BIRTH = The First Initiation…

                                    *** INITIATION RITES ***

===Initiation = Enlightenment = Transformation…Grasping the root of divine power!!! Birth: The First Initiation…A True Initiation Never Ends. The wisdom you seek is already within you***

***The female Being has been chosen by the Creator to be the Portal between the Spiritual realm and this Physical realm. The only force on Earth powerful enough to navigate unborn Spirits onto this Planet….

Religion:  A Tool Invented by The Powerful to Control the Stupid… *When the Fire Is Fed with Fuel – Its Character Is Remolded – Its Glory Rise & Shine…

** A Harmonious Existence Is The One That Has A Balanced Relationship Between The Physical & Spiritual Realms **

Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense it can also signify a transformation in which the Initiate is ‘reborn’ into a new role. Examples of initiation ceremonies might include: Christian baptism, or  acceptance into a fraternal organization, secret society or religious order, or graduation from school or recruit training. A person taking the initiation ceremony in traditional rites, such as those depicted in these pictures, is called an Initiate.

Initiation Rites: It is common in many Cultures, Religious or Otherwise, to mark the transition from childhood to adulthood by some ceremony. The importance of these ceremonies is two-fold. Firstly, it acts as a watershed for the individual concerned and secondly it gives the community an opportunity to acknowledge the changing status of the young.

African Initiation Rites which are fundamental to human growth and development.  These rites were originally established by African Ancestors while they were living in order to link the individual to the community and the community to the broader and more potent spiritual world.  Initiation rites are a natural and necessary part of a community, as are arms and legs natural and necessary extension of the human body.  These rites are critical to individual and community development, and it should not to be taken for granted that people automatically grow and develop into responsible, community-oriented adults.

The process of Initiation concerns undergoing a fundamental set of rites to start a new phase or beginning in life.  It marks the passing from one phase in life to the next more mature phase.  Initiation fundamentally has to do with transformation, and has been a central component of traditional African cultures since time immemorial.  The details of the rites vary among the different societies, but these rites are nevertheless basic components of the society as they help guide the person from one stage in life into the next stage of one’s life and development, that is, from birth to death and beyond.

The rites are Birth, Adulthood, Marriage,  and Ancestor ship.  A rite is a fundamental act – set of rituals performed according to prescribed social rules and customs.  Each of these rites are a key component that are a part of traditional African cultures.  Some societies have more elaborate and extensive ceremonies than others, but these five themes are the thread that links families and villages in traditional Africa and provide the necessary structure for individual growth and development.  The rites briefly represent an integrated Initiation system that has given indigenous African cultures the stability and longevity to provide a model of consistency and inter-generational unity.

They represent a complete set of devices that prevent the inherent conflicts between various age groups or the systematic ill treatment of women, children, or elders.  These problems are commonplace in western cultures, but they are virtually unknown in indigenous African cultures.  These African cultures were not “perfect” as all human societies have problems, but they do provide a viable example in the modern world of how to solve social conflicts and contradictions and give individual the societal support to discover and fulfill their life mission and unique contribution.

 

The Rite of Ancestor Ship, which concerns passing over into the spirit world.  This final Initiation rite is an extension of the elder/older distinction because the status that a person has in life is the same status that they bring with them when they pass on.  There is virtually no African society that believes that when a person dies this ends all ties and communication with the living.  Rather, African philosophy from one culture to another agrees that the spirit of the deceased is still with the living community, and that a distinction must be made in the status of the various spirits, as there are distinctions made in the status of the living.

One of the most important distinctions is the difference between an older person who dies and who is seen as nothing more than a “dead relative,” and a respected elder who passes on and is revered as an honored “Ancestor.”  The dead relative dies without honor and is someone who is not remembered as a great person or someone who should be followed or emulated.  On the other hand, a respected elder  who passes on becomes a respected Ancestor and is given the highest honor.  This group of Ancestor wield great power and are often called upon in matters of trouble or uncertainty to help influence a favorable outcome.  Thus, Ancestors are respected elders who have passed away and who continue to serve as an extension of the family and community.

** In the religions of Africa, life does not end with death, but continues in another realm. The concepts of “life” and “death” are not mutually exclusive concepts, and there are no clear dividing lines between them. Human existence is a dynamic process involving the increase or decrease of “power” or “life force,” of “living” and “dying,” and there are different levels of life and death. Many African languages express the fact that things are not going well, such as when there is sickness, in the words “we are living a little,” meaning that the level of life is very low.

Every misfortune that Africans encounter as “a diminution of vital force.” Illness and death result from some outside agent, a person, thing, or circumstance that weakens people because the agent contains a greater life force. Death does not alter or end the life or the personality of an individual, but only causes a change in its conditions. This is expressed in the concept of “Ancestors,” people who have died but who continue to “live” in the community and communicate with their families.**

I was born in the house of wealth, Ifa did not make me rich I was sent to a family of wealth, Ifa did not make me wealthier The father who gave me birth in a mansion of 16 rooms, Ifá says that it amounts to nothing These were the declarations of Ifa for Ori (destiny) and Ìwà (character) Orí is he who can make one become a king But it is Ìwà who determines personal/individual success. Ifá says that if your Orí turns you into a king. Do not lose character Orí influences individual wealth, Iwà is the regulator of wealth, success, abundance. All devotees of the sacred palm tree, to whom ebo is prescribed should offer it.

Orí is the indigenous depiction of the divine essence/seed, the golden embryo that inhabits the physical body – through which it experiences the physical realm. It encapsulates a key concept of the indigenous spirituality: we are not physical beings having spiritual experiences but spiritual beings having temporary humanly/physical experiences. Orí is the individual expression of the primordial seed of Consciousness in the Cosmos. Orí animates the individual humanly experience; defines the boundaries of individual earthly journey according to prenatal choice and contains the individual potentialities to be identified, explored and exploited by the individual through the indigenous philosophical, spiritual and medicinal principles that provide the means for it.

Ìwà is the divine character: the set of moral values promoted in the indigenous philosophy under the ideal of perfect being (Omoluabi) meant to guide the process of deconstruction of humanly nature (lowest calibration self tied to ego – lower passions) and enthroning divine nature (higher self & consciousness) which enables the articulation of individual potentialities; manifestation and materialization of highest destiny and therefore service to Humankind by honoring ifogbóntaáyése principle.

Ifá teaches in here that the articulation of Destiny independently of its nature, greatness, potential, is entangled with Character which modulates and defines its scope of manifestation in the physical realm.

*** Sacred forest: Igbodu or Fazu originally designates the sacred forest in which the initiatory rites in the mysteries of Ifa take place, where the candidate is being revealed and given access to fundamental information concerning the nature of his own humanly experience, potentialities & limitations, qualities & defects, attributes & traumas, taboos & behavioral patterns, Spirits & forces in Nature that will accompany along the journey and with who to develop different types of communication channels.

    IFA & ORISA INITIATION: The Most Profound Journey Of All = Is The One That Brings Understanding To The Truth Of Your Soul.

It must be firstly understood that our Ancestors have shared invaluable knowledge on the spiritual nature & origin of human beings for who existence as divine parcels of the ultimate source of consciousness in the cosmos began long before incarnating into physical bodies through which to temporarily experience the gift of life on Earth. In order to reclaim our divine nature, we must undertake an inner journey of self-exploration and for the most discovery as a sine qua non condition for awakening, stimulating or enhancing our inner fire or divine spark of Consciousness – a process ignited by each & everyone’s inner Spirit or Soul according to the semantic choice or preference through a profound individual ontological reflection on the very nature of the physical existence, the Self and its purpose.

ISEFA: This is when you receive your one hand of Ifa and protection Ide for your wrist. This is a preliminary step to initiation for those who want to receive the shrine of Ifa but are not ready to gain full initiation. This give a person access to Ifa for weekly prayer request, communication, to be able to give offerings to Ifa.

ITEFA: Itefa is full initiation to Ifa. When Initiating to Ifa you will usually prepare ahead of time for the process of receiving the rituals, rites, ceremonies to consecrate your spirit with the spirit of Ifa.

ORISA INITIATION: Orisa Initiation crowns you to the Ase of the Orisa and their spiritual characteristics by placing their power into your spirit via your Ori. Prior to Orisa initiation and after, an Orisa devotee is dedicated to connecting with their shrines and learning and growing in the wisdom of the Orisa. A reading is usually done early on to see which Orisa governs your Ori (inner spirit/head) or it may be revealed through general divination. This gives insight to the Orisa that is important for you to connect to spiritually. Many times, one may receive the shrine of their Orisa prior to Initiation to begin the process of communicating with their Orisa and developing a more personal relationship.

Reference Sources: Oba Edu Faniyi Osagbami = Asa Orisa Alaafin Oyo = Fagbemijo Amosun Fakayode = Olúwo Fatoogun Odetunbi = Ifáfọnàhanmí Fátóògùn = Lekeleke = Google Search/Photo = Wikipedia = Maike Figueredo Gomes =