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. 

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 

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.

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. 

1. Group Economics: Cultivate local business and industry. 
2. Volunteerism: Lobbyists and constituencies influence policy. 
3. Civic Engagement: Protect your interests by influencing every level of local law enforcement. 
4. Media: Control the message. Out of 12,000 radio stations, only 80 are owned by African Americans.

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:

1. Age-Mates: The first category of egbe applies to your age-mates. It consists of that group of people that supports you at various phases of life. As you develop and experience the spectrum of what life has to offer, your egbe is there for you. 
2. Guilds: The second category of egbe refers to professional guilds, like carvers, bead makers, priests and so on. This group is responsible for setting policy,  settling disputes and organizing other market-related activities. 
3. Spiritual Community: Finally, there is the spiritual egbe, which is your heavenly cohort. This is the group of spiritual entities that have agreed to support your social interactions on earth. It is the symbiotic relationship between the earthly and heavenly egbe that enables you to successfully navigate the many social circles that are associated with a healthy social life. 

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.

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: 

1. Education & the Arts: Projects that focus on sacred and traditional Yoruba art forms that are holistic and therapeutic.
2. Sustainable Culture: Yoruba organizations and projects that sustain, regenerate, and preserve ecosystems, especially integrated, systems-based, and culturally-relevant approaches. 
3. Food & Agriculture: Projects that address sustainable food and agriculture, including organic and indigenous Yoruba farming techniques. 

Together, we can transform our community into a sanctuary of Orisa Lifestyle, one agreement at a time.