PRACTICAL ỌDỊNANỊ FOR BEGINNERS IN DISTANT LANDS
PRACTICAL ỌDỊNANỊ FOR BEGINNERS IN DISTANT LANDS
ỊGỌ ỌJỊ
Often people come with the question that in their area they can manage to get Ọjị Igbo from the market but do not know how to use it to maintain constant communion with their ancestors. Coupled with the fact that they live in rented apartments where they can’t possible come out before everyone in the compound to practice their Ịgọ Ọfọ.
Some Omenanị novices do not know how to hold and pray with the ỌJỊ, what to say with it, how to break it and wat to do with it after breaking it. Let me brief you a little on this from my own experiences.
I started practicing Ọdịnanị na Omenanị Igbo while I was still based in Lagos. Yes, it wasn’t an easy thing performing Omenanị practices comfortably at the sight of all including Christians and people of other religions who believe that your practices is evil. So what I do those days is the following:
- Sourcing for Ọjị Igbo: Ọjị Igbo is the ỌJỊ we use for communion with our ancestors in Ọdịnanị na Omenanị Igbo. This ọjị comes in 3 lobes or more. I painstakingly went to nearest market to me to ask people for direction on where I can get Ọjị Igbo, Nzu, etc and I was directed to the exact places the sellers of the items are. So from there I get my ỌJỊ whenever I need to commune with my Chi and ancestral Spirits. Though the ỌJỊ from there used to be expensive. I used to buy one at the rate of 200naira and more.
Some times too, when I travel home I buy Ọjị in large quantity from our village local market. I usually go for those small small ones they sell 4pcs for 100naira. Yes, it’s that cheaper down here. When I get the ỌJỊ I do expose it to where it will get fresh air. Some times in harmattan the ỌJỊ gets dry and this I consider even the best. Yes, dried ỌJỊ is not bad for ịgọ mmụọ.
Some times too I wrap the ỌJỊ in fresh leafs or wrap in news papers. Whenever I want to commune with my Ezumezu I simply take just one piece.
- Preparation for ịgọ ỌJỊ: I first wash my hands, face, legs with water and also rinse my mouth. Then take out 1,4 or 7 pieces of Ose Ọjị to cleanse myself by touching my whole body with it and throw away. My favorite is usually to use just 1pc.
- Position for ịgọ ọjị: I did my ịgọ Ọfọ right inside my room. I lived upstairs, so no need going down for that.
I sit either facing my door out or I locate the direction of the rising sun which is the east. - How to hold the ỌJỊ and things to say: I usually hold the ỌJỊ in my right hand raised a little close to my mouth. It is for this I call ọjị the megaphone used for sending message to my ancestors.
I begin to invite my Chi, ancestors (I call out the names of my passed on paternal and maternal ancestors I know), I call on ụmụ Ada, Aja Anị, Anyanwụ na Agbala, My Ezumezu Agwụ, my Ikenga, all the Deities in both my paternal and maternal lands, I call on my water families, and all my spirit friends, I call on the road paths (those I refer to as the spiritual road safety, Ezi na ụzọ), etc. As I call on them I make them understand that it is I Nwa Orie Chinonso Ezinwa Anaedo that is summoning them.
Actually, my name is what carries the energy they all vibrate or resonate to. Call a man by his name and his Chi responds, and when Chi moves all other spirits associated with the person moves with It in response. That is why I see those who still go about searching for the name of their Chi as really misinformed and confused. Some even think they can’t do anything without knowing the so called name of their Chi.
After inviting them to share in my ọjị communion I begin to speak to them about my life. I thank them for all they do so far and the things I still expect from them. In fact, there is no special formula or pattern for this. Just speak from your heart to them. This is a point of dialogue.
- What to do with the ỌJỊ afterwards: After speaking to them I break the ỌJỊ by simply dividing the ỌJỊ into the various lobes it naturally come with. I take one lobe and put for my Chi and his squad inside the plate I specially dedicated to feeding them which is inside my room or Altar. I use this pattern because I lived upstairs where there is no direct access to Aja Anị. If there were direct access to Aja Anị I’d just take the one lobe and throw on Aja Anị for them. Some times while going out I take the ỌJỊ from the plate and drop on my way out on the road outside my compound. No specific road path or junction. I said any road path.
So, after giving them the one lobe I eat the rest or share with my family or whoever visits and cares to eat. If it is too much for me to eat all I simply take one love to eat and drop the rest for them inside their plate. When the plate gets filled I take and empty either under a tree or on the road outside or some corner in the compound.
After this I go about my days businesses and schedules.
NOTE
Ịgọ Ọfọ is our way of life. It is a practice that is normal and natural to us as Ndị Igbo. Our practice of Ịgọ Ọfọ is not conditioned upon circumstances of our life. That is to say, I do not practice ịgọ Ọfọ because I want quick money, rich husband, or because I am sick and I need healing. My practice of Ịgọ Ọfọ is not conditioned on any life’s circumstances. It is what I do daily because I love to eat with my ancestors in that beautiful communion. Eating with them grants me access to the abundant flow of their wisdom, protection, wealth and other blessings of life. In fact, I have cultivated this habit so much that I consider the day lost if I did not eat with my ancestors in this holy communion. It is mutual sharing of joys, pains, etc.
