ON THE IMPORTANCE OF REGULAR FASTING, RITUALS AND SACRIFICE

By Chief Ogunsina Babatunde Olayinka Adewuyi

When you take the necessary time to engage in a period of prayer and fasting or performing sacrifice, rituals or initiations you are allowing yourself to enter into moments where you allow a new upsurge of creative energy to enter from within you and being transmitted to all of creation. By engaging into these periods with enthusiasm and interest we will connect our self to Olodumare, the divine source of all things and we will be able to fathom the source of happiness, the beginning of life and spiritual wisdom, we will be connected to the source of comfort, happiness and peace. Negative vibrations on the other hand will always limit our ability and capacity to grasp these fundamental mysteries of Olodumare and creation.

How the use of fasting and rituals are affecting our life in a good way and brings us to a realization of our destiny is spoken of in the odu irete-okanran. Irete-okanran was cast for Orunmila and he was advised to show cautious with social gatherings as he was surrounded by conspiracy and ill intent from his enemies. The odu spoke about the attempts of false friends to poison the wise Orunmila and he was thus advised to engage in a fast the day this odu came out in his divination to avoid the effects of poisoning. He was told that by fasting the entire day he would neutralize the malicious intent of his enemies. Orunmila was further advised to perform rituals and make sacrifice to bring forth the goodness in creation as this would put an end to his enemies fatal plans. And indeed, by engaging into prayers and fasting, his enemies were subdued and overcome - their ill plans came to nothing.

Before his enemies were subdued and Orunmila could triumph, the odu tells of numerous attempts on his life, magical acts, negative and dark emotions, cumbersome and distressing vibrations were attempted to be awaken in Orunmila by his enemies’ malefic powers and sorcerous attempts. Seeing that this was to no avail they tried to encourage him to indolence and laziness by giving bad counsel for him. They even tried to poison his divining mat and chairs to seek his defeat. But through divine power and physical strength, accomplished by his ceaselessly walking from city to city to help those in need thus maintaining his physical health. With a clear and positive mind and a strong and healthy body he managed to face the challenge of laziness and bad counsel and become victorious. Orunmila was victorious confronted with all physical tests, because he regularly exercised his body, all emotional tests because of his balanced emotional state and spiritual tests, because of his discipline to accomplish the prescribed rituals, in this case fasting.

People from all spiritual families should try to exercise the example of orunmila in their life to overcome the challenges they are confronted with and thus walk in the path of light, glory and mercy. Be diligent in performing the needed sacrifice, rituals and initiation and observe the importance of fasting and exercising self control and discipline. Doing this you will enable yourself to tear down the obstacles that rise as blockages for our joy and happiness. To strengthen the divine power within so we can generate strength to embrace good fortune and expand our spiritual wisdom so we can conquer our obstacles we can use the following aladura from the odu ogbe-otura.

Mo berin ja, mo derin,
Mo befon, mo dafon,
Mo b’OLORUN ja, OLORUN lo da mi sile aye
OLORUN da , ko se da loro,
Lo difa fun eda tise omo OLODUMARE
Ire aje lowo mi nwa, lowo mi oto
Egbo yeeye, sure o lo gba a wa fun mi
Egbo ye e ye
Ire Alafia , ire omo , ire ayo , ire owo , ire iyi , ire aiku bale oro
Ire aje , lowo mi nwa, , lowomi o to
Egbo yee, ye
Sure o logba a wa fun mi
Egbo yee ye
Ire gbogbo lowo mi nwa lowo mi o to
Egbo yee ye
Sure o logba a wa fun mi
Egbo yee , ye
Gbogbo ire ni kose fun (mi, your name) ifa
Ase

Translation:
I fought the elephant, I conquer him
I fought the buffalo, I equally conquer him
I fought with GOD, but GOD created me, and threw me into the world
What is created by GOD cannot be harmed or bothered with challenges and problems,
This ifa was divined to all creatures, all of the omnipotent‘s handiwork
If I reach for wealth but fail to grasp it, may my prayers, fasting, sacrifice, rituals, and initiations quickly make it mine
If I desire good things in life, wealth, money, happiness, good health, fame, honor, good family, good behavior, long life, and harmony, but cannot have them
Make my prayer, fasting, rituals, sacrifice, and my initiations, to quickly make them mine,
Grant me (say your name with authority given to you by OLODUMARE 21 times) manifold blessing.
It shall be established to the power of OLODUMARE
Ase!