contemplation on the Odu Otura Meji

Though a raindrop becomes one with the pond it lands in
it's impact creates a ripple
felt even at its edges
As human beings we often forget
Even the smallest of gestures
can sometimes ripple across the world
stirring something deep within our humanity
We are all one
and yet
we can each make a difference
in the world that is around us.

Contemplation on the Odu Ika Meji

A society built on the backs of many
for the benefit of a few
is not sustainable
beyond even questions of moral duty
One can only surround themselves
with so many walls
until one day
they realize
they are alone
and as the powerless and poor grow in numbers
there will be no walls that can withstand
the tidal wave of pressure
as nature recalibrates itself
finding balance
as the ants devour the elephants carcass
the only sustainable path
is the middle way

Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Ofun

The nature of a thing
is sometimes such that
we want to change it
and yet in the end we have found
that it changes us
and only in our changing
does it become something different.
The rock does not move
but is over time
worn to dust
and we are left with only the remembrance of it
the only truth is change

contemplation on the Odu Irete Otura

To focus on beads
Is to miss the true nature of Orisa
To focus on beautiful containers
Is to miss the true nature of Orisa
To focus on kings and queens
Is to miss the true nature of Orisa
To focus on shells and seeds
Is to miss the true nature of Orisa
It is only by focusing on nature
That we find the true nature of Orisa
To focus on the past
Is to miss the true nature of Ifa
To focus on the future
Is to miss the true nature of Ifa
To focus on the present
Is to miss the true nature of Ifa
To focus on Ifa
Is to miss the true nature of Ifa
It is only by focusing on the nature of things
That we find the true nature of Ifa

Contemplation on the odu Otura Oturupon

Ifa is the sum of our collective unconscious
manifesting each day as a framework for hope in an amoral world
bringing the wisdom of a million years so that we might navigate life
and avoid capture in the web of chaos spun by our world
each moment requires us to adjust as it unfolds before us
the same and yet different
we listen for the cue that suggests possibilities
hoping to respond so that we might live another day
Ifa offers only a foundation of understanding
but gives no guidance on how you will manifest your home
It is up to you
to interpret the world
and give your life meaning

Contemplation on the Odu Oyeku Odi

We often live life as if in a race with death
and yet death is but our shadow always a half step behind
no matter how we bob and weave we are unable lose it
until we realize that
sitting in stillness
with the sun overhead
we can become one with our shadow
listening to the world around us
having forgotten about the race
death is no longer our fierce competitor
but simply a part of us

Contemplation on the Odu Iwori Osa

Do not believe in Ifa
I do not believe in Ifa
Ifa is a theological study on the human condition
a study of our existence in this world
It is not meant as a belief system
but an ever growing corpus of knowledge
passed from one generation to the next
to be pondered
questioned
understood
Ifa is a thinking person's religion
It is not for sheep, though it guides us like a shepherd
It is not the answer, though it tells us to question
I am Ifa
You, are also Ifa
We are Ifa
Ifa is the journey with no end
Limitless
it is just one way
of many ways
each with their own history
each with their own justification
each, an attempt to explain the human condition
Ifa says there is more than one way to any destination
and in the end, we will all reach our home
I am Ifa
Ifa is me