Keep Pushing
This morning I listened as a friend of mine vented. She's trying to break into the entertainment industry and was upset because she auditioned for a spot on a music video featuring a popular rap artist but wasn't selected. I understand her frustration and the sadness that followed. But I also told her that it's important to keep pushing - to keep...
In search of Madame Fatou Seck
I've never met Madame Fatou Seck. Yet this great Senegalese healer calls out to me in Spirit. It's a feeling that has haunted me for years. I plan to visit Senegal in Across The King's River to pay my respects to Fatou Seck and others who fight to keep the healing and spiritual traditions of this West African country alive. I also long to walk...
Vanishing Voices
Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World's Languages, is without question, the book that inspired me the most to make this film. I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to speak to Dr. Daniel Nettle, one of the co-authors of Vanishing Voices several years ago. And you can listen to that interview here:...
Spirit-based Technology
"Spirit-based technology" - that's how Christopher Brown, a mathematician and scholar of comparative religion, describes Ifa and other sacred traditions of the Motherland. Christopher is one of several scholars that will appear in my upcoming film, Across The King's River. This native of Texas has degrees in both math and computer science and was...
Walk On
Never beg anyone to see value in who you are or in what you aspire to do. I learned this lesson a long time ago on the journey to this film. I love this lesson. Just walk on with confidence. Believe in yourself. Give someone else an opportunity to honor/appreciate the gifts you have to offer. I assure that someone else will. These thoughts come...
Listen, Trust, Follow
The journey toward this film continues to teach me that the elders, the orisas and my spirit guides truly know what they are doing and do it well. And so I must tell you that I believe your spirit guides know what they are doing too. Don't be discouraged if you feel you're not making progress or if you think you're at a dead-end. Be patient, the...
Giants in the South
"There's nothing that a master Ifa diviner cannot see - there's nothing that a master Ifa cannot know." So says a sacred verse in the Ifa spiritual tradition. But lately I've also come to believe that there's nothing that a highly skilled awo (diviner/priest) cannot do. I say this because I have encountered "Giants in the South." Who are the...
The Narrow Path
One of our sacred verses says: "The way of Ifa is very straight - it doesn't deviate." I love the sound of this. Yet it doesn't mean that there's no room for flexibility in our spiritual practice or worldview; I think it means that we can count on the guidance of this great Spirit just like our ancestors did. The wisdom of Ifa is steady - and...
Can You Follow Ants?
"Eniti ti ko tele eera, ko ni tele Ifa" means "one who cannot follow ants, cannot follow Ifa." I've always loved this Yoruba proverb. On one hand it shows the reverence for nature that's embedded in the sacred teachings of Ifa. On the other hand the proverb illustrates the importance of patience - another core tenet of Ifa. "Suuru is the father...
The Owner of Four Eyes
"The Yoruba term olujumerin means the "owner of four eyes." It refers to someone who can peer into the spiritual dimension. In a world imprisoned by materialism, it's hard to see with spiritual eyes. But that's the task before us. Nigerian writer Ben Okri says: "most people are born blind; few ever learn to see." The reflection above also...