What is Ifa?
Ifa Babalawo engaged in divination
Ifa Divination and Outcome Modeling
UNESCO - Ifa of the Yoruba People of Nigeria
The Ifa divination system , which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development.
The Ifa divination system is a set of divination acts (‘idafa ’ or 'didaowo ') done by a Babalawo (“father of the secrets”) or Iyanifa ( “mother that has Ifa”) to make predictions.
Similar to the way Schrodinger's equation employs the act of squaring and division to remediate the wave-particle duality of a quantum system , Ifa divination employs binary logic to predict the possible outcomes of a potential decision. In this way Ifa is used as an expert system to solve complex problems by reasoning through bodies of knowledge (Ifa corpus ). The system is represented mainly as a set of if–then rules in an attempt to normalize the potential outcomes and consequences of a given decision. The process can be viewed as akin to the identification of a particle in a quantum system .
Note: African Creation Energy - "Ifa mathematics and quantum computing "
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| 12 fermions, 4 bosons (minus Higgs boson) | 12 Odu beginning with "O", 4 Odu beginning with "I" |
Similarities to Standard Model
If you notice, in each of the three generations of matter (I,II,III) in the Standard Model chart there are four types of fermions (quarks and leptons) being mediated by four “force carriers”. These force carriers or “bosons” mediate the exchanging of energy: charge, “spin”, “color” etc.. between the fermions - there are always four forces manipulating four particles. This 4x4 relationship is recurrent through out the model (see The Standard Model & The Kemetic Ogdoad/Ennead) and hints at the reason why there are currently sixteen known types of particles in the standard model (minus the Higgs boson).
Within the Ifa divination system there are 16 Primary Odu. These are 16 8bit binary symbols which when squared or multiplied by each other (16x16)=256 unique patterns . Each mathematic output is given a name. The names and pronunciation of the primary Odu may differ slightly between region and culture however of the first 16 binary outputs of the Ifa system 12 begin with an “O” (fermions) and 4 begin with an “I” (bosons)
This may at first appear to be a superficial coincidence but further evidence of a (12) particle, (4) force topos present in Ifa can be found in a paper entitled "Environmental harmony and the architecture of ‘place’ in Yoruba urbanism " Olatunji T Adejumo & M. Adebamowo:
"The mythology states that 16 spirit beings (deities) were dispatched by God (Olodumare) to recreate planet earth...". "...while quarter chiefs’ role modelled 16 divinities. Four of the sixteen deities (orisas) are primordial divinities and often referred to as major gods (orisas). Included in this category are “Orisanla” (the deity that lead 15 others for earth re-creation exercise); “Ifa” (deity of divination), ‘Jakuta’ (god of thunder and in charge of climate) and ‘Lakaiye’ (Yoruba deity in charge of technology). The remaining 12 constitute minor deities. "
Here again we see a relationship where twelve components of a sixteen component system are mediated by four constituents having "more agency" in regard to the creation of Earth (i.e. observable matter). This correlation may be coincidental but may still be used as a culturally relevant mnemonic for remembering the number of particles and the role they play in the Standard Model.
Mapping Space-Time
The 4x4 component relationship present in the standard model may not only apply to the formation of the particles themselves but also the potential space-time where the particles can be found.
Lets start from the beginning. Even if we have these 16 (or 17) particles to make everything in the universe with where do we put them? Matter has to exist somewhere and in theoretical physics that “where” is “space-time’.
The scale of particle physics is so small that theoretical physicists have to utilize sets of equations known as Clifford Algebras , Gauge Theories , etc. to map the space-time where the fundamental particles of the standard model can be found. - see Patipembas, Veve, and Adinkras as Physics Diagrams.
These algebras house complex coefficients relating angles and vectors in a 4 dimensional (4 x 4) metric tensor usually denoted by "G" in modern physics equations . For all intents and purposes a metric tensor is just a 4 dimensional manifold (x,y,z,t) where t represents time.
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| 2D rendering of a Geometric Tensor showing 3 dimensions of space and 1 of time - click image for video |
(4 x 4) metric tensor
In general relativity, a point is an event with both a location and a time. Four-dimensional vectors, or four-vectors, are required in general relativity, and these four dimensions are length, height, width, and time. This results in a 16 component grid usually denoted as "G" or "g" in modern physics equations (e.g. 𝐺𝑖𝑗,𝑗=0)
When plotting points in general relativity mathematicians use 10 of these 16 components: 4 lines (dimensions) and 6 angles of arc to plot points in space (the other 6 angles being used as coefficients to determine the shape of space-time).
3D depiction of a particle moving within a metric tensor
Geometric Algebra - Spacetime Topology
In a research paper published in 2013 titled "A Comparative Study of Ifa Divination and Computer Science " Femi O Alamu Ph.D. et al. made the case that the fundamental mathematics utilized in modern computer systems (Boolean algebra and logic) are the same mathematics utilized in the over 2000 year old Ifa divination system.
"Africans developed Ifa Oracle divination based on the square of 16=16x16=256 = 2^8 corresponding to the vertices of an 8-dimensional hypercube and to the binary 2-choice Clifford algebra C1(8) and so to related ones such as C1(8)xC1(8) = C1(16)"
Here are some ways Clifford algebras are used in physics:
- Spin and quantum mechanics: Clifford algebras are a foundation for these theories.
- Particle symmetries: Clifford algebras can help describe particle symmetries.
- Differential geometry and topology: Clifford algebras are used to model spacetime.
- Classical physics: Clifford algebras can naturally formulate rotations and Lorentz transformations.
- Multi-dimensional analysis: Clifford algebras can enable multi-dimensional analysis in areas like Newtonian mechanics and relativity.
The math used to model the interaction of 16 particles in spacetime is the math used to model the spacetime in which those particles exist. Meaning that not only does Ifa provide a mnemonic device
helping us remember and understand the relationship between the particles of the standard model, it may also be a key to understanding the geometric algebras required to map space-time itself.
The geometric algebras required to chart space-time are at the very heart of the Yoruba/Ifa/Afa divination system.