Religion vs. Spirituality vs. Culture

Religion vs Spirituality

What is religion?
I've been wanting to cover this for a while, because people always talk about religion like it's a dirty word. You can look it up for yourself, but this is it in a nutshell. When someone has a religion it is simply a way of doing things the same way all the time according to the requirements of that belief system. For example, I wake up and pray to Olodumare and Ori. After that I go work out and clean up and then I complete the rest of my prayers in a very precise and consistent order every single morning. Most of my prayers are recitations that were given to me or suggested to me by my godmother.

What is spirituality?
Now, this is more my opinion than fact. Spirituality is more based on intuition. Rather than sticking to hard fast rules you follow your Ori. It's like tailoring your practice to you. For example, my husband and I go through our prayers in the same order, pray the same prayers, but we add different things that are unique to us as individuals. Why do we do things differently? Because at some point we felt that we were being guided to do so. For example, he has this whole set up he does with Esu to make sure that Esu is not missing out on any offerings. I make sure that Esu isn't missing out on offerings either, but mine isn't nearly as time consuming as my husband's is. Sometimes, I still takes things to the crossroads for Esu and I feel like I should kunle or kneel. For my husband, he's a little concerned with the neighbors being nosy. Nothing is wrong with either one, because we are doing things as we have been led to.

How to you mix religion and spirituality?
We were talking to our children the other day about the fact that Jesus did Jewish things because he was a Jew. We told them about my husband's friend who is a Christian and practices Jewish Holy Days although he CLEARLY of Afrikan descent. Jews generally would not welcome or expect someone of Afrikan descent to practice their Holy Days. Why? Simple. He ain't Jewish. Furthermore, why would a CHRISTIAN practice JEWISH Holy Days? Because the Christian is of Afrikan descent and hates all things Afrikan so he will go to the extreme to assimilate to cultures that look most like massa. As we talked to the children, we told them that no matter what religion the grew up and practiced there was one thing that BETTER be in their houses. They had BETTER have an Egun shrine. Why? Because we are Afrikan and that's what we do. We stay connected to our past. We seek out that wisdom. We know and acknowledge that the Egun gave birth to us all.

The truth is that religion and spirituality are and have always been mixed. One really doesn't seem to do well without the other. One is about dicipline and one is about intutition. When you mix them together, you get what has become distant memory for most Afrikans. It's call culture.

What is culture?
Marimba Ani says that culture:
Brings us from chaos to order
Binds us to each other
Gives us identity
Gives us a reason for surviving
Tells us who we should live for
Tells us who we should die for if necessary
It's an energy source for thriving
Gives us a sense of security
Puts us into a system of accountability, we are accountable to our ancestors
It reproduces what it is.
It's the way we protect ourselves
It's the immune system of a people

Culture is the wholistic view of ourselves. It involves ALL that we do. It determines what we eat, when we sleep, how we interact with each other, how we raise our children, and even the languages that speak as children and the ones that we later learn. So in short, culture is the point at which our religious and spiritual practices flow into our everyday lives. It's hearing our Godmother ask about and respect food taboos of the people she is cooking for and it's about us respecting the taboos of her house. It's the reason that we teach our children Yoruba language rather than Spanish. The truth is that learning Spanish is simply learning another language of the conqueror that slaughtered yet another group of people that were living at one with God and nature. Of course, that's another post for another day. Culture, is setting food aside for your Egun or cooking just for them. Giving a special them space in your house to keep them close to you. Culture is teaching your children to always respect elders, because there is wisdom to be gained simply from their years on this earth. For us, it's learning our connections to the elements in order to show respect and reject the destruction of Onile. Culture is all these things and more.

The truth is that I shouldn't have titled this "Religion vs. Spirituality vs. Culture" as these things are not in conflict with each other. They are as they should be. They are complements that produce the whole. They aren't to be compartmentalized as that is a Eurocentric view and that is not of us. We are whole beings, not broken, and not intended to be in constant conflict.

Dr. John Henrik Clarke on organized religion vs spirituality Parts 1-4

Egun shrine, Master Key, Inner Peace! OH MY!!! and a bonus...

Egun Shrine
Can I just say that I have never felt so connected in all my life? I love tending my shrine. I love communicating with my egun. For example, the other morning I was cooking eggs and toast for my children. I made some scrambled eggs (no salt), dry toast, and coffee for my egun. I sat it on my shrine feeling quite pleased with myself and excited to be doing something different with them. Later I went to hang out with them at the shrine and just as clearly I heard somebody say, "I like honey on my toast". I just laughed. How do I know it wasn't me? Because I don't even really like honey. I will mix it with peanut butter, but I don't even like it in tea or anything. I drizzled the honey and they seem to have been pleased. They will sometimes even tell me scriptures to read. I still have to purchase a Quran for the Muslims in the family (Fulani Cameroon) so that I can read to them too. My uncle also told me that he wants a puzzle. He LOVED puzzles and I forgot all about it until he asked for it. I need to add the Choctaw people to the mix of folks represented. I still have a really hard time acknowledging my father's side of the family. Long story for another day. I just have to remember that they are not as they were.

Master Key System
What can I say about this? I am reading part one and it is tedious, but has some really good information. This is going to teach me to quiet my mind so that I can meditate and hopefully trance and vision more readily. I have never been able to sit and still my mind. I want to be able to hear and respond appropriately to Spirit where ever I am. Part three looks much more interesting and I look forward to prepping myself for it. I'll be able to levitate by the end of it. lol

Inner Peace
OMG! Can you say LOVE IT? I love this book and I am only on the introduction! I love it! If I weren't married already I would marry it. It just makes things so understandable and helps you to know that where you are is where you are supposed to be like Ajoke told me a long time ago. I didn't believe her wholeheartedly, but I do now. Sssshhh, don't tell her that she was right all along as usual. lol I can't wait to really get into this book! I am so excited!

10 reasons I love Ifa Culture

1. The only thing that cannot be changed is the date of your birth and the date of your death. I love that because it gives me some type of control over my life and responsibility. I actually have choices.
2. Egun worship is foundational. I love the fact that we are EXPECTED to worship, venerate, respect, acknowledge, and connect with those that came before us in our bloodline both known and unknown. Beautiful thang people. It's a beautiful thang. 
3. Balance. I love the fact that where there is male there is female and where there is female there is also male. None is above the other and both are acknowledged equally. Unlike the system I was raised in, female energy is held in as high regard as male energy. I must admit this has been difficult for me as I am accustomed to be being second class, but I'm movin' on up. lol
4. Culture. I love that this is a culture rather than a religion. This is something that I think of in my every action and behavior. I acknowledge different aspects of this culture when I drive through an intersection, pass a cemetery or a river, walk a path in the woods or go off the beaten trail, or even drive over RR tracks. I love it!
5. You are allowed to have a show me attitude. You are not expected to just say that everything that does happen was because of your faith or everything failed because of your lack of faith. This was really easy for me to transition to. I hated when the church would pray for my husband repeatedly to get out of the wheelchair and it would never happen. They even went so far as to announce that it would happen by that next Sunday and of course it didn't. It caused so many of the youth to lose faith because imho either the preacher lied or God did because they said that God said he was going to walk in that next Sunday and it didn't happen. 
6. Each one teach one. When I tell you that I am surrounded by people with this attitude I mean it! Everybody is such a willing teacher as far as my experience so far. I know that everybody in this culture isn't going to be that way and I'm not going to fool myself, but I have a wonderful circle of Sistas. Lessons are valued based on effectiveness not titles. We are all able to learn from one another and it is beautiful. If you mess with any of them I'll kick your ass! This takes me to my next point...
7. Iwa pele. Gentle character. Good character. I'll still kick your ass, but only with good reason and then I will reflect on how we came to the point of physical conflict to help you to avoid pissing me off the next time. Seriously, it is the core of the culture. I even look at as meaning wise character. Ifalola taught me this lesson early on. It was a hard on too, because I have pitbull tendencies. I am extremely loyal, but DO NOT CROSS ME! *whoooooosaaaaaaa*
8. Connection with nature. All the orisa are forces of nature. You can't disrespect nature without disrespecting them. If you take a flower, you leave an offering. That has made me think before I just go snatching flowers and such from their homes. Everything has a purpose and there is a price to pay for removing a specimen from it's home and purpose. We love to go to the creek and Mari used to get rocks. Well, now we know that we should offer something to Iya Osun, ask permission, and make an offering if we are allowed to remove it.
9. From birth. This culture on the continent starts from the literal moment we return to this plane. It tells me that this is for ALL ages. There is no children's church etc. to separate the children from the rest of the community. From the very beginning they are taught this culture, not by worksheets and such, but by living it out hands on with everyone in the community.
10. Children are blessings and not burdens. I have to be honest. This is one that I am still working on. I have spent a lot of time speaking that children, mine included, are burdensome. It was just they way I learned from what I saw and or heard at different points (not from my Mama). It didn't help that I was a single parent for quite a while. Maybe that was just a self fulfilling prophecy. Idk. Either way I am relearning this beautiful lesson. My children are blessings indeed and for all I know I maybe born again as their grandchild. :)

Funny how things happen

This is going to be one of those long story short kind of things. I was raised Christian as you know. When I was Georgia I was exposed for the first time to Afrikan beliefs and such. It was like a whole new world opened up. As with any whole new world there is both good and bad. The bad was that the people that introduced me to it were extremely manipulative and so that put a bad taste in my mouth, but for many reasons I was stuck in the situation. I met a Babalawo, and went to Miami to stay with him in the capacity of a help/CNA while he was sick. In exchanged for my work he taught me a lot. He, however, kept thinking that I should want to marry him (he was 60 or 70 and I was in my early 20s. UGH!) I still loved the culture. Although I went back to church and became a minister I think that I seed was planted. Current day. I have been on FB for a while like most people. Also, like most people, I don't really "know" most of the people that I am friends with. For me that makes sense because if we are really friends I could just call you. Anyway. I was on FB one day and this Sista that I had been FB friends with for a while said something to me. We never really talked before that, we just crossed paths. That day has changed my life. We have so much in common and she is just wonderful to me. I know that she is a God send. I don't know how long she is supposed to be in my life, but I will learn all I can while she is here.

It's funny to me how things came full circle, because she practicing Ifa and is training to be a priestess I believe. I have really found a sister in her and it feels like a coming home. The only problem now is that I have allowed myself to become scared of everything and so I am very timid with a lot of decisions that I know need to be made. It's okay, because like somebody said in my honesty box on FB, "you are growing", and I am. Everyday, with every decision. I am getting stronger and more confident. My only hold up know is that if I am initiated to priestess I will have to wear white for a year I think and then my Mama will know what I am doing. I know that I have to follow my own path even if it flies in the face of everything everyone around me believes in, but that is easier said than done most times.

Just thought I would post an update.