In an up close with a chief priest of an Ifa temple NETERU-XYZ blogspot inquires to know more about symbols used by the orisa.
I was asked, what is the main symbol of the Orisa spiritual system? The Kemetics use the
ankh, Christians use the cross, Muslims use the crescent moon, etc. The main symbol of IFA: Yoruba Scientific Spirituality is the Ipon Ifa.
The Ipon Ifa is not simply the "divination tray," but a mandala for the spiritual conceptuality of Ifa. It is most importantly a perfect circle, emphasizing the cyclic and interconnected nature of reality. A circle has no angles or departures but is ONENESS, which represents Orunmila. At the top head of the Ipon Ifa is the head of Esu. Esu is the orisa that signifies the process of choice/decision making and the consequences of our choices.
Everything we do must recognize this divine process if we wish to arrive at positive consequences.
Below is a statue of a kneeling man (symbol of worship) with an Ipon Ifa on his head. The symbol of the Ipon Ifa was borrowed from West Africa by the later Nile civilization which interpreted it as the sun-disk on top of the head of gods. This was then later borrowed by the Buddhists who used it behind the head of Buddha. Even later, this concept was stolen by the Byzantines who then took this spherical imagery behind the head and applied it to Jesus images. It all traces back to Ifé's Ipon Ifa divine circle, the holy symbol of IFA: Yoruba Scientific Spirituality.
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