My introduction to IFA came in 1996 when I met my first teacher Babalawo Chief Adetunji Olokodana in Phoenix, Arizona. Given that there was no significant Ifa community in Phoenix, I consider it a blessing that our meeting took place. It was On my Path! From 1996 to 2001, Chief Olokodana, (Baba Tunji to myself and others) taught me into an understanding of the Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship. I learned something of the Yoruba language as we performed readings and ebos (sacrifices) for seekers, and divined the Orisa who governed the heads of those who wanted to know. Baba Tunji read my Orisa as Orisa Ogun. Orisa Ogun remains a prominent and powerful force in my consciousness and my life but in 2001 I was destined to learn more about the Ifa way of being in the world and about myself.
With this experience as a foundation it was On Path for me to meet Chief Adeyela Adelekan via long distance telephone from Phoenix to London in early 2000. Chief Adelekan was to become my mentor and I his protégé during and after my Journey to The Root which I’ve described on our website. While in Ile-Ife in 2001, I was initiated into the House of Obatala and affectionately referred to by Chief Adelekan as his priest. Ile Awo Orisa, The House of the Mysteries of Orisa was established immediately upon my return from Ile-Ife. In the 14 years that I have been a practitioner of the Ifa Tradition and in the 9 years since I traveled to Ile-Ife, Nigeria IFA has had a profound positive influence and affect on my life, on the lives of my spiritual godchildren, and others who have come seeking.
What has really prompted this Blog site are the emails that I have received over the years from individuals who have visited the website, read about my Journey to The Root, and been inspired and motivated to write and say thank you. The acknowledgment is much appreciated! The Blog is also a response to those who have written seeking someone who can assist them in their own journey. I don't think that I am that one. I am but a humble Priest of Obatala and consider myself limited in knowledge, a seeker like many of you. However, I do believe that by sharing in an open dialogue we might find answers in each other. After all, each of us is connected to the All! Often the emails express being overwhelmed by the amount of information and the diverse views about Orisa and Ancestor Worship one encounters on the web. Another complaint is that many Priests, Priestesses, and Babalawos seem to be all about large sums of money to access their spiritual advice. If this Blog can serve as a free venue of sincere, honest, and informed dialogue about the Ifa Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship, if it can assist even one individual in remembering how and why they chose to come into this world, if it can provide you with a place to share your experiences with Orisa and Egungun, if it can help in making our ancient African traditions and worldview a part of the current dialogue about world affairs, then all effort in maintaining the Blog will be worthwhile. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions.
May Orisa and Egun look favorably on what we say!
1 comment:
I enjoyed reading your introduction to the Orisa tradition! I look forward to further Blogs.
As to your question, I was first introduced to the Orisa tradition by observing you, Baba Sharif, as a just and humble priest of Obatala, address a personal problem of mine by casting four coins all at once and reading the heads and tails in that order. In adherence to the information I received from the reading, I witnessed the preeminence of your priesthood, the ‘power of the coconut’, and my Ora of love successfully address my issue of great concern. In my curiosity and desire to know more about the Orisha traditions, I also gained valuable information on what specific Orisa crowns my head. She is the Great Mother Oshun. True to being a daughter of Oshun, my favorite place of solitude is in the Yosemite Valley, known as “The valley of rivers”. It is in this valley that the water, sweeping over boulders and pouring down my skin, can uplift my spirit and uproot any existing sufferings.
In hindsight into my introduction and initiation into the Orisa Tradition, I believe my journey is a tiny metaphor for the huge challenge that all members of Earth’s community now face (i.e., war, poverty, distruction of earth's environment, global warming). Hopefully, by continuing to honor my Mother Oshun as well as my Father Ogun (i.e., prayer, fasting, adhering to my Godfather’s words of wisdom), along with recovering and renewing my ancestor reverence, knowledge, and practice/rituals, I can participate in the Solution. This includes the spiritual based worldview of peace as outlined in the Peaceful Space Project (PSP; Sharif, 2009a). For instance, through my active participation in the PSP Blogspot (Sharif, 2009b), I have increased my insight into the”Prime Directive” of the human family. This includes: (a) seeking pleasure and avoiding pain for me and others (i.e., all living things, Earth’s environment),(b) transforming negative energy into positive energy through my conduct in the world, and (c) nurturing life and struggling against death for the welfare of the planet and the co-existence of all living things.
References:
Sharif, Umar. (2009a). The Peaceful Space Project: Building a sustainable future through education and training. Retrieved from http://www.sharif-enterprizes.com/peacefulspaceproject/index.html
Sharif, Umar. (2009b). Peaceful Space Project, Inc. Retrieved from http://peacefulspaceproject.blogspot.com/
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