Ifá guide
Learn Ifá online
Ifá can be studied at a distance as long as the essential is not lost: hearing the voice of the one who recites and repeating it until you know it. That is how the academy teaches it.
The Ọlúwo recites. The ọmọ awo repeats.
This is how Ifá has traditionally been taught: the Ọlúwo and the ọmọ awo sit facing each other. The Ọlúwo recites part of the verse and waits for the ọmọ awo to repeat it. They continue until they complete the entire verse.
And it isn’t only the old method: it is the best there is for learning Ifá. You learn it by hearing and repeating, or you don’t learn it.
How you study in the app
In the app, you learn the same way. You listen to the Ọlúwo’s recorded voice and repeat each part of the verse. You decide how long to pause before continuing. If a line gives you trouble, tap it to hear it again.
In the Practice Room, you record yourself and listen to your voice alongside the Ọlúwo’s. You can compare pronunciation and cadence, hear the differences, and practice again.
Pick the verses you want to retain and they come back to you spaced over time, until they stick.
What each Odù of Ifá brings
Every Odù of Ifá holds 2 full lessons, with their audio, their text and their translation. Each lesson is studied through the parts Ifá has always been taught with.
ÀṢẸ IFÁ
The message of Ifá: what the verse comes to say.
ẸBỌ
The sacrifice Ifá prescribes in the verse. The lesson sets out each Ẹbọ separately: why it was prescribed, its materials, to whom it is offered when the verse says so, how it is done and what it seeks. To perform it you must be initiated into Ifá and qualified to carry it out.
IṢẸ́ IFÁ
The work of Ifá, when the verse carries one.
ẸSẸ IFÁ
The verse. It is what the Ọlúwo recites and what you repeat.
ORIN
The song of the verse, when it has one. Not every verse carries one; when it exists, it completes the lesson.
ÌTÀN
The story of the verse — where it comes from and who it happened to.
Some lessons include additional resources to support your study. Tap certain terms to read an explanation, view a plant’s botanical profile with its scientific name, or see photos and videos showing how the ritual work is carried out.
This way of learning comes with every Odù of Ifá you purchase, whether or not you have a subscription.
Where the teaching comes from
What is taught here comes from one house: six generations of babaláwo in Abẹ́òkúta, father to son, unbroken.
Recording does not break this line. The academy gathers the Ọlúwo’s voice verse by verse, transcribes it and translates it, and the app does what the Ọlúwo has always done before the ọmọ awo: recite, stop, and wait for you to repeat.
Where to begin
You choose on the website the Odù of Ifá you want to study, or you start with the monthly subscription. Then you download the academy’s app and sign in with the same account: the lessons, the practice room and memorization are all there.