Blackness/Darkness in spirituality isn’t evil. Blackness is the primordial progenitor force. It’s the mystery of insurmountable power, and knowledge; and it’s the feminine (yin) energy which embodies the primordial force of contraction.

In Ifa, the second Olodu (major Odu) is Oyeku Meji. Oyeku Meji is the Odu of Oduduwa (Odu+dudu+Iwa= Womb/Mystery+Black+Character) the progenitor feminine Orisa that birthed existence, and the first humans from her own vast darkness that she is. She’s encompasses all the mysteries of creation. Historically speaking, Oduduwa is thought to be the founder of Yoruba civilization that hailed from Egypt. The reason that Oduduwa’s Olodu is second and not first, is because it’s believed in Yoruba thought that when twins are born, the youngest is born first to let the oldest know its safe to be born. In Ifa it’s also believed that Oduduwa is the feminine form of Obatala. Oduduwa as the older twin of Obatala is therefore considered the second Olodu.

In the Diaspora Oduduwa’s role is occupied by other orisa’s or spirits. In Santeria/Lucumi it tends to be Yembo, while in Candomble it seems to be Nana Baruku who’s a spirit with the same exact role in the Ewe religion of east Benin.

Irosun Meji gets the rep of being a mostly negative odu, but it also stresses the potential for spiritual revelation and empowerment.

Traditionally Irosun Meji spoke on ones experience consisting of deceit, disappointment and loss (stealth, hidden attacks etc..). This Odu is affiliated with Osun, and the ancestors as well. Folks who got this Odu would generally be suggested to propitiate their ori and possibly dedicate their professional life to Ifá if possible, or to regularly feed/serve Ifá to keep life in balance. Ifá however, focuses on ascending through revelation and spiritual development. Irosun meji’s marks in the upper half, the single “ I ” represent the free flowing, expansive energies. These are the easy blessings, we have. The lower marks with the “ I I “ represents the contractive energies that impose itself as an obstacle. This would tell us that the person at first has experienced blessings, and that the obstacles imposed come from a certain lack of gradual maturity. The ancestors come into play here. Irosun is a reference to the menstrual blood which is also affiliated with the ancestors. Maturity comes when we are connected to the ancestors, who are the collective experiences of our orí which expresses itself as the gut feeling/ intuition. The person who receives this Odu often needs to reflect and listen to their intuition. The issue with the person who receives this Odu is often that they are aware of their circumstances, but find it difficult to act accordingly. It’s possibly one of the most difficult of the principle 16 odu manage. The person who is given this Odu through a reading is someone who might find themselves feeling unlucky, or cursed, but in fact theres a super hero within them waiting to be let out. It makes for the type of person that can create the most positive of changes in their own lives.