Pular para o conteúdo principal

To Complicate or Facilitate



Destiny is a matter many perceive as mysterious and fatalistic and many perceive it as nonsense. We all are the makers of our own fortune by applying ambitions and skill in building our fortune. Failing to do this will call upon misfortune. But on what goals are we applying our skill? A Ifá proverb says: If we don’t know to where we are going, any road will do’. This is a call to know your destiny.  The Yoruba word for destiny is kádàrá and is an elision of Ká, which signifies something coiled up, something cyclical that can be exercised, like a muscle can be flexed and àdà meaning ‘cutlass’ and àrá,  ‘lightning’. This invites an understanding of destiny as something coiled up within our Iwa or character and Ori, consciousness that is subject to being uncoiled by the work of cutlass and lightening.  We see here the manifestation of the powers of Obatàlá, Ogún, Sangó and Oyá and an understanding of destiny being imprinted by Obatàlá, who coils destiny up within us ready to be manifesting step by step as Ogún tempers us to find a way and Sangó quickens the soul to ascent. This means that destiny unfolds in the face of challenges. Ogún’s cutlass represents the ability to follow ones path, to cut away what is necessary, it is the power that clears the road onward – the path of destiny. In the negative manifestation Ogún’s cutlass invites to anger directed outwards to others. It is about blaming the world for ones failures. Doing this, instead of attracting the powers of the odu Ogunda, which is victory and strength, we invite in the wicked powers of Iká meji and resentment and hatred start to grow as we see phantom enemies flocking around us. Our world becomes one of threat and danger and the cutlass is directed towards the enemies we imagine and therefore manifest. The powers of Sangó and Oyá, the thunder and the storm are metaphors’ for transcendence. Lightning is divine inspiration that brings clarity of vision. If this vision is turned upwards we will experience Otura meji, the odu of visionary clarity, of destiny – if it is turned downwards we will be confronted with Okonron meji and Owonrin meji and we will invite encounters with Èsú at the crossroads of negative passions. Since destiny, the ká is the coil, symbolized both by the virtue of the snail and the golden section given by Obatàlá it tells us that our destiny is always good. We are the ones who alter the good destiny by lack of skill to unfold this coil of fate into a path of blessings. One ese ifa (Ifá verse) from Ogbésé tell us the following:

Isé orí rán mi ni mò ´nse o
Ònà Èdu rán mi ni mò ntò
Dífá fún Agbónbúla
Tí yòò gbón ibú là
Wón níkí ó rúno
Ó gbó; ó rúbo
N kò sai gbón ibú mi là
N kò sai gbón ibú mi níre

Meaning:


I pursue the task my destiny gave me
I follow the path Ifá appointed to me
This was divined for Agbombula
Who would drain the deepest waters to be prosperous
He was advised to make sacrifice
He heard and complied
I will not fail to drain the deepest waters in order to be prosperous
I will not fail to drain the deepest waters to achieve goodness and fortune

When Ifá uses the word ibú it has the meaning of being deep, something mysterious and difficult to get hold of. This has many levels; in one level Agbombula is actually given a very hard destiny, because it is difficult to ‘drain the deepest waters’. He is told that he needs to work hard and apply patience in reaching his goals. Ibú is also a symbol for wisdom, but true wisdom – so Ifá is telling him to pursue wisdom.  He accepts and in the moment of acceptance he becomes the master of his own destiny. 

If we pursue wisdom on the path of destiny we will always seek to understand. Wisdom is the faculty that makes us understand how to use our skill to reach our goal. The last line is significant, he chose to follow destiny because this will bring goodness and fortune. This is essential in Ifá metaphysics, fortune is always related to goodness or a good character. A good character is tranquil and slow to anger and judgment. A good person is somehow who is considerate and generous and possess humility. Humility simply means that one is capable of considering someone else’s opinion and admit fault, no matter who one has wronged.  If we follow the path of destiny we will never embark or tremble upon someone else’s destiny – we will seek to understand when someone else’s misapprehension of their destiny afflict our and see if we can discover a remedy for mending this tormented person that crosses over in our path.  We can only do this if we recognize that our judgments and self-centred angry outbursts on the world belong to us. If we admit this we maintain clarity of the path of destiny and we continue to be the masters of our destiny.    
  
No matter the path of destiny – it has always the same goal – fortune and blessing. By revealing our destiny the Fates are simply advising about the steps best suited to achieve the fullness of all what is good. So, the question for self reflection is: on the path of discovery of Fate do you facilitate or complicate for your fellow wayfarers?  Ase!

Postagens mais visitadas deste blog

The ‘firmeza’ of Quimbanda

Quimbanda is a cult centred on the direct and head on interaction with spirit, hence developing mediumistic skills and capability in spirit trafficking is integral and vital to working Quimbanda. Possession is a phenomenon that intrigues and also scares. After all we have all seen movies like The Exorcist and other horror thrillers giving visual spectacles to how hostile spirits can take over the human body, mind and soul in intrusive and fatal ways. But possessions do find a counterpart in the shamanic rapture as much as in the prophet whose soul is filled with angelic light that makes him or her prophetic. Possession is not only about the full given over of your material vessel to a spirit that in turn uses the faculties of the medium to engage various forms of work. Inspiration, dream and to be ‘under the influence’ are potentially valid and worthy avenues for connecting with spirit. Yet another avenue for good spirit trafficking is the communion, or what Jake Stratton-Kent ca

A Quimbanda FAQ

In this article I will try to answer some questions concerning Quimbanda that surfaces with frequency. Questions concerning how to work this cult solitary and somehow dislocated from the cultural climate of understanding here in Brazil are frequently asked as are questions concerning the magical tools, such as guias, patuás and statues, available to the general public. I want to be initiated in Quimbanda, how do I proceed with that? When we speak of initiation in the perspective of Quimbanda we are speaking of a true and intense merging with spirit that involves a pact/agreement, a spirit vessel (assentamento), ordeal and oath. There are elements used in this process that are common to every house/terreiro/cabula/lineage of Quimbanda that reveals a common origin. There are different varieties of Quimbanda in Brazil, and the expression of the common root, will always depend of the constellation of spirits we find in the tronco. In other words, a ‘Casa de Exu’ that is dominated

The Enchanted Tradition of Jurema

Cabocla Jurema Jurema is a term that refers to two distinct but related subjects: a plant species and a cultural tradition. The Jurema plant is native to South America and belongs to the species Anadenanthera peregrina, Mimosa tenuiflora, or Tabernaemontana catharinensis. These plants are commonly used in traditional medicine for medicinal and ceremonial purposes, just like Ayahuasca is used. Jurema originated in the Amazonian north of Brazil and preserves the secrets and mysteries of wood spirits and caboclos – amongst many others. The Cult of Jurema is a spiritual tradition that through plant sacraments, the smoke of different herbs and the teaching of disincarnated Masters and Mistresses gives access to the mysteries held by enchanted spirits, of the spirits of the wood, teaching spirits and a wide array of other traditions and mysteries. The Jurema is centred around the use of Jurema as sacrament.  This sacrament facilitates spiritual healing, provide guidance and protection, and