**Ajo “Awo Ile Aiye” & Abemo “Awo Ode Isalu-Orun”
They both usually met at the unknown boundary between Heaven & Earth, they were told to make sacrifice so that a single woman may not cause disagreement between them. They both play deaf & refused to appease Ifa, they said “How can a single woman bring misunderstanding between Heaven & Earth. The Woman is called Obi, the wife of Abemo Awo Ode Isalu-Orun (Heaven). Abemo had gone to consult Ifa; he was told to make sacrifice for a child & money, Abemo made sacrifice for money only.
It is getting late in life, Obi has no child, she became sad, she ran to marry Ajo Awo Ile Aiye (Earth). Ajo heard & performed sacrifice for a child. Obi then got a single child for him. Then the year rolled by, the time for outing ceremony of the child came by Obi followed Ajo to meet Abemo. He was so angry to see that Ajo kept his wife for a whole year without sending her back to him, so Abemo began to say bad words to Ajo who voluntarily brought his wife from the world to meet him.
**The fight became great between them. Obi moved clear from them to observe them, nobody to separate them, it became a bitter fight. When the two became exhausted and began to rest, then Ajo said, “It is a stupid fight that is staged between Heaven & Earth, there is no one to separate them, so that there may be confusion in heaven & on earth that is why Obi left me for you. Alright, you Ajo Awo Ile Aiye do not want us to ponder, and keep our words in the pocket. The Two of them became pleased, they came to an agreement, and they decided to kill Obi, the source of the fight between them.
Obatala was passing by and found the dead body of Obi by the tree, he raised her up and asked her how she got there. When Obi finished telling him the story of how she got there, Obatala answered, It is alright, I cannot question them, what they did is not bad. So, he tied Obi Into the same bag, hanged her on the side of the tree he found her from, he went his way…
((We Break Obi (Kola Nut) To Settle All Concerns Between Heaven & Earth))
**Gúnnugún ni ò to rí abe f’árí – Erè lawo àbàtà Adífá fún Èjìòbàrà tí yóó pa’bì f’Éríwo – Ò bá
dúrò o mó’bì f’Éríwo “ Èjìòbàrà, ò bá dúró o mó’bì f’Éríwo Èjìòbàrà “
==The vulture doesn’t get bald as a result of razor – Anaconda snake is the priest of swamps Cast divination for Eji-Obara who will throw Obi for spirituality. Do not wait to give Ifa Obi Eji-Obara. No matter the challenges you are facing, we shouldn’t forget to offer the most important ingredient, Obi to Ifa..
**Six (6) Various Types of Obi-Kola Nut**
Akiriboto = Single Obi – The most uncommon types of kola nut according to mythological stories the kola nut has been maned to henceforth become subdivided into more than one lobe. This type is called “Akiriboto”. This type is mostly used for medicinal purposes.
Gbanja = Two Lobes Obi – Comes in both white and red colors with majority in white color. It is usually big in size, and it is the one mostly preferred for chewing by many kola nuts buffs for snacks or stimulants. It is not used for asking questions from the Orisha, divination, or any ritual, because it has no differentiation lines within the lobes and so it is not regarded for any ritual purpose, because it lacks the Male or Female characteristics.
Eta-Obi = Three Lobes Obi – Regarded as being special to Eshu-Elegbara and other Orisha or for special medicinal use.
Iya-Obi = Four Lobes Obi – Regarded as the Mother Obi. She is eaten both by the Orisha and human beings. The Iya-Obi has two male lobes and two female lobes. It is this equal number of Male and Female lobes of the four-lobe kola nut that make it very suitable for asking questions or for divination purposes. All divination systems other than Ifa, the accuracy of their responses to questions is not always reliable, because they could not be made to clarify detailed aspects of questions or responses. As a matter of fact, the Obi does not entertain asking the same questions more than once. It also does not respond to questions in variations. It usually answers Yes/No questions outside its designated Odu codes when used for that purpose.
Olufuwa = Five Lobes Obi – Said to belong to Oshun, the Deity for puberty, whiteness, and cool serene water. It has the female lobe or the “Ofa” which have a double Female characteristic making her bottom ending look like a delta of a river. For divination purposes, the “Ofa” is always taken aside and given to Eshu from the lot and only two Males and two Females are used.
Iwarefa = Six Lobes Obi – Regarded also as a special kola nut. Usually used for special occasions. It is used mostly for very sacred activities particularly the Awo Ogboni, who name their top-most hierarchy of the Iwarefa. During the coronation of Kings and the installation of important chiefs, the Obi Iwarefa is used.
*Prayers To Obi (Kola Nuts) = It is kola nut that pushes away death – It is kola nut that pushes away diseases – It is kola nut that pushes away loss – It is kola nut that pushes away all the malevolence forces – Pushes away death from us – Pushes away loss from us – Pushes away all the malevolence force.
*Obi (Kola nuts) can be offer alone on its own without any other items to any Irunmonle and Orisa. This can be in form of prayers, propitiation, and veneration *Obi (kola nut) can be offer in conjunction with other items prescribe during Ifa consultation or items that is meant to feed the Irunmole or the Orisa in question. *Obi can be used to entertain a fellow initiate *Obi can also be share in place where meeting is been held, naming and wedding ceremony.
== For proper use in divination, the Obi Abata (Iya Obi) must be of four segments, consisting of Two Males (Ako Meji), and Two Females (Abo Meji). These segments represent an equal balance in the forces of “light” corresponding to the masculine force and “darkness” corresponding to the feminine force. To get an accurate oracle in consultation, the four segments should be cast on a clean ground, flat bowl, plate, or tray. Water should be sprinkled on the ground as a means of offering libation to the various Orishas before casting the Obi Abata.
