The Kpólí Fá and the Sacred Science Rooted Therein: Authentic African Vodun Teachings

(From my book “Kpólí Fá of Afrikan Vodùn“…first work ever of its kind ©2020 – 2024)

In Afrikan Vodùn, what the Yorùbá refer to as the Odù Ifá, the Ajã people (Benin, Togo, extreme SW Nigeria, and Southern Ghana) call Kpólí Fá. The same 256 Odù Ifá chapters that the Yorùbá have are among the Ajã. However, in many cases they are expressed differently. There are verses and stories that appear in the Kpólí Fá that do not appear among the Yorùbá.

Each Kpólí has a marked sign as above in the Yekú 16 sign series. As in the case of the illustration above, this Kpólí Fá sign is called Aklan Mézì (Òkànràn Méjì for the Yorùbá). When using the 16 sacred palm nuts called Fáděkwín in Vodùn and Ikin Ifá among the Yorùbá, each of the eight marks of the sign are marked one by one on the Fáte (Fá divination board) until the eighth is reached: right to left, top to bottom. When the sacred divination chain is used, agŭmaga for Vodún and opẹlẹ for the Yorùbá, it is cast by the Fá priest in front of them is read as mentioned above: right to left, top to bottom. Also, the sign is read from right to left.

In order to grasp the mystical scope and the deep meaning of the Kpólí Fá (also called Fádù), it is very important to remark on the elemental aspects of the four marks of a leg of a Kpólí Fá (omẹ leg appears on the right and the other to the left), a concept applying to both legs, and how they relate to the four ancient natural elements which are zo, jɔhɔn, sin, and ayi (fire, air, water and earth respectively), whose combination is the source of all manifestation in the terrestrial world. The legs are simply the two columns. The two marks at the top of the Kpólí leg are referred to as zo and jɔhɔn respectively representing yɛ (spirit) and those two bottom ones are sin and ayi respectively representing jánján (matter). Our earthly world and life being nothing other than a combination, a fusion of these  four elements in different proportions symbolized by the various Kpólí Fá. In other words, each human is a manifestation of the sign to which he or she is governed by. The sign thus makes it possible to reveal the human type, her/his peculiarities, her/his faculties, his/her destiny, taboos, honté. Thus we say “Un na yi bɔkonɔn do Fá yíyí ce. – I am going to the bɔkonɔn to receive my Fá.” Meaning this person is going to the Fá priest so that they may know their personal Kpólí and their destiny.

The fire, air, water and earth concept is known by the acronym of FAWE. This concept is unique to the Aja Vodún aspect of the Fá oracle and does not appear in the ̀Iṣẹṣẹ of the Yorùbá. It allows the bɔkonɔn (Vodùn Fá priest…can be female or male) to get a much deeper overstanding of the dynamics of a reading when a Kpolí Fá appears.

Every Máwùfɛnugbeto (Ajã word for “Afrikan person) comes into this world with a Kpólí that governs their entry into, progression through, and leaving this world. Thus, we say in Ajăgbè (Ajã language), Kpolí le wɛ jo wɛ, bo nù le vɛ wè – You are born under this particular sign. A culture who goes by such adages will measure the character and behavior of individuals based on what they know about Kpóli Fá. When a person acts outside of the gbεsù, or divine laws of the universe, you may hear a phrase like E ka yi àgbasa n’i à – Has he/she been through the àgbásá rite? This is in reference to a behavior that counters the order that Vodún teaches and mandates. For those who unfortunately have not, we say E do kpoli é ji à – the messages of the oracle does not support their life.

It is quite interesting that in the Ajã (the Fɔn being a subgroup) language the word Kpólí means “destiny”. In this sense, it is the container that reveals one’s destiny and purpose at any given moment. It is the system we consult to maximize blessings, avert or minimize negativity, and elevate in our destiny. It contains all the answers to life’s endeavors: mundane and spiritual.

A few reasons why one would consult the Fá oracle through a bɔkonɔn:

* When a child is born

 *Upon the death of a person

*Marriage consideration (is the couple compatible, the parameters, rituals and other things needed pre-marriage, kek)

*starting a business and other business decisions

 *to achieve peace and balance

 *school choices

 * Career direction

 *Averting the negative machinations of enemies whether human or spiritual

 * To know what to do to eliminate negative spirits from an area

 *Before, during, and after initiation

 * To find out one’s Afrikan family lineage in detail

 * To find out one’s sponsoring ancestor

 * To heal ancestral curses and wounds

 *To find out which spirits are closest to and/or govern you

The above is not an exhausted list. It’s just a small sample. Later I will be posting actual verses from the Kpólí Fá. The reason I’m doing this is because many New Afrikans are curious about Afrikan Vodùn and want to know its deeper teachings. And primarily because there are no published verses from Kpólí Fá/Fádù outside of my work. Yet, we need to know our original deep teachings. These are the very teachings that the victims of the Clotilda captive ship followed before they were captured and forced into captivity in Mobile, Alabama.

Fágbesisa and their Importance

Fágbesisa are incantations or chants. It is like what we call ese, or verse, in the Ìṣẹ̀ṣẹ̀ tradition of the Yorùbá people. The term is a morpheme made up of “Fá” plus “gbesisa“- incantatory speech. The term “gbesisa” or gbesa formed by elision means “the voice of effective speech”. This is the mantra. It is the effective, active, activating and amazing speech of Fá. It’s an incantatory poem, a noema, a motto or a moral maxim.

Fágbesisa 1

ߦߍߞߎ߫ߡߍߖ߭ߌ Yɛkúmɛ́zì (the 2nd of all the 256 Kpólí Fá. Ọ̀yẹ̀kú Méjì among the Yorùbá)

It’s Yɛku Mɛ́zì who was Mɛtɔlɔnfin’s (the Creator) eldest Then Gbe Mɛ́zì the youngest Mɛtɔlɔnfin called them one day

Tínmɛ̀ὲ – (translation/interpretation)

Simply put, Yɛku Mɛ́zì lost her birthright to Gbe Mɛ́zì because of fear. But the deeper meaning is how far perseverance and determination can take us. It reminds us to always be ready even if all the odds seem stacked against us. Yɛku Mɛ́zì was the shoe in. But not!!! And Gbe Mɛ́zì did not allow that idea of Yɛku Mɛ́zì being a shoe-in stop him from following his destiny. Gbe Mɛ́zì followed divine law and prevailed. He did the proper spiritual work before embarking on the journey, but his sister did not. If she would have, the Fá priest would have told her what to do when confronting with her fears. Because she did not follow divine law, she is the oldest of the two that has to play second.

Fágbesisa 2

Alangba