Naturaleza y Sociedad. Desafíos Medioambientales

Nat. Soc.: Desafíos Medioambient. | eISSN 2805-8631

If that Stone Is There, It's Because It Serves a Purpose! Exploring the Anthropocene Based on the Cosmology of Ifá-Òrúnmìlà

No. 6 (2023-08-22)
  • Angélica María Rivera López
    Universidade Federal de Goiás (Brasil)
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7056-9743
  • Hans Carrillo Guach
    Universidade Federal de Goiás (Brasil)
    ORCID iD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5002-3601
https://doi.org/10.53010/nys6.02

Abstract

Various studies in the social sciences have emphasized the importance of fostering solidarity between social systems and ecosystems. Building on distinctive views of a cyclical and interconnected world, encompassing physical, environmental, and spiritual dimensions, many of these studies suggest exploring lesser-known traditions to understand alternative ways of knowledge, organization, and social behavior that can lead to a more harmonious coexistence among the components of the ecosystem. This text delves into one of these traditions, known as ifá-Òrúnmìlà, and describes how its cosmology aligns with essential aspects of the Anthropocene concept. Utilizing qualitative methods, the text demonstrates that this African-inspired tradition holds knowledge to deal with the realities of conflicts and disruptions characteristic of the Anthropocene —not from despair and denial, but through the orientation of collective relationships of its followers in various spheres. The article contributes to a growing understanding of this spiritual system, which is often marginalized and stigmatized, wrongly associating it with the diabolical. It explores its connections with wisdom about ways of life that are consistently overlooked in various aspects of daily existence.

Keywords: Anthropocene, Ifá-Òrìsà, nature, odù, ontology, osha-ifá rule, religion

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