Everyone is
seeking something good for themselves and in the search for goodness the hunt
for purpose, meaning and mission often surfaces as important issues on the path
towards self-discovery. But what do we use as the measure for discovering our
purpose?
Ifá states
that we all are imprinted with an energetic signature that both describe our
personality traits and how we should conduct ourselves in life to attract good
fortune. This energetic signature is a crude and almost primitive mark that
gives us a base for growth and expansion, because this energetic signature, the
odu, is in truth a primal cosmic force that gives a crude blueprint for our
being and journey in life. The map we must make ourselves and there will always
be many choices that will be good as there will be many choices that are bad in
reference of attracting good fortune. One man’s medicine might be another man’s
poison, and choices made towards harmonizing a given energy is often more
abstract in nature than confined and predestined towards a very limited set of
behaviours that lead to the desired results. For instance, if Ifá reveals to
you that this primordial energetic signature is of a creative person, this
doesn’t limit creativity to fine arts. It means that this person will bring something
creative to his or hers endeavours, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will
be a renowned painter – yet it might be. Ifá instead focuses on building good
character, which is signified by possessing a mind-set that is easy-going,
kind, calm, joyous and tranquil. Good character or iwa pele is what happens when
your choices leads to peace of mind instead of entertaining drama, confusion
and dysfunction that slowly forge iwa buruku or wicked character. In fact, Ifá
states repeatedly that if we focus on building good character we will be in
such state of mind that we will make the choices that are best for us, that will
accumulate our good fortune and bring meaning and purpose to our life. To build
good character is a lifelong undertaking, as this particular state of mind is
made by success and error, the mistakes and foolish decisions. To err is all
but human, and hence it is through the accumulation of experience we grow wise
if we allow ourselves to take the lessons from the good and bad choices we are
making in our life.
In the odu
Ikafun Orunmila reveals to the sixteen elders that wanted to come to earth to
be prosperous and have long life 16 advices they had to observe if they wanted to
attract the blessings they asked to have. Orunmila went to earth with the
sixteen elders and the consequences of this arrival the odu Ikafun reveals was
as follows:
WON DELE AYE TAN
OHUN TI WON NI KIWON MON SE NIWON DAWOLE
WON WA BERE SI KU
OWA KU ORUNMILA NIKAN TO PA IKILO MO
WON WA NI ORUNMILA NI O NPA WON
NJE ATI DAGBA MI ODOWO MI
ATI DAGBA RE ODOWO RE
When they arrived on Earth
They disobeyed all advice given
Orunmila was the only one left of them because he followed the wise
counsel
He was accused of killing the sixteen elders
Orunmila said: You live eternally by your own hand
As you live perfectly by your own hand
What is
interesting in the conclusion of this poem is not only that none of the sixteen
wise forces that came with Orunmila found any advice worth observing, but how
Orunmila emphasizes personal responsibility and how each and every one makes or
breaks our own good fortune by our own hand, our own choices. But what kind of
advice Orunmila gave to these wise elders that were so difficult to adhere to? Let’s
look at five of these sixteen advices.
EKETA...WON
NI KIWON MAFI ODIDE PE OODE
3. They must not call a parrot a partridge
This advice
speaks about not misleading people as it speaks about lying and the importance
of avoiding creating confusion by telling that something is what it is not. The
advice do not speak whether this is done in good or bad faith, it simply states
that this is a behaviour that will deviate you from experiencing fullness and
joy in this human journey. Hence the advice is that instead of pretending to
know something you don’t know, admit the lack of knowledge and avoid misleading
people for the sake of looking greater, nicer, wise or more powerful than what
you really are.
EKERIN...WON
NI KIWON MAFI EWE IROKO PE EWE ORIRO
4. They must not say iroko (African Teak) leaves are oriro leaves (Water
Hyacinth).
This advice
speaks about the importance of avoiding deception. And also since Iroko is a
very important and magical tree in Ifá this additional layer of deceiving
people to accept inferior manifestations as being as good as superior ones or
simply confusing the planes telling that Iroko is basically the same as Oriro. This advice is also an admonition against
taking short cuts or due to possibility for gain, laziness, lack of self–esteem,
control issues, whatever it might be. Again, Ifá simply say, don’t do this if
you want to prosper in the world and in following the previous advice it is
about being authentic and honest with oneself.
EKARUN...WON NI KIWON MAFI AIWE BAWON DE ODO
5. Do not go
to the river if you do not know how to swim.
This advice
simply means that you should not claim to know what you do not know. Eventually
the charlatan or misguider or misleader will discover the undercurrents that take
such person away to the great liquid Abyss of return as such person have no
legs or shoulders to stand on. So, basically the advice is about not lying, especially
when it comes to using lies to increase a false position that gives you the
allure of being greater and wiser than what you really is.
EKEJE...WON NI KIWON MAGBA ONA EBURU WOLE AKALA
7. They must
not enter Akala´s house deceitfully.
The house of
Akala refers to a wise elder, someone who strives to walk the walk and be less
of a hypocrite than what we humans usually are. Such people often gives off a
sense of real power a presence of being that can tempt many a journeyman to
take advantage of someone for their own gain, in other words to use people as a
tool for your own greed and selfish desires, which Orunmila understands to be
at to root of someone treacherous.
EKARUNDINLOGUN...WON NI KIWON MA SORO IMULE LEYIN
15. They
advised them not to go behind and discuss secrets.
This advice
is clear and simply about avoiding gossip and to talk with a heavy mouth. It
speaks about the importance of guarding secrets in the sense of now throwing
pearls for swine as it also respects oaths and word. In particular this advice
is about not speaking about someone not present, especially if it is negative
issues that are presented in an unproductive and denigrating fashion and
scapegoating. Instead Orunmila advices to speak open and plainly in the same environment
and if what you have to say about someone else is not something you have
courage to tell to the person in question maybe it doesn’t deserve the light of
day? Maybe it is all about you and not the other?
On our path
in life, in our communities, if we want to find meaning, discover purpose and
gain a deeper self-knowledge these advices might be a great place to start because
if we are a positive force in the world we will also attract situations,
energies, people and opportunity that will increase these connections and we
will, in-between our errors and failures, start to get in touch with our own
essence in a way that is truly beautiful.
Awo Ifasotito Agbefayelele