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 Failure is like defecation. Everybody does it but nobody likes to talk about it. On a much deeper level, failure and defecation offer valuable learning experiences. Both are the results of previous consumption and decision making. Both are hard to study but filed with insights. Both are highly personal, yet indicate more universal attitudes, behaviors and trends. Even though they are inevitable, there are both ideal and less than places to fail and defecate (e.g., the bathroom and the woods, respectively). Speaking of the woods, if you've spent any time in nature, you know that studying animal "scat" is an important exercise. Similarly, it is absolutely wise to study the failures of others who have gone before you. At the end of the day, pretending it didn't happen just won't work! This is why people in psychological circles will sometimes say, "Deal with your sh*t!"
As a leader, you will rise and fall according to your ability to maintain a healthy relationship to your failures and your poop. You need to be sensitive to their size, smell and consistency because at some point, the people closest to you will definitely be effected. I mean, feedback is good. But you don't necessarily want people to have to "Call you on your sh*t," especially not an adversary or competitor. So, while it is tempting to try to cover it up by burning incense and keeping the door closed, the best thing to do is to take a little time and looking to bowl of truth. Examine what you've done, reflect on how it came to be and make the necessary adjustments. People do not expect you to be flawless just because you're the leader. In fact they are more likely to trust and respect your leadership if you can demonstrate your commitment by practicing personal leadership, which is characterized by self evaluation and self correction. In my own experiences, as a teacher, counselor and priest, I make it a point to share my personal struggles whenever they provide appropriate learning opportunities. If you've ever seen my Youtube channel, you have probably seen one or two videos that include anecdotes that illustrate my personal experience with the lesson at hand. I don't particularly like sharing my sh*t. But because I have made it part of my Personal Priesthood to study my mistakes, I am confident that the exercise will produce valuable guidance for others. This is consistent with the teachings of the Holy Odu Ifa, about half of which consists of stories about Orunmila himself. When I realized that Orunmila had experienced practically every problem imaginable, it gave me much more courage and willingness to face my failures and become a better leader. Live the medicine.  In an atmosphere of authenticity, the great teachers can give their students direct exposure to the principles of life. Likewise, the true students do not hesitate in the face of hard work. If it involves intellectual concentration or physical challenges, the teacher and student meet the lessons with willing enthusiasm. In my own years as an apprentice, it was always a great honor to serve my teachers, their clients and the community at large. The opportunities to learn and develop inspired me to the point that late nights, early mornings and heaps of dirty work never discouraged me.
But as soon as there is consideration of profit, there will be no end to the wavering, complaining and disputes. It has been said that money is only a problem where there are no values. Based on my personal experience, the exact same thing can be said about labor, sex or any other human activity. When we lose sight of service and focus only on the outward mechanics of any endeavor, we become corrupt and despicable. Living the medicine means demonstrating an authentic devotion to service. This is the building block of invincible community.  "A crowd is not a community. To have community, expectations must be met. Many of us have grown up with the false belief that it is wrong to be dependent upon one another, that it is unfair to set high standards of performance and that it is unthinkable to hold EVERYONE accountable for their contribution to our failures, as well as our successes. In summation, we have chipped away at our expectations of ourselves and one another to the point that they barely even exist.
Once upon a time, educators spoke of the Pygmalion effect, or the self fulfilling prophecy. It basically says that students do better when their teachers hold them in high esteem and set high expectations for them. The same is true in all human relationships. Expectations are a function of trust. Booker T. Washington said that nothing does more to build a man up than to let him know that you trust him. And so, in our efforts to build high performance community, the Orisa Lifestyle Academy is dedicated to setting equally high expectations. More importantly, beyond expectations, OLA16 offers the training to help you meet our high expectations. Learn more at www.OrisaLivestyle.com. Live the medicine." Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.OrisaLifestyle.com  Recently, Chief Solagbade Popoola became president of the Ifa Council. His first public statement was to announce a Code of Ethics for all orisa followers and priests. A few months earlier, Chief Dayo Ologundudu was announced as the Araba of the United States of America. As you might imagine, people have responded in a variety of different ways. For the record, I am not interested in trying to validate or invalidate the announcements or the responses. But one thing is abundantly clear, there is a direct link between protocols, progress and protection.
Protocols promote consistency. They help groups of people to know, with a certain level of reliability, that the members are going to do things in a specific kind of way. Within any organization, you need protocol to build trust between people. The more trust there is, the easier it is for people to empower one another, to rely upon one another and to be generous with one another. Without protocols, people become more selfish. "Every man for himself" becomes the only rule in such an environment. And so, collective progress becomes impossible. Protocols support progress. When our relationships are governed by a set of rules, based on civility and mutual respect, every member of the team or group can focus on the duties associated with her role. Stated differently, when you know that your partner is going to do his part you are now totally free from doubt and you can to do your part more creatively, more peacefully and more deliberately. So, the more members of your team adhere to protocol, the easier it will be for everyone to perform at a higher level. If you've ever been on a high performance team, you know that there is very little time wasted debating the basic rules and regulations because certain things are universally understood by all. Protocols protect collective and personal interests alike. Sometimes, the individual must sacrifice for the group. Other times, the group must sacrifice for the individual. Protocols ensure that both sacrifices are made in turn. Traditionally, every individual would grow up with several layers of clearly defined protocols. Firstly, at the time of birth, the child receives an Odu Ifa during the Esentaiye ceremony. This Odu will detail his personal taboos, observances and ritual obligations. Next, the family compound will also adhere to certain protocols, based upon the Ancestral Promise of the founding ancestor. Certain lineages cannot engage in particular vocations or eat certain foods. Finally, there are community protocols. In the kingdom of Iwoye-Ketu, for example, the umbrella is a taboo. Nobody is allowed to open one within the limits of the kingdom. In either case, when you grow up with respect for protocols at every level, you learn to respect the collective as much as you respect yourself. Protocols help individuals to honor and protect the common wealth.  Fushan Yuan said:
The leader, who is in a position to lead others, should be humble and respectful in dealing with subordinates. Functionaries should work wholeheartedly for the leadership. when above and below are in harmony, then the path of leadership goes through. If the leader is proud and haughty, the subordinates are lazy and personally careless, the minds of those above and below do not communicate. THEN the path of leadership is blocked. When ancient saints served as overt leaders, they would casually have discussions with students during leisure time, touching upon just about everything. From this, one word or half a phrase is recorded in the annals, which even now we extol. What could the reason be? One is to cause the desire to cause higher minds to be communicated to those below, so that the Way of enlightenment is not blocked or obscured. Second is their prior knowledge of the capabilities of the students, and whether they were suitable or not. When the saints came forth and when they withdrew, it was all in accord with what was appropriate. There was a natural respect and harmony between those above and those below, so people from far and near came to join with respect.... Letter to Master Touzi Yiqing* In the Holy Odu, IworiOdi, Orunmila says that he will bring heaven to earth and bring earth to heaven. And so, Ifa strives to strike a balance between above and below. And more specifically, because we know that earth is a marketplace, but heaven is our home, it should be clear that leadership and direction begins in the spiritual realm. In like fashion, order begins with leadership. It is the leaders who must assume responsibility for bringing heaven to earth by bringing stability to communities. Stability is not the product of prayers and sacrifices alone. It can only be achieved through the establishment of reliable infrastructure and administrative systems. Through infrastructure we come to understand rank and function. Through administration we understand process and methodology. These two mechanisms, together, are essential for building community. *Cleary, Thomas. Zen Lessons. P 10  Ethics and Behavior expected of all Ifa and Orisa followers and priests
Below are the general rules set by the International Council for Ifa Religion (ICIR) that govern the practice of Ifa and Orisa worldwide for followers and priests. These provide a moral map and ethical framework that can be used to find our way through difficult issues in the practice of Ifa, Orisa, and herbal medicine. Below are the 8 traits that every follower and priest of the Ifa and Orisa tradition must incorporate into their daily lives and hold as his/her foundation of ethics. These are the code of ethics that all must imbibe and pass on to their godchildren, biological children, family members, extended family, temple members, community, etc. These are the character traits that support every individual in achieving his/her destiny and also affects positively the destinies of others around him/her. To not imbibe these traits is to place oneself off the path of achieving one’s destiny. 1. Truthfulness: the ability to speak all those words which after being verified are found to be as they were spoken. 2. Honesty: the ability to do things with sincerity of purpose, without cheating or hidden agendas, lies or deceit. Doing things with purity of purpose without blemish. 3. Benevolence: the ability to act generously and with the desire to do good at all times without any selfish consideration. 4. Understanding: the ability to know and appreciate how others feel under any circumstance or to be able to know the details of how something occurred in any situation. The ability to put other’s feelings into consideration at any given time or circumstance. 5. Hopefulness: the ability to know and be certain that what one is seeking, as long as it is reasonable, will come to pass. The belief that tomorrow will be better than today and that yesterday was not as good as or will be as rewarding as today. 6. Patience: the ability and willingness to wait or defer gratification or a result. The ability to wait something out and possibly experience pain, suffering, irritation, grief, etc in the process of waiting. Not forcing something to occur but doing one’s work and allowing the work to bring about fruits at its appropriate time. 7. Dedication: the ability to be totally devoted to any course without looking back. Being able to give oneself completely to a cause, belief, or project after deliberating fully before starting. 8. Humility: the ability and willingness to express a moderate opinion or view of one’s abilities, virtues, or worth. Apart from the 8 character traits all followers and priests are expected to display in their everyday lives, the following are the 8 character traits that all followers and priests must avoid displaying. The following 8 traits are what destroys a person’s destiny and affects negatively the destinies of others. 1. Anger: This is a bitter and violent feeling against others and/or what they represent. This is a negative and unproductive feeling against other people based on real or imaginary reasons. 2. Hatred: Having a great dislike for others and/or what they represent. It is a very bad or unpleasant dislike for others. 3. Envy: The inability or refusal to accept another person’s good fortune or success. It is the feeling of discontent at other people’s luck or success. 4. Wickedness: The art of thinking, speaking and doing evil and/or wicked things against other people based on real or imaginary reasons. 5. Pride: This is a vain or personal dignity. This is an exaggerated feeling of pleasure and subjective satisfaction at one’s possessions or achievements often times at the expense of other people’s feelings or disposition. 6. Intolerance: This is the inability or refusal to bear or endure other people or certain situations or attitudes. It is the unwillingness to allow others to air their views or express their feelings in any way and/or on any issue because of those views or feelings being different from one’s own views or opinions. 7. Selfishness: The thinking and planning of one’s own personal pleasure, satisfaction, achievement, aspiration, etc without any consideration for other people. 8. Greed: The desire for all the good things of life for oneself often at the expense of others. It is the desire to convert what belongs to many to one’s own alone without any consideration for the feelings or needs of the others. Now that the 8 positive character traits we should follow and the 8 negative character traits we must avoid have been clearly stated above, we shall now share various examples of how the 8 positive character traits should be incorporated into the various aspects of a follower and priest’s daily life during this sojourn on earth. 1. Community/Work Place: a. Respect must be shown to all individuals living in one’s community and work place. This includes people not only older in age living in one’s community or who are at one’s work place, but those who hold positions of authority over one such as: one’s boss or supervisor and those entrusted to protect and serve our various communities such as fire fighters, the police, doctors, judges, teachers, counselors, public officials, military, etc. This respect must also be reciprocal in that those who are older in age or hold certain positions of authority must also demonstrate respect to those they are caring for, support, are serving, and of whom may be younger in age. Every follower and priest must be seen displaying respect to everyone, especially those of other religious traditions, cultures, nationalities, races, and gender. This respect extends itself to our non-human communities as well which includes the communities of various animals, insects, birds, plants, trees, water, mountains, deserts, forests, etc. A follower and priest must display respect for these life forms and their environments as well. Why? Because if these life forms and their various environments are not given respect, we as humans will suffer eventually because we are all interconnected and need each other to live well in this world. Respect therefore is not just something that should exist from human to human society but from human to all other types of non-human societies. As a matter of fact, we all live on the mother earth so we in reality are all sharing the same home so respect MUST be given to all those sharing this beautiful planet. We must therefore see everyone and everything as our family member living under the same rooftop. If one truly imbibes and places into practice the 8 positive character traits, one will see that to show respect will become something of simplicity even when one may have differing views than another person, culture, race, creed, etc. In imbibing the positive character traits one will also truly understand the greater picture in that it is necessary we all learn to respect one another for all of our betterment and well-being. We must always keep the big picture in mind in that our sole purpose here is to do good and leave this world better than we found it. If you find yourself doing something that is causing more harm than good or no good at all, then some self-reflection may be in order and a new course or action must be taken. No follower or priest must be engaged in any work or activity that causes imbalance, chaos, or social ills of any type in society or that oppresses anyone or anything. Respect is key for these things to be avoided. 2. Marriage/Family/Extended family: a. According to Ifa, marriage is the union between a man and a woman and the man and woman’s families and of which the relationship must last well beyond the gestation period. In other words, it is not an individual affair or a short lived venture. Furthermore, followers and priests must be aware that marriage is something that should not be jumped into. Ifa should always be consulted before any marriage takes place. Why? It is Ifa that will give the final approval of whether the man’s and woman’s destinies are compatible or not. All followers and priests must understand that destiny compatibility is the most important factor to consider before marriage and especially when having children. Why? If two people’s destinies are not compatible, rest assured that their lives, those of their children, those of their families, and by extension the community will be impacted negatively in one way shape or form because of the incompatibility. When two people’s destinies are incompatible this signifies that the two people are NOT meant to be with one another as spouses and to go against this would lead to very severe consequences, the most severe consequence being placing oneself off the path to one’s destiny . All followers and priests must ensure that there is destiny compatibility before marriage to ensure that each person involved in the marriage will be able to achieve his/her destiny and by extension affect positively the destinies of their future children, their families, extended families, and community. *Although Ifa consultation is the best way to ensure destiny compatibility between two people, Ifa does provide us with a general list of people, supported by Odu Ifa, whom we should not have sexual relations with let alone marry. These people are: -one’s mother -one’s father -one’s biological sibling -one’s biological cousin to the 7th generation -one’s biological aunt or uncle -one’s biological grandparents -those of the same sex -children or prepubescent youths or youths not yet of marrying age or mature enough for marriage -one’s spiritual followers, students, or apprentices -house servants, maids, butlers, etc -any children or youths under your care or supervision To have sexual relations let alone marry one of the above is to engage in something called Oko Akiikoo or the farm that is a taboo to cultivate. Serious consequences concerning the person’s destiny are affected by having sexual relations with let alone marrying any of the above. b. Ifa expects all couples, once the above has been complied with and confirmed before marriage, to support, love, and work hand in hand in being good spouses to one another, being good parents to one’s children, and being individuals who contribute to the betterment of each other’s families and the community they belong to. c. The man and woman must show mutual respect for each other’s roles within the nuclear and extended family structure, and the community. The couple must strive to always find peaceful means of resolving conflicts between one another, must not hold grudges, must learn to truly forgive one another when one has erred, must promise not to bring up past offenses especially those that had already been resolved, must promise not to embarrass or demean their partner in private let alone in public or around others, or cheat or lie to their partner in any way. The relationship must be fortified with honesty, humility, compassion, truthfulness, love, understanding, and respect for the other’s destiny and role in life. Each spouse must support the role and purpose of the other spouse’s destiny. One must never do anything that would cause his or her spouse from getting off path in their destiny. The couple must support each other in achieving each other’s individual destiny because in doing so, he/she will be supporting his/her own destiny, that of their children, that of their families, and that of their communities. d. Children must be taken care of, socialized, and be allowed to be disciplined by not only the biological parents but the extended family and the community. This is mentioned because although it is very important for every child to have their biological parents in his/her life to train them, the extended family and community also needs to assist in raising such a child to ensure the best possibly trained child who will one day be a shining example of a community member. Through the parent, extended family, and community raising the child, the child is ensured to receive the best orientation of life and truly feel connected to the community they live in. This care and support of children by one’s biological parents, extended family, and the community also ensures that no child will be given up for adoption or that no pregnancy is terminated because of lack of parenting skills, lack of maturity, lack of support, or lack of money. e. Elders, especially those who have reached an age where they may not be able to fend for themselves, feed themselves, bathe, cook on their own, clean their homes, change their own clothes, etc MUST be taken care of by their children, those in the extended family, and those in the community. All followers and priests are responsible for caring for those who once cared for them. To place one’s father or mother in an institution for strangers to take care of them is NOT what Ifa or the Orisa will support. Why? One’s father and mother took care of you when you could not change yourself, feed yourself, bath yourself, fend for yourself, or do anything for yourself. Ifa and the Orisa implore all children and family members to care of their elders, the same way that those elders once took care of you. Not having the time or money is not an excuse for I’m sure one’s parents also struggled with time and money, but they made a conscious choice to still raise you and not give you away for others to do the work for them. 3. Religious Community: a. All followers and priests are obligated to demonstrate respect to their elders and seniors in their respective religious communities but not only this, but of those not within their own respective religious communities. Respect must be demonstrated to all religious elders and seniors irrespective of the region they come from, their language, dialect, variation in ritual or ceremonial practices, color, creed, etc. Elders too within these various communities are obligated to respect the youths within their own groups and the youths in other religious groups. These guidelines are not just to be applied from one Ifa or Orisa group to another but to those who practice other faiths and religions as well. b. Within our own tradition however, Elders, regardless of years of initiation, experience, knowledge, or no initiation whatsoever need to be given the most respect, even before a youth or middle aged person who has more years of initiation or knowledge than the elder. Elders must be treated with respect firstly simply because of their age. In saying this, one’s grandmother and grandfather, for example if not initiated would be attended to firstly and be given their due respects first even before a priest who is younger in age than one’s grandparents. Age is what should be given respect to first and all others will fall in line after this. c. There must be mutual respect between all Mentors and their students within our religious communities. Students must be humble, patient, honest, truthful, disciplined, committed, and hardworking. It is these virtues that one’s mentor will respect and it is those students who will be taught rituals, rites, medicines, etc that will distinguish them among other future priests. Because a student is bright and learns quickly or has the money to pay for or the time to acquire the knowledge does not automatically mean that the mentor will give it to the student. No student must ever demonstrate entitlement. All students must realize that what they are taught will match with the character they demonstrate to their mentor. Mentors too must respect their students and treat them and teach them according to how they behave. If a student is mischievous, lies, cheats, steals, is disrespectful, is not loyal or committed, appears to be in a rush to acquire knowledge, is not reliable, is impatient, is eager to achieve titles, begin working alone, or making money, etc. The mentor has the full right and duty to reprimand the student and discipline them accordingly in which the end result may be dismissal from studies. If however, a student is honest, truthful, hardworking, committed, serious, humble, patient, and truly sacrifices to learn, the mentor is obligated to teach this type of student those rituals, rites, ceremonies, medicines, etc. that will distinguish them among other priests. Mentors must not abuse or take advantage of their students in any way. Mentors must not cheat, lie to, lead on, sleep with, misinform, or give misinformation to their students. They are obligated to also be honest, humble, patient, truthful, compassionate, and be like parents to their students. They must also serve as role models to all their students. The following message is for all students to understand and put into practice. According to the Late Baba Awo Ifa;mu;yi¾i;wa; O®ke¾mu;yi¾i;wa; Aki;nyo;ômiloô, the first A®pe;si¾n Awo of E®Ùgba;land, under whom I, Solagabde Popoola, was privileged to study extensively, there are four types/groups of elders among Awo. These elders are: i. Those who have extensive knowledge of Ifa; but who have bad character. We need to study their Ifa; and ignore their bad character. ii. Those who have poor knowledge of Ifa; but who have good character. We need to study their good character and ignore their poor Ifa; knowledge. iii. Those who have extensive knowledge of Ifa; and at the same time have good character. We must become their slaves and disciples. iv. Those who have poor knowledge of Ifa; and at the same time have bad character. We must give them their due respect as A®gba¾ Awo but maintain our social distance from them. 4. General Lifestyle: All followers and priests are expected to live by the tenets of Ifa and the Irunmole/Orisa in particular the philosophy of Alasuwada. What does Alasuwada require all of us to do? Let’s first take a look at what the word means as well as other phrases connected to Alasuwada. a. Alasuwada: He who molds destinies together Ala: owner, Asu: molder, Iwa: destiny, Da: together b. Eniyan: the human race c. Alasuwada Eniyan: He who molds together the destinies of the human race d. Asuwada Eniyan: The molding together of the destinies of the human race Now that we know what Alasuwada means and particularly what Alasuwada Eniyan and Asuwada Eniyan mean, how does this apply to us as practitioners? Ifa, which knows how nature functions, implores each and every living thing here to work together in harmony and respect each other’s roles/destinies. Many scholars and academics who have studied African Culture and many Indigenous cultures from other parts of the world have discovered that most early humans lived according to something called Communalism or Communal living. In Osa Ogunda as well as many other Ifa verses, we can find that Communalism or Communal living was the basis of ethics, morals, values, and Iwa Pele for Ifa and Orisa followers and priests. This is a lifestyle of living that implores all devotees to learn how to coexist in harmony with all around them both animate and inanimate life. It is ONLY through working together, applying the teachings of Alasuwada, and imbibing the virtues of Iwa Rere or Iwa Pele that we will all achieve and maintain equilibrium here in the world and achieve not only our individual destinies but those of our family, community, nation, and the world. Alasuwada teaches us that through communal living, the individuality of a person does not disappear but actually emerges stronger because that person’s role/destiny will be seen clearly by others and respected for the betterment of all. Let all followers and priests follow Alasuwada as their foundation for living so that each and every person’s destiny and other creature’s destinies will complement and be in balance with one another. Below is a verse from Osa-Ogunda that shares with us how each and every follower and priest should be interacting with all forms of life during this sojourn. Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili-wili Koo tu reke-reke Dia fun Origun Ti nloo s’eda ibu orun ati aye ni’gba ijinji Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili-wili Koo tu reke-reke Dia fun Olu-Iwaye Ti nloo p’ero si ibu orun ati aye in kutukutu owuro Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili-wili Koo tu reke-reke Dia fun Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon Ti nloo yan ipa fun ibu orun ati aye ni’gba iwase Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili tu wili Iri tu wili-wili Koo tu reke-reke Dia fun Olofin-Otete Ti yoo tuu iwa wa si’le aye Ni’jo to nloo gba ado iwa l’owo Olodumare Ni’jo ti won yoo tu iwa s’aye Horo eepe kan soso O wa di agbon eepe kan Agbon eepe kan lo da aye Iri tu wili tu wili La fi da aye Oun la bu da ile Ki ire susu o waa su piripiri Ire gbogbo wa d’asuwa Origun lo bi Olu-Iwaye Olu-Iwaye lo bi Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon lo bi Olofin Otete Olofin Otete lo ru agbon eepe wa sile aye Olofin Otete gbe agbon eepe da Ile-Ife Ire gbogbo wa d’asuwa Sikan ni Mogun Agiriyan ni Morere eerun Asuwa ni Morere eeyan Asuwa da Aye Asuwa da Orun Asuwa da sile Asekun-Suwada ni’gba iwa a se Asekun-Suwada ni’gba iwa a gun Asuwada ni’gba iwa a ro Irun pe susu won gb’ori Irun agbon pe susu won a di ojontarigi Omi pe susu won a d’okun Odo pe susu won a d’osa Igi pe susu, won a di’gbo Eruwa pe susu, won a d’odan Irawo pe susu, won a gb’orun Agbon pe susu f’owo t’ile Ita pe susu bo’le Giri-giri o tan ni’le aladi Giri-giri o tan l’agiyan eerun Asuwa ni t’oyin Asuwa ni t’ado Asuwa l’eeran nhu ni’nu oko Asuwa ni ti osusu owo Asuwa l’eeran nhu ni’nu ahere Asuwa ni ti Elegiiri Opo eniyan tii la a pe l’ogun Asuwa laa b’odan Asuwa l’esu fii je’ko Asu opo suu laa ba yindinyindin ni’nu ile e won Asu opo suu laa ba yaya l’agiriyan Asuwa opo suu laa ba ikan ninu ogan Asuwa opo suu la ba ekunkun l’eti omi Asuwa opo suu laa ba labelabe l’oko Asuwa opo suu laa ba oore l’odo Asuwa opo suu laa ba lamilami Ewe adosusu kii duro l’oun nikan Asuwa opo suu laa ba ebe Asuwa opo suu laa ba Igi Erimi Asuwa opo suu laa ba eja egbele l’okun Asuwa opo suu laa ba egungun Akaraba egungun Bo ba si je l’odo Gbogbo eja ni te lee Alasuwada mo pe o o Ki o ran iwa susu wa Ki o ko ire gbogbo wa ba mi o B’ori kan ba sunwon A ran Igba o Ori Origun-Aseda sunwon O ran mi B’ori kan sunwon A ran igba Ori mi to sunwon Lo ran yin Ori i yin to sunwon Lo ran mi B’ori kan ba sunwon A ran igba -Osa Ogunda Translation: May the dew burst out quickly May the dew burst out rapidly May the dew burst out continuously And be vast throughout the expanse These were the declarations of Ifa for Origun When going to coordinate the creation of the vast expanse of the universe during the dawn of time May the dew burst out quickly May the dew burst out rapidly May the dew burst out continuously And be vast throughout the expanse These were the declarations of Ifa for Olu-Iwaye When going to sooth and pacify the hotness of the universe during the dawn of life May the dew burst out quickly May the dew burst out rapidly May the dew burst out continuously And be vast throughout the expanse These were the declarations of Ifa for Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon When going to assign roles and provide order to the vast expanse of the universe during the dawn of creation May the dew burst out quickly May the dew burst out rapidly May the dew burst out continuously And be vast throughout the expanse These were the declarations of Ifa for Olofin Otete When going to steer the boat of existence to the earth And when going to collect the miniature gourd of destiny from Olodumare When going to steer the boat of existence to the earth A grain of sand Transformed into a basket full of sand A basket full of sand is what was used to create the earth May the dew burst out quickly This was the command used to create the universe It was also used to create the land So that clusters of goodness and wellbeing would gather henceforth All goodness and wellbeing clustered in harmony Origun begot Olu-Iwaye Olu-Iwaye begot Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon Baba-Asemu-Egun-Sunwon begot Olofin-Otete It was Olofin Otete who carried the basket of sand to the earth Olofin Otete created the land of Ife (for habitation) (Olofin Otete- Primordial name for Oduduwa) Indeed, all goodness and wellbeing clustered in harmony Sikan insects swarm around Ogun shrines The anthill is the abode of ants Groups of human beings cluster together The creation of the planets were manifested in clusters Likewise that of the heavens Likewise that of the earth To multiply and arrange during the dawn of life To multiply and organize from the very beginning of existence All creations have been occurring in clusters since the beginning of time Human hair clusters together and situates itself on the head A man’s facial hair clusters together and becomes thick and bushy Drops of water cluster together to become mighty seas Brooks cluster together to become lagoons Trees cluster together to become forests Grasses cluster together to become savannahs Stars cluster together and situate themselves in the heavens Hornets cluster together to reside on the wall of a house Red ants cluster together on the ground The nests of Aladi insects are never bereft of occupants An anthill is never bereft of ants Bees cluster into swarms Ado insects cluster into swarms To act as a group is the character of the eeran grass on the farm To act in multitude is the attitude of the broom Eeran grass grows in clumps in the farmhouse Elegiiri usually fly in flocks A large number of people moving together is an army Banyan plants are found in tufts Esu (locusts) devour plants in swarms Maggots are found clustered in their abodes Yaya insects are found clustered in anthills White ants are found clustered in large anthills Ekunkun are found clustered in water Blade grasses are found clustered on the farm Oore plants are found clustered by the riverside Dragonflies move in swarms Adosusu plants do not grow in singles but in tufts A heap of earth for planting is seen in clusters In clusters do we find Erinmi trees In clusters do we find baby fish in the ocean In clusters do we find the Egungun (ancestors) The Akaraba fish When it eats in the water All other fish will follow it in droves Lo, the maker of this perfect order, Alasuwada, I beseech you Please send a conglomerate of good essences And bring abundant blessings and Ire to me If one Ori is good It will extend to 200 others The Ori of Origun the creator is blessed And it affects me positively If one Ori is blessed It will extend to 200 others My Ori that is blessed Has affected you positively Your Ori that is blessed Has affected me positively If one Ori is blessed It will affect 200 others  How do you define "we"? If you're like most people, there are probably several different groups that you consider yourself apart of. But do all of those groups to which you belong consider themselves "we"? I doubt it. Sometimes, you can even belong to two groups that actually conflict with one another for one reason or another. It is in those relationships that loyalty is most strongly challenged. Sometimes, practitioners of Orisa Lifestyle face dillemas that really challenge our sense of loyalty. Individually, Ifa may guide you to do things that contradict your spouse, friends or family members. Likewise, the very personal nature of Orisa Lifestyle lends itself to an entirely individual consideration of what is right and what is wrong. That is, very seldom do you hear of spiritual directives that require collective action that involves people outside the religious community. Consequently, in the face of sweeping social unrest, you hear very few voices from within the ranks of Orisa Lifestyle practitioners that articulate an official position on institutionalized racism, global economic oppression or environmental destruction. But for those of us who are steeped in social justice, indigenous rights and environmental sustainability, we want Orisa Lifestyle to give us theological direction to help navigate these very real problems. And to remain inactive on the grounds that our elders or teachers have not taken an official position can certainly feel like we are being disloyal to the social realities of our time. Often times, people have come to me with questions surrounding social responsibility within Orisa Lifestyle. To me, the word of Ifa is clear and unwavering, as it pertains to where our loyalty lies. According to the Holy Odu IrosunIwori, human beings have been chosen by Olodumare to bring about the Good Condition, which is defined as: 1. A world where there is full knowledge of all things. 2. A world where there is joy everywhere. 3. Life without anxiety or fear of enemies, attack from snakes or other dangerous animals. 4. Life without fear of death, disease, lotigation, losses, wizards, witches or Esu. 5. A life without fear of accidents from water or fire. The verse goes on to reveal the mystery which will enable us to bring about the Good Condition: 1. Inner power, good character and wisdom. 2. Refrain from stealing because of the hardship and disgrace it causes. 3. Wisdom to govern the world adequately. 4. Sacrifice, or habitually doing good for the poor and less fortunate. 5. Desire to increase the world's prosperity rather than destroy it. So, when you find yourself in doubt of who "we" are, ultimately, the Holy Odu IrosunIwori says the "we" are the descendents of Oduduwa. "We" are called eniyan, which means those who were chosen by Olodumare to bring about the Good Comdition. Our obligation is to remain forever loyal to that mandate above all others.  "One of the greatest leadership challenges is training. It's pretty rare to be on a high performance team, where everybody is perfectly suited for their position and driven towards continuous improvement. So, most teams are characterized by people who are committed but require lots of external motivation to participate at a high level. In management circles, we talk about the carrot and the stick approach. The carrot is incentive. The stick is punishment. the concept is actually congruent with the structure of Ifa, wherein sacrifice and observing taboos results in blessings but failure to do so invites calamity. The key is train people to know and understand exactly what must be done to get the desired outcomes. As the leader, it is up to you to make sure people are clear about what they need to do, how it needs be done and when it's due. This usually requires over communication, in the sense that you will need to give more detail than you think is necessary. Some people need more historical details. Others need more mechanical details. Either way,you must be generous with the right kinds of information for each individual. Not only that, training requires lots repetition. You have to repeat the same message in a variety of ways if you want people to fully grasp it on their own terms. So, you must be generous with your mental and emotional flexibility, which will allow you to share the vision from various angles. Ultimately, training is ongoing. You will have to conduct some form of development activities within your group several times every year. As people and our environment continue to shift, leadership means anticipating the training needs and preparing your people to meet the changes and not be overwhelmed by them. Leadership the future of Orisa Lifestyle will be defined by the ability to accurately predict the training and development needs of the devotees and young priests."
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | www.OrisaLifestyle.com  Of tactical positions, Sun Tzu says:
To see victory only when it is within the ken of the common herd is not the acme of excellence. Neither is it the acme of excellence if you fight and conquer and the whole Empire says, "Well done!" To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear. What the ancients called a clever fighter is one who not only wins, but excels in winning with ease. Hence his victories bring him neither reputation for wisdom nor credit for courage. He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated. Hence the skillful fighter puts himself into a position which makes defeat impossible, and does not miss the moment for defeating the enemy. Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory. The consummate leader cultivates the moral law, and strictly adheres to method and discipline; thus it is in his power to control success. Collective Greatness Afarabale is self discipline. It encapsulates self control, composure, gait, manners, diplomacy, “an authority that emanates from an undisturbed calm.” Afarabale is an organizing principle of the Orisa Lifestyle Academy because it is only by being well-seated in this sanctuary of undisturbed calm that one can pay proper attention to all the elements of life and understand their symbiotic relationships. Historically, we have defined our relationships according to the most superficial and short term indicators. In doing so, we have ignored the fundamental relationship between economics and exploitation.
The Orisa Lifestyle Academy is dedicated to organizing 1 million volunteers who will use service, volunteerism and civic action to build truly excellent communities in every city in the United States of America. Live the medicine!  Egbe is essential to Orisa Lifestyle. And while most people have recently discovered the spiritual dimensions of egbe, anyone who has taken my course, the Fundamentals of Orisa Lifestyle knows that there are actually three aspects of egbe. In general terms, egbe is your cohort. More specifically, the three dimensions of egbe are:
Egbe is governed by agreements. The strength and vitality of the market is determined by agreements: the value of currency, the validity of scientific theory and the application of law are all the result of agreements. And so, egbe is fundamental to community-building. Live the medicine.  “Let’s do things the way they used to do them did so that our things will come out they used to come out. My scholarly hero, N.A. Fadipe writes, ‘A noticeable Yorùbá economic organization is that of specialization by compounds. A boy may [however] adopt a trade other than his father’s. He makes a small payment of cash as well as in kind to the appropriate organization… Whether male or female, the Yorùbá child serves a long apprenticeship… Children of both sexes begin work at the age of SIX. The farmer’s boy starts at that age, being able to do very little besides carrying light burdens to and from the farm, tending the fire in the hut for cooking food, scaring birds away from crops, and taking a hand in weeding. At about TEN, he is given hoeing work to do and at fourteen he may be said to have become a journeyman. While still working for his father, he is allotted by the latter a small patch of land to cultivate for his own account in his spare time. The blacksmith’s boy begins work between six and seven years of age by helping carry things to the forge for his father, blowing the bellows, and generally watching his father at work. At about ten, he is allowed to make pins and small knives; while at FIFTEEN he is able to wield the big mallet – weighing probably about nine pounds – and he can then make an implement like the hoe. A boy’s working life during the days of his dependence may therefore be divided into the early apprenticeship stage, late apprenticeship stage, and the journeyman stage.’
“Trade secrets” of each respective òwò (trade, craft specilization) are historically “owned” by a particular family agbolé (compound, lineage), which either originated the trade or inherited it (e.g., by marriage or migration). Fathers and mothers practice gender specific versions of their trade, and pass trade secrets on to their sons and daughters, respectively. In the case of the weavers, for example, P.S.O. Aremu writes, “the men keep strictly to the horizontal or belt loom to produce strips of 4 1/2″ wide, while their women counterparts can produce on their own vertical looms wider kìjipá strips of about 21 inches… “The children learn to weave in the traditional way, from infancy, so that before they attain the age of ten, various aspects of weaving could have been mastered. The trainees are expected to have oye, intelligence; ojú inú, insight; ojú oná, an eye for creativity; ìlutí, the inner ear/openness to instruction. THIS is the foundation of orisa lifestyle, not pots, goats and ileke. THIS is the formula for saving our youth, not disrespecting themselves, their parents and teachers. THIS is the secret of authentic happiness, not acquiring cars, cell phones and handbags. Why is craft mastery by family lineage so important? Because it establishes USEFULNESS at every phase of human development. In usefulness, you find the ANTIDOTE to depression. In usefulness you find the cure for loneliness. In usefulness, you open the gateway to your natural gifts and talents, which connect you to something greater than yourself. Learn more in the Fundamentals of Orisa Lifestyle.  What is the source of evil in our homes, our schools and our temples? While it is convenient to blame detractors for everything unsavory in our lives, the reality is much more ordinary and commonplace. My experience has been that negative energy increases when organization decreases. More precisely, if younger, less experienced members of the community are not given developmentally-appropriate challenges, duties and opportunities to prove themselves, they will lose motivation. Their morale will become low. This is true of families, classrooms, temples, businesses and entire cities alike. If left untreated, the lack of developmentally-appropriate challenges and opportunities will become the LARGEST contributor to problems of low performance, disloyalty and disruptive behavior. By the exact same token, if senior members of the group are spending 50% of their time doing tasks that younger, less experienced people should be doing, THEIR morale will also be low. In either case, the inability to optimize people's natural gifts and talents is an organizational problem that manifests as negative energy within the group.
As a teacher, a counselor and a priest, I know with absolute certainty, that it is necessary to match tasks to skill levels. The first step in assigning tasks is to define the desired outcome in measurable terms. Until you have defined exactly what you're aspiring to, it will be impossible to determine the sequence of work leading up to the goal. The Orisa Lifestyle Academy has a visionary goal, to attract and train a tribe of ONE MILLION volunteers who agree to live the medicine, not through initiations but through service, service and more service. We invite you to leverage our exposure and expertise to contribute to three focus areas:
Together, we can transform our community into a sanctuary of Orisa Lifestyle, one agreement at a time. |
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