Contemplation on the odu Irete Odi

We are all broken
In some way
Chipped
Worn
Frayed
Sometimes shattered
It is Part of the
Human condition
Easily overlooked
In our quest for
Perfection
Only when we accept this
Truth
Can we begin to pick up the
Broken pieces
Restoring the vessel of our
Soul
So we might let our cups
Spill over with
Love

Contemplation on the Odu Okanran Iwori

I sit and wait
Patiently
Observing who you are
Until
Like water running over a
Mud caked statue
In time
Your true self is
Revealed

Further thoughts on the Odu Ogbe Ofun

Painted in slow movements across the night sky
Stars hurtle through time and space
Magnificent diamonds
Floating above our heads
Though we are so far apart
I wish I could pluck one for you
A gift of brilliance and joy
Bringing light to the darkness surrounding you
Look to the sky whenever things seem lost
Remember that we all share these
Beautiful shimmering lights that
Pierce the blackened sky
That I'm always here
That even in our darkest hour there lives
Light

Contemplation on the odu Iwori Ika

No matter how you try
You can not catch the crashing waves
Bend them to your will
Deny their existence
You can only look away
Secretly hoping that the pulsating rhythms
Never end
Never fade
Engaged in a delicate pas de deux of minds
Revealing more in the breaths in between
Than in a million words
A fleeting glance
A framed doorway
A gentle rain
Tell me you saw the birds
Gliding through the storm
Weren’t they lovely
Tell me you saw them so I know it wasn’t
Just a dream

Contemplation on the Odu Ofun Oyekun

For many
It's not death that is truly feared
Nor even the loss of life
It's something far greater
Our fear is rooted in the idea that
There might be a time when
Sharing moments with our
Living loved ones and equally
With those who passed before us
May be impossible
Even faith gives no guarantees
Only hope
One thing that is for sure
Our bodies will become one
With the earth
With the universe
In that way we are reborn
Feeding the never ending cycle

Contemplation on Owonrin Ogunda (oworin ogunda, ojuani ogunda)

A vanity has bewitched so many
I am left wondering what will remain
When the spell has lifted
Truth has become the enemy
In a war waged by the righteous
More concerned with being right
Then doing what is right
Science has been gutted and left for dead
Another casualty of the crusade against a
Perceived enemy that does not exist
Truth has been forsaken for dominance
Leading us down the same dark path
That has devastated humanity
Over and over throughout the centuries
A tyranny of might
Is always driven by
A nucleus of fright
Feeding the mayhem that
Leads to an inevitable
Mass exodus of souls
I hope this time is not like the last
I hope this time we come to our senses
I hope this time the body count is not so high
Remember when there is no one left to go after
They will go after you

Contemplation on the Odu Oshe Osa ( oshe'sa , Oche sa )

You can not buy Ifa
Wisdom is not for sale
No one can teach you Ifa
Knowledge is born from life
Few will grasp the meaning of Ifa
Understanding comes from deep within
Only the rainbow can capture the spirit of Ifa
Insight happens when blindness allows you to see
How then will you capture Ifa
When it dances in your hands
Like a tornado from heaven
Rearranging the landscape
Then vanishing into thin air
By each time placing yourself
Squarely at its center
Letting the chips fall as they may
Then clearly seeing what needs to be done
In the aftermath
Ifa is chaos
Ifa is synchronicity
Ifa is