Ire ati Ayo Omo Orisa!
Good Tidings and Joyfulness!
If our foresight was perfect we would have no need for Faith, life could not offer us a challenge, and we could not grow! Olodumare has challenged everything and has also provided a way for everything to succeed. For the plants, animals, insects, the earth, sun, moon, and stars Olodumare’s command is for them to act according to their nature, the nature in which they were created. You and I are also given the same command but our nature is more dynamic, more complex than the nature of other things. We are not separate from them but we are different in that we can make choices that no other thing can make. Because of the complexity of the human drama, Olodumare gave us a Path to follow that can assist us in avoiding, evading, deflecting, and blocking unanticipated or undesired events and circumstances. That Path is Ifa! Lets consider 16 Truths of Ifa.
(1) There is a single God!
There are many who draw a sharp dichotomy between the so-called Monotheistic (believing in One God) and Polytheistic (believing in many Gods) religions. In Ifa, as in other indigenous belief systems, there is a Single Supreme God. This Supreme God then orchestrates creation through forces, agency, and agents. There is no real distinction to be made here. Both Monotheistic and Polytheistic religions believe in an Omnipotent Sentient Being who works through forces, agency, and agents.
(2) There is no Devil!
Although Ifa exposes and addresses all of the frailties of humans it does not proclaim us to be born sinners or born in sin (Original Sin). Quite the opposite! The History and Corpus of Ifa make it clear the humans can be grand beings with the potential to ascend into ascendant beings. We are not created to be victims of God’s wrath! We are created to fulfill the legacy of creation, to choose to overcome the forgetfulness brought on by the dynamics of the L’oja (marketplace), and to live in harmony with the agency and agents of Olodumare.
(3) There is no Predestination!
Except for the day you were born and the day you are supposed to die, there is no single event in your life that cannot be forecast and, when necessary, changed. That means your fate in this life is dependent on your choices. Ifa points out to you what those choices are in any given situation.
(4) It is your birthright to be happy, successful, and fulfilled!
There is the potential for good and the potential for bad in the L’oja. Ifa provides the navigational system to fulfill your birthright and achieve happiness, success, and fulfillment in this life. Ifa says, Ohun Ori wa se, koma ni s alai se eo! What Ori comes to fulfill, it cannot but fulfill it! You and I are born to be successful in fulfilling our chosen Destinies.
(5) You should grow and obtain wisdom during the process!
Creation and the life that we share are full of mysteries and layers upon layers of spiritual wisdom and temporal knowledge that embrace and reinforce each other. We are not here to waste time in foolish things. That does not mean that we should not take time out to have fun. We should! But we should also keep uppermost in our mind that knowledge is power and is necessary to manage a world.
(6) You are reborn through your blood relatives!
This is the reason you must pursue knowledge while on your journey. And the reason you should never feel alone. Your Egun, Ancestors from generations and ages ago are with you as you make this journey! Accumulated knowledge can travel back with you each time you return. Imagine that you could give birth to your great-great-grandfather as he returns into the world carrying the wisdom of all of his rebirths (much of it to be forgotten in the birthing process). And imagine that one day in the future one of your descendants will give birth to you as you too make your return journey.
(7) Heaven is Home, the Earth is the marketplace!
Ifa says, Aye L’oja, Orun N’ile! The World is the Marketplace, The Spirit World is Home! Our journey is cyclical between interconnected realities. We move from home to the world and return home again before returning to this world or realm. We choose to come!
(8) You are part of the universe in a literal, not figurative, way!
In the beginning there was nothing but the Ase, the Black Material of the Darkness from which all things come. It first manifested sentience and the Ase became self-aware, Olodumare. From this beginning all things have come into existence according to a plan. That plan is essentially the same for all things – interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent.
We’ll discuss the next eight Truths next month!
B’ao ku ishe o tan!
When there is life, there is still hope!
Ise Olorun Tobi! God’s Work is Great and Mighty!
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!
Adura: An Ifa Prayer Book For Beginners (Preview)
Reference: The Way of the Orisa – Empowering Your Life Through the Ancient African Religion of Ifa, Philip John Neimark aka Fagbamila, Oluwo of Ifa, Harper-SanFrancisco, ISBN: 0-06-250557-2
