Those that Orisa climb their heads.

Eri wo ya!!!!!!!

                  Today I want you to get close and personal with me, I want you to feel deep within you as I narrate and share one of my spiritual encounters with you. Retrospect,

 the first time I ever went into trance/possession/egun/emi. 

                  It was 15 years ago, my siblings and I were playing in my dad compound one evening, pretending to be having our own mini festival. We were dancing and singing Orisa songs, imitating the sound of the talking drums by mouth.  And bam! I lose control and the next thing I know I was down at my dads feet hearing fainted noises and people calling my names and my dad reciting incantation on my head.  My siblings said I fainted. Be it I get dizzy and fainted from twirling around or possessed , anyway that was the first I remembered to have an out of body experience. It kept on happening frequently as I mature at festivals, and all I can do at that point is to occasionally cry to free myself , dance vigorously like most people do when they get possessed. At the beginner stage, they will cry , screamed and roll on the floor without delivering any message. That is some people signature possession routine. I suppose the spirit is just test driving the person. (LOL)

   

              This Orisa mounting of a thing begin to dwell well in the kingdom of my body and spirit. It became a part me. I was label as this girl who can never danced to Orisa drums without getting into possession. Sometimes my sister and I joke around with it during festivals , pretending we were been mounted and all. That is besides the point actually. But the thing that happened to me by playing over a decades ago, took my sister another 5 to 6 years to get there. She always wanted to be  mounted by the Orisa but couldn't.  A responsibility which is now avoided possibly. To tell you  that you can't/ shouldn't force it . It may be easy for some and it takes time for this gift to manifest in others.  It is not by initiation, it is not about years of practice. This is a gift bestowed on us by Olodumare. I was no where near been escorted to Igbodu or have any Ase of Orisa on my head besides the one that came to this world with me when I had my experiences. We will call those who could't Bolugi, that is the Egbe society name for a person with no heavenly and earthy peers/mate. They are sometimes refer to as wooden dolls because they cant feel. Which is harsh though, but sometimes propel people to open themselves up, let go and let the spirit move through them.

               Contrary to some people who belief that besides God ( Christianity ) that any human who can see and foretell outside the scope of understanding of Christianity must be a servant of Satan. So when they hear someone been possessed by Orisa their mind is auto tune to biblical demon/evil possession. In Yoruba belief system been mounted by Orisa does not mean the body is been occupied by evil spirit. It is not satanic, it is about been a vessel and corespondent between our Orisa and mankind.  Can it be tainted? sure it can . I am not saying people don't get possessed by some impure spirit even during spiritual gathering. These satanic possession are in my opinion, untamed and misguided spiritual encounters and this not what is been practiced or purported to be experienced during the framework of Yoruba Egun for those who for the good and not the dark side of life.

         I have had several opportunities to share experience with some Olorisa and even people from different spiritual spectrum who also believe in possession. Some response correlate with what I have experienced. Some do get possesses as they wish without use of any element and it can happens anywhere. 

            Some people use it as tool of divination when they pray which allows them to see the issues surrounding their client or anyone in general.This took me back to my high school days, my best friend then was singing in the class one afternoon and started speaking in foreign tongue . She attends one of the Spiritual churches in Nigeria called the Celestial Church of Christ. This religion institution refers to the people who go into trance as Elemi. The one who speak with the spirit ( I stand corrected) Emi is the term use in place Of Egun that the Olorisa in the Yoruba use to mean trance/possession. I digress because of people who may think the concept of Egun is restricted to Olorisa alone.

               I have some who shared that they cannot remember what they saw or said during possession while some can still relate the message after been conscious.  Even though this have happened to me in the past. I do occasionally go blank after possession or not even seeing anything while in trance. It was as if I was in a dark place, all alone trying to make sense of my environment and crying just seems to be comforting and I do that a lot and once calmed (which do take several attempts by people) I lose my voice and feel ached all over my body from tossing and jumping. 

           One occasion that I really went deep, I saw a clear vision, it was like watching a movie, the image of each individual I have message for was showed to me one after the other, I saw their faces and once I was done with one the next image will be inserted. I tried to held my self from speaking but I couldn't.  I can feel these people presence and I can honestly tell you, we are not the same in the spiritual realm. Some people are super spiritual and hard to read and some are as light as a cotton wool and those who have Iyami power are master of disguise. They know how to shut you out and prevent you from exposing their real image.

                That was the breakthrough from the endless cries and blank vissions. I became a vessel. EPA!!!!!

             What is Elegun?     

           Elegun is the Yoruba word for  those who are spiritually possessed by Orisa ( Not to be confused with Eleegun which is masqurade.)They are also known as Ojise. However there are three ways of attaining priesthood for both men and woman;

* Through inheritance

* Through vocation or possession

* Through Age i.e been the senior wife or head of the family.

              In some cases some people become priestess of Orisa in the palace or in the town when they are chosen by divination. After this divination process, they will have to undertake an oath and go through initiation ceremonies.

               In the case of Elegun, the initiation ceremony and power that are transmitted to each individual spiritually differs. The message they bear are usually accurate and true. Each times their prediction comes to pass, they must give thanks to Orisa who is the owner of the Ase and message. 

Trance/ Possession/ Orisa Mounting.

            Possession/trance comes in different forms, there are some Elegun whose spirit descends on them in the course of singing, chanting, listening to drums and dancing to tense Orisa music. The spirit can mount during long recitation of Oriki, which is why it is essential to learn and master Oriki for our individual Orisa. 

    

           Elegun must not hear the sound of snail shell being used to wash, scratch the bottom of the pot because the vibrating sound can make the spirit to mount them and it can take several hours for the person to return to normalcy. For some it is a taboo for them to come near anyone who is cutting wood. When ever the spirit come upon them, they must propitiate the Orisa in order to calm them down. They use element such as water, palm oil, cam-wood, white chalk as ingredient of propitiation.

         I was once asked why people are refrain from mounting sometimes in Nigeria, this is because when the spirit of Orisa possess a person, it uses the whole body. Some may inadvertently lose control of the physical body and hit the ground and sustain injury. Some may expose themselves to the people and some may start revealing personal secret to the people.

   Taboos

         In a nutshell, Elegun of Orisa must abide by all taboo related to that Orisa. For example, in Yoruba land Elegun of Sango is forbidden from smoking tobacco. They must endeavor to practice honestly at all times so that people can take the message sent by the Orisa through them seriously.

Excerpt from

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The Adventure of Obatala ( Revised Edition) by Chief Priest Ifayemi Elebuibon. The Araba Of Osogbo Land.

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Finding Orisa in unlikely places

                    This morning I was confronted by yet another issue that plaques my mind. I have been pondering on the image I was directed to by Charles Lean Stewart. Image portraying Sango and Ogun in what seems to be a drinking game. I was conflicted on how I should feel or react to the image. I don't want it to be here she come again . (lol) . Anyway, I said I will write about it anyway and see through others point of view.
                                 The first question I was asked was if this would have been peaceable by other religion counterparts, should their God be portrayed in such manner. My respond was absolutely no, mainly because I feel most religion hypocritically condemns alcohol intake and usage. Even though majority of their follower heavily indulge in it. Should that been beer commercial, it will never be allowed.
                 That been said, element relating to African image have been on media front line for a while

now including could it or not been reaction of people to Beyonce lemonade video. I digress
                        The bitter truth is the fact that I know we need mass media and all its components and tools. We need a very good PR movement to polish our image. We need to reintroduced our self to the whole world in our own language as oppose to various misrepresentations that have been put out there.
                        At the same time, knowing how mass media work, and now social media, could also be mass destruction. Certain things cannot be put out there. Before I go any further, I know culture is not static; it grows out of a systematically encourage reverence for selected customs and habits. Holding on to " custom and habits" and relating it to the image that is suppose to be Sango and Ogun. Yoruba culture/religion do not frown at alcohol consumption per se. It is the abuse and excessive usage that it condemns. frivolous uses are also discourage. Need to be noted that alcohol then is made out of fruits and other edibles. It is totally different from what alcohol is today. Maybe that is why the Orisa were use.
Having said that, I don't know the extent this should be condemned or perhaps what yardstick to measure this depiction with.
                           Owing to their own consciences, art are an important component of the anthropological element in teaching the target culture. If weigh on this scale, Using Orisa image to portray frivolous drinking will be seen as disrespectful. Because what is it teaching?
 There have been commercial of alcohol company like Seaman Schnapps in Nigeria which showcase Yoruba culture/religion in retrospect to alcohol usage for libation and prayers. That will not raise eyebrow.
                        If we are to excuse the fact that our celebration an rituals involve gins and all, how do we think people around the world from various religion counter parts will react if this were to be Jesus and Mohammed in the picture. Especially religion that sees themselves as the apostle of morality and high priests of all things godly. Would this have been tolerated?
                        Placing this on a global platform, using the Arab Nation and Arabic language as reference.   There have been situation where protest have been made and products been recalled due to usage of Arabic language where the Muslim community felt it was used in an offending manner. Take for instance cartoon image of Muhammad that generated protest and enrage the Muslim community all over the world.
                         On a social scale, what does this mean for children seeing the Orisa in that image. This is an alcoholic beverage in question. There are families that have been destroyed because of alcoholism. Not to offend anyone or be judgmental, but relating the gods to something that is deem destructive seems off.
                       This is not a Guinness ad or image supported by them ( I hope not).  Because as far as I know product maker must at all times consider all kinds of cultural and language barriers in their commercial. This is just a fan act/art. Someone who probably didn't give it much thought as to the sensitivity of the Icon been used or perhaps what it means to others. Maybe because it was never an issue where saying anything about Orisa have been questioned.
                      As Olorisa  we have Image problem already, I don't know what the intention of the artist was or is for making this. This could be a good gesture to some extent, the Orisa been represented. But in what light?. The gods are still relevant and I think all things related to religion and its sacredness should be showcase positively and taking serious. This can be done by anyone irrespective of their religion orientation.
                        David Rudd, a vice president at ad agency Axis says "Just as each ad should be viewed on its merits, every group has a right to be sensitive to the manner in which it is portrayed in mass media..Memorable art and funny art can be accomplished without insulting anyone.

The questions now are;

•  Are we been denied the privileged enjoy by other popular religion?
• Is this meant to be derogatory or celebrating culture?
• Is this image appropriate?
• Should we just chill and sip on this as a mere comic image?

The fight is one.

Yesterday I posted and wrote  via a third party blog site that I am a content creator for.( http://nigeriaentertainer.blogspot.com/2016/05/most-traditional-religion-worshiper-are.html )  on a statement made by a Nigeria actor who made a derogatory statement about Olorisa. 

The fight is one. Ohun to ba de ba oju, o ti de ba imu. Ohun to hun se aboyade gbogbo oloya lohun se. Arun to hun se ogoji lohun se odun. In essence, what affected one affected us all. Martin Luther King, Jr. said "an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

The stigmatization and stereotype that Olorisa faces around the world is one. I keep using "one"

because irrespective of the branch of Africa spiritual practice you applaud, you are all evil to the close mind who have been sheepishly guided all their lives. Most importantly we are all the same in the eyes of Olodumare.

Fayemi Fatunde Fakayode said "The era of tarnishing the image of traditional religion without response is gone". I said enough is enough, the age of standing akimbo and watch is over. The world can not keep labeling us all as evil, and we should desist from presenting ourselves as such. We are people of noble birth with rich culture and traditions. Remind yourself and your children of this daily.

             We have a voice now, lets be heard in peace and with good manners. We are in the age of social media thankfully, even if the news media decided to overlook the salient issues that affects our community. Alas, we are nothing but minority any way, we the devil other religion are praying away every day and yet we are still here. Maybe it is time they find the real devil by looking within them and among themselves.

                                            We need to be on the front line. I have been saying this, we need political power, financial power and educational power. Education is not only the classroom education alone, parents needs to inform and educate themselves so as to be a good mentor for their children. Our youth need to carry themselves well in public. They need to be well informed and educated about the spiritual practice that they in and that of others. We live in the age of technology, information is widely disperse, instead of been on social medias all the time, they should try to use search engines to research and inform themselves. Be global

            Maybe we need evangelism, maybe we need to preach our own gospel and may be we do not. But what I know for a fact is that we need to wake up from our slumber, we need to put end to the division ( if possible) . There is an uprising, which we have known for years and the finish line is not certain.

              Yoruba proverb said bi ina o ba tan laso eje ki tan ni ekana.  The Yoruba dread the lice and the leech for their nuisance value and their crude nature. The lice would expose its victim to a kind of shamelessness that makes an otherwise civilized and urbane person to public ridicule. The itch overtakes the host anywhere and everywhere, it makes the host the cynosure of all eyes in a most derogatory sense. This however is the ordeal we face and we have so much to do and need to be active participant.

                   Another Yoruba proverb said  A ki mon eni to ni a ja ka pe aja e ni digbolugi. You cannot know the owner of a dog and still treat the dog as a rabies ridden dog. The so called Nigeria actor who claimed to know Araba Elebuibon and other Babalawo that he didn't mention by name and still  go on social media to say traditionalist are behind kidnapping in Nigeria should let you know what you, your neighbor, friends and family can do in the name of religion intolerance.( I don't mean to start no war just laying out facts)

                     Olorisa abroad need to work cordially with the one in Africa. There are however bigger issues than who is giving what and at what price,needless to say that should be addressed but we need to be selective in our battles. a house that is divided against itself cannot stand. This issue of stigmatization and stereotyping is one of the things we should be discussing, it need 100% of our attention.

                       I will suggest a movement by the committees member of Olorisa council in Nigeria on movie stories censorship and critic movement on information and stories been portrayed/interpreted on mainstream by Nigeria movie industries. The little information that some people have on Yoruba culture and spiritual practice so far is what they see in the movies which  most times are misrepresentation of facts camouflage as fictions.

                        

                         I have contacted notable people that I know in Nigeria, I forwarded the article to different blog sites and news media outlets. 

I will suggest Jokotoye Oreoluwa a.k.a Bigvai  ( on facebook as Jototoye Bigvai Ore, instagram as jokotoyebigvai) issue a public apology. I personally will not stop until he does so and we shouldn't as well. I will like the elders in our community to also take this matter up as well. 

   This is less on religion/ religion sectors and more on who we are as a person. We have to learn to respect people and their chosen religion path. I want to thank every one who spoke on the issue and those who took it upon themselves to contact the guy on his derogatory remarks. Its not about bullying but setting record straight. 

ISESE A GBE WA O. ASE

Inspiration from Odu Owonrinsogbe

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Odu Ifa Owonrinsogbe is one of the two hundred

and fifty six Odu Ifa passed down orally from

generations to generations. This is a translation of

the audio of Odu Ifa Owonrinsogbe recorded by

Araba Ifayemi Elebuibon. A distinguish and

acclaimed Babalawo.

This work is done in order to further assist the non-

Yoruba speakers at home as well as international

practitioners, student and scholars of African

history, Yoruba culture and spiritual belief system

especially, to better understand the already

recorded audio.

In this book, you will find twelve different verses

of Odu Ifa Owonrinsogbe with their narratives and

songs that relate to Esu.

What do I find fascinating about the Odu Owonrinsogbe?

Even though the book contains 12 verses and their narrative is not all that needs to know about this particular odu . But the verse 5 of the book is what I am most drawn to, not to say the other verses are not important or contain important information but I was drawn to that particular verse because I deduced  a real life issues and lesson that I think we can all relate to, learn from and apply to our daily lives.

                          In the verse 5 of the book, one of the line of the verse on there spoke about telling a child to give offerings and take care of Esu, but instead the child was busy taking care of work. The irony is that the child is unaware that all the hard work, time and monetary investment a child may have put into his/her work, it only takes one evening for Esu to throw it all away.

   In most of the verses in the Odu we see verses and songs that said "let Esu received his share so that the petitioner auspices can be accepted", "Esu take your share and depart, Egba take your share and leave, what ever you have give Esu its share and let Esu take his leave".

             So I sat down and give those lines from different verse a deep thought. The first thing I said was wow how deep. Egba is something that take away from you. Taking care of work but neglecting Esu seems to me like a home owner who is busy spending money to get the house redecorate but fails to take care of molds or perhaps but a preventive measure against termite. It all make sense now why there is a saying that one should sacrifice so you do not have to sacrifice, pray so that you wont have to pray. All the sacrifice and offering we are doing is not necessary to fix or rectify the instantaneous but are investments we are sowing into the future of our spiritual lives. 

So what does it mean that all the hard work of a child can be taking away in just on day? 

  First thing we need to know and always remind ourselves as human is that we are not indestructible. None of us is immune to spiritual warfare. So when the stock market crashed, when the market values of real estate drops, when you are a victim of fraudster, or perhaps you have a hole in your pocket and cant seems to put money together do anything tangible, or maybe you got laid off at work,  perhaps you get divorced or involve in some legal debacle and loose your house, kids, spouse and money  e.tc, the effect from this is rising all around us. So without giving the appropriate spiritual and even physical authority it dues, we may experience difficulties in some part of our lives. 

  Besides the Iyami and our Ori one of the most important deity that requires constant propitiation is Esu. He is connected to every other divinity and as most know, also operates with both positive and negative forces. Just as we pay homage or as a Babalawo included Osun and the mothers in all endeavors for it to be successful we must give Esu his share as well.

     When we take care of our physical we must take care of our spiritual life as well. Its not limited to making sacrifice and doing and using medicine alone. Been positive about life is part of been spiritual, disposing negative thoughts, praying, doing our ose  regularly and surrounding ourselves with positive energy and people can also improve our spiritual life and well-being.

Giving appropriate authorities that guides, govern and rule over our endeavors will helps us in having a more successful career.  I say this because a teacher and student needs wisdom and understanding, Ifa is the master of wisdom. A jeweler, driver, mechanics, machine operators and almost everyone who deals with metal and iron are all merchant of Ogun, yet we do not recognize and propitiate that authority.  A doula and maternity nurse deal with birth, mother and child care. Osun is a divinity that is known for that and yet do we propitiate. The  gods are present and powerful as they were in the past,we are the one that is not worshiping the way we used to.

                                                                May Ifa assist us  

                                                 May the spirit of our ancestors assist us

If you are in darkness of live consult Ifa
     
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