“Nobody starts out in life planning to give all their power away. But you give your power away when: you don't believe in yourself, or when you don't stand up for yourself, or when you doubt yourself, or when you believe that others are somehow more sacred or special than you, or when you believe that you've failed and won't get up to try again. Well, your ancestors have something to say about all of this. It's time to reclaim the power that you once had and still have.”
– James Weeks
I posted this message on the FB fan page for Across The King's River recently. It was inspired by a conversation I had with one of my godchildren who will be receiving her hand of Ifa soon. As a newbie to the Orisa tradition she had many questions. And so I set aside some time so we could go over the basics: the important of ancestor worship; the role of Esu in the hierarchy of orisas, and the role of Orunmila, etc.
But I also spoke to her about power, her own power and how she must never forget she is powerful . And if she ever forgets it, I'll step in to remind her.
I had to tell her this because I've seen so many people give their power away. Always looking outside themselves and rarely looking within where so much raw power and intuition resides – for free!
“The orisas and the ancestors will often speak to you from the core of your being,” I told her. “You have to learn to trust yourself. If you can't do that, you can't grow. It's a simple as that.”
Many folks who give their power away have no idea they are doing so. In fact, they have good intentions. They are sincere seekers who are hungry to learn and want to do things right.
And right for them means they want to do things exactly as it's done in Africa not realizing that how things are done might vary from one lineage to another and we all must decide what resonates with us.
I'm all for tradition and I know Africa has a lot to teach us. But I know we have a lot to offer Africa and the world too. And we can begin by remembering that we also have a wealth of wisdom available to us right here, right now, if we respect the intuition, and originality and creativity flowing on the inside.
We disrespect ourselves and our ancestors when we fail to acknowledge the leadership that comes from our own souls. What your soul has to say is relevant. How you feel is relevant. What you think is relevant. Never forget this.
Every one has a unique contribution to make: every soul, every star, every tree, every bird, every fish, every river, every stone and every blade of grass has something to unique to say about what it means to be Spirit and what this journey to earth is all about.
Never forget it
Blessings
James Weeks