"Ìwà ni í jọ oníwà lójú. " Every man's character is good in his eyes. It means that objective self-appraisal can be difficult. In the mental health industry, we use a graphic image called Johari's Window to show why it's so hard to evaluate yourself. Imagine a window divided into four squares, which represents you. One square represents everything you and everybody else knows about yourself. The second square represents everything you know about yourself but is hidden from everybody else. The third square represents things that other people know about you but are hidden from you. The fourth square represents everything that is known by the ancestors and spirits but hidden from you and other people. Johari's Window helps us to understand how difficult it can be to accurately assess ourselves and one another. There are always hidden aspects of our lives that make it impossible to fully know everything there is to know. Imagine what can happen when one square comes into contact with another. For example, when other people tell you things about yourself that had been hidden from you for days or even decades, it can be devastating, to say the least. Sometimes, Ifá will tell you things about yourself or your family that had been almost totally hidden from everyone. But the deities have always known. When they deem it proper to tell you, the impact can seem overwhelming. So, at the level of learning and development, you need an internal system that will allow you to take in meaningful information and experiences and allow them to reinforce your identity, even when your whole world is being dismantled before your very eyes. Personal Priesthood is the process through which you learn to integrate the four elements of Johari's Window into a cohesive experience that helps you to grow stronger, wiser and more connected to your destiny. Learn more about your Personal Priesthood at www.OrisaLifestyle.com/membership
Always remember this, no matter how difficult it is to understand what is happening in the world around us, you are in the greatest danger when you lose connection to the pathway of our own soul. 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. 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 continuation of the sacred text mentioned above, 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 "Káa tó dé ibi tí à ńlọ, a lè kọ́kọ́ dé ibi tí a ò fẹ́" A person may have to get to where he'd rather not be before reaching his destination. The journey of life - Ijo l'aiye - is all about transformation, which usually includes a considerable amount of pain and discomfort. Not that all pain equals transformation. In fact, too many times, we prolong our pain simply by being immature or downright stubborn. But there is another kind of pain, however, that every traveller must endure in order to become a higher version of himself. I remember the first time I lived abroad; the homesickness was out of this world! The intense longing for ANYTHING familiar made my life seem unbearable. I did NOT want to be in that space at all. But I had to endure that discomfort, with no clear indication of when it would subside, in order to become a more global citizen. Now, as I travel the outer reaches of inner space, I often find myself in places where I would rather not be. All of my frailties, weaknesses, inconsistencies frighten and intimidate me. They are the most fierce ajogun* in the universe! I sometimes lack the courage, discipline and wisdom to confront them but alas, as the years become decades, I discover how patient my internal ajogun really are. They will wait a lifetime!!! And so, transformation remains impossible as long as I refuse to stand firm and face my demons. The challenge is to face them with loving care and total confidence in my destiny. No matter how difficult your life may be TODAY, know that this is but one stop on the road of transformation. A higher version of yourself awaits you. Let the journey continue. Live the Medicine.
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com * ajogun = forces of spiritual adversity There is a path that the soul takes from one generation to the next. Likewise, each family lineage represents the embodiment of the soul's journey as it seeks to complete its sacred mission. In this journey, you have been called to make a meaningful contribution to the world, according to your family's unique mission. In this regard, the truth and beauty of your personal destiny is marked from the beginning and the critical events of your life - your cohort of friends, love interests, educational pursuits, legal battles, illnesses and losses - conspire to activate your natural gifts and talents and enable you to express something that only you can bring into the world. Each step you take upon the predestined pathway of the soul can bring healing and understanding to you and those were born to serve, no matter what mistakes you have made, no matter what limitations you have placed upon yourself or have been placed upon you by others. Live the Medicine.
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com "Olójú kan kìí mọ'yì Ọlọ́run à fi tí nǹkan bá gbọ̀n si " A person with a bad eye is seldom thankful to God, until a speck enters the good one. We have too many options and not enough gratitude. Especially perfectionists! We can get tangled up in complaining about all the things that aren't meeting the standard, instead of optimizing everything that is going well. And then, out of nowhere comes the proverbial paradigm shift! Suddenly, the circumstances change and so do our priorities. Then, we gain an even deeper appreciation for the goal or desired outcome. In those instances, we see how important it is to celebrate all meaningful contributions and available resources. Live the medicine.
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.ObafemiO.com Ifa is the owner of Today
Ifa is the owner ofTomorrow Ifa is the owner ofTheDayAfter Orunmila is the owner of the four days that Oosa, the Almighty, assigned to the world This was Ifa's message for Orunmila When going to attain the four daughters of Oosa... - Holy Odu IworiOtura In this Odu, Ifa explains how Orunmila was able to attain the four daughters of Oosanla whose names are: Oni, Ola, Otunla and Ireni. Orunmila then gave Oni (today) to Obatala, he took Ola (the next day) for himself, he gave Otunla (the day after) to Ogun, and he gave Ireni to Sango. After this, the remaining Irunmole from the 801 then chose one of the four days as the day that they would be propitiated. The day that each Irunmole chose would be known as the day of that Irunmole. For example, Ose Oosa (Obatala’s day) was also adopted by Ogiyan, Iko and Losootoro. Ose Ifa (Orunmila’s day) was also adopted by Osun, Osanyin, Obaluaye among others. Ose Ogun (Ogun’s day) was adopted by Ija, Osoosi, Orisa-Oko and Erinle among others. Ose Jakuta (Sango’s day) was adopted by Alafere and Oramfe. There is no day that Ori and Esu Odara cannot be propitiated. Any day chosen for the two Irunmole is appropriate for them, although typically, Esu Odara is propitiated along with Orunmila. Please join us for worship on Sundays from 9-11. Visit www.OrisaLifestyle.com/communityworship for important details One leg of water
One leg of mound Cast divination for Saasoni omo Oore l'otun When he was vulnerable in the world This year, he will overcome difficulties hanging on his neck He was asked to offer the cutlass in his hand He heard about the offering and performed it There is a palm tree in his farm that has difficulty around its neck If the difficulty is not on top of it, it will be on the bottom He should go there and pour it away completely When he arrived and cleared the palm tree, He decided to climb it to obtain some palm seeds He saw a woman on the ground, who is the eldest wife of Olofin She was carrying a covered calabash She hid it inside a mound and quickly ran away Saasoni came down to check on what was hidden He was surprised to see it was a newborn baby He thought about it for a while: What should I do? Finally, he took the baby to Olofin - Holy Odu IreteOtura Here is the story of the baby: We gave a beautiful young lady to Olofin to marry. Olofin gave the young lady to his eldest wife to take care of. The eldest wife employed the young lady as a maid. Until she reached maturity. The eldest wife did not like to discuss this young maid with Olofin. One day, soldier ants entered the eldest wife's room so she could not sleep there. She commanded the maid to sweep out the soldier ants. The young lady worked on this through the middle of the night until she fell asleep in the hallway of the room. As Olofin came to meet his eldest wife he did not see her. Instead he saw the young lady in the hallway. In short time, the young lady had a beautiful child. The eldest wife became envious. She decided not to tell Olofin the young lady gave birth to a male child. The eldest wife blindfolded the young lady during her labor. She exchanged the baby for a red grinding stone. She took the red stone to Olofin. They investigated the matter but the eldest wife stuck to her story. She claimed the young lady birthed the grinding stone. It was this new born baby the eldest wife covered in a calabash and hid in the mound. Saasoni omo Oore l'otun saw this and brought the child to the king. Olofin gave him plenty of property and kept this a secret. He gave the child to someone to take care of for four years. One day, the king had a feast and called all his chiefs. The chiefs dressed extravagantly. But the king wore rags. He authorized the young lady to wear rags as well. When they all sat down. They brought out a child with brass on his leg who plodded through the crowd. The child then walked between the chiefs and stopped in front of Olofin and his mother. They say that you will run into your destiny in the process of trying to escape it. Some things are inevitable. The king must perpetuate his lineage. The queen must support the king. The maiden must introduce a bright, new future. Child must continue what his father started. The Babalawo must relate what Ifá has said. All that remains is for the seeker to complete the sacrifice in full. In this instance, the catalyst was a total under dog. He was merely trying to remove his burden. But in the process of complying with the directives of Ifá, he rescued the entire kingdom. You too have the capacity to perform small acts that have huge impact on your life and the lives of the people you're destined to serve. The key is to practice wisdom over cleverness, discipline over indulgence and patience over hastiness. Live the medicine. Obafemi Origunwa, | www. ObafemiO. com "Ọgbọ́n ju agbára lọ. " Wisdom is better than strength. The secret to wisdom, however, is patience. It really takes time to set conditions for applying knowledge properly. This is especially true when you can see the future potential as if it were present reality. In those instances you will feel compelled to act. You will want to make something happen, even though the time is not ripe and the people are not ready. No amount of strength will be enough to move the hands of time. But patience will enable you to learn what you need to know and how you need to position yourself for maximum impact. 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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