Love for Olodumare

Ogbo ato.

What is the supreme, satisfying and unfailing practice which Ifá is awakening us to, and leading us to? The practice of unbounded devotion to Olodumare. After many days, weeks, months and years of Ifá study and reflection, what can we conclude that Ifá is? In the final analysis what is Ifá? In one word what is Ifá? Ifá is love. Ifá is truth, actual reality, caring and concern. Whose love? Whose caring? Whose concern? Ifá is the love, care, provision and concern of our true friend, mentor and heart companion Olodumare. Have you ever stopped to consider the fact that Olodumare pines, yearns and longs for you? Has it ever occurred to you that all that Olodumare does, he does so that you might understand and know that he loves, values, respects and cherishes you? Olodumare yearns, longs, pines and waits for your intelligent spontaneous response of gratitude, love and devotion.  When we outgrow our spiritual immaturity and self-preoccupation this reality becomes powerfully and personally revealed to our hearts and understanding. For our soul, inner capacity and need to love to find fulfillment, it has to have a living responsive person an an object to whom it can direct its love, care and concern who is able to reciprocate our feelings, affections and devotions in full. Who else but Olodumare can satisfy our longing for communion and completeness. We find fulfillment and realization in loving the Supreme One and receiving the divine love. The longing, love and affection in our hearts cannot satisfy itself. It needs to reach Olodumare and its needs to experience Olodumare so that we might know peace, fulfillment and satisfaction. Undoubtedly you have heard the name Olodumare and perhaps you have learned some things about Olodumare. But do you know Him? Do you know the glorious personality and attractive character behind the name? What do you really and personally know about Olodumare? How can you know Him? How can you know His reality and experience His love? Do you not know that in all your seeking for happiness, meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction through so many means you are in fact searching for Olodumare? You are seeking to know, understand and return to the Source of your being. Ifá says that “Olodumare is the king worth depending upon.” Olodumare is unlike human kings who want and demand to revered, acknowledged and served. Olodumare is the King who serves us wholeheartedly, lovingly and unselfishly. Is it possible for you to depend upon whom do not yet know? Theories and philosophical beliefs about Olodumare cannot and will not ever satisfy your heart, mind and life. Living contact with Olodumare alone can satisfy the depths and longings of your spirit. What to do? Where to begin? How do we begin to develop a deep love for Olodumare? First of all Olodumare has to be more real to you than your mother, father, brother, sister, friends and spouse! Only by practicing devotion to Olodumare in whatever present inner and outer condition we happen to be in, can the light of divine love, understanding and truth be kindled within us. This is why we fellowship together in the Ijo (the community of Ifá-Olodumare worshippers). In the association of other devotees is where we obtain and catch devotion, faith, love and fervor. Love for Olodumare cannot really be taught but it can be caught in the association of genuine devotees. What are the main features of devotion? Devotion does not look at your past. Devotion does not care if you were a drunkard, thief, liar or cheat. Devotion is not impressed with your affluence, connections, possessions, knowledge and power. Devotion is impressed by humility, simplicity, guilelessness and unpretentiousness. Where you were and how you presently are is not an obstacle at all to devotion to Olodumare. Olodumare will accept you as you are. There is no need for you to pretend to be other than who you are and where you are at the present moment. Just like a mother picks up and accepts her soiled child to then proceed to clean it up, so does Olodumare take us a we presently are without any objections. So from our side there is no reason to fear or worry that Olodumare will not take us and accept us as we are. There is no reason for us to pull away or withdraw from approaching Olodumare. We are dear to Olodumare and nothing but His love, kindness, acceptance and guidance can clean us up and make us experience a qualitative change and transformation at the root level of our being. The spirit of devotion does not care about and does not look into your past. The spirit of devotion cares about you now in the present and will take you as you are with the guarantee that she will cleanse, strengthen, transform and empower your life. On account of our weaknesses, imperfections, defects and past wrongful acts we have no reason to despair of the committed love and firm dedication of Olodumare towards us. The reason why our imperfections, defects and flaws are so glaring to begin with is because we are lacking the awareness, fullness and experience of divine love, real love. Devotion and sincerity towards Olodumare will transform an unwholesome, unworthy and embarrassing life into a revered, satisfying and honored life. Try it out and see for your self. Olodumare is not peering into your past. Neither is he keeping a list of past wrongs. He is not peering into your past and he has no lists. He has only love, concern and sympathy for you together with the power to do something about your troubles, sorrows and loneliness. Let us draw near to Olodumare without fear and with full confidence. Let us come to Olodumare with transparency and honesty. Let us come to Olodumare without attempting to hide anything from Him and without trying to justify past wrongs. Just as you are and where you are, cultivate devotion and sincerity towards Olodumare. Put pride and ego to the side altogether. Don’t project yourself to Olodumare other than what you are and where you are. Open your heart and mind to Olodumare. Share your thoughts, problems, gratitude and feelings with Him. With feeling and sincerity apply your heart and soul to speaking with Olodumare. This is sincere and genuine unbounded devotion. By so doing you will know and experience the relief, support and salvation of Olodumare. After arriving at Olodumare’s palace and having been accepted by Him it does not behoove us to go around knocking on other doors. Who can do more for you than Olodumare? Who can understand you more and sympathize completely with you more than Olodumare? Cultivate a living gratitude, love and respect for Olodumare, and his power, grace and presence will uphold you and transform your life. The reason we have lost our way and are easily overpowered by our passions and weaknesses, and have lost our genuine spiritual convictions is because we are too far removed from Olodumare. We are trying to live our lives with unverified and inexperienced second-hand information about Olodumare instead of knowing Olodumare directly for ourselves. Think about these things. When was the last time you raised up your hands and head to praise and glorify Olodumare and to communicate gratitude and dependence upon Him. When was the last time your heart was moved and stirred to joyful tears at the thought of the kindness, loyalty and friendliness of Olodumare? How many of our mistakes and shortcomings has Olodumare overlooked and forgotten about? This is what Ifá is inviting us to understand and cultivate. What will be your response?
The only way to reach, experience and know Olodumare is to ask for his asé (grace, presence and power). This asé is always available to us but because we live our lives distracted and so preoccupied with ourselves, petty matters and involved without being invited in the affairs of others that we lose sight of the fact of the ever present availability of the asé of Olodumare. This asé does not come to us from people but comes to us directly from Olodumare whenever we need it. Olodumare is only waiting for our sincere heartfelt devotion so that He can manifest Himself to us.
Olodumare has given us wonderful abilities, talents and faculties that we can apply and use advantageously for our benefit and the benefit of others. There are many useful, progressive and wholesome things we can use our talents, intelligence and abilities for, all on our own. But there is one thing that we cannot with our talents, intelligence, faculties and abilities do alone. We cannot reach Olodumare. We cannot reach Olodumare by unaided efforts. Only by and with the asé of Olodumare can we know Him and our true eternal divine identity. Our human intelligence, strength, will and abilities cannot themselves help us to reach and know Olodumare independently of the gift of asé (grace, power and presence) that is available to us from Olodumare when we humbly approach Him and request Him to supply us with His asé. Let us request from Olodumare this gift of asé together with the spirit of devotion. By so doing we will find and know the meaning and purpose of our lives. By so doing we will find fullness of satisfaction, delight, peace, joy and contentment.

Ogbo ato asure iworiwofun.

IWA

He who has undertaken the noble responsibilities of overcoming Himself does not resign himself to anything, that is evil, he subjects  himself only to that which is good, beneficial and serving both God and man in creation. To resign into wickedness, evil and bad utterance is the lowest weakness, obedience  to good is the highest power. To resign oneself to criticism, condemnation, complain, anger, argument and evil task,  or resign to ignorance, suffering, and other negative intention is a reverse of sound spiritual and divine trait of a man, who want to change the cause of destiny and extend the goodness of God in the land of living  must always clamour for the goodness of other and ensure total inner peace in the face of challenge. Such submission to evil shows itself in a selfish and sorrowful life. We ask you to pray, fast and undergo vigil for those who want our support, some of us grumble and  complain of no time and no capacity to Fast. Do  you ever know the purpose of your creation?  The essence of your existence?  It means to serve,  both man and God so as to revert our ancestral curse and bless our future generation, in a such manner never seen before.  Nothing is by chance in life, everything is conform to rigid laws of divine and highest spiritual terrain   Your coming into contact with any member of your family or friends or those we implored you to pray for, are not chance, but a products of  destiny. We are products of destiny and divine phenomenon.

Man is not framed and structured by resignation into sorrow, doing easy things and subject his own body to corruption  and sorrow, but for final victory and joy. All the spiritual laws of the Universe  are with the good man, for good preserves and shield. There are no laws of evil, its nature  is destruction  and desolation. The conscious modification and change of the character away from evil and toward good, forms, at present no part in the common course of  divine consciousness . The conscious formation of good character which is called IWA must be the core of our religion education and spiritual growth. Indeed, a man can be useful, and helpful when  he is able to control himself, has unblemished integrity  and exalted purity. So as to be able to give sound instruction in the making of good  character  which will then be the main feature of existence, and of divine and spiritual education he has in creation.

Hence, established yourself in the knowledge of good , and sound moral behaviour and swim in the ocean of peace with your family, friend, well wishers and enemies alike. The unenlightened may see your character as weakness, remember that you come to the world without power,and your going back will be of no significant, if you cannot do good to all you have met in creation, never wish any evil so as to avoid evil repercussion for ourselves and our generation. No man satisfying the divine laws through evil, but man is filled with joy when his mouth, mind and work extol, and exalt others in creation and pray for peaceful existence of others. Hence, can you pray now  for ourselves and for others this morning, If you have not done that, do it now.
May God and His infinite divinities bless you.

The Spiritual Dominion

The greatest things which man is destined to rule with unswerving  move are his  own mind, mouth  and life. These  things are just extension of the universal order of  discipline. They are connected and related to the entire human race or humanity in general.

No victory or success can be achieved without taking these three things into absolute consideration. Whatever you do not have cannot be given to others. I have seen a man who promises  better life and  victory  when he in his inner  sanctuary and secluded place  lack true  discipline and he’s mentally corrupt. I have severally taught  and advised  people  that man who cannot  discipline his own mouth would forever remain slave to passion and immorality. Fasting and prayer are two greatest means to reach out to the universe and connect our lives to the source of all  things in creation. Some have treated the issue of fasting and prayer with  great levity and given no attention to these two of the most potent power in creation  and have equated fasting to certain religion and sect in the modern era. Fasting is a tradition which emanated from the source of life which must be undertaken and performed by all men in creation . It is the source of power and the beginning of all things in creation. Man  gain soul in fasting and died in fasting and sleep till eternity in fasting. Both temporary sleep and permanent sleep  are  rooted  in fasting. Your daily sleep give a vivid example of how universe want you to fast . I have a couple of people who are against fasting because of one thing – total indiscipline deeply rooted in lack of self control and mental disequilibrium,

The mastery of the craft (fasting, prayer and vigil)  embraces the mastery of the knowledge of life. It lifts man into the supremacy of wisdom, discipline, bestowing upon him the gift of miracle, wonders and divine attributes out of which all divinities derived their most potent power.  Fasting, prayer ,vigil and sound mental state give man power to distinguish between good and evil,  between discipline and indiscipline, also to comprehend that which is above both good and evil and to know that nature responds positively to disciplined life with miracle and wonders .
At present, men are more or less under the sway of rebellious deeds, acts , thoughts and utterances, they fail to conquer their mouth, mind and action, they fall  for indiscriminate and compulsive acts of perpetual eating  and  drinking of alcohol  or sugary drinks that have actually corrupted their body, mind and soul. They cannot hold themselves accountable  to connect the true divine state through  refraining  from food for certain hours, and  thereby  poison  their mind with unnatural foods and drinks. Immorality and indolence arising from gluttony and drunkenness .  To conquer these habits means supreme conquest of life.  The fools  believe  that everything can be mastered or taught or written without self discipline and self conquest, they defile the body with foods and live with evil thoughts. They seek happiness through immoral doctrines and sweet preachings, condemning  the rationality of life by seeing the world of spirit through their myopic character, criticising and arrogantly   modifying external things  and eternal wisdom to suit their own needs, rules and regulations, thinking the  universe must bend to their own little understanding and feeble wisdom, pretending  to give advise on what is spiritual and divine without an accurate knowledge  of  divine orderliness.
Your attitude  depict your spiritual and divine knowledge . hoever fails to learn the basic spiritual and divine character will not only  destroy his temporary life but his generational bearing and will suffer  eternal consequences.. The wise knows that there is no real mastery or discipline until self is subdued and conquered. Until fasting and prayer are undertaken on the  perpetual basis, your reality and human cannot be redeemed. Do you learn about the story of Ela the greatest and the precious child of Olodumare (GOD), whose teachings go beyond mere sacrifices and rituals. He thought the world the basic principles of divine state through shared love, prayer and fasting. He was eventually victimised and forced to ascend because his teachings contradicted  the views of divinities before him. He wanted a  change in the tradition of his predecessors, but the oppressors and the impostors of his days  did not allow his teachings to see the light of the day, due to their gluttony, immoral behaviour, alcoholism and self praised attitude that did not serve God and man in creation . Learn the secrets of fasting and prayer,  start to fast even  for  just six hours a day to see and witness abundant energy in creation unseen to your physical eyes, and you will perceive  the difference in your life and the lives of your generation. It shall be well with you as long as there is an appearance of the sun.
Alafia.

True Battle and Conquest

To overcome self  in the jungle of life is the foundation of truth and wisdom. The process is one of orderly growth, like the growth of a tree  and as fruit  can be produced by carefully  and patiently  training the tree, even so the pure and satisfying  fruits of holiness can only be obtained by faithfully and patiently training the mind in the growth of right thought and conduct.

When men fail to overcome  their shortcomings and errors, it is because they try to begin at the wrong end. Indeed, never misuse your power if you cannot use your position to help people then consider and reconsider your steps. Never hurt any man but in your little way always clamour for the happiness and blessings of others.  No man passes the stage of victory without prevail upon his own errors and shortcomings .
 Always check and control the wrong act, such as an outburst of temper, a hasty or unkind word, a self indulgence  and never allow them to take any form. This is equivalent to the gardener  cutting off the useless buds and branches from his tree. It is necessary process but a painful one. The tree bleeds while undergoing the process  and the gardener knows that it must be done to ensure successful growth . The hearts also bleeds when it refuses to return passion for passion, when it ceases to defend and justify itself .
By subdue oneself is only  the beginning of self conquest, hence the heart must be purified  to avoid hypocrisy, that is,  hiding of one’s true nature and striving to appear better in the eyes of others than one really is, in that caseit is  evil.  Train your habits in your private life to have a public good character. Every secret evil shall be revealed to light.
E must endure in the face of challenges, consider every challenges of life as true alternative to learning then  improve your life and your soul  through sound mental, emotional, spiritual and physical growth and divine understanding.  Endurance is a process in which one silently endures the pain  which arises in his own weakness and not in the wrong attitudes of others toward him , because the latter being merely the means by which errors and mistaken  are brought to the surface  and revealed to him. He then gradually free all others from blame  in his falls  and lapses of conducts and accuses only himself and so learns to love those who thus unconsciously reveal to him, his shortcomings and errors.
Hence we must eliminate all wrong from the mind, act, deed and speech  as it appears. Conscious strength  and divine joy begin  to take the place of pain and the mind become extremely calm, a good disciple strive to gain deeper insight into the complexities  of his mind and thus  understand the inception, growth and outworking of errors and shortcomings. For when you have knowledge of your errors and eliminate  them totally from the root, that is the evil seeds in the mind is  cut off , it can no more  be allowed  a place in life, it is abandoned for ever, then mind is at peace. The wrong act of others no longer arouse pain. He is glad, calm, peaceful and wise, filled with divine love and perform all his activities with total blessedness and commitment without complain, criticism and condemnation. Here, total victory is attained.
Work on yourself on daily basis, focus on your improvement, never listen to the noise of the market (never listen to the gossipers),  concentrate on what  give you joy, success and happiness, think less of those things that cause you great pain. Life is too short to indulge in gossip, criticism and condemnation. Contribute in  your little way to make others  happy and  greater blessings shall  be your lot  and your generation,
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL THE TIME.