Each day of The Journey revealed another piece to a puzzle, another step towards a goal. For me the goal was to understand the spiritual worldview that our Ancestors developed when the world was still quiet. When they could hear, see, and feel things that are drowned out in our world or that we have forgotten how to recognize as real. The worldview of indigenous peoples is born out of the energy matrix of a natural environment. In today’s world we have to work much harder to see the world in its energetic forms. We have to uncover it layer-by-layer. We have to move towards it step-by-step. We have to Seek Ifa Bit-By-Bit. That is how SE (initials) put it in her email back in November 2007.
My name is SE. I am in Nashville, TN. I went to your website to look for an iriki and prayer to Obatala. As I worship and grow in Ifa, Orisha and Egun, I am open to the wisdom of them and their many manifestations. I am also observing worldwide, the practice of this spiritual tradition. I am/was impressed with the iwori and information that you have about the Orisha, Egun and Ifa on your site.
I have been and am on a quest for Ifa, Orisha & Egun. The bits that I gather along the way are inspiring and informative. Bit by bit.
The world has changed since I returned home in August 2001. The events of September 11, 2001 and the choices that followed have opened the Door of Misfortune on the world and international travel may be less appealing to many who would love to take their own Journey to the Root. We pray that Olodumare, Orisa, and Egun will inspire humans with the wisdom to heal our world so that we can travel and grow in Peaceful Space. In the meantime, we can continue to share with each other and learn from each other and to seek Ifa bit-by-bit.
It is the process of seeking Ifa, of being aware of the spiritual presence in your everyday life and environment that provides you with the onde (things of power) that you will accumulate on your altars to Orisa. It is through constant engagement with the energetic qualities and characteristics of this reality that you come to understand the unbreakable bond between you, your Ori, your Egun, your Orisa, Olofi-dumare, Olodumare, and the Ase.
Remember, we recommended some valuable resources in the Library section of our web site. We recently added a list of items appropriate for making ebo (sacrifices) to the various Orisa. I invite you again to share your comments to my Post with everyone online or contact me by email and maybe yours will be the email we discuss in one of our Post.
Ki Olodumare, Orisa, ati Egun fifun e ni
Itona, Imoye, ati Opo Ire!
Itona, Imoye, ati Opo Ire!
My Olodumare, Orisa, and Ancestors bestow on you
Guidance, Wisdom, and Abundant Blessings!
1 comment:
Please submit this response:
Peace and Love Baba Sharif,
I enjoyed reading your Eleven Day “Journey to the Root”. I found it to be truly inspiring and informational in content! Among the journal entries that personally speaks to me are those written on Day Nine and Ten in which your write:
“Orisa had stripped me of all the things upon which I could depend for a sense of control; my communications device, my luggage, and my money. Now I was ready for initiation… [Day 10] Orisa (Orisha) means ‘to choose to see’. …If only the rest of the world will take a moment, ask the important questions, and perhaps for the first time in three thousand years, choose to see!”
Like you Baba, it wasn’t until I lost my sense of control of ‘what I knew be’ was I able to prepare myself for my own initiation. Because I Choose to take a moment, ask for your assistance, and continue to read /ask questions linked to the Ile Awo Orisa Blog, my Ora of love, healing and strength, as a daughter of Oshun and Ogun, continues to emerge in the GIFT of NOW to Create a Peaceful Space. For instance, I have the Opportunity to Accept life on life terms and Create a fire of Positive Energy as I engage in Purposeful activities whether they be personal, academic, or professional in nature.
As regards to seeking Ifa Bit-By-Bit, I appreciate your recommendation to review the resources in the Ile Awo Orisa Library. In exploring this channel of enlightening information, I ran across the National Teaching Training Institution (NTTI) website which contains an interesting article, namely “Looking into the Nature of Things" of PURE POTENTIAL: P – Purpose, U - Universal Mind (Consciousness), R – Remembering, E – Ecstasy, P - Personal Power, O – Opportunity, T – Trust, E – Equity, N – Nurturance, T – Tradition, I – Intention, A – Awareness, and L - Love (Sharif 2001a; 2001b).
I am grateful that the article is written in a manner that utilizes the power of the Yoruba tradition of story telling. As such, I can now understand the vital link between the Ase (as the ultimate energy source), the emergence of the Orishas that guide us, and the material and immaterial Beings. Furthermore, as a parent, past teacher, and shared guardian of the next and future generation, I feel revitalized to tell the Yoruba story of Creation with the emphasis on the Universe being Alive and Conscious. In doing so, it is my hope that others (especially the youth) can REMEMBER why they came into the world and hence their PURE POTENTIAL to create a Peaceful Space for Mother Earth and its inhabitants. I look forward to reading future sections of “Looking into the Nature of Things” of our PURE POTENTIAL!
Many thanks for the Blog on seeking Ifa Bit-By-Bit!
References:
Sharif, U. (2001a). Looking Deeper into the Nature of Things, Part 2: Purpose. National Teaching Training Institution (NTTI). Retrieved from http://www.sharif-enterprizes.com/wu-te/lookingdeeper2.htm
Sharif, U. (2001b). Looking Deeper into the Nature of Things, Part 3: Universal Consciousness National Teaching Training Institution (NTTI). Retrieved from http://www.sharif-enterprizes.com/wu-te/lookingdeeper3.htm
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