About Us

We are a husband and wife team that started out more than a quarter of a century ago much like you…part need, part curiosity, and part dissatisfaction with what Western spirituality seemed to offer. When we first encountered the Orisa there was no Ifa in America, only Santeria/Lucumi. So that was the path we took. It soon became clear that we had simply traded the fear and dependency created by Western religions for an Afro/Cuban world view that duplicated these traits. When we asked questions we were told we were either not ready, being insolent, or it was a “secret.” When we objected to the racial, sexual and gender discrimination, we were told the Orisa would punish us. Through all of this we resonated to the power and beauty of the Orisa…so we began a journey to find its roots and its relevancy to our lives. That Journey resulted in re-discovering Ifa in the African Tradition, and the founding of the Ifa Foundation of North America. The books The Way of the Orisa – HarperCollins Publishing & The Sacred Ifa Oracle – HarperCollins Publishing, introduced African Ifa to both mainstream and academic America. We created the first Spiritual Retreat with actual Orisa Shrines and Gardens that we call Ola Olu, or Gift from God. We created the world’s most complete Web Site with more free information on Orisa worship than anywhere else in order to combat the intellectual and emotional slavery that secrecy and lack of knowledge creates. We initiated the first female Iyanifa, the first openly gay Babalawo as we began to restore Ifa to the inclusive world view it was created to provide.

Through it all we have raised our children in the tradition, learned how to maintain our own 25 year loving relationship and to help others obtain or create their own.
We have done this through the following Sixteen Truths of American Ifa:

1. This is a benevolent Universe
2. There is a single Creative Force ( God )
3. There is no Devil
4. It is your birthright to be happy, successful and loved
5. Heaven is “home” and Earth “the marketplace.” We are in constant passage between the two
6. You are part of the Universe in a literal, not figurative way
7. Character determines outcome
8. Supremacy is evil
9. You must never initiate harm to another human being
10. You must never harm the Universe of which you are a part
11. There can be no discrimination
12. Diversity is the hallmark of the Creative Force’s creation
13. You select your Destiny
14. Divination provides your road map
15. Balance, growth and wisdom are your goals
16. You need have no fear

We have accomplished all this by uniting our male and female energy to work together. By learning, and subsequently teaching, the imperative of Empowerment rather than dependence; of Confidence rather than fear, of Self-Reliance rather than paternalism, of logic rather than blind faith. We invite you to experience the Life Shifting Power of this philosophy without the shackles of fear, dependence and secrecy. Ase!

Blessings
Vassa & Philip Neimark
Iyanifa Olufadeke and Oluwo Fagbamilia