Cultivating Healthy Intention in African Wisdom Traditions
Eepa Orisa!
Eku Ose Obatala today. Blessings on this day of veneration of Obatala the divinity of clarity, prosperity, light, abundance and great wisdom.
Obatala is said to control Aba and Ase. Aba is imagination or intention, while Ase is manifestation, and fruition of our imagination. Obatala teaches us what it means to be fully human, including our imperfections, as well as how to cultivate the mind to live well.
As you think, so shall you live. As the co-architect of your destiny and by the thought forms of your own mind, your life and the things you have or lack are entirely your own responsibility to bear. Spiritual practice is intended to show you where you are.
So many times we get caught up in the details of our lives and we lose track of the small miracles and blessings in our lives; or we make evaluations or judgments of our practice, thinking things like, "I am still struggling”, or "Nothing in my life has improved".
Is that really true?
I always encourage people to pray. Prayer is free and can be done anywhere and with no exertion whatsoever. But, how do you know what prayers are being answered and when? How do you know what prayers are truly in alignment with your destiny?
Perhaps a job promotion or raise didn't come through for you; maybe the spouse you have been praying for and seeking hasn't made an appearance. We need to be honest with ourselves and ask, are we truly in alignment with what we are asking for? Does our lifestyle, thinking, feeling, being, acting, etc truly attract the things we are asking for?
It is easy to say "yes, I'm doing all those things correctly." Then why the constant complaining and crisis? It is very easy to fall into feeling dissatisfied over what one believes to be the lack of tangible results; but if asked what has been done to encourage personal progress, are the answers in the final analysis vague? There is practice and being engaged, and then there is proper practice and proper engagement. Which is yours?
The next time you find yourself dissatisfied or distraught by life’s little twists and turns, take a step back. Say a little prayer. Give yourself a moment to evaluate and be gracious. In this tradition as in life you get out what you put in. If you come to your spiritual practice with doubt, jealousy, dishonesty, skepticism, negativity or knowing-it-all, your progress and personal life will reflect as much. No one can teach you that which you already know.
These are good things to be thinking about as we all do our own "inner work" with intention and mindfulness.
Our temple's prayer to Obatala today is:
Eepa Orisa, Orisa Eepa! Ogbe omo re o soo daje. O ni ki won rerin in, won rerin in.
He stands by his children, and makes them materially prosperous. He gives them cause for laughter, and they laugh.
May our lives and inner alignment give us cause for prosperity and laughter. Ase