Ogbo Ato Asure Iworiwofun
In life sometimes we all experience sufferings, dissatisfaction, sorrows and inner turmoil of all sorts and for different reasons. This is something that we all experience. But there is a dissatisfaction, a sorrow, a prolonged sadness and an experience of inner turmoil that is a sign of inner growth! I am fully aware that what you have just considered is something that is counter-intuitive, but it is a fact and true.
The experience of dissatisfaction, sorrow, depression, melancholy and/or inner turmoil can be a positive development in ones life. Experiencing dissatisfaction, sorrow, depression, melancholy or inner turmoil does not always mean that things are wrong. One can in fact experience these things as a sign of growth and as a sign of needed growth, spiritual space and expansion. Let me explain.
There are experiences of dissatisfaction, sorrow, inner turmoil, restlessness and even periods of sadness/depression that are a product of spiritual growth. That’s right! They are called growing pains.
We are know what a snail is. A snail lives in a shell. When the snail grows too large to fit its shell, it begins to feel uncomfortable, uneasy, congested, dissatisfied and unhappy. Buy why? Because it has grown! To be more accurate it has outgrown its shell, and what is needs to do is to move out of it and find one that is larger enough to accommodate its growth and development. The smaller shell was okay when it was compatible with and suitable for the previous developmental growth level of the snail, but now it has grown, it has developed and matured.
So you might be thinking: “What does all this snail and shell talk have anything to do with me?”
Well it has everything to do with you. Not all sufferings in life arise because of something wrong we have done or because something is wrong with us per say etc… There are certain kinds of turmoil, suffering, pain and discomfort that are in fact signs of progress and which are indicators of our need to move on with our spiritual life. It’s time to move out of the shadow of others peoples opinions, expectations, approval or disapproval. There is a need to commit to our own chosen and intelligently selected spiritual path. There is a need to move out of spiritual-moral and ideological ambiguity, unclarity and haziness. There is a need to acknowledge, define and embrace our spiritual calling. We must bring out, cultivate and manifest our interior spiritual gifts, powers, enlarged intelligence and abilities which have been deliberately or inadvertently ignored, suppressed or repressed. When we deliberately or inadvertently suppress, ignore or repress our interiors powers, faculties, spiritual affinities, longings, peculiar spiritual aspirations and desires we will experience pain, turmoil, discomfort, sadness and depression. When we, out of fear or concern for the approval, disapproval or opinions of others we decide to halt our progress and we decide to hide our true convictions we will invariably experience inner turmoil, depression, sadness and dissatisfaction.
This is where honesty and courage come in. Your life is your own. Why are you trying to gain the approval of others in regard to your own chosen spiritual path? Why should you care if other disapprove of your chosen spiritual path and conviction? Why are you living your life to maintain appearances and to satisfy the opinions and supposed conclusions of others when you are supposed to be living to satisfy and please your own inner sense of truth and honesty. Why are you waiting for others to accept you or to give you permission to pursue what you know is right for YOU?! Why are you looking over your shoulder, looking to the left and right, worrying and fretting over others who add nothing to your life and trying to squeeze your enlarged and expanded vision of life into the small shell that others are living in?! Why are trying to hide who you are and what you really believe in?! Why should you be made to feel ashamed because of pursuing your honest and beneficial convictions and belief?! We do not have to apologize to anyone or explain ourselves to anyone for being devotees of Ifá and devotees of the Irunmole-Orisa! Be courageous, be brave and be true to yourself!
When we have grown morally, intellectually and spiritually this shows that we have outgrown the small, petty, disjointed, unsatisfying, naive beliefs, practices and conceptions that we previously might of had. We need to embrace a larger view of life, we need to confidently, without shame and without regret to courageously define who we are, what we really believe and what we will practice. We need to move out of the small shell and into the larger shell of actuality instead of trying to stubbornly or inadvertently remain in a small one which cannot accommodate us any longer. The small shell is suffocating and injuring us! These growing pains are signs of growth and are indicators that it’s time to let go of the small shell of the past and move on.
When we do not live according to our present callings, inner gifts, honest spiritual likings and affinities we will experience aches, pains, sufferings, turmoil, sadness and depression. This is nature’s law! When we go against our inner urge of truthful and honest affinity we will experience suffering, melancholy, dissatisfaction and depression. We must courageously and independently decide to be true to our own inner self, then these pains and sufferings will begin to wane and disappear, and peace, happiness, harmony, contentment and fulfillment will replace them. You cannot live to satisfy the opinions, convictions or path of others! Until we begin to live accordingly, this ache, sorrow, sadness and turmoil will be with us. We cannot hold back the law of growth and progress. We can no longer live in the past. We can no longer force ourselves to live in the small and inadequate shell of immature, naive and unsatisfactory spiritualities and conceptions.
We have to move forward and begin to live our own true and honest life independently of whether others agree with us or not, or whether they approve of us or not. We must actualize our own spiritual reality. We have studied. We have researched. We have searched our hearts honestly. We have tasted and experienced. We have discovered our true power, identity, path and affinity. So now it is time to take the higher road and commit ourselves to our peculiar power, path and affinity. Otherwise we will continue to feel the unease, anxiety and dissatisfaction that comes from the need to move forward and to enter new terrain in our lives.
We can no longer live off the old and stale bread of memories of our past spiritual infancy. We have grown and it’s time to eat real food and drink refreshing water, it’s time to live and embrace our newer and much more evolved understanding of life. We must be true to who we are today and what we honestly believe today! We cannot suppress our inner affinities, callings and powers anymore for anyone, anybody or any reason. Like the earthbound caterpillar which enters the chrysalis and emerges as a sky bound butterfly, so must we endure the transformation process and then we must emerge different from where we begin and from what we were! We need to step out and begin to practically live and cultivate our present, new and transformed personal convictions without regard to the thoughts and/or opinions of others. A butterfly cannot ever become a caterpillar again. That would be a big step back! A butterfly would be foolish to try to force itself to go back to its caterpillar and/or cocoon stage! Like the butterfly we have broken out of the chrysalis (cocoon). Like the snail we have outgrown our shell! We have outgrown our shell. Like the caterpillar that has entered the cocoon, has exited and has experienced transformation into a butterfly so have we. We cannot go back to the caterpillar or cocoon stage. We cannot live or wait for the approval of others!
READ ALSO: THE DEVOTEE OF IFÁ MUST BE COURAGEOUS.
Courage, strong determination and honesty are all that is needed. The disapproval of others cannot hinder our choice, our growth and mature decision to embrace the truth as it honestly appears within our hearts. The moment we take our first real and practical step out of our old ‘shell’ and continue walking into the new, improved and enlarge one, in that singular moment we will begin to experience relief, joy, emotional-mental-spiritual harmony/health and empowerment. In that moment the built up strain, stress, depression and turmoil will begin to wane and lose its grip until it dissipates and evaporates all together; and in its place will be found joy, satisfaction, delight, relief and renewed enthusiasm and optimism.
