| Farinade Olokun

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 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!

Posted on March 11, 2014January 20, 2020 by farinade — 12 Comments

The Importance of Prayer and Ori

God/Olodumare is Supreme

For followers of Ifa, known as elesin ibile, prayer is a daily practice. When one understands their place in the Universe along with all the irunmole, it is only natural (or with a little practice), to give thanks for everything one has, no matter how small. Our heavenly Father Olodumare has given us the gift of life along with this magnificent planet we live on. I like to start each day praying to God, starting with giving thanks for everything I have in detail, adding prayers for loved ones, and stating: “As I take my place in your world today, I ask that I be given the ability to send and receive Divine Ase.” This is because I know that everything I do is only because of the Power of God who animates my life and who gives me breath. I owe everything I have to Olodumare.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYING TO ONES ORI
In my work as a priestess I encounter many people who are passing through difficult times, so as a basic foundation I try to instill the practice of daily prayer by my clients as a means of stabilizing the mind and generating positive thoughts, words and actions that will see the person through their day. Over time, changes do occur as the benefits of prayer, the spoken word, bring harmony. Prayer focuses and harmonizes one with their place in the Universe, God’s realm and prepares one to receive blessings.

Principle to this is our ori. Our ori is what is translated as the head, or higher self. Each person is born with an ori that guides them. Much like a bird that instinctively knows the migratory routes it must fly to reach food and their nesting grounds to lay eggs and continue the circle of life, so does our ori know what is best for us. We have both an inner ori and an outer ori. Within our own personal Odu, or road/path/destiny of life, we have innate tendencies to think or behave in certain ways. These can be both positive and negative. This is why we ask when praying to our ori: ” My Ori, do not spoil my inner wisdom, or “ori inu” . Though we might be a mild mannered and calm person, if we “lose our head” in a fit of anger and utter words that we might regret later, we are in essence spoiling our outer and inner destiny by letting our head run away with and rubbish our “good head”, our inner wisdom that knows right from wrong, good decisions from bad decisions.

While it can be difficult to understand the concept of having an ori, ori is simply our higher self that knows what it is we need and can lead us to it. Sometimes we have personality disorders, perhaps a drug habit or dependency that effectively shuts down our ori; we simply cannot “hear” it. Some people are born with impaired mental functioning, emotional problems, psychological disorders that keep them from enjoying life. The stresses of life here on earth are many, and it is our thoughts and attitudes towards these challenges that will make or break us. We are meant to be happy and there are steps we can take to improve our happiness.

Ifa is all about bringing ourselves into alignment with the Universe around us, our environment, our social, material and emotional landscape. By understanding that our ori is something to venerate, we now see that having good guidance from within is a very precious thing. Many times I tell people, “if we are not for ourselves, than who will be?. If we do not love ourselves, than who will?” We must be our own best friend and our ori IS our very best friend, protection and guidance in life.

HOW TO PRAY TO YOUR ORI
After waking I advise people to pray, even before getting out of bed. If you want to rinse your arms, legs, mouth with water first and then kneel on the ground, even better, but the main thing is to do it as soon as you wake up. After praying to Olodumare, move on to your ori. Place your hands on your head, one on the forehead and the other on the back of the head and pray out loud:

“Ori Ori Ori! You are the first and foremost, you are the King and the Head. You are the first amongst all orisa. Without ones ori, we cannot find our way, please listen and hear my prayers. It is I (state your name), the son/daughter of (state your mother’s name), who received the odu of (state your odu name. If you do not know, skip this.) My ori, please guide me to the people, places and things which will help me in life today. Bring me the people and things I need to receive wealth, health, happiness. I am asking you my ori to….(state your prayers/desires/wishes), listen to my prayers and take them to heaven Ase Ase Ase O!”.

Starting our day in this manner aligns us positively. We have clearly stated what we are looking for, and as we have spoken it, so shall it be. The Yoruba speak of ori as such:

ORI APERE!       ORI, THE MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL!
ORI EWU!          ORI, I ADORE YOU!
ORI OKUN!       ORI, YOU ARE PRECIOUS!
ORI IDE!             ORI THAT SHINES/IS PRECIOUS AS BRASS!

When we take the time and effort to venerate and honor God first, then our own ori, we are opening ourselves up to receiving and radiating positive energy which affects how we move in our environment. Just try this as an experiment for one week. You will be rewarded!