inside ifa foundation initiations

Inside Ifa Foundation Initiaitons -

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businessmen/womens ifa

When I first began to practice, almost 40 years ago, my clientele consisted of a rather nice mix. There were approximately 85% business men and women who had little, or no interest, in undertaking the study of a thousands of year old African Philosophy. What they wanted was results…results they were unable to get with their traditional methods. Certainly I felt that each and every one of them “could” understand that while I could “do things” for them, they were things I would rather have them learn, so they wouldn’t have to repeat my pulling them out of a self-inflicted jam...

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A note sent to Iya Vassa that's worth reading!

The tool you sent me is nice to work with and I love this idea of full, honest communication on every level - spiritual, mental, verbal, emotional because I think in our culture we don't think about all the ways we truly connect and communicate - it is more than talk! It is intention, emotion and body language, and all of that.

Anyhow, I can't wait to be wearing white and holding your hand down a new path that will be amazing. You're pretty cool yourself!!!  Anyhow, I went and further investigated that factoid about Ifa as one of the new growing religions and discovered that the newest estimate is 100 million people working w/ the orisa and Ifa worldwide (according to Kevin Baxter in 2007 published in the LA times).

So truly, I do believe the foundation has played a part in spreading the light and wisdom and I do think that the foundation will truly be an international force in the future. I ran across this blog by a Cuban Santeria person (http://www.cuba-junky.com/cuba/religion.htm) who is PRAISING the Ifa Foundation saying that he is impressed that you make ceremonies affordable and reasonable but also that quote:

"Hopefully, as the Ifa Foundation and others organizations and individuals of good character continue to bring our work (the work of orisa  priests/awos) proudly to a public forum, as opposed to hiding in secrecy, more and more people will see that objective judgments regarding talent, training and character can, and must, be made if our use of this divine energy is to lead us to fulfillment and wisdom."

So you can tell Phil that after YEARS of harassment and attack from the Lukumi traditions, it seems like the tides are changing and people are realizing that the fundamental messages of the Foundation are the truth and not about anything but holding people to being the best people we can all be on every level. I loved seeing that because it confirmed for me that no matter how hard other people try to hold down good intentions and wisdom, Oludumare always ensures that the truths are out there for us and that those with character will win.

 J. Crandell

the oluwo's thoughts...steve jobs

Steve Jobs …American Hero or American Brat?

It takes a leap of faith to criticize Steve Jobs. And, as my long time readers have come to know, I insist upon seeking out “facts” rather than “Faith.” By definition, faith is that which cannot be proven…if it could be, it would become “fact.” So, let’s take a look at the facts regarding the wunderkind of western capitalism.
First, on the plus side, Steve Jobs saw his vision of an integrated computer company come to fruition. The old concepts that required a host of contributory efforts faded into the reality of a “one size fits all.” Frankly, the public’s generated dislike of Bill Gates contributed to Jobs ease in accomplishing this. That plus Job had the wisdom, good fortune, or just plain luck of turning Apple into a cult not simply a computer business. In part he was a master in public relations, saving every tidbit of news and innuendo into his own personally nurtured delivery presented first and foremost to his in-house acolytes. But, amidst all the hype, all the carefully managed desire for the latest offering…i.pad…iphone… promac…no one seemed to ask the question: “Was it good for America? Or was it more of the yellow brick road we had all walked too far down to turn back?

You see, on the one hand, the products that Apple completed did enhance our lives. But did they all do it with one task in mind? Did they provide us INSTANT access to Texting, and as an aside, to Twittering, Facebook, LinkedIn and a hundred other sites of similar nature? Yes, they did. Steve Jobs recognized, and fed upon our desire for these things, but the most egregious thing that could be said about Steve Jobs was that he wasn’t a very good human being!

How many of you watched his biographer make the t.v. rounds after his death? How many absorbed the information of his life? Perhaps Jobs could be excused for not introducing himself to his own father once he had discovered who he was , perhaps he could be excused from his magical thinking that prevented him from the surgery necessary to possibly eradicate the earliest spread of his particular cancer cells, perhaps he could be forgiven for spending untold hours at the office, obsessing over the smallest point-which he had others do the extra work on – but he cannot be forgiven how he treated those who were his “friends”, his “co-workers” the co-contributors” to his vision! Jobs had a Silicon Valley reputation as a merciless, micro-managing executive and were inducted into a Forbes repository “Bully Bosses Hall of Fame. “Jobs fathered a daughter when he was 23, who he left, as he had been left. It was years before he admitted his paternity for being a dad. Jobs view was, “let them think you need them, but don’t pay them!”

He thought he was larger than life…he, as all others who share the vision, found they were wrong. Rather than use his fortune as Bill Gates and so many others who sought to combine worldly accomplishment with human characteristics, he thought he could do it himself…by himself…for himself.

His was a life filled with “ika’s”, of opportunities to do the right thing, the human thing, the life affirming thing while there was still time. Instead, he tried to script his demise as he had attempted to script his life…it is quite reveling that within days of his passing, the man he had replaced himself with, Timothy Cook, his loyal follower for years reversed his policies by giving extra paid time off to all Apple employees over Thanksgiving, match any contribution of 10,000, and issuing millions of dollars in stock options to employees necessary to the company. All small steps forward to years of allowing those who worked 20 hour shifts, considered themselves’ good friends, or were supposed to be grateful to work at “his” firm.

In a world of instant texting, Steve Job’s life must be considered a brilliant but self-absorbed experience.

the oluwo's thoughts...2011

As we enter the last months of 2011, it would be wise to examine what occurred as predicted, what has yet to occur, and what implications these actions have for us all. In regards to the reading for the year 2011, it is no secret that in my over a quarter of a century of doing these for the public, the reading for 2011 was as foreboding as any I have done. Yet, along with the feeling of dramatic changes came the conviction that for those that would listen, this could be a positive year for change. This was not an “ordinary” reading, where we could ask the orisha, our ancestors or our Ori to help us through some difficult times; it was a reading that would require careful examination of the reasons we were doing all the things that had been, for years, simply “patching”, and the understanding that these needed changing!  It was, when push came to shove, a reading that called into play our most sensitive feelings that life could indeed be good once again, but only if we made some difficult choices and intelligent long term decisions.

So, what has transpired? Well, to say the world has gone through more than its share of change and upheaval is truly a sense of understatement. From countries toppling like cards in the wind, with floods, tornadoes, tsunami's, record highs and devastating lows; from earthquakes to hurricanes, everything is behaving just as we saw it…BUT, not in accordance with a tweak here, or small victory there… but rather with “hey, let’s look at what’s happening and be prepared to change it!”

So that brings us up to date with 2011. Some will grasp the major message here. Some, after trying to make things better, will have finally given way to making the kind of shift that is necessary. Others will continue to beat their heads and their hearts in a futile attempt to “one last time” make things work out.

That’s the beauty of ifa. Here is a philosophy that will unerringly take everything into consideration…not only the part we want to hear. It will tell us with unvarnished truth what is likely to happen, what the results will be, and what the repercussions of not acting will result in. It doesn’t tell us lies. It doesn’t tell us what we might like to hear. Instead it tells us with no uncertainty what WILL be…and how to prepare our lives and dreams to take advantage of it.

So, this is both a look backwards and a look forward. It is a look that, if we are honest with ourselves, if we understand the work necessary, we can accomplish it. Each and every one of you will have a slightly different part to play, but it will be our task to guide you forward. Whether it is through Iya Vassa, Oluwo Joshua, Nana priest Tanya, Oluwo David or I, you will each receive the most important ebbo possible, divined for you and those you love, in a manner designed to help you get there, stay there, and not deviate from the difficult or worthwhile path that lies ahead.

You are invited to join us on this journey of self-discovery and enlightenment. Few of us are blessed to be active in the time of change.

Oluwo Philip Neimark

the oluwo’s thoughts...why we live and die

The thing about Ifa is that it works! Sometimes it works despite us! When it comes to understanding the real meaning of important life lessons like, for example, life and death, we must step back from the short term gratifications and disappointments, and concentrate on the long-­-term good. Not the good for us, but rather the good for a society looking to learn and to evolve.

Ultimately, it is always about a society’s evolution first...and us, second. While our individual satisfaction, discovery and direction towards a host of activities that may enhance and improve our life’s results, it is in the broader stroke of the message that we can understand the purpose and intent of our actions. To many of us this seems counter – intuitive. After all, we were raised in a “me first” culture...a culture where everything depended upon “us”. We had to get it done first, best, and take credit for it. But, and this is the critical point, what did we get for all this? Well, short term it provided what we referred to as “success”, but longer term it became a never ending search to top ourselves...to make even more clever discoveries, in a test that never ended. Each accomplishment led to a brief pause...then the pressure built once again. It was the hamsters dream...and the philosopher’s nightmare.

Ultimately, this modality would lead to the crash of our society as we knew it. But, this wasn’t all bad.

The ancient wisdom tried to come snaking back, more as a possible solution than as an absolute one. It seemed as if the accumulation of wisdom, knowledge and experience might just replace the treadmill. Oh, there were a few who saw the transition as absolute...but generally it was simply the replacement of one paradigm for another.

What was needed was a group of those who combined the past with the future...that combined their abilities to solve problems with the Wisdom to solve them correctly. That sought to see the transitional modalities that would combine with the increased knowledge of science, the understanding of current events, and the perception that all that lay before us was the result of using those tools that represented our most meaningful learning experiences in a rational manner.

It required a new way of thinking...a casting out of the old and an ushering in of the new. It required not being stuck in the endless/mindless way of thinking, but of systematically going forward with what we had learned. And, most important, it involved taking a chance to benefit ALL of humanity not just our individual self’s.

Today, as we think about the changes we need to keep making, we must remind ourselves that the steps forward have been based on a partnership between science and tradition. A partnership that told us the beginnings of important stories, and not their end. For, whether it was an extra-­-terrestrial civilization, a lost civilization here on earth or something else, there seems no question that the single purpose of maintaining this powerful and beautiful philosophy was to keep it alive – in a metaphorical status – during the many long years, indeed centuries, while it wound its way towards our enlightenment and growth.

Many refute this. They would rather cling to the senseless nationalism, the dead end jingoism, or other means of retaining power or influence. Those things must be seen in the same light, and the same tenor, that our individualistic accomplishments have brought us...while we can benefit from them in the very short term, larger growth can only be accomplished if it encompasses every man, women, child, animal, fish, and plant that make up the ecosphere that houses us. It is a natural progression with an end sight.

History is on the side of righteousness, with the small halting steps beginning to take their inexorable toll on the whole. We no longer see our limitations in miles. We no longer perceive our restrictions as where we were born or who we were born to. We no longer see our potential in terms territorial progress. Indeed, we begin to see it in a larger scope and purpose. And if it allows me to make a more rational disposition of my individual assets for the benefit of the whole, then so be it...

 (a conversation with the Oluwo...to be continued...)

After more than a quarter of a century we are offering a unique personal Divination program for training those initiated elsewhere! All teaching is based on the ORIGINAL African methodology and procedures

After more than a quarter of a century we are offering a unique personal Divination program for training those initiated elsewhere! All teaching is based on the ORIGINAL African methodology and procedures.

It’s no secret that the vast majority of individuals initiated as Ifa priests receive little or no meaningful training in the art of divination.

There are numerous reasons for this. Most notable, and unacceptable, is those who seek ONLY to take your money, and once they have it, see no reason to spend time training you…IF they even possess the knowledge to do so. Other reasons include those who travelled to Cuba, Africa etc. for initiation and simply, as a result of the geographic realities, have not been able to get full support in their training. Others are faced with the “It’s a Secret” wall, where any request for legitimate understanding is met either the mantra of “it’s a secret,” you’re not ready to learn” or “you’re being impertinent.” I always will remember my friend, mentor and co-author 5th generation African Babalawo saying: “What they don’t know, they make a secret!”

For more than 30 years the Ifa Foundation of North America, Inc. has provided intense Divination training exclusively for our initiates.  This training consists: 1. of pre-initiation study, 2.study immediately following initiations, and 3. ongoing mentoring of initiates for a minimum of two years! For almost three decades, countless requests, the Foundation concluded it would not be fair to our initiates who had paid for this training, to offer it to others who had not, and who sought only to make up for the deficiencies in their own initiation and training experience. Now, after more than a quarter of a century we are offering a unique personal Divination program for training those initiated elsewhere!

The program is tailored to fill the specific needs of each individual, and those accepted will receive INDIVIDUAL personal training from Oluwo Neimark through private video conferencing over the internet. The specific training will be determined following a no cost phone interview to ascertain the level and validity of your previous training, as well as the compatibility of working together. If we proceed, it will be to establish a mutually acceptable schedule revolving around which individual or combinations of the following elements are needed. All segments are taught based upon the ORIGINAL African methodology and procedures in use for thousands of years:  Basic mechanics for correct casting and determing “yes” or “no” responses - Correct method for divining Life Path Reading (Itefa) known as Guardian Angel Reading in Santeria - Understanding the energy of each odu – Finding the correct energy and ebbo for restoring or strengthening balance  - differences between using opele and opon.

For more information contact: CLICK HERE

Why many fail in their Ifa-Orisha Work and Results