunmila . But this man also told me not to be pushed to anger the same day. He tried to justify killing these two people. But another thought told him to have patience .  There is no problem , I would wait till tomorrow  when it would have been a day  after I was pushed  to anger . Tomorrow , I am going to kill two of them before they wake up . So Baba Imole decided to sit by the doorway  to wait  the dawn of the next day.

#While sitting , he dozed off and it was the woman who woke up first . Her yawning woke up the learner priest of Orunmila  who scampered for his pestle . My Lord , you are back!!!  Welcome , Why didn`t you wake me up to make food  for you?`The woman did not finished her sentence  before  she was rudely interrupted  by her husband . You had better  who is going to kill him . So you have the audacity to bring  in your lover and sleep  with you inside my house ? You think  I was going to die , is that it ? The woman only bursts out laughing . You want to kill him ? Go head , the wife said. When  you were leaving  for that long journey , I was already pregnant but you did not know. The man sleeping there is your own son from that pregnancy. So if you want to kill him, you are free.

With mouth agape, Baba Imole , sat down with a thud , thanking Orunmila for his foresight and precision . If not for the instrument I threw away and the obedience, I had in waiting till the next day, would I not have used my own hands to kill my only son ? He asked his wife to wake the young man up to enable him see clearly with his won eyes. The semblance was too glaring to be doubted . Orunmila `s student apologized to his wife and thanked his Ori .

The practiced and belief in Iwa Pele as spelt out under IFA  can make this life a better place to live in. If peace has to reign in the world , it has to start from the rooms of individuals.

Some of the following are the benefits of Iwa pele:

• long life
• wealth
• Wife or husband that would last till one`s old age
• Children  of repute
• Peace and personal satisfaction
• Health
• A world devoid of calamities

Source:   “Yoruba Theology And Tradition ,  The man and  The  Society”  Ayo Salami , NIDD  publishing  company  and  IFARCITY  October 2008.

To support  the above story, in the same Ogbe Ogunda , Orunmila once sought the means of success in life and was told  that the only way was for him to marry  IWA. He accordingly married iwa and became very successful . Hence everybody has since been seeking after iwa  and became very successful . Hence everybody  has since been seeking after IWA , WITH THE RESULT THAT IWA BECOMES  THE MOTHER OF MANY CHILDREN .

According to the odu Ogbe Ogunda

E wa womo iwa berere ooo

E wa womo iwa berere

Iwa gbe dani

Iwa pon sehin

E wa womo iwa berere

Translation

Come and behold the countless children of Iwa

Come and behold  the countless children of Iwa

Iwa carries ( children ) in her arms

Iwa carries  children  on her back

Come and behold the countless children of Iwa

Therefore  it is taught that the only essential requisite in life is IWA, according to another recital under Ogbe Ogunda

Aja sunwon dehin

Agbo sunwon de roro

Aja o ni roro

Ki won re le lo magbo wa

A da fun Iwaloro

Tii se omo won lotu Ife

Won ni , iwa Nikan lo soro

Ori kan kii buru l`otu –Ife

Translation

The god is lovely to the teeth

The ram is lovely to the mane

A dog would not be so fierce

To the extent that a ram would be substituted for it

Thus declare the oracle to IWALORO – meaning character is prosperity-

Who was an offspring  of OTU- IFE

It was said that character was all that was of vital importance

Since there could be no essentially bad Ori  in OTU IFE

Indeed , the children of IWA  are peace , harmony ,serenity ,  wisdom , tolerance , intelligent , discipline , determination , hard-work , sound health , long life. Another common saying is „ Eni lori rere ti ko niwa , iwa lo maa bori re je” meaning , “However happy a person’s destiny  may be, if he has no character , it is( lack of ) character that will ruin his destiny .  For the same reason , good character is copiously recommended in the odu corpus.

On  Irete Idi says

IWA PELE  LOKUN AYE

FII RO PETI LOWO ENI

O DA FUN Orunmila

TI O FI IWA PELE

GBA OKUN AYE LOWO OKAN –LE-NI IRINWO – IMOLE

TRANSLATION

Gentle character it is which enables the rope of life

To stay unbroken in one`s hand

So declares the oracle to Orunmila

Who by means of gentle character

Was going to win the rope of enduring life from the four hundred and one divinities.

Good character is a sufficient armour against any untoward happening  in life . Anyone who wears it need not fear anything . It is therefore a common saying that  „ iwa  rere leso eniyan“ - It is good character  that is  man`s guard . The bad people , people of evil character , are those who fear needlessly , and it is their sin that causes them needless fear . One of the stories told to inculcate this lesson  is that of Aniwonikun, who was a person  given to incessant but needless  fear . All in consequence  of a bad conscience.

Thus in Owonrin Sedin says

E joo re , e je o sa

Iwa wo ni imaa le won kiri

O da fun aniwonikun

Ti yoo maa beru tosan toru

Ooje hu wa re

Ooje hu wa atata

Aniwonikan , ki o yee sa kiri bi ojo

Translation

Leave him alone , let him run

It is their character that chases them about

So declares the oracle about Aniwonikun

Who fears incessantly day and night

Will you but practice good character ?

Will you but practise sound character ?

Aniwonikun ,  stop running about like a coward

The outcome of good character is of course , good reputation . A person`s reputation  is described as  ala – white cloth or clothes , thus , when the Yoruba pray for someone  that “won nii ta epos ala re ooo“ --- May no palm  oil , be splashed on your white clothes , they mean „may your reputation be every good  and untarnished. „ It is a thing of worth pride and glory when this is so .

As character makes for good social relation, it is laid upon every members of the community  to act in such a way as to promote  always the good of the whole body . In the old days , wicked people were exiled from the community or ostracised from the family . One who had seduced the wife of another must turn and go another way, if the offended person walked along the road toward  him.

Attributes and the main components of good character are 

• Chastity before marriage on part of the woman and man  is essential
• Avoid polygamous  and multi polygamy , that is divorce one and marry anothe , is called systemic polygamous
•  Hospitality is of great value
• Avoid selfishness and arrogant
•   Kindness involving generosity is accounted a great virtue and  greatly to be cultivated. The kind have the unfailing blessing of OLODUMARE and of men always .  Ifa says , the calabash of the kind break not , the dish of the splits not , it is both money and children  that flow into the house of  the kind.
• Wickedness should be roundly condemned, Ifa says the law of retributive justice operates in such a way as to bring back the reward of wickedness not only upon  the wicked , but also upon his offspring.
•  Truth and rectitude are placed very high among the essential virtues . It is believed that the truthful and  upright  have the unfailing support and blessing of the divinities, according to the popular song  „ be truthful , do good “.   Be truthful , do good.   It is the truthful, that the divinities support,  It is only rectitude that prevents one from dying young and enables one to grow exceedingly hoary.
•  IFA forbid stealing
•  Covenant – breaking
•  Hypocrisy is unmanly and reprovable
•  It is the responsibility of every man to give protection to the woman as the weaker sex
•  Honour and due respect to old age is the duty of every individual – the young must respect the elder because of the seniority as well as because of their riper and richer experience from the young should profit. So it is taught .
•   Do unto others as you want them to treat you
•   Constituent moral values in the religion trait and the strong sense of right and wrong

IWA is being , and iwa rere is good being , and iwa is a being and being is IWA, Iwa pele  is a patient and calm being. Hence, a serene being is  a being with harmonious spirit  with sound spiritual wisdom, reliable understanding and devoted knowledge. Sharpened your knowledge to become a good being  which is IWA PELE.

Alafia