Head Praying: Fate Alignment Feeding Ori

Head rogation

The head rogation is one of the most important ceremonies in Santeria, it is a method used by babalawos or santeros to favor Ori and thus improve their destiny.

What is a head prayer?

A head prayer consists of a ceremony of the Osha-Ifa cult in which different materials are placed on the head in order to feed, refresh or calm the Ori (internal deity), all this is done with the purpose of aligning the body , mind and spirit in order to achieve evolution, tranquility and firmness.

Saying that we pray to our heads is a way of saying that we pray to our spirituality to obtain some benefit or to counteract some type of mental disturbance. In this ceremony the Ori deities intervene, Obatala and the guardian angel of each person.

When a person begs his head, he should try to achieve a total state of relaxation so that he can perceive the positive and healing energies of the Orishas.

When should I beg my head?

The prayers can be done on different occasions, if you feel emotionally unstable, you are going through a situation of physical or mental weakness, if you have health problems, these are the right times to make a head prayer, this ritual can be done for the following purposes:

  • Pre or post consecrating.
  • Refresh the head the head.
  • Get healthy
  • Head changes
  • Feed Ori.
  • Purifying.
  • Mental stability

This ceremony is so important that every time a person receives a deity or makes an important consecration, they make him a Kobori Eleda.

It is very common that in a consultation or registration with Ifa or the Dilogun, Orunmila or another saint recommends refreshing the head, there are many Oddun (Signs) that indicate the importance of this ceremony.

kobori eleda

Ceremonies in which your head begs:

  • Orula's Hand.
  • Necklaces
  • Kari Osha (Make Saint).
  • Ifa.
  • Knife.
  • When a Saint or Orisha is received.

Types of head rogation

There are different ways or ways to make a prayer in the leri, different materials can be used depending on the reason why this ritual is being performed, in a consultation with the Oracle of Ifa or the dilogun they can establish the specific materials and instruments to be used in the head praying. In the Oddun different ways of performing this ritual are also written, for example, in the Odu Ogbe Bara he teaches how to do this ritual with Breadfruit.

Next, we show you the types of head praying that can be performed:

Kobori eleda (Praying with coconut):

head praying with coconut

We could say that this ebbo is the basic prayer that is made with coconut, husk, cocoa butter and cotton, its purpose is to align and stabilize the head and the ori of the person. This ritual can be performed on anyone, it is not necessary to have any prior consecration or initiation.

The kobori is not only made with the materials already mentioned, the prayers may vary depending on the spiritual or physical need of each person, this will be determined by Orunmila or the Osha who is suggesting to perform this ceremony. There are different variants such as praying with bread and milk, which is done to people when they have mental instability, situations of depression or anxiety.

Ori bibo (Feed Ori):

This ritual consists of feeding Ori through sacrifice, which is determined by a Bear or divination through one of the Oracles. Each animal that is presented to Ori has its specific function, such as the Akuaro, for example, they are used to calm people when they are living very fast. (This is one of the fundamental ebbo in the sons of Oshun and Shango).

There are different ways to perform an Ori Bibo (Feeding Ori), there are houses of saint where the animal is given directly to the head and then a normal head prayer is performed or there is the variant where the sacrifice is made on a plate white with four pieces of coconut and then with his index finger the priest fills the person's head with blood.

This ritual is also called serving the head.

Obori eleda eyele meyi (Head prayer with two white doves):

This prayer is one of the most recommended in the Oddun, since through this ceremony the person is helped to channel their emotions and works as an evolutionary ebbo.

The eyele fun fun (white doves) are presented on the head making a circular movement on it. The procedure is very similar to the Kobori eleda except that the eyeles are used for the sacrifice directly on the person's leri.

While doing this, sing: Fo Lori eye Fo lori eye, unite Ori Fo lori Aye.

Kofibori Eleda

This head prayer is practically a standard prayer, the only difference is that when doing it the Iworo or babalawo wash the person's head with Omi Ero, this is done when the person has a hot head or Osobo kafeti Leri comes in consultation (Negativity caused by his own head).

Benefits of having a head prayer

This ceremony is very important and brings with it innumerable benefits for the person who performs it, among them are:

  • Clear your mind.
  • Spiritual channeling
  • Improve physical and mental health.
  • Alignment of the person with his destiny.
  • Feed Ori (Inner Deity).
  • Prepare Eleda for consecration.
  • Stability and settlement.
  • Sometimes a head prayer can save a person from death.

How is the head praying done?

how is the head praying done

We will show the most common way to do this ritual, it must be remembered that depending on the house of saint or lineage some of these steps may vary.

Materials needed for a prayer:

  • 2 coconuts (Obi).
  • Husk (Efun).
  • Cocoa Butter.
  • Cotton.
  • White cloth or keel.
  • 2 candles.
  • 2 white ceramic plates.
  • Jícara with water.

Preparation:

In one of the plates we place a set of coconut views (four pieces of coconut cut in a circular shape that is used as an oracle) and a gourd with water. In the other plate we place grated coconut, cotton, cocoa butter, husks and the candles.

A chair is placed on a mat, on which the interested party will sit, who should be dressed in white, in some houses before praying the person takes a bath with Omiero prepared with the herbs Prodigiosa, Bledo Blanco and Basil .  

Procedure

To do this ceremony it is advisable to be located in a secluded, private place away from noise so that the person who is performing the prayer can enter a state of meditation and not be disturbed by the environment, if it is in the most appropriate possibilities. It would be to stand in front of the basket where the Orishas rest.

  1. With a plate in each hand, the officiant places them around the person's head and begins to mojumb and give coconut to eggun, then to ori and Obatala, giving knowledge of what is being done and the materials that are going to be done. use. The dishes are presented at the spiritual or vibrational points of the person.
  2. The dishes are placed on the mat and the following points are moistened with water: Forehead, neck, hundred, throat, forearms, wrists, knees and feet.
  3. The head prayer is continued by placing cocoa butter, coconut and husk in the center of the head and in the points that were previously refreshed with omi, then it is covered with cotton.
  4. He wonders with the Coco if the prayer is complete, if he says that if he asks where he is going, and if the person should sleep at the foot of one of the Orishas. If the answer is negative, it is investigated to find out if something is missing or is it a recommendation that must be followed.
  5. After finishing the process of asking with the Obi, the head is covered with a keel or white cloth, the candles are removed from the person's hands and all the points that were marked on the body with the praying ingredients. The person must make a ball with what they have in their hands and drop it on the plate that remains on the mat.
  6. With one plate the other is covered and the Olorisha or Babalawo helps to lift the person, then they swing back and forth singing Ozun's suyere.

It is customary to place the dishes under the bed where the person to whom eleda kobori was performed is going to sleep.

Chant to refresh the head with Omi (Water): Omi lele omi lele ashe Ori omi lele, Omi lele omi lele ashe ori omi lele awo.

Edge to place the cocoa butter: Ori lele Ori lele, Ashe Ori, Ori lele.

Song to place the efun (husk): Efun lele efun lele, ashe Ori efun lele, Efun lele efun lele ashe Ori efun lele awo.

The babalawos used to pray the oddun: ejiogbe, Oyekun meji, Iwori meji and Odi meji or, failing that, the 16 mejis of Ifa.

Snapper head prayer: Kobori eleda ni Ejabo

prayer with snapper

The head prayer with snapper is one of the most important ceremonies that are performed on the head of a person, this ebbo symbolizes a coronation and is done in order to bring settlement and stability on earth.

Why is a snapper used in this ceremony?

The snapper symbolizes prosperity and balance, this is one of the animals with the highest hierarchy in the Yoruba religion, in the mythology that surrounds Santeria, it is said that it was the first animal that transmuted and managed to leave the sea thus beginning the evolutionary process .

This ceremony is commonly performed when the Odu Ejiogbe is revealed to a person in divination, although it can also be performed when it is marked by Orunmila or an Orisha in Ita.

Ifa signs that recommend making a head prayer with Snapper

Ejiogbe: He tells us that the Orisha Odduduwa came to earth in the form of this animal, which is why the snapper itself is part of the secret of human creation and evolution.

Oshe nilogbe: It tells that Orunmila in divination to a blind man, recommended him to pray with a large snapper to be able to triumph over his enemies and detractors, he went to look for the fish and when they opened it for prayer, it had a necklace inside of great value, which was being sought by everyone in town. Oshe nilogbe recommends that both the babalawo and the person being consulted should do this ebbo.

Iwori Bara: Olofin considers Eja Tuto as one of his most faithful guardians, for which reason he is used for prayer as a representation of Olofin asking him to be the one to bless or ashe to our lery.

Ogbe Di: In This Odu this ebbo is recommended since the irunmole through the snapper was that it was able to defeat the enemies. Note: The awo Ogbe di should be begged his own head carefully.

This ceremony is also recommended in other signs such as: Odi bara, oturameji, Oshe Meyi, among others.

How do you do the head praying with Pargo?

This ceremony is very similar to the traditional head prayer or the Ori Bibo, unlike that with some parts of the snapper they are placed on the body, marking specific points, then a kind of crown is made with the animal's back which is placed in your leri.

Note: We do not specify songs or prayers of this ebbo to protect the integrity of the religious cult.

Who does this ceremony?

This ceremony must be performed by an Awo ni Orunmila (Babalawo), we recommend that this person must have great knowledge and experience on this subject since it is an extremely delicate ebbo which must be performed with precision in each of its steps.

The cat is saved thanks to the head prayer recommended by Orunmila

This story is taken from Oddun of Ifa Otrupon Meyi. For the understanding of this story we must emphasize that the tiger in Yoruba is called Ekun and the wildcat is called Ogbo. They were brothers.

Ogbo had a dream in which he was the victim of assaults, he understood that it was an omen for which he decided to go to the Ile de orunmila for him to ask you a question.

After divination, Orula told Ogbo that the sign was Otrupon Meji and that he should make a head prayer with a guinea because his brother the tiger was plotting to kill him, furthermore he recommended that he not make kobori to anyone.

He made the sacrifice and the prayer as Orunmila had recommended. Ekun also went to Orunmila's house for divination, he wanted to know how he could manage to eat his brother. He was advised to give an Owunko to Eshu.

The tiger refused to make the sacrifice since he thought that instead of giving the goat to eshu it was better to eat it himself.

Meanwhile, the tiger tried to convince the other animals in the forest to help him set a trap for his brother, the idea was that they were to warn Ogbo that Ekun urgently needed him to beg his head so that he could capture him and eat it.

The leopard was in charge of looking for the cat and told him that the tiger was very sick and he was the only one who would save them if he begged his head, at that moment Ogbo remembered ORUNMILA's advice not to make a sacrifice to the head of no one.

ogbo the cat

Ogbo realizes the deception

The insistence was so great that in the end the cat decided that he was going to go so he could see what was happening, when he got there it seemed as if Ekun was very ill and about to die. However, staring into the tiger's eyes, he understood that it was all a trap. Then he proposed that the praying animal would be the goat. It had to be slaughtered by another animal and then he would use the goat's head to pray for Ekun's head.

According to tradition, his suggestion was accepted and the hyena killed the goat and gave the head to Ogbo.

Ogbo with the leri of the goat in his hand was praying and little by little he was pulling back, away from the tiger, he prayed and sang, with his song he praised Orunmila for having noticed this situation, Ogbo sang:

Ologbo, logbon ki shebi oyo

Ifa bolus bolus nite Ekun

Adifafun fumi olu Ifa

mobo moru

Eyin eyi lamu yo, eyin yo are

When he was far enough away from the tiger, he used the goat's leri to beg his own head and fled.

This story teaches us the importance of doing ebbo, as well as is an example of how powerful a head prayer (Kobori eleda) can be.

Learn other ebboses from Santeria:

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