The purpose of this post for the most part is why I love who and what I am.

Why I love this thing that is called my religion ieIfa. I guess to start let us see what is the definition of religion.

" A religion is an organized approach to human spirituality which usually encompasses a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices, often with a supernatural or transcendent quality, that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth.[1] It may be expressed through prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience. The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system,"[2] but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively. The development of religion has taken many forms in various cultures. It considers psychological and social roots, along with origins and historical development. In the frame of western religious thought,[3] religions present a common quality, the "hallmark of patriarchal religious thought": the division of the world in two comprehensive domains, one sacred, the other profane.[4] Religion is often described as a communal system for the coherence of belief focusing on a system of thought, unseen being, person, or object, that is considered to be supernatural, sacred, divine, or of the highest truth. Moral codes, practices, values, institutions, tradition, rituals, and scriptures are often traditionally associated with the core belief, and these may have some overlap with concepts in secular philosophy. Religion is also often described as a "way of life" or a life stance."

My key word here is Way of Life Origin: 11501200; ME religioun (< OF religion) < L religin- (s. of religi) conscientiousness, piety, equiv. to relig(re) to tie, fasten (re- re- + ligre to bind, tie; cf. ligament ) + -in- -ion; cf. rely.

Anyway there we have the definition. The thing(s) I love about who I am or what it is that i do, or my religion, my way of life. Is that it has given me purpose for 1. In my readings ie Dafa (Divination) I am told this is what i came to Aiye (earth) to do and be, what is that you ask I came to be an Awo (Babalawo) a diviner a priest of Orunmila (Ifa). I find that my religion teaches me to be honest, caring what some would call good. That is not to say that other religions don't teach that, for they do. However this is my path, the way of Ifa. I find that I think, eat, and breath Ifa. When I lay down at night and when I rise in the morning. To me it is a wonderful thing. When I read verses of Odu Ifa, or chant them when I

read the wisdom and knowledge in them it stimulates as well as inspires me. Even when reading something that might seem all so simple, when reading them it gives me strength and knowledge for example Iwori tejemo ohun ti i se nl bi o ba te'fa ki o tun iye inu re te Awo ma fi eja igba gun ope. Awo ma fi aimowe wo omi Awo ma ibinu yo Obe, awo ma fi ma san bante Awo Ase Iwori stare at what affects us if you are initiated into ifa, please renew your inner thought Adept do not use a tattered rope to climb a palm tree Adept do not pull out a knife in anger ...

Just seemingly simple words however with so much wisdom and impact. "stare at what affects us, pay close attention, be aware of what you are doing, don't use a tattered rope to climb a palm tree. in other words use wisdom use what will get the job done don't half ass do what it is you are to do, it will only fail. Anyway my time at this point is limited I will be back and talk more. Ireo Baba Ifaleye