|
Someone recently
asked me "what is the most important thing Ifa has taught you in the last
25 years?" At first, I was slightly taken aback. Had a quarter of a century
passed since I first became interested in this magnificent philosophy?
After a moment's reflection, I realized that it was almost exactly 26
years ago that I first was introduced to Ifa and the Orisa in Miami, Florida.
During that period of time Ifa had taught me an enormous amount. It has
taught me that I no longer needed to be afraid; that there was a way of
looking at the future and dealing with it; that character was the absolute
requirement for a worthwhile life; that it is a logical and caring universe
we live in, and hundreds of other important concepts. How could I identify
the single most important thing I had learned? Then, much as it had come
to me almost 20 years ago when a Chicago Sun Times reporter asked a similar
question, the answer came almost unbidden to my mind:
Everything we do is connected.
In a society and
culture that has taught us that self-absorption, and self-realization
is the ultimate goal, Ifa has restored my understanding and balance of
my place in this universe.
Day in and day
out, I speak with, divine for, teach and counsel individuals who have
come to Ifa to solve their individual problems. For the most part, they
believe that the solution of these problems will bring them the happiness,
health and success in life that they desire. They are probably wrong.
For, while Ifa can focus energy, and alleviate almost any specific problem
they might be confronted with, their disconnection with the Whole will
certainly lead them to new or repetitive problems in the future. They
may come because they are ill, lonely or poor. Yet, the short-term solution
to these issues will not re-connect them to the Whole. That, they must
do through knowledge, behavior and character.
You see, Ifa is
about the inter-connectivity of our lives, our families, our relationships,
our jobs, our community and the planet we live on.
There is no single action that any of us initiate that does not, in
some way, reflect and impact on all the other areas! That
is so important. Let me repeat it in a slightly different way:
There is no single act that any of us initiate that does not have repercussions
on all other areas of our life, our family, our community, our jobs, our
health and the universe we are part of!
There is a corollary
to this: There is no single problem -be it monetary,
health, emotional or spiritual, that is not a direct result of ignoring
this interconnectedness and responsibility to the Whole!
If there is anything
that I have learned in the past quarter of a century, it is these absolute
truths.
When we ignore
this responsibility, when we focus on our immediate desires without analyzing
their repercussions, we create chaos in our lives and the lives of those
around us. We want the job, the guy, the girl, the power, the respect,
the toys...and on and on...but we ignore the impact these decisions and
actions are causing. We ignore the trade we are making, and the price
it will inflict.
The difficult part
of this absolute truth is that sometimes our short-term motivations are
"right" in terms of our self-indulgent society. For example, the Black
American who wants to feel the immediate personal pride, empowerment and
possession of a philosophy that originated in Africa, and who does so
by refusing to include those of other cultures, is creating a short-term
solution to their own feelings of anger and repression while at the same
time creating and maintaining a longer tem problem of denying the interconnectedness
of us all. The husband or wife that feel they can have relations with
another person outside the commitment of their marriage, can find immediate
gratification...but at the price of destruction to the family unit and
harm to the community that depends on this foundation to survive. The
individual, who works longer hour, or takes a job at a company they don't
really like, may bring themselves the instant reward of the new t.v. Vacation
or automobile -but will their children suffer because they are not home,
will their relationships suffer for the same reason, and will their health
decline from the inner conflict of doing something they are not really
happy with?
Most people know
the right answers to these questions, yet they persist in their behavior.
They maintain that as "soon as they get over this one thing" they will
straighten out. Nonsense! You both see and respect the Whole, or you do
not. Good character and behavior are not contextual issues.
The beauty is,
if you have the character and determination to do the right thing, to
behave in ways that respects the integrity and purity of your relationships,
your family, your job, your community and your planet, then life can and
will be joyous, healthy and fulfilled. The choice is yours.
Blessings!...
Philip Neimark
Oluwo
- The Classroom - Index
of Articles
- Experience and learn about the
Orisas from Babalawos, Iyalawos and priests by attending the Orisa
Workshops.
- Call 877-811-7316 (toll-free)
for more information
|
