Ifagbemi Born Divine

Yoruba Proverbs:

Dùgbè?-dùgbè? kì í fi ?yin rè? sílè?.
The egg-bearing spider never leaves its eggs behind.
(One does not turn one's back on one's treasure.)

A kì í duni lóyè ká fo..?nà ilé-e Baálè? hanni.
One does not compete with another for a chieftaincy title and also show the way to the king's house to the competitor.
(A person should be treated either as an adversary or as an ally, not as both.)

A kì í fi ara ?ni ?e oògun alo..?kúnná.
One does not use oneself as an ingredient in a medicine requiring that the ingredients be pulverized.
(Self-preservation is a compulsory project for all.)

A kì í fi idà pa ìgbín.
One does not use a sword to kill a snail.
(Remedies should be commensurate with the problem.)

A kì í sùn jé?rìí ìdí.
One cannot be asleep and also be able to vouch for one's anus.
(Assert only those things you know for certain.)

“Báyìí là ,,?e” níbìkan, èèwo..? ibòmínìn.
“This is what we do” in one place is taboo in another.
(Different people, different ways.)

Bí a bá ,,sunkún, à máa ríran.
While one weeps, one can still see.
(However accommodating one is, one should never take leave of one's good judgement.)

Bí a bá rí òwúro..?, alé? ,,ko..??
Although one has seen the morning, what about night time?
(Nobody should be judged until he or she has reached the end of his or her days.)

..

"Personal growth requires confronting real issues, not adjusting behavior to accomodate consensus and peer group approval."



IN the forest there is a giant tree called by the Yorubas the “Iroko,” which is shunned by all people, for in it lives the spirit of an old man who prowls about at night with a little torch and frighten invaders. Anyone who sees the Iroko-man face to face goes mad and speedily dies.

Seeing the thick branches and mighty trunk of the Iroko, woodcutters are often tempted to cut the tree down and make use of the wood, but this is very unlucky, as it rouses the displeasure of the Iroko-man and brings misfortune on the woodcutter and all his family. In any house which contains furniture made of Iroko-wood, there can be heard at night strange groaning and creaking noises; it is the spirit of the Iroko, imprisoned in the wood, who longs to wander about again through the forest with his little torch.

I am Nkrumah (Born Divine), the spirit of the Iroko-man who faces the woodcutter and all his family profits received from the luxuries of the Iroko. At night, strange groaning and creaking noises will be heard, I am the spirit of the Iroko, who longs to wander about again through the forest with his little torch.

Power:
Power comes with being; with interactive existence; with being alive. It is the essence of life and motive force growth and development and of the adaptability of living things to environmental changes and demands. Power refers to the ability to do, the ability to be, the ability to prevail. Beingness and aliveness originate with power. To be powerless is to be will-less, impotent and lifeless; without influence; to be nothing, of no account.




CHANGE:
...the only permanent thing known to man is change. In order to preserve the faith which will give you power for the attainment of success, you must make yourself flexible enough to adjust to all types of change. If you are flexible, you will ride with the tide of change instead of going down under it.




Yemoja Ijo ati Orin






WORDS OF WISDOM:"Follow the commandments of liberation; let go of all that the past has written in your substance: seek your true Name; set yourself apart from the group; and learn that you can serve mankind more effectively by becoming yourself, a sun that shines with its own light rather than by helping them drag the old chains of slavery."

"The NEED to move on, to RE-CREATE and TRANSFORM our reality, does not disrespect our past but rather honors it. Too many of our people have suffered and withstood pain so we could inherit the spiritual guidance and create a better world for our children. Every time we allow negative energy to interrupt us or distract us from a positive path, we DISHONOR our ancestors and the sacred powers. To grow spiritually, we must work with our guardian angels to build POSITIVE, FUNCTIONAL lives. Part of the process is UNDERSTANDING the dynamic and EVER-CHANGING forces in our lives. Change is a symbolic form of dying; it is the elimination of the dysfunctional parts of our lives through acceptance. ACCEPTANCE spawns invigorating ideas that ENCOURAGE new behavioral patterns, creating an environment of spiritual renewal. Renewal requires LETTING GO unnecessary grief so that space is FREE for nurturing new, exhilarating thoughts."