Satisfying and purpose giving spiritual knowledge can be attained by a seeker only when one is initiated by a competent and thoroughly spiritualized spiritual master. This acquiring of life changing knowledge, authority and spiritual power (force and/or energy) is what is called initation.
Initiation is an act where spiritual power, grace and energy; and deep spiritual knowedge are imparted. This power and mystical knowledge (direct experiential perception) removes from one’s life the bondage of doubt, ignorance, aimlessness, insecurity, uncertainty, unclarity, fear and worry.
A genuine, knowledgeable and thoroughly spiritualized/divinized spiritual master is able to impart the awareness and experience of the highest divine reality. Our experience of this uplifting reality and transformative power, with all of its attendant benefits and blessings is what we called grace. This grace reveals your true divine identity and it opens, activates, invigorates and prepares your mind-spirit to receive, assimilate and comprehend deep spiritual secrets.
Initiation is the descent and reception of asé (grace, divine presence, new awareness, power and new intelligence) which leads us to inner freedom and moral-intellectual and spiritual growth. Our initiation is not just a one time thing that occurred in igbodu, initiation is something that we must continuously renew, refresh and re-establish ourselves in. Odu Ifá Ogbe-Ate teaches us this principle: “Now that I have been initiated now I must re-initiate myself. This is true of our initiation into Ifá, Irunmole-Orisa, Ogboni etc. etc.
Our initiation is a spiritual life-line and a source of inexhaustible strength, courage, inspiration, knowledge, comfort and power. The descent and reception of divine asé, and our dedicated personal effort to work and live in harmony with this asé must go hand-in-hand. This is the meaning of, “Now that I have been initiated (freely received the free flow of divine asé) now I must re-initiate myself (must exert myself and must work in harmony with the peculair asé and the divine transmission of knowledge that I have received).
Freely given grace (power, energy, illuminating knowledge and divine presence) and personal applied effort and intelligence must work together continuously and must be always renewed and refreshed. Intellectual knowledge is very important and very necessary. but it is not sufficient to lead us to fullness of divine understanding and to fullness of satisfaction of the heart.
This is why initiation, personal re-initiation and continual association with authentic spiritual masters are vitally important, because initiation, personal self-actualization and continual association with awo mimo (divine, sincere, devoted, progress-making and wholesome initiators and initiates) imparts to us the essence and spirit of devotion, love, assurance, competence and unshakable certainty. This will safeguard us from unwholesome and injurious obsessions and it will protect us from deluding ourselves and falling into a false, imaginary, unsatisfying and superficial spirituality.
With initiation comes clear and unambiguous guidance, meaning and direction. With initiation we receive the power, guidance and understanding to lead and guide our own lives without having to make ourselves dependent upon others. Innate ignorance, deep seated adverse and counterproductive conditions and deep seated lack of self-confidence cannot be uprooted and removed by intellectual knowledge alone. Neither is intellectual knowledge alone sufficient to bring complete healing, deep satisfaction and wellness to our inner lives.
Through initiation and personal re-initiation (self-actualization) we continuously receive and experience the grace, power, influence, guidance and inspiration of the divine spirit world. Through initiation and re-initiation, we renew and re-strengthen our intuitive connectivity with the divine spirit realm and our connection to the divine energies and divine spirit intelligences.
This asé leads us to greater, more subtle and higher stages of spiritual unfoldment, understanding, insight and maturity. According to our own unique capacity, receptivity, responsiveness, dedication and interest are we then able to receive and fill ourselves up with this asé. Your personal level and quality of purity, living, knowledge, enthusiasm and devotion will determine the amount and quality of asé that you will be able to receive, imbue yourself with and able to impart to others.
So, initiation means the reception of, the caring for and the cultivating of this special treasure that we call asé. This asé will make us wise, kind, strong, resilient and powerful if we follow it. When we have this asé all of our actions and doings bare fruit without the need for strenuous or excessive needless efforts. When we have this asé and divine transmission of knowledge though initiation, personal self-actualization and through continual association with our spiritual master (initiator, guide and teacher) the most difficult tasks become easy, realizable and sweet for us. Things unfold gracefully, with order, peace and harmony.
Let us value our initiation! Let us re-initiate (self-actualize) ourselves by ourselves and let us keep the continual company of kind, loving, sincere, honest, knowledgeable, humble and clean hearted devotees.
Ela ‘boru. Ela ‘boye. Ela ‘bosise.
