Mo juba awo Shango!
Iwo ni Oluwa Awo Ara ati Manamana.
Iwo ni Oluwa Ilu Bata.
Iwo ni Ibinu Olorun.
Iwo ni Oluwa Ifunni ni Imole Lojukanna.
Iwo ni Oluwa Igboiya.
Iwo ni Oluwa Awo Ojo.
I humble myself before the mysteries of Shango!
You are the Owner of the Mysteries of Thunder and Lightning.
You are the Lord of the Bata Drum.
You are the Wrath of God.
You are the Lord of Instant Illumination.
You are the Lord of Courage, Boldness,
Fortitude.
You are the Owner of the Mystery of Rain.
Orisha Shango is
the Lord of Thunder and Lightning. Lightning has two characteristics
that are indicative
of the Ase of Shango. Lighning
can instantly illuminate the most intense darkness. In the realm of
the ‘godseekers’ this illumination takes the form of instant
realization or insight. It is often the case that in
the darkness, our
eyes deceive us into seeing what is not there, or into perceiving what
is there incorrectly. Likewise, in the darkness of ignorance,
our intellectual
perceptions and emotional reactions are often rooted in fear (False
Evidence Appearing Real), and in this state of ignorance
and fear, we
are likely to act in ways that are DIStressful at best, and DISfunctional
at worst.
Ifa is a way of life based upon the principle of developing
personal power. From a psychological point of view, personal power increases
through the process of overcoming fear. It is the Ase of Shango that
enables the godseeker to distinguish between the truth and the lie,
and to face the consequences of making and acting upon that distinction.
In this sense, lightning symbolizes the tongue of Shango that reveals
to us the basis of our fear and offers us the opportunity to choose
whether to proceed on the basis of truth, or on the basis of the lie
or misperception. When lightning occurs, its brightness can penetrate
our closed curtains and our closed eyes. It is not easy to deny the
occurrence of the event. Likewise, when Orisa Shango reveals
to a godseeker the fallacy and the reality of their perceptions, it
is not easy to deny the revelation. And for this reason, there can
be
severe consequences to acting contrary to Shango’s gifts of illumination.
Ifa teaches that blessings come to those who make choices that are consistent
with their highest destiny. Within Yoruba culture it is understood that
an individual’s highest destiny is based on those choices that
build iwa-pele, which means good character.
Although
Shango is Ibinu Olorun (the Wrath of God), he does
not operate without mercy and compassion for the godseekers. As lightning
approaches from the distance, the voice of Shango can
be heard getting
louder and louder. Orisa Shango offers this warning so
that the awake godseeker can seek proper shelter from the Wrath of
Olorun.
Thunder is Shango’s scream and just as it (thunder) warns us of
the impending danger of the approaching lightning, inner illumination
is always accompanied by an awareness, an inner voice that calls to
us, warning us that our attitudes and behaviors are leading us to dire
consequences if they are not adjusted to suit the contextual reality.
Orisa Shango is
a ‘hot’ Orisha,
one of the three warriors, and is the image and Ase of
total maleness. Shango is
the master of attacking, of going against the winds of defeat, against
the odds, to reach his goal. He is compared to the broken
field (cross-country) runner whose straightest route is determined
by the number of obstacles
between him and his goal. Shango is the idea of the strategic
attack. He is the idea of illuminating the challenges and attacking
its weakest
points. Shango respects two things: force and wisdom.
This is the reason
he respects Ogun and Obatala. With Ogun
his respect is seasoned with fear; with Obatala his respect is seasoned
with admiration. He similarly wants his devotees to have two things:
courage and intelligence.
Orisa Shango is both a Primordial Divinity and a Deified
Ancestor. The unique function of Shango within the realm of Awo Orisha is
to provide the inspiration and passion for spiritual transformation.
In this sense, it is Shango who represents your and my motivaton as
godseekers to aspire to the highest ideals and possibilities of this
life. The philosophy of Social Darwinism, survival of the fittest,
is
simply not sufficient to fulfill Olodumare’s determination to
experience the Realm of Infinite Possibilities. It is the destiny of
every godseeker
to achieve iwa-pele although it may not be their fate.
