With the advent of more interest in African Spirituality also has come those who want the Spiritual culture and the status, but not the hassle…of going through time honored practices such as initiation or submitting to an elder to support their growth. It’s true, initiation is not for everyone. Everyone is not called to be a priest. Many “spiritualist” and rootworkers insist..they don’t need initiation. That, they already can manifest stuff…or that they already receive messages…or they did it in a past lifetime or dreamed they were initiated so they don’t need to re do it… or…it’s in their blood line already… Some believe it’s just a superficial …and rather expensive ceremony like they are used to seeing in the West. Sing a little song…say some vows, do a little dance… Bam… you are Initiated and can now call yourself a priest. Admittedly, I felt the same years ago…BEFORE. …I formally initiated. Let’s just say that you don’t know what you don’t know, until you know better. Such was the case with me. This is what I came to understand about initiation and what it really is.
So What is Initiation All About?
We are all here to grow, develop, and ultimately realize our best selves. We choose to incarnate as souls encased in material human bodies. Those bodies are made from organic material in nature… It’s foundation is the very DNA that are the building blocks of all life on this planet. Orisa or more specifically Irunmole are primordial forces of nature. As this nature is inside of us as well as outside of us, we are are connected down to the dna. We hold in our creation story, that the Orisa descended on a golden chain to the material realm. DNA is such a chain..
Our spiritual selves has what is called an Ori. Ori is commonly stated as our destiny and related to the head, but is is also our connection to our divine selves… Our divine selves is what sets up our blueprint for what we are going to do on earth when born…but once we get here..we forget the plan.. Birth separates us from the state of being when only knew oneness. Living here can bring trauma and the negative ego leads us in directions off the path… It can create imbalance, dis-ease, a sense of incompletion, blocks, etc.
This is where initiation comes in. People are called to initiate for many reasons. Some to heal and restore balance. Some to determine their life purpose and lessons (ie destiny). Some initiate to save their lives or for protection… But ultimately what initiation does is it awakens dormant DNA and puts you in alignment with your Ori.
We now understand that DNA contain instructions for development and growth. It contains not just our keys to Ancestry , but also their gifts, their genius,.. collective knowledge…. and their trauma as well. We now know that our genes can change when trauma is experienced. Scientist have determined we only use about 5% -10% of our DNA. They say there is another part they call “junk dna”. Same goes for brain function… We only use about 5% of the brain.. with 95% being dormant. Essentially we are not nearly as evolved as we would like to think because we are living or operating at our full potential. The arrogance of western science is too proud to admit they don’t know what it does…So, they call it junk DNA. But the African indigenous ancients understand this….and understood the process on how tap it through initiation.
Science has now found that DNA can receive , emit, and be a transducer light, sound, and other quantum wave frequencies…and that it can be influenced. This means it is a conduit for the astral realms and other dimensions of light and existence. Orisa exists on these realms as well. When a person experiences a trance state, or are exposed to certain colors, light, performs certain movements, or chant certain sounds, their brainwaves can shift from regular waking consciousness to super or sub conscious states. They are able to access previously unremembered information and even program new abilities, break addictions, etc. They Our Orisa rituals are codified through those movements, chants, words of power, scents, colors, and elements of nature designed to do just that.
So what I found is initiation is designed to stimulate that dormant DNA and brain function by accessing its inner code. Initiation involves extensive rituals and ceremony on the crown of the person….the Ori. Through coded binary signatures and spiritual technology, the dormant aspect of nature is awakened. This begins a process of growth and development on a whole other level. Now I’m not saying it will make the person a genius …Cuz goodness knows there are plenty of initiated fools out there.. But.. the stimulation that happens in the Ori during initiation, through the DNA can facilitate a process leading to higher potential in the long term. The process produces altered states that can awaken what was dormant.
Each Orisa has specific frequencies and modes of operation that are directly coded in nature itself. In Ifa, nature is codified into 256 frequencies of light and Orisa are extensions of that light. These 256 frequencies are programs of human consciousness and operate in a multidimensional universe. We access these frequencies through binary oracles that are able to connect with the persons Ori. These codified signatures are what we call Odu. DNA is made up of 2 binary or base pairs that produce 4 values. Ifa Oracles are made up with like composition.
So basically, initiation utilizes methods are whereby elements are directly placed in the head/ Ori and sometimes placed inside the body. THAT is what awakens the dormant DNA. That opens them to new levels of spiritual energy called Ase. It doesn’t mean only initiated have Ase. It means much more is awakened during this process. That is also why it’s impossible to self initiate…. Because you can’t be in two places at the same time. A competent priest has to have to consciousness and
knowledge of the ancient process to do it to you. When a person initiates and it’s done correctly, they are reborn into a new state of awareness and consciousness. A paradigm shift takes place as the alignment happens. They may not understand it all and some of it is dressed in religious dogma, but the shift in their lives becomes evident over time.
This becomes especially important with those descendants in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Human captivity has left a mark on the DNA as a genetic trauma. The need for healing is overwhelming self evident. Yet, those ancient ancestral memories are peeping through our dreams and into our present day to help us to heal from that trauma. The Orisa are showing up in our dreams as a call to realign with your true nature and initiate as your ancestors did. I alway tell people dreaming of being initiated is more a call to be initiated than an assumption that you are already initiated. This reclamation of our ancient initiatory traditions, along with the spiritual practices are specifically design to support you and your family’s healing and path to wholeness consciously and unconsciously.
Now don’t get me wrong. It’s not a magic trick. You are not instantly healed and whole. You are not immediately transcended though the ego can make one feel that way. Initiation means to begin…. and so it just begins the process that will take place over a lifetime… A quickening if you will. It starts a formal process of awakening and starts a covenant with nature that is intended to build Spiritual maturity over time. Over time you gain a greater understanding of your self, your life purpose, your soul lessons, and also other people and the world around us. But in the beginning, many go through a healing crisis or emotional crisis as their DNA and consciousness is scrambled and realigned. Issues of the past and those that were unknown can come up to be reckoned with and put to rest. This takes time… This why we have to take protective measures for the Iyawo after the initiation to support the full spiritual process taking place. But the process is necessary. Even after the Iyawo period, they must be taught and trained on how to cultivate this connection with these forces let alone the training that takes place as a priest.
So in closing, these are just some of what happens when a person is initiated. It isn’t just a theatrical performance rite or superficial ceremony of receiving a title as a priest. It isn’t just a formality for community recognition of your “super powers”. It’s not just an ego boost or a way to prove your blackness by joining a African religion. Nope , Dis Ain’t Dat! Even if that is what initially motivated a person to do it, they will tell you down the line afterward, some real transformative shyt went down inside and in their life they were not expecting. That…you really can’t say what it is or is not…until you go through it. And … you don’t know what you don’t know until you know better.
