There are many forms of divination. You have the physic network, palm reading, crystal balls, the I Ching, and so on. And of course we have Cleo! All these methods are supposed to give the client insight into their unknown future. The Ifa system of divination, due to the amount of information and the number of possibilities is the most robust, ancient and the longest standing of all forms of divination.

In the African tradition it is unthinkable to embark upon any major task without first consulting the oracle (Ifa) to ascertain whether or not the proposed action is favourable or not and to probe the probable outcome. To embark upon serious actions like marriage, child conception, new business ventures or the treatment of disease without first seeking the guidance of Ifa is careless and foolhardy. This is a major mistake for the masses of African descendants in America that desperately need such guidance.

Ifa works with the unseen forces of the universe through the inter-play of the forces of expansion and the forces of contraction. The forces of expansion are symbolized by a single vertical line (I). The forces of contraction are symbolized by a double set of vertical lines (II). These forces are seen as existing in eight dimensions which form two spheres, one inside the other. This sphere is symbolized through the use of two vertical columns. Each column is made up of four sets of either single or double vertical lines.

This system generates two hundred and fifty-six different sets of Quadra grams. Each Quadra gram is a representation of several fundamental energy patterns that entail all of Creation. Each of these 256 energy patterns is born from sixteen major forces called Olodus. The remaining 240 are combinations of the first sixteen and are called Odu. Each Olodus/Odu is bought to life during a divination session and the message contained is revealed via the intuitive association of the Babalawo.

Sacrifices could be said to be an exchange for failures. This could be seen in a verse under holy Oguda Otua, Orunmila asked human beings to bring rats, fishes, animals, birds etc to him once they noticed an aberration pointing to failure in their life and the lives of their children. Sacrifices are not only an exchange for failures, they provide food for both heavenly spirit, the mother earth, and fellow men as a kind of sharing, to let everybody have a feeling of love and relevance.

Sacrifices are offered in the physical world to the mouth (The mouth is an Orisha See Okanran Otua A mouth that is satiated is a grateful and prayerful mouth. Thanks and prayers definitely would be directed at the person that refuses hunger to kill his kinsmen. One can imagine the mouths of everybody in a community, praying for a singular person to achieve a certain goal. Definitely, god would hear such majority cry. Hence sacrifice offered, bring blessings from god and thereby elucidating faith and continuity in the tradition.