Team Fearless • Entertainment
OVERCOMING LIFE’S TRIALS
THROUGH IFA SPIRITUALITY BY BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa Extreme Documentaries- Reformed
Africa Ifa Spirituality (RAIS) -Daily Meditation Series
“If the eyes does not see difficulties as like
being bounded tightly by rope , The eye may not see things as shining as brass”
Odu Ifa Ofun-Otua
“When Nature Wants A Man
When Nature wants to drill a man
And thrill a man,
And skill a man,
When Nature wants to mould a man
To play the noblest part;
When she yearns with all her heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall praise-
Watch her method, watch her ways!
How she ruthlessly perfects
Whom she royally elects;
How she hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which only Nature understands-
While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands! -
How she bends, but never breaks,
When his good she undertakes....
How she uses whom she chooses
And with every purpose fuses him,
By every art induces him
To try his splendor out-
Nature knows what she's about.
When Nature wants to take a man
And shake a man
And wake a man;
When Nature wants to make a man
To do the Future's will;
When she tries with all her skill
And she yearns with all her soul
To create him large and whole....
With what cunning she prepares him!
How she goads and never spares him,
How she whets him and she frets him
And in poverty begets him....
How she often disappoints
Whom she sacredly anoints,
With what wisdom she will hide him,
Never minding what betide him
Though his genius sob with slighting and his pride may not forget!
Bids him struggle harder yet.
Makes him lonely
So that only
God's high messages shall reach him
So that she may surely teach him
What the Hierarchy planned.
Though he may not understand
Gives him passions to command-
How remorselessly she spurs him,
With terrific ardor stirs him
When she poignantly prefers him!
When Nature wants to name a man
And fame a man
And tame a man;
When Nature wants to shame a man
To do his heavenly best....
When she tries the highest test
That her reckoning may bring-
When she wants a god or king! -
How she reins him and restrains him
So his body scarce contains him
While she fires him
And inspires him!
Keeps him yearning, ever burning for a tantalising goal-
Lures and lacerates his soul.
Sets a challenge for his spirit,
Draws it higher when he's near it-
Makes a jungle, that he clear it;
Makes a desert, that he fear it
And subdue it if he can-
So doth Nature make a man.
Then, to test his spirit's wrath
Hurls a mountain in his path-
Puts a bitter choice before him
And relentlessly stands o'er him.
'Climb, or perish! ' so she says....
Watch her purpose, watch her ways!
Nature's plan is wondrous kind
Could we understand her mind...
Fools are they who call her blind.
When his feet are torn and bleeding
Yet his spirit mounts unheeding,
All his higher powers speeding
Blazing newer paths and fine;
When the force that is divine
Leaps to challenge every failure and his ardor still is sweet
And love and hope are burning in the presence of defeat....
Lo, the crisis! Lo, the shout
That must call the leader out.
When the people need salvation
Doth he come to lead the nation....
Then doth Nature show her plan
When the world has found- a man! ’’
And thrill a man,
And skill a man,
When Nature wants to mould a man
To play the noblest part;
When she yearns with all her heart
To create so great and bold a man
That all the world shall praise-
Watch her method, watch her ways!
How she ruthlessly perfects
Whom she royally elects;
How she hammers him and hurts him
And with mighty blows converts him
Into trial shapes of clay which only Nature understands-
While his tortured heart is crying and he lifts beseeching hands! -
How she bends, but never breaks,
When his good she undertakes....
How she uses whom she chooses
And with every purpose fuses him,
By every art induces him
To try his splendor out-
Nature knows what she's about.
When Nature wants to take a man
And shake a man
And wake a man;
When Nature wants to make a man
To do the Future's will;
When she tries with all her skill
And she yearns with all her soul
To create him large and whole....
With what cunning she prepares him!
How she goads and never spares him,
How she whets him and she frets him
And in poverty begets him....
How she often disappoints
Whom she sacredly anoints,
With what wisdom she will hide him,
Never minding what betide him
Though his genius sob with slighting and his pride may not forget!
Bids him struggle harder yet.
Makes him lonely
So that only
God's high messages shall reach him
So that she may surely teach him
What the Hierarchy planned.
Though he may not understand
Gives him passions to command-
How remorselessly she spurs him,
With terrific ardor stirs him
When she poignantly prefers him!
When Nature wants to name a man
And fame a man
And tame a man;
When Nature wants to shame a man
To do his heavenly best....
When she tries the highest test
That her reckoning may bring-
When she wants a god or king! -
How she reins him and restrains him
So his body scarce contains him
While she fires him
And inspires him!
Keeps him yearning, ever burning for a tantalising goal-
Lures and lacerates his soul.
Sets a challenge for his spirit,
Draws it higher when he's near it-
Makes a jungle, that he clear it;
Makes a desert, that he fear it
And subdue it if he can-
So doth Nature make a man.
Then, to test his spirit's wrath
Hurls a mountain in his path-
Puts a bitter choice before him
And relentlessly stands o'er him.
'Climb, or perish! ' so she says....
Watch her purpose, watch her ways!
Nature's plan is wondrous kind
Could we understand her mind...
Fools are they who call her blind.
When his feet are torn and bleeding
Yet his spirit mounts unheeding,
All his higher powers speeding
Blazing newer paths and fine;
When the force that is divine
Leaps to challenge every failure and his ardor still is sweet
And love and hope are burning in the presence of defeat....
Lo, the crisis! Lo, the shout
That must call the leader out.
When the people need salvation
Doth he come to lead the nation....
Then doth Nature show her plan
When the world has found- a man! ’’
When Nature Wants A Man
is a poem by Angela Morgan published in Forward, March (1918)
by John Lane Company.
In this work Babalawo Obanifa
will examine in detail how you can overcome life ‘s trial through Ifa Spirituality.
What do I mean by trials within the context of this work? I mean the act or process of testing, trying,
or putting to the proof: a trial of one's faith. An instance of such testing, especially as
part of a series of tests or experiments. A state
of pain or anguish that tests patience,
endurance, or believe. By Trials withing
the context of this work, I am not referring to a proceeding in which opposing
parties in a dispute present evidence and
make arguments on the application of the
law before a judge
or jury. I am referring to
a state of pain or anguish
that tests patience,
endurance, or believe. Trials, afflictions, and tests are
some of the various words used to describe an unexpected or unplanned calamity
that befalls someone at one point of their lives or another.
In order to overcome the
“difficulties” (trials) we face in life, it is necessary that we first
understand the reason for those difficulties, and that we fully buy into that
reason. Without fully appreciating the “reason for trials,” one
will simply see them as “meaningless negatives” that serve no
worthwhile purpose in our life; as such we can begin to view them as
“significant agitations that keep us from enjoying life.” The reality
is, Olodumare(God) uses “trials” to enhance and grow and strengthen our faith —
so the divine reason for trials in our lives is “faith related’’. Odu
Ifa ofun Otua say that, “If the eyes does not see difficulties as like being bounded tightly by
rope , The eye may not see things as shining as brass”
Bi oju o ba ri ohun bi okun bi okun
Oju o
le rohun bi Ide bi Ide
Dai fun Ontoola
Omo ataguntan soroo…..
………..
Translations:
If the eyes did not see difficulties as
like being bounded by rope
It may not see things as Shining as Brass
This was Ifa’s message for Ontoola
The child Ataguntan soroo( he who sell
sheep to become wealthy).
What is Odu Ifa Ofun Otura is saying here
is very simple. Ifa is telling you that trial some time is necessary to pave way
for greatness. So, don’t see whatever trials you face or likely to face in life
as the dead end. It depends on what you make out of it for yourself.
Let me tell you, every great person in history,
the very thing that they think were bad in their life is usually the reason why
they are great. The issue of life is not what happen to you: It is how you see
what happen to you that determine your state in life. Everything in life is
about perspective. It is the perspective from which you approach life
challenges or trial that determine what you will make out of it. In life two people may face same kind of trial,
the first person may see it as a catastrophe, and start complaining while is
this happening to me, this has come to ruin my life. While other person will
face same issue and see it as opportunities and lessons and use the trial to
catapult himself/herself to greater height in life. It is all about perspective.
The two of them face same trial and they produce different result out of it depending
on their mind set and how they see the trials in life. It is the level of understating
and interpretations you can make out of any challenges that will determine your
fate in life. It is not what you face, it is how you approach what you face
that count. As I said earlier Without fully
appreciating the “reason for trials,” one will simply
see them as “meaningless negatives” that serve no worthwhile purpose
in our life; as such we can begin to view them as “significant agitations that
keep us from enjoying life.” The reality is, Olodumare(God) uses
“trials” to enhance and grow and strengthen our faith — so the divine reason
for trials in our lives is “faith related’’. Once
you can appreciate the purpose while trial come to your life, work, business, relationship
or life pursuit sometimes. The better you will become in managing them and using
them to your advantages. Instead of allowing them to draw your life backward.
Below are some of the reason while human being face trials in life:
Testing of your Competence: The first reason
that you must know while you may go through trial in life is to test your
competence. So, in life, it is not every trial that come to you sometime that
come to destroy your life. Some trials come to you to test your competence, to
prove your competence to others. That is why people before us says “It is not
every storm that come to your life that come to destroy it, some storm comes to
clear your path”. Imagine you are a student in a university or colleges, you observe
that the system is organize in such a way that you must be test through
examination before you can be certified. Let me tell you same thing is what is
applicable and obtainable in real life. Let take another example, imagine if an
inventor invents certain machine or engine, or certain drug was newly invented,
they will first make it pass through some test to ascertain its competency before
it can be put on public display for public use. This is done for safety. As no
student can graduate and become qualified without Exam. Same things applicable in
real life. No man can become really great without facing one form of trial or
the other. Sometimes, It is trial that will prove your competence to you and others.
When I teach, I don’t teach theoretically
,I usually draw from my observations in what others have experienced practically
and what I had practically experienced in one form or the other in life. For example
in this Spiritual Practice, I face my own dose of trials, that prove my competence
to others who had tried me and as well to myself. They are caucus of spiritualists in
Yoruba land that have use their ceremonial personality to intimidate and subdue many destinies
in the past. When it come to my turn. When they see me rising, they come after me
spiritually, they met with stiff spiritual resistances, they tried many times spiritually,
each time they failed. They don’t have any option than to go physical (in term
of defamation, trying to implicate me legally, of course they failed in that
bid as well) since all their spiritual efforts failed. The whole world is now
watching all their physical moves. The
trial is good for the following reason. First it proves to them that I cannot
be harass or attack spiritually. It helps me too to appreciate myself better.
So sometimes the essence of trials is to test your competency. It is not every
trial that come to mar your life. Some trials come to make you or test your
value. There is nothing better like tested
and proved product. It has value. So sometimes your trial in life may not be as
a result of enemies in your family or place of work. The creators may divinely
allow you to go through some trial to test whether you are up to the task or,
purpose that you are design for in life. You may undergo test to ascertain whether
you are capable for what you are designed to do in life. Of course no one like
to undergoes trial in life, but some time it is necessary.
To Draw You Closer To Olodumare: Sometime
you undergo trials to appreciate the
value Of Olodumare( God ) in your
life. When everything goes well without
any obstacle in life. It is easy for human being to quickly
forget their creator. When human being finds everything going on easy in their life.
They think they know it all. Human being has high tendency to overate and
overvalue their self against their creator. They may think is their al their technical
skill, charms, medicine, technical knowledge that is making things go right. But little trials
some time will draw people back to Olodumare(God). They will be force to acknowledge
the creator and seek the divine intervention. Some time trial come to just draw
you closer to Olodumare(God) and to make you acknowledge your creator as the
sole source of all strength and purpose in life.
Trial is a Prove that You have Value : The third most important
thing you must have mind in life is when
trials come to you . It is connoting
that you have certain value in life. There is something important, there is something
great you can become in life. Let me tell
you , trials don’t go after nonentity(people that will not amount to anything
in life). Trials Only come on the part of the great People. If they can
withstand and overcome it ,they will achieve the greatness and that is what history
will record about them. If they see it as problem and let it subdue them , that is how history will
record their life. Let cite an example for you . If there is two pound side by side,
one is stock with fish and other is empty. You will discover that no one will
disturb the pound that have no fish in it.
It is the pound that is with fish that will be disturbed and muddle
because people want to catch the fish in it. So, what are we saying then. It is
when you have value or can become of value that you face trial no body try to
attack what is insignificant. If you are under attack, you are significant. It
means your presence have some value or impact it can make. Let me cite you
another example. If two Oranges tree stay side by side. One is without fruits
on it, while other is with mature ripe fruits on it. It is the one with fruits
that people will throw stone or sticks to pluck it. They may even climb it to shake
the tree in other to pluck the fruits. Same things is applicable in real life , If
you have value ,it may brings trials . It now depends on you to see how to utilize
it to your advantage or make yourself a failure out of lack of understanding.
Family Problems: Some people undergo
trials in life in a manner that does not related to any of the aforementioned
purpose. Some time some people have Ogun Idile (Family Problems). There are
some family that people from such family will always face one form of trial due
to curse known as Egun Idile , Or out of jealousy of their self in which they
will be using power of witchcraft and evil
charm to cause challenges for their self in life. In such situation spiritual
fixing is what is necessary.
In what manner can Trial take To
Manifest?
Unusual Pressures and Challenges of Life:
Many people do encounter some tribulation in their life, business, or
relations in which there will be a lot of pressures or challenges to overcome. Immediately
he/she resolves this another one will arise. If such person does not take his/her time to
develop calmness of mind and try to see beyond the present. Such pressure can
ruin a lot things.
Disappointment: This is not
usually a good thing. People go through life with high level of expectancy from
other. You expect a lot from your parents, your boss at work, your co -worker.
Your business partners, you lover, your spouse, and to cap it all you expect a
lot from the government. But in most cases these aforementioned people can fail
you. Yes, they can fail you, your business partners may chose not to turn up
for business proposal presentation as you planned together. Your parent refuse
to send you abroad to study as promise. Your business partners betray you and
divert your clients or customer, your co-worker you trust most and have help a
lot backbite you and make bad report about you to your boss. The spouse you
trust with your whole is cheating on and you just discover. The government fail
to perform their function as they promised. Your boss at work that you have diligently
serve refuse to give you good reports or write good reports about you. You can experience
disappointment from different source. The worst part is if you experience it one
after the other. It become a trial. But let me tell you , Noting is new under
the sun. Everything cited here or the one not cited have happen to some people
in history , and if it happen to you and so what. You are not the only that
such is happening to at that moment in time and you will not be the last. You
should be able to learn how to mange disappointment from people .
Persecution: Persecution is one
of the trial that human being can face . This may take in form of harassment, defamation
of character and oppression due to your believe in certain ideology or
conviction, Some time If human are allow they will physically persecute one
another.
Temptation : It is also a trial
if you are face with instances where you
frequently expose to things that can test your level of honesty and moral uprightness in life i.e if spouse of
your friends or boss or family member make sexual advances to you. Your boss entrusts
you with his/her business or a lot of money that you can run away with. You have the opportunity to steal but you did
not.
Ridicule: Reproaches and
rejection are also mode of trials . When people ridicule you or reject you as a
result of your believe, ideology or the kind of your vocation in life. It is a
trial that take self determination focus and purpose in life.
Physical Infirmity: Some time some people may encounter physical
infirmity in form of diseases and any ailment as a form of trial
Lack of Basic Necessities of Life : When human being
lack basic necessities such foods, shelters,
clothing , good medical facilities , basic education, delay marriage, frustrated relationship. Lack of
employments, broken marriages, lack of companions. These aforementioned can also
be a form of trials.
The list of what can constitute trials is endless.
I just mention few. The peculiarity of what constitute trial will depend on the
each situation, whom you are, what you do and the stages you are in life.
How To Overcome Trial In Life
If you are going through this work by hearth.
The next thing that will be on your mind is how you can overcome trial in
life. Yes of course ,There are practical and Spiritual steps that can be taking
to overcome trial in life. And this work will show you how .
1 . Be Prepared: One of my famous quote
is that this, fear is only for the unprepared mind. You need to be prepared.
Imagine you are a student; you are going for examination without first preparing
yourself. What will you write? How will you attempt the question? Same thing
applicable to life. People who are un unprepared
will be caught by surprise by trial, when people disappoint you, when business partner
fail them, when the government is lacking behind in their duty. For those who
have message that is likely to be trial in life .They are always be prepare . Imagine a merchants going on business trip. He
did not hide his money where armed robber will not site it easily in case of
attack . He is the one to blame for his misfortune if anything happen. Same
thing applies in real life. Many people go through life unprepared. When trial
come they become stalked .
2 . Develop your Mind:
People go through life without
developing their mind. They take care of the outward look of them the clothing,
the appearance etc. They take care of their stomach with good foods but find it
very difficult to develop their mind which is the engine through wish other
part of the body function. When your mind is fully developed you can face and
overcome any trial in this world. How do you develop your mind .it is through
books, podcast, messages of this nature that I am presenting to you, personal observations,
lectures etc. If your mind is develop
trial wont have more meaning to , you will always see trial as a springboard to
catapult yourself to greater height.
3 . Be Prayerful:
when I say you should be prayerful. I mean you should be spiritual. Commit your
dealing and movement in the hand of Olodumare(God). Make spiritual finding
about life issue at require interval and apply the spiritual quick fix as Ebo
and Ibo.
4. Take notice of your Dreams: No trial will
come up without given sound of warning via your dream or certain kind of premonition.
Don’t take your dream at lightly.
Copyright :Babalawo Pele
Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact :+2348166343145, location Ile Ife
osun state Nigeria.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : As regards
the article above, all rights reserved, no part of this article may be
reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical
including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval
system without prior written permission from the copyright holder and the
author Babalawo Obanifa, doing so is considered unlawful and will attract legal
consequences.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.