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!
In Parts I & II of this series of Posts, I stated that, “Religion is defined as the belief in and worship of a supernatural or superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. The purpose of any and all religions is to point the devotees in the direction of realizing the nature of this supernatural or superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods. And to understand how we are connected to, bound to, this ‘God(s)’.” You might find it helpful to reread these earlier Posts to recall some of the other things that were stated.
I also stated in Part II, “We, you and I, are manifestations of that creative impulse and all that has been created is created from, of, and within the Ase because there is nothing else, nothing exists ‘outside’ the Ase. Nothing is separate or apart from the Ase! It is the All-Pervading, All-Inclusive Realm of Infinite Possibility.
It is this understanding that establishes the notions of interrelatedness, interconnectedness, and interdependence that underlies Ifa and actually all indigenous spiritual traditions. Every microbe, every insect, every plant, every tree, every four-legged, and every two-legged, including we humans are from and of the same material (Ase) and of the same Source (The Ase). It should be clear then, that in the historical evolution of the world’s religions, some very important understandings have been lost.”
Let us use these ideas to draw a fine distinction between the notions of ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’. I often state that there are two important questions to which we seek answers. One is, “What is the will of God?” The second is, “What is the will of God?” No! That wasn’t a typo. Let me type it differently to highlight the important elements in the questions. One is, “What is THE WILL OF GOD?” The second is, “What IS the will of God?” I would humbly suggest that the fine distinction between ‘religion’ and ‘spirituality’ is to be found in the essential information being sought by these two questions. The first question is asking about something that cannot be stated as a categorical Truth. Since ‘God’ is unknowable in any absolute sense, the Will of God cannot be stated by anyone as though they have absolute knowledge. This first question, from my perspective is the domain claimed by ‘religion’, and the proof of my statement is evidenced by the fact that no ‘religion’ or sacred text has presented such undeniable Truth that every human being has accepted it as ‘The Truth’, without coercion, compulsion, duress, oppression, enforcement, threats, intimidation, harassment, pressure, constraints, or arm-twisting of any kind. In the realm of ‘religion’ the priest reigns supreme as the arbiter of all questions about the ‘Will of God’. Hence, we are faced today with fervent religious arguments and conflicts and have, over the centuries, murdered millions of humans in the name of religion.
The second question, “What IS the Will of God?” is seeking information that is self-evident to everyone. This question is asking, “What form does of the Will of God take?” “How has it manifested itself?” “What is the substance, the essence of it?” “What is its essential nature?” The answer is evident and omnipresent. The answer manifests as a self-evident and undeniable Truth. The answer is simple and profound, singular and dynamic. “What IS the Will of God?” It is LIFE! Whatever the nature of this Creative Impulse, this Creative Force, this Source of all things, by whatever name you choose to call it or in whatever form you perceive it, what thinking person can deny that the ‘WILL’ of it is ‘LIFE’! This second question is the domain of ‘spirituality’ and the indigenous spiritual traditions. This second question leads us to explore the interconnectedness, interrelatedness, and interdependence that pervade all creation. It is the cornerstone of human relations, the linchpin that binds us to Mother Earth, all of her elements, all of her natural forces, and all of her children. It is the keystone and fundament of our capacity for empathy, compassion, love, and unity. Life is the shared experience of everything and no individual can claim responsibility for its presence or existence, for it is existence itself.
This is the wisdom of our Ancestors. This is the message imbedded in the Sacred Oracles of Ifa. This is what can be realized through the Ifa Spiritual Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship. This is the understanding and wisdom that has guided and sustained indigenous peoples since the beginning of time. False histories have tried to obliterate this understanding. But ‘life’ cannot and will not be denied! As science advances into new realms of understanding it is coming face to face to the truth of what we have shared here. It is this understanding and wisdom that speaks truth to power, that brings the high low and elevates the low to high. It is this understanding that can empower the people to reclaim the truth of who we are and our relationship to everything.
What is the Purpose of Religion? It is to point us in the direction of self-inquiry that will remove the veil of delusion from our minds. Those who have institutionalized religion have co-opted it in order to further the social conditioning of disempowerment. But to our right side and to our left, before us and behind us, above our heads and beneath our feet is the evidence that ‘we’ are the Will of God. And, the presence of Creator is in every breath we take, in the stream of light that enters our eyes, in the smells that enter our nostrils, in the tastes that stimulate our tongues, in the sounds that enter our ears, in the microorganisms that thrive in and on our bodies, in the creepy crawlies that move across the ground, the finned ones that traverse the rivers and oceans, the winged ones that sail the sky, the four-legged that stir the earth, in the plants, the trees, in the sun, moon, and stars, and in the profusion of universes that make up the multiverse of creation.
This is Olodumare experiencing the Realm of Infinite Possibility and we are all a part of that process. This is the Will of Olodumare manifested as LIFE. We are all inextricably interwoven into the Divine Consciousness of the Sentience that is the Source and Sustainer of All Creation. We are all part of and one with the Omnipresent, Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Eternal Oneness. But these are all just words! The proof lies in your personal experiences and realizations, and in your personal witnessing. You must choose a path, seek out a way, and pursue the self-inquiry that will fill your heart with the absolute conviction that this is ‘The Truth’!
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!
