The Seventh Truth of Ifa: The Earth is the Marketplace, The Spirit World is our Home!
October 2019
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!
We've explored the first six of the Sixteen Truths of Ifa.
There is a single God!
There is no Devil!
There is no Predestination!
It is your birthright to be happy, successful, and fulfilled!
You should grow and obtain wisdom during the process!
We are reborn through our blood relatives!
Who are you? Where are you? Why are you here? What are you doing and who are you being during your journey in the L'oja? Ifa encourages you to ask yourself these questions and provide yourself with the answers that your Ori guides you towards.
Have you ever had that feeling that there is something ‘strange’ about all of this, your and my experience of ‘life’ in the L’oja?As you have set your eyes upon the environment, haven’t you felt a sense of wonder, awe, expansiveness, and awareness?And haven’t you at some point in your life, whether as a child, teenager, or adult, had this strange feeling that there is more to this thing we call ‘life’, and that somehow, you don’t belong here; here in this body, here in this dimensional reality? And of course, you have had the experience of looking at yourself and listening to yourself as if from a distance. You’ve felt that part of yourself that is not your body, not your mind, and not even your thoughts. That part of you holds a vantage point from which it is simply a witness, pure awareness. Who hasn’t had these experiences?
In Truth (6) we discussed the subject of rebirth. Therefore it should be clear that in Ifa we hold the conviction that we are spiritual entities having the experience of physicality through the Spiritual Laws of the L’oja, the awesomeness of Ara Ojubo (the body temple), and Isopo, our connectivity to the Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent Consciousness of Orisun (Source, Olorun, Olodumare).
Ifa says, Aye L’oja, Orun N’ile! The L’oja (World) is the Marketplace. The Spirit World is Home! Our journey is cyclical between interconnected realities. We move from Home to the world and return Home again before returning to this world, this dimension. We choose to come!
When we consider the horrors that human beings have done and are doing to each other, to Iya Aiye (Mother Earth) and all of her children in all of the kingdoms, we wonder why we would have every chosen to come. But, when we consider the absolute beauty of this earth environment and the cosmic space that it occupies, we get those wonderful feelings, that inner wonder, awe, and joy, and something within us remembers that that is why we choose to come! We come for the experiences that will expand and elevate our consciousness. This really is a wonderful environment in which we can have profound positive transformative experiences.
The L’oja is the earth, the marketplace where everything is in a constant state of flux, an unending process of exchange. We exchange our physical energies, our emotional energies, our ideas, our fears, our beliefs, our loyalties, products from the land, and products of our ingenuity. The L’oja is a marketplace where Orisa Eshu Elegba holds sway. He is the Lord of Choice, Chance, and Change, the Guardian of the Gates of Good and Bad Fortune. He is the Lord of the Four Directions and the Lord of Flexibility. He is the Keeper of the Ase of the Orisa. These energy dynamics are the experiences that we encounter in the L’oja because they are tied to your and my ability to ‘Choose’. And choose we must! Some people think that they can avoid making a choice by abstaining. But that is not correct! You cannot avoid making a choice whether you choose to act or abstain. Either way, you have still made a choice. And under the Spiritual Laws of the L’oja, every choice counts and brings about its effects and consequences.
Let me encourage you to go back and reread this series on the Sixteen Truths of Ifa. Enjoy the process of studying how the Sixteen Truths of Ifa are so finely woven creating a navigational fabric that has extraordinary strength and power to assist us on our journey in the L’oja.
And what of the place we call Home?Is it really a ‘place’? Maybe, but perhaps not! Rather than a place, it may better be thought of as another dimensional reality. There is no other place for anything to exist outside of the Ase, the Realm of Infinite Possibility, and the dark primordial source from which all things emerge. There is no other place for anything to exist outside of the Omniscient Consciousness of Orisun ti gbogbo, the Source of Everything! The Universal Law of Isopo dictates that all manifestations of the Ase must remain interconnected. So when we say that our relatives return ‘Home’ to the Realm of Ancestors we are recognizing the fact that a dimensional shift has taken place. The Spiritual Laws of the L’oja no longer apply to them because of that dimensional shift.
Adura ti Egun (A prayer for Ancestors)
Kosi Iku! (Death is no more!) Kosi Arun! (Sickness is no more!) Kosi Oyo! (Tragedy is no more!) Kosi Ofo! (Loss is no more!) Kosi Idina! (Obstacles are no more!) Kosi Akoba! (Unforeseen evils are no more!) Kosi Fitibo! (To be overwhelmed is no more!)
This prayer points out to us some of the differences between the dimensional Realm of the L’oja and the dimensional Realm of Ancestors (or Orun, Heaven, the Spirit World). When we leave the L’oja, death, sickness, tragedy, loss, obstacles, unforeseen evils, and being overwhelmed are no longer issues, at least not in the same way that they manifest their energies in this dimensional realm. We choose to return to the L’oja to experience the challenge, joy, and power of the Na Wa (expansion) of our consciousness and as we mentioned earlier in this series, Isoki (Contraction) is a part of the process of Na Wa. The prayer also points out some of the ways that choices, chance, change, and fortune (good or bad) can manifest their energies in the L’oja.
When we return ‘Home’ (to being a disembodied Spiritual Entity) our process of consciousness expansion does not end. We continue to have transformative experiences in other dimensions, and when we feel we are ready to put our acquired knowledge ‘to the (self) test’, we choose to come back to the L’oja through one of our blood relatives.
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.
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Karl Stone Art Collection
Another way that you can support the activities of the Ifa Community is by purchasing something from the Karl Stone Art Collection. These Art pieces make beautiful additions to your home decorations, and great gifts for special occasions. A portion of your purchase will be donated to the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs in Ile-Ife and a portion to Ile Awo Orisa. (View Art)
Modupe! Thank You!
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!
