THE DIVINE KNOWLEDGE OF OBATALA AND THE TRUE GLORY OF A MAN

Who is humble, courageous and guileless like Obatala? We too must cultivate and nurture humility, courage and guilelessness. Obatala is always appreciative and thankful for any sincere service or favor rendered to him or performed in his name.  Obatala easily feels indebted to those who worship him by worshipping him with his own divine qualities. Obatala represents true manliness. How much does our world need real men, manly men, courageous men, valiant men, fearless men, men possessed of character, virtue, patience, courage and endurance?! Our world needs men who know how to shoulder responsibility and who know how to accomplish divinely assigned tasks. We need reliable, resilient and dependable men to help promote the advancement of world civilization and divine culture. Such a divine man was Obatala and we must not only desire and aspire to be like Obatala, we must actually be such. Olodumare is not going to ‘magically’ make us such men. We have to want to be such and we have to pursue, inculcate and master the divine discipline and science of Obatala. If we out ignorance, immaturity and laziness refuse to accept the challenge of becoming divine human beings then our minds will always be restless and our lives will never be truly fulfilled, satisfied and accomplished. We must learn to drive away selfishness and pettiness from our lives, and we must learn how to practice genuine love, generosity and rectitude. We must put to the side the desire to be seen, acknowledged and applauded by others for our kindly acts of service and generosity. We must love to do what is right and just simply out of love for justice and rectitude, and not to be seen, acknowledged and applauded by others. Obatala is the King, Leader and Head of all Irunmole. He is truly deserving and worthy of being Oba-Orisa yet he is not ever swayed by or filled with pride, conceit, ostentation and pretense. He never feels like or thinks he is better or superior to others. Though he is the king of all Irunmole he does not think and behave as if he is a know it all. He humbly and appreciatively receives counsel, advice and guidance from Òrúnmìlà who is his personal minister and counselor. He never gives the impression through his comportment that he is better and more deserving than others. Is this not the reason we love him so much and are willing to do anything for him?! He treats all with dignity, friendliness and respect. He relates to all with affection, sympathy and fondness. He is inflexible in the performance of his duties and he impartially upholds righteousness, law and order in his domain. We too must adopt the outlook and manners of Obatala. He is Oba Iwa. We too must become masters and king of good character, noble character and holy discipline. Obatala is no coward. He is the quintessential man. Valorous, courageous, brave and fearless. It is time to revive the cult of divine manliness because without it, all dignity, order and uprightness will be lost. We must fight, defeat and overcome the inner and outer elenini and ajogun of avarice, greed, anger, hate, deception and lust. We must resist all who promote injustice, disorder and malice with courage, sagacity, patience and determination. We must be gentle but firm. We must be kind and approachable but not gullible, weak and servile. One who leads an honest life and is ever ready to assist and help those in need without showing off and singing his own praises such a one leads a dignified life, a divine life, an Obatala life.

The true knower and worshipper of Obatala is the one who delights and glories in one thing only: In cultivating, perfecting and exhibiting the godly qualities and auspicious symptoms of divine holiness, uprightness, integrity, courage and devotion to what is right, proper and clean.  It is not by accident that Obatala sleeps in white, awakens in white and conducts all his affairs in white, without ever becoming stained. No. It is no accident. Obatala is that way because that is the way that he choses to live and determined that he would live irrespective of what others do or do not do. Obatala does not change his holy habits and endearing conduct, character and personality because others have changed their good habits for bad habits. Obatala does not ever abandon his principles and ways even if others abandon their previous good principles and ways. No wonder he is the great king, the true manly man, Olodumare’s much loved son because he brings honor, delight, wholesome pride and good repute to his Oluwo and Baba, Olodumare. To be a human being means to be divine in thoughts, words and actions. To be human means to be generous, kind, just and impartial. Anything less than this and we cease to be human, even if physically we appear to be so. There are many cruel animals with human faces in the world! There are many humans in name only. Let us be true and complete humans beings by following the science and ways of Obatala, which reveal to us in a crystal clear fashion in what consists the glory of a man.