Having begun my studies of the Yoruba mindset within the Lukumi tradition and then moving on to become a member of a Santeria Ile, my year-end activities were basically spent with cleansings by Omolu, aka Babalu, aka Omoluaiye. We used every name but his actual one because we were always taught that one does not want to accidently invoke this Òrìsà of pestilence and disease as well as the provider of the cures for the same.

I was actually a little afraid of him and wanted to make sure I never did anything to incur his wrath. My attitude improved as I got older and began to understand that the Òrìsà not only represented aspects of Olódùmarè, but of us as well. And then, when I received his vessel, my relationship with him differed completely. I came to look upon him as one who saved me from myself.

It was through Omolu’s prescriptions that I first came to understand that soy is NOT necessarily good for me … or women … or people period. Of course, when he first said I had to stop eating it, I was a bit perturbed. After all, Òrìsà had taken me off of pork, then beef, then chicken, then turkey … fish for a while but then gave it back. And now soy? Come on, give me a break.

And it was a break he indeed gave me. When I discovered, much later, that despite all of the controversy regarding soy, no one was mentioning that mutated soy was not a healthy thing no matter how you looked at it, I was extremely grateful to his insight. Then when he took my favorite snack food – popcorn - away from me, I was sorely tempted. That was until my teeth started to weaken and I saw the potentiality of a stray kernel either getting stuck, causing issues, or cracking a tooth hanging on the edge.

Olókun came into my life much later than my first introduction to Omolu but prior to my receiving the shrine. Olókun had been quite an enigma. I watched people receive Olókun but forbidden to have anything to do with their vessel. They could not look in it. They could not move it. They could not talk to Olókun. Very, very confusing.

But then – the mystery that Olókun represents can be confusing. No one knows what lies at the bottom of the ocean.

Fortunately, my orientation to Olókun through an Orisha/Ifa Ile and was much different. Olókun’s energy was what finally escorted me into my priesthood.

It was Olókun that I began to turn to at the end of the year in order to clean away the garbage from the year and to refreshen the Ile for a new year. We “cleanse with the power of the ocean in order to be fresh and open, with enough emotional, mental and spiritual room to receive our blessings in the coming year” as one of my elders is known to say.

Olókun began to escort me to other understandings as well which is the point of this missive.

I have been meditating with Olókun and the Egun for a while now and a number of messages have come through and much clarity has been given. Of late, the information given has become more intense and targeted for a bigger circle.

Many of you are aware that I teach classes which I initially took as beginning studies to Yoruba mindset, and which I then passed and was given authorization to teach them to others. We constantly struggle for the most appropriate name to call them but they were originally labeled sessions and called the Seven Planes of Existence.

I touch briefly upon these in my Fear book.

We are all aware that a paradigm shift is happening in the world. We are sitting uneasily while we attempt to decipher which way the shift is going.

We also are aware that people who follow the African tradition ‘religions’ (ATR) and live in the Americas have a special purpose to assist in the manifestation of the energy shift’s new direction.

In order to be of benefit, we had to first re-member who we were and this entailed pulling together the Osiris-like pieces that were scattered throughout the world. We knew the Yoruba had some of the pieces, as did Ghana, the Congo, Dahomey and others as represented in Òrìsà, Vodoun, Palo, Ifa, Egungun, Akan and so on.

We kept attempting to find all the pieces and bring them together so we could be who we once were. Olókun’s message was to realize that if we were supposed to be what we once were, we would still be as such.

We are indeed to pull the pieces together but instead of reinventing the past, we are to create our present and future.

We have constantly been told that the power of the word is important and what we can see we can be, but we have not put much credence into those words, either individually or, more importantly, collectively.

Added to this is that while we are focusing on the changes which are manifesting in front of our very eyes, we are forgetting that there are six other planes of existence that are experiencing a shift in energy as well, and that includes the Astral plane – the home of the Ancestors.

Many of you have heard me speak about the Astral plane becoming so dense based on negative thoughts and other dark energy taking conscious form within this plane that it has become increasingly more difficult for those Ancestors needing elevation to get the light they need and even more difficult for those elevated Egun to reach to the Ancestors needing light as well as to us.

I have been brought to the understanding that the saturation level has been reached and crossed. We are officially now interacting with an Astral plane that is sucking our energy and not giving anything back in return, as well as beginning to hold our Ancestors hostage.

Not only do we have to create a world on the physical plane – we have to create all seven planes in a way that will be conducive to who we are.

Yes – it is time to tap into the God within and utilize that energy to make us a world. We keep saying we have the ability to do so. It is time.

One of the issues that have prevented us from taking on such a task is our inability to work together collectively – which will be addressed more comprehensively in the next issue. Esoterically speaking, we have always known it takes at least three people on the same wavelength to manifest something – and with only three, mountains can be moved.

We just can’t get on that wavelength.

When we can get together and agree upon our vision, how it needs to manifest, what grounds it needs to cover and other like details, and then begin working toward it, we are about doing our work.

There are exciting examples of this happening all over the country. Oyotunji Village in South Carolina is the primary example of such a mindset and what can happen. There are others beginning to crop up in other parts of the country. A new group is establishing in New Jersey, Tepiu aui Ra is forming in Illinois, the Black Oaks Center and Imole Agbo Iwosan, also in Illinois, are all moving in that direction as well.

What is even more exciting is that we are all aware of each other and beginning to make moves towards working together.

Our brave new world is being formed.

The cleansing Olokun is asking of us at this time is to get rid of all self-hatred, all insecurity, all self-doubt and especially all fear in order to be ready to help our new world in being formed. We must agree to find those parameters in which we agree so that we can comfortably work together to do what must be done.

We may not be able to work in each other’s Igbodu because we were initiated in different systems but we can certainly work together in rescuing our Ancestors. We may not apply the same techniques in getting results – one of us may use eje and the other not – but if we both get the work done, instead of pointing fingers, let’s collaborate on which areas of the work we each must do. If one gets their herbs from Africa and the other from their own back yard, get past the dogma to do what needs to be done.

Beginning to make sense?

Keep your eyes open. More and more opportunity will be presenting itself to afford you an opportunity to add your spin to the new reality being weaved.

Much of what I have talked about is discussed in my three books which I am now giving to all in digital form at no charge. They can be downloaded from - http://ifalola.com/heed/

I suggest you read “Heeding the Ancestral Call: A Collectively Individual Journey Back to Spiritual Basics” first, as it gives my background and gets you accustomed to my voice.

Then read the theme of the triology – “Devil Ain’t Nothin’ But A Five Letter Word: A Self-Help Journal to Transforming Fear.”

Finally – read “She Threw a Stone Tomorrow” which is the first of a series of novels that takes the concepts discussed in the Fear book and puts them in fictional form. Olorisha Aboyade has written the first sequel, “Moon Over Oluweku” which is scheduled to be released in January of 2012.

Then, visit us at http://windwhispers.org to discuss what you have read (and to ask to take the sessions if you are so led.)

Iya Ifalola Omobola is an initiated priest of the Orisha, Ifa, Palo and Vodoun systems. She has been observing the Yoruba culture for the past thirty some years and is a published writer, with three books available on amazon.com, other online sites and bookstores. More information about them can be obtained by clicking on the following link - Iya Ifalola Spotlight. 

Iya Ifalola began Oya N'Soro as a printed newsletter called Oya's Marketplace in 1991, which then transformed into a bound book called Ogbe'Soro and finally became this ezine entitled Oya N'Soro: Oya Speaks!

Her husband, Baba Ifalowo Asante Nalls and she operate an Ile in Pembroke Township, IL called Imole Agbo Iwosan - The House of Light's Medicine is for Healing.  Their focus is on ancestral healing and assisting people through the portal to the next phase of their elevated development.