When You Rejected Me, Olodumare Accepted Me: Three Ways Rejection Promotes Spiritual Growth

If people never come for Ifa consultation
The knowledgeable babalawo will not be in want
If people don't come for Ifa consultation daily
The knowledgeable babalawo will still not be in want
If Ifa is consulted or not, 
The knowledgeable babalawo will not be affected
These were Ifa's messages for Osumare Ego
Who was the diviner of the King of Ife
And has now chosen to be the diviner of Olokunseni Ade
Before long we are blessed with a lot of wealth
- Holy Odu OturaIrete*


Power intoxicates. Even people who do not have power crave it so desperately that they will do anything, no matter how small-minded and petty to prove the impossible. This is the nature of controlling personalities. These are people who are drunk with power, either real or imagined. Either way, dealing with power hungry people and control freaks is always a challenge because they are constantly trying to impose themselves onto others, trying to excercise control over events and activities, even when they do not understand the fullness of said activities.


Judith Orloff, Assitant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA says the control freaks are the people who obsessively try to dictate how you’re supposed to be and feel. They have an opinion about everything. Disagree at your own risk! They’ll control you by invalidating your emotions if those don’t fit into their rulebook. Controllers often start sentences with, “You know what you need?”…then proceed to tell you. Their attempts to put you in your place and keep you there can range from irritating to abusive. What’s most infuriating about these people is that they usually don’t see themselves as controlling; only right.


Of course, the greatest remedy for regulating the control freak's tyrades is to set healthy boundaries and maintain them. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Granted, if you've ever been up close and personal with a bona fide control freak, then you know this is easier said than done. As soon as you set boundaries, they are going to exert themselves even greater to demonstrate their ability to control you in any way, shape or form. The bad news is that there is only so much you can do to insulate yourself from this kind of reaction. The good news is that, if you can maintain your conviction and focus relentlessly on the true source of power, you will transcend the most riduculous stunts of the power hungry, control freak.


In the verse above, taken from the Holy Odu OturaIrete, Osumare Ego was the diviner for the king of Ife. Because the king's demands were so great, Osumare Ego had no time to tend to other clients. If the king had been very generous, this would not have been a problem. Unfortunately however, he was not at all generous. In fact, he seemed to subscribe to the idea that Osumare Ego should be thankful for the opportunity to serve His Royal Majesty, the king. 


One day, the king was overcome with negative ideas. It somehow entered into his mind that Osumare Ego was actually taking advantage of him. And so, the king decided to teach Osumare Ego a lesson by reminding him of the saying; "The king is calling you. You say you're divining. If consulting Ifa makes you happy and the king makes you sad, what then?" He decided then and there that when Osumare Ego came the following day to render his usual services, he would be promptly sent home without any payment. 


The next day, when the babalawo reached the palace and was abruptly turned away, he was devastated. Matters became even worse when he reached home and had to explain the situation to his wife and children. The king was Osumare Ego's only client. How would they feed the family? Fortunately, Olodumare does not behave like human beings. At the exact moment that the king of Ife rejected Osumare Ego, a problem arose in the palace of Olokunseni Ade. His wife was unable to deliver her baby, in spite of the efforts of every reputable babalawo in the kingdom.


And so, by divine intervention,  somebody mentioned the name of Osumare Ego. He was immediately summoned to Olokun's palace. And because they expected him to be at the palace of Ife, the messengers were greatly surprised to find Osumare Ego at home. He accompanied them back to Olokun's palace and made an Ifa preparation that quickly caused the queen to deliver a healthy baby boy. Needless to say, Olokun rewarded Osumare Ego handsomely and invited him to remain as his diviner, where he would be properly appreciated.  In the end, Olokun bestowed numerous, fine fabrics and elaborate garments of a variety of colorsonto Osumare Ego. Hence, Osumare Ego, who can now don brilliant garments of any color is none other than the rainbow.


Certainly, we do not anticipate that every situation will resolve as neatly - nor as magically - as that of Osumare Ego. Still this archetypal myth serves to outline a template for transcending the power hungry people you will encounter in life:

1. PRACTICE DEDICATED SERVICE: Osumare Ego used his natural gifts and talents in service to the king, in spite of the fact that the king wasn't making him rich. When you hyper focus on service, you become invested in somebody other than yourself and you get something more valuable than money.  Their success is YOUR success. This becomes the basis of your REPUTATION as a meaningful CONTRIBUTOR. 
   
2.  ACCEPT CHANGE: When the king rejected Osumare Ego, he accepted the decision, in spite of the hurt and anxiety associated with rejection. Service creates attachment. It is tempting to hold on and to reach out, even after you have been dismissed. But the best response is to simply let go. That doesn't mean you have to go in search of a replacement (client, job, spouse, or friend). Just start with accepting that something has changed and digest that fact.
3. RESPOND TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES: When Olokun summoned Osumare Ego, he responded favorably to the invitation. Then, he was able to apply all the expertise he had accumulated in service to the king to Olokun's problem. As a result, he was rewarded handsomely. 

Many times, what you interpret is limited to the intensity of your immediate experience. And while that experience is vital to your ability to be present and participate fully, it is essential that you also align that experience with the bigger picture of your DESTINY, which is provided by Olodumare. When you want to align your behavior with the organizing principles of Olodumare, ask Ifa. 510.485.2336 | www.ObafemiO.com
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* Agboola, Awodiran. Ifa: Philosophy of Life