Holy Odu Ofun Meji tells us the following:
Verse:
We-start-where-we-end’ Was the Awo who divined for ‘the small child who knows nothing’ When performing Esentaiye at the dawn of his life He was told that if he sought wisdom And did not lie, or be treacherous Ifa would support him He was told that in life, there are many roads, But only the road of righteousness would lead to an end Supported by Olodumare And that in the end He would return to the place he began Next to the innumerable Irunmole in Orun
When nearing the end of his life The Awo ‘We-start-where-we-end’ divined for ‘the small child who knows nothing’ who had become the wise elder who knew much Ifa said he supported his Ori And his Ori had supported him In choosing the righteous path And so he would return to the place he began Next to the innumerable Irunmole in Orun It is such that we repeat the cycle of life Until we reach Apere (the perfect state) Ofun Meji Who was first And became last Showing that everything that begins, will end Trading places with the end, that became a beginning Eepa!!! Odu!
Reflection of odu:
The verse of Ofun Meji above points to the fact that all that is created or all that has a beginning surely will have an end . We experience this all the time. But more often than not we tend to overlook these cycles in our lives. The cycle we tend to notice more often than others is. That of the cycle of life and Death , or the dropping of ones body as no one truly dies. A body that was created in the womb by GOD source energy . At birth starts the beginning of its life , it has a designated start and a final end . We tend to call that cycle , the cycle of life and death.
Ofun meji reminds us that life itself. Contains these very cycles in many different forms and aspects . It also touches on the importance of having iwa pele ; ( good character) . Ofun meji reminds of being young and foolish and eventually becoming old and wise. Unfortunately this wisdom in ofun meji comes at a cost through many trials and tribulations experienced throughout our lives. If suffering helps with anything it is surely to teach us through pain and anguish ( suffering) . Often times the healing is in the pain itself.
Ifa points to the fact that like that of a tree that germinates from a seedling. Which takes root and turns into a tree itself , which then bears fruit . And hence repeating the entire cycle of birth death and re-birth . We to shall experience these cycles. I also believe this is also a pointer to reincarnation as well. If we can take something form this verse above it is that . Nothing will last forever and that , that which as a starting point has an ending point. So embrace change and come to know that. In the end ! change is well.. all there really is !