I fell in love with Tobe Correal’s book immediately.
Tobe, an initiated priestess, is the author of “Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa: A West African Spiritual Tradition.”
She’s a talented writer: “Yoruba religion is a way of life. It is seeking to know the sacred nature of life – the breath of God flowing through all things. It is the holistic integration of all aspects of our being – bodies, feeling, thoughts and energies – in order to restore wholeness where there is fragmentation and balance where there is disarray.”
Tobe is also very brave and very honest, and this is why I think her book is such a gem.
“I saw how some people misused the tradition to live on the surface of their lives. Some used ritual as a way of avoiding responsibility. I became aware of great pain in myself and others. I lived with a gray cloud of depression hovering over me. Behind closed doors I was a mess,” she writes.
“While paying homage to the ancestors, we must also face our personal demons. While honoring deities, we must also learn to love ourselves and treat each other with greater kindness.”
Tobe tells it like it is…
I had the good fortune of meeting her recently. She spoke of many things: her battle with chronic illness, her commitment to the ongoing process of spiritual re-initiation, the challenge of dealing with loss. Her 40’s were all about loss, she confesses.
But her losses came with blessings too: “I was able to find hidden jewels because I kept on digging. I learned that I don’t need to get rid of the negative side of life, I need to learn how to work it because there’s something of great importance, something beautiful that’s going to make you richer. Light and darkness come together.”
She tries to look for something good and beautiful every day, she says…
I like that approach. If you look for something good each day, you’ll probably find it. And if you look for something negative you’ll probably find it too. Be careful what you look for.
I asked Tobe what she wishes for you and here’s what she said: 1. A deeper encounter with the truth of what lies in you and the willingness and the courage to face it. 2. To take the necessary steps toward healing and transformation, which requires a warrior spirit and a willingness to work.”
If you haven’t read Tobe’s book, order it today at Amazon: Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa.
In the meantime I would like to know how you deal with loss or what jewels you’ve been finding in your struggles. Send me your answer and I’ll be sure to send you a personal response.
Until then, may the ancestors continue to guide and bless each step you take.
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Blessings
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River