The question I’ve been asked again and again is this: “if Ori is indeed fixed and unchangeable, what then is the significance of periodic divination and ebo riru (sacrifice)?”
While most people associate Ori with destiny, Ori is certainly not the only factor that controls human actions and the outcome of human actions. Human actions can be traced back to specific internal and external causalities. Ori is definitely the internal causality or the initial condition of human actions (the genes).
If humans were digital computers, Ori would be the hardware while periodic divination and ebo ruru would be the software. In digital computers, the hardware is fixed but the software is “soft” and flexible. The hardware is what makes the computer powerful; the ability to run different software programs is what makes it flexible. Similarly, the Ori is what makes the human strong and powerful; the ability to engage in periodic divination and ebo ruru is what guides Ori to the path of Ire (the right path). After all, according to a common Yoruba aphorism: beni ose ri ola ori be lohun mu babalawo dafa oro run (the flexibility of reality is what necessitates periodic divination). Consequently, as Ori navigates reality, the periodic process of divination provides the necessary instructions or information for Ori while the act of ebo ruru guides Ori to the path of Ire; there’s no question that periodic divination and ebo ruru are significant to the strength of Ori.
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