Voices of Unity: Embracing Peace through Ifá Traditions
The Modern Relevance of Ifá Orishá
Greetings to all Ìyás (Mothers) and Bàbás (Fathers) and all esteemed readers!
First, I would like to thank my ever-growing community for your trust and constructive feedback. The goal of my and our work is to share knowledge and experiences. We are all united by a common basic understanding of African American traditions and their values. We are different but not divided by such diverse interpretations, especially of spiritual practice. It is particularly important to me to share connections and highlight differences. I try to put together and present coherent concepts from the different traditions. Because we can learn so much from each other.
In my blog I go deeper into the concrete background of rituals and concepts. In my newsletter I try to put centuries-old myths and traditional experiences into a general context. Occasionally supplemented by smaller DIY rituals. I always put the latter in a “modern” context and therefore rely on a certain pragmatism. This is in no way intended to replace or even devalue the complex, individual rituals of the different spiritual groups and traditions.
Out of conviction, I stay away from polemical, political, demarcating discussions. Because I believe that Ifá should remain a deeply unifying, positive, life-affirming tradition. On the other hand, Ifá is a true-to-life tradition that provides concrete revelations and information for very specific life circumstances. In this respect, it is essential to occasionally place this tradition in a current context.
This newsletter will be one such example. It's always a balancing act that I'm aware of. I cannot always fulfill the wishes and expectations of all readers equally well. If you would prefer short weekly impulses, I ask you to please understand that this newsletter will be longer.
What I feel right now when I read the daily news
Our hearts grow heavy with the news each day. From the war in Ukraine to the ongoing conflicts in Palestine, Iran, and across Africa, violence seems to grip the world. Even within our own communities dedicated to the Orishás, there are those who misuse spiritual power, causing division and pain.
The headlines in all media are full of wars, conflicts, and uncertainties. And what do I read when I look for inspiration in the many groups in our traditions? Largely polarizing discussions about appearances, shapes, behavior, racism, and oppression. I take comfort in knowing that we all only read what people with a high broadcast awareness want to send. The big personalities of these traditions are usually the quiet people who invest their time in presence and personal encounters rather than in social media. Of course they exist, the people of light. We just read about them too rarely and too little.
A (maybe trivial) Analysis of the Status Quo in the News and on Social
We are all watching with concern that the polarization of the world is increasing. This is often accompanied by a spiritual exaltation:
In the name of the Creator, wars are justified. Authoritarian rulers seek the proximity and justification of the churches to justify their claims to power, encroachments and enrichment.
Politicians are increasingly seeing fear and hatred to win votes. In particular, the fear of foreign infiltration is being fueled.
We are watching polemics and excitement spread across all social channels. This is also the case in our spiritual communities, where we focus more on the dress code and the supposedly correct execution of rituals than on people's intentions and actual development.
We live with the feeling that the world is just a little out of control. That supposed historical achievements such as peace, prosperity and freedom are increasingly under threat.
A few personal comments
No person is born with hatred. No spiritual tradition preaches violence and hatred. And yet, in the name of the Creator, millions of people are incited and polarized and thousands more people are sent to their deaths. In the name of the Creator, conflicts are staged, criminal actions are justified, and suffering is accepted.
A while ago a friend told me that everyone should undergo a DNA test. We humans would find that we are related to all the cultural traditions of the world. That we are descended from virtually all cultures from which we may differentiate ourselves. Actually, a good idea.
I like to recommend delving into the roots of spiritual traditions. Let's look at the African American traditions: Santeria, Candomblé, Palo, Vodou, Umbanda, Kimbanda and so on. They are all different from each other and yet drink from the same source. History shows that all these traditions were influenced by almost all major cultures and vice versa. The oracle of Ifá comes from the Muslim world, as do significant elements of clothing and mythology. With the Jewish tradition we share historical-mythological figures such as Oduduwa or certain qualities of Shango that are mentioned in the Old Testament. With the Christian tradition we share syncretism, a variety of ritual practices and theological concepts. We share, among other things, extensive herbal knowledge with the Indian traditions. Anyone who deals with the history of their own faith quickly understands that our identity is based on thousands of years of experiences from all cultures. To deny these is to deny our own ancestors.
If we look at our history, our ancestors, we realize that there has never been a clean slate. That there is no clear, obvious, unique root. That in all times there has been a pure teaching and people of light, as well as a dirty slate and abusive interpretation and application. That our entire evolution, including our spiritual development, has always been the result of a mixture of organic developments with external influences.
In the language of the Orishás, I am inclined to assert that there has always been the white, immaculate Godfather, Olodumaré. And his also immaculate assistant, Obatalá (Oshalá), the Lord of the White Clothes. His well-known taboo is blood, waging wars in his name is like breaking a taboo and is an expression of a profound spiritual imbalance and immaturity.
And it is hardly surprising when we find that the "pantheon" of the Orishás, Nkisis, Voduns consists of many "deities" from foreign cultures who continually cross-fertilized each other. Orishás embrace peace and diversity.
Misuse of Spiritual Traditions and the Wisdom of the Orishás in Ifá traditions
Sadly, we witness the misuse of spiritual power to justify violence and control. This not only goes against the true essence of our traditions but also inflicts immense suffering. Let us uplift the voices of our brothers, sisters, and elders who tirelessly work against such misuse. They are the true embodiment of our Orishas' virtues.
What are some major misunderstandings in the practical application of spiritual principles?
Mixing spirituality and politics.
Misunderstanding of duality and polarity.
Centralization and standardization of interpretation and practice of spiritual traditions.
Mixing spirituality and politics
Some philosophers and historians claim that the lowest common denominator for cohesion is the family. The next stage of evolution was gossip and even today 3/4 of our communication consists of gossip. This means we can keep groups of 50 people together. However, the big evolutionary step began with belief. When our ancestors began to bury their dead and believe in a life beyond. When our ancestral leaders began to talk about values, about the belief in fighting together for something meaningful. Only belief in something greater, belief in an identity that is greater than us, holds societies together.
Politics and spirituality are united by the principle of values. That was it already. Spirituality is aimed at the individual person and their inner development. Spirituality explores the question of who we really are and what we really want to be. Politics - based on shared values - addresses the question of how we want to promote and maintain these values, how we want to achieve and maintain prosperity, peace and freedom. So while we may have different political opinions, we share the same values and goals. We are differentiated by paths, but not by goals and values.
Whenever politics acted in the name of the Creator, society ended in abuse and authoritarian regimes. One of the greatest achievements of the Western world was the clear separation of politics and faith.
After more than 10 years of intensive study of Ifá and the Orishás, I did not find a single political statement in the revelations of the Odus. Orishás are universal principles that define us as humans and determine the world beyond: love, power, faith, empowerment, creation, responsibility and so on. They are attributes, characteristics, principles that every person should bring into balance in order to empower themselves and allow themselves to flourish.
From the perspective of Ifá, the Orishás, the Nkisis and Voduns, politics is merely an earthly dimension of action, of options. Not unimportant, but nothing that spirituality dictates and for which it is looking for a prominent speaker and for which it would empower an office or a person. As a human being, as a spiritual community, as a society, independence from faith and politics is important while at the same time-sharing basic values.
Misunderstanding of duality and polarity
The principle of the Orishás includes the principle of unity over the transcendence of duality. Let us take the principle of faith represented by the Orishá Obatalá. The duality consists of atheism, non-belief, and fanaticism, over-belief. The atheist does not believe in a greater, controlling power. The fanatic believes in a greater power but puts himself above this power because he believes only he can understand its universality and that he must proclaim and convert it.
Interestingly, Yorubá does not know the concept of faith at all. It was only introduced later by Catholic priests. The tradition does not need the term because in animism everything is connected, and everything has a soul. When we humans feel connected and inspired, the question of faith no longer exists, because we are and feel like an individualized part of a whole. We are Orishá, the Orishá does not come to us humans as an external force or deity, because we already are. The traditional trance ritual/dance/sire, the manifestation of the Orishás in people, is a short-term full blossoming of the divine within us. Because we are all spiritual beings, simultaneously infinitely different and infinitely connected, there is no room for religious conversion or atheism.
In our world we experience manipulation through polarization. Otherness creates defensiveness. But the Orishá experience is one of unity through otherness. Duality is necessary to experience opposites. Orishá is duality, but polarity is not polarization. Orishá is the experience and knowledge of and about duality. Balance in and about Orishá means overcoming it. Non-belief is dissolved through the experience of spirituality alone. Fanaticism is dissolved through the experience of oneness.
In Ifá there exists the concept of Ori, the individualized Orishá. Ori, the spiritual head of every human being, is seen as an independent Orishá. At the same time, all Oris merge into a common Ori-Orishá. So, we are at the same time - human and humanity, creators, and Creator. Polarization emphasizes what divides. Polarity in Ifá emphasizes unity over integration and overcoming duality.
Centralization and standardization of interpretation and practice of spiritual traditions.
The spiritual tradition of Ifá Orishá is experienced primarily in the Afro-American diaspora in small groups. There are no normative structures, no leaders, no large organizations, no commands, and prohibitions. I think this is a great strength of this tradition.
Of course - critics see some disadvantages in this, including:
Loss of traditional experience and tradition
Lack of quality standards
Contradictory ritualism and theolog
I tend to emphasize the benefits:
Constant new experience and re-creation of lived spirituality.
Focus of self-experience.
Considering the individual developments and needs of each person, the different cultural and regional aspects.
Low risk of structural, systematic, political abuse of spiritual principles.
The tradition of Ifá-Orishá is based on self-experience, self-empowerment. Commandments and virtues are only needed by people who have not already integrated them into themselves. Spiritual people are virtuous, not because they must, but because they want to. They do not visit their shrines, they do not pray to their Orishás because it is required, but because they realize that they are visiting themselves.
Some say you can neither enter nor leave an Orishá spiritual tradition. Because the orishás take place within us humans. We enter a community. We may also leave it under certain circumstances. But the community is only a tool of the Orishás. Orishás need no organization, no hierarchies to exist and be experienced.
Ifá-Orishá and Peace
In the Itan (stories) of Ifá, Àṣẹ, the invisible force of creation, is central to everything. It is the power that resides within each of us and connects us to the divine. The Orishas themselves are manifestations of Àṣẹ. Our goal is to cultivate and direct this Àṣẹ towards positive ends, bringing about peace (Ire) for ourselves and the world.
Great Orishas like Oshun, the embodiment of love and diplomacy, and Obatala, the Orisha of creation and justice, guide us on this path. Oshun reminds us of the power of compassion and understanding in resolving conflict. Obatala teaches us to uphold justice and fairness, creating a foundation for lasting peace.
Ifá teaches us through proverbs like:
"A ki n pe ni ogun, ni ki n pe ni ija, a ni Ire a gbe wa"
(We do not pray for war, we do not pray for conflict, we pray for peace to carry us forward).
Let these words resonate within us.
Our Call to Action – What can We do in Challenging Times?
The Orishas' message is clear: peace is not merely an aspiration; it is an active pursuit. Here's how we can embody this calling:
In our daily lives: Let us cultivate the peaceful attributes of our Orishas. Practice forgiveness, understanding, and compassion in our interactions with others.
Interfaith Dialogue: The Orishas represent different aspects of the divine. Let's extend this understanding outwards, fostering dialogue and collaboration with other spiritual communities working for peace. In Ifá we honour our ancestors and the families of our neighbors. If we understand and embrace our ancestors, if we understand and embrace the families of our neighbors, we embrace peace.
Supporting Peacebuilders: Organizations and people worldwide work tirelessly towards peace in conflict zones. Let's research and support these efforts, contributing our resources and prayers. Let’s focus on positive actions and people focusing on positive actions. Let’s focus on what unites us and learn from what other traditions and people have to offer.
Conclusion
As followers of the Orishá tradition, we are called to be beacons of peace in a world desperately seeking it. By understanding the power of Àṣẹ and embodying the values of our Orishas, we can contribute to a more peaceful and just world. Together, let us illuminate the path towards a future filled with Ire!
Ẹnirin (Offerings)
Let us raise our voices in prayer for peace. Here's a simple chant you can recite in Portuguese, Spanish, Haitian Creole, or any language that resonates with you:
Oyè!
(Hear us!)
Àwọn Orishas wa ni ànfàní rere.
(May the Orishas bring us good fortune)
Ki Ire gbà gbogbo wa ni aye.
(May peace reign throughout the world)"
We encourage you to share your own experiences and stories of peacemaking within your communities. Let us inspire each other!
Ẹsẹ (Gratitude):
With deepest gratitude, we thank the Orishas and our ancestors for their continued guidance and blessings. May their wisdom illuminate our path towards a more peaceful world.
Ìyèùmọ (Àṣẹ)!
Baba Tilo de Àjàgùnnà
DAILY IFÁ
Note: I found an interesting scientific study about the yoruba means of de-escalation conflicts and maintenance of peace that I am sharing as a little bonus to all my paid subscribers supporting my work.
BONUS LINK - CULTURE (YORUBA ́) AS A MEANS OF DE-ESCALATING CONFLICT AND MAINTAINING PEACE