Is orisa a hobby or your destiny?

A hobby is something you do in your spare time. When I was playing drums, I would jump at any opportunity to swing by a dance class or a drum circle at the flea market. But I never considered going to play drums instead of going to work or instead of preparing a meal for my children. I loved to drum and I got a great sense of fulfilment from it, but at the end of the day, it was just a hobby. 

Ifa is my pathway to destiny. So, even when I was playing drums, I was worshipping Ifa. When I was tending to my children, I was worshipping Ifa. I was a top performer at my job precisely because I spent the greater part of my time translating the principles of Ifa into corporate language. Eventually, Ifa inverted my conditions so that I found myself reverse-articulating many of my corporate teachings into Ifa language.  

A hobby is nice to have but destiny is a must; it is indispensable. Your hobby may bring you joy, but it should not be confused as a pathway to destiny. Here is a the real challenge: Some of you have chosen Orisa Lifestyle as a hobby. You chant in your spare time. You study when you get the chance. You consult Ifa and make offerings when it's convenient.

Some of you have the beads, pots and titles, which makes it seem like you're on the path. But the reality is, your practice is just a hobby. You see, because a hobby is casual, you have no expectation to actually accomplish anything.  I am reminded of a verse of the Holy Odu OkanranOyeku which teaches this way: 

Praises of Ifa do not allow one to learn Ifa
Praises of opele do not allow one to know opele

When you commit to Orisa Lifestyle as the path of destiny, there is an explicit expectation that you will learn and develop in your practice. Here is a list of five capabilities every practitioner ought to demonstrate AT WILL: 

1. Observe the ose calendar: Know the weekly orisa worship cycle
   
2. Recite ijuba: Know the litany of paying homage by heart
3. Recite oriki Esu, Egungun and Ori: Know the praise poems by heart
4. Obi divination: Read signatures, recite their corresponding prayers, demonstrate their corresponding gestures and interpret the meaning of each
5. Offerings: Properly offer omi, oti, epo and obi

When I think about the drum circles, I remember all the guys who never discovered the concept of "the one", in spite of playing for years. Some of them had expensive drums. Some wore tape on their fingertips. Others scowled and grimaced passionately when they played. But they were almost always out of sync with the rhythm.  This did not make them lesser people, mind you. It was just that drumming was not their path; it was only a hobby. They were doing it for the fun, for the emotional release, for the social interaction. All of that is fine, so long as you know that it's your hobby. 

One of the tell-tale signs that your practice is a hobby is if you call yourself "spiritual" but not religious. Here, let me make an important distinction: Having a spirit and being spiritual are closely related but not quite the same. We all have a spirit. But to BE SPIRITUAL - especially when you're saying it to mean you do not have a religion - implies that spiritualism is your practice, your methodology or your approach.

Over the years, I have come into contact with a considerable percentage of people who are quick to say, "I'm not religious. I'm spiritual" but they cannot demonstrate what spirituality is, beyond having things that "look" spiritual and saying things that "sound" spiritual. If spirituality is the discipline by which you intend to fulfill your destiny, you ought to be able to actually do something spiritual. 

Here is a list of five capabilities you should be able to demonstrate - AT WILL  - if you are spiritual: 

1. Invoke spirits: Call spiritual energy into action. 
2. Discern spirits: Determine the nature of the spirits who are present. 
3. Focus on spirits: Maintain contact with spirits, onced invoked. 
4. Direct spirits: Internalize or house spiritual energies to dwell or return to specific places. 
5. Return spirits: Send spiritual energy back to the place from whence it came. 

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In the spiritual systems of old, the practitioner was trained in the art and science of spiritual discipline. You were required to learn certain practices and demonstrate particular abilities. You had to dream something specific or encounter a particular key in your visions. Your prayers had to manifest. All of these were considered revelations of your calling, which defined the specific ways in which you would serve a higher cause. 

I am looking for spiritual leaders who are ready to respond to the call to serve something greater than themselves. If that is you, find out how Obafemi Origunwa and the Orisa Lifestyle Academy can help you take your practice ot the next level. 

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