20/08/2026
While Ìṣẹ̀ṣe is one, and may simply be understood as “your source,” its sacred expressions are not a single, one-way spiritual path in the manner of the Abrahamic religions.
Within Ìṣẹ̀ṣe are different sacred paths, lineages, ancestral traditions and ritual practices. One example is the procession of sacred bearers, commonly known as Arugbá in traditions associated with Ọ̀ṣun, Yemọja, Ẹgbẹ́ and others, while in Ifá traditions the sacred bearer is distinctly known as Arufá.
The Arugbá or Arufá carries sacred items and intentions in the calabash or traditional container representing prayers, petitions or communal intentions entrusted to the bearer. For easier understanding, this may be compared to how a Catholic priest carries the intentions of a congregation through the monstrance during a festival such as Corpus Christi.
However, the sacredness, requirements and responsibilities of these bearers are not identical across all lineages.
For example, within particular Arugbá Ọ̀ṣun traditions, the bearer may be required to be a virgin. In particular Arugbá Yemọja traditions, the role may instead be entrusted to an Ìyá Àgbà, an elder mother who has completed menstruation. In Ifá rites, an Arufá is devoted to Ifá and comes through an Ifá lineage.
These distinctions are not contradictions. They are expressions of the diversity that exists within Ìṣẹ̀ṣe itself.
One Ìṣẹ̀ṣe. One people. Different paths and practices.
🎥 A documentary video edit showing the procession of Arufá and Arugbá | TayeOriṣa
