The Odu - Okanran - Going Deep

Okanran is the feminine side of Obara’s absolute masculine. It is the essence of the priestess. The eighth energy nurtures depth. It allows evolution to move vertically.

Okanran is a priest sign. It is the feminine aspect of priest energy. It points to important skills that all priests, including men, need to develop. Okanran is about negotiation rather than force. It is about nurturing rather than boldness. It is about going deep rather than expanding outward.

From an evolutionary perspective Okanran allows the seeds that Obara planted to develop. It nurtures creatures to their greatest potential. It encourages relationship and mutual support. 

Okanran is still about what’s next. It helps us to look inside and consider our personal next steps. When we look out it encourages us to consider how we can nurture the growth of the whole. It helps what has been created to evolve.

Many of us have been conditioned to think of feminine as weak. Okanran is just as powerful as Obara. It focuses that power differently. Without this energy the seed would never sprout. The vast potential of creation could never be realized. Obara and Okanran are equal partners in moving the Universe forward.

Okanran points to the stillness deep inside us. It asks us to bring out the more nurturing aspects of ourselves. It creates compassion. It prepares us for deep spiritual insight. It balances Obara’s passion with sweetness.

These priest energies are our path. It is thorough deepening into both stillness and action that we empower ourselves. Free from ego, we can express our highest potential in the world. 

Each of these energies will become dominant at different times in our lives.  For some they are part of a Life Path providing deep spiritual yearning. For most people periods of reaching out for new experience are followed by times of integration.

Can you see how it is important to use the deepening of Okanran to balance Obara? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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The Odu - Obara - Pushing Outward

Irosun, and Owanrin, provide structure to the expanding Universe. Obara, the seventh energy, pushes the agenda forward with drive and passion.

Obara is the first wisdom sign. It represents the Ifa priest, in divination. In the creative process Obara is forceful expansion. It compels the creative process to express the values introduced by Irosun. It provides breadth. 

Obara drives horizontal expansion. It supports new creations. It allows the Universe to become more complex and conscious. It is an energy that is continually, and forcefully, moving outward towards what’s new. 

In its quest forward Obara takes no prisoners. Anything that cannot flow with its passionate movement is left behind. Obara plants the seeds that provide novelty. It is the energy of initiation. 

Unlike the wild explosion of Ogbe, Obara has a plan. It screams “Get going!”. It lights a fire under the collective butts of creation to continue what was started at the big bang. 

From our perspective Obara is spiritual drive. It is human. Together with its pair Okanran it describes our potential to evolve. Obara is the absolute masculine. Okanran is the absolute feminine. Together they point to our ability to unite with source. They lead us to enlightenment.

Obara is evolution in action. It is about humans going out into the world as evolved beings. As we move out, we inspire others to do the same. As we push forward we bring our circle with us. 

Obara demands courage. “Slay the dragon of your egos”, it says. Keep moving towards undiscovered potential. Push towards the ultimate unity.

Obara is bold. It doesn’t question the powerful flow of the Universe. It pushes forward at its leading edge. As spiritual people it allows us to be the trailblazers along the road to what’s next.

Can you feel the powerful force of Obara pushing you into your future? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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The Odu - Owanrin - Controlling the Process

The creative process has never been a straightforward, orderly, affair. The Universe started with a violent explosion. As it expands outward, blockages, issues, catastrophes, create delays, and outright start-overs.

Owanrin, the sixth energy, is about the infinite patience that the Universe creates with.  It calls us to stay steady so that growth can occur. It is even more important when obstacles stand in our way.

While Irosun provided us with direction and values, Owanrin is the formula for growth. Being caught up in the ecstasy of the creative impulse doesn't naturally foster patience, nor caution. In fact, we can become so excited by the expansion forward that we recklessly run towards what’s next.

Ownarin brings the patience, and maturity, that we need in oder to move with the process. Embracing the ebb and flow of our growth. Using periods of slower movement to build strength. Growing understanding. Exploring where you are right now can be a valuable way to look at setting up the future. Pressures and difficulties are all there to teach us something. Learning from overcoming them is what sets us in the next positive direction. If we race forward too quickly, we may take a path that pushes us out of alignment. Owanrin cautions us to patience and perseverance. 

Owanrin also promises that forward movement will begin again. It provides hope. Growth and movement are inevitable. If we are able to keep the inexhaustible nature of the creative process in mind we can stay the course in difficult times. This can bring great rewards.. Alignment brings the full power of that force into our lives. It will push us forward. When we are ready. Towards the best possible future. If there’s a better possibility, why not wait?

Owanrin is a limiting force. It protects the values of the Universe. It ensures that the initial trajectory is preserved. It prevents things from moving forward too quickly. 

Can you see how the Universe limits your growth to make it more powerful? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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The Odu - Irosun - Focusing Forward

God creates a joyously expanding Universe with attention focused forward. The entire process reaches to what’s next. Choices are made based on the values inherent in the system. 

Irosun, the fifth energy, is about long-term orientation and the values of the creative process. Oludumare is more interested in emergence than what already exists. Irosun encourages us to focus forward so we can discover our potential. This is best accomplished when we free ourselves from the concerns of our ego.

What values does the Universe reflect in its expansion? The trajectory of evolution shows us. It favours complexity. Creation has become more complex with each step from the first atoms to intelligent, self-reflective life. This process allows completely new forms to emerge.

As far as we know, human beings are the most complex organisms in the Universe. We  have become self aware. We have begun to take the role of the Creator ourselves. For good, or bad, we have a profound impact on our world. 

The Universe is benevolent, but, it has a far longer perspective on life than we do. If we self-destruct it will only be a set back, Oludumare has nothing but time with which to create. We are not the last intelligent life that will be created. We are likely not the first that was either.

The Universe will continue to expand outward. Other self-aware creatures are inevitable. We arrogantly believe that our evolution is done. Even we, will develop new capacities, become something that we might not even recognize. The process has just begun.

We align with the cosmic process through our destinies. We have no set route to achieve them. Only the general direction and Universal values to guide us. The development of wisdom can take many paths. 

The Universe does not know where it is going next. There is joy and excitement in novelty. If we get caught up in joy as we move forward. We join in the mystery.

Can you see how the direction, and values, of the creative process guide us towards our own development? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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Idi - Flowing Out with Joy

The deep, introspective, energy of iwori is followed by an outflow of joy. The name of the fourth energy is Idi. Idi is all about movement, curiosity, and exploration. It is the result of Olodumare asking “What am I?”

Thought leads the Universe on a quest for the answer. It is a search for the essence of the self. In this case the largest possible Self. 

Idi describes both the process, and attitude, that are essential to understanding this expansion. The process is one of curiosity and exploration. The desire to know its nature leads the Universe to expand outward and explore the possibilities. What could be, what can be created. It is all done with an attitude Joy. The process of creation, and discovery, is ecstatic. 

In a rush of benevolent energy Olodumare expands outward. Creations become more and more complex. Things become deeper, and more satisfying, to Source at each step. Underneath the entire process is a profound joy that underlies all life.  The unbridled excitement with which God creates points us all in the direction of our own exploration.

As we find the stillness within us. As we start to ask the important questions. We connect with profound joy. The result are spontaneous experiences referred to as lightness of being. We see these  in masters from every tradition. The more we can connect with, and stabilize in, the experience of oneness with all that is, the more that we can unite with the actual process. Deep in thought and grounded in joy. 

As we experience it, joy shines out from us into the world bringing inspiration to everyone it touches. It drives us forward the same way that it directs the Universe itself. A deep curiosity about what is possible for us, what we can do to explore all our potential. Joyfully, endlessly , asking what’s next?

Can you feel the surge of positivity, and curiosity, that underlies existence? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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The Odu - Iwori - From Thought to Reality

The Universe emerges from the primordial soup of Ogbe. What underlies that process? The third energy, Iwori. This energy it is about introspection, and thoughtful decision making, when we use it in divination. It is essentially about thinking. It represents the idea that leads to reality.

This is Olodumare creating, not a New Age fantasy about thinking something into existence. 

Iwori is the energy of the idea. When set into motion it formed the structure underlying the physical Universe. The Universe ends up being created through God’s deep desire to explore. When Source asks, “What am I?”, evolution is driven forward.

This is Universal introspection. The Universe wants to reflect upon itself. In order to do that its creations must evolve to the point where they can discover it though their own inner journeys. They must be able to reach back to the beginning, to rest in peaceful contemplation. Those self-reflective creations are us. 

The big questions drive us inward. We may start with the same question God did. “What am I?” Perhaps we ask;  “Why am I here?”;  or “What is the meaning of life?”. All these questions push us inwards. We move away from our outer reality, and personality, to a deeper truth. Eventually we start to have glimpses of the stillness of eternity. That is our true nature. With focus, and hard work, we can stabilize within this dimension and achieve radical freedom. Iwori is the energy that points the way. It drives us relentlessly inward.

Once we have shifted our locus to the most evolved Self, the deep introspection continues with different results. The searching and questioning, freed from the shackles of the outer personality, begin to create. New ideas arise. Unique potentials start to surface. Once we are freed from ego, Iwori aligns us with the drive of the Evolutionary Impulse. 

Our movement outward is powered by Iwori’s partner Idi which we will explore in my next post.

For now, can you see how deep introspection can lead us back before the beginning of our Universe? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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Oyeku - Into the Darkness

Creation implies duality. The heat and light of Ogbe, twin with the dark silent world of the ancestors. It is called Oyeku. Ogbe reflects the forward movement of the Evolutionary Impulse. Oyeku reflects the deep stillness of the Ground of Being. This aspect of infinity is the path to enlightenment.

Oyeku is dark, still, cool. It is absolutely silent. In Ifa we say that it is the place where our ancestors reside. It is just on this side infinity. Oyeku is place of rest, where our spirits exist as pure energy. No limitations exist there.  

There is still a connection to physical reality. The ancestors are interested in us. Just as Ogbe pulls us forward, Oyeku pulls us back. Our ancestors take us deeper.  They compel us to reach into the stillness, and discover it. Eventually we can unite with Olodumare, at rest.

I work with my Guardian Ancestor to delve into the stillness, and reach for enlightenment. This is the true nature of Oyeku. A path to the peace before the beginning.  Reaching for enlightenment is an important reason to build our relationship with the ancestral realm. The Guardian Ancestor is a particularly important part of this work.

In the ancient Yoruba stories there was a time when we could pass back, and forth, between the realms. We existed in a state closer to our ancestral energy. We need to forge a new type of relationship with the ancestors. One that will allow us to follow the connection back to unity with Spirit. This is the path of evolution in Ifa. 

By aligning with Oyeku, in this powerful way, our true Selves are freed. Our outer selves take their rightful place, in the back seat.  We can align our actions with Ogbe. We can reach into the future. Integrating ourselves with the dance of these two primal forces is our path to freedom. Oyeku and Ogbe form the practice, and goal, of Ifa mysticism.

Can you se how these potent forces are the path to our continued growth and evolution? I’d love to hear why, or why not.

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