Iwu Okike! the 42 Ideals of Ma’at

OdinaniListsSelf Development
Written By Sloane Angelou
 

This is where the ten commandments written in the collection of christain mythologies (the bible) was covetted from. If you’re curious, make sure to check out our ongoing list of recommended resources at the end of this post.

Modern rephrasing which can also be used as affirmations:

  1. I honor virtue

  2. I benefit with gratitude

  3. I am peaceful

  4. I respect the property of others

  5. I affirm that all life is sacred

  6. I give offerings that are genuine

  7. I live in truth

  8. I regard all altars with respect

  9. I speak with sincerity

  10. I consume only my fair share

  11. I offer words of good intent

  12. I relate in peace

  13. I honor animals with reverence

  14. I can be trusted

  15. I care for the earth

  16. I keep my own council

  17. I speak positively of others

  18. I remain in balance with my emotions

  19. I am truthful in my relationships

  20. I hold purity in high esteem

  21. I spread Joy

  22. I do the best i can

  23. I communicate with compassion

  24. I listen to opposing opinions

  25. I create harmony

  26. I invoke laughter

  27. I am open to love in various forms

  28. I am forgiving

  29. I am kind

  30. I act respectfully of others

  31. I am accepting

  32. I follow my inner guidance

  33. I converse with awareness

  34. I do good

  35. I give blessings

  36. I keep the waters pure

  37. I speak with good intent

  38. I praise the Goddess and the God

  39. I am humble

  40. I achieve with intergrity

  41. I advance through my own abilities

  42. I embrace the All

 

Here’s a translation by E. A. Wallis Budge from his original work of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Please note: translations, especially translations to english language, are not always accurate enough to be taken as exact representations of original texts, however, they are usually sufficient to pass on the meaning of the text in question.

Each confession, in the original text, is preceded by a salutation to a specific judge (force) and the region they come from. I have not included them in this outline. Some of these so called regions, are not on earth but in the afterlife (non physical worlds). For Odinani adherents, most of the confessions listed here might be familiar language to you, especially if you practice Igo Ofo or Igo Mmuo rituals.

Original translation:

  1. I have not committed sin.

  2. I have not committed robbery with violence.

  3. I have not stolen.

  4. I have not slain men and women.

  5. I have not stolen grain.

  6. I have not purloined offerings.

  7. I have not stolen the property of God.

  8. I have not uttered lies.

  9. I have not carried away food.

  10. I have not uttered curses.

  11. I have not committed adultery.

  12. I have made none to weep.

  13. I have not eaten the heart.

  14. I have not attacked any man.

  15. I am not a man of deceit.

  16. I have not stolen cultivated land.

  17. I have not been an eavesdropper.

  18. I have not slandered anyone.

  19. I have not been angry without just cause.

  20. I have not debauched the wife of any man.

  21. I have not debauched the wives of other men.

  22. I have not polluted myself.

  23. I have terrorized none.

  24. I have not transgressed the law.

  25. I have not been angry.

  26. I have not shut my ears to the words of truth.

  27. I have not blasphemed.

  28. I am not a man of violence.

  29. I have not been a stirrer up of strife.

  30. I have not acted with undue haste.

  31. I have not pried into other’s matters.

  32. I have not multiplied my words in speaking.

  33. I have wronged none, I have done no evil.

  34. I have not worked witchcraft against the king.

  35. I have never stopped the flow of water of a neighbor.

  36. I have never raised my voice.

  37. I have not cursed God.

  38. I have not acted with arrogance.

  39. I have not stolen the bread of the gods.

  40. I have not carried away the khenfu cakes from the spirits of the dead.

  41. I have not snatched away the bread of the child, nor treated with contempt the god of my city.

  42. I have not slain the cattle belonging to the god.

Feel free to do with these whatever you please. (Re)phrase them, spellwork them, adopt them into your (re)affirmations, read them to draw out the values encoded in them, decode them, or ignore them. Udo!

 

Eleven Cool Proverbs & Axioms to Ponder on:

  1. Agwo emeghi nke o jiri buru agwo, umuaka achiri ya hie nku - If a snake fails to do what makes it a snake, little kids will use it in tying firewood.

  2. Ebe onye oso ruru, onye ije ga eru ya! - Wherever one who runs reaches, one who walks would also reach.

  3. Onye ulo ya na-agba oku, anaghi achu oke - One whose house is on fire does not waste time chasing rats.

  4. Ewu nwuru n'oba ji abughi agu gburu ya - A goat that dies in a barn was not killed by hunger.

  5. Ife kwulu, ife akwudebe ya - When something stands/exists, something else will stand/exist beside it.

  6. Ife ikenya dono ana fu nwata ligolu enu Oji o ma-afu ya - What an elder sees clearly sitting on their chair, if a child climbs up the top of the tallest iroko tree, they will not see it.

  7. Ikwe na aka gafee nku-aka ya aghoo ihe ozo - If you allow the handshake to wander past your elbow, it is no longer a handshake.

  8. Mgbe onye ji teta ụra bụ ụtụtụ ya - Whenever one wakes up is their morning.

  9. Nku di na mba n'eghelu mba nni - Firewood in a land is enough to feed the land.

  10. Ulili si na-ejekete ije si tuo nkwo oso maka ihe oso eme mee - The ground squirrel advices that those who walk should sometimes break into a trot in case the need to run arises.

  11. Uwa bu ijele mmonwu, akwuro ofu ebe enene ya - The world is a grand masquerade, you can’t appreciate it’s entirety from a single view or fixed point.

 

Recommended Resources:

Sloane Angelou

Storyteller and writer passionate about learning of human existence by interrogating human experiences. They work as a human development strategist, constantly seeking ways (as a teacher and an inventor) to improve human society through cultural reformations and technology.

https://www.sloane-angelou.com
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