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 | Feb 20, 2013 | Blog
“I have to remember to trust myself. I felt it with every atom in my body.” That's what my friend, Tahira, said to me recently. She kept seeing a butterfly hovering about, and somehow she knew it was a sign from Spirit that someone she knew was going to pass.
And boom! That's exactly what happened.
Tahira got the news this morning. Turns out, it was the sister of one of her mentors. Tahira wasn't alarmed, though. The butterfly had already prepared her. Plus, the woman who died had an on-going battle with drugs for many years. Her time was up.
The story of the butterfly and the sudden passing made me reflect on the infinite power of Spirit. You see, the Spirit world sends us signs, symbols and messages all the time. Just about every day! And every night!
Most of us miss these messages because we're not paying attention. Or we're too busy regretting the past and/or stressing about the future. Does this mean that if you see a butterfly someone is about to die? No. Not at all. It could be a good omen. Could mean your luck is about to turn for the better, or new love is about to come into your life, or you're on the road to spiritual transformation. Who knows?
Theres no right way or wrong way to interpret messages from Spirit? Just go with the first feeling you get. It will often be correct. You just need to trust and get out of the way.”
Blessings,
James Weeks
by James Weeks | Jan 5, 2013 | Blog
Happy New Year,
Ifa Divination
Again, all the best to you in 2013 and beyond. Here’s the link:
by James Weeks | Dec 28, 2012 | Blog
I was disgusted when I got the email. “Pissed off” is a more accurate way of describing it.
And the feeling of disgust went on for days that stretched into weeks, and for weeks that stretched into months.
Yet, this morning as I sit in meditation reflecting on the chain of events that made me so upset, I’m pleased to say I no longer feel the same way. Instead, a sense of overwhelming peace and bliss has come over me, and I realize that what happened was cause for celebration, not a curse. 
How could one event provoke such different reactions?
Well, let’s just chalk it up to time. Time is the great teacher, the great healer, and time has given me a different perspective, a wiser one.
The email that irritated me came from one of the funders of the film. She wrote to say I had to postpone a trip to Africa that I had been planning for weeks because she was having a hard time raising funds. It was an unexpected blow. The purpose of the trip was to work on the storyline for the upcoming film, Across The King’s River; I was supposed to be traveling with a writer and my Director of Photography.
“Things are beyond my control,” the funder explained. Although she apologized and expressed disappointment, it was hard for me to accept it.
Looking back, I have no doubt that circumstances might have very well been beyond her control.
But they certainly were not beyond the control of my ancestors. My ancestors had my back, and I’ve come to believe that the trip was just not supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to happen because one member of my crew wasn’t right for this project. I couldn’t see it then, but I clearly see it now. I know that my ancestors must have seen it all along.
Yes, your ancestors have your back. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll passively go along with anything you want. Your ancestors are part of your team but they have a different job to do. They will delay your plans until the right conditions are met and/or the right people come along. They won’t stand for any foolishness and neither should you.
Knowing what I know now, that trip would have been a waste of time and money. Every member of my production team has to be right and that wouldn’t have been the case in this instance. Fortunately, the right person has finally come along to help me bring the vision of this film to life – a seasoned writer who will bring the level of insight and professionalism that I need. This is the person that my ancestors wanted me to work with. I anticipate that we’ll be traveling as soon as the time is right.
If things are not flowing well for you right now, be patient and know that the right conditions and the right people will eventually manifest for you. In the meantime, keep the faith and remain dedicated to whatever your dream happens to be. Your ancestors always have the last word, and they always have your back.
Blessings
James
by James Weeks | Dec 17, 2012 | Blog
“Don’t think – FEEL. Don’t think- SENSE. Don’t think – become aware.” I’ve just returned from a week-long workshop with mediums and mystics, and they all say that they strive not to think when they communicate with the Spirit World. They say thinking interferes with the flow of messages from the Spirit World. It’s like “dropping a call” on your cell phone.
“A good medium has no brain,” they say. Although most of us have been raised since childhood to “think before we speak,” mediums say their goal when linking with Spirit is: “speak before you think.” Just start a sentence, I was told, trust the words, images and impressions that come to you. Then, have the courage to “give what you get” to the client.
Mediums attune themselves to the Spirit world in order to relay messages of comfort and inspiration from our ancestors. When done correctly, mediumship is healing and can be life-changing. Although some mediums are born with the gift, others develop it through years of dedicated training and practice. “There’s no such thing as a developed medium,” I was told. Rather, it’s a life-long journey of continuous learning and refinement.
Granted, most people have no desire to be mediums. But how can we use some of their techniques to improve every-day life? For starters, try not to rely on your brain for everything. Sense what your life’s purpose is. Feel whether someone loves you or not. Become aware of the presence of your ancestors around you. Let your intuition tell you whether you are on the right path or not. Sense what your next step should be – and then take it.
For those of us who are diviners, how can these techniques help improve our readings? Don’t over-analyze or rely only on memory. Go with the feeling of the odus. Sense what Ifa is guiding you to say. Think of your entire body as an opele. If it feels right, it’s right; if it doesn’t feel right it’s not right. Allow yourself to flow with the unlimited energy of the orisas. Always remember that the reading is not about you; it’s about the message. Trust it and deliver it.
Blessings
