Ori exists in everyone and my strong opinion is it does not need to be released, charged or enabled to access it. Simply put ori is the divine spirit, like a soul on steroids or supercharged.
There is plenty of greed and opportunism in IFA everywhere. My godfather taught me long ago that “less is more” yet this is against what a greedy priest would prescribe, he or she wants you to spend money through ceremony for example. My opinion is ori and egbe should be free and they are in MOST Lucumi. For instance I have great guides and they are powerful and knowledgeable, they have taught me much. Some suggest I’d be even more powerful and knowledgeable if I paid for these ceremonies, my Ancestors laugh and shake their heads. The Cubans have a word for some things in Nigerian IFA it is “invento” I don’t think I need to translate that. Maybe it was invented long ago, but it is not necessary. Now, because we have greedy priests in Lucumi also maybe they incorporated egbe and ori into Lucumi recently or long ago, but I think it is greed and nonsense or maybe let me be generous it is a misunderstanding; but I sure do not need it and neither do you. Now for my final point, and this is another misunderstanding or maybe greed or a marketing ploy. It is not something I agree with or practice. There are some in Lucumi, even in my own ile who insist ori, egbe, egun and egungun are all Orishas and we NEED to receive them and of course pay for them. I vehemently disagree. Maybe it is a misunderstanding or maybe it is what the Cubans call a trampa (trick) I’m not here to accuse priests today. I am here to tell you, I do not believe any of these are Lucumi Orishas or Nigerian orisa, or any other type of Orishas. They are separate entities. I laugh and say the next thing the Nigerians will be selling is ashe or claiming it is an Orisha we all need to receive and pay for!
By Charles Spencer King (Lucumi Baba Awo)
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