Oyeku Kepdi was a very popular Ifa priest in heaven. He performed many remarkable feats which have remained universal landmarks both in heaven and on earth.
He made divination for the morning and evening when they were coming to earth with the following poem:-
lfa Oyeku sidi
Idin mon ojo
Koni abebe
lyeri ye Ia bibe
Sugbon komo
Ese ijo gbigbe
MEANING
The worm knows
How to dance
But has no limbs
Its ankle veins can tune
Its inner legs to dance
Though lacking the strength
To lift the legs
Evening was told to make sacrifice with snails, sheer-butter, pigeon, white chalk, camwood, honey and salt and he made it. Morning on the other hand was told to make sacrifice with honey and snails.
He declined to do the sacrifice because it was not elaborate enough. On the other hand, he told the Awo to prescribe the requisite sacrifice for him to make in order to get to the world·before Evening.
He was not concemed with lasting prosperity in the world for which he was to make the simple sacrifice with snails and honey but which he refused to do.
Since he was in a hurry to reach the world before Evening, he was told to make sacrifice with a matchet, red cloth, palm kernel and a ram.
He made the sacrifice and the Awo also prepared Ifa for him. Thereafter morning raced to the world, beating Evening who was still looking for money to find his sacrifice.
Immediately Morning got to the world, all the good things and people of the world embraced him. When Esu was told that Morning did not make sacrifice for enduring prosperity, he raced to heaven to invite the sun to appear because Morning was stealing the show on earth.
The sun instantly appeared on the horizon and it rays began to heat up the atmosphere. Before noon therefore, the fortunes of the Morning had begun to flag.
The cool air of the Morning had given way to the intense heat of the Sun and people began to take shelter. Morning had paled into insignificance. The intensity of the Afternoon had driven the cool air of the Morning into oblivion.
That was when Evening arrived on earth, the fortune which the Afternoon seized from the Morning were all transferred to the Evening; Gradually, the sun began to set and Evening began to flourish. Evening became very cool, prosperous and wealthy.
That is why to this day, the fortunes of the Morning are short lived. It only lasts from 6 am. to 9 am before the Sun appears.
He begins to run into difficulties from about 9 am until his fortunes extinguish completely at mid day. In other words, his prosperity lasts for only three hour out of a whole day of twenty four hours.
The Evening on the other hand lasts from 4 pm, when he arrived earth and began to flourish gradually from about 4 pm to the following day.
That explains why those who come into great wealth and prosperity very early in life, either lose everything or die before middle age.
That is also why people who are destined to enjoy enduring prosperity have rough times in the morning, work hard in the afternoon and enjoy prosperous and wealthy evenings.
It is those who are destined to become wealthy and famous later in life, that suffer hardships early in life. It also explains why generally, those who make it between morning and afternoon often pray to the Almighty God for their prosperity to last through the evening of their lives.
In some cultures, children born in the evening are regarded as being senior to those born in the morning of the same day.
People not only pray to live long enough to see their children thrive and flourish but also for their children to bury them in the evening of their lives.
That is why we “Babalawos / Ifa Priests” have coined the poem as follows:
Aro mi ire – o
Oju ale Ia ntoro
Bi ale mi baa dara
Emi yio dupe l’owo lfa
MEANING
If my morning is good
I pray for the prosperity
Of my evening to endure
To enable me thank Orunmila
When this ODU comes out at Ugbodu the person should be told to make sacrifice for a prosperous evening and never to be in a hurry to acquire the good things of life.
At divination, the person should be told if already wealthy and young to make sacrifice so that his prosperity might not be shortlived. He should take life at an easier pace.