| Farinade Olokun

Posted on April 26, 2017January 17, 2020 by farinade — Leave a comment

‘Yoruba Mind Meld’: The Alignment of Mouth, Thought, Emotion and Ori

You might be wondering how on earth the famous Vulcan, Spock, has landed leading off a blog post on Ifa, but there is something very logical and appropriate in bringing his memory and spirit to life (May Leonard Nimoy Rest in Peace). Spock was known for having an open mind, willing to approach life with inquisitiveness while tempering it with analysis (and self-analysis), something very important to those on the path of Ifa.

Among the Yoruba there is a saying of great importance to Ifa practitioners : ENU NI ÌFÀÁ WÀ, which roughly translates to ‘mouth brings favor’, or, ‘mouth brings blessings/fortune’. While this is not used exclusively within the context of Ifa and is a common expression, it bears taking a closer look as to the importance of ‘mouth’ in our daily lives – whether on the path of Ifa or not.

Words – no matter how big or small – hold power, as well as the emotions and feelings behind those words. When we are appeasing a deity we use not only the food offerings, but we also use our tongues and mouths in unison with our prayers to bring about the desired change in our lives (and/or others), through ritual. This is Ifa in action, the ase of our tongue in active prayer, everything turned towards the desired goal and outcome. We can also chew pepper to bring more ‘power’ to our words/requests, or even put a type of powdered ewe oogun on the tongue to bring about ‘command’ – but what of our words/thoughts spoken in daily life when we are not inside the shrine?

Esu, being the most ‘gluttonous’ of the irunmole, is always given his share first of all offerings made to other deities and is sometimes depicted as having a large mouth. Because of his special role in giving vision of the past, present and future to the mouthpiece of Orunmila in the Ifa divination system (again, that word ‘mouth’), and of also ferrying the requests and appeasements from earth to heaven and vice versa, Esu is portrayed as always eager to receive his share – whether a capful of palm oil, a whole jug, or a whole ocean of it. And we must carefully watch our words AND our thoughts while taking care of Esu Lalu Ogiri Oko! Without proper mind control, a Babalawo or Iyanifa is courting lackluster results – or worse – a possible thumping on the head. And in making offering to one’s ori we can find a similar focus on the mouth – but linked this time directly to our ori/best destiny. We take a sip, a bite of everything offered, and afterwards we may be instructed to also have those around us share in the offerings. Mouth as ritual – ritual as mouth. When we go for Ifa divination, we whisper our queries and desires before putting our symbolic money down (‘put your money where your mouth is’). Mouth is central to worship and to life. It is how we suckle as babies, how we nourish ourselves to stay alive, how we formulate the words and prayers that bring our victory. The one hiccup in all of this is in how we control ourselves in terms of our thoughts and our own spoken words – towards ourselves and towards others.

I have talked before about the importance of heartfelt prayers of thanks to God/Olodumare and to our ori, but it is also just as important for us to police our everyday thoughts and spoken words. While it may sound like some kind of New Age jargon, controlling not only our actions (positive/negative), but our own statements – whether voiced or just thought – is very important to our well being and progress. And this also dovetails into my other frequently expressed belief that we can be our own worst enemy when it comes to sabotaging our own lives.

When facing a difficult task/problem, when facing life and its many challenges, do we give in with our mouths – or do we rise to the task and take command of the situation?

Life already throws at us the most myriad of challenges – why make it worse by allowing our own thoughts and words to reinforce what we do not truly want for ourselves?

I have heard many times (myself included in some of these!), “I cannot possibly learn this”, “I am not moving forward”, “I don’t have the means/money”, and on a more destructive level, “I am too old”, “I am not smart enough”, “I’m finished”, “it is impossible”, “I am ugly”, “no one will ever love me”, “I’m headed nowhere good”, “I might as well be dead”, “I can’t find a job”, etc., etc., etc.

To misuse the mouth against another is a type of negative ‘killing’ – to misuse the mouth against ourselves is suicide.

The first thing I do when faced with negative circumstances (after having already sussed out everything I can do within the power of Ifa), is to immediately counter any negative thoughts or speech I might be using towards the situation with the exact opposite thoughts/speech in the positive. There is nothing more sad than someone who has gotten stuck in a broken loop repeating the same negative litany of curses towards their own life. A person MUST APPLY THEIR ORI/HEAD/MOUTH/THOUGHTS to their situation and all will-power available to counter the negativity.

Instead of waking up and looking in the mirror thinking “ugh, my ugly bald head/I hate how I look”, reinforce how your good character shines through your face and eyes, that you are beautiful with or without hair, that the people who are attracted to you will be kind and favour you and love and accept you just as you are (just as you would love and accept them). I know some people who actually talk so badly about their looks it makes me cringe inside! They pick on their teeth, their skin, their eyes, their hair, their hips, their legs, in fact it seems as if none of their body escapes their withering criticism! How can we expect to thrive and bloom when we are heaping the dark, negative coals of derision upon our own heads and bodies? Discounting our own intelligence? Our own beauty? Our ability to overcome adversity? We MUST prevail and be our own champion!

The instant you think or utter something negative about your self or your life – STOP that thought/spoken word – and counter it. If you cannot verbalize it publicly right then, then think it and make it the opposite. Words have POWER, and what you generate today can come back to bite you! The energy you put into those words backed by your emotions and ‘feelings’ can devil your heels. I cannot emphasize enough how many people get stuck in negative loops that they cultivate for years, decades, and on into their graves. Don’t be one of those people. Use your mind. Use your intelligence. Use your will-power. Use your ori. Be your own friend. Proclaim your victory. In spite of the worst odds, the worst conditions around you in real-time evidence, do not give in to the appearance of hopelessness and desolation, to the feeling of hopelessness and desolation, because you have the power to transform it and fashion it closer to your liking.

It takes practice, yes. It takes will-power, yes, but once you get in the habit you will find yourself with new energy and vitality towards solving/moving towards solutions, besides the fact that your life becomes much more pleasant, and you are someone that others find pleasant to be around! And you will find that yes, life never stays the same, that we DO find solutions and positive outcomes, but it requires us to keep all things in balance, apply slow and steady effort, watch our words, thoughts, our emotions/feelings and never let them run away with/spoil our good ori/head/destiny.

I frequently put ‘Western Mind’ in the cross-hairs when talking about Ifa but there is some truth for that. You will be hard-pressed to find any Yoruba man, woman or child who indulges themselves to the point of speaking ill of their own life or allowing themselves to reach the emotional pits that many Westerners seem to frequent like some kind of perverse watering holes of Hell. I once was talking to a friend of mine in Nigeria, a very beautiful and kind woman, a hard worker, who had been badly wronged in a serious love issue. I wasn’t so much ‘advising’ as trying to comfort her. Knowing the particulars, I proffered the usual palliatives one gives in these female to female teary confessions, but then after maybe 15 minutes of tears I witnessed her perform on herself what I half-jokingly call the ‘Yoruba Mind Meld’. Instead of giving in weak-kneed and weak-minded, she visibly gathered/called her ‘good’/highest ori/destiny to the forefront by focusing her will-power and resolve, grabbed hold of her emotions, stopped her tears and proclaimed that this situation would not get the best of her, that she would not let her heart destroy her life and that she would carry on happily until finding another man who valued and cherished her. Yes, indeed, and though this had been a many year’s long relationship, the betrayal did not take her down into a many year’s long recovery. Though clearly not the text-book description of a true Vulcan ‘mind meld’ (don’t want to offend the hardcore Trekkies here), it does incorporate the idea that our best/highest/’good’ ori is always at the ready to lead us, guide us, teach us and impart all of its wisdom and benefit to our lives. Think of it as a transference of the Divine as we become accustomed to digging deep to bolster and support our ‘good’ ori/destiny, by reining in the out-of-control ‘bad’ head/ori. The value the Yoruba put on the proficiency to control words, thoughts, emotions and feelings is also summed up nicely by Spock’s father Sarek:

“Emotions run deep within our race. In many ways more deeply than in humans. Logic offers a serenity humans seldom experience. The control of feelings so that they do not control you.”

Wise words indeed.

I’ve witnessed the ‘Yoruba Mind Meld’ in other situations with Babalawos who have run aground here and there for various reasons. The face visibly changes in intention as they take charge and take control of their ori/their thoughts/their ase and command and nip situations in the bud before they take root. IT IS A CHOICE – BUT NOT AN OPTION WHEN ONE IS ON THE PATH OF IFA, WHEN ONE CLAIMS TO WANT PROGRESS, WHEN ONE CLAIMS TO BE ‘TRYING THEIR BEST’, WHEN ONE IS ACTIVELY PURSUING VICTORY NOT ONLY FOR THEMSELVES, BUT FOR OTHERS.

Our ori is symbolized by/resides within our head, and what do you think is the most powerful of all the features of the head? The eyes? Nose? It is the mouth! The inner and outer ori coming together, working together in alignment, the positive subduing and transforming the negative equals the ‘Yoruba Mind Meld’. We do not allow our ‘bad’ ori/head to spoil our ‘good’ ori/true best destiny! And as Spock would say, we can then “Live long and Prosper”!

Here in the Western world, prescription drug use for ’emotional disorders’, ‘bi-polar’ and every other umbrella diagnosis for the lack of a spiritual path/guidance and spiritual consciousness to support, guide and buffer the hard knocks of life is rampant. Perceived slights and injustices seem to affect many people to where they can’t think straight, talk straight nor conduct themselves civilly and without loose cannon emotions/actions in public, let alone face a job loss, relationship issues, etc.,. Anger and angry displays towards a perceived ‘other’ (who seemingly is the ‘enemy’), have reached levels where many people are seriously losing what little of their minds and possible peace they had left. Do I think this a symptom of Western lifestyle/culture and synonymous to some degree with Western thought/lack of true spirituality/humbleness before God, in the Western world? Yes, I do. Do I think that the spiritual practice and tradition of Ifa can be an example/lend wisdom for some on how to better live our lives here on earth and be happy? Yes, I do. It only takes a level of self-awareness and self-accountability, along with effort. Ifa gives us nothing for free without our own effort and striving, though God has freely given us this precious life.

Life is hard at times, and sometimes there is a long slog to endure before the road levels out, but it is never in good character to harm another or curse another – with words or otherwise. A lack of love towards another is simply a reflection of the lack of love and self awareness/self respect we have of, and towards ourselves. We do not need to agree with everything and everybody in this world. But at a minimum we are expected (at least within Ifa) to be responsible for our own thoughts, our actions, our character, our words, to mean and cast no harm onto ourselves, nor to others. We have one shot at this life. Make it count, make it beautiful, leave a legacy that is one of joy, elegance, peace, understanding, good nature, tolerance and a willingness to LOVE. Take control of your thoughts, spoken words and the emotions behind them so they do not negatively control you and your life. May God bless and keep you, May your Ori guide you perfectly, May you receive all the good blessings of life, Ase O!

“Logic is the beginning of Wisdom – not the end.” ~ Spock

© 2017 by Farin da Silva, All Rights Reserved. Pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent amendments, codified as 17 U.S.C. §§ 101-810, the works contained within are protected by United States laws and by international treaties. This includes the literary and pictorial works created by Farin da Silva contained herein, as well as any other original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression. The unauthorized copying, distributing, displaying, or production of derivative works is strictly prohibited by Farin da Silva. Copyright infringement may subject you to civil liability of a minimum of $750 per infringement for statutory damages, as well as the costs incurred to enforce these rights. 17 U.S.C. § 504. A court may award up to $150,000 per infringement. This copyright holder takes copyright infringement seriously and does enforce their rights.

Posted on August 2, 2015January 20, 2020 by farinade — Leave a comment

Our Word is Our Character

In the Yoruba tradition of Ifa, words are what bring to us the messages of Orunmila and the orisa. Words are the vehicle to impart wisdom and the means to alleviate our life struggles. By following the word of Ifa, we are guided to solutions. Looking beyond all the other parts that make up a successful outcome, words, and our faith and trust in those words, stand alone as the most important glue that holds together a sacrifice. They are ASE in action, power in action, containing all of the knowledge, desire and information needed to complete the sacred pact of Olodumare with Orunmila when he gave the Ifa Divination Corpus-handed down divinely in order to make man’s life on earth sweet.

Prayer, incantations (ofo), are part of ritual life of a Babalawo or Iyanifa, and a person puts their utmost trust and faith in those words spoken on their behalf, but what about in daily life? What about the power of words in our dealings with other people in “normal” day to day circumstances? Where does the power of words begin and end?

While there is much written and studied in academics about iwa pele (good character) in Yoruba culture, there is an area of what should constitute “good character” where I feel most all of us can improve, and that is in the power of our own spoken word. If you have read my other posts I talk about the importance of prayer, the importance of putting positive thoughts in place of negative, and that prayer is the basis for a sound mind and life. But the inner spiritual life of a person is not just a little box or room, separate from others, hidden, personal and private. Our spoken words broadcast much louder who we really are, what we really stand for, and are a true measure of our good character.

My father raised me to speak the truth, and this was imparted not because I was a liar or difficult child, but because that is the honor that my family stands upon. He taught me by his example, that people who do not speak the truth can not be trusted in other areas of life (and why would you want to keep a relationship with that person anyway since you cannot trust them), and that there is no area more sacred between two human beings than the bond of a spoken promise or pact. Family shame would be to agree/accept/promise to do something and then not follow through and complete that spoken promise. Does speaking the truth mean that one must spill everything out into the public? No. And when dealing with others who do not have your own best interest at heart, you must use your discretion as to what you reveal, but when you have judged anothers character as worthy and then agreed to do something for/with them, than you must be responsible for upholding that.

I could say on the one hand this has been a burden to me, as it seems most people in the world do not share the same beliefs and ethics. I learned that the word of others can many times not be trusted, and even the word of those who are sworn and initiated to uphold,be pillars of trust in their communities, is many times hollow. There are many deceitful and duplicitous persons in the world, even in the guise of Babalawo or community leader. Politicians are a good example of “do as I say, not as I do”, and they allow themselves to be corrupted for material gain, they go back on promises to their constituents. On the other hand, I can at least go to bed at night and lift my head in the morning with pride knowing that I stand by my word. What you hear from me is what you get.

I believe that if we want to be in good standing with God, with our fellow human beings, that we must walk and talk a Godly life. If we are reaching out to others and offering help in the form of promises, than we must do our utmost to make that come about. If not, then we must offer a solution, at the very least ask for forgiveness for breaking our sacred word, just as much to make things right with ourselves, as to make them right between Us and God. Ifa priests and priestesses are especially in need of watching what they say and to whom they say it. The spoken word sets into motion many things, and one must be mindful at all times of that power.

As a person grows in age, they should be growing in wisdom. There are proverbs in Yoruba which state that an elder need only speak a few words to have his weight felt in any issue, and so should it be for each one of us in our daily life. When we are honest with ourselves, we are honest with others. Does this mean we will only encounter good people in our daily dealings? No. We will come across others who are not very spiritually developed, with no sense of urgency to better themselves. That does not mean they are any less or more than any other, and yes, we can be disappointed when others make promises and then let them lie idle or do the opposite of what they professed and promised. Just know that what matters in this lifetime is ultimately between you and God, doing what is right, only offering and speaking what you can assure or guarantee. Do not exaggerate, only claim what you know you are capable of, or make clear you will try your best to do right by the person.

The other night I manifested Esu for a client who had some issues surrounding a supposed friendship that had deteriorated into a situation of blatant and outright blackmail on many fronts: emotionally, spiritually and materially. What was most hurtful to my client is that not only had the one time friend threatened by use of lies to bring him down, but had spoken words that cut him, not only because they were lies, but because their gross negative energy was aimed straight at the very sacred spiritual core he holds dear, and setting into motion a far reaching and ugly scenario.

Esu had a few words of wisdom that my helper wrote down, which got me to thinking about my own life; how I interact with people, how I view the spoken word and issues of trust between people and led me to write this post in the first place.

“When you reach a certain age you need to measure very well your strengths and weakness, your abilities to withstand stress, financial hard times. You have to calibrate, measure any possible pitfalls or problems that could arise and there’s a point where what could be called the youthful folly of friendships; a wise man does not extend his hand in friendship to the whole world.

When you’re young you have the grace to make mistakes and learn and move on, but as you get older you see friendship as a treasure, which means that you, as a human being, are offering (to others) the sum totality of everything that you have learned up to that point. It’s a treasure. You don’t just go offering people that willy nilly, you offer it to the people that will benefit you. Old men learn something; older men in whichever society, whether it’s a traditional, third world so to speak country, or first world, a wise old man learns if you can trust someone with your money, you can trust them with your life, because money is life. You might not give a fig for their religious affiliation but a man who deals fair and square in business is worth gold. Business is a litmus test, financial transactions, and you find out who is who. And if you do repeated dealings with people who repeatedly do well, follow through, well, you can count on that man. That’s why you find older men in these business leagues, these clubs. They love money, there’s nothing wrong with that. They love people who know how to do an honest deal, there’s a give and take but there should never be force or extortion. You don’t rape your business partner. I don’t begrudge anyone the love of money; it buys food, sustenance, opportunity. A great man with a lot of money, he surrounds himself with trusted advisers, who understand in order to keep the pathways open, there has to be transparency, honesty, ethics. You don’t reward somebody for behaving badly.”

Mo dupe O Esu, for those words of wisdom. Even the Yoruba know that money came before child in order of importance to earth, and this is in the verses of Ifa. Without money, a child cannot be fed, clothed, there is no money to buy a bar of soap to wash the child, there is nothing one can do to raise that child to success without Money. The verse of Ifa is trying to show young couples that one must have money in place before embarking upon raising a family and I believe Esu in his manifested talks was also trying to show that as we get older, friendships can boil down to “who can you trust your money with”! Whoever that person is, they are your true friend…

May Olodumare, Ifa, Esu and the irunmole guide and protect each one of us in our day, May we all come together in peace and development of a better life here on Earth, Ase Ase Ase Amen O!

© 2016 by Farin da Silva, All Rights Reserved. Pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent amendments, codified as 17 U.S.C. §§ 101-810, the works contained within are protected by United States laws and by international treaties. This includes the literary and pictorial works created by Farin da Silva contained herein, as well as any other original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression. The unauthorized copying, distributing, displaying, or production of derivative works is strictly prohibited by Farin da Silva. Copyright infringement may subject you to civil liability of a minimum of $750 per infringement for statutory damages, as well as the costs incurred to enforce these rights. 17 U.S.C. § 504. A court may award up to $150,000 per infringement. This copyright holder takes copyright infringement seriously and does enforce their rights.

Posted on August 2, 2015January 20, 2020 by farinade — 2 Comments

THE ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

When people reach out to me for help, I am obligated to act to the best of my ability as an ambassadress of Ifa. I am responsible for my vision, words, guidance and actions, and I take that very seriously. I strive daily to lift up others, give counsel, guidance and I work for their alignment within the tradition of Ifa and the irunmole. After decades of dealing with the psychology and spiritual makeup of people from many parts of the world, I have come to learn some of the major stumbling blocks people have to reaching their true potential.

What is required of a person passing through difficulties is their openness and willingness to listen to the counsel of Ifa, act on it and put forth effort to understand, change or modify their own behavior, or, at the very minimum, to open their minds. At times I will have clients who truly do need and want help, but who are unwilling to look at their own hand inside their downfall, or, they are simply stubborn to change and “everyone else” is at fault for their predicament, or, they are what I call “troublemakers”.

Troublemakers enjoy their own perceived victim-hood or superiority over those around them who they deem below them in intelligence and/or attainment in life etc. Or they are troubled (hence become troublemakers) by evil spirits who influence them to make a mess of their life. The troublemakers put up a dramatic fuss, lie to themselves and also try to lie to me, which is a losing tack. This is not a winning mindset; not inside the Ifa tradition, nor in everyday life. We must be willing to quiet down, be receptive and open our minds to trying on new attitudes and perceptions, to step out of our routine habits and thinking and have faith.

To follow the path of Ifa and the irunmole, one must begin at the beginning: God first, Esu and Orunmila below, the irunmole, the elders and parents, then our self. I have commented in other blog posts about some of the challenges people face living in and being from a Western culture and society and recognizing this “spiritual order” energy. I am not saying that Western culture is “bad”, but there are some trends which are apparent that hold people back who are seeking help. One of the top issues is a lack of gratitude.

GRATITUDE: thankfulness, gratefulness, or appreciation is a feeling or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive.

There is a reason I seem to harp on this, and it is because I see a deep need for gratitude and humbleness in many people who are seeking the aid of Ifa. Too many times the tradition is approached as if it’s a type of candy shop, full of goodies and wonderful ego fulfilling things, that if one just hands over money and cries loud enough, that all one’s ills will be magically solved overnight. This will not happen without our own involvement, from the top of our head to the soles of our feet, both spiritually and physically. There are plenty of “miracle peddlers” willing to take people’s money and promise the world, but in the end, the person is left standing in the same place, with less money and with more problems. One must take stock of their situation with brutal honesty, and fan the inner flame of striving, seeking and development as a spiritual being–not just one of flesh and blood–cognizant that there is an afterlife and spiritual body, and that there are repercussions to words and actions taken here on earth.

So when I speak of gratitude in the context of life and following the path of Ifa, I am speaking of a key ingredient in ensuring that our offerings are accepted, that we will continue to reap the benefits of those offerings, and that the blessings we are yearning for shall come. I want to make a point very clear here: we can make our prescribed offerings, but if we slight, dismiss and ignore what we are handed, no matter how small, we run the risk of not only acting contrary to Ifa, Esu and the irunmole, but contrary to our very ori/destiny and life force–and worse–contrary to God.

A lack of gratitude walks hand in hand with a spiritually unaware, selfish, self centered, egotistical existence and mindset: a person who is short on wisdom and long on suffering. A person who lacks iwa pele – good character – and our character is worth more than gold. Gratitude is an attitude that frees our heart, that opens us up to the realm of the spiritual, that gives wings to not only our own life, but also ensures that the energy put into motion by sacrifice/offerings continues forward. The quickest way to cut our blessings short is to overlook and diminish our blessings. And number one of these blessings is the gift of life.

The greatest gift of all that we enjoy is the gift of life. Think about that for a few seconds. Now think a few more.

THE GREATEST GIFT OF LIFE IS THE GIFT OF LIFE ITSELF.

How many people wake up every day with no thought whatsoever for being given the opportunity to see another sunrise? But wait, you say, what if your circumstances are a living hell? What if you hate your job, spouse, dog, co-workers, your knees are giving out, you have cancer, your teenage son is heading for jail? Where there is life, there is hope, where there is hope, there is faith, where there is faith, there is a means for blessings to come to us. It is very simple really, but in the midst of the luxury of the Western world, some people wake to curse the day. They do not appreciate their bed or the fact they even have a place to lay their head, nor the fact they have nutritious food they can purchase or waiting in a chilled refrigerator for their breakfast. They curse and fuss because of a “bad hair day”, they don’t like the way a co-worker looked at them, they get angry driving in traffic, railing against small inconsequential details that are not to their liking. They overlook the blessings they have that so many other people in the world would almost kill to attain. That is ingratitude.

There is a very easy and simple formula and system to how the universe works inside of the Ifa tradition: the attitude of gratitude begets the arrival of happiness and blessings. When we have no gratitude for people who assist us, even in some small way, when we do not give thanks for our very life and the material comforts we have, how in heaven or on earth can we expect to be in sync with Ifa and the irunmole in order to live out and attain our destiny, achieve and manifest our highest abilities and be happy ? Ifa is not a one-way street with us on the receiving end just because we plunked down money for some offerings. Some people even downplay the signs of victory they are given because they want more, expect more, and are never satisfied or happy with anything. We must reciprocate every blessing we receive, no matter how small, with gratitude, thanks and appreciation. By not having an attitude of gratitude we contrary our own life and become our own worst enemy. Ifa will not continue to reward those who do not have humbleness and heartfelt thanks, or those who do not have the fortitude and patience, the determination to rise above their challenges. Ifa and the irunmole do not carry us, they give us a helping hand to pull us up to where we can see clearly, but we must walk our road. They can set us in the right direction and walk side by side with us, but we must give thanks and make our own effort, be cognizant that this life is not a given to be taken for granted. If we turn our back and turn up our noses at any small signs that Ifa is with us, has heard and answered our pleas, we run the risk of walking alone, stuck with our own negativity in a never-ending loop and abandoned by the irunmole. If we say we are followers of Ifa, than we had best think deeply on this.

An attitude of gratitude is like a fragrant rose blooming in our heart; it perfumes our life with sweetness and attracts our blessings. Starting today, right now, please, give thanks and focus on the things you want for your life, and not what you don’t want. Give thanks for every wonder and luxury you have been given, starting with your life.

Posted on August 2, 2015January 20, 2020 by farinade — 2 Comments

Eledumare, Ori, Orisa: The Puzzle of Ifa in Western Society

If you have not read any of my previous posts, my name is Iya Ekundayo. I was brought up in the Brazilian spiritual tradition of “Xango”, a diaspora offshoot of the Ifa tradition of the Yoruba people of Nigeria, and am a fully initiated Iyalorixa. I am also a Iyanifa, a priestess of Ifa of the same Yorubaland. My days are spent talking to people, divining with cowrie shells, pounding out soaps and medicines which are within the oral Ifa divination corpus, making offerings, writing emails with advice or just chatting keeping up, manifesting spirit or orisa into my body during consultations, and generally just living my life to best serve the people who come looking for advice and help. Some people know a bit about Ifa or orisa, some are initiated, some know nothing of the tradition and just need help.

Having lived in many different countries of the world and also still traveling and residing for periods of time inside of the US, I have come to note many marked differences in how different peoples inside different nations approach Ifa and this path of the orisa. This is the longest stretch that I have been in the US for some time and working with people here. I have made several observations and at times become a bit frustrated, even angry, at what is being put forth and touted as authentic “Ifa/orisa worship” in the US. But what frustrates and angers us also teaches us, and patience – “suuru” – is just as applicable when dealing with clients who “don’t get it”, as it is to waiting for a long prayed for blessing to finally arrive. It is my job to help the people “get it”. I can be quite outspoken in my opinions, but they come from experience and observation, and most importantly, come from the wisdom of Ifa, the orisa and spirit guides I have worked with for decades.

There are many and varied obstacles to achieving harmony in ones life on the path of Ifa and orisa out here in the US it seems, and I could probably address each one individually in long blog posts. But this past week I reached a sort of tipping point where all of these issues came together in a perfect storm of clients with their varied problems, attitudes, perceptions and needs.

There are two major issues to start with (and it’s hard to not name all of them at once, as major), the first being: Many people in the US do not bow down to Eledumare/God/Olorun/Olodumare. However you wish to name the Creator God, feel free, but there is a very apparent lack of understanding that:

WE ARE NOT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE, NOR DO WE CONTROL IT.

Of course I am not saying all people within the US present this, but yes, many. I see it over and over. I have come to the conclusion that many people have not been brought up in a home with a religious conviction or teaching, or, they have rejected the Christian model and are looking for all things “African”, yet somehow in their haste to embrace the “African” orisa, they have thrown God out of the equation.

Over the years I have tried to discover the root of this. I believe it is also partially due to not experiencing true lack, want and need. Most people are relatively well off in the US when compared to other nations like Nigeria and Brazil, actually, they are materially much better off. But until one has experienced fear and hunger in their belly, dealing also with day to day realities of perhaps washing clothes in a bucket, battling malaria, hustling to make ends meet and feed one’s self, many in the US don’t seem to see the need to pray to God or think much about God. And then there are the people who read books or articles online that parrot, “The Yoruba do not worship Eledumare”, that there are “no shrines to Eledumare/Olodumare/Olorun” to be found in Yorubaland. This is incorrect, and in no way, shape or form should one think that followers of Ifa do not put Eledumare front and center before all divination, all prayers, all sacrifice, and first thing in prayers of thanks upon waking. There is the English expression of putting “the fear of God” into someone, and there is some truth to that. Life in most places of the world is a tenuous existence, even protecting your life and arriving home safely is not a “given”, so I find that the mindset of people who live in countries with less stability and material comforts – such comforts as one finds in the US – is very cognizant of the place of God in their lives. Also, if it were not for the power of God, we would not be here, Orunmila would not have come as God’s emissary to give the Yoruba and the world the oral Ifa divination corpus, nor would there be orisa. All things come from God, but many people turn to, what is in their minds deemed, “the other God worship”, which is orisa, as if orisa are the “Gods” and the head and source of all, but I will come back to more of that subject later.

So, number one, people seem to believe that they hold the strings to life, that their desires, their wants and needs are paramount, that life revolves around their waking and sleeping, all else be damned, and the idea seems to be that the orisa are to be squeezed and manipulated, to be demanded from. The idea is that (in a very Western material fashion), ” I bought this ota of Oya online in a shop, I paid good money, now Oya is mine and works for me!” Well, that’s an interesting concept, but you do not “buy” otas willy nilly offered for sale with the click of a button online (unless from a charlatan), you do not order your knowledge, understanding and wisdom from an online market, and you do not “control” or “possess” orisa. An online purchased ota for sale outright in a shop (or any other “magical bean” purchased online), no correspondence/divination/sacrifice needed, has no ase, no power. Unless you are dealing with someone who is qualified, has the authority and true ase, does divination for you, finds you have a reason to pay for something involving Ifa/orisa and it is confirmed by Ifa, unless they make the proper blood sacrifices or any other sacrifices needed, you are being fleeced. And you also do not hand over money to unqualified (or qualified), “Babas and Iyas” whether in person or online, and then demand that you receive exactly what you asked for in your prayers, and most especially if you have no idea what you are doing and what the Ifa/orisa spiritual path is all about, and/or if you are not willing to look at your own fault in your current miseries/predicament. There are many moving parts to this problem: Lack of knowledge-a softer word for ignorance; a lack of respect and humbleness towards God; a lack of respect and humbleness towards authentic spiritual elders; rubbing shoulders and putting faith in people who are not qualified and authentic in Ifa and orisa worship; a completely wrong understanding of what Ifa is, what orisa do and don’t do, can or can’t do, and what the person’s own role and responsibility is in reaching harmony/resolution in their life. Which brings me to the second issue: not understanding Ori.

In the headlong rush to adore, worship, lavish money on orisa in a quest to find peace, power and happiness, many people do not understand that there is ONE orisa who is the KING of all orisa and is to be worshiped first: ORI. So what is ori? Ori is our destiny. Ori is our beacon and guiding light. Ah! So does that mean ori is outside of us? NO. Ori is within us. It is the guiding voice, the higher self, the spark of divinity that has within it the secret to our life and how it should unfold. There is an inner and outer ori. Think of it as two heads: One, the willful negative and “unenlightened” head, meaning us: our daily actions, thoughts, spoken words, the second and true head is our perfect and aligned with God ori/destiny, the one we are meant to pray to, sacrifice to, enrich, follow and merge with. It is an investment and alignment with our true self and path.

There is a type of schizophrenia in the US, in my opinion, where people have become so disjointed and cut off from God and their own ori, their own true self, that they have great difficulty in pulling together the threads of their life or even their thoughts in everyday life. They don’t realize that the key to their happiness lies within themselves. And it is important to understand the order of things. God first. And our ori is not “outside” of us in some kind of planetary orbit of orisa that seems to be circling just out of reach of the people, and that if they buy just “one more tool”, “one more initiation”, “one more sacrifice”, than somehow the orisa and a perfect life will be theirs. No. There is no orisa who can help you more than your own ori. Granted, it helps to be born in a culture and nation where you are aided in that knowledge, and the naming ceremony of a newborn baby (Akosejaye), is done by Ifa priests precisely to find out the odu/path/destiny of that child, make the necessary sacrifices, and point out the positive and negative aspects of their character and destiny, and which orisa are to be appeased throughout life. Ah HAH! Those orisa are the ones I need to appease! Yes, they need to be appeased and worshiped-by qualified and authentic Babalawo and Iyanifa- but if you do not first open your ori, open your head, align with your head, get your sight, follow the steps of proper Ifa initiation and then subsequent possible proper orisa initiation, you will be walking blindly, groping in the dark and burbling in tears in front of a home shrine (one you spent thousands of dollars to acquire, have no authority whatsoever to have, one that contains no “ase” or “authentic tools”), you will be crying to a Baba, an Iya, and never go from the stage of using training wheels, like learning to ride on a child’s bicycle, to one of mastering your direction in life and riding freely.

ORI is first and foremost, and each morning after giving thanks to Eledumare, one should hold their head in their hands, address their Ori, pray to be made small and humble so one can hear, pray so that your actions, voice, deeds that day will enable and be worthy of supporting and merging with your true destiny, to bring the inner and outer destiny into alignment. We can behave a certain way that is contrary to our ori, contrary to how we are to behave and conduct our life. Certainly, we are given this information from a (hopefully) trusted and qualified Babalawo at our initiation into Ifa, but what we DO with that information is up to us. You must humble yourself before God, be willing to do what you know is right and wrong, be striving to become more of a spiritual manifestation of divinity on earth. You can make all the initiations in the world, make all the ebo, etutu you want, spend all the money in your bank account, and it will not bring your good destiny into your hands if you do not align with your ori, do your work, straighten out your character, thoughts, words, actions and deeds.There is a seeming lack of will and fortitude in many people, where their minds race, they have no control over their self-negative chatter, and most importantly, they refuse to bow down, be thankful, make themselves small and go before God as a humble spiritual being, asking to be remade, reformed, asking to change their character into one of lack of ego, lack of violence, lack of negativity towards one’s self or others.

And many people make the mistake of initiation/crowning under an orisa before they have even received Ifa initiation. That is putting the cart before the horse. There are far too many opportunities for people in the US with curiosity about Ifa and orisa worship to be railroaded quickly into initiations, receiving “Warriors”, receiving “beads”. This is not how it is done. You must first have a good base understanding of what you are getting into. In Brazil, we spend years developing inside the ile-Ifa, attending sacrifices, “giras” where the orisa come down, developing as spiritual mediums who can be possessed by orisa and egun, and we bow down to not only the deities, but humble ourselves in love and respect for our Baba or Iya who are sheltering us in their nest! It is only after years of praying, using special preparations and baths, observing, learning, partaking, and developing as physical mediums for the orisa and spirit guides, that we take initiation. NO ONE HANDS YOU YOUR SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE-YOU LIVE IT AND EARN IT!

Somehow the idea of initiation has become like a “diploma mill” in the US, and sometimes in Nigeria, where hungry people are facing American dollars being offered. There will always be someone willing to take your money, unless they are the real deal. There is an order to learning and spiritual growth, and it is just too common to see people being initiated left and right, only to then think they have somehow received the “right” to open up shop, set up their own shrine, buy some cowries or ikin Ifa to divine with, and start playing the game of marketing. It is a very sad reality, very wrong, and makes a mockery of the tradition. It is only the Ifa priesthood who can pave the way for your future initiations into orisa worship (if you want to TRULY follow the authentic IFA root tradition), not the other way around, and don’t even think that because one has received a hand of Ifa, that you are now a fully fledged priest of Ifa! You must be ready for initiation when Orunmila says you are meant to, and you must trust the mouthpiece. You must make your way to the gateway through your own humble spiritual striving-not because some priest conveniently says you “need” initiation when they have a large bill coming due, and not because you yourself are in a mad quest for “power” or inflation of ego.

I have seen over and over where people have been “crowned” with orisa ahead of Ifa/Orunmila-sometimes in the diaspora, sometimes in Nigeria- and been crowned incorrectly, with very bad consequences for the person’s life. This is what can happen when YOU DO NOT TAKE CARE WITH YOUR ORI. Be very careful who you listen to, allow to initiate you, allow to touch your head and life. ASK YOUR ORI FIRST. Your inner ori knows many things which your busy and under-developed outer “you” does not know! It is the small voice inside, the pit in the stomach, the hunch, the inner self that knows right from wrong, good from bad. The trick is to listen, pay attention, bolster your ori, align with your ori, call on your ori to guide you. Do not entertain negative thoughts/self hatred of your life or of others lives. Do not speak negative things/self hatred of your life or others lives. You must keep your mind together and strong-not divided. You can ruin and destroy your own life much better than any enemy can, and the power is all there in your ori to guide and bless you.

There are plenty of people looking to make money off the ignorant and star struck: those who are more than willing to enter orisa worship without understanding that the doorway is the IGBODU OF IFA. You enter through Ifa initiation, whether as a baby or as an adult, but the correct order is Ifa first, learn your orisa influences, and then seek out orisa initiation. To not do so is possibly courting disaster. This is not to take away from the priests and priestesses in the diaspora who have no true knowledge of Ifa, but who have carried on as their ancestors did solely within orisa worship and that of eguns; the ones who are truly gifted and capable of divining and seeing what is what. But the truth is the truth, and the diaspora traditions that use any Yoruba orisa name-their origin is IFA. Think about that. And choose wisely where to put your trust in Ifa priests and priestesses in the US, or anywhere.

So, we have a lack of acknowledgement/reverence/respect towards God. We have a lack of knowledge of Ori. We have a lack of respect towards true spiritual elders. We have multiples of websites, foundations, organizations, ile Ifa, centros, botanicas, tiendas, Ifa Babas and Iyas, all kinds of New Age diviners, half breeds and cross pollination people claiming – with NO authority or standing in Ifa – that they can “infuse” a statue/ota/shell/etc., etc., etc., bought online, with ase/sacred energy for the client to “invoke” orisa or egun, simply by “bathing” it with certain herbs etc.,. Rubbish.

If one is not dealing with a fully initiated priest or priestess from a country where the root religion is practiced or at least with having spent years in learning with correct authentic elders from those countries, in good standing, with sound mind and motives, a seeking person is courting danger, courting a fleecing of the pocket, and worse.

There are some simple items which can be purchased online without consulting and working with a true Babalawo or Iyanifa, as long as they are not meant to represent authentic initiation into or the ability to “invoke” or “use” an orisa or spirit guide. A true representative of Ifa will guide you, help you understand how you can (and need), to help yourself, will make your needed sacrifices along the way until it (possibly) is divined that you need to enter the Igbodu or be initiated under an orisa for any reason (and not everyone is called to be initiated), but, they will not do the work that you and only you are meant to do: with your own head and prayers, your own hands, your own two legs.

What I see all too often as the motivation for seeking out Ifa/orisa is a hunger for power or a fascination with something “new”, “ethnic”, “different”. A hunger for money and material things. A hunger for puffing up of the ego, with no respect for the tradition, no respect for the true elders of the tradition, no practice or even knowledge of authentic tradition, no willingness to make ones self small and pay the dues one must pay in order to learn what orisa is, what Ifa is, or even the role of spirit guides. And it is simply amazing to me what many people in the US are marketing and getting rich off of-meeting these power hungry needs- when they themselves have no authentic knowledge, are basically charlatans, and they get away with it because the majority of people here are simply ignorant of the facts.

There is the need for the quick fix, and people in the US have the power and custom of acquisition of goods to “better” their life-instantly. They treat spiritual issues the same way. They believe with a click of the mouse and a credit card that they can avail themselves of the world of orisa, of Ifa, or whichever tradition is being marketed. On the one hand, it is not their fault, not knowing any better, but again, you must treat your precious life as gold, it is your future, your destiny, your money that you are entrusting and putting into the hands of others. And frankly, many people have no business getting involved with the Ifa tradition nor the offshoots in the diaspora. Whether it is because they enter for all the wrong reasons, or they enter and have come away bitter, spiritually broken, financially drained, some even raped, taken advantage of, and it is suffered at the hands of unscrupulous supposed Ifa and orisa “elders” and “leaders” who will market even their own mother if it means making a dollar. USE YOUR HEAD IN DISCERNING WHAT YOU ARE SEEING WITH YOUR EYES AND HEARING WITH YOUR EARS.

I have said it before in other places and will say it again here: Do not hand over your money to people simply because they have a “title”, have a following, have charisma, have a large “foundation”. Run, and don’t look back, if a so-called “priest” says that you must give sexual favors to them. Run, if they divine and say,”Ifa says, Orisa says” that you must do something which will cut into your savings, deeply, beyond comfort, that you must do a work which will harm another or yourself, that in any way will reduce you or put you in a position of lack or possible bodily harm, or if they demand that you stay up all hours of the night in “rituals” (outside of an authentic Ifa initiation which takes several days, with authentic and trusted Babalawo and Iyanifa). And conversely, don’t seek out Ifa/orisa if you are not willing to HUMBLE YOURSELF DOWN IN FRONT OF GOD, ESU, THE IRUNMOLE/ORISA AND YOUR ELDERS!

And now we come to orisa. The trend in the US seems to be that either the person becomes a slave to orisa (over-ritualized and long ceremonies with no basis in Ifa or true orisa root tradition, $$$$$$ needed for unneeded offerings/rituals, clothing, implements that have no purpose or reason in true Ifa etc., etc.,) or, that some people view orisa as nothing more than Gods to be manipulated, whined at, cried to, demanded from, exactly when they need them and how they need them, for whatever whim they have on earth. Which brings us back to the point of no respect for God, no respect for Ori, no respect for the tradition, and no understanding of the spiritual nature required of us to fulfill our part of the bargain.

The orisa are not a vending machine; they are not some kind of cosmic ATM machine where one can withdraw material goods and needs at will and as one pleases. The orisa are not meant to be “sent” to “destroy” people just because one doesn’t “like them”. The worst, most petty and ugliest nature inside humans comes out when the issue is power- how they can get it, how they can keep it and how they can use it for their own gain and against others. And jealousy of those who have true power, jealousy of those who are doing their work and progressing, jealousy and simple lack of good character is exhibited by many people who yearn to “control” orisa, “command” a shrine, yet they cannot even take the first step and stand naked and transparent before God and admit their bad character and being, in order to grow in spiritual understanding.

The orisa deities are not “Gods” in the sense of the Creator God Eledumare, though they are frequently called that. And this is where people who are not familiar with the Yoruba spiritual cosmology can go astray thinking that the orisa are the end all and be all, little gods in their own right. No. Orisa are under God. And for every good side and trait of orisa there is a corresponding negative, and as human beings we are meant to look within and see how best we can align ourselves with the positive traits, be calling the positive into our lives, with sound reasons and motives, and heeding the examples of the negative traits shown by the odu verses narrating the lives of orisa, and avoiding those. Orisa is not going to hold you up as you whine and puff about your horrible life (when it has come partially or fully through your own hand), though they do support at times when one is completely spent and weak (but transparent, honest and willing), but I am talking of taking responsibility for ones life. You can make ebo after ebo to orisa, but if you continue to do things which are against your birth odu taboos, or simply just full of bad character, you will not get far in life nor in your understanding of life. You will not reach the cherished and lofty goal of becoming a revered ancestor; an example that your children and children’s children would be proud of. If you cheat others, lie, steal, back stab, gossip, speak negatively to yourself or others, create trouble, break both spiritual and man’s laws, you can make all the ebo you want to try and “fix” things, but your character and bad actions will catch up to you, and you have missed the point entirely of being involved in the tradition. It is not about power, not about acquiring wealth at all costs, not about rising up above others in a peacock fashion, not about getting the money for a new car simply because you want it-not that you need it. You do your work. You go within, you humble down. You work with your ori, with your thoughts, actions, you wake up and pray, you make your offerings and prayers to orisa that they become your right hand in all you do. You ask that while you move your legs down the path, that they make sure to keep those legs in the correct stride and on the right path. When you are moving forward with Eledumare above, your inner and outer ori working in tandem, Esu below Eledumare, Ifa as the guiding eyes, and orisa as the energies which can each assist in bringing us what we specifically truly need, AND is part of our destiny, then we are right with Heaven and Earth.

Sometimes what one “needs” is to face difficulty, take a good look at it, experience it, look within, summon our inner strength and innate guidance, and GO TO WORK ON THE PROBLEM! Perhaps divination and an ebo is needed, as that is part of the functioning tradition, but one does not sit back, reluctantly put money down for the Baba or Iya to perform a “miracle” through Ifa (though we can and do), and then expect that everything is going to be blue skies, milk and honey, while one continues down the same incorrect path, not heeding the words of Ifa, not heeding the advice of the Babas and Iyas, not changing one’s own rotten, selfish, puffed up egotistical self centered importance, one’s stubborn and ignorant ways of carrying on as a little human god.

We do not sit back and wait for orisa to help us as if we are helpless spoiled infants. No! We are spiritual beings, we are meant to grow and learn in life. Each hardship creates an opportunity to overcome, learn and attain wisdom. With time and adjustments to our character and habits, we become stable, enlightened, life’s trials are seen for what they are-temporary roadblocks that can be removed or avoided and gone around. Once we understand our true position in the order of the spiritual universe, we enter the stream of life and consciousness where happiness comes, peace comes, even in the midst of temporary trouble. We become more and more like orisa in action, and that is the puzzle and riddle of Ifa.

Posted on September 9, 2014January 20, 2020 by farinade — Leave a comment

The Odd Pairing of Esu and Joan Rivers

I am always fond of saying that I learn something new in orisa everyday and this week was no exception. For those of you not familiar with me, I work as a Iyanifa and Iyalorisa priestess, a cowrie shell diviner, a maker of Ifa medicines using plants and leaves and also as a physical medium of spirit and orisa. A large part of my work is attending to clients who come to sit “face to face” with a spirit guide, or, most often, Esu, the “most human” of all orisa, for a one on one about their life and all things under the sun. At times the sessions are gut wrenching and tearjerkers, other times the people are almost rolling on the floor with laughter; with Esu, especially, one never knows what is going to occur.

This week a client came to me (and they have approved my sharing of small parts of their story), beset with troubles; they wanted to talk with Esu.

It was a hot night, a restless wind swirling outside. Esu arrived quickly with his usual commanding energy and presence, cackling and cracking a joke to those present. Always the Master of Ceremonies, he settled in to get to the subject matter at hand.

The client.

As she had talked to Esu before, the approach was direct. Sometimes Esu comes in slow and from a side angle, circling in until he gets to the core nut each person has protected, or is not even aware of protecting, but in this case she laid it all on the table. A middle-aged woman, no debt, no children, paid off house, good income, but nothing was going right. All was dark and dismal, roads blocked, marriage troubles, frustration, anger and sleepless nights waking up at 3 a.m. to worry ’til dawn.

Okay. Anyone who knows a bit about the Ifa and orisa tradition would say:

“Esu will say they need to make sacrifice!”

“He will say, go to Ogun to open your road”.

“He will say, let’s take a look if someone (Iyami, enemies etc.), has done something against you”.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Here I must insert that I have a helper at my side, a patient soul who’s game for late night sessions and orders barked at 1 a.m. by spiritual powers who can be-let’s just say-adamant, about what needs to be done. They act as a go between for cultural reference or choosing the proper word in English Esu is searching for.

After her litany of complaints-Esu listening quite interested the whole time-began his conversation with her:

“So, with all the hubbub in the world, the one unchanging thing that everyone has within their reach are their thoughts and their attitudes. A winner remains a winner until the end. You see, you cannot say: “Last week I was a winner but this week I’m not.” You have to say: “I’m always a winner, always a believer.” Like that lady that passed away today, she was a winner.”

Looks exchanged between the client and helper.

Client: “I don’t understand.”

Helper: “Esu, which lady do you mean?”

Esu: (waving arms) “You know, that funny one.”

Helper: “Funny one….”

Client: “Joan?”

In unison: “Ohhhhhh! You mean Joan Rivers!”

Esu: “Yes, Yes, her! She was a winner! Why? Because of her attitude. And she kept her attitude up when others would have withdrawn from society. People could say “Well, she had money, she kept herself looking good.” That wasn’t it, it was her drive and her ability to look ahead and know, “I’m going to overcome this one way or the other!”

A winner pushes right up until death comes. You either give up before your time and live a self imposed type of death, or you keep pushing. That’s what you do.“

The session continued on going into other areas, but after it was over I was curious as to why Esu had singled out Joan Rivers as an example to be held up during a session. This was quite possibly one of the strangest pairings (Esu speaking of Joan Rivers) to date.

I know he was pushing for us to understand that ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING, and that if we say we have FAITH, than we must put that into action, unfailingly, and if the chips are down WE MUST ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT WE ARE A WINNER, no matter what, but what was this odd pairing of Esu on a moonlit night bringing up the name of Joan Rivers in my Ile-Ifa, my shrine? I did a little internet research and came away with a profound respect for this remarkable woman.

She was born to Russian-Jewish immigrants as Joan Alexandra Molinsky in 1933, raised in New York, and listened to the constant bickering of her parents fighting about money, though they were “comfortable”. She was pudgy, in her own words, and the ugly duckling in comparison to her older more beautiful sister. She was terrified of poverty-and failure:

“I could not endure the reality that I might end up Joan Molinsky, an unattractive, nondescript little Jewish girl, run-of-the-mill, who might just as well have stayed in Brooklyn and married a druggist and had a normal life. I had come from normal life, from real life, and nobody there had been happy”, she said in her 1986 autobiography, “Enter Talking.”

She went to college, acted in plays and bit parts in the movies, worked at upscale department stores, but her attempts at leading a “normal” life as her parents wished, did not go well. Her first marriage lasted only 6 months. Penniless, she changed her name to Joan Rivers and hit the nightclubs of Greenwich Village to do standup comedy, much to the horror of her parents. Comedy at that time was an all-male bastion and she suffered greatly, hitting a low playing at a strip club in Boston:

“Even sobbing in the filthy shower in Boston, telling myself, ‘I’m not going to do this anymore, I’m not going to do it anymore,’ I had known I would keep on going, no matter what. My parents were not going to defeat me.”

Jan Wallman, who booked the Duplex club in New York, recalled Rivers hauling around a clunky tape recorder to record her routine for later self-evaluation.

“She’d come in the next night with the material refined just perfectly, until she’d make it even better the next night,” Wallman said in an interview on the Cabaret Exchange site.

“I never knew anybody who worked that hard.”

Fast forward to years of success with Johnny Carson and then a heart crushing blow as their personal and professional friendship came to a complete end after she left his show to host her own comedy talk show. He hung up on her twice and they never spoke again. Her new show failed. She was blackballed. She could not get work.

After 22 years of marriage (in which her only child Melissa was born), her husband committed suicide on August 14th, 1987, which Joan blamed on the stress and heartbreak of what had happened with Carson, NBC and the Fox show fiasco. During this difficult time her daughter did not speak to her for almost a year as they both struggled with their pain. Joan always wanted to have a big family but several miscarriages ended those dreams and it was at the low point of her husband’s suicide that she considered killing herself. What kept her from carrying it out was knowing that her daughter would be alone in the world with no family with no one to care for her. So what did she do? She fought back to “climb out of the well” and went to work.

She came back for a 5 year stint on the “Joan Rivers Show” and continued on to win an Emmy award, star in Celebrity Apprentice, create a jewelry line for QVC and host various other shows such as E! Fashion Police. She never gave up. In her documentary “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work”, which was warmly welcomed at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, she was discussing her anxiety over getting older and staying culturally relevant. She pointed to her empty calendar and exclaimed:

“I’ll show you fear. That’s fear.”

She fought her childhood demons. She went against the dictates of her time and broke into an all-male enclave of comedy. She stayed true to her self. She cried alone in strip club bathrooms after stand up sets where she needed that money to live off of. She lost longed for children to miscarriages, she lost the love of her life, a man she was married to for 22 years, to suicide, and she contemplated following him in the same manner. She lost her best friend in show biz and was snubbed and blackballed in the industry. She overcame all, but at the peak of her 81 years she left us much too soon, but she left behind such a shining example of human spirit that even Esu, yes, the Yoruba orisa deity we call Esu, found her life worthy of use as an illustration of what to strive for:

“A winner pushes right up until death comes. You either give up before your time and live a self imposed type of death, or you keep pushing. That’s what you do.”

Mo dupe o Esu, thank you Joan, may you rest in perfect peace, Ase o!

© 2016 by Farin da Silva, All Rights Reserved. Pursuant to the Copyright Act of 1976 and subsequent amendments, codified as 17 U.S.C. §§ 101-810, the works contained within are protected by United States laws and by international treaties. This includes the literary and pictorial works created by Farin da Silva contained herein, as well as any other original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression. The unauthorized copying, distributing, displaying, or production of derivative works is strictly prohibited by Farin da Silva. Copyright infringement may subject you to civil liability of a minimum of $750 per infringement for statutory damages, as well as the costs incurred to enforce these rights. 17 U.S.C. § 504. A court may award up to $150,000 per infringement. This copyright holder takes copyright infringement seriously and does enforce their rights.

Posted on March 12, 2014January 20, 2020 by farinade — 2 Comments

Of Negative Thinking and the Leopard’s Spots

Not so long ago I was contacted over the internet by a client who requested a session with Esu to deal with a serious problem in his marriage. As he would not be able to attend in person I have my helper set up a laptop inside my shrine, ready to take down dictation as Esu settles into the business at hand.

After about 9 long pages of advice, all relative to the situation both spiritually and materially, Esu began to speak of the differences between humans and animals, specifically to the pitfalls of humans having a brain such as we do, and of not knowing how to “use it correctly”. I’ll try to write what was spoken here as this conversation was not recorded.

He began by saying that it is only humans who indulge themselves in negative thinking, to their detriment. And that God created all animals, all living things on earth, with the means to survive and procreate, enjoy their lives.

The Animal Kingdom is an eat or be eaten type of world for most creatures, but God, in his wisdom, gave to each a special feature to help them in their daily struggle for survival. God gave many creatures wide set eyes that can see in a range unknown to humans, enabling them to see predators not only from the front, but also the sides and from behind. Poor humans are very limited in their range of sight. Many animals have ears that can swivel forwards and backwards so they can pick up the slightest rustle of movement from all directions. Best of all, they were given wonderful camouflage to blend in with the grasses, trees, the landscape of their environment. Birds who must hunt or be hunted in snowy areas have white feathers, zebras have stripes which mimic shadows and light, different type of gazelle have coats the color of the Savannah grasses, the lions coat and mane mimic the grass and the leopards are dappled with shadows and light. So, back to the humans. While the animals are at relative ease in their environment, Man is not. Can you imagine what life would be like if an animal were to allow himself to be beset by negative thinking?

“Oh! I am surely going to be eaten if I make my way to the watering hole!” “I am not feeling lucky today, I had better not go eat the fresh budded flowers with the others!”, “I just know that Leopard is waiting for me over by the baobab tree!”, and so on and so forth.

They would die of starvation; they would die of thirst if God had given them minds that could behave like a human mind. All of the animals put down their differences when it comes to thirst. Is it risky? Yes. But in order to survive they cannot have overwhelming fear. Man also needs to survive and if he puts his thoughts, speech, and actions to the negative side and he has an unhappy day/life-whose fault is that? If Man always believes the worst is coming, and it does, because he has not put his mind to building positive in his life-whose fault is that? What we put our minds to is what we see, attract and become. Negativity breeds unhappiness and more negativity. So what is it that God gave to humans, much like he gave to the Animal Kingdom? Surely God did not equip animals to survive better than humans? Well, number one of course is we have a rational thinking brain, while our undoing, it is also our strength. But the worst problem Man faces today is that for a huge majority of people on earth, their parents and ancestors did not pass down spiritual truths to live by. We are not talking here of religious ideology of man, of rote ritual, but concrete basic truths to live by and thrive. Being positive or negative works independently of being a Catholic, a Hindu, etc.

The basis of happiness is to not limit your Self and your life by visualizing all of the reasons why something will fail, why you cannot, will not be able to, don’t have the means, are not equipped, and a million other excuses. Our success rests squarely on our own shoulders, and though God did not give us spots like the Leopard, he did give us His divine spark which we carry inside that can illuminate our minds and life if we do not allow the darkness of negative thinking to cast a shadow on our inner flame. Now go outside and roar!

Posted on March 12, 2014January 20, 2020 by farinade — 19 Comments

Wake Up Your Life with Prayer

Prayer is an often forgotten ally in our modern world, even for traditionalists who call themselves orisa worshipers or followers. Certainly we all pray when ebo is being made, when we are bowed standing or on our knees in a shrine, but what about when we first wake in the morning? How many people can honestly say they pray, or even know how to pray? While this is easy for those who are initiated into Ifa, if one is not initiated into Ifa with a hand of ikin (the sacred palm nuts of divination which represent Orunmila), then what exactly is one supposed to pray to?

I was brought up in the “Xango” tradition in NE Brazil, and while we had orisa and our own personal spiritual guides we worked with and prayed to, we were never taught certain things that were lost over the centuries of slave trade from West Africa. Though my Mae de Santo’s Ile-Ifa had a Yoruba title and orisa, we were missing many basic Yoruba practices which bring about a healthy psychology and life.

In brasil we were taught to bow at the doorway of the shrine in greeting and recite the xire of the orisa while pressing our palms of each hand firmly on the front, back and sides of the head, to gather the energy up with our hands and press it to our head but there was never any talk of how to care for our ori (our divine spiritual self/destiny/life path), though we used the term “ibori” when speaking of feeding the head of an initiate when entering the realm of orisa through initiation and blood offerings.

The laws of attraction are that what you put your thoughts, your mind to, and what you speak, becomes who and what you are and live. Ofo is the power of spoken command, backed by Ase or spiritual force, spiritual energy, but how does one achieve that type of ofo, that power, to transform their own life? How does one turn around a life that seems without hope or direction? I believe WE are responsible for what comes out of us, more so than any prayer to orisa to come enter our life and “save” us.

Firstly, we hold within us, all of us, our divine inner self, our spiritual double which knows exactly what is best for us, and that divine self is called ori and is situated in our head, is our spiritual head. The Yoruba believe also that the big toe is a type of head of the body, and for this reason it is anointed with offerings when we make any ebo, especially an offering to our ori: an ibori.

So, interestingly enough, getting cut off from one’s ori can also mean that one is lost in life, not sure of their direction, like having a wonderful sailing ship full of food and water, riches, but not having the sail raised nor the understanding of how to raise that sail in order to maneuver the ship. Do you know the expression “he/she can’t see beyond their own nose” ? That is similar to a person who is lost, is seemingly “living” in their head and not seeing the bigger picture, stuck in their head where so-called thinking goes on, but at the same time they are completely lost, not knowing that their divine head has been there all along, but has just not been awakened, not recognized, not called into power and use! But while life would seem a bed of roses if we all chose “good heads”, some of us are born with some inner flaws, perhaps a hot temper, perhaps a tendency to be negative, perhaps with a desire to just “do bad” or going through tough times and not able to stop the loop of negative and self fulfilling thoughts. These are problems and issues that Ifa can address, that worshiping our ori can aide, but for some people, going against the negative they were born with can be a tough march through thick grass. We must gather everything within our power to awaken and reinforce the positive.

The Ifa divination oral corpus makes no mistake about it; our ori IS the most important orisa amongst all the orisa who can help us!

“kosi orisa ti danigbe lehin ori eni, ori pela atetegbenikosa”
“there is no orisa that guides one without his/her ori, it is our ori that leads us to orisa”

The Yoruba believe that the ori is actually a type of orisa, a divinity that is to be respected and paid respects to. In actuality it is our own divinity that is being honored, and having chosen our destiny before birth, the best outcome for us is to align ourselves with the universe in order to fulfill this destiny. When things are not going right in our life we must look at ourselves and see where we perhaps have been maltreating others before we point the finger, and more importantly, where we have perhaps strayed from honoring and acting from our innermost divine ori’s Truth. We only hurt our Self when we do not love, nurture and support our inner and outer Divine Self, our ORI. Offerings to the ori (ibori), are done to bring about peace and equilibrium in your spiritual world; harmony between the inner and outer cosmos.

If I have money

it is my Ori I will praise

My Ori, it is you

If I have children on earth

it is my Ori to whom I will give praise

My Ori, it is you

All the Good things that I have on earth

It is Ori I will praise

My Ori, it is you

The head, or ori, to the Yoruba is believed to hold the seat of ASE, divine power or universal intelligence. Ase is the emanating power that determines our identity and existence, influencing our behavior and personal destiny. The head is seen as the Lord of the body and therefore must be acknowledged and propitiated with offerings to ensure a smooth life. Many personal shrines in Yorubaland in Nigeria contain a relic to the owner’s ori that is worshiped and fed. The physical head is viewed as nothing more than an enclosure for the inner spiritual head called ori inu, which localizes the Ase that empowers the physical self. Although Ase emanates from the Supreme Force or being of Olodumare, this Ase is mediated by Esu, the Divine Messenger.

Reasons to make offerings to our own ori can vary from small offerings to our own ori to bigger ebos dictated by another orisa through divination by a priest or priestess; offerings are useful during periods of spiritual stress, mental stress coming from problems in the personal life; a need to make an offering to our spiritual ori in the realm of heaven (this spiritual ori is our mirror self which knows the destiny we have chosen before birth). The Ifa priest or priestess can use the cowrie shells, opele or cast Ifa using the divine palm nuts to discover which orisa is calling for the need to bring harmony between the inner and outer ori.

First thing in the morning it is good to give thanks for everything positive you are receiving that day upon awakening. I like to pray first to God/Olodumare and give thanks for everything I have, for all. If you are more comfortable using another word for the heavenly creator, that is great, as long as we pray, we are opening ourselves to the divine and for divine alignment and harmony.

Yoruba tradition holds that we should rinse our mouths out, and also the arms and legs as a minimum before praying to God. I understand the desire to cleanse ourselves before the most Holy of Creators, but I also can’t help but think that some of this was adapted from Muslim ideology. Regardless, and this is my opinion and mine only, if you are in a state of mind of discomfort/depression, if your living situation does not easily allow for rising and taking a shower first thing, if you are simply not motivated to do so, then don’t. It is better to simply lay in bed first thing upon awakening and pray, than to start heaping more self hatred upon yourself for not being able or wanting to follow another “spiritual rule”. There are people who are severely depressed in the world, looking for help and answers, and if you are one them, please, open your eyes from sleep and I want you to bring your thoughts first thing to ALL OF THE POSITIVE ASPECTS OF YOUR LIFE, whether you believe you are in permanent misery or not, I want you to try this for a week and you will find that hope is alive, there is a way out, let your ori lead you! If you slept well, give thanks for that. If you have the use of your arms, limbs, legs, hands, eyes, ears, give thanks for that. If you are one of the lucky ones with food for breakfast, give thanks for that. Start with what you have and praise God for that blessing. Say:

“Olodumare/God/Heavenly Father…

It is I,__________(state your name)

the daughter/son of,_____(state your mother’s name).

As I take my place in your world today,

I ask that I be given the opportunity to send and to receive divine Ase (power backed by Divine wisdom).

I ask that I be worthy of doing your work,

protect me and my loved ones as we live our day today,

…etc….make your prayers for your life and your family etc, for particular petitions… and close with

Amen/Ase o”

Next put your hands on your head, palm on forehead and other palm securing the back of your head and call out:

“Ori! Ori! Ori!

You are the first and the foremost!

You are the King and the head!

There is no orisa more powerful than you, my Ori,

Without ones’ ori, no one can go anywhere,

The fish in the stream use their head to find their way,

The animals in the bush use their head to find their path,

My Ori, it is I ,_________(state your name)

the daughter/son of , _____________(state your mother’s name),

who received the odu of,_______(state your birth odu if you know it),

who is calling on you now,

Please come and hear my pleas,

Guide me to the people, places and things that will help me and further my life, (here you can ask for everything you need, explain that you desire to be open),

Help me my ori, guide me well this day,

Ase Ase Ase O/Amen Amen Amen!”

Make your prayers for the day and tell your ori what it is that you need and desire for immediate help, what has happened to you in your life. When times are tough we sometimes cannot count on others, but we can most certainly count on our own ORI, our divine inner self that God gave us to lead us to the good things we need in life to be happy. I always say, “If we are not for ourselves, than who will be? If we do not love ourselves, than who will love us? A house divided cannot stand.” So be good to your SELF, LOVE your SELF, take CARE of your SELF and start on the path to happiness.

Life success is not measured by having everything work out perfectly. That is impossible. There will always be positive and negative things that happen to us, but we can minimize or avoid completely many of the negative by using our ORI to lead us in the right direction and choices, by forming our character, our positive actions/reactions, by counting to 10 before speaking/acting in haste,and by using our POSITIVE ATTITUDE to minimize the harm any negative circumstance might do to us.

We guide our ori as much as it guides us. We don’t want the negative parts of our “destiny” we were born with to override our inner head which knows what is best for us, and we don’t want a hot head to ruin our destiny which might be very good, by making bad choices, speaking things which create conflict or close doors for us. Having a healthy ori, a good head, is very important, and most people who suffer, suffer because their ori is out of alignment. They are not behaving in a way which harmonizes the outer and inner destiny. A lot of people lack self control, and it can be hard to change ingrained patterns and habits. It takes prayer and will power to overcome a “bad ori”, but it can be done. Even with mental illness, there are ways to apply ewe oogun /Ifa medicine, and prayer, to bring about change, but the person must also participate and work consciously on themselves, make an effort.

In the odu of Ofun Otua, there is a verse which relates the story of a simple man who was so poor that he had only one sheep. And each day he would walk with this sheep to his farm and tether the sheep to graze while he weeded his crops. The odu begins by speaking in the parable:

“If the eye did not see difficulties like one being bound by tight ropes;

It may not see things as shining as brass”

The parable continues that one day the sheep spoke up wearily that even she could no longer tolerate such wretched poverty. To make a long story short, the amazed farmer immediately went to the King to announce that his sheep had spoken. Of course the King did not believe this and said if he were to hear the sheep speak he would give the farmer half of his kingdom. Naturally the sheep did not speak upon command, even with the pleas of her simple owner, but just stared back at him stupidly. Several days went by like this til the King ordered the death of the farmer for making such a ruse and causing commotion. The henchmen began to torture the farmer and he pleaded for his life. At the last second the sheep spoke saying “Do not kill him!”. The farmer’s life was spared and the King was aghast that he had almost taken an innocent man’s life. The farmer asked the sheep why she had taken so long to speak, imperiling his life and she explained that the King would not have kept his promise and be moved to give half of his riches had she spoken immediately the first day. She had thus secured the King’s promise to share half his wealth with the poverty stricken farmer.

So we learn from Ofun Otua that even poverty has its lessons, that there are times in life when we can feel we are bound and tied, in absolute poverty and misery, but that our riches are coming and we must pass through these times with the faith that our good things are coming. Ifa speaks in parables, and Ifa speaks the truth, our good things are coming. We must keep our heads up, our mouths speaking truth, we must follow our good sense and ori to bring about our positive victory in life!

One of the hardest times in my life was when I was suffering after a terrible car accident. It had not been my fault. A man who was emotionally distraught and going through a divorce had tried to commit suicide (I believe) by running a red light while speeding through an intersection long after the light had already turned green to proceed. My car was T-boned and spun in a complete circle. I blacked out hitting my head on the window. My life changed for the worse for at least 4 years after that. Everything was difficult. I walked with a limp, I had no use in my left arm, I could not do even the simplest of things such as brush my hair or take care of the house, I could barely walk or carry a simple bag of groceries, and worse, my pelvis had been damaged inside so that I could not share in a normal happy marriage between husband and wife. But the worst was that I was being drug over the coals by the insurance company of the man who had hit me and who was at fault. I hired a lawyer to try to secure a settlement to pay for the mounting piles of bills not covered by my own insurance. We tried out of court settlements; I had audiences with judges, lawyers, it was terrible. Doctors failed me, judges failed me, the insurance companies failed me. I leaned upon my rock, Esu, and one day while manifested in me he passed a message which I clung to until I had my day in court and a unanimous 12 person jury victory in my favor. Esu said:

“When you allow man’s decisions to touch you, you have given away your God-given power, You have to say: “I don’t recognize man as my maker or my keeper, therefore, I do not respond to him.” Have faith in God and you will be rewarded.”

ASE ASE ASE O ESU! It took me many more years to recover but with the help of capable hands of specialists in brasil and much effort on my part, today I do not walk with a limp and have recovered with very little pain and trouble. So please, take heart, and remember we all have our battles and struggles, but help is here for us if we open up and reach out in faith and prayer. With Ifa all things are possible, Ase o!