TODAY I DISCUSS THE CONCEPT OF IMORAN (HUMAN WILL AND REASONING/INTELLECT). THE CORE IS THAT SUCH IS TO BE APPLIED PRIOR TO OR INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY SEEKING DAFA (DIVINATION) IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM. OR, AS I ADD, AFTERWARDS. I REALIZE THAT SUCH REMAINS AN ANTITHESIS TO THE CURRENT DIRECTIVE OF DEPENDENCY (POST ENSLAVEMENT) AS A RESULT OF SYNCRETISM AND COLONIALISM. YET AS THE ODU-IFA OSA-IWORI STATES: WISE DELIBERATION AND DISCERNMENT MUST PRECEDE (OR TAKE THE PLACE OF) DAFA. THE ODU-IFA CONTINUES: IF ONE IS HUNGRY ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO DIVINE IN ORDER TO EAT OR IF BEING CHASED BY A LION ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO DIVINE IN ORDER TO RUN. IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE DEEPNESS OF THIS PRAGMATIC APPROACH TO IFA/ISESE. 

TODAY'S TALK REVOLVES AROUND SEEING RESURRECTION AS AN INTERNAL PROCESS THOUGH OFTEN VIEWED AND ACCEPTED AS OTHER THAN.  THE STORY OF THE RESURRECTION IS FAR BEYOND THE SUPERFICIAL OR THE COSPLAYING OR THE IMITATION BUT RATHER AN ALLEGORICAL JOURNEY INTO SPIRITUALITY PRIOR TO RELIGIOUS THEOCRACY. WHAT BRINGS THIS DISCUSSION TO THE FORE IS THAT i PROPOSE THAT WE CEASE TO GIVE PRAISE TO THE "HE HAS RISEN" AND STATE MORE EMPHATICALLY THAT "I HAVE RISEN." AND IN SO DOING WE TAKE GREATER LOOKS INTO OUR OWN SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND VICTORIES ALL OF WHICH LEAD US TO UNEARTHING OURSELVES BY RESURRECTING OURSELVES ON A CONTINUAL BASIS. ASE'

BAWO NI ARA RE - HOW IS YOUR BODY DOING?THE FOCUS ON DIET AND EXERCISE IS GREATLY NEEDED. HOW CAN WE MOVE FORWARD IN RESPECT TO LONGEVITY AND WELLNESS WHEN WE OVER CONCERN OURSELVES WITH "SPIRITUALITY" AND HARDLY ANY CONCERN REGORDING OUR OWN BODY?  IT'S PAST TIME TO RETHINK OUR LIVES SO THAT WE LIVE MORE FOR THE HERE-AND-NOW AND NOT FOR THE HERE-AFTER. IT'S A CONCEPTUAL SHIFTING OF THE EXISTENCE PARADIGM.

OKAY, SO WE'VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE YET WE LANGUISH IN VACUUMS CREATED BY DISJOINTED ACTIVITIES AND DESIRES.  AND THERE WE SUFFER AND THERE WE SUFFOCATE.I SUGGEST WE RAISE OUR LEVELS OF EXISTENCE BY DISCIPLINE OF FOOD AND EXERCISE AS A VITAL PART OF OUR IFA/ISESE INVOLVEMENT AND ADHERENCE. YOUR THOUGHTS ARE WELCOMED.

TODAY IS A BREATH OF POETIC AIR AS IRECITE A FEW OF WORKS AND THOSE OF NIGERIAN PRIESTESS, EWA ORISA.AS YOU LISTEN PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO BREATHE IN THE ESSENCE OF THE THOUGHTS, WORDS, AND INTENTIONS OF EACH SELECTION. NOTE HOW EACH RESONATES AND HOW YOU ARE NOURISHED. ALSO, BEGIN TO WRITE MORE ABOUT YOUR YOURSELF AND HOW YOU SEE LIFE AND NATURE.PEACE. 

THE AREA OF PRAYER IS, OF COURSE, A CONSISTENT DIRECTIVE IS ANY GIVEN, HOWEVER THERE ARISES THE QUESTION OF WHAT PRAYER IS AND HOW THE TERM IS FURTHER DEFINED. I STARTED WITH THE CAPTION "IFA/ISESE IS NOT MY RELIGION; IT'S MY EXISTENCE." THAT SAID, PRAYER IS NOT SEEN AS ULTIMATE DIRECTIVE IN THE SAME WAY AS WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT AND ARE DRIVEN TO ACCEPT BY  CATHOLIC SYNCRETISMS. 'THROUGHOUT THE TALK I EMPHASIZE THE NEED TO CONSIDER BECOMING PRAYERFUL WITHIN ONESELF AS DEVOTEES OF IFA/ISESE.ASE'

TODAY I PRESENTED THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ON THE PATH OF IFA/ISESE AND CITED THE MOJUBA TO INTRODUCE CONJOINING CONCEPTS OF TRAJECTORY. CONCISELY, I DEMONSTRATED THAT BEING ON A PATH IS ONE THING BUT BEING CHALLENGED AND CONDITIONED OFTEN HAS A GREAT IMPACT ON ONE'S TRAJECTORY. FOR EXAMPLE, A PERSON COULD BE INITIATED AND "ON THE PATH," YET THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE PERSON'S TRAJECTORY: THEY'RE STILL BESET BY ANGER, GREED, LUST AND PERHAPS NOW EVEN MORESO. THAT SAID, IFA/ISESE WILL PRESENT ITSELF OVER TIME AND EXPERIENCE AND TEACHINGS AND HOPEFULLY/PRAYERFULLY ALTER THE TRAJECTORY OF THE PERSON AND DELIVER HIM/HER TO HEIGHTS UNREALIZED. ASE'

THE TOPIC CAME ACROSS MY DSK AND I FOUND IT WORTHY OF INVESTIGATION. I IMMEDIATELY SAW THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE INSIGHTS OF THE AUTHOR, MONOG DEMBLA, AND IFA/ISESE PRAGMATISM. CONCISELY, HE SHARES THE SEVEN POWERS AS FOLLOWS:

1. SILENCE

2. BREATH

3. CHOICE

4. LOVE

5. RESILIENCE

6. CREATION

7. CONNECTION

DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH ARE STATED THROUGHOUT HIS BOOK. I, OF COURSE, ADDED THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS PROCESS AND IDENTIFIED IFA/ISESE TERMS AND INSIGHTS TO EACH OF THE POWERS. FOR EXAMPLE, NUMBER FOR "LOVE" IS ATTRIBUTED TO OSHUN AND THE TERM IFE IS APPLIED AS IT IS THE YORUBA WORD FOR LOVE.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS ODU-IFA RESOUNDS: IT STATES THAT "WHEN PUT INTO SITUATIONS THAT ARE VIOLENT OR UNCOMFORTING WE SHOULD NOT RESORT TO ANGER. THAT WHEN PROVOKED WE SHOULD NOT FIGHT. AND WHEN CONFRONTED WITH CHALLENGES WE SHOULD RESPOND IN A CALM MANNER."NOW, I KNOW THAT MANY PEOPLE WILL READ INTO THIS ESE/VERSE SIGNS OF WEAKNESS, BUT AS I EXPOUND, THERE IS A GREATER STRENGTH --MORE THAN MOST REALIZE. CAN YOU DETERMINE IT? I APPLIED THIS ODU-IFA IN MY NOVEL "A PLACE OF NIGHTS;WAR AND RESURRECTION." IN IT, EMINA, A STRUGGLING PRIESTESS OF A GOD-LIKE CREATURE, COMES TO REALIZE AND APPLY THAT SHE WILL NOT FIGHT BUT NEITHER WILL SHE SURRENDER. JINLE - DEEP/PROFOUND

THE FOCUS TODAY IS ON HOW YORUBA WORDS THAT ARE SPELLED THE SAME DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME (NOR) SIMILAR MEANING/DEFINITION. AS EXPLAINED, THE SAME IS TRUE FOR ENGLISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES AS WELL. LOOK AT THE WORD RESUME, FOR EXAMPLE. HERE WE SEE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT MEANINGS AND PRONUNCIATION DEPENDING ON THE STRESS MARKS AND THE CONTEXT THAT THE WORD IS USED. WELL, THE SAME IS TRUE FOR THE YORUBA LANGUAGE BUT TO A GREATER DEGREE AS IT, THE LANGUAGE, IS MORE TONAL. LET'S LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING:

• OGUN COULD MEAN - THE ORISHA, WAR, MEDICINE
• IBI COULD MEAN - PLACE, EVIL, BIRTH
• IPATI COULD MEAN - SHELF (OR) THE STATE OF EXISTENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.

AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE ENGLISH SPEAKING WE MUST LOOK CLOSELY AT POSSIBLE DEFINITIONS AND CONTEXT PRIOR TO ASSIGNING TERMS WITHIN IFA/ISESE. WITHOUT SOME FORM OF RESEARCH WE COULD BE DEFENDING TERMS ON A MISINFORMED TRAIN OF THOUGHT.

JOIN ME TODAY AS I ENGAGE WITH IYANIFA IFAKOLADE ON VARIOUS TOPICS OF HER CHOOSING. NOT OFTEN DO WE GET AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE WITH YOU VARIOUS ASPECTS OF OUR THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES SO TAKE IN AS MUCH AS YOU CAN AND THEN REPLAY TO TAKE IN SOME MORE.  WE INVITE YOU TO COMMENT BELOW AND TO ALSO INCLUDE WHAT'S RELATIVE TO YOU --- AND WHAT RESONATES WITH YOU--- IN YOUR NOTEBOOK AND/OR DOCUMENTS.