"Feeding the Head" is a common treatment/ritual in the religion of Ifa-Orisha, in fact for me as a practising priest it is one of the most common. Often the need or the advisability is indicated by divination, but this is not always necessary: I've seen my Yoruba friends go for a good Ibori both inside and outside their own Ile whenever they get the chance. Both your own Head and the Orisha are pretty flexible, more so than is often realized in the West; the very basic rituals are not easily overdone. The way I perform this particular ritual of course is not the only "right" one, nor are others "wrong". What works is right, what doesn't work is wrong. In other words: what's good for life is good, the rest is un-good. The way of feeding the Head that is described below, is the way I do it in the Nederlands Ifa Genootschap, where it has proven to be good for life. So have many other ways.
Seven ingredients
Seven ingredients are commonly used: cool water (omi tutu), honey (oyin), gin (oti), dried mud fish (eja aro), bitter kola nut (orogbo), red palm oil (epo pupa), and kola nut (obi abata).
The client kneels to the left of the priest, who says a prayer over the Head of the client. I have found that the prayer Aborisha use to greet the Ori in the morning, works very well.
Emi ma ji loni o, o, mo f'oribale f'Olorun.
Ire gbogbo maa' wa'ba' me, Ori mi da'mi da'iye.
Ngo ku mo. Ire gbogbo ni t'emi.
Imole ni ti Amakisi. Ashe.
Now that I am waking up, I give respect to Olorun.
Let all good things come to me, my Ori give me life.
I shall not die. Let all good things come to me.
The Spirits of Light are in the East. So be it.
The translation is not perfect, nor is the Yoruba version. One of these days I'll get myself a good Yoruba font with all the accents and dots and bells and whistles, but in the meantime the above seems to do the job quite nicely. If you feel uncomfortable with ill-pronounced Yoruba, by all means pray/invoke in any language you master the best.
Dip the middle finger of the left hand into the stuff (or take a small piece of it) and softly rub/pass it over the head of the client, from right to left and from front to back. While repeatedly doing this, express the characteristics of the particular offering.
Water
Omi tutu: "Ori, please accept this offering of cool water. Just like water flows around obstacles without being bothered by them, make the life of this child flow without being bothered by obstacles. Just like water is cool and refreshing, make the life of this child cool and refreshing for herself and for those she meets. Just like water always wins and erodes its own path through even the hardest rock, make the life of this child find its own path and carve out its good ways into the memories of this Earth. Ashe!"
That's the format; for the other ingredients it goes like this:
Honey
Oyin: "Like honey is the sweetest of things, make the life of this child sweet. Just like honey symbolizes the sweet juices of sex, make the sexual life of this child sweet and fulfilling to her, and to her partners. Honey is the sweetness that attracts bees who fertilize flowers and make them bear fruit; just like that make the life of this child fertile and let it bear fruit."
Gin
Oti: "A good drink in fine companionship has no enemies but is universally loved. Make this child loved by all, make her attract good companionship to her. Just like gin has a strong spirit, make the life of this child full of spirit, and make her use it to the benefit of self and others."
Dried fish
Eja aro: "Just like the mudfish is at home in water, deep in the mud and even on land, make this child feel at home wherever she is. The mudfish is supple and can bend its body without breaking; make the life of this child supple, and let it bend instead of break. Just like the mudfish is a calm and cool animal that goes about its business without much fuss, make the life of this child cool and calm, without undue fuss."
Bitter kola nut
Orogbo: "Just like orogbo is both tasteful and bitter, make the life of this child tasteful and bitter, for even in bitter is much good to be found. Like the eating of orogbo makes the blood bitter to insects so that they don't sting, make the life of this child bitter to her enemies so that they don't sting her."
Red palm oil
Epo pupa: "Just like red palm oil lubricates friction, make the life of this child so that she can lubricate friction wherever she encounters it. Red palm oil is among the best things to offer; make this child realize that offering frequently is the way to fulfilment."
Kola nut
Obi abata: "Like the kola nut is used in divination and gives us Ifa's wisdom, grant the wisdom of Ifa to this child, and make her a source of wisdom for others. Like the kola nut is a delicacy shared with visitors and friends, make the presence of this child a delight to her friends and visitors."
Stay on top
Of all the offered foodstuffs a little should remain on top of the head of the client. The sequence generally is not important; the kola nut (split in four pieces) however is always the last and should, after one or all four parts having been passed/rubbed over the client's head, been cast on the ground to find if all offerings have been accepted. If not, ask which ingredient has to be re-applied. This might or might not need to be repeated several times. Once the answer turns out to be "yes", place the four pieces of nut in the shape of the relevant Odu on top of the client's head. Then a white cloth or shawl should be wrapped around the head, and it all stays on during the night. The client shouldn't go out that night or do anything exhausting, especially no sex. This is a time of quiet and meditation.
Feed ones own head
After each offering has been applied to the head the client, the priest and all others present should eat/drink just a little of the remainder. In the morning the client can remove the white cloth with the remains of the foodstuffs (including the Odu); usually they can be cast away without any particular ceremony. Of course the above formulas are just formats: about all ingredients many more things can be said. It is the distinguishing mark of the good Awo that he/she defines exactly what this particular client needs, and emphasizes the relevant aspects. Basically the above can also be done to feed ones own Ori.
