I have this year received a surprising amount of
communication concerned with charlatans and fraud, and it is naturally sad to
see how so many are being taken for a ride by self declared sages in the
various marketplaces we find open to our quest and journey. It is also sad to
see true sages being debunked due to the disharmony in the very relationship
between teacher and seeker as it is sad to see how many of those being taken
for a fraudulent ride chooses to own their anger instead of taking the lesson
and move on. I say, if you found a good place; stay, if the place you found is
not good; then go.
I have in my own quest amidst the marketplaces found
sages, prophets, true friends, brothers and sisters as much as I have found the
conmen, thieves, lunatics and the ‘wanna be enemies’. Over the years I have
been angry, resented, filled with love and immensely content. Over the years my
sense of discernment has become better thanks to the loonies, quacks and
impostors encountered and I have understood that these people serve a purpose
in the great design we not always are aware of. These people are holding the
juices of bitterness that enables us to appreciate the sweetness of the world.
Not only this, but these insolent frauds we meet on our path, these conmen of
mystery they do bring the mystery of trickery to our life and places us in the
crossroad. At this crossroad we can chose to take the lesson and move on wiser
or we can stay in hatred until we see nothing but fire.
Ifá speaks in the odù
Ìrosùwòrì how there are two kinds of people in the world. There are good
people and there are those who do not allow goodness to reach the life of other
people. The odù tells prior to this
that humans have been elected to bring good into the world, failing this will
make one to experience repeated rebirths as a spiritual being undertaking the
same human journey until one have accomplished to bring goodness to the world.
Those who contribute to goodness, to the knowledge of what is good and bring
happiness are those who will find heavenly rest, living a life without enemies,
anxiety or fear. But also those who do good will occasionally have to return to
the human experience in order to fortify what is good on earth and bring the
light of wisdom to those who withhold good from the life of others.
This world where we embark on our human journey is the
meeting point where the invisible and visible world meets and is understood to
be a marketplace. As in any marketplace we can make the good and bad deal and
we meet charlatans, quacks and frauds as much as the honest merchant and good
friend. Sometimes we find all of these in the same person...
Many of us have been taught that it is only human to
react with anger when we make the bad deal or are taken for a fraudulent ride.
I would say that there are nuances here. To have a reaction confronted with
fraud and trickery is one thing, but the anger it evokes is something entirely
different. When a good man is subject for fraud the tendency is to react,
recognize and leave the situation, a truly good man will bless the quack and
move on not allowing such incident to impair his ability of spreading goodness
and joy. When we react with anger we instantly call upon the army of spirits of
misfortune (ajogun) as we generate a negative circuit rooted in not being able
to let goodness into one’s own or others life.
When we allow anger to take the reins of the chariot
of our soul the spirit of righteousness is not far away as we becomes
judgmental in our self righteousness and point fingers in every direction – not
realizing that there will always be three fingers pointing back at our
selves... In this moment we have become alienated from ourselves, from the
purpose of the human journey and we cloud in darkness and distortion our divine
soul and character. We turn into what Ìká’wòrí
calls Serarè – Self injurers – those
who throws ashes and evil at others not realizing that we are stained by the
very same ashes we throw out upon others. Ifá
understands this to be a path of ruin of Self, where anxiety, plotting and
revenge are the spirits following such person.
The odu,
Ìrosúwòrì ends one of its stanzas with stating that: “Those chosen to bring
good into the world are called human beings (eniyan) or the chosen ones”, and
refers to this as a mystery.
This word, eniyan,
which is usually translated to ‘human beings’ refers to a particular kind of
humans, those who brings sweetness and goodness to the world, because they are
able to recall the wisdom that makes it possible - and in this lies a great mystery.
In my experience, when we are offered bitterness we
have a choice. We can stay and eat the bitterness or we can leave and
experience sweetness. Those needing the bitterness will attract it and taste it
so they can know better how sweet and good the world can. Because any charlatan
will sooner or later choke on his own quacks as he slowly is digging his own
grave, this should be no concern for the seeker of goodness.
For my part, I welcome both the fraud and sage to take
their role in this our marketplace so we can have this wonderful experience of
humanity as spiritual beings chosen to be vessels of goodness... And how can we
choose if not bitterness points to sweetness and sweetness to bitterness... in
this lies the merchants dance in the marketplace of the worlds... So, choose
well if you should stay or if you should go...