Thu, 05 Mar 2020 05:06:15 -0800WeeblySun, 20 Jul 2014 12:53:27 GMThttp://www.ileela.com/yoruba-discussions/who-should-be-allowed-to-become-a-priestI was inspired to write this new entry into the YSI Blog, after reconnecting with a kindred spirit (as spiritual beings I am hoping y'all feel me).  As I'm sure you all can relate, it is always a fulfilling and rewarding connection (sometimes wether you know it at the time or not), but especially when it comes at a time of great distress in your "other" world life (personal, business, financial, emotional, etc)  So this "needed boost" truly came at an opportune time, and as a result mo dupe olorun, modupe olodumare for his infinite wisdom and insight into the lives of all humankind, and as a result his suggested "best practices" guide to success through Odu Ifa.. (ase)  This "life vest" with its associated fully stocked life boat, could not have come at a better time (no pun intended, as those in the know can attest).  Ifa provides that needed hand, when we feel the quick sand of negativity that some of us occasionally fall into, entombs us deep within a permanent grave, with only our fingers desperately grasping in a last dashed effort to unrealistically try to pull ourselves up by our fingertips, despite a lifetime of opportunities to pull ourselves up when both feet are firmly planted on the earth, as provided by God (not as per the Conservatives, Government and the Republican party).  I digress...  For I am saved. Yes lord. I am saved. Because Ifa has been saving souls prior to Jimmy Swagart & the christian right could figure out a way to profit from our hard earned $$$ (oh c'mon, lighten up, they call us Chicken murderes after all.  Isn't that funny???  Land of Perdue, and mass market slaughterers of animals for you supoermarket shopping convenience.  Anyway...)So again modupe Ifa, modupe Olodumare, you have saved me at this moment of great despair, and of falling farther, and farhter, and farther, away from where I need to be, which is right here spreading your holy word.  Ase
Anyway, getting back to the original matter at hand, this reunion of kindred spirits that inspired me to come back to my audience (you), has in turn stimulated a certain self-evaluation and reevaluation of YSI, and its role in teh Orisa community.  We expected a lot more events this year, through divination to Ifa (Ejiogbe) made several plans with several world renowned Yoruba scholars, but for whatever reason (Ifa ni kun lo le mo) nothing to date has come to fruir=tion and as a result we have remained in a sort of self-imposed isolation from the world.  As you all know, this is not how a religious and cultural organization should "behave", so this spirit, which so stimulated my own spirits, literally slapped me to my senses, and woke me up from my slumber, and brought this topic to my mind & hence to my fingertips, to discuss with you all.  Who Should (and Shouldn't) Be Allowed To Be A Priest?  For those just joining us at YSI for the first time, let me reiterate that this section of the website is for the expressed opinions of the elders and scholars of the Yoruba Spiritual Institue, to distinguish it from teh fact and historical sections that are based on several PhD level research level studies accumulated over thelat several decades, and compiled by several renowned international experts on Yoruba philosophy and beliefs.  This is just opinion here people, so please just listen to it, and maybe learn something.

Who Should (or Shouldn't) Be Allowed To Be A Priest, and in pareticular a priest of the Orisa???

As anyone who has read any amount of material on this site or any other Yoruba specific belief site, should know that we maintain that the Yoruba belief system is one of the oldest (if not the oldest belief system) in the world, and as a result, historically at the tim eof its inception and original practice, it was limited to a certain peoples of similar culture and beliefs (and language, etc), and as a result maintained a somewhat monolithic perspective in its practice.  Clearly as a high priest from that society, it was very easy to speak on issues of the society through ones knowledge of Ifa and have it resonate very powerfully amongst all in the society. It was proximate and relevant and fit in the world of limited outside interference and exposure.  The Babalawo or Olorisa was well known in the community. You knew him/her from childhood. You knew his parents and grandparents. You know her husband and extended family.  Your kids co-mingle, etc, etc, etc.  There was a collaborative clearly established to allow all members of that society to feel comfortable with this persons knowledge of the society as it relates to the teachings and wisdom of Odu Ifa.
Now fast forward to current society, 1000's of years later, and as far removed as let's say, Brooklyn, USA.  We are now in a completely different model.  We are thrown in a hetorogenous, multicultural, multi religious, hodge podge of 100's and 1000s of differnt cultures and belief systems all mixed together.  Our current life is very differnt from original traditional Yoruba society, and as a result, the perspective of the priest must match that of the society to which he/she is practicing.  Does that not make sense?  In my humble opinion, the differences thast exist in our Western modern society are so vastly differnt than our original society that we can not and should not use the samemyopic viewpoint in analyzing odu Ifa or prescribing spiritual advice or guidance in this part of the world.  Again, in my opinion this is dangerous, and subject to serious repercussions to all involved.  
I am even going to go out on a limb here and include any and all religious/belief systems in teh world, and include tehm in this discussion by stating, No priest whatsoever practicing outside teh confines of a moniolithic society following traditional practices and beliefs, shoiuld be allowed to oractice unless his/her belief system and EXPERIENCE level matches that of the society to which he/she is practicing.  Again, those of us living in a multicultural society cannot promote, guide and teach members of this society based on antiquated monolistic viewpoints.  As a result the only people that should be dealing with humans are those who have a human perspective.  If you are living in some little village in Italy then by all means you can monolithically express the views of a single traditional cultural perspective, for example Roman Catholicism and be succesful and able to fulfill the spiritual and religious needs of your society/constituents.  However, if you are a Roman Catholic priest living in let's say, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I will argue that such monolithioc traditional viewpoints may not assimilate well into that society and ytou will be gretly at odds with the people spiritual needs.  It is not only ignorant, but it goes completely against Ifas own preachings as recorded in odu IfA Otura Irete.  Hence, any people who heed the call to be higher level leaders and educators and become priests in a multicultual society must only be ALLOWED to do so if they show a multicultuaral persepctive or ability to accept and understand multiculturalism.  So if all you've done in life is be a traditional Yoruba priest, but now have found yourself in Brooklyn, NY, well I will argue that your insight and ability to understnd your audience will be greatly limited by your own limited perspective in life.  As a result, you as a priest does a disservice to the client and the community at large.  You should find a similarly monolithic society whose culture you understand.  It ain't Brooklyn, brother.  Any one who continues to practice as a "Priest" in such a society where thier own perspective is woefully limited should not be ALLOWED to practice, and in fact will be at odds with the teachings of Odu Ifa.  Which brings me back to odu Otura Irete.

Otura Irete told us how, when Orunmila went to a far and distant land in the East (of the World), he consulted his IFa, and this odu was revealed. It foresaw a trip of great importance to spread the words of Ifa.  He was told to make sacrifice to Esu and various other Orisas, which he quickly and thoroughly did.  Upon his arrival to this strange land, which as I am sure you can all imagine was quite different from Yoruba land in every way imaginable, and it should come to no surprise to all that he clearly stood out as being different in every form from them.  However, due to his extensive ebo he was quickly accepted.  Remember during Orunmila's time, there was no world migration and multiculturalism as we know today.  You were where you were from and pretty much stayed there for the rest of your life.  So plurality was not a well known concept in those days. So monolithicism was perfectly acceptable.  So besides seagulls and other migratory birds, and a few native peoples travelling for business and other migratory reasons, no peoples were exploring the world en masse, so rest assured Orunmila stood out as not being from there.  Through certain elements of the ebo he was given the ability to allow him to fit into the society without causing a major commotion.  As was part of his assigned duties, namely Elerii ipin, he bore witness to God's creations and was observant of all things related to mankind all over the world.  So his first duty upon arrival was to observe the practice and customs of the people prior to his declaring himself "priest". He saw the practices of teh local priests and shamans and learned teh cultures and ways of the people.  In this odu "afedefeyo" revealed itself, stating Olodumare understands all languages and cultures and prefers no one over the other from those pure at heart.  

As he observed the ways of the people and learned their customs, he also noted that the priests were clearly locals, and knew the local customs and beliefs perfectly, making their monolithic perspective well suited for their local practice.  However, Orunmila wondered how their far eastern perspectives would work among the Yoruba people, and he realized that although well suited in one place it would quickly miss the point somewhere else.  The priests of any traditional society can find comfort in a life 100% dedicated to their spiritual oversight.  It makes one wonder how such a priest would fit in in a society such as NYC,  dealing with people of varied backgrounds and needs ina  non traditional society with multiple (sometimes opposing) spiritual beliefs.  

Back to the pataki, Orunmila was eventually brought into the society & based on his ebo he was recognized as a supreme leader and religious head, despite his being alejo (foreigner).  His reputation as a well-learned spiritual leader spread far and wide, and it led to many other alejos wanting to similarly attain his success.  However, many who tried to follow did not follow the prescribed steps in undertaking such a venture, namely to first receive divination and then make ebo prior.  So their successes were mixed and not as smooth.  Unfortunately, teh role of elerii ipin implies a certain need to be aware of many things, namely to be open minded, and as a result those seeking to perform Ifas work without such open mindedness, will be severely limited in the scope to which they can aid their respect clients.  

So in conclusion, I argue no priest who cannot put aside his/her limited personal viewpoint(s) and perspectives should be allowed to be a priest in a multicultural modern society.  As my previous posts on who should be priests
 will affirm, this further selects out from the masses in the santo & ifa factories all over the world.    Remember.  You cannot use outdated technology to fix a new technological problem.]]>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 17:01:03 GMThttp://www.ileela.com/yoruba-discussions/why-do-they-always-say-i-must-make-santo-or-become-a-priestThis question has been increasingly brought up by those seeking clarifications of their individual and collective roles and responsibilities in the Yoruba Religious community.  

Not unlike any other religion, we in the Yoruba faith adhere to a hierarchal system guided principally by God through Ifa (ohun olodumare- the voice of God), since Orunmila’s role was to witness God’s creation of every and all things (eleri ipin, ibikeji olodumare).  As a result, the principal role of the high priest of Ifa is to disseminate God’s knowledge as it relates to the individual or group of people seeking guidance. It is my belief that only these high priests (& priestesses) are authorized and capable of guiding humanity, and their responsibilities to God and humanity require vows, not unlike many of our other sister religions, which all mandate high moral character, in addition to several traits universally found in priests of all the worlds religions.  Hence, why is it that almost everyone who spends enough time with a God parent in the Yoruba/Lukumi religion will be told “you must receive santo (sic)”???

I believe, over the years there have been some changes to the original intent of “increasing our numbers” in the new world.  When the slaves reached the Americas, the few blessed with some knowledge of Orisa worship were compelled to increase the representation and worship of their traditional beliefs, and hence recommended any and all devotees to receive orisa.  This receiving of “santos” was purely to allow the individual (i.e. private) worship of the orisa so as to avoid arousing the suspicion of the slave masters.  When collective worship occurred, as we all know, it was done under the guise of the syncretized catholic saints, so as to avoid any semblance of Africanization by the slaves.  It was only until the late 1950’s to 60’s when the Cuban socialist doctrine allowed those of African descent to more openly and freely worship and discuss orisa, that the world started to see the so called flourishing of the Yoruba belief system (primarily through Lukumi).  With economic hardships becoming an increasing reality, many turned to their Orisa as sources for monetization and economic salvation.  The public was invited for readings and encouraged to not only receive orisa for their private worship, but in fact to become priests (santeros, babalawos, etc).  Clearly, human nature is such that when one priest sees another priest growing in stature and wealth, all due to increased godchildren, many will follow suit (while unfortunately many others will try to outdo others by any and all means necessary).

Hence, it is my belief that the economic reality of “making more priests” and having a large amount of godchildren has provided a financial benefit that usurps the initial intent of increasing the individuals in the Yoruba spiritual community for the purpose of individual worship and adoration.   

I’ve been repeatedly asked, Why then is making more Yoruba/Lukumi priests a bad thing?  Is it not increasing our numbers as was the original intent?

To this I say (or rather ask), when one goes to a church, mosque or synagogue, how many “priests” are there?  Is it not usually just one or a select few leading the services/prayers?  So why must everyone become a priest to worship their God in the Yoruba/Lukumi system?  How many of these so-called priests that we create in the Yoruba religion have the moral, intellectual and spiritual fortitude to serve as high priests and moral guides to their communities???  Why must everyone in the church also be a Priest?  What is wrong with the most learned and upstanding members to dedicate their life to the teachings of their beliefs, while the rest of us be merely devotees and worshipers?  Clearly those of us with a higher calling to devote our life to learning the scriptures and living the life of an upstanding individual in our Religious society should be encouraged to become Priests and Priestesses.  BUt everyone who goes for a reading????  Seriously??????

This is why Ifa is so important for all humankind.  Ifa tells us of our individual destinies, and if it is in our destiny to become priests, then and only then should receiving Orisa be equated with becoming a Priest.  Unfortunately, even then we are subject to those with limited teaching and knowledge and/or not of the moral character to speak Ifa’s truths with other financial and/or personal gains.  

In parting, find in your godparent, someone you would look up to as an elder and leader.  Look for someone that you could see lead a church or synagogue or mosque or what have you.  We are subject to the same code and we should expect nothing less than our own leaders of this great belief system.

Ifa a gbe wa o!!!!!!

Esta pregunta ha sido cada vez más educado por los que buscan las aclaraciones de sus roles individuales y colectivas y las responsabilidades de la comunidad religiosa yoruba.
No a diferencia de cualquier otra religión, que en la fe yoruba, se adhieren a un sistema jerárquico guiado principalmente por Dios a través de Ifá (ohun Olodumare-la voz de Dios), ya que el papel de Orunmila fue testigo de la creación de Dios de todo seres humanos (Eleri Ipin, ibikeji Olodumare). Como resultado, la función principal del sumo sacerdote de Ifá es difundir el conocimiento de Dios, lo que se refiere a la persona o grupo de personas que buscan orientación. Es mi creencia de que sólo los sumos sacerdotes y sacerdotisas () están autorizados y son capaces de guiar a la humanidad, y sus responsabilidades para con Dios y la humanidad necesitan votos, no a diferencia de muchas de nuestras religiones hermanas de otros, todo lo cual el mandato de carácter moral alta, además de varios rasgos universalmente encontrado en los sacerdotes de todas las religiones del mundo. Por lo tanto, ¿por qué es que casi todo el mundo que pasa suficiente tiempo con sus padrinos/madrinas en la religión Yoruba / Lucumí se le dirá "usted tiene que recibir santo (sic)"??
Creo que, en los últimos años ha habido algunos cambios en la intención original de "crecen nuestros números" en el nuevo mundo. Cuando los esclavos llegaron a las Américas, los pocos bendecidos con un poco de conocimiento de culto orisa se vieron obligados a aumentar la representación y el culto de sus creencias tradicionales, y por lo tanto se recomienda devotos todas y cada una para recibir orisha. Esta recepción de "santos" era simplemente para permitir que el individuo (es decir, privado), la adoración del orisha con el fin de no despertar las sospechas de los amos esclavistas. Cuando el culto colectivo se produjo, como todos sabemos, se hizo bajo el pretexto de los santos católicos sincretizados, a fin de evitar cualquier apariencia de la africanización de los esclavos. No fue sino hasta finales de 1950 a 60, cuando la doctrina socialista cubano permitió que los de ascendencia africana a más abierta y libremente adorar y hablar orisha, que el mundo comenzó a ver el religión Yoruba. Llamado florecimiento del sistema de creencias Yoruba (principalmente a través de Lucumí) Con las dificultades económicas convirtiendo en una realidad cada vez mayor, muchos se volvieron a su orisha como fuentes para la monetización y la salvación económica. Se invitó al público para las consultas y la anima a no sólo recibir orisha para su culto privado, pero en realidad para convertirse en sacerdotes (santeros, babalaos, etc.) Es evidente que la naturaleza humana es tal que cuando un sacerdote ve a otro sacerdote, creciendo en estatura y la riqueza, todo se debe a un aumento ahijados, muchos harán lo mismo (mientras que otros por desgracia, muchos tratarán de superar a los demás por cualquier y todos los medios necesarios).
Por lo tanto, es mi creencia de que la realidad económica de "hacer más sacerdotes", y que tiene una gran cantidad de ahijados ha proporcionado un beneficio financiero que usurpa la intención inicial de incrementar los individuos de la comunidad yoruba espiritual con el propósito de la adoración individual y en la adoración .

Me han pedido en repetidas ocasiones, ¿Por qué entonces está haciendo más sacerdotes una cosa mala? ¿No es cada vez mayor de nuestros números como era la intención original?
Para esto lo digo (o más bien pregunto), cuando uno va a una iglesia, mezquita o sinagoga, cuanto "sacerdotes" hay? ¿No es por lo general sólo uno o unos pocos elegidos que lleva los servicios y oraciones? ¿Por qué todo el mundo debe llegar a ser sacerdote para adorar a su Dios en el sistema yoruba / Lucumí? ¿Cuántos de estos sacerdotes llamados que creamos en la religión Yoruba tienen la fortaleza moral, intelectual y espiritual para servir como sacerdotes y guías morales para con sus comunidades?? ¿Por qué todos en la iglesia también puede ser un sacerdote? Eso no existe allí, porque nosotros queremos esto por nuestra sistema? ¿Qué pasa con los miembros más sabios y honrados que dedican su vida a las enseñanzas de sus creencias, mientras que el resto de nosotros como simples devotos y fieles? Es evidente que aquellos de nosotros con una vocación más elevada que dedicar nuestra vida al aprendizaje de las Escrituras y vivir la vida de una persona honrada en nuestra sociedad religiosa deben ser alentados a convertirse en sacerdotes y sacerdotisas. Pero la mayoría de los que van para una consulta tiene que ser santeros o babalawos?? ¿En serio????

Esta es la razón por Ifá es tan importante para toda la humanidad. Ifá nos habla de nuestros destinos individuales, y si es en nuestro destino para convertirse en sacerdotes, entonces y sólo entonces debe recibir Orisa equipararse a convertirse en un sacerdote. Por desgracia, aún así estamos sujetos a los que tienen la enseñanza y conocimientos limitados y / o no del carácter moral para hablar verdades de Ifá sin otras ganancias financieras y / o personales.
Al partir, encontrar en su padrino, alguien que alzar los ojos al anciano y como un líder. Busque a alguien que se podía ver dirigir una iglesia o una sinagoga o una mezquita o lo que sea. Estamos sujetos a un mismo código y debemos esperar nada menos que nuestros propios líderes de este gran sistema de creencias.
Ifa a gbe wa o!!
]]>Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:57:56 GMThttp://www.ileela.com/yoruba-discussions/entonces-qu-es-la-espiritualidad-tradicional-yoruba-e-ifaLo primero que uno debe hacer en cualquier tratado de este tema, es aclarar las malas interpretaciones que muchos de los religiones llamado "animista", que se define comúnmente como "1. La atribución de un alma viviente de plantas, objetos inanimados, y los fenómenos naturales. " y / o "La creencia en un poder sobrenatural que organiza y anima el universo material". (Dictionary.com) Digo "llamados", porque este es uno de los muchos términos que no africanos estudiosos han elegido para describir los sistemas de creencias más "primitivas" (sic), o tradicionales, que claramente no tiene en cuenta las costumbres lingüística completa y tradicional del pueblo, y por lo general imponen una visión etnocéntrica del exterior las culturas tradicionales. Y creo que puedo decir esto se hace para muchas culturas tradicionales de todo el mundo, como muchos de mis hindúes, budistas, y otros colegas académicos tradicionales religiosas de todo el mundo han expresado su consternación mismo en el uso de tal terminología europea derivados. Así que, lamentablemente, a menos que todos vamos a sumergirnos por completo y aprender el idioma y la cultura yoruba, nos vemos obligados a hablar el lenguaje de los europeos, que de nuevo los requisitos, no transmite adecuadamente el significado íntegro de algunos de nuestros conceptos tradicionales de Yoruba. Pero entonces es por eso que está aquí en el Instituto Yoruba espiritual, para ampliar su mente y aprender la manera Yoruba. Ase!
Los yoruba tradicionalmente siempre han creído en un ser superior o supremo Dios, llamado específicamente Olodumare o Olorun, el segundo, que es la abreviatura de la primera, se puede traducir libremente como "el dueño de los cielos". El concepto es simple. El Yoruba cree en Dios. El mismo Dios que los musulmanes llaman Alá, y los Judios llaman Jehová (YHWH), o que los cristianos llaman Dios, etc.  Este es el mismo Dios que cree en los Yorubas y alabanza. Esto es importante de entender, porque nuestro estimado no africanos estudiosos han caracterizado a menudo el concepto Yoruba de Dios como un "Dios de cielo", que en su opinión, simplemente y literalmente es un Dios que controla el cielo, frente a los otros de los llamados Yoruba dioses que controlan varias otras partes de la naturaleza. Vamos a llegar a esto en un momento, pero se equivoca por completo. De nuevo por los Yoruba, Dios es Dios. Una nota al margen, lo que seguramente será abordado más adelante, una de las razones por las que muchos religiones europeas (el cristianismo y el Islam, en particular) han prosperado en África, pero especialmente en la tierra de los Yoruba es porque a pesar de nuestro sistema de creencias tradicionales, siempre hemos compartido en el concepto de Dios. El mismo Dios que los europeos. Por lo tanto, nunca fue considerado como un concepto contradictorio de adorar a Dios en cualquier serie de formas, sobre todo porque la sociedad Yoruba adoptado las costumbres más y costumbres europeas. De nuevo, esto se tratará más a fondo en los debates futuros.
Así que ahora que entendemos que los yorubas creen en Dios o Olorun, ahora vamos a abordar los conceptos de nuestra (los humanos) papel en la Tierra. Hay varios excelentes (y muchos más no excelente) libros que cubren toda la teoría creacionista Yoruba y mitologías, e imploro a todos ustedes a leer lo que son realmente sorprendentes en su complejidad y la similitud de las grandes culturas griega y romana. Por desgracia, nunca los yoruba recibido la misma cobertura de Hollywood y la adoración, ni tampoco fue un requisito en cualquier escuela a la que asistió, al igual que muchos temas griegos y romanos (por no hablar de América), que se hizo obligatorio para los estudiantes (al menos en los EE.UU.). Así que el tiempo o no se cree en el concepto de los yorubas que los primeros seres humanos y / o el lugar de nacimiento de la civilización está en Ile-Ife, Nigeria, es total y absolutamente irrelevante a los conceptos básicos de la creencia yoruba tradicional. Esa es mi opinión como un Yoruba moderno, investigador y occidentalmente educado, y lo voy a tratar más en detalle más adelante. Pero en mí otorgar el beneficio de la duda, que la línea de fondo de nuestro sistema de creencias no depende del tiempo que eran necesariamente los primeros o en la "ciudad santa" se encuentra, si no en nuestros valores y la filosofía práctica y las técnicas. Deje que los historiadores pura se debate asta la muerte a los conceptos minuto, y centrémonos en las tradiciones yoruba, ya que verdaderamente afectan a nuestra vida cotidiana.
Los yoruba han sido dolorosamente consciente de ciertos otros conceptos, además de su creencia en Olorun. Ellos respetan a sus mayores, y los ancianos de sus mayores. Y, además, no creemos que la muerte se detiene la propiciación y la adoración de nuestros mayores. Nunca conocí a mi abuelo, pero ten por seguro que le rinden un homenaje para poner a mi padre y tíos y tías en esta tierra, y otorgar en ellos la educación y las oportunidades para alcanzar la grandeza que todos lo hicimos. Así que está claro que debe seguir la filosofía de su abuelo, y su abuelo, etc, etc, etc Por eso rendimos homenaje a nuestra vida y de los ancianos no vivos, casi por igual. Nota: Yo digo que el abuelo, pero entiendo que para referirse a la abuela por igual. Sin embargo, hay un cierto predominio masculino en la estructura familiar entre los Yoruba, que estoy seguro se abordará más adelante. Pero ten por seguro mi hermanitas, todos los modernos que se trate, no existe una cultura que adora y respeta a las mujeres como un igual, si no como líderes, que de los yoruba. Por supuesto, estoy siendo Yoruba-céntrico, pero el papel de la mujer en la sociedad Yoruba y tienen siempre una importancia e igual a la de cualquier hombre.
Además de nuestros mayores, los yoruba tradicional también respetar la tierra que habitan y viven de, así como el respeto de todas las criaturas grandes y pequeñas de Dios, que cada uno tiene un papel en la tierra. Un concepto que estoy seguro que has notado es compartida por muchas de las otras culturas tradicionales del mundo, y especialmente aquí en las Américas (antes que los europeos tomaron su tierra, pero estoy divagando). Sin embargo, que es donde terminan las similitudes, porque a pesar de los yoruba tradicionalmente el respeto de todos los elementos de la naturaleza, no necesariamente adoran a estos elementos de la naturaleza. Así, por ejemplo, los yorubas no adoran a los árboles o los animales, sin embargo, podemos reconocer el poder espiritual otorgado a estos elementos, y, o bien utilizarlos para nosotros mismos o cuando propiciando nuestro Dios y / o ancianos.
La parte más polémica de esta discusión se centra en el concepto de Orisa (pronunciado Oh-ree-sha). Y admito que es mi propio dilema personal como académico y estudioso, porque para discutir un concepto Yoruba en un idioma que no sea Yoruba a uno que no es yoruba, me lleva a los mismos errores cometidos por muchos de los eruditos académicos que tomar grandes ofensa a sus puntos de vista etnocéntrico y miope de los yoruba. Las palabras que se utilizan para describir algunos conceptos Yoruba desafortunadamente conducir a más problemas que tenía la intención, probablemente, y tienden a ser más difícil de corregir más tarde. Muchos han tratado de definir o igualar el Orisa como "mini-dioses", "espíritus" o incluso "santos". Incluso aquellos de nosotros en el mundo académico cree que puede engañar a todos con un término más intelectualmente sólido sonido, tales como "deidades", pero incluso eso no se puede definir adecuadamente lo que el Orisa son. Así que dejemos de tratar de entender las cosas a través de nuestra limitada experiencia y comprensión del lenguaje, y acaba de entender las cosas como son. Por lo tanto, desde este día en adelante, voy a dejar de decir "el Orisa son así o asá", y acaba de decir el Orisa son los Orisa. Después de todo, creo que no tengo que definir qué es un espíritu o un dios, es que usted entienda lo que estoy hablando, no? El hecho de que estoy utilizando un término extranjero no significa necesariamente que es un concepto extraño. Así Orisa son Orisa. No espíritus o dioses o divinidades o santos o cualquier otro término que usted puede haber oído antes y entender. Ellos son lo que son, y que es el Orisa fueron colocados en la tierra por Dios (una vez más, no "nuestro" Dios, si no el Dios uno y único) para ayudar a los seres humanos en sus tareas del día a día. Los Orisa son miembros de los Irunmole que son el colectivo completo de las entidades (ya estoy otra vez ...) que fueron creados por Olorun para que le sirvan en el cielo.  Algunos de los Irunmole vino a la Tierra, y por lo tanto son llamada Orisa. Así que todos los Orisa son Irunmole, pero no todos los Irunmole son Orisa. Usted puede notar que algunos otros estudiosos tienen una visión ligeramente diferente de este, pero creo que este es el punto de vista más coherente, celebrada en la mayoria de la tierra de los Yoruba. Por lo que se dice, los primeros seres humanos (la Yoruba, de acuerdo con algunos teóricos) vivió brevemente entre los Orisa. Un concepto que es irrelevante para mí, una vez más es discutible, y no cambia los puntos principales del sistema de adoración. Sin embargo, los Orisa servir de guía personal para todos los Yoruba y en especial a sus devotos, y lo más importante actuar como intermediarios de Dios. Así que estoy seguro que estás pidiendo, ¿por qué Dios necesita un intermediario? ¿No puede ser adorado y propició directamente? Mi respuesta es, por supuesto, él no los necesita, y que sin duda puede ser adorado y rendido homenaje directamente. Sin embargo, los Orisa tener un papel más directo y personal en nuestro día a día, lo que según la creencia yoruba es un poco trivial y mundano de un Dios Todopoderoso (Olorun) que deben velar por el bienestar colectivo de más de un billón de criaturas grandes y pequeños en el universo entero. Una vez más, no es que creemos que él se siente abrumado, ni mucho menos. Omnipresente omnipotente, y todo eso, son todos conceptos en lengua yoruba de Dios. Sin embargo, algo único a los yoruba tradicional, y esto podría darle algo de credibilidad a el antigua concepto que por supuesto los Yoruba ser los primeros seres humanos, pero la tradicional Yoruba no tenía miedo de estar con el Orisa, ya sea en persona o en la práctica. El Yoruba, incluso en relación con muchas de las características particulares de cada Orisa, y su culto se consideró incluso sigo líneas familiares. Por ejemplo, yo vengo de un largo linaje de adoradores a Ogun por el parte padre, y si tradicional culto orisa no se había interrumpido por la llegada Islámica y la conversión al Islam por mi abuelo, me gustaría ser un devoto de Ogun principalmente. Pero el destino quiso que, junto a mi madre tenía una fuerte conexión con Sango y Osun en su ancestrales, e irónicamente yo nací Dada en Nigeria, que se inició en Sango en Nigeria y, posteriormente, se fue a Cuba y me dijeron que debería iniciar en Aganjú. (Todos los Orisas que o sabe o pronto aprenderá, pero todos ellos son parte  de la familia de Sango.) Así que mi punto es que el Orisa fueron tratados como y venerado como miembros de nuestra propia familia, y su adoración a veces había elementos similares a la forma en que propician nuestros antepasados. Punto usted rápido se oye y lee acerca de los santuarios. Esto es sólo un lugar donde se llevan a cabo ciertas actividades, y como una iglesia, no son los elementos religiosos. Así como las iglesias tienen un valor religioso determinado y le atribuimos una gran cantidad de lazos emocionales y espirituales para ellos, no son iglesias o sinagogas culto o las mezquitas o cualquier otros templos, ¿no??Así que no atribuyen importancia más que el lugar o los buques de la que todos usamos, y centrémonos en las energías espirituales que estamos propiciando. Por lo tanto, esta afirmación se aplica a las ollas, las piedras, o los otros elementos físicos que se utilizan, no muy diferente de la cruz cristiana o el rosario católico o las cuentas Tasbih musulmán, o de cualquiera de los instrumentos religiosos las mayoría de las religiones utilizan como parte de su culto. Estos son todos los instrumentos utilizados para el culto, y no son en sí mismos de Dios. Para robar parte de una frase de mis hermanos y hermanas musulmanes, que creo que la mayoría de todas las demás religiones también cree en "Ashadu Alla ilaha illala"-Creo en un solo Dios todopoderoso. Si me puedes entretener a un pequeño desvío en mi vida religiosa pasado. En mis estudios árabe / islámico, yo recuerdo la casa con un Imam enpresionando el punto de que la diferencia de los "bárbaros idólatras paganos" con nosotros musulmanes es Allah (Dios) es el creador, y todo lo demás fue creado. Él parecía dirigir siempre sus comentarios a mí por alguna razón, tal vez sólo estaba siendo consciente de sí mismo, o tal vez fue porque mi tío le dijo al Imam en el primer día de clases para enderezar su sobrino estadounidense que ha sido corrompida por los cristianos infieles (Sí señor, también fue bautizado, subió a una escuela cristiana, y cada semana asistió a la Escuela Dominical). Otro desvío, pero debo decir, que Dios bendiga a mis padres, especialmente mi madre por ser tan abierta de mente por las cosas religiosas, y que me proporcionan la base de mi experiencia y enseñanzas religiosas. De todos modos, así que me fui de mis estudios árabe / islámico con un sentido renovado de lo que Dios estaba, y por lo tanto lo que el Orisa fueron. El Orisa puede poseer el poder de crear algunas cosas, y lograr el cambio, sin embargo, nunca jamás puede ser llamado el creador de todo. Y como he aprendido en mis clases de Estudios Yoruba y más tarde en Ifá, aun cuando todos los Orisa se unieron entre sí y pensaron que todo podría conspirar contra Dios, porque se volvieron arrogantes por su idolatría por el ser humano, y por lo tanto, se sentían más importante que Dios . Todos ellos eran rápidamente recordó el carácter finito de sus poderes, y sin Dios, no tenían poder. (Otura 'Sa). Así que para recapitular, el Orisa fueron creados por Dios para ayudar a los seres humanos y para servir de intermediarios con Dios en las prácticas tradicionales de Yoruba, y muchos de nosotros somos devotos a uno (y aveces más) Orisa.
La última parte de esta discusión es el concepto de Ifá. Ifa significa literalmente "la voz de Dios", que puede ser entendido, además, que las enseñanzas y consejos que Dios nos da a nosotros los seres humanos. Ifá no es un orisa. Ifa es un concepto. Un estudio de la vida, por así decirlo. Es toda la historia, así como el futuro de la existencia humana. El Orisa que es responsable de testigos de la creación de la experiencia humana es Orunmila. En Yoruba se dice "Eleri Ipin", testimonio de creción de Dios. Usted puede pensar en él como el "gran tomador de notas" y / o el observador objetivo. Él se limitó a tomar notas de todo lo creado por Dios. ¿Cómo crear. ¿Por qué creó. ¿Por qué ciertas características fueron colocados en algunos, pero no en otros, etc, etc, etc Por lo tanto, cuando uno busca información en la vida, uno le busca Ifa. Se pueden tener diferentes nombres en diferentes idiomas, pero el concepto sigue siendo el mismo. Es el depositario de toda la información, nuestro gran Oraculo.  
Es evidente que para dedicarse a uno mismo a esta disciplina debe ser una persona responsable, disciplinada y aprendido, y este es el concepto que aquí en el Instituto Yoruba espiritual 100% suscribirse. Los sacerdotes de Ifá que siguen las enseñanzas y filosofías de Orunmila se llaman Babalawos, "Los padres de los secretos", y nos gustaría ayudar tanto a la ayuda iniciados o no iniciados obtener una mejor comprensión de lo que realmente es Ifá.
Ase o.
]]>Sat, 16 Jul 2011 04:49:56 GMThttp://www.ileela.com/yoruba-discussions/post-title-click-and-type-to-editThe first thing one must do on any treatise of this subject, is to  clarify the many misinterpretations of the so-called "Animist" religions, which are commonly defined as "1. The attribution of a living soul to plants, inanimate objects, and natural phenomena." and/or "The belief in a supernatural power that organizes and animates the material universe". (Dictionary.com) I say "so-called", because this is one of many terms that non-African scholars have chosen to describe the more "primitive" (sic), or traditional belief systems, which clearly does not take into account the full linguistic and traditional mores of the people, and typically impose an ethnocentric view on foreign traditional cultures.  And I believe I can say this is done to many traditional cultures around the world, as many of my Hindu, Buddhist, and other traditional religious scholarly colleagues from all over the world have expressed the same dismay in the use of such European derived terminology.  So unfortunately, unless we are all going to completely immerse ourselves and learn the Yoruba language and culture, we are forced to speak the language of the Europeans, which I again qualify, does not adequately convey the full meanings of some of our traditional Yoruba concepts.  But then that is why you are here at the Yoruba Spiritual Institute, to broaden your mind and learn the Yoruba way.

The Yoruba traditionally have always believed in a higher supreme being or God, specifically called Olodumare or Olorun, the latter, which is a shortening of the former, loosely translates as the "owner of heaven". The concept is simple. The Yoruba believe in God.  The same God that the Muslims call Allah, and the Jews call Yahweh (YHWH), or the Christians call God, etc. This is the same God that theYorubas believe in and praise.  This is important to understand, because our esteemed non-African scholars have often characterized the Yoruba's concept of God as being a "sky God", which in their opinions simply and literally is a God that controls the sky, versus the so-called other Yoruba Gods that control various other parts of nature.  We will get to this in a bit, but this is completely mistaken.  Again for the Yoruba, God is God.  A side note, which will be surely addressed later, one reason why many European religions (Christianity and Islam in particular) have thrived in Africa, but especially in Yorubaland is because despite of our traditional belief system, we have always shared in the concept of God.  The same God as the Europeans.  So it was never deemed to be a contradictory concept to worship God in any host of ways, especially as Yoruba society embraced more European mores and customs.  Again, this will be addressed more thoroughly in future discussions.

So now that we understand that the Yorubas believe in God or Olorun, let us now address the concepts of our (Humans) role on Earth.  There are several excellent (and many more non-excellent) books that cover the entire Yoruba creationist theories and mythologies, and I implore you all to read them as they are truly amazing in their complexity and similarity to the great Greek and Roman cultures. Unfortunately the Yoruba never received the same Hollywood coverage and adoration, nor was it a requisite in any school I attended, like the many Greek and Roman subjects (not to mention Latin) that were made compulsorily available to students (at least in the USA).  So wether or not  you believe in the concept of the Yoruba being the first human beings and/or the birthplace of civilization being in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, is completely and utterly irrelevant to the core concepts of Yoruba traditional belief.  That is my opinion as a modern western educated Yoruba scholar, and I will address it more in detail later.  But bestow in me the benefit of the doubt, that the bottom line of our belief system does not depend on wether we were necessarily the first people or where the "holy city" is located, but on our core values and practice philosophies and techniques.  Let the pure historians debate themselves to death on those minute concepts, and let us focus on Yoruba traditions as they truly impact our day to day lives.

The Yoruba have been painfully aware of certain other concepts in addition to their belief in Olorun.  They respect their elders, and the elders of their elders. And furthermore, we don't believe death stops the propitiation and adoration of our elders.  I never met my Grandfather, but rest assured I pay homage to him for putting my father, and uncles and aunts on this earth, and bestowing in them the upbringing and opportunities to achieve the greatness they all did.  So clearly I must continue that philosophy with his Grandfather, and then his grandfather, etc, etc, etc.  So we pay homage to our living and non-living elders, almost equally.  Note: I say grandfather, but understand it to also mean grandmother equally. However, there is a certain male-dominance in the family structure amongst the Yoruba, which will I'm sure be addressed later.  But rest assured all my concerned modern sistren, there is no culture that adores and respects the woman as an equal if not leader, than the Yoruba.  Of course, I’m just being Yoruba-centric, but the roles of women in Yoruba society have and always will be crucial and equal to any man’s.

Besides our elders, the traditional Yoruba also respect the land they live on and live off of, as well as respect all of God’s creatures great and small, which each have a role on earth.  A concept I'm sure you’ve noticed is shared by many of the other traditional cultures of the world, and especially here in the Americas (before the Europeans took their land, but I digress).  However that is where the similarities end, because although the Yoruba traditionally respect all elements of nature, they do not necessarily worship these elements of nature.  So for example, the Yoruba do not worship trees or animals, however we may recognize the spiritual power bestowed to these elements, and either use them for ourselves or when propitiating our God and/or elders.  

The most controversial part of this discussion is centered around the concept of the Orisa (pronounced Oh-ree-shah). And I admit it is my own personal dilemma as an academician and scholar, because to discuss a Yoruba concept in a non-Yoruba language to a non-Yoruba, leads me to the same errors committed by many of the academic scholars that I take great offense to for their ethnocentric and myopic views of the Yoruba.  The words that are used to describe some Yoruba concepts unfortunately lead to more trouble than was probably intended, and tend to be more difficult to later correct.  Many have tried to define or equate the Orisa has "mini-Gods", "spirits", or even "saints".  Even those of us in the academic world thought we could fool you all with a more intellectually robust sounding term, such as "deity", but even that can not adequately define what the Orisa are. So let us stop trying to understand things through our limited experience and understanding of language, and just understand things as they are. Hence, from this day forth, I'm going to stop saying "the Orisa are like this or like that", and just say the Orisa are the Orisa.  After all, do I have to define what a spirit or a God is for you to understand what I am talking about? Just because I am using a foreign term does not necessarily mean it is a foreign concept.  So Orisa are Orisa.  Not spirits or Gods or deities or saints or any other term that you may have heard before and understand.  They are what they are, and that is the Orisa were placed on earth by God (again not “our” God, but the one and only God) to assist humans in their day to day tasks.  The Orisa are members of the Irunmole which are the full collective of entities (there I go again...) that were created by Olorun to serve him in heaven.  Some of the Irunmole came to Earth, and hence are called Orisa.  So all Orisa are Irunmole, but not all Irunmole are Orisa.  You may notice that some other scholars have a slightly different view of this, but I believe this is the most consistent view held in Yorubaland.  So it is said, the earliest humans (The Yoruba, according to some theorists) briefly lived amongst the Orisa.  A concept that is irrelevant to me as, again it is debatable, and does not change the main points of the worship system.  Nonetheless, the Orisa serve as personal guides to all Yoruba and especially to their devotees, and most importantly act as intermediaries to God.  So I’m sure you’re asking, why does God need an intermediary?  Can’t he be worshipped and propitiated directly?  My answer is, of course he doesn’t need them, and he most definitely can be adored and paid homage to directly.  However, the Orisa serve a more personal and direct role in our day to day life, which according to Yoruba belief is a bit trivial and mundane for an Almighty God (Olorun) who must oversee the collective welfare of over a trillion creatures both great and small in the entire universe.  Again, it is not that we believe he is overwhelmed, far from it.  Omnipotent, omnipresent, and all that, are all concepts in the Yoruba language for God.  However, something unique to the traditional Yoruba, and this might lend some credence to their supposedly being the first human beings, but the traditional Yoruba had no fear of dealing with the Orisa either in person or in practice.  The Yoruba even related to many of the particular characteristics of each Orisa, and their worship was felt to even follow familial lines.  For example, I come from a long lineage of Ogun worshipers on my fathers side, and if traditional Orisa worship had not been interrupted by the Islamic Influx and the conversion to Islam by my Grandfather, I would be a devotee to primarily Ogun.  But as fate would have it, my mother’s side had a strong connection to Sango and Osun, and ironically I was born Dada in Nigeria, initiated into Sango in Nigeria and then later went to Cuba and was told I should initiate into Aganju. (All Orisas that you either know about or will soon learn about, but they are all part of the “Sango” family.)  So my point is that the Orisa were treated like and revered like members of our own family, and their worship sometimes had similar elements to the way we propitiate our ancestors.  Quick point-  You will hear and read about shrines.  This is just a location where certain activities are conducted, and like a church, are not the religious elements themselves.  So just as churches have a certain religious value and we ascribe a lot of emotional and spiritual ties to them, we hardly are worshipping churches or synagogues or mosques or any other temples, right???  So let us not ascribe any more significance to the place or the vessels that we all use, and let us focus on the spiritual energies that we are propitiating.  Hence,  this statement applies to the pots, and the stones, or the other physical elements that are used, not unlike the christian cross or the catholic rosary or the muslim Tasbih beads, or any of the other religious instruments most religions use as part of their worship.  These are all instruments used to worship, and are not in of themselves God(s).  To steal part of a phrase from my muslim brothers and sisters, which I believe most every other religion also believes in- Ashadu Alla ilaha illala- I believe in only one almighty God.  If you would entertain me one brief detour into my past religious lives.  In Arabic/Islamic studies I remember the Imam hammering home the point that unlike those “barbaric idol worshiping heathens”, Allah (God) is the creator, and everything else was created.  He seemed to always direct his comments to me for some reason, maybe I was just being self conscious, or maybe it was because my Uncle told the Imam on the first day of class to straighten out his American nephew who has been corrupted by those Christian Infidels (Yes sir, I was baptized, went to a Christian school, and every week attended sunday school).  Another detour, but I must say, God bless my parents, especially my mother for being so religiously open minded to give me the foundation for my religious experience and teachings.  Anyway, so I left Arabic/Islamic studies with a renewed sense of what God was, and hence what the Orisa were.  The Orisa may possess the power to create some things, and make changes happen, however they can never ever be called the creator of all.  And as I learned in my Yoruba Studies classes and later in Ifa, even when all the Orisa rallied together and thought they could all gang up on God, because they became arrogant at their idolization by humans, and hence felt they were more important than God.  They were all quickly reminded of the finite nature of their powers, and without God, they were powerless. (Otura ‘Sa).  So to recap, the Orisa were created by God to assist humans and to serve as the intermediaries to God under Yoruba traditional practices, and many of us are devotees to one (and sometimes more) Orisa.

The last part of this discussion is the concept of Ifa. Ifa literally means “the voice of God”, which can be further understood as the teachings and advice that God gives to us human beings.  Ifa is not an Orisa.  Ifa is a concept.  A study of life, so to speak.  It is the entire history as well as the future of the human existence.  The Orisa who is responsible for witnessing the creation of the human experience is Orunmila.  You can think of him as the “great note taker” and/or the objective observer.  He merely took notes of everything God created.  How created.  Why created.  Why certain features were placed on some, yet not on others, etc, etc, etc. As a result, when one seeks information in life, one seeks Ifa.  It may have different names in different languages, but the concept remains the same.  It is the repository of all information, our great Oracle.  

Clearly to devote one’s self to this discipline one must be a responsible, learned and disciplined person, and this is the concept we here at the Yoruba Spiritual Institute 100% subscribe to.  The priests of Ifa who follow the teachings and philosophies of Orunmila are called Babalawos- “Fathers of the secrets”, and we would love to help both the initiated or uninitiated help get a better understanding of what Ifa truly is.

Ase o. 

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