My forever response to the use of Odu to oppress LGBTQ

My response to the recital and use of Odu in a small minded manner.

The description that palm oil is a supplement to yams is subjective. It is literally the equivalent of saying Ketchup goes best with french fries.. I personally do not like ketchup on my fries. In fact I hate it. Some like mayonaise with theirs. This point is relatively moot to make as ones preferences vary and cannot be defined and coined based on one persons interpretation of Odu or common law of the land.
The ladder is good to climb to the roof- This in itself shows the time frame of this odu and the interpretation thereof. At one point Obara had a symbol of the rope which was given to Orisa even as ebo, as a symbol for something one climbs to ascend and descend. Later on the verses change to ladders, something newer invented for the same thing and with sturdier outcome and less effort. We also see this in verses of Ogunda when you hear rifles make their way in verses as oppose to other weaponry that predate guns and were commonly associated with war and or Orisa Ogun. This shows that Odu grows and incorporates the times of the people in order to make its point, that is why Ifa is wonderful it fits to the needs of the people and is a living and breathing entity which can always further grow and expand.
The notion that it is better for men to sleep with women and it being more enjoyable is again subjective. From personal experience as a man who has had many sexual encounters with women all of which were very pleasurable I did not fully connect to the idea of love and or sexual fulfillment until I followed my natural inclination to be with men. So this whole part of this verse is again subjective to the one that interpreted it.
Then to say that men who engage in sex with men will have boils and that women who engage in sex with women will have horrible odor and irritation can be debunked. In fact, I do not have nor have I ever had bumps and abnormal swelling in my nether regions and many women I know are engaging in sexual relations with loving female partners whose vaginal areas smell exactly as they should. This was most likely interpreted by a man who has no knowledge of vaginas and how they work let alone penises as they pertain to gay sex.
This interpretation is crawling with ignorance, while I think Ifa is grand and full of knowledge I do not believe every awo who interpreted verses like this and orally passed them on (telephone game, think about it) always got it right without inserting limited thinking and or plan bias and agenda.
Since Ifa does not lie and most, if not all of the above can be argued down and proven as not entirely true then it leads me to believe this may be a gross misinterpretation of the intended purposes of the verse.
Iwori Wodin’s opening line says it all.. “IF this is the way to manage a community, the community would have been very eager to live in the house.” If implies possibility of otherwise, alternatives.
There are many ways to manage communities with societal norms. There was once a societal norm that black people could simply be killed by whites by simply whistling or looking in their direction. This was the way the communities were managed, many were ok with it other than those who inherently wanted the freedom to live. This led to civil rights issues being fought in this country. I think you get my point.
Odi we know deals with reproduction and one of the primary ways of reproduction is sexual intercourse.
However, while at the base level that is true in many instances it is not. Therefore, the man born sterile and or the women born barren, who engage in sexual intercourse will still not produce children. This being said then are they themselves having useless sex and should therefore stop having sex?
Now to refer to another woman’s vagina as being “LIFELESS” simply because she looks upon anothers with desire, is a gross misconstruing of words which again reek of misogyny and ignorance of womens wonderful vaginas. In fact with or without men the vagina is LUSH with Life. Bacteria and flora of which is constantly producing and working.
One of the many lessons of Odi is found when Iya Loja learns the beauty and sensuality of her sexuality and then proceeds to “dip into her honey pot” and gain a slew of customers because of it.
The rest of the verse, Iwori Wodin, Ifá says:
In this Odu. Ifa explains the meaning of the son of Omo-Osu (Ilemosu) referring to a woman who had been married once, but who due to a reason (divorce, death of the husband, separation, etc.) returned to the house of his parents to live. When she returned, she promised never to have anything with a man again and that she would better choose a female companion to love and make love to her.
What I find interesting here is the desire to manipulate and dictate who one falls in love with or seeks comfort in the arms of. Many women who have been mistreated by men decide to be alone, and many with traumatic male interactions almost their whole life may or may not seek the comfort of another women and their relationship may or may not become sexual.
If Ifa is the grand keeper of knowledge of the all that is in the universe and Odu contains this very wisdom then we have to adjust our hermeneutics when examining the knowledge found within. Sexuality from the animal kingdom into the human kingdom is a fluid construct. Many male dominated fraternities and societies or spaces have developed encounters that led to sexual fluidity and same with female ones. This is all over the world, and therefore in Yourbaland as well. We cannot act like the natural notions of life are exclusive to everywhere else other than Nigeria.
Societies have always had to change to various degrees to meet the needs an demands of the people, this is how life works. This is how people work, this is how Orisa works because this is how nature works. Even now Cheetahs once lone animals, are seen hunting in packs to bring down larger prey than they would normally attempt to hunt. Lions usually depending on one male to a pride are starting to from groups of young males, something unheard of. Fish who have a dip in population of one particular gender have been known to change their sex at will in order to provide what was needed to their social group. Amphibians, like frogs have also been known to switch. Homosexuals can have children while in same sex loving relationships. It’s been done one only has to look. Many engage in adoption of youth who were abandoned by their heterosexual parents. Many use surrogates and have agreements with other male or females of their choice who help to mother or sire their child.
Many things of the Yoruba past are no longer done, human sacrifice and ebo being one of them. You can now find verses in Irete to support this. These verses are supposed to grow and change and record the notion of odu Ifa as an expansive pulsating living breathing entity.
I am well aware that men and women have their own specific Ase they bring to the table just by their gender and/or dare I say assumed gender.
The big issue I see here on a societal level is a fear that goes against the notion of Ire omo. Once you dispel the fear with facts, which has been done above we can move past the notion of fear. Knowledge battles fear quire effectively. Ire omo can still happen, grown adults can still have children and contribute to the community they exist s culturally part of.
What is not ok is to keep chanting the same verses and edicts without allowing it to grow as needed to actually help the people it needs to.
I will accept more from Abimbola, Popoola and anyone else when they can sit in a panel discussion with other leaders and figures in the Diaspora or otherwise who can have actual in depth discussion on sexuality and what it actually is and how its developed and attached to the psyche, the Spirit and the finally the body.

***Chief Oluwo Solagbade Popoola Wrote the below sentiments in his work,
“THE POSITION OF IFA IN HOMOSEXUALITY / LESBIANISM
Much has been written and said about the position of lovers of the same sex in the Religion of Ifá. Some say that Ifa is very silent about this practice, others say that Ifa is against, while others say categorically that Ifá supports this practice.
To avoid doubts, we should recite three verses from Ifá to clarify their position on this controversial subject. It should be taken first from the Odu Ofun Alaaye (Ofun Irete) where Ifá says:
Palm oil is good to supplement the consumption of yams
And the yam is good as a supplement to eat palm oil
The ladder is good for climbing to the roof
For a man it is better to make love with a woman than with his male companion
For a woman it is better to sleep with a man than with his female partner
If a man sleeps with a man
The result will be swelling, boils and deviation
If a woman makes love with a female partner
The result will be darkness, noticeable odors, dirty and irritation
If a man makes love to a woman
And a woman sleeps with a man
The result will be feeling at the top of the world
The feeling of having unlimited and indescribable enjoyment
The organ of Ofun-Rete is strong and swollen
This was guessed for the chronically single chaste
When he was going to marry with Olele the descendants of Olofa
The chronic bachelor called Olele
But she replied that she did not
The problem is not greater than Ifá can solve
In this Odu, Ifá highlights three aspects
1) It is better for a man to love a woman and vice versa, which is more pleasant
2) Making love with the same sex leaves illness and frustration
3) It is the only way that the birth of a child can take place
This also means that Olodumare, whose language is Ifá, deliberately made heterosexual love pleasurable to avoid inhibitions to the act of making babies. Olodumare's plan is to multiply the human being in this world. Relationships with the same sex hinder the multiplication of the human race.
In addition, in a stanza of Iwori Wodin (Iwori-Odi), Ifá says this:
Iwori cast a capricious glance at the genital and considered it a propitious practice
Do you consider Iwori, who looks at the genitals as a good Awó?
This was the statement of Ifá to Panla-Apo
Who Failed to Assure a Husband to Get Married
But she chose to fall in love with a female partner
He was advised to do ebó
A woman who makes love to a female companion
Do not you know that she is looking for a lifeless genital, is not it productive to give life?
In this Odu Ifá says that:
1) Anyone who is seen looking at another person of the same sex can never be seen as a good Awó. For such a person, looking at the genitals of another person of the same sex is even worse.
2) Relating to having same sex sex is a useless exercise.
The implication of this is that anyone practicing homosexuality or lesbianism, being Iyanifá, Babalawo or Babalorisa is not regarded as a decent person or good practitioner. Why then does anyone who truly believes in Olodumare and the divinities commit himself to the exercise of futility?
We are all followers of the deities. We are in a privileged position that is certainly the envy of others but with that position comes a great responsibility. We follow the steps of the Divinities. If it is true, and I am quite sure that it is, then, who among the Divinities practiced love with the same gender when they were the Earth? What part of the life of your love are we emulating with simply suggesting relationships with the same sex? Any!
In another verse, Iwori Wodin, Ifá says:
If this is the way to manage the community
The community would have been very eager to live in the house
This was the message of the citizens of Iwori_Wodi
To whom Ifá advised him to send all the children of Eshu away
Therefore, the one who after first marrying
I chose to have ejaculation with a woman
They were warned to do ebó
If this is the way we manage the community
Would the community be so eager to live in the house?
In this Odu. Ifa explains the meaning of the son of Omo-Osu (Ilemosu) referring to a woman who had been married once, but who due to a reason (divorce, death of the husband, separation, etc.) returned to the house of his parents to live. When she returned, she promised never to have anything with a man again and that she would better choose a female companion to love and make love to her.
1) Many people were once heterosexual but later became homosexual / lebian due to a lack or cessation of their marriage.
2) This type of people should be sent to pack and leave their parents' home because they are practicing immoralities or breaking a taboo, which should be condemned and stopped.
1) Many people were once heterosexual but later became homosexual / lebian due to a lack or cessation of their marriage.
2) This type of people should be sent to pack and leave their parents' home because they are practicing immoralities or breaking a taboo, which should be condemned and stopped.
3) Forgiving these acts can lead only to chaos at the end.
This is why every time this Odu reveals itself during an Ifa consultation, the client is advised to ensure that he has not been practicing any immoral acts by any Osu children at home since the Situation since this would bring problems later.
Some same-sex lovers claim that both heterosexuals and bisexuals and homosexuals / lesbians adore and serve the same Olodumare. I must disagree with this statement. To serve and worship Olodumare in its truest sense, you must emulate the practice of the Divinities. Which of the Divinities are they emulating? If there are none of them homosexual or lesbian. Put simply, there is no place in the traditional Ifa religion for homosexuals and lesbians.
Some lesbians and homosexuals claim that they have told their Oluwo in Tierra Yoruba and that their Oluwo has told them that Ifá is silent about it. I really doubt there is such a Babalawo that says that anywhere. If there is one, we use this medium to warn them not to add strange considerations to Ifá to deceive people by giving them false hopes.
Lesbians and homosexuals have no place in the traditional Ifá and period!