Contemplation on the Odu Ogunda Ogbe (Ogunda bede)

When approaching the seed of a sunflower
one is left to ponder the burning question
what is the best way to consume such thing?
If done with fingers
it's not such an easy task
each shelling
without correct pressure applied
may crack both shell and morsel of goodness
and leave a mess
If approached only by using the mouth
a tangle of tongue and teeth can sometimes
coax the seed from its shell
but leaves one with a slimy mess
a combination of mouth, hands and teeth
can also work
loosening the diamond from its crater
but is a tedious and slow process
Each way
with its own merits
and drawbacks
can solve a problem
leaving us to contemplate the next quandry
Ifa is life
life is a bowl of sunflower seeds
waiting to be consumed

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Irosun (okana rosu, okana irosu)

We are the accumulation
of millions of tiny decisions
whose cumulative affect
makes us who we are
like sand castles on a beach
built with a cup full of sand each day
Wind and water forever eroding
the creation that is our self
slowly building
some with moats to defend
others open for all to see
each one unique
sometimes finished
sometimes incomplete
we inevitably meet the end
brought by a rogue wave
crashing down
returning us whence we came
our sand to be used again
to build other castles
-- Marcos Ifalola Sanchez --

Contemplation on the Odu Ofun Ogbe

To move in stillness
allows the mind to exist
without expectation
adapting
like water in a pitcher
that takes on form without resistance
changing seamlessly when poured into a glass
the still mind wraps itself around eternity

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