Ifa: The Existence of Good, and Evil.

How do the forces of darkness factor into a benevolent Universe? In this post we’ll explore the Aje, the “little mothers”,  or “witches” in Ifa.

I have no doubt that Olodumare, God, is a completely positive force. The benevolent We are on a course of development and growth. Why then would anything “negative” exist?

There are two reasons for this. The first, is the nature of Olodumare him/her/itself. The energy, and intelligence, that created the Universe, is oneness. The opposites don’t exist from the creator’s perspective. There is no darkness or light.

Separation began at the moment of the big bang. Suddenly, there was duality. Balance became the structure that holds the physical universe together. In our reality there must be darkness in order to have light. Order requires chaos.

Enlightenment is about balancing everything, until we have no preferences. No attachment to what is good, or unpleasant. We become a reflection of the oneness of Olodumare.

The second reason is that we are here to learn and grow. We need to experience things. Life comes with preferences. We choose comfort over discomfort, pleasure over pain. Without struggles, we would not benefit from what experience teaches us. Without chaos, we would never create higher order. Without seeing our darkness we would never build more good.

We need duality to complete our journeys, and achieve our destinies. Hardship was not created by a cruel entity who wants to harm us. It was not made by an ambivalent god who doesn’t care. 

We are the Universe awakening to itself. All it sees is an ecstatic movement forward. It invites us to get caught up in its positivity. From the Universal perspective the whole process is good.

Can you see how the challenges we face are part of a larger plan? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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