According to ifá, an intentional relationship is purposefully chosen and upheld by both individuals.
To avoid regret, it is essential to be mindful of how you engage with others.
Don’t just let anyone into your space without a divine sense of purpose, and don’t go into the life of others without a divine sense of purpose. Any relationship without a divine sense of purpose is doomed to fail and will ultimately become draining for both parties involved.
In odu ogbe irete(29th chapter of ifa), Ifa gave an example of what an intentional relationship looks like. It spoke about two individuals, Olowu Kango- a king, and Priest Ogbere- a stranger.
In this odu, Olowu Kango comes from a family where living long is uncommon, yet achieving financial freedom is feasible. On the other hand, Priest Ogbere was a stranger in the village, but hailed from a lineage where longevity is common but financial freedom is lacking.
Olowu kango was worried about the issue of longevity in his lineage. He feared that the issue of early death that seemed to plague his family would also affect him. So, one day he slept and dreamt of a priest called “Ogbere”. In his dream he saw that Ogbere was able to save him from early death. When he woke up, Olowu Kango remembered the vivid dream he had just experienced. He was curious about its meaning, so he decided to inquire from ifa oracle for guidance. Ifa advised the king to partner with priest Ogbere in order to tackle the issue of early death. So he sent for Ogbere.
On the other hand, Ogbere was also thinking of how to come out of financial suffering. When he heard that Olowu Kango sent for him, he quickly consulted ifa in order to know if the meeting was going to be productive. Odu ogbe irete showed up during divination and Ifa told priest Ogbere that, if he works with Olowu kango the issue of early death will not affect Olowu Kango anymore. Also, Olowu Kango would help him to put a stop to the issue of financial distress. Therefore, himself and Olowu Kango should work together so as to manifest longevity for Olowu Kango and financial freedom for himself(Priest Ogbere).
When Priest Ogbere got to Olowu Kango’s palace, he performed divination on him and odu Ogbe Irete emerged for the second time. Priest Ogbere delivered the instructions of ifa to Olowu Kango, and they both agreed to perform the necessary sacrifice. Thereafter, their relationship caused Olowu Kango to experience longevity and Priest Ogbere to experience financial freedom.
The above story is an example of an intentional relationship. When you are intentional with your relationships, you will be able to stay focused and dedicated to the cause. Before allowing any relationship, it’s important to have a divine sense of purpose and not just simply allow it for the sake of being in a relationship.
The above story reveals that, both Olowu Kango and Priest Ogbere allowed the relationship in order to serve each other, which shows that they were intentional with their relationship.
The verse for the aforementioned story goes thus:
Let the Resident serve the Ori of the guest
Let the Guest serve the Ori of the resident
These were ifa’s messages for Olowu Kango
He was asked to serve the Ori of Ogbere for the sake of longevity
Same was cast for Ogbere
He was asked to serve the Ori of Olowu Kango, for the sake of financial freedom
They both complied
Not long after, they attained their individual goals
Yoruba translation:
Ki onile o bo’ri fun alejo
Ki alejo naa o bo’ri fun onile
Adifa fun Olowu kango
Abu fun Ogbere
Won ni ki awon mejeji o bo Ori ara won
Ki won le baa ran ra won lowo
Won gbebo won rubo
Kope kojina
Ire wole to won wa…