My response to a devotee:
A consideration for all who want to propitiate [Edan] Onile Ogboduora and who aspire to ogboni initiation:
[1] Ogbo ato asure iworiwofun Awo.
I am really happy to know that you have been very carefully reading and studying what I have written. I appreciate your initiative and enthusiasm. Previously I have shared with you what it means to follow Onile Ogboduora and that it is a great privilege, commitment and responsibility. I will not repeat what I already communicated to you before.
[2] I know and understand what you want me to say and answer. You want me to say,
“Awo — get these materials, present them to Onile in this way, offer your praise and prayers in this specific way and then consult Onile with Kolanut in this manner to secure her blessings etc. etc.”
[3] You want me to explain to you and say to you that to appease and propitiate Onile Ogboduora we can use atare pepper (alligator pepper), gin, kolanut and some other simple items with special praises and prayers to Onile. But I want to be absolutely honest, clear and direct with you because as an Awo you have to value truth and reality above all things.
[4] Alligator pepper, gin, kolanut, praises and prayers are good to honor, to express gratitude to Onile and to display hospitality. But no one can propitiate Onile with just these sacrificial materials. Onile is the guardian, guide and owner of the earth. What material items are you going to offer her that do not already belong to her?
[5] Onile Ogboduora is the divine mother whose main responsibility is to protect and guide all things on earth. Edan appeared to establish rectitude, morality, order and divine love and not rituals, rites and ceremonies. Rituals, rites and ceremonies are important and they have their rightful place but they are secondary not primary. Onile is the primary guardian of the earth and the primary teacher of humanity. Onile is the divine mother of truthfulness, order, rectitude, harmony and divine morality.
[6] The only true way to propitiate Onile Ogboduora is to dedicate oneself to living a life of truthfulness, rectitude, reverence, order (morality) and harmony (spiritual inner cleanliness). When we live like this Onile is appeased and she confers her choicest and most select blessings of health, peace, happiness, long-life and prosperity upon us.
[7] You just cannot offer Onile offerings of kolanut, gin, alligator pepper etc. and devotions if your life is not right. If your life is not in harmony with what Onile teaches and represents she will not accept anything from you and she will punish you if you are a hypocrite, a thief, a liar and an unfaithful-disloyal person. This is why the blessed divine mother Onile Ogboduora is known as the ‘the one who crushes the bones and eats the bones’ of those who practice injustice and disloyalty. Onile Ogboduora is also called ‘the one who drinks the blood’ of malicious, deliberately deceptive and intentionally dishonest people. This means that she will take the life of the person who practices malice, disloyalty, injustice, dishonesty and hypocrisy. But she will give life, health, peace, prosperity, long-life, divine protection and holy power to those who follow and obey her teachings and what she represents.
[8] Set your life right. Order your steps. Develop a great respect, awe, wonder and love for Onile because Onile Ogboduora is powerful. She doesn’t tolerate nonsense and wrongdoing. Be mindful of this. Imbue your life, mind, conduct and behavior with the above divine traits and Onile will be pleased with you and appeased-propitiated. Then you can offer gin, kolanut and alligator pepper with your praises, prayers and devotions and Onile will quickly respond to you and assist you.
[9] Onile is our mother. Just like you do not give orders and commands to your earthly mother we do not give commands or orders to Onile. We entreat divine mother Onile Ogboduora with reverence, awe, love, deep respect and gratitude. We present our requests and prayers to her and she will decide how to respond, when to respond or if to respond at all. Onile is to be loved and obeyed. No one jealously and zealously cares for and protects her children more than Onile.
[10] The true children of Onile are the ones who love her, who follow (practice) her divine instructions and who relate to all with humility and simplicity. Do not allow yourself to become impatient or impulsive. There are many people who have formally initiated into ogboni and they are not getting anything from their initiation because they were not right in their hearts and their purpose for being initiated did not blend and harmonize with Onile’s purpose. Ogboni (the society in-charge of promoting and upholding order, rectitude, justice, morality, peace, sympathetic-understanding and divine values) is not a club or something one joins just to say that one is ogboni and so forth. I do not want you to be fooled by anyone by being told that if you offer this thing or that thing to Onile she will be appeased-propitiated.
[11] Onile cannot be appeased by offerings of any kind but she will lovingly accept your offerings and bless you greatly if you first appease-propitiate her by thinking right, by speaking right and by acting right. This is the only way to appease Onile and then only you can offer her sacrificial materials and speak with her with Kolanut Oracle. This my brother is the plain, honest and simple truth.
[12] Do not allow yourself to be tricked, deceived and duped by others. When you have grown and matured more, spiritually, morally and intellectually then you can complete and perfect your devotion to Onile by initiating into ogboni with the sole purpose of living the ogboni lifestyle. Start living the ogboni lifestyle now by following the above instructions and then Onile Ogboduora will see your determination, sincerity and commitment. If you are true then your formal initiation will be true, meaningful and powerful. If you are not true then the initiation rite of empowerment will add nothing to you. If you are not true, the power of ogboni will not adhere, cling, bond or attach itself to you or join itself to you. Focus on developing your iwa (character) and your otito (truthfulness). After living an exemplary and mature life before Onile and before your family and community for 1-2 years, when your morality and character are more firm, acknowledged and established, then apply for true ogboni initiation and Onile will greatly multiply your happiness. But now is not your time. I tell you this because I care about you and I am a honest and straightforward person. Give yourself time to build yourself up.
[13] There are many people out there who will initiate anyone into an ogboni society that is not real just to take your hard earned money so that you can put an unearned, unmerited, undeserved and therefore meaningless ogboni certificate on your wall in your home to display what? To display that you got duped or for you to show off and say you are ogboni? Real ogboni people are not showing off and they are not interested in taking your money. Real ogboni people care about you, they will speak the truth to you and if they do ask for any money from you it will be reasonable because there are things that you will need to have like your ceremonial ogboni regalías, ogboni cloths, your own Edan that has to be made and prepared for you. There are also some items and materials associated with initiation which have to be purchased. Also food is prepared for many people to celebrate your initiation and sacred title reception. But no true ogboni will ask that you spend beyond what is actually necessary. This is the truth my friend.
[14] Begin by initiating yourself into iwa and otito and Onile will be pleased with you. Formal initiation alone does not make anyone a true ogboni. Ogboni is a condition of your heart and mind, and a clean and holy (wholesome) way of living. No one can make you clean and holy through any ceremony if in your heart you want to live a dirty and unwholesome life. When your life is in agreement with Onile then only will she share her grace, presence and power with you. The spiritual power of a true ogboni cannot be bought or sold. Onile bestows it freely as a gift and trust to her dedicated and trustworthy children who have made a solemn agreement with her.
[15] Initiation is your agreement with Onile. Initiation is Onile’s recognition of your status as one of her true children and of your promise to follow her noble ways. In return Onile entrusts to you her presence, power and full support. Initiation means that you fully understand what is expected of you and that you are fully committed to live the life pattern established by Edan. If you do not fulfill your agreement, dedication vow and promise which you make before Edan then Onile Ogboduora will withdraw her asé.
[16] I hope my sincere explanation brings blessing, joy and happiness to your life. I do not want anything from you except your true spiritual progress, peace and happiness. After having shared these things with you, you are free to do and pursue what you are convinced is right for you. But remember what I already explained and communicated to you above. Take care and be blessed.
Your friend and well-wisher Awo Òrúnmìlà Mark Casillas.
