"Orí bíbẹ́ kọ́ ni oògùn orí fífọ́." Decapitation is not the antidote for a headache. When life becomes unpredictable, you naturally seek solutions. And the greater the uncertainty - and its corresponding discomfort - the more desperately you seek finality. And while it does make sense to protect your interests, eliminate threats and solve problems, it's also important that you choose solutions that create opportunities, not limit them.
In my business, for example, I started off serving my local community. My clients were constantly haggling with me over my already affordable prices. By a twist of fate, I was drawn out, onto a National stage. My audience suddenly jumped from a few hundred to tens of thousands. I went from working local libraries and elementary schools to the largest business forums and expos in the world. And naturally, my income also improved as well. I was able to earn thousands for a workshop for which the local community would have only offered me a couple hundred dollars. Now given the fact that money and exposure were my problems, it stands to reason that the solution was clear: Get out of the local community and make big money elsewhere. But that is actually the epitome of decapitation as a solution for a headache! The real solution calls for a more balanced approach. It results from me asking myself and others a series of questions that would help to reveal ways to basically do well for myself and my family while doing good work for my community, too. These are exactly the questions and best practices that inform my work through the OrisaLifestyle Retreat. Last year, we brought together thought leaders, priests and devotees from around the world to explore ways to use spiritual tools to solve every kind of personal problem. This year, we're going deeper into the process to total transformation, metamorphosis and continuous improvement. All of you who are Olorisa, Babalawo, Ogboni, doctors, nurses, accountants and teachers; all of you who are in search of greater purpose and direction, who want to optimize your natural gifts and talents, this is your golden opportunity! Do not make another excuse for staying small and average! Stand up! Stand out! Live the medicine! Register today! If you come as a group of three, the fourth person attends for FREE! REGISTER TODAY: OrisaLifestyle Retreat Sometimes, Ifa speaks to me through dreams. Last night, I was taken on a magnificent journey into the depths of my spiritual quest. What follows is what I was shown. May it be instructive in your life today and forever. Ase.
I came looking for you at home I met your absence I met Èsù Òdàrà on the way It was Èsù Òdàrà who described you to me I greet you the child of ookun méjì tíí mi ragbada ragbada lórí ewe; Cast divination for Aworokonjobi On the day he and Àwòko were engaged in friendship ties They were asked to perform sacrifice They said the spirit of their fathers would be with them Àwòko and Aworokonjobi offered the sacrifice Life pleased Aworokonjobi Life pleased Àwòko They were exceedingly happy They then started to dance and rejoice They were praising their Babaláwo Their Babaláwo was praising Ifá They said it was as their Babaláwo had said I came looking for you at home I met your absence But I met Èsù Òdàrà on the way It was Èsù Òdàrà who described you to me I greet you the child of ookun méjì tíí mi ragbada ragbada lórí ewe Cast divination for Aworokonjobi The close friend of Àwòko Please, it is a crowned Orí It is an Orí of a chief Aworokonjobi Don’t you all know that the Orí of a priest is a crowned Orí? Aworokonjobi - Holy Odu OseOgbe The conditioned mind will only allow you to conjure conditioned thoughts and stereotypical ideas. What is the conditioned mind? The term “conditioned mind” is basically mental programming. In school, at church and at home, you get programmed to respond to your experiences in a particular way. Psychologists call this “associative learning". And while it is definitely a useful mental tool, associated learning is still only a tool. And like all tools, when we fail to recognize its limitations, it becomes more of a hinderance than a benefit. More precisely, the natural consequence of becoming overly dependent upon the conditioned mind is losing sight of the unconditioned mind. The unconditioned mind is the natural mind. It is spiritual awareness. In the verse above, we see that one friend went in search of another, but failed to recognize him. It was not until Èsù Òdàrà went into action that Aworokonjobi was able to properly identify his close friend, Àwòko as royalty. When we take into consideration the fact that Èsù is a trickster, who defies all norms and interrupts patterns, it becomes clear that he needed to break the cycle of conditioned thinking in order to enable Aworokonjobi to gain access to his natural mind. When your natural mind is activated, you will see all the blessings that abound as a part of your destiny. You will recognize the divinity within you and those you are destined to serve. This is what it means to live the medicine. Learn more at the Orisa Lifestyle Retreat: www.OrisaLifestyle.com/retreat. ![]()
It is far too easy to feel lost, disillusioned and betrayed in this world of greed, prejudice and materialism. As the demands of life pull you into more and more directions, with less and less resources and compassion, you probably feel overwhelmed from time to time. Like Marvin Gaye sang, "Make me wanna HOLLER and throw up my hands!" But always remember this, no matter how difficult it is to understand what is happening in the world around us, that's not the greatest threat. The greatest threat arises when you lose connection to the pathway of your own heart and soul.
Said another way, life is traumatic and trauma creates scars. In an effort to protect ourselves, we hide behind anger, materialism and individualism, all of which isolate us from one another and ourselves; we gradually erode our capacity to love deeply. When you lose this true sense of self, which is grounded in the mysteries of your bloodlines, you forfeit the natural source of wisdom that gives birth to your purpose and ultimate happiness. However, this process is not irreversible. You can reconnect to your ancestral guardian soul, which is steeped in enduring love. As you learn to listen to the voice of your ancestral guardian soul, you find the inner speech that is most instructive, most compassionate and most true. You have not sent yourself into the world, after all. You were sent here to complete the errand started by your ancestors at the very dawn of time. Let us consider the Holy Odu IrosunIwori, which teaches us this way: One day, all kinds of people; good people and those who do not allow good in other people’s lives gathered together. They then went to Òrunmìlà. They said “Coming back and forth to earth tires us, Òrunmìlà. Therefore, please allow us to rest in heaven.” Òrunmìlà said “You cannot avoid going back and forth to earth Until you bring about the Good Condition that Olódùmarè has ordained for every human being. After then, you may rest in heaven.” - Holy Odu IrosunIwori As we face the storms of change and tragedy that increasingly characterize contemporary life, we desperately need places of refuge. One of the first places to look for refuge is deep inside yourself. This is not a call to rugged individualism, however. You were not born alone. You do not live alone. You do not make the journey of life alone. Countless thousands of supporters have gone before you, accompany you in this very moment and will follow the path that you establish in your lifetime. As you learn to follow the subtle rope of life, that links you to your infinite resources, you move closer to the places of deep unity and harmony that are part of your inner nature and secretly part of the natural world as well. Amidst the chaos of a world gone terribly wrong you can still find the harmony and rhythm of the body, as well as the song within your soul that will help to bring about the Good Condition. Learn more in the Three Golden Keys of Meaningful Change.
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It happens in a flash! After prolonged periods of dull suffering, transformation strikes you like a bolt of lightening. You put in countless hours, doing things that seem to have absolutely no effect and then, seemingly out of nowhere, you experience a breakthrough. Call it a paradigm shift. I am reminded of the ori of Caterpillars, which requires that it encase itself in a cocoon. Once inside, Caterpillar basically decomposes into a kind of liquid and then reconstitutes itself. When it emerges, Caterpillar now has wings and brilliant colors. After a period of prolonged darkness, complete dissolution and containment, Caterpillar transforms himself into a butterfly! And so, the elders will sometimes say, "Tinotino tehintehin ni labalaba ifi iyin Olorun," which means, By its beauty, the butterfly praises God within and without (i.e., in all its parts)."
Many years ago, I was a student of what is called Black Gnosticism. My teacher, Dadisi Soyinka, divined for me only one time, but the message was profound. And although I never forgot what he told me, I also never fully understood what it meant until now. More exactly, I am reminded of a particular prophecy he made concerning the path of my destiny. He said, "You will be the architect of a personal transformation experience. It will change the lives of many people, more than you can imagine. But before it is activated, you must experience it first." I had a clear intellectual idea of what that meant. As an educator and human services professional, I immediately thought of curriculum, pedagogy and a range of classes. As my priesthood continued to develop, I came to understand the significance of certain rites of passage. And while all of those elements are certainly true, it is only today that I have fully internalized the true significance of what Dadisi told me on that fateful day in July 1995. The activating agent of personal transformation is personal sacrifice. They say that the soul rejoices for what the body has lost. In order to become a butterfly, you must surrender what it means to be a caterpillar. Find out more in my class, Three Golden Keys of Meaningful Change. Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com
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"Ẹni bá ńjẹ làbẹ́ Jẹ́gẹ́dẹ́ ló ńpèé nígi Àràbà". It's one who profits from a man that hails him as the silk cotton tree. To be considered mighty in the hearts and minds of the people you serve, you must add value to their lives. One of the challenges of doing so is helping your people to achieve the things that are important to them - even if those things are not so important to you. Of course, there are also times when you know what's best for someone, but before they will accept your guidance, you have to earn trust and demonstrate mutual respect. Once people know that you're looking out for their interests, and that you have valuable resources to share, your stature grows in their eyes. Over time, they might even consider you mighty. Live the medicine!
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com When you love someone, set them free. Your heart will ache. You will feel lost and all alone. On top of that, minutes will seem like hours and hours will feel like days. The suffering will be great. As painful as the experience is, however, the benefits far outweigh the discomfort.
People say that love is a verb, and therefore connotes action. But action can be attached to desired outcomes. We pray, divine and sacrifice with the hopes of gaining in one way or another. Love can be that way, too. You may make love to your partner the way you hope he or she will make love to you. And when you don't get what you want, when you don't feel reciprocated, what happens? Your feelings get hurt and you withdraw your love. When you love someone without trying to control, coerce or cajole them, it takes as much patience as it does sentiment. That is, you can say that When you love someone, you let them BE. At times, they will be needy. Other times, they will be distant. Their personality may be introverted or it may be extroverted. Whoever they are, love them by letting them BE. Patience is the key. Your goal is not necessarily to do anything to prove or demonstrate your love. Instead, your objective is to let yourself be in love at all times. That is, you must stay connected to the feelings of love that you have for your partner or spouse. The same is true in relation to your children, siblings or parents. Love and patience are inward practices that will cause you to emanate something that permeates, yet also transcends all behaviors. Live the medicine. Learn more in my course, the Three Golden Keys of Meaningful Change. Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com It's not enough to just be Black and an educator. Transformation requires a new paradigm, a TRUE paradigm, one that aligns with the essence and DESTINY of our children. The goal is not to train them to merely join the world, but to empower them with the wisdom to CHANGE the future. Live the Medicine.
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com |
Live the MedicineObafemi Origunwa, MAThought leader, Ifa priest and author of four definitive books, Obafemi Origunwa inspires metamorphosis through living the medicine that will heal your life and heal the lives of the people you're destined to serve. ![]() Raise Awareness
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