In Oodua (Yoruba) Mythology, there are three phases that each of us individually must pass through.
It’s important to also note that we’ve been existing even before we were born and death is not the end.
Egbé
The first phase is before we were born, we were among other fellows Elegbe in Òrun. It’s the life that we live over there that prepares us and determines the kinda life we will have here on earth.
The process of going to Àjàlámòpín to plead and request for a good Ori. Also using our mouths to choose our destiny and state how we want our lives to be. To the process of going to meet our Egbe to inform them of our purpose of going to earth, the duration of time we are going for and the purpose. Also to Àyànmó which is what is chosen for us. Then to the last process of going to embrace the tree of forgetfulness.
All of the above are part of what determines what our life looks like.
Born and Alive
It’s important to note that we’ve been living even before we were born. Being conceived is the beginning of the next phase and the continuation of the past life you were living.
Our existence on earth is a race to fulfill our destiny, live a life of fulfillment, go through the good and the bad, and connect with the divinities for spiritual elevation. The end of this particular phase is DEATH!
Ancestor
To die now is to die no more. Dying is the journey toward becoming an ancestor.
We came from Egbe to become Ènìyàn and later end up becoming an ancestor. Not everybody ends up becoming an ancestor. Some couldn’t fulfill the purpose before dying and they return to Egbe for them to be reborn while some reincarnate.
To become an ancestor is to become an Orisa. You watch over your loved ones, bless them, protect them and sometimes communicate with them while they venerate you in return.
So you see, in Yoruba belief, life is a circle and at the end of the day, you are returning to where you started.
From Egbe to Eniyan, then to Egúngún(Ancestor) and the circle goes on and on and on.
Àború Àboyè!
Pópóolá Owomide Ifágbénúsolá