I believe that abundance reflects in our sense of contentment and satisfaction. This can vary from person to person in conformity with the goals held and what Fate gave to us. Abundance in one area of life, as for instance money, can at times lead to complaints in other areas of life, such as lack of love, enemies and false friends. I believe the very idea of abundance is about honey. It is about an inner sweetness in how we approach life as our being run along on the cords of destiny and Fate elegantly and gracefully, it be through both the gutters and castles of the world. Abundance is a form of equilibrium takes shape in our journey upon earth.
Life is a journey that leads us to ruins and places, stormy rivers and sojourns of peace and strength. The perfect human journey is the one that is rich in experience and gives us ample opportunity to forge our character and realize our destiny.
The wisdom of Ifá tell us that we are all born good and blessed – and it is as people, good and blessed we start our human journey. The more our travel is done gently and with measured movements, the more we will experience ourselves as abundantly blessed and good. We read in the odù Òdí Méjì the following:
Òdí Méjí
Mo dé rere
Mo rín rere
Èmi níkan ni mo mò rin àrìnkòórín
A sèsè `nkòhun oro sìlè
Ni mo Wole wéré bi Omo olóhun
Èmi èé s’omo olòhun
Ìrìn àrìnkò ni mo môo rìn
Translated:
I arrive well
I travel well
I am one who usually travels and find good fortune
Just as they were laying down riches,
I entered without hesitation like and offspring
Of the owner
But I am not an offspring of the owner
I am only one who knows how to travel
And find good fortune
So, we are all born good and blessed as we embark on our travel on earth, but as we move on we always do choices. Some of these choices can provoke alchemical reactions where we touch upon the poison of the world – and we release evil. This, ‘evil’ as it were can be found in our choice in perception or deliberate acts where we know or not know the consequences.
We touch poison with falsity; false words do touch the poison in such way that evil can take shape. A simple false word or action tends to breed fear or one of the 1001 shades of guilt in existence. The falsity easily ends up in lies and the line of lies takes us always away from the happy journey and we cannot anymore ‘travel well’ . Our journey turn into a restless state in the valley of the shadow of death where enemies are seen in clouds and signs – but most of all in our own words that we blind ourselves for seeing…
If we want to travel well we need to walk the world gently, we need to have compassion and we need to exalt ourselves in a state of joy and contentment (réré/pélé) and make this be at the foundation of our character (iwá). Ifá imparts to us that Ìwá (character) is born wild, untamed and curious – she need to mature as we travel the worlds and the lands of our destiny. And here, the greatest aid we can give to our wild and immature character – or soul if you wish - is Love. Love for Self and for others. Love is always beyond good and evil as much as fear is the father of evil…
I believe we all want to live lives where we are joyously content with our selves, with our achievement and our life as it is, we want iré, good fortune, a happy lot. The odù Ogbe’túrá says about this the following:
Enití ó bá sí ´nwá ire
L’ó màá ´ns’ebo
Enitií ó ba si féràn `wà oore síse pàápàá fún
Àwon aláìní
Oun paapaa kò ní yè ní ìdùnú
Translated:
Anyone who wishes to have good fortune
Will constantly practice sacrifice
And anyone who cultivates the habit of doing
Good deeds, especially for the needy,
This person, in particular, will never lack happiness
There are in particular two issues in this odù that is worthy some additional comments, one is the second lines that sacrifice is something we need to constantly practice. For some reason the idea of ebo or sacrifice is perceived as something limited to giving something to the spirits, it be blood, food, drink or fruits – but this comment in Ogbe’túrá speaks of an ongoing process. Ifá speaks of our attitudes, behaviors and perspectives – the greatest sacrifice we can do is to change dysfunctional patters of behavior and perspective in favor of those that reaps rewards for us and the world, namely good fortune and a joyous character. If we give attention to doing good, saying good and keeping good perspectives and attitudes we will never lack happiness, as Maulana Karenga translates ìdùnú properly enough. But the world can also signify ‘inner sweetness’, ‘the honey within’ – or simply put, Love. So, if we put Love into our actions and let Love be the director of our perspectives we will never lack happiness and good fortune will be what we manifest in our lives…
...and that is a matter a million times true….