 When we consider the Yoruba of Nigeria, we're talking about people who have lived in the same family houses for hundreds of years, being surrounded by scores of millions of other Yorubas, spread out over thens of thousands of square miles. As a spiritual discipline, Ifa is integral to practically every dimension of Yoruba civilization. In many ways, we cannot extract Ifa out of Yoruba tradition. The two are so deeply intertwined that one inevitably activates the other.
What I am trying to say is that we should pause from time to time to clarify our perspectives of things. There are over 40 million Yorubas in Nigeria and other West African countries (i.e., Benin, Togo and Ghana). In spite of the real impacts of colonization, Yorubaland is still very thick and heavy laden with culture and tradition. Sometimes, we only see the surface. Other times, we look directly at something but we cannot see the obvious. Yoruba tradition is very much alive and part of the modern culture as well. This is the case wherever Orisa Lifestyle is practiced with sincerity. That is, the spiritual discipline evokes a cultural awakening and enables the practitioner to integrate her ancestral awareness into the contemporary reality that she is living on a day-to-day basis. Said another way, when you practice Orisa Lifestyle with your head, your heart and your hands, the ancestors will move THROUGH you, making sure you apply ancient wisdom to modern problems. The OLA16 member site is an online learning library; not a "cloud" but a constellation. And like the stars above, the Academy has been designed so that you can hear, see, question, discuss, teach and practice the lessons associated with Orisa Lifestyle anytime, anywhere. The activities invite you to personalize the lessons by first applying them to your own life, thereby creating the direct experiences that are necessary to cultivate personal wisdom. The activities will also create opportunities for you to demonstrate your values with the people you serve. The more you practice, the more you'll internalize the lessons. Live the Medicine
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