Knowledge and Mercy!
Continuing from my last Post:
(9) You must never initiate harm to another human being!
This applies not only to physical harm but also emotional, social, financial, or any other form of hardship. DO NO HARM! And, this not only applies to actions that you might take through physical agency but also to actions you might take through spiritual pathways.
It is difficult for some of us to believe or conceive of the mysteries that our Ancestors brought from behind the veil. The religious world has cast a dark shadow over many of the practices of our Ancestors and much has been loss because of our experiences in contact with the western world. Many of us have forgotten that we have the power to affect the world - for better or worst - through powerful spiritual methodologies.
(10) You must never harm the universe of which you are part!
Clearly the world has lost sight of this ancient wisdom. Ifa reminds us through the parables of the Sacred Corpus the humans are part of the fabric of ONE creation. The Western Cornucopia Worldview sees humans as a species apart and the earth and other living things as here to serve our selfish purposes. Ifa tells us that if we persist in that thinking we are bound to destroy ourselves and suffer greater and greater hardships on the road to that eventual destruction. Ifa reflects an ecological philosophy of thought.
(11) Your Temporal and Spiritual capacities must work together!
We are designed with two hands, two feet, two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, and a mouth that serves two purposes – taking in and putting out. Likewise our hands, feet, eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth can serve two masters – our physical Ori and our Spiritual Ori. Remember the Ifa saying – Ori inu we maba tode je! May our Spiritual Ori not be in conflict with our physical Ori! Of course serving two masters can always create opportunities for conflict – in this case, inner dissonance. The solution is to avoid the dissonance or resolve it in favor of your Spiritual Ori. When you are in doubt, when you feel dissonance seek an answer from your Spiritual Ori by consulting Ifa. Ifa presents you with the choices, options that will lead you to success and leaves it to you to bring your physical Ori in line with your Spiritual Ori – the Carrier of Your Destiny!
(12) You are born with a specific path. It is your goal to travel it. Divination provides your road map!
Discovering your Orisa, being initiated, gathering items of Ifa from your rituals, ceremonies, and those that just come to you, calling your Ori and listening with certainty for its response, all of these are part of your Path. Your journey to fulfill your Destiny will also involve interacting with other people in the complex area of L’oja (the marketplace). The L’oja is full of noise, distractions, temptations, challenges, and obstacles. The L’oja is where the Eniyan (witches) work to destroy humans and their works by throwing confusion in our Path. Ifa Divination provides us with a way of escaping confusion by getting clear answers to our problems.
(13) Our Ancestors exist and must be honored!
Each of us is part of a long chain of souls who have come into this world, lived, and died leaving behind their genetic legacy. We return to this world through our lineage and from that perspective it is possible for you to give birth to a child who is the return of your Great-Great-Great Grandfather or Grandmother. It is by keeping the memory of our Ancestors alive in oral and written tradition that we are able to recognize them when they return in our children and our grandchildren. Death does not end the life of a soul or limit the capacity of the soul to feel its own connection to the ongoing legacy of the lineage. Among the forces recognized in the Ifa Tradition, Egun (Ancestors) are always considered to be a positive force in our lives, always working to our benefit. We are here to honor their legacy, continue its development, and to pass it on to our descendants.
(14) Sacrifice guarantees success!
In a sense Ifa is a give and take belief system. Most of the Ese Ifa (verses of the Ifa Corpus – Sacred Odus) carry an underlying theme – Sacrifice is necessary to avoid difficulties, solve problems, achieve success, and to fulfill ones destiny. The particular offerings that must be made may vary, the client for whom Ifa has been read may choose to follow the advice of Ifa or not, but sacrifice is always advised. If you understand the Ifa History of the Beginning that I’ve spoken about in previous Posts, and if you understand the significance of Ase, then you can understand that sacrifice is how we can move the Ase and alter the configuration of the Universe. That process is accomplished by making a kind of contract with the Orisa who hold the fabric of creation together. If your Ori permits it, and if Eshu clears the way, you will give the Orisa something, and they will assist you in accomplishing that which you are seeking. Consider the Ifa saying – Riru ebo ni i gbe ni. Airu ki igbe eyan! It is the offerings of sacrifice that brings blessings. Neglect of sacrifice blesses no one!
(15) The Orisa live within us!
Remember Truth 8 – You are part of the universe in a literal, not figurative, way. Yes! The universe has an existence that we can experience as out-there, and that existence has validity in your and my journey in the L’oja. But, there is also a universe in us that is both an extension and a reflection of that outer universe. So it is with the Orisa! The Orisa are part of the sentient matrix of entities that Olodumare called into existence in order to orchestrate and sustain the creation process. Those sentient energy matrices also exist within each of us and we choose to heighten our sensitivity and connection to one (or more) of those Orisa at the time that we choose to come into the world (again).
(16) You need have no fear!
Trusting in the Unseen can be difficult even for those of us who are sincere believers. Trusting in Ifa in the face of fear is the way to eventually overcome your fears and strengthen your faith in the Unseen. Remember the story about The Thief that I shared back in my April Post. Certainly the man who Ifa told to go out and steal like his father before him was filled with fear about following Ifa’s guidance. But he faced his fear with the support of his wife, and learned from his experience that Ifa does not lie and Orisa never break their promises! The way is not always straight but you need have no fear!
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
