by James Weeks | May 23, 2013 | Blog
The fight is on…
Chief Aseda
A nasty battle in the Spirit World, but my elders in Nigeria say we’ll win.
That’s what my friend, Ade Kunle, revealed to me on a gorgeous Sunday in Oakland. “We have to fight the ajes (witches),” he told me in Yoruba. This was not the kind of conversation I was hoping to have on a lovely Sunday afternoon.
I just wanted a little exercise…
So there I was, getting ready to walk around Lake Merritt, soaking in the sun, the salsa music, the fresh air and BOOM – next thing I know, I run into Ade Kunle and he starts talking about witches.
On a Sunday afternoon — my Sunday afternoon.
But I suppose it was a conversation that needed to happen. At least, that’s what the elders say.
But why?
Well, according to Ade Kunle, who was speaking on behalf of the elders, who, in turn, were speaking on behalf of Ifa, the ajes needed to be appeased with a major sacrifice or they would retaliate against my family.
And things could get ugly, Ade Kunle added. Very ugly. In fact, “eniyan le ku (someone could die).
But why were the witches so pissed off that “eniyan le ku?”
Well, because I’m an Ifa priest and I’ve busy “undoing” the work of the ajes. See, some ajes are up to no good. They wreak havoc in folk’s lives. So whenever I help a client spiritually, though the power of Ifa, I’m basically undoing the work of ajes.
I mean, think about it. Put yourself in the shoes of the ajes for one minute. If you’ve been busy creating problems for folks, and some Ifa priest comes along and messes up your work, wouldn’t you be pissed off?
Be honest, now. Not even a little bit?
To be fair, not all ajes are up to no good, so don’t get it twisted. In fact, some ajes are friends of humanity. My friend, Ade Kunle, says there many kinds of ajes. But in the interest of simplicity, (at least for now), let’s just say that “Aje funfun” are your friends and “aje alakita” are your foes.
Even though I’m sure it’s a waaaaaaaay more complicated than that…
In this on-line article, the well-known Iyanifa, Chief Fama, says there’s a “huge difference between the aje of Yoruba mythology and the witch of Western mythology. The analogy here can best be compared to Esu of the Yorùbá myth and Satan/Devil of the Christian mythology. Just as Esu wields a powerful influence in Yorùbá religion, Aje wields enormous power,” Fama says.
I suppose it’s great to know that ajes can be a force of good in our world. And who knows, maybe one day I’ll have the pleasure of meeting and working with them.
But in the meantime, the elders said we need to deal with the ajes that were threatening to kick down the front door and take innocent lives as they please.
And so the elders did an ebo in Nigeria that went on every day for three weeks. I’m told that a team of more than 10 priests worked on it. (It was hella costly too, ouch!) But I am grateful. I am free to continue Ifa’s mission while undoing the work of ajes without fear of retaliation.
When I told my Tulani, my 25-year-old daughter, about the spiritual battle with the ajes, she said: “Damn those ajes. Who the hell do they think they are?”
That’s a great question. Who do those ajes think they are?
What about you? Have you been dealing with any ajes lately? At work? At home? During your sleep?
Hopefully, you’ll never have to deal with the same brand of ajes that I had to fight off, but maybe your aje goes by a different name. Maybe your aje is fear that keeps you from being your true self and moving forward in life. Or maybe it’s the lack of discipline and focus. Or maybe your aje is your inability to forgive yourself or others for past mistakes.
Take your pick, then pick your battle. I’ll be in your corner praying for your success.
Blessings
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River
by James Weeks | May 15, 2013 | Blog
The email I received via Facebook sounded desperate…
“I need you to help me have financial freedom…pleaseeeeeeee,” wrote my new FB friend. He wanted me to consult Ifa to find out how he can be wealthy and successful in business.
The email bothered me a little bit. But I wrote him back right away and said I would be happy to divine for him and would tell him what Ifa says.
And he promptly wrote me back and said he couldn’t afford to pay me because he doesn’t have any money now.
I didn’t perform the divination. If my FB friend couldn’t even afford to pay for divination, how on earth could he possibly be thinking about launching and running a business?
And that leads me to a bigger question. Why does he even want a business?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for financial freedom and in Ifa, we do ebos all the time to help folks who are trying to expand their business.
But you need to have a business…
And having a business means investing in the business, working hard at the business, having a business plan and doing everything it takes to ensure it’s successful. In short, having a long term vision. Just doing an ebo isn’t going to cut it. Sorry!
And starting a business just because you want financial freedom isn’t a smart move – at least not in my book.
Instead of allowing money to lead you, I believe you should allow love to lead you. In other words, build a business around your passions. In tough times, the love for what you do will keep you moving forward even when you’re tempted to throw in the towel.
But if there’s no love for the business, you’ll abandon it long before it has the chance to take off. And if it does take off, you’re likely to be miserable because you had no love for it in the first place.
I didn’t explain all of this to my FB friend…
I know his business aspirations will quickly vanish. Anything that’s not motivated by love always vanishes.
Blessings
James
by James Weeks | May 9, 2013 | Blog
We’ve just finished breakfast! And soon I’ll have the house to myself because Stephanie, my wife, and Malcolm, my son, will be taking all four grandchildren to the movies.
The little rascals (Malcolm’s kids) don’t live with us. They visit every other weekend. Jakari, 8, loves to eat; he also loves school and soccer. He almost scored in his last game, he tells me. And he’s still on the honor roll. Naya, 5, is an old soul: helpful, refined and sweet! Mai Mai, 4, is cute as hell. No doubt about that. She isn’t afraid of anybody, and she’ll give you a “beat down” if you mess with her. And Jadan, 4, is just coming out of his shell. He whines a bit too much (if you ask me), but who knows, maybe he’ll grow out of it soon.
Malcolm and Mai Mai
All in all, I enjoy their visits! They’re affectionate and they make me happy! “Papi,” that’s what they call me. I love it – it’s a cool name. And when Stephanie asked what I wanted for my birthday, I didn’t have to think about it. What’s there to think about? The answer came right away. Cake and ice cream with my grandchildren, I blurted out. Shouldn’t every birthday be this way?
And while I ate with my little ones, I couldn’t help but reflect on the power and promise of Ifa.
We’ve come a long way!
You see, 10 years ago I couldn’t imagine that there would be peace in my family. That’s because Malcolm was giving us hell night and day. He was 16 at the time. And to say he was merely in a dark place would be more than an understatement – it would be misleading.
Back then he was an aspiring thug who ran with gangs in the streets of Oakland. He was arrested numerous times and spent months in Juvenile Hall for stealing a car.
And we didn’t know if he would live or die.
But Ifa turned things around for us.
I took Malcolm to Nigeria with me when I went to be initiated into Ifa. There, the elders performed ebo (ritual) to help him. They also assured me that I would see “good things in my family”.
The changes in Malcolm didn’t happen over night, but they happened. And the changes are still happening even though 10 years have passed since our trip to Africa. I’m grateful because some of his friends are in jail and others have long been buried in the cemetery.
These days, Malcolm, 28, works two jobs and stays out of trouble. He still has important life lessons to learn, but so do all of us.
As for me? These days I’m a busy filmmaker and Ifa priest. As an Ifa priest, I help clients facing a wide range of challenges.
And if you come for divination, I’m sure I can relate to you because I’ve had my share of problems too. But I’ve learned there are solutions. Maybe you can’t see them but the orisas can.
Amazing things have happened for some of my clients. Miracles. And when I witness them, I get on the phone to tell my mentors in Africa all about it.
Though we can’t always predict when the change you seek will come to your life, have faith that it can.
Then work hard and never give up. The power of Ifa is no joke. The orisas for me and can work for you!
And that’s a promise…
Blessings
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River
by James Weeks | Apr 15, 2013 | Blog
“Christians look toward the sky. We look toward the ground.” That's what Baba Oluwale Ifakunle said as he poured an ancestral libation at the Divine Space and Sacred Territories conference that was recently held at Harvard University.
Organized by the African and Diasporic Religious Studies Association, the conference featured scholars from around the world and focused on beliefs that are central to our sacred traditions. (Read more about the Divine Space and Sacred Territories Conference here: )
I didn't get a chance to attend this conference, but I had the good fortune of meeting Baba Oluwale Ifakunle last year, and I'm reflecting on what he says about “looking to the ground.”
In the book, Ifa Will Mend Our Broken World, Yoruba scholar, Dr. Wande Abimbola, also talks about looking to the ground.
“With the exception of the Orisa Sango, all the other Orisas dwell on the surface of the earth or in the earth's crust,” says Abimbola. “The planet earth is a very sacred place.”
Grand Canyon
All of this talk about looking to the ground and the sacredness of the earth makes me think of my childhood in the Caribbean. I'm from the island of St. Croix and loved to run around barefoot as a kid.
I still do.
In fact, one of my favorite rituals when I go home is to take off my sandals and sink my bare feet in the rich, dark Caribbean soil. It soothes my soul as I look at the rolling hills, the trees and the plants.
And I think about the wisdom of my ancestors. Their struggles, their vision, their spirit, and how I vow never to sell the land that has been passed down to me.
I do my barefoot ritual each time I go home. Rituals can be as a complex as you need them to be or very simple.
I prefer simple.
It's a powerful way to stay grounded and connected in a crazy world that's trying it's best night and day to uproot you from who you are and what you came to earth to do.
Blessngs
James Weeks
by James Weeks | Apr 10, 2013 | Blog
The client couldn't believe it. The shift in her sister's behavior was so profound, my client had a good laugh and called to tell me about it.
For months, the relationship between Tamara, my client, and her sister had been tense, ugly. “Evil” – that's how Tamara described her sister to me. They both live together with their Mom, and when Tamara consulted me for Ifa divination, the reading indicated that sacrifice was necessary.
And so I dutifully offered one rooster to Esu, the orisa of the crossroads and opportunity, and one rooster to Ifa, since that's what the reading called for.
A few weeks later, when Tamara called to tell me that things at home had magically turned around for the better, I smiled. I not only felt proud, I felt honored. It also inspired me to go deeper in my studies as an Ifa diviner and priest.
Sacrifice is as old as the hills! It remains an integral part of African healing traditions. It worked in ancient times and it still works today. It's also controversial because the Western world misunderstands it – or pretends not to understand it.
The truth is that every society and culture on earth practices sacrifice in one way or another. Life feeds on life. Some form of life must die so that you can live. Every meal (whether you're a vegetarian or not) is a form of sacrifice. Period!
Sacrifice is an ancient way of redirecting energy to bring about desired change: progress, improved relationships, improved health, better business results, etc. To the ancient African mind, only a fool will ignore the call for sacrifice.
In the book: “The Healing Power of Sacrifice,” Chief Priest Yemi Elebuibon, says: sacrifice is important because (a). It is a means of expressing gratitude to spiritual beings. (b). It is a means of fulfilling a vow. (c). It is used for establishing communication and communion between humankind and spiritual beings. (d). It is used for averting the danger of the divinities and spirits. (e). It is a means of warding off the attack and evil machinations of the enemy. (f). It is a means of purifying a person or a community when a certain taboo has been broken. (g). It prevents or expels epidemics. (h). It strengthens the worshippers against malign influences).”
And in the book, “Of Water and The Spirit,” Malidoma Some says: “The purpose of ritual is to create harmony between the human world and the world of the gods, ancestors , and nature.”
Malidoma also explains how disaster struck home when his father, who had been lured away from his spiritual roots by Christianity, refused to perform an ancient ritual for his twin daughters. “One morning Elizabeth caught a mysterious illness that no one could diagnose. She died at noon. During her funeral Marguerite died while running wild with grief. The funeral intensified. People knew what was going on. Twins don't die on the same day. Pascal, the eldest son, expired two weeks after the funeral of Elizabeth and Marguerite. Nobody knew what killed him. He had been playing with friends and suddenly cried out that he was dying. Julia, the unfortunate mother, died of sorrow during the funeral of her son.”
I've always loved this passage in “Of Water and The Spirit” and used to read it over and over again. It boggled my mind how a series of tragedies could be set in motion by failure to perform a ritual. Luckily, Malidoma's father eventually performed the ritual, but by then so much damage had already been done.
How or why ritual or sacrifice works seems counter-logical to most Westerners. But when the call for sacrifice or ritual shows up in divination readings, I will always advise my clients to comply with it. Just like my ancestors did before me.
Life sometimes has a nasty way of punishing those who refuse to listen!
Now over to you: what are your thoughts on sacrifice (ebo) ritual? What has been your experience? Feel free to comment!
Blessings
James
