Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Biological
Genesis
Obatala
and
the
Dark
Room
Cover
image
and
frontispiece
Wood
sculpture,
attributed
by
its
former
owner
Jackie
McKay,
to
Bamgboye
of
Odo-Owa
(1893-1978)
,
of
a
woman
backing
a
baby
and
kneeling
as
she
holds
aloft
what
looks
like
an
opon
ifa,
thereby
creating
a
potent
conjunction
of
associations
between
the
primordial
wisdom
associated
with
Ifa
and
the
feminine
in
her
maternal
expression,
the
kneeling
position
in
Yoruba
culture
being
deeply
symbolic,
as
the
posture
in
which
women
give
birth.
Odu,
the
feminine
wisdom
of
Ifa,
in
a
pose
of
both
supplication
and
childbirth
in
classical
Yoruba
culture,
holding
aloft
the
zone
of
birth
of
the
odu
ifa,
her
children,
who
achieve
manifestation
in
the
configurations
assumed
by
Ifa
instruments
when
cast
to
open
doors
to
supra-rational
knowledge?
What
person
is
wise
enough
to
tie
water
into
a
knot
in
their
pocket?
What
sage
knows
the
number
of
grains
of
sand
on
the
earth?
Archimedes
(
287
BC
c.
212
BC)
Ancient
Greek
mathematician,
physicist,
engineer,
inventor,
and
astronomer...generally
considered
the
greatest
mathematician
of
antiquity
and
one
of
the
greatest
of
all
time
:
I
will
try
to
show
you
by
means
of
geometrical
proofs,
which
you
will
be
able
to
follow,
that,
of
the
numbers
named
by
me
and
given
in
The
Sand
Reckoner
(Greek:
,
Psammites),
some
exceed
not
only
the
number
of
the
mass
of
sand
equal
in
magnitude
to
the
earth,
but
also
that
of
a
mass
equal
in
magnitude
to
the
universe.
The
Sand-Reckoner
of
Archimedes.
Translated
by
Thomas
L.
Heath.
Cambridge
University
Press,
1897.
Archimedes...concluded
that
the
diameter
of
the
Universe
was
no
more
than
1014
stadia
(in
modern
units,
about
2
light
years
[9
trillion
kilometres
or
about
6
trillion
miles,
the
distance
that
light
travels
in
a
vacuum
in
one
Julian
year,
365.25
days
of
86400
SI
seconds
each,
according
to
special
relativity,
the
maximum
speed
at
which
all
matter
and
information
in
the
universe
can
travel],
and
that
it
would
require
no
more
than
10
to
the
power
63
grains
of
sand
to
fill
it.
The
total
number
of
nucleons
[one
of
the
particles
that
makes
up
the
atomic
nucleus,
the
centre
of
the
smallest
constituent
unit
of
ordinary
matter
that
has
the
properties
of
a
chemical
element]
in
the
observable
universe
of
roughly
the
Hubble
radius
is
the
Eddington
number,
currently
estimated
at
10
to
the
power
80.
Archimedes'
10
to
the
power
63
grains
of
sand
contain
roughly
10
to
the
power
80
nucleons,
making
the
two
numbers
equal.
Wikipedia
on
The
Sand
Reckoner
by
Archimedes
and
on
Speed
of
Light.
The
Babalawo,
Adept
in
the
Esoteric
Core
of
Ifa,
the
Luminous
Darkness
Issuing
from
the
Heart
of
the
Forest
of
Being,
Sojourner
to
the
Fathomless
Depth
of
Mystery,
was
the
one
who
cast
Ifa
for
Obatala
when
he
wanted
desperately
to
understand
the
nature
of
life.
At
the
meeting
of
egg
and
sperm,
at
the
dividing
of
the
zygote
into
the
trillions
of
cells
that
form
the
stupendous
complexity
that
is
the
human
being,
there
I
am.
As
the
power,
the
motive
force
that
drives
the
moulding
of
the
child
in
the
womb,
unseen
to
all
but
experienced
in
the
completion.
Yet
I
am
shut
out
of
the
final
mystery,
the
emergence
of
what
differentiates
living
and
non-living
being,
Obatala
lamented.
He
of
many
names,
Aiku
Pari
Iwa,
Deathlessness
Consummating
Existence,
messenger
of
Ifa,
responded
:
Exactly,
Obatala
responded,
realizing
that
the
messenger
had
shifted
into
the
language
of
the
ancients,
who
encapsulated
depths
of
possibility
in
terms
of
images.
After
the
next
such
shaping,
conceal
yourself
in
a
place
in
that
room,
the
adviser
suggested.
When
the
One
Without
a
Second,
Oyiyigigi,
the
Immovable
Rock
that
Never
Dies,
the
Fecundator,
the
Embodiment
of
Past,
Present,
Future
and
Infinity,
achieves
the
process
of
transmutation,
you
will
be
there
to
witness
it,
he
concluded.
Obatala
thanked
the
messenger
of
Ifa.
After
the
next
crafting
of
the
human
form,
Obatala
hid
himself
in
a
corner
of
the
dark
room
and
waited.
Even
if
he
was
going
to
be
degenerated
into
a
pile
of
ashes
like
the
woman
who,
consumed
by
curiosity,
opened
the
window
to
catch
sight
of
her
divine
lover
who
had
always
insisted
on
meeting
her
in
the
dark,
he
would
die
knowing
he
had
been
finished
following
a
noble
vision.
One
can
take
only
so
much
for
so
long.
He
was
tired
of
being
an
ignorant
servant,
even
one
with
such
awesome
responsibilities
as
he
had.
What
happened?
The
wait
lasted
a
whole
twenty-four
hours.
Towards
the
point
of
the
turning
of
the
day,
the
day
reaching
its
consummation
as
the
earth
completed
its
revolution
on
its
axis,
continuing
its
365
day
day
orbit
around
the
centre
of
the
solar
system,
the
solar
system
itself
revolving
around
the
galactic
core
at
500
thousand
miles
an
hour,
completing
one
revolution
in
a
in
a
cosmic
year
of
225-250
million
years
,
he
slept
off.
A
child
may
have
more
clothes
than
his
father,
but
not
as
many
rags.
It
is
not
for
nothing
that
the
beard
of
the
Unknown
One
is
covered
in
white
chalk.
The
ragged
old
man
one
meets
at
random
might
be
the
answer
one
has
sought
for
so
long.
When
a
fragment
of
the
Unknown
becomes
known,
it
is
no
more
an
aspect
of
the
Unknown,
yet
the
Unknown
never
diminishes.
Obatala
rose
from
sleep
to
find
the
transformation
already
completed.
But
the
quest
continues,
through
various
forms
of
exploration.
While
thinkers
probe
the
nature
of
life
through
reflection
and
meditation,
scientists
investigate
it
through
hypothesis
and
experiment,
even
reaching
into
efforts
to
create
life
or
enable
the
creation
of
life.
In
enabling
fertilization,
a
conducive
environment
is
created
to
facilitate
the
process.
A
magnificent
achievement
that
has
taken
centuries
to
reach.
In
cloning
a
creature
from
living
cells,
the
generative
process
is
facilitated
using
parent
cells.
An
awesome
accomplishment
it
has
taken
the
entire
time
since
humanity
emerged
on
the
earth
to
arrive
at.
Iba
oko
t'o
d'ori
kodo
ti
o
ro!
Iba
obo
t'o
dori
kodo
ti
o
s'eje!
I
pay
homage
to
the
penis
that
is
hung
without
bringing
sperm.
I
pay
homage
to
the
vagina
that
has
stopped
menstruating.
I
pay
homage
to
our
elders
who
have
used
these
organs
to
bring
life
and
are
now
old
or
gone
but
whose
contributions
can
never
be
forgotten-
Asiwaju
Adeyinka
Olarinmoye.
Biophysicist
Professor
Cees
Dekker:
What
is
life
and
how
do
you
piece
it
together
from
components?
Half
a
century
of
molecular
biology
has
left
us
highly
impressed
by
the
huge
complexity
of
cells.
Biology
is
all
about
the
interaction
of
molecules
that
together
form
life.
A
single
molecule
is
not
alive,
it
is
the
interaction
with
the
proteins
surrounding
it
that
make
that
it
a
living
system.
A
cell
is
a
collection
of
huge
numbers
of
molecules
that
together
make
up
a
functional,
living
system.The
DNA
serves
as
a
library
in
which
all
the
information
is
stored.
It
encodes
information
for
protein-making
factories.
The
proteins
are
like
robots
that
combine
to
enable
the
whole
thing
to
function.The
next
challenge
will
be
to
explore
how
the
components
work
together
to
achieve
the
cells
major
functions,
such
as
division
and
metabolism:
absorbing
nutrients,
gaining
energy
and
excreting
waste.
If
you
look
at
the
minimum
characteristics
[of
life],
they
are
compartmentalisation,
a
sealed
entity,
metabolism,
cell
division
and
information
used
by
the
cell
to
define
itself.
That
information
needs
to
be
sufficiently
stable
but
also
be
able
to
adapt
to
enable
evolution.
If
you
take
that
as
your
working
Central
Ifa
Functional
and
Symbolic
Forms
Opon
ifa,
iroke
ifa
and
opele
If
l
Functional
and
Symbolic
Forms
of
Ifa
Opon
ifa,
iroke
ifa
and
opele
page
preceding
Iroke
ifa,
vertical
sculpture,
and
opon
ifa,
horizontal,
circular
carving.
Central
functional
forms
and
cosmological
symbols
of
Ifa,
the
Yoruba
origin
system
of
knowledge.
The
structure
of
both
forms
suggests
relationships
between
the
possibility
of
phallic
symbolism
attributable
t
o
the
iroke
ifa
and
of
vagina
and
womb
symbolism
ascribable
to
the
opon
ifa.
The
iroke
is
used
in
tapping
the
opon
before
consultation
of
the
divine
wisdom
attributed
to
Ifa,
a
consultation
carried
out
by
casting
the
opele,
on
the
left,
organised
in
binary
units
of
four
sets,
and
reading
the
patterns
it
assumes
when
cast.
The
odu
ifa
symbols
that
emerge
from
this
consulation
may
be
interpreted
as
the
"children"
emerging
from
the
conjunction
of
iroke
and
opon,
Orunmila
and
Odu,
the
masculine
and
feminine
enablers,
respectively,
of
Ifa's
wisdom.
These
biological
associations
are
reinforced
by
the
binary
structure
of
central
Ifa
symbols
and
functional
forms
and
their
evocation
by
the
recurrence
of
a
balance
between
feminine
and
masculine
imagery,
as
in
woman
with
prominently
pointing
breasts
on
whose
head
rests
a
form
t
he
k
neeling
the
tip
of
which
may
be
seen
in
terms
of
phallic
connotations
in
the
iroke
ifa
in
this
image.
Adebayo
Kayode:
"
Every
tap
of
the
Iroke
is
a
knock
on
the
door
to
Infinity,
hence
the
mantra,
la!"
[uttered
before
consulting
Ifa]
Oye
meaning
"Spiritual
intuition,
break
forth...like
the
dawn
of
a
new
day!
Image
from
@yeyesbotanicaatl
at
Online
Instagram.
Accessed
11th
Feb.2016.
definition,
I
estimate
that
it
will
take
around
ten
years
to
build
a
minimal
living
system.
On
the
horizon
shimmers
the
idea
of
using
a
soap
bubble
to
create
a
living
cell
filled
with
the
components
it
needs
for
minimal
functionality,
as
a
way
of
gaining
a
better
understanding
of
what
life
actually
is.
[I]
believe
that
a
consortium
of
scientists
can
produce
a
living
synthetic
cell
within
a
decade.
Culled
from
Life
is
Something
You
Create
Together
By
Jos
Wassink.
October
2015.Delft
Outlook.
Perspectives
emerging
from
Prof.
Cees
Dekkers
talk
My
Meandering
Path
Within
the
Lands
of
Science
and
Faith,
The
Faraday
Institute
for
Science
and
Religion
lecture,
Tuesday
9th
February
2016.
In
possibilities
already
available
for
accomplishment,
such
as
extracting
the
core
of
the
embryo
to
harvest
completely
pluripotent
cells
that
can
grow
into
the
full
range
of
human
organs
and
biological
forms,
possibly
in
order
to
regenerate
dying
or
diseased
cells
in
adults,
scientists
work
with
the
living
matter
already
given
by
nature,
a
wonder
of
vast
knowledge
consummated
in
a
march
that
began
at
the
dawn
of
humanity.
When
does
the
growing
life
in
the
womb
become
a
human
being?
Is
it
a
crime
to
extract
the
core
of
the
embryo
to
harvest
pluripotent
cells
but
destroying
the
embryo
in
the
process,
though
these
embryos
left
over
from
in
vitro
fertilization
treatments
would
be
destroyed
after
five
years
as
demanded
by
UK
law
if
not
taken
advantage
of
through
insemination
to
enable
them
grow
into
a
human
being?
When
do
we
move
from
trying
to
assist
with
regeneration
in
the
case
of
failing
health
to
trying
to
design
human
beings
in
the
limitations
of
our
wisdom?
Questions
presented
at
Prof.
Paul
Fairchilds
talk
on
Ethical
Challenges
of
Stem
Cell
Research:
A
Christian
Perspective
at
Wesley
Methodist
Church,
Cambridge
on
Monday
8
February
2016.
Will
our
descendants
billions
of
years
from
now
be
asking
similar
questions,
our
descendants
who
might
be
as
different
from
us
as
we
are
from
a
cockroach,
having
moved
so
far
ahead
in
our
reshaping
of
ourselves
that
we
have
changed
beyond
recognition
of
all
who
are
reading
this?
The
cyborg,
the
fusion
of
human
and
artificial
intelligence,
the
development
of
distributed
cognition,
in
which
we
can
do
different
things
at
the
same
time
through
extension
of
our
consciousness
using
what
are
now
the
crude
forms
represented
by
automated
technologies
and
sophisticated
software,
will
that
be
our
future?
Questions
provoked
by
the
inaugural
meeting
of
the
AI,
Robotics
and
Religion
Reading
Group
led
by
Beth
Singler
,AI
&
Robots
Research
Associate
at
the
Faraday
Institute
for
Science
and
Religion
as
well
as
from
talks
by
Martin
Rees
on
the
future
of
humanity.
10
11
The
core
of
the
self
is
forever
drawn
towards
the
womb
that
is
the
Ultimate,
the
Zone
Beyond
All,
the
scope
of
Its
possibilities
unknown
even
to
Itself.
Inspirational
Context
Retelling
and
reflecting
on
an
ese
ifa,
an
example
of
Ifa
literature,
from
Bolaji
Idowus
Olodumare
:
God
in
Yoruba
Belief
as
well
as
from
the
description
of
the
orisa,
a
Yoruba
deity,
Obatala,
in
the
same
book.
The
first
two
lines
are
from
Wande
Abimbolas
Ifa
Divination
Poetry.
12