The Fifth Truth of Ifa: You should grow and obtain wisdom during your life process!
July 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!
The Sixteen Truths of Ifa are a tightly and finely woven fabric made of fine threads each having a high tensile strength (resistance to breaking under tension). Together these threads form a foundation upon which humans can build their lives and enhance the lives of every other creature and living thing. As we progress through each of these Sixteen Truths you should try to understand how they relate to, reflect, and support each other. In other words, you should grow and obtain wisdom during your life process. Isn’t the fact that you are presently sitting and reading this Blog Post part of your ‘life process’?
Let’s pull a few things together! In my last Post discussing the Fourth Truth in this series, I stated, “It is Your Birthright to be Happy, Successful, and Fulfilled! It is also your ‘choice’ to be happy, successful, and fulfilled! These experiences exist as potentials, as possibilities within the Spiritual Mathematics of the L’oja! We have been given all of the tools (built into Ara Ojubo) we need to be able to enjoy these potentials. They, however, are not guarantees! Like every birthright, they must be claimed through some process and ceremony. They are ‘if/then’ axioms within the Spiritual Mathematics of the L’oja. The Ifa Corpse tells us over and over that we are each empowered to choose our way of being and moving in the L’oja. With the guidance of our Spiritual Ori, and the assistance of Egungun, the Orisa, and Ifa Divination we can unlock the awo (mysteries) of the L’oja and experience happiness, success, and fulfillment. The L’oja that each of us lives in is the L’oja that we fashion with our perceptions and interpretations of our experiences, our reactions or responses to those experiences, and the stories we tell ourselves about the choices we have made. The story that Ifa tells is one where you and I can claim happiness, success, and fulfillment.”
As we grow and obtain wisdom, our perceptions and interpretations of our experiences, our reactions or responses to those experiences, and the stories we tell ourselves about the choices we have made all change. We change! The chemistry of our Ara Ojubo (Body Temple) changes, our Ase Ami (unique Energy Signature) changes and we become a new and evolving being in the L’oja.
This Fifth Truth points to the ‘process and ceremony’ each of us must go through in order to claim our birthright. The L’oja does not squander its abundance. It challenges the weak and lazy! The L’oja supports life and growth! In order to claim our birthright we must demonstrate that we also support life. That requires learning and striving to master the Spiritual Laws of the L’oja.
Truth (5) - You should grow and obtain wisdom during your life process!
In our discussion on the Second Truth, No Devil, it was stated,
“Olofi-dumare also set into motion the Principle of Na Wa (Expansion) as a fundamental necessity if the goal of experiencing the Realm of Infinite Possibility is to be realized. Everything in creation is operating under this important principle and that includes humans. Na Wa, Expansion necessarily implies ‘change’, so Olofi-dumare also established the Principle that ‘Anytime You Change A Thing, You Change More Than What Was Intended’.
If humans are to experience Na Wa, then the opportunities for them to make choices must be such that they are encouraged to learn and grow in that process. Humans must learn the consequences of doing ‘this as opposed to that’, and then grow, expand into the wiser choice, and Higher State of Being. That is, our physical Ori, which is emotionally attached to the L’oja, must transcend and enter into a state of Isopo (Connectivity) with our Spiritual Ori. Therefore, the Principle of Contrast (this versus that) is an ever-present manifestation of the architecture of the L’oja.
Creation and the life that we share are full of mysteries and layers upon layers of spiritual wisdom and temporal knowledge that embrace and reinforce each other. We are not here to waste time in foolish things. That does not mean that we should not take time out to have fun. We should! But we should also keep uppermost in our mind that knowledge is power and is necessary to manage a world.”
This Fifth Truth firmly establishes Na Wa, Expansion as a fundamental element of the Ifa Corpus. The true nature of Na Wa is an expansion of the human heart, for our hearts are to become big enough to care for an entire world. That is our Birthright! That is our familial responsibility! That requires growth into wisdom."
Ara Ojubo functions in the bio-chemical and electro-magnetic energy spectrums. Through our five senses Ara Ojubo receives energetic impressions from the L’oja. Those impressions are input ‘data’. The Brain function of Ara Ojubo takes those trillions of pieces of data and scans them for commonalities so that associative links can be formed. Linked data is then packaged in the brain’s network as files of information. These informational files are then scanned for commonalities and those with associative links are packaged in folders as bodies of knowledge (however big or small). This vast body of data, information, and knowledge encompasses our navigational system for moving through the L’oja. When we choose to act upon a particular piece of information and knowledge that expresses itself in our mind, our decision is operating under the Law of Contrast, this or that. When knowledge is tested in the L’oja, we can observe the results and decide whether that piece of information or knowledge should be retained or discarded as false, ineffective, or problematic.
When the Fifth Truth states that we should ‘obtain wisdom’, it is stating that we should strive to elevate our ‘beliefs’ to a level where we can talk our earth-walk with wisdom.
Rise up in the morning and declare with conviction:
Everything I do and every decision I make is guided by a core value of always seeking higher knowledge so that I am better able to live my life and conduct my affairs with wisdom, and to act effectively in the service of Olodumare’s Creation.
We are here to explore and study the L’oja, to experiment and learn the lessons that arise from our choices, and thereby to grow and obtain wisdom. This is the process and ceremony of claiming our Birthright! This is the Path pointed out by the Ifa Tradition of Ancestor and Orisa Worship.
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!
