Ifá teaches and reveals to us that sincere and good hearted people are rare, and that truthful and authentic people are rarer still. Ifá also teaches us that the majority of people prefer lies, make-believe and fantasy over truth, authencity and reality. Ifá teaches and reveals that for every thousand people maybe twenty people out of the thousand are true, genuine, authentic and complete humans beings and devotees. Are you among this rare group of ‘twenty’ or are you among the majority? To which group do you belong? Do you like, pursue and live truth, authenticity and reality, or do you thrive and delight in lies, make-believe and fantasy?
It is hard to find genuine devotees and priests who are free from pretense, arrogance and ostentation. Few ‘spiritual’ people are actually spiritual in any meaningful and true sense. All love to speak about the truth but very very few are interested in living it, practicing it and embodying it. Many have a great appearance of spiritual knowledge, authority and piety but the truth of the matter is that it is all a sham, a fake-appearance, an illusion and a deception. They have the appearance of a great fruit bearing tree, but in fact their spiritual roots rotted away a long time ago. My dear Ifá friends and family look around and what do you see in the so-called spiritual arena. Be honest. Everything has become about pride, conceit, money and unmerited [undeserved and unearned] recognition. The blind leading the blind. The blind following the blind. The power hungry following the power hungry. The liar following other liars. The deluded pursuing deeper delusions!
Who really cares about Ifá? Who really cares about irunmole-orisa? Who really cares about iwa [wholesole character], otito [truthfulness] and iwa-tito [integrity]? How many are really aware of the reality and power of Ifá and the irunmole-orisa? I would say few. Sometimes I really wonder why some people initiate into Ifá, into irunmole-orisa and ogboni? If someone really believes in the reality, power and authority of Ifá, of irunmole-orisa and Edan [Onile Ogboduora] how can they practice and pursue deception, cheating and lying? Don’t these people know that it is only a matter of time before Ifá, the irunmole-orisa and Edan [Onile Ogboduora] call them to account to receive a stern and unpalatable discipline and punishment? Do they really think that they can keep playing with Ifá, with irunmole-orisa, with Edan [Onile Ogboduora] and not receive their just punishment and correction? Do they really think that they can keep cheating, lying and taking advantage of sincere, good-hearted and innocent people and not be punished and corrected for their injustice? Do they really think that they can keep playing around with the hearts, minds and lives of sincere, suffering and needy people and not get their just rewards? Do these people really think that they can bribe and cover over the eyes of Ifá and the irunmole-orisa with their unacceptable and offensive offerings and sacrifices? Do these people think that just because Ifá and the irunmole-orisa are loving and kind that Ifá and the irunmole-orisa will not discipline, correct and punish them accordingly and in just measure to their doings? Ifá and the irunmole-orisa are just and the upholders of order, uprightness, fairness and justice. Do these people know this and believe this?!
A honest, sincere and good hearted devotee has peace of mind and has nothing to fear. But how can a lying, cheating, scheming, duping and manipulative ‘devotee’ have peace of mind and a smile on his face? Doesn’t he know that his own lying, cheating, scheming, duping and manipulating is coming back his way with ten-fold intensity. Where are the real devotees and priests? They are few in number and far between. The religion and spirituality of many in our Ifá-Orisa community is nothing more than pride, conceit and arrogance. Behind the high sounding names, titles, regalias, religious garments and beads there is only corruption, deception, lies, hollowness, hypocrisy and falsity. Imagine that, a tree with rotted roots promising others fruit!!! Everywhere one looks, with few exceptions, one sees only pretend, fake, simulated and superficial pseudo-spirituality!! Even the ones who consider themselves spiritual seekers have no idea of what spirituality really is! Such ones are always talking about and seeking what they have no intention in actually living!! How strange, confusing and sad this is.
It is hard, in fact, almost impossible to find real and authentic devotees and priests today. Many are happy and full of pride by just wearing a cheap veneer [superficial, fake and imitation appearance] of true and genuine spiritual knowledge and legitimate authority. Òrúnmìlà says out of 1000 people who consider themselves devotees only 20 are genuine devotees, or for every 100 people only two people are true devotees and priests! This is what Òrúnmìlà says. Today deception, lies and make-believe are promoted as spirituality!! And not only do many believe these foolish deceptions, fantasies and lies but they also pay for them [buy them] with much enthusiasm with their hard earned money!! One oftentimes does not even get a glimpse of honesty and integrity. Selfishness, robbery and chicanery reigns supreme practically everywhere. Instead of saying that they are devotees of Ifá and irunmole-orisa these people should be honest for at least once in their lives and say that they don’t really believe in anything, or they should say that they are devotees of conceit, arrogance, pretense and deception. By so doing they would at least be speaking the truth for once according to who and what they really are on the inside.
My Ifá friends and family, those of you who really love Ifá, the irunmole-orisa and the isese, we cannot change the ways of these deceptive and fake people but let us not encourage them by following and imitating their ways. Ifá has always counted with few true followers. Be among this few. Be a true, shining and priceless diamond among the heaps of black coal that we see today. Let us live our truth and devotion with 100% sincerity and purity. If only 100 initiates genuinely live and practice the truth of Ifá with consistency, integrity and courage then the entire community would be spiritually regenerated and renewed. Be a 100% truthful and honest devotee. Truth and lies cannot be mixed. Anyone attempting to do this will injure and destroy themselves. Be a true devotee and a true priest or be nothing at all. Be a follower and devotee of the truth. The truth rewards and compensates its devotee with immeasurable blessings and benefits. The lie does not reward or compensate its follower with anything good, beneficial or satisfying. In the end the lie consumes, destroys and eats the life of its devotee. Please think these things over with a sober, realistic and sincere mind. Be mindful of the fact that as you read these words that Ifá and the irunmole-orisa are also present with you as witnesses of your reception of this instruction, admonition and teaching.
Ifá and the irunmole-orisa seek your wellbeing, peace and happiness and the wellbeing, peace and happiness of others. What you do with this instruction is up to you. What quality and kind of consequences and repercussions you experience is up to you. If you follow the good counsel of Ifá then be prepared to receive blessings upon blessings. If you neglect, ignore and go contrary to the good counsel of Ifá then be prepared to receive your own self-inflicted wounds, pain and misery. Please desist from all that is hurtful and injurious to yourself and others. Do not cheat, deceive and manipulate others. If your path is not right then this is the perfect time to set things right and make a full correction. According to your deliberate and intentional actions so will Ifá and the irunmole-orisa impartially reward you. The good will reap the fruit of his goodness. The shameless and liars will receive and be fully rewarded with the fruit of their deception and evil. What you put out is what you will unfailingly receive many times over. Everything has a limit. You’ve been admonished and warned in good time. While you have the time and opportunity please correct yourself and your ways, for the sake of your own happiness, peace and wellbeing, if your life and ways are not right before it is too late for you. If your deception, falsity and hypocrisy are severe, and you refuse to abandon them then be prepared to receive a severe and unpalatable discipline, punishment and correction. Be afraid of your evil actions because evil consequences are attached to them. Your own evil, deception and malice will reprove and punish you.
Oruko Odumare ni ka fi iyin fun.
~ Awo Òrúnmìlà Mark Casillas.
