Òfún-Ìwòrì
Overview
Integrity grounded in self-knowledge. A person who knows their own heart is hard to corrupt.
Governing Influences
- Òfún Méjì — purity, old age, completion, moral integrity (Ọbàtálá / Olódùmarè)
- Ìwòrì Méjì — self-knowledge, hidden truth, inner vision (Ọ̀sanyìn / Ọ̀rúnmìlà)
Guidance
Examine your motives regularly.
How this figure is read
In Ifá, a figure is built from two columns of four marks, read from the right column to the left. Here the right column is Òfún Méjì (double · single · double · single) and the left column is Ìwòrì Méjì (double · single · single · double). Many diviners start with the right column and then bring in the left, though schools of Ifá differ in how they weigh the two. Reading Òfún-Ìwòrì means holding both lessons together and asking how they bear on the question at hand.
From Òfún Méjì
Òfún, closely tied to Ọbàtálá, teaches purity of character, patience, and the moral discipline required to age gracefully and finish life's journey with integrity intact.
Funfun ni àrà; kò gba ìdọ̀tí láti dúró funfun. "White is sacred; it takes discipline to remain unstained."
From Ìwòrì Méjì
Ìwòrì calls for introspection and honesty about one's own motives before judging others. It reveals secrets — both dangerous and beneficial — and teaches that true wisdom begins with self-awareness.
Bí a kò bá mọ ara ẹni, a kì í mọ ẹlòmíràn. "If one does not know oneself, one cannot truly know another."
Putting the two together
In daily terms, this figure advises keeping one's word, being slow to anger, and finishing what one starts. It is also a reminder that integrity is maintained through small choices made consistently. At the same time, tradition uses this figure to counsel reflection. Before blaming, ask what part is yours. Before trusting a story, look for what is missing from it. Insight gained this way can protect a person from deception, including self-deception.
Interpretations of individual Omo Odù differ between lineages and between diviners, so treat this page as a reading aid and not a ruling. A consultation with a trained Babaláwo or Ìyánífá will always be fuller than any written summary.
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Òfún-Ìwòrì is one of the 240 Omo Odù formed by combining two of the 16 principal Odù Méjì. Naming conventions for Omo Odù can vary between Ifá lineages; this entry uses a systematic right–left naming for clarity.