The serpent that swallows its own tail (Eke Ogba Ijele) is one of humanity’s oldest symbols of wholeness and transformation. Well documented in ancient Igbo civilization, it came to represent the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth: a universe feeding upon itself to renew its own existence. In Igbo esoteric thought, this symbol teaches that opposites—light and dark, creation and destruction, spirit and matter—are not enemies but reflections of one continuous process that emerge from Nnechukwu (the Source of All Creation). To “eat one’s own tail” is to acknowledge that all endings are beginnings, that renewal is born through dissolution, and that true unity arises only when the self can embrace and transform its contradictions.

In Igbo spirituality, white (Ocha) is the sacred color of Ala, the Earth Goddess. It symbolizes purity, balance, and the harmony that holds all life together. White reflects everything yet clings to nothing, just as the Earth receives all and remains pure. Through the energy of this color in Igbo symbology, we honor Ala’s cool, cleansing energy and align ourselves with truth and moral clarity. This teaching explore the connection between white and Ala’s energy in more detail.

The skin as a symbol can be seen as a sacred extension of Ala—the Earth Goddess on the human body. Just as the soil is Earth’s skin, our own skin is her garment upon us, the living boundary where self and world meet. In ancient Igbo spirituality it is revered as a sensor, protector, and canvas of memory, carrying ancestral stories and spiritual markings. Rituals of painting, scarification, anointing, and herbal bathing honor this truth, reminding us that to care for our skin is to care for the Earth Mother herself. In every touch of clay, oil, or sunlight on the skin, we experience her presence and blessing.

In Igbo spirituality, Onunu (holes) and Mkpū (mounds) are sacred symbols of creation. Onunu, representing Ogwugwu, is the cosmic womb or spiritual void from which life emerges. Mkpū, reflecting Omumu, is the visible expression of birth and fruitfulness. Mystically, every mound is formed from the earth displaced by a hole—revealing that manifestation always follows descent. This teaching explores the divine unity between Ogwugwu and Omumu, showing how the invisible and visible, the womb and the child, work together to shape reality.

In Igbo spirituality, mkpū—earthen mounds—are sacred symbols of omumu, the life-giving principle of birth, fertility, and continuity. Taking the form of yam mounds in the farm, anthills in sacred groves, or clay altars in domestic shrines, each mound represents the generative power of Ala, the Earth Mother as Akwali Omumu. This teaching explores how mounds serve as metaphysical conduits, linking the human, ancestral, and divine realms through cycles of creation, decay, and renewal.

In Igbo spirituality, Onunu, holes in the earth, are sacred conduits for the divine presence of Ogwugwu, the primordial Mother Goddess and cosmic womb. From shrine altars and sacred groves to graves, anthills, and birth rituals, Onunu symbolizes the unseen thresholds between worlds—portals through which life, death, and rebirth flow. This teaching explores how both physical and metaphysical holes serve as channels of spiritual energy, linking human ritual with the regenerative matrix of Ogwugwu.

Mgba-Ne-Chukwu: The circle is one of the most powerful and ancient symbols of the Divine Feminine, representing unity, wholeness, cycles, and the sacred womb-space of creation. In Igbo spiritual traditions, the circle embodies the generative power of the feminine; the endless flow of life, death, and rebirth. This teaching explores how the circle, beyond its simple shape, holds deep metaphysical meaning as the ultimate symbol of feminine creative force, nurturing energy, and eternal continuity. Also it’s role as Nnekelechi (the Mother of Chi).