Elevation is incomplete without opposition. At times, your adversaries will even intend for you to be completely removed from the scene. They will fight you directly. When they lose, they will recruit others to fight you. When that fails, they will conspire in an attempt to turn others against you.

But the elders teach us, "If you know the beginning well, the end will not be so frightening." Even better, when you have fierce and relentless advocates by your side who also know the beginning very well, they will not be moved by scare tactics. 

Ifá says that, in opposing you, your adversaries have committed a critical error. Not only that, the hole they have dug for you shall serve as their own graves. Consider the teachings of the Holy Odu OfunSa:

Ofun marked it with chalk
Ofun marked it with camwood
Ofun marked it with with palm leaves
This was Ifá's message for the land of Oba Igbimo
When planning to seize the land of Oba Akure
He was advised to offer sacrifice
He refused to comply
The kingdom of Oba Igbimo
Which intends to seize the land of Oba Akure
What I know is, that is how you kill yourself
​- Holy Odu OfunSa

The king of Igbimo had sought out to take over the king of Akure but he failed to sacrifice. Consequently, the king of Akure arose, victorious. Ifa says, you are destined to conquer. Look faithfully to ori, the seat of destiny. Ori says, you are destined to conquer! Orisegun! 

Ase! 

There is a difference between a teacher, a mentor and a leader. Teachers provide instruction on how to learn. Mentors are guides, who show you the way inward. Leaders are the embodiment of vision; they reveal the future and your place in it.

If there is just one thing that I cherish about Yoruba culture, it's the overabundance of men who teach, mentor and lead. Nothing touchy-feely. Nothing warm and fuzzy. Just masculinity in all its glory.

Nowadays, I find myself reflecting more and more on my experience with great men, like
Babalade Olamina, Imodoye Shabazz and others. Their generosity, coupled with an astounding intellectual capacity, has made it possible for younger men, like me, to make sense of the madness that is European and African, modern and traditional, physical and metaphysical.

When it comes to his destiny, man should negotiate but he should not compromise. The endurance of OrisaLifestyle is all the evidence you need. The Yoruba remain the Yoruba, in spite of relentless incursions from Christianity, Islam and modernization, precisely because the Yoruba do not compromise. Instead, they absorb those forces that threaten to destroy them.

I call out to every Black man today. I urge you to embolden your brothers. I wish to affirm your OBLIGATIONS to uphold the tradition. I seek to remind you that the Agbole belongs to your fathers and must be handed down to your sons.

What is the Agbole? It is the original family house, where your lineage's ancestral promise was made. The Agbole represents your family's commitment to uphold certain principles and practices in an effort to help bring about the Good Condition.

There is no shame in rulership and governance. Do not hesitate to make your deepest values clear to the entire world. Like Bob Marley sang, I'm a rebel, a soul rebel! I'm a conqueror! Soul adventurer!

Live the medicine!!!
​
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | ObafemiO.com
#LivetheMedicine

If you do not understand White supremacism, everything else will only confuse you.
 
- Neely Fuller, Jr.
 
I taught all of children to play chess before they were in third grade. It provides endless lessons in power.
 
Black children need to understand their relationship to power; how to establish it, how to expand it and how to refine it.
 
In the United States, power has been monopolized by White supremacists. I know what you're thinking, "That's extreme." But if you think a bit more deeply, you will agree that the Skinheads and the Klan are just crude expressions of White supremacism.
 
The church, hospital, courthouse, bank and school are bastions of White supremacism. Make no mistake about it, ALL American institutions are incubators, proponents and defenders of White supremacism.
 
That is, ALL American institutions are violently hostile towards Black male rulership and governance.
 
The White king is absolutely certain that the Black king is his most formidable adversary. When the Black king is subdued, the game is over. Therefore, the White king must weaponize EVERY individual in every institution in an effort to neutralize the effect of the Black king.
 
Likewise, the Black king recognizes the White king as his most formidable foe. Once the White king has been taken down, the game is over. So, the Black king must weaponize every individual in every institution in an effort to neutralize the effects of the White king.
 
Most urgently, the Black king must educate and empower younger Black men. Prepare them - physically, emotionally, intellectually and spiritually - for the reality of life behind enemy lines.
 
Love them with all your heart. But do not allow anyone to compromise their warrior spirit. Train them in the way of empathy and compassion. But never let them forget we came to conquer. Show them how to be fair and equitable in their doings. But teach them to be relentless in their commitment to African liberation.
 
The Yoruba say, as the spring causes the river to flow, so does the wisdom of the father cause his sons to walk with pride.
 
The Holy Odu OgbeYonu goes on to tell us of the epic journey of three souls as they travelled from heaven to earth. When given the opportunity to consult with their fathers before selecting their destinies, two travellers refused.
 
It was only Afuwape who broke ranks and went to seek his father's advice about the journey. His father was none other than ORUNMILA, the lord of wisdom. Orunmila was surrounded by his fleet of priests. They advised him to sacrifice so that his son's journey would be successful. Orunmila complied.
 
As a result, Afuwape was given the inside track on selecting the most favorable destiny. And while his contemporaries spent most of their lives struggling to compensate for their poor choices of destiny, Afuwape thrived throughout his life.
 
His friends lamented, "If only I knew where Afuwape had chosen his destiny! I would have chosen mine from that same place" Afuwape replied, "We chose our destinies form the same place! But I sacrificed before I made my selection."
 
It was because of his father's wisdom that Afuwape became the epitome of excellence.
 
May we all rise to the occasion and raise our sons to become wise, Black kings! Ase!
 
Obafemi Origunwa, MA | ObafemiO.com

Last night, I dreamt of a spiral staircase. Not only that, it was rotating. There were a couple of young boys on the staircase with me. One of them remarked that you never return to the same place on a rotating spiral staircase like this one. In my mind, I agreed with him, but I also make a note of the fact that you do return to the same coordinates. You just reach those coordinates at a higher level each time.

People are fond of the saying, the lessons will repeat until you learn them. It sounds good but it's misleading because it implies that someday, the lessons will end. This is untrue. All of life is learning. When you stop learning you stop living. So except the fact that the lessons are actually very few. It is only a matter of your perspective and the level at which you are learning that determines how you learn it.

Consider for example, the law of reciprocity. You may have learned that lesson at 3 years old, but you will need to learn it again in a very different way at 30 years old. And then, even if you master the law of reciprocity you must turn around and teach it, which requires an entirely different learning process. So maturity is synonymous with endless learning.

I am looking for Leaders with a true commitment to guide others through positive influence, to live the medicine that will heal their lives and heal the lives of those who are they are destined to serve. Is that you?

Learn how Obafemi Origunwa and the Orisa Lifestyle Academy can help take your life to the next level.

Learn more: www.ObafemiO.com
#OrisaLifestyle
​#LivetheMedicine

MONEY & FREEDOM
The marketplace has deceived you. That is, your social environment relentlessly promotes the idea that money determines possibilities. The equation is simple; more money = more freedom. This is not entirely true, however. In fact, it's quite deceptive.

In reality, the more money you have, the more you have to lose. In other words, the higher the risk, the more conservative you become. Why don't "good" cops speak out against "bad" cops? They are afraid. Why don't ALL Black athletes take a knee during the National Anthem? They are afraid. Why don't you quit your job and become an entrepreneur? You are afraid. 

Money is NOT freedom. 

PRIORITIES
Your priorities are simply those things that you need to do NEXT. I'm not talking about putting out fires or resolving conflicts or overcoming crises. When I say priorities, I am referring to those specific activities that have a direct relationship to your mission in life. Your priorities must align with your destiny. 

True priorities begin with "WHY" and end with "WHAT." That is, WHY do you exist and WHAT are you trying to accomplish? 

My work revolves around helping you derive purpose in your life, not just get results from your actions. There is a huge difference.

I have worked with so many people who have spent tens of thousands of dollars and travelled halfway around the world to get beads, pots and titles but they have no idea why. The overwhelming majority of the people scrambling from teacher to teacher and from tradition to tradition cannot clearly articulate how any of their activities connect directly to their missions in life.

They have fallen into the trap of putting the WHAT before the WHY and their accomplishments leave them hollow and empty as a result. 

Everything meaningful begins with a clear definition of WHY. This is especially true when it comes to your spiritual journey.

Your highest priority is to get super clear about why you are seeking guidance, why you must accomplish certain levels of spiritual awakening and why ancestral empowerment is essential to your life's work. 

Until you set these priorities, you will remain a customer, whose priorities are incorrect and your development will be defined by external market forces. 

COME CORRECT
Your priorities consist of a short list of things that you must do in order to BE THE PERSON you know you are meant to be and MAKE THE CONTRIBUTION that only you can make.

When you look at your daily routine and you think that the odds are very high that these activities will GUARANTEE that you're aligned with your purpose, then you've probably chosen correctly. 

Here's the interesting part, your priorities are probably not very pleasant. You don't necessarily want to do the things that need to be done. 

Part of my role is to help you connect the dots between what you have to do and why it really matters. I help you see the link between the immediate actions and the ultimate goals, the most important of which is fulfilling your destiny. 

GET CLEAR
Most people have too many priorities (and too much stuff on their altars!), The best way to fail is to try and please everybody. One of the first things I do with people is remove the clutter. You're distracting yourself with all these irrelevant options that just leave you running in circles. 

Eliminate all the unnecessary options because ultimately, too many priorities means you actually have no priorities. I like the Haitian proverb that says, "Dog had four legs, but only walks in one direction." 

You can only choose one direction. You can only excel at one discipline. You can only serve one person or cause. Get clear about who you really are and let your priorities follow suit. 

FOCUS IS FREEDOM
As you limit your focus you also free yourself from distractions. Your imagination can run wild as you leverage all your resources in support of a single outcome, which is fulfillment of your destiny. 

FREEDOM WITHIN A FRAMEWORK
A couple of days ago, I was chatting with a friend about my spiritual practice. At one point she remarked, "Oh, so you like order." My first response was, "Yes!" But in my heart I was thinking, "NO!" So, I had to think about it and then retract my "Yes!"

In truth, I am not much of a stickler on discipline. I just like the freedom that order creates. For me, the best example of this is jazz. In terms of rhythm, pitch and key, it's extremely precise. But in terms of improvisation, jazz is equally free flowing. This particular balance is what some people call freedom within a framework. 

The basic idea is that the framework provides consistency and stability. Once you're safe within the framework, you're free to be as creative - and productive - as you can be. 

PUTTING OUT FIRES IN THE RAT RACE
If you're like me, you would like to enjoy the freedom without having to manage the framework. It's cool for a while. But sooner or later, the lack of order will catch up to you. Next thing you know, there is all kinds of chaos and you're suddenly running all over the place trying to put out fires. If you have small children - or have ever had to manage a team of adults - you know how frenzied life can get without a framework:

​You wake up an hour before work and rush to get ready. You shower at lightning speed, MAYBE gulp down something for breakfast, and run out the door. You get to work, still running and already overwhelmed. To make things interesting, maybe you're also late for a meeting or you're behind on a deadline. You spend all day scrambling to catch up. 

After work, you eat dinner, sprawl out on the couch, and binge on social media or Netflix. You fall asleep around midnight, wake up the next morning and do the same thing all over again. By Wednesday, you’re burned out and know you won't hit this week's goals. How do you get out of this miserable rut? How do you create the mental space you need to be more productive and creative? Two words: Daily routines.

The first time I really learned to appreciate how a daily routine creates a creative framework was in college. I wanted to study abroad in Costa Rica but I had just transferred and my GPA was a little too low. I was carrying a full course load and I worked part time. So my time was extremely limited. My schedule had to be air tight if I was going to do everything I wanted to do. I remember writing my daily routine down and posting it on the wall above my desk. I kept another copy on the cover of my binder. There was no room for deviation. 

My daily routine paid off! The framework granted me twelve months of tropical freedom and a lifetime of precious memories! Believe me when I say, being productive is just the beginning. The real value of following a daily routine is that it allows you to create the kinds of experiences that will make your life truly meaningful. 

How do you want to live? Above and beyond what you want to accumulate and what you would like to accomplish, what kinds of experiences do you really want to create for yourself and the people you're destined to serve? ​

Daily routines set the stage for success and fulfillment. They help you achieve more, think clearly, and do what actually matters, instead of run around chasing shiny objects and putting out fires. Daily routines keep you from randomly stumbling through your day and make sure you get the most important things done.

All it takes is a bit of discipline, along with a routine that will set you up for real success. Here, I'm going to share my own experience with daily routines so that you can implement your own and start to create more perfect days for yourself and the people you serve.

MORNING RITUALS: JUST GET UP!
​I invite you to go do a bit of research on morning rituals. You'll find that most high achievers awaken before dawn in order to prepare for the day. My mother - of blessed memory - used to tell me, "Son, you can get more done before 6 am than most people do all day long if you put your mind to it." In those early hours, you can execute the rituals that prepare you for the rest of the day while the rest of the world is asleep. 

I know, I know... You're not a morning person. Neither am I! To be honest, I don't know many people who are. But you can - you should - train yourself to wake up before dawn for the many benefits an early rise can bring. The most important benefit of rising early is that you are granted more productivity with fewer distractions. You get time to think. You will also enjoy greater creativity because you can work when your mind is fresh, before the daily stress sets in. And, if that weren't enough, researchers in one study found that people with morning rituals reported higher levels of positivity and well-being. [1]

As soon as you get up, bathe and get dressed. If you dilly dally, you'll end up falling back to sleep... Just for five minutes... An hour later, you're later than ever! For about 5 years, I have been waking up at 4:30 am. Once I am up, bathed and dressed, I have time to do my prayers and meditation. If you're one of my clients, I have probably prescribed a morning ritual for you to recall your dreams and plan your day. Before dawn is liminal time, when the world is in between stillness and activation. It's the infancy of your day, when your consciousness is closest to raw, unfiltered mental energy. It's the best time to envision, clarify and plan the rest of your day. 

EVENING RITUALS
Your end game is just as important as your opening. By implementing evening rituals into your daily routine, you prepare yourself for the next morning, evaluate your performance that day, and give yourself more incentives to get things done the next day. 

Before bed, review your day. Start from the evening and work your way backwards, to the beginning. This is an important exercise that I have prescribed to many of my clients with great results. Not only does it increase your memory, but it also helps you come to a better understanding of how things actually unfold. Mike Tyson said, "Everybody has a plan until he gets punched in the mouth." How did you actually respond in real time? Where did you do well? What opportunities did you overlook or mishandle? What prevented you from doing your very best? 

The answers to these questions will create more opportunities for you to learn from your experience and make the necessary adjustments for improvement going forward. So, the last thing you do before sleeping is to set your intentions. Psychology teaches us that children grow while they sleep. Teachers know that the mind processes information while you sleep as well. So, things you are introduced to on one day can be well-understood the next. What is the one thing you would like to address and improve upon tomorrow? End the day by sending your mind on an errand to retrieve the answers you need. 

It can seem tough to ritualize your day. It definitely takes intention and discipline. Most of the time, it is much easier to just play it by ear and let things happen as they will. 
But before you know it, you'll find yourself in a rut. Things will become too random or you'll be trapped in a meaningless rat race, scurrying from work to home to the market to pick up and drop off children at school.

The best thing about creating your daily routine is that you get to organize it around the things you WANT to do. You decide what freedom is for you and then you create a schedule that will enable you to enjoy it! 
So stick with the process. You may find it tedious at first, but you’ll find your days will flow much more smoothly when you've committed to quality morning and evening routines. 

If you would like support around creating and adjusting your daily routines, let's talk. I would be glad to help you achieve more of what you want.