Osa

 

In Ifa divination, Osa brings the "Winds of Change": it is the element of random chaos in the system that regulates our environment. Shocking changes in our natural environment may seem unfair and dishonest, but they are simply the not-understood movements of the Earth towards deeper or higher form of order. Earth evolves and transforms: earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and eruptions are the earth transforming. Some kinds of unrest however, are the result of human ecologic abuse: Earth then goes through phaes of unrest where Nature seems to wipe the slate in order to give it all a new start. Compare it with the way our body uses fever to fight infection.
The folklore in this Odu speaks of the Aje: elemental Spirits that are described in Ifa as seven species of mythical birds that live in the Iroko tree. Both men and women call upon the Aje for abundance. The Aje are also the guardians of female powers, and they can be very nasty and disruptive towards those who abuse women. Some other names used for the Aje are The Mothers, The Witches, The Elders of the Night, the Iyami.