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| The Ifa Orunmila Oracle |
The oracles acles dominate the entire civilized horizon. They practically constitute the center of guidance for all urban and rural life, both political and religious. But what are the oracles? Their definition is not very easy, which shows the transitory nature of these religious institutions. The old forms of relationships mediumistic are in transition to new you forms, and for this very reason they present, in the its oracular constitution, with evidently syncretic, reasons for different interpretations, making its definition difficult relative.
The oracle is sometimes the Divinity itself, other times the response given to inquiries, the sanctuary or temple, the medium who attends to the seekers, or the location of the consultations: a sacred grove, a mysterious cave, a miraculous spring. The word is used to designate all these things, one at a time, or all together. Because the popular mindset does not yet know how to distinguish the mysterious force. what age, nor its means of action. The Divinity can speak for itself, as it can be embodied in the sanctuary, in the temple, in the tripod, in the oracle, or in the elements of nature.
Oracles are sought by everyone: kings and sages, warriors and merchants, men and women of the people. In this, they all agree, because they all recognize and respect the presence of a supernatural force in these sacred places. The "law of worship," which Kardec discusses, reaches the oracles in a form. in synthesis, bringing together the achievements made throughout its evolution in the horizons previous ones. Present and intermingled are the successive forms of the development of law, which we find in the tribal and agricultural horizons. The "animistic conception of primitive mediumship", the worship of ancestors, the deification for the cohesion and organization of societies, are also evident. These mental achievements have allowed humans to transcend the basic elements of nature worship and develop complex systems of belief and governance.
The evolution from tribal societies to advanced civilizations showcases the human ability to create structured communities with ethical and legal frameworks, which serve as the binding force for these diverse elements. by individualization, they shape the agglutinated elements, thus giving a complex structure to the mediumistic communication process.
The natural phenomenon of mediumistic exchange becomes artificial. The process of rationalization, on the other hand, requires the development of cosmogonies. Oracles are not, therefore, simplistic forms of religious worship or mere places for mediumistic consultation. Their structure, often quite complex, is based on a conception of the world. The vague nature of this conception corresponds to the very syncretic nature of the oracular institution. The mediumistic phenomenon appears in it as a mystery.
Nothing explains it, nor can it be explained, nor should one dare to do so. The tribal taboo imposes itself more vigorously and more broadly now. developed in a rational form, which is the conception of the sacred. Humanity finds itself, at this stage, like an adolescent, who reworks within themselves the dreams, fears, and hopes stemming from the initial perceptions of the external world.
The childhood phase of psychic undifferentiation, collectively experienced in the tribal horizon still exerts its influence over the oracular cosmogonies. It is curious to note that there is no what we would call mediumistic individualization in the oracles. Although there is a medium, sometimes called an oracle, sometimes a pythoness, and although there is a communicating entity, the messages are given through impersonal processes.
Sometimes, it is the murmur of the source that responds to the consultant; at other times, it is the rustling of the forest or the mysterious sounds of a cave; and when the medium responds directly, their response mimics the murmurs confusions of nature. In all cases, the answer depends on the interpretation priestly. Therefore, there is a body of priests that collectively responds to oracle consultations. The exceptions represent cases of advancement in the process. evolutionary, in the sense of individualization.
Oracular mediumship is, therefore, a form of transition to the individual worship of Spirits, guides and which in turn will require mediumistic individualization, already defined in typical cases, such as the Witch of Endor, mentioned in the Holy Bible.
The History of Religions shows us that the worship of ancestors was initially collective, with the spirits of the dead considered as a group and worshiped as such, as in the case of the Roman parentum and manes.
The individualization of this practice It progresses slowly, evolving human collectives, like developing children, from "psychic undifferentiation" to the higher stages of rationalization. Oracles represent, on the civilized horizon, this moment of transition.
Translation and reviewed by Márcio Varela
(Original source in Portuguese O Espírito E O Tempo - J Herculano Pires)
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