African · macro

Yoruba Ifá

A vast memorised divination corpus, a remote supreme being, hundreds of orisha, and a personal destiny chosen before birth that can be renegotiated. The source tradition for most of the Afro-diasporic religions in this matrix.

What makes it unusual

The axes on which this tradition sits furthest from the middle of the matrix — which is to say, the positions that actually distinguish it.

A3 Pluralitymany powers and spiritsFurther toward "many powers and spirits" than most traditions in the matrix.
C2 Shape of timeleaning cyclical returnFurther toward "cyclical return" than most traditions in the matrix.
E3 Locus of belongingleaning a people, inheritedFurther toward "a people, inherited" than most traditions in the matrix.
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribedFurther toward "essential and prescribed" than most traditions in the matrix.

All seventeen positions

Each cell carries a centre, a dispersion — how much internal variation the tradition genuinely tolerates — and the source the position rests on. Disagree with one? Say so; corrections are public and recorded.

The same seventeen values as a single shape, read clockwise from A1 at the top. The outline is where the tradition sits; the wider band around it is the variation it genuinely tolerates, so a tight outline is a tight tradition.

position
tolerated variation

A · The divine

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
A1 Divine realitynothing beyond the natural → a divine reality certainly exists	a divine reality certainly existsOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	1.00	0.03
A2 Personhoodimpersonal principle or order → a personal being one can address	between impersonal principle or order and a personal being one can addressOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.55	0.18
A3 Pluralitystrictly one → many powers and spirits	many powers and spiritsOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.92	0.06
A4 Locuswholly beyond the world → fully present within it	fully present within itOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.88	0.08

B · Knowledge and authority

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
B1 Source of truthrevealed and fixed → reason and direct experience	between revealed and fixed and reason and direct experienceOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.48	0.16
B2 Reading of sacred textliteral and binding → metaphorical, or no text at all	leaning literal and bindingOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.35	0.16
B3 Institutional authorityclergy and tradition decide → individual conscience decides	leaning clergy and tradition decideOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.18	0.12

C · Self and destiny

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
C1 Survival of the selfends at death → continues in some form	continues in some formOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.92	0.06
C2 Shape of timeone life, then judgment → cyclical return	leaning cyclical returnOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.82	0.12
C3 The human conditionfallen and in need of rescue → ignorant but fundamentally sound	leaning ignorant but fundamentally soundOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.78	0.12

D · Practice

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
D1 Mechanism of the ultimate goodgiven as grace → achieved by effort or insight	leaning achieved by effort or insightOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.65	0.16
D2 Centrality of ritualessential and prescribed → optional or absent	essential and prescribedOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.05	0.05
D3 The bodyto be disciplined → to be celebrated	between to be disciplined and to be celebratedOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.62	0.15

E · World and others

Axis	Position	Value	±σ
E1 Exclusivityone true path → many valid paths	leaning many valid pathsOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.68	0.15
E2 Origin of the cosmosan intentional act → beginningless or natural	leaning an intentional actOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.20	0.15
E3 Locus of belonginga people, inherited → an individual choice	leaning a people, inheritedOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.22	0.14
E4 Standing of naturecreation, given for use → animate and itself sacred	animate and itself sacredOdu Ifa corpus and Abimbola’s scholarship	0.88	0.08

Compared with

Where do you sit?

The questionnaire places your own answers on these same seventeen axes and reports how close you are to this tradition and to 64 others. Take it — eight to fourteen questions, nothing transmitted.