Homage To The One Who Sends and to those who are sent! Homage to Orisa and Egun!
Ifokanbale Omo Orisa! Peace of Mind from Olodumare Children of Orisa!
Ire ati Ayo!
Good Tidings and Joyfulness!
I honor your gods, I drink from your wells, I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place. I have no cherished outcomes, I will not negotiate by withholding, and I am not subject to disappointment. I am here! And They are all here with me! Ase! Ase! Ase!
Lord of my Ancestors, I have no knowledge except that which is given to me through inspiration, that which is sent to me by way of an angel, and that which I am blessed to acquire by way of some discipline. I thank you for guiding my words, my thoughts, and my actions so that all that I say and do may serve to point the seekers in the right direction. Ase! Ase! Ase!
Many of us say, in the tradition,
Ori mi Apere!
Ori mi Apesin!
My Ori, Carrier of my Destiny!
My Ori, The Most Precious!
This is an acknowledgement of our Spiritual Ori and its function in our experience of this life in the L’oja (Marketplace).
Then we say, three times,
Ori mi, mo pe e!
Ori mi, mo pe e!
Ori mi, mo pe e!
My Ori, I call you!
My Ori, I call you!
My Ori, I call you!
This expression can have various meanings and can conjure different energetic vibrations. We should give this some thought!
To call can mean to cry out, shout out, or otherwise speak someone’s name in order to get his or her attention. This of course implies that the person or thing being called is away from the caller, mentally or physically. (He heard an insistent voice calling his name.)
To call can also mean to address or refer to (someone) by a specified name, title, or endearment.
To call can also mean to ‘call to mind’, to turn our attention in the direction of someone, or something, present or not present, manifested, or immaterial. (She felt ‘called’ to her new vocation.)
Think about this! Why would you have to call your Ori, your Spiritual Ori? It cannot be to get the attention of your Spiritual Ori. That would imply a lapse in Isopo, connectivity on the part of your Spiritual Ori. As if it (your Spiritual Ori) was preoccupied with some other matter, something other than you. But you are an extension of your Spiritual Ori (the eternal part or aspect of you, your true self, the ever-present witness, and the ever-present unchanging awareness). Your Spiritual Ori cannot disconnect from you because it is you, the highest expression of you, and you are the single most important function and purpose of its existence. It is through you that your Spiritual Ori (your eternal self) is able to act in the L’oja and co-create the world as you (choose to) experience it.
I think the above ‘call’ (Ori mi, mo pe e!) is actually Oro Ase (Words of Power)! Oro Ase are words of power that are spoken in order to ‘open an energetic vortex’ between the physical (seen) and spiritual (unseen) realities. Our Spiritual Ori is always connected to us! But we are not always in a state of awareness of it! The relentless chatter of the egoistic mind (the pain body) and the power of suggestion pervasive in the L’oja cause us to become ‘in and of’ the L’oja. We tend to become hypnotized by its expanding novelties. We lose focus of the journey of expansion of the self and become seduced into believing more novelties are a necessary expression of who we are. But a drop of water in the ocean is the whole ocean as long as it does not break the bond of Isopo, connectivity. Awake, aware, full of knowledge, we are that which cannot be contained by the L’oja. Asleep, unaware, lacking in knowledge we tend to fall victim to the novelties and delusions of the L’oja.
Emi ni okan ti Ase!
Ase ni ti mi, nigbagbobo!
I am one with the Ase!
The Ase is with me, always!
Emi ni okan ti Orisun!
Orisun ni ti mi, nigbagbobo!
I am one with the Source!
The Source is with me, always!
We are not always mindful of our Spiritual Ori and its various messaging systems. Our minds are inclined to drift, stray, and sleep. Additionally, our physical Ori is too often seduced by the illusions and temptations of the L’oja (marketplace), Therefore, we have to ‘call’ ourselves back to mindfulness by expressing this Oro Ase (Ori mi, mo pe e!) and centering and focusing our mind on our Spiritual Ori and the larger context of our journey in this world (Egun, Orisa, Imoles, Choice, Purpose, Destiny, Legacy, and so on).
When you and I can achieve and dwell in this state of Isopo (connectivity), Spiritual Ori maintains its eternal connection to Source, and its vigilant connection to you. Through that sentient spiritual bridge, you receive divine light (like Orunmila) to guide you on your journey in this world, and in turn, Source, Olodumare experiences part of the fullness of the Realm of Infinite Possibility, the part that is co-created and experienced by you.
To be continued:
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Modupe!
I hope you will reflect on this message and share your comments and questions with me for our future Posts on this and other topics.
Aajiirebi! May the Unblemished Cloth of Orunmila Continue to cloth us with the Wisdom Of the Here and the Hereafter!
Ase! Ase! Ase!
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Ki Olodumare, Orisa, ati Egun fifun e ni Itona, Imoye, ati Opo Ire!
My Olodumare, Orisa, and Ancestors bestow on you Guidance, Wisdom, and Abundant Blessings!