Spiritual Problems Hide Behind Personal Strife: Three Ways to Prevent Emotional Turmoil

Obara divorces Otua 
There is a war in their bedroom 
The beads are burning 
The farm is on fire 
We looked at the farm and claimed no loss 
Don't we know we're in denial
so that we do not feel bad?
The house burnt down and the dog burnt with it
We are asked if there is anything lost
We answer that nothing is missing 
This is being deceitful
All because we do not want to feel terrible
about the situation
Cast divination for someone
that empties wells in the middle of the night 
And explains he is doing it out of thirst 
But before he arrives the well has been blocked
He was asked to offer 6 strong arrows,
a net and take them to the well  
If he meets a person near the well
in the middle of the night 
He is the wicked one that has blocked the well
- Holy Odu ObaraOtura

Some situations are so painful that the mere thought of them seems to overwhelm you with fear and anxiety. It might be associated with illness; it could be the result of financial hardship; perhaps it is a troubled child; or it might be marital strife, as described in the verse above. Whatever type of suffering it is, there are times when you would rather avoid it than seek solutions. It is not only humans who live in denial in the face of our ailments. Even the orisa sometimes tried to evade their frailties: 

The ocean is pure white 
And so beautiful 
However the ocean's bottom floor is pure mud
Cast Divination for Olokun
Who is deceiving herself
Who is sick within 
But pretending all is well
- Holy Odu OdiOgunda

​Ifa strongly encourages us to be honest and truthful with ourselves about our discomfort. In fact, it's not until you recognize your pain that you can seek help. No matter how difficult it is to face your fear, remain confident that the moment you decide to do so, your destiny will assist, guide and protect you. The Holy Odu OgundaOtura says Ori rere nii segun ota Ori aisan l’ota di ni adipa. It means, It is a good destiny that overcomes the enemy; It is the defective destiny that the enemy renders permanently impotent. 

The Source of Suffering
Where does suffering come from? According to a study on Yoruba health and wellness performed by Ayodele Samuel Jegede of the University of Ibadan, 96.5 % of the respondents indicated four causes of illness: 

1. Enemies (ota), which include witchcraft (aje), sorcery (oso);
2. Deities (orisa) or ancesestors;
3. Natural illness (aare) and
4. Hereditary diseases (aisan idile). 

In all four instances, Ifa Divination is a effective means by which you can determine the source of your illness. Once you have defined the true source of your suffering, you can be about the business of removing it.  Orisa Lifestyle offers an abundance of both natural and supernatural interventions in order to heal all kinds of ailments.

Prevention > Cure
Perhaps prevention is the greatest healing agent promoted through Orisa Lifestyle, which  is effectively applied to all categories of disease. Here are three means of prevention that you can apply to different categories of diseases:

1. Cultivate Harmonious Living: Illness is regarded as a failure to maintain such harmony. Consequently, there should be harmony in your daily living and in all relationships with you fellow human beings. In order to maintain harmony one must use a variety of methods and thereby prevent illnesses.
2. Acknowledge the Divinity in All: The orisa are all-pervasive. They exist in nature and express themselves through other people. Make a deliberate effort not to upset the balance through any form of pollution, misuse or waste. This is what we call observances, respecting boundaries and taboos. 
3. Appease the Divinity in All: Make offerings in thought, speech and action to ward off the anger or wrath of the supernatural beings as they exist in nature and express themselves through other people. In other words, make your entire life continuous act of devotion. Serve Olodumare through His Creation. In addition, one way prevent diseases in your family and community is that the elders must perform rituals and offer sacrifice to ward off the wrath or anger of the gods and ancestors. This should be done on a regular basis. 

By doing all three, it is possible to not only remain healthy but to also grow stronger in your spiritual, emotional and social development. Learn more in my FREE eBook on Living the Medicine! 

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