It is not enough to have confidence in Olodumare, Ifá and Irunmole. We must also have confidence in ourselves. To have confidence in ourselves but not in Ifá-Olodumare is not adequate. To have confidence in Ifá-Olodumare but not in ourselves is also inadequate. To be able to live at the height of true confidence, strength, power, courage, clarity and harmony we must have a singular but simultaneous confidence and trust in Ifá-Olodumare and ourselves. Our spiritual life is rooted and hidden in Ifá-Olodumare. The divine life of Ifá-Olodumare is hidden in us. We must encourage and bless (benefit) ourselves by cultivating an optimistic, persevering, courageous and joyful attitude. We must be firmly assured and have full confidence in ourselves that we can, through our effort, dedication, study and personal practice achieve the fulfillment of our life’s purpose. We must know and be convinced that we have all we need to successfully travel and complete our spiritual life adventure and spiritual career of divine ascent (evolution). One of the main reasons that has contributed to the moral-spiritual decline, decadence and corruption of the Ifá religion, as well as the decline of our sense of personal confidence and wholesome self-esteem, is because many so-called awo, babalawo, babalorisa and iyalorisa have made of the Ifá tradition only a means for filling their bellies, promoting self-arrogance and for attempting to exercise moral, spiritual and psychological control (authority) over others for their own selfish gains. Many have become expert manipulators, proverbial wolves in sheeps clothing. They have introduced superficiality and have distorted the purity, beauty, depth and coherence of the Ifá religion before people for selfish interests.



They have somehow drilled the stupid, superstitious, naive, shallow and dangerous idea and belief in the minds of people that if the people just blindly and unthinkingly serve the priests/priestesses according to their wants (whims), and please (shower) them with continual donations, blind (unthinking) obedience, praise and adulation that they will be successful, happy, protected and prosperous. Do this, these corrupt priests and priestesses say, and all will be well. Do this and Ifá-Olodumare and Irunmole/Orisa will bless, defend and prosper you! These kinds of people are shameless! How people can fall in their traps and schemes I don’t know?! Can the distorted teachings, so-called ‘spiritual activities’and so-called ‘blessings’ of such priests and priestesses, who are themselves irreligious and morally-spiritually bankrupt actually confer health, success, prosperity, protection and happiness to anyone?! If merely by someone else’s blessings our welfare and happiness could be achieved, not a single person on this earth would know suffering, lack, sickness, unhappiness, sorrow and failure. People fall in the hands of these unscrupulous people because they are spiritually blind and are morally-spiritually lazy. They also lack true understanding and appreciation of their inherent noble nature, and thereby lack confidence in themselves, so their only option is to repose their faith in these religious con-men, con-women, pseudo-spiritualists and charlatans. We cannot afford to be blind, ignorant, naive, gullible or lazy. We cannot shy away from doing our own spiritual work, research, study and practice. Many people resign themselves to depending on others for their own spiritual success and happiness and refuse to take responsibility for their thoughts, choices, spiritual lives and activity. They do nothing significant and consistent for themselves. They depend on the ‘blessings’, opinions, decisions and ‘spiritual works’ of others and then they wonder why they are failing in life and are lacking in clarity, joy and satisfaction. They even dare to blame Olodumare for the fruit of their own laziness, lack of effort, lack of consistency and lack of dedication. If you plant nothing, can you expect a harvest? If you plant low quality seeds can you expect a qualitative harvest? Will you blame and become angry with the soil, the sun and the rain water for your lack of harvest when you have not taken care to nurture the soil, and you have not labored to prepare the soil, remove the stones, weeds and neither have you planted (moral-spiritual) seeds (of virtue, character and godliness)?! Humanity has grown and evolved to the point that we have to learn to be self-reliant and must take personal responsibility for own spiritual lives and success. You alone are responsible for your own moral-spiritual health and your own success in life, and you alone can secure and guarantee it. We cannot make our lives dependent on the ‘blessings’ and ‘spiritual works’ of priests and priestesses. Learn how to bless yourself. Learn how to manage your own resources and don’t turn them over to another for them to do as they please with them. Each one must carry out and perfect their own personal priesthood. Learn how to efficiently and successfully carry out your own spiritual works, so that you do not have to become dependent on others, because whatever you make yourself dependent upon, by that you will be controlled! Whatever you make yourself dependent upon, by that you will be controlled, regulated and manipulated! You cannot have true peace, assurance and stability in your life if the causes of that peace, assurance and stability is in someone else’s hands.



We must have confidence and trust in the divine nature, holy intelligence, powers and abilities that Olodumare has vested-endowed us with. If you think or allow others to make you believe and think that you are inept and incapable of realizing your own spiritual fulfillment independent of the activity of others, then you will always be a slave to the opinions, self-arrogated authority and domineering influence of others. Your life will lack stability, peace, assurance and direction. Living like this you will never have your own faith, root and foundation to confidently rely and depend upon. Your life will be unstable, irregular and always full of uncertainty, doubts, worry and insecurity. In this compromised and vulnerable condition you will be an easy target for those who seek to enslave you to their wills, personality and desires. You do not need to make yourself morally, psychologically and spiritually dependent on any human being. Learn how to be your own priest, mediator and intercessor. Learn how to go straight to the Source; and learn how to trust and rely upon your own inner spiritual root and foundation. Discover and learn how to draw on the Source of existence for all of your needs. No power on earth can make a person powerful if he or she thinks and convinces himself or herself that that he or she is powerless, weak and incapable. This is why it is very important that we adjust, change and modify our thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. Imbue your own life with divine asé, virtue and gracefulness, so that filled with that power, virtue, intelligence and understanding you can benefit, enrich and guide yourself and assist others. Make yourself worthy and do not impulsively, unthinkingly and without evidence ascribe moral-spiritual worthiness, excellence, authority, superiority, power and understanding to others. Do all you do with humility and truthfulness. Seek only those that are humble, straightforward, unassuming and truthful. Who can be a greater fool than a person who does not want to do anything and is just waiting for his desires, longings and aspirations to become fulfilled by depending on the ‘blessings’, decisions and ‘spiritual work’ of others. Be your own blessing. Be the answer to your own prayers! Do your own spiritual work. Do not succumb to laxity, spiritual or otherwise. This is why people are willing to throw away their hard earned money by giving it away to religious charlatans, con-men and con-women because it is relatively easy, effortless and painless to pay for things to be done, but it is challenging, difficult and time consuming to consecrate ourselves to do our own spiritual cultivation and work patiently, consistently and perseveringly, dedicating ourselves to our own improvement and inner development. In the everyday material world you can pay someone to paint your house, fix your plumbing or replace your windows but in the spiritual world you cannot pay anyone to do your spiritual work for you because NO ONE CAN do your spiritual work for you. No one can hand over to you their well earned, cultivated and patiently accumulated wisdoms, intelligence, powers, abilities, virtues and realizations. Before exercising trust in others, first develop trust and confidence in yourself, by your noble manner of living, disciplined habits, conduct, kind behavior, altruistic thinking and humble manners. Finish what you start. Fulfill your vows, resolutions, promises and commitments. Stick with something long enough to get the benefit of it. Carefully and honestly choose your path, but once chosen see it through to the end. Ifá-Olodumare will, with clarity, plainness, precision and assurance point out the path to your heart, ori and conscience that YOU should take but beyond that it is solely your decision if you will actually walk on it until reaching the final goal. Some people feel content with just knowing the path that they should be walking on, but then they forget the more important part of actually traveling the path it’s full length!! They have the map in their hands but then they just don’t go anywhere. They just stay looking at the map in their hands their whole lives! Gain mastery. It does not occur to someone to pay someone else to go workout, exercise and eat right; expecting that by another persons exertions and efforts that they are going to get the benefits?! If you want the benefits of good health, strength and agility then you personally have to exercise, eat right, live right and so forth. I think this is so clear and obvious yet some people think that in the spiritual they can get someone to ‘exercise, eat right, study right, gain understanding etc..’ and that they will gain the benefit, power, intelligence, solution and ability from the work of some else….by proxy!! The most that another well meaning, honest and genuinely spiritual person can do for us is to strengthen our efforts by inspiring, motivating and encouraging us, as well as by pointing us in the right direction. If they are virtuous, spiritual and genuine they can inject us with a measured dose of faith, enthusiasm, courage and confidence, but that is all. But we have to be determined to walk and traverse the entirety of the path from beginning to finish. If we don’t do the work and apply ourselves to spiritual self-study and practice, that initial measured dose of faith, enthusiasm, courage and confidence will become completely depleted and will disappear. We have to develop and have our own faith, solid conviction and confidence. We have to be our own priests, priestesses, mediators and intercessors. We have to learn how to carry out our own spiritual work without becoming morally, psychologically and spiritually dependent on other human beings.



Have trust and confidence in yourself! Appreciate and value other fellow spiritual companions and fellow practitioners, but do not make yourself dependent on them. Do not allow others to hook you, pull you in and attempt to make you dependent on them. Think these things over and be blessed. Ela ‘boru. Ela ‘boye. Ela ‘bosise. Ela takun wa gbure!!!