Yoruba Concept of Ori

IWAPELE
In Yoruba philosophy, there is a story about Ajala’s castle. Before we are born, everyone who goes to the castle gets to choose from the pottery heads. Some are deformed, some are half-baked, some are fragile, and some are well-made, like a high-priced piece of pottery that you would see in a Smithsonian museum. It is difficult to choose the good heads from the bad ones, but with the help of Ifa and divination, we are guided on the path.

After incarnating on earth, one’s destiny is forgotten, and people’s lives are spent attempting to find and fulfill it while on earth.

An Ori is considered positive when it fulfills things like helping those less fortunate, helping one’s community, and bettering oneself.

Àkúnlèỵ ànè ̣ dá
Òun làdáyébá
A dáyétán ojú ń kán gbogbo wa
Sụ̀ gbóṇ èḍ á náà kò leè padà lọ yan òmíràn
Àfi ètùtù ló kù2

What was chosen kneeling down
Is what we find on arrival in this world
On arrival in this world, we became too impatient
(too much in a hurry to achieve our potentials)
But it is impossible to go back and choose another,
To prevent the deterioration of things is the
only course of action left.

PRAYER TO ORI

Yoruba
Ka ji ni kutukutu
Ka mu ohun ipin ko’pin
d’Ifa fun Olomo-ajiba’re-pade
Emi ni mo ji ni kutukutu ti mo f’ohun ipin ko’pin Emi ni mo ba ire pade l’ola

English
To wake up early morning
And give destiny its due
Divine for the person that will meet with luck
It is me that gives destiny its due on my waking in the morning Therefore, it is me that will meet with luck today and tomorrow [i.e., all my life].