Sunday, July 31, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Community Homeschooling
So, I've been volunteering with the summer camp that my niece is heading up. Although it has had it's challenges for everyone involved I have fallen in love with the children. I LOVE teaching. Now, you would think that this would have come naturally since we homeschool already. Lemme tell you, sometimes it can take a minute for you to find you way. I went so long with having someone else teach my children it was hard at first. I'm also not the most organized person in the world so I tend to lean toward unschooling to a degree with a lot of reading. Anyway, since I have come into this new love I starting thinking...what if I do this all the time with other people's children? What if I start with a Saturday school? What if I am eventually able to start homeschooling in a community way?
You may be saying, "Um, this blog is about your journey to Ifa. What does this have to do with Ifa?" Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, the Afrikan way is a communal way. Let's say that my godmother likes to hustle and run a lucrative business and I like to stay home and nurture. Wouldn't it make sense for her to work and for me to homeschool with a lil side business rather than both of us working full time and our children going to public school? Kinda like co-wives, but we both have our OWN husbands. lol There are a lot of families in our community that have children that simply don't do well in the school system. We need to pull together to save them. This is the Afrikan way. We save each other. We save each other's children.
When I began to entertain the thought of a communal homeschool. I felt this rush. It was like my Egun were blessing it. Like they were saying that they were glad that I finally figured it out. I haven't cast for it yet. I don't know if I should since I feel so strongly and so relaxed about it. I don't know if I would give up hair, although the timing is perfect. I sat at my shrine and talked to them about it. For the first time I felt a deep connection. I knew that they were there and it didn't take a whole lot of singing and chanting. I just talked and poured out my heart. Of course I will ask Iya about it and see what she thinks as far as casting for it and such, but she is really heavy on listening to your Ori. I always tell her that I don't quite trust mine yet because I'm just now reconnecting to it.
On another note about communal mindsets...This is not an example of homeschooling, but my Iya said something the other day that made a HUGE impact on me. She was talking about Yeye (Yeye Lawo Olomitutu). She said that she(Yeye) was planning on buying a van for the Ile. That way if anybody needed a ride, whoever was off that day would basically play chauffeur to make sure that everybody could get around. How many preachers do you know that buy a vehicle to be used by any and everybody in their congregation? Then Iya told Yeye, that if she bought the van she would probably end up giving it to one of the people in the Ile that needs a car. HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT? Now to be honest, I am having to take notes because I am still having to deprogram from a lot of individualistic thought, but I have beautiful examples of what it is to be giving and communal in word and deed. These are two BEAUTIFUL women! It doesn't mean that you are never compensated for your goods or services, but it means that you aren't petty as hell about every little thing.
It takes a village to raise a child, but the village is jacked up. Don't sit back and complain about the village, but rather do what YOU can where YOU are to change it!
You may be saying, "Um, this blog is about your journey to Ifa. What does this have to do with Ifa?" Well, I'm glad you asked. You see, the Afrikan way is a communal way. Let's say that my godmother likes to hustle and run a lucrative business and I like to stay home and nurture. Wouldn't it make sense for her to work and for me to homeschool with a lil side business rather than both of us working full time and our children going to public school? Kinda like co-wives, but we both have our OWN husbands. lol There are a lot of families in our community that have children that simply don't do well in the school system. We need to pull together to save them. This is the Afrikan way. We save each other. We save each other's children.
When I began to entertain the thought of a communal homeschool. I felt this rush. It was like my Egun were blessing it. Like they were saying that they were glad that I finally figured it out. I haven't cast for it yet. I don't know if I should since I feel so strongly and so relaxed about it. I don't know if I would give up hair, although the timing is perfect. I sat at my shrine and talked to them about it. For the first time I felt a deep connection. I knew that they were there and it didn't take a whole lot of singing and chanting. I just talked and poured out my heart. Of course I will ask Iya about it and see what she thinks as far as casting for it and such, but she is really heavy on listening to your Ori. I always tell her that I don't quite trust mine yet because I'm just now reconnecting to it.
On another note about communal mindsets...This is not an example of homeschooling, but my Iya said something the other day that made a HUGE impact on me. She was talking about Yeye (Yeye Lawo Olomitutu). She said that she(Yeye) was planning on buying a van for the Ile. That way if anybody needed a ride, whoever was off that day would basically play chauffeur to make sure that everybody could get around. How many preachers do you know that buy a vehicle to be used by any and everybody in their congregation? Then Iya told Yeye, that if she bought the van she would probably end up giving it to one of the people in the Ile that needs a car. HOW BEAUTIFUL IS THAT? Now to be honest, I am having to take notes because I am still having to deprogram from a lot of individualistic thought, but I have beautiful examples of what it is to be giving and communal in word and deed. These are two BEAUTIFUL women! It doesn't mean that you are never compensated for your goods or services, but it means that you aren't petty as hell about every little thing.
It takes a village to raise a child, but the village is jacked up. Don't sit back and complain about the village, but rather do what YOU can where YOU are to change it!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Most Important Shrine...
I read something in one of the books by Ayo Salami a while back that really convinced me the the completeness of Ifa. Ifa covers very completely the obligations of the husband and wife and the family as a whole. The funny thing is that it is really similar to Christianity in it's implication.
Often times people will go to church or tend their shrines like clock work. They will get up, get dressed, put on their good cologne or light incense, take communion or pour libation, etc without complaint the first. Now if you observe that same person in their dealings with their own family, you may be surprised. You may find that they have their priorities a little out of sorts.
Ifa is a family culture. EVERYTHING about Ifa involves or impacts familial relationships. It covers traditional duties for the husband and wife as far as work and children are concerned, and it even covers sexual obligations. Ifa speaks of how we should care for and treat our children, elders, and even ancestors. The truth is that our families are our first and most important shrines. We have to care for those that we look at everyday. We have to make sure that they are cared for in every way. If you choose not to do this, you are wasting your time at church or in front of the shrines.
Another reason that you must tend to your family is because you cause division which can allow spiritual attach from various Ajogun (negative forces). It is easier to avoid such issues on the front end, rather than let them take over and have to offer sacrifice on the back end.
No matter how spiritual you are, you are wasting your time and making more work for yourself if you neglect you family.
***My Iya reads this blog and added that it is actually taboo for a wife/husband to neglect their "grown folk" duties. I would assume that it is also taboo for you to neglect any relationship that you entered into willingly such as parenthood or even taking care of ones parents when needed. Gotta love Ifa, it is so simple and common sense in it's complexity.
Often times people will go to church or tend their shrines like clock work. They will get up, get dressed, put on their good cologne or light incense, take communion or pour libation, etc without complaint the first. Now if you observe that same person in their dealings with their own family, you may be surprised. You may find that they have their priorities a little out of sorts.
Ifa is a family culture. EVERYTHING about Ifa involves or impacts familial relationships. It covers traditional duties for the husband and wife as far as work and children are concerned, and it even covers sexual obligations. Ifa speaks of how we should care for and treat our children, elders, and even ancestors. The truth is that our families are our first and most important shrines. We have to care for those that we look at everyday. We have to make sure that they are cared for in every way. If you choose not to do this, you are wasting your time at church or in front of the shrines.
Another reason that you must tend to your family is because you cause division which can allow spiritual attach from various Ajogun (negative forces). It is easier to avoid such issues on the front end, rather than let them take over and have to offer sacrifice on the back end.
No matter how spiritual you are, you are wasting your time and making more work for yourself if you neglect you family.
***My Iya reads this blog and added that it is actually taboo for a wife/husband to neglect their "grown folk" duties. I would assume that it is also taboo for you to neglect any relationship that you entered into willingly such as parenthood or even taking care of ones parents when needed. Gotta love Ifa, it is so simple and common sense in it's complexity.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
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