Esu-Elegba
Ifá and the Divine Messenger
Awo Fá'lokun Fatunmbi
Original Publications, 1993
The Divine Messenger is generally known in Yoruba culture by the name Esu.
Among those who practice Yoruba religion in the West, the Divine Messenger is commonly known by the name Elegba.
Esu is considered one of the many Spiritual Forces in Nature which are called "Orisha".
The word Orisha means "Select Head". In a cultural context, Orisha is a reference to the various forces
in Nature that guide consciousness. According to Ifa everything in Nature has some form of consciousness called "Ori".
The Ori of all animals, plants and humans is believed to be guided by a specific Force in Nature (Orisha),
which defines the quality of a particular form of consciousness. There are a large number of Orisha and each Orisha
has its own "awo".
The unique function of Esu within the realm of Orisha Awo (Mysteries of Nature) is to translate the language of
humans into the language of Nature, and to translate the language of Nature into the language of humans.
The way in which this is done is the essence of the awo of Esu.
(The text above comes from the back of the book)