"Do you know Ajeji Godogbo?
He is the one we are calling Egungun"
Holy Odu Irosun, Merindilogun Oracle of the Anago(Yoruba) people
The
picture above is of the traditional adornment of the Ancestral spirits
of the Yoruba people. These cloths, called Agan are draped over those
who are possessed with the spirits of Egungun -Ancestors, during
festivals and rites sacred to them
The
Holy Odu Irosun tells us how this tradition of draping them in multi
faceted cloths and worshipping them came about. The town of Peri was
troubled, the women were barren, the crops were not growing, the
children were ill and so the people were depressed. The leader of the
town, being caring, compassionate and concerned went to seek
consultation with the diviners to ask for a prescription for this
dilemma. He was told that a stranger would come to the town and bless
them richly...and so he resolved to be kind to all visitors to Peri
Meanwhile,
in a neighboring village or plane of existence, Ajeji Godogbo was
experiencing a lack of prosperity. Being wise, he too sought the
assistance of diviners to ask what must he do to fulfill his destiny and
be prosperous? He was told, he must leave home for his destiny lay away
from home. He set out travelling. Ajeji Godogbo travelled far and by
the time he reached Peri, he had walked for so long that his clothing
was in tatters. Being Afrikan and used to being richly adorned he would
not enter Peri in such a state but set up camp right outside its gates.
In the morning, women begin to leave to go and fetch water...Ajeji noted
that they carried no babies on their backs, he greeted them and added,
'may you have many children'...the women thanked the Stout Foreigner and
went on. Other mothers left the town later carrying ill children and he
greeted them saying, 'may your children become well'. He saw men return
from farming with no food and said 'may your crops yield much'...he saw
poverty and said 'may you become rich' and on and on Stout Foreigner
was blessing the people of Peri
Then Ha! Like magick, Stout Foreigners blessings became reality.
Barren
women bore twins, sick children ran and played with vigor, crops
yielded greatly and poverty was transformed to wealth. The town leader
who had been waiting diligently for a Foreigner to enter the gates was
baffled. He asked them 'how have you been so richly blessed'. And each
person said, 'there is Stout Foreigner sitting right outside the gates,
who has been bestowing blessing upon us, what he wishes and prays for
you comes to pass like magick!'
The
Balogun (town leader) then asked, 'He is an answer to our prayers,
how can we reciprocate his blessings'. The townspeople shared the fact
that Ajeji Godogbo was wearing rags. The Balogun then went from
household to household gathering a strip of their finest cloth. He took
these strips the the most talented seamstress in Peri and asked her to
fashion a massive outift for the Foreigner was Stout or very big. The
Egungun adornment is still to this day fashioned by a priestess of Oya
known as the Iya Agan~Mother of the Agan.
That
first Iya Agan, fashioned a tremedous resplendent agbada (large caftan
like top) for the Stout Foreigner. The Balogun, gathered his praise
drummers and they made their talking drums sing the praises of Ajeji
Godogbo as they approached the gate. The praisesongs elevated both the
Balogun and Ajeji Godogbo into a trance state and when the Balogun
presented him with the Agabada, Ajeji began to spin and spin and stir up
the dust of EarthMotherOnile with the botton of the Agan...from the
graves deep within EarthMotherOnile's womb, the Ancestral Spirits rose
to dance in the Agan and inhabit the body of Ajeji Godogbo and at time
the town of Peri knew they had been hosting a visitor of the Spirit
Realm Orun, outside their gateway.
They fell to the ground as he blessed them with his horsetail whip
And their lives were good...
Do you see Ajeji Gogodbo?
He is the one we are calling Egungun
Ase O , Irosun!
Egungun
is the Yoruba word meaning bones, that which remains when our Egun or
Ancestors have returned their physical bodies to EarthMotherOnile. Your
Egungun wait outside the gateway of your life, like Ajeji Godogbo, they
are big mighty visitors from another realm and they are waiting to bless
you if you but invite them to participate in your life. Irosun is an
odu which reminds us to remember our Ancestors. Feed them a little bite
whenever you eat, recite the names of those you remember who were
righteous every day and remember the deeds of your Ancestors both good
and bad so that you will know how to navigate the terrain of life. And,
at least once a year, invite them to come and dance with you on the
physical plane once again...commune with those Old Souls, they have much
to teach, much to share and you have EVERYTHING to gain. What did you
ever ask your Grandma for that she didnt give? Let Her continue to bless
you as richly as She did while living...
In
the West, our generally accepted Ancestral Festival Day as set by the
elders in Oyotunji Village is October 31st. This time has been known to
be spiritually significant by all civilized peoples, it is a time when
the veil between the spirit realm Orun and the physical realm Aiye is
thin and spirits can pass between it...during this time it is auspicious
to prepare your Ancestors their favorite foods and drinks and sit a
plate out for them...I put a plate for my righteous Ancestors on my
table and one for my unelevated Ancestors on my front porch
it is the only time I recognize my unrighteous Ancestors
Sing Ancestral songs of praise for those who have walked the path of life before you
(these are shared in the October Orisha class available on Oshetureinstitute.com)
If
you do not already have one, this is an auspicious time to erect an
Ancestral Altar and begin the nine day process of opening it as outlined
in my book Ona Agbani The Ancient Path available on Amazon.com
Lay your burdens before your Ancestors and watch them melt away
Ancestral
worship, while intense, is not scary or dangerous...your grandmother,
grandfather et cetera have a vested interest in your having the best
life possible because they are reborn through you and because they STILL
love you deeply
If
you already have an Ancestral altar, you may need to receive
consecrated Ancestral vessels from an Egungun initiate, one who has been
trained in interaction with the forces of the dead...please leave a
comment here if you feel drawn to this option and I will contact you
with info on how to move forward with that process
I
also visit the slave cemetary here in Nashville on Oct 31st and leave a
white candle and some oti (strong drink) for the Ancestors their and
thank them for their struggles on our behalf
For
your children, use this day to regale them with tales of righteous
Ancestors both those in your family lineage and the protectors and
defenders of our culture worldwide
you may begin with Oba Oseijiman Adefunmi I
Medahochi Kofi Omowale Zannu
Marcus Garvey
Shaka Zulu
Nannie of the Maroons
Nzingah
YaaAsantewaa
to name a few...do not allow their names to be forgotten in your lifetime
and ask their mighty spirits to continue to guide and protect us
We
ARE our Ancestors, they walk within our bodies daily, we cannot as
Afrikans maintain complete spiritual and mental health without
acknowledging this fact thru ritual
Please join Afrikans worldwide in celebrating the lives of those who have gone before on Oct 31st
Blessings of Oshun upon you
Yeye
