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Are You Tuned In?

waterIntuition isn’t about what you think. And it’s definitely not about what others think…

It’s about what you feel. It’s about the guidance that comes from within; it’s about the quiet conviction of knowing what’s right for you!

If you’re not in touch with what you feel, you’re lost…

And when you’re lost you’ll keep making the same mistakes over and over again. You’ll turn left, when you should turn right. You’ll stop when you should keep going. You’ll say no when you should say yes. You’ll be silent when you should speak up.

Intuition is your God-given guidance system. The ancestors and the orisas speak through your intuition. The million dollar question is: Are you even listening?

Here are some simple tips to enhance your intuitive abilities.

Slow Down: Although intuition is God-given, you must cultivate it if you want it to grow. Make it a priority, by taking time out of each day to sit in silence, prayer, or meditation. Keep it simple. In the beginning – five to ten minutes a day is plenty.

Spend More Time In Nature: African spiritual traditions revolve around nature for a reason. Nature is our home; nature does not pretend. The vibration of nature forces you to slow down and listen to things that you might have been repressing or things that you might be in denial about.

Nurture Yourself: Are you getting enough sleep? Are you exercising? Are you eating well? You can’t have a clear channel to your intuition if you’re not taking care of yourself? It has been said that your body is a temple. Take care of your outer temple if you’re serious about accessing your inner temple.

Be Open: Be open to how you receive intuitive messages. You are unique instrument of the divine. Some receive messages via dreams, others through visions, or feelings, or an inner sense of knowing. Some folks hear messages. Once you become clear about how you’re receiving messages, focus on that method while you work to develop all your senses. Develop your five senses and you’ll discover your sixth sense.”

By opening the door to your intuition, you open the door to infinite wisdom. You also open the door to more fulfillment – and, who knows. More prosperity! Keep that door open! Important messages are coming through.

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Blessings,

James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River

Ifa Divination And Your Lucky Lotto Number

mega bucksThe request from the client was urgent….

He needed $15,000 to pay off some debts in a hurry and every request he made for a loan has been rejected so far.

So he was hoping that maybe I could use my skills as an Ifa diviner or as a numerologist to help him win the lotto.

I wish I could, and I would do it for him in a heartbeat (for free) if I was certain I could…

But the truth is that no diviner, no medium, no psychic, no seer that I know will make such a claim. And I would be highly suspicious of any spiritual worker who makes such a claim because if they could predict the lotto, I doubt they would be doing spiritual work.

So, here’s what I told my client:

I told him to be patient. And I reminded him that we’re all on a spiritual journey and while we may not always get what we want (even when we do spiritual work), we get what we need.

And many times what we need are challenges – difficulties that force us to change the way that we live and/or the way that we think.

Sometimes, the very things that we think we need are taken away from us so that we can learn that we didn’t need them in the first place.

That’s what happened to me…

I lost my job in Corporate America in 2011 and wondered how I would survive. I now realize that I didn’t have to worry.

These days I earn my living as an Ifa diviner while I work on my film. Granted, I don’t always know when or where my next dollar will come from. But I know that it will come.

My lesson was to learn that Ifa and the ancestors and my elders have my back. Yet it was a difficult lesson to learn and it came with a price – a very high price.

Without challenges there can be no faith. Without faith or trust, there can be no growth. Yes, winning the lotto might be nice.

But that’s not what you need and that’s not what I need.

What you need is the conviction to stay on your path, the courage to keep on fighting, and the wisdom to know that amidst your current challenges you’ll find spiritual gems that can truly empower you!

As always, I welcome comments on these blog posts and would love to hear what you have to say.

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Blessings

James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River

Does Your Relationship Uplift You?

She was happy…

Photographer Unknown

Photographer Unknown

My client had finally decided to leave her husband.

And after she made that difficult decision, a peaceful energy surrounded her and the logic of why it made sense to leave that unhealthy relationship became clear.

“The revelation that it’s time to end this marriage was beautiful. I’m super, super excited,” she said. “I rejoiced. I was actually singing. It was awesome.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…

Previously, this client had been struggling with fear, grief, desperation and despair. But now she was coming from a place of strength. A place of joy and optimism.

“I’m creating what I want for my life and for my children,” she told me.

Listening to my client talk made my day. It was like witnessing the birth of a new human being. An enlightened being who was finally awakening to her own power, her own voice, her own mind, her own potential.

Such a being can never be held prisoner again…

I believe in empowering people. That’s what my Ifa divination practice is about. That’s what my upcoming film is about – an attempt to empower others.

Yet, even though my client said my Ifa spiritual readings helped to equip her with the clarity and insight she needed to move forward, I can’t take credit for the dramatic change.

She had to see the need for change herself. I’m glad the light finally came on, and I pray the light of self-love and self-respect and self determination will continue to burn brightly.

What about you?

Are you in an oppressive relationship like my client was? Are you free to think for yourself, be yourself, and express yourself?

Do your spiritual beliefs and practices uplift you or do they imprison you?

And what about your spiritual teachers? Are they empowering you or are they just empowering themselves while holding you back?

Relationships should uplift you, support you, inspire you…

But if your relationship revolves around despair, depression and oppression, maybe you should consider doing what my client has courageously done.

Know when you’ve had enough and move on with your life.

Blessings

James Weeks
Producer/Across The King’s River

The Confident Diviner

1002121_10151441382168414_1325872812_nThe question came to me from a student diviner earlier this week.

“When did you begin to realize that the orisas were communicating with you through divination?”

He asked the question because he was struggling with something many diviners struggle with – self doubt.

I wished more diviners would open up because the battle with self-doubt isn’t limited to student diviners. Many seasoned diviners struggle with it too.

And the issue of self-doubt goes beyond diviners in the orisa community…

Aspiring mediums and tarot readers battle with self-doubt too! And it goes even further. Most of the clients that come for readings struggle with issues of self-doubt and/or low self-esteem.

Self doubt is the human condition and it’s holding you back in many ways, preventing you from reaching your full potential, the greatness that is yours to achieve on earth!!

But here’s the advice I gave to my fellow diviner..

Whether you divine with obi, opele and ikin, it all comes down to consistent study, practice and experience. I recommend daily practice, and if you do it long enough you’ll get to the point where you see patterns emerge – patterns that tell powerful stories.

It’s also important to realize that you’re not the one doing the reading. Ifa, the orisas are doing it; you’re merely the messenger. Your focus should be on the orisas and the egun (ancestors), not on yourself. It’s not about you; it’s about the message.

Self doubt creeps in when you focus too much on yourself instead of the orisas.

So keep your ego out of it. Say what you see, hear and feel, even if it doesn’t make sense to the client right now. It might make sense to the client later. Sometimes days later, weeks later, months later, or even years later.

You see, once you invoke the ancestors and the orisas and you work from a place of integrity and compassion, you have to trust that everything that comes through in the divination is relevant to the client even if you’re not sure how. Your job is to step out of the way.

And what’s my advice to those who battle with self-doubt but are not training to be diviners?

Trust your intuition, your feelings, your dreams, your heart. Know that the Spirit World is always attempting to communicate with you, to guide you. You are not only connected to Spirit, you are Spirit yourself. Make time each day to sit in silence to get in touch with your inner world. Don’t over-think the subtle messages that come to you; allow them to flow freely.

And trust, trust trust…You can’t be a vessel for Spirit unless you learn to trust!!

Blessings

James Weeks
Producer/Across The King’s River

Song For Osun

Indra

Indra

The sun was slowly descending when I spoke to Indra.

She lives in Denmark and the further north you go it’s the land of the midnight sun, she says. By the tip of Norway, it’s bright until midnight.

But winters there are the “darkest of dark”. And that’s one of the reasons why this gifted vocalist is looking forward to moving back to the U.S.

Indra Rios-Moore isn’t exactly a house-hold name yet, but give this New-York native and daughter of Osun some time. After all, you’re dealing with a powerful force of nature. And Osun cannot be restrained.

Indra “could easily approach the leagues of the great jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald and Sara Vaughan,” says critic, Jacob Baekgaard, in an article published on www.allaboutjazz.com.

And Bessy Reyna, a columnist for CTLatinonews.com, says: Indra “is a remarkably talented singer who can render either a bolero like “Mil Besos” or a sensual “Teach Me Tonight” with equal easy, holding her audience in an intimate and warm embrace which is nearly impossible to escape.”

Born of a Puerto Rican mother from Ponce and an African-American/Syrian father, Indra has been singing since childhood. At 14, she attended the prestigious Mannes College of Music in New York. She later studied classical vocal training at Smith College.

She sings in Portugese, English, Spanish and Italian. And although she’s drawn to traditional jazz standards, re-styled American folk and RB songs, she’s plans to include a song for Osun on her next CD which will be recorded in August 2013.

To purchase Indra’s CD’s, visit her website at: http://indra.dk/sider/info_eng.html

Here’s a clip of this daughter of Osun in action:

I am moved by Indra’s spirit and wisdom. Here’s what she had to say in our recent interview.

Why She Sings

“To be perfectly honest. I sing for myself. I sing for my own wellness. It’s something that I’ve always had to do. It’s like I have to breathe; I have to sing. That’s what keeps me going. It heals me from the inside. And when I find that other people feel a similar feeling, I feel even more compelled to do it. It’s not just helping me; it’s helping other people. It’s serving a higher power.”

When It All Began

“I first started singing when I was about four or five years old. I would sing to myself because it lifted me up. And you might think, ‘why does a four-year old child need lifting up?’ I had a good childhood. I was not abused or anything. Everything was fine. But even though everything was fine, I still needed lifting up. You don’t need to be sick in order to be healed. I think everyone needs lifting up. No matter what state you’re in you can always be higher. Higher in the sense of connectedness. For me, that’s what healing from the inside means. It means feeling more connected because we can have moments throughout the day where we find our mind wandering or perhaps we’re too far up in our head and we don’t feel connected. Connected to what? Connected to one another, the universal force, to love, to creativity, to that magical thing that happens that no one can put a name to.”

Her Love For The Orisas

“I’ve been surrounded by Santeria my whole life. Growing up in the lower east side of New York, there were lots of santeros and santeras. You would see people dressed in white and people would whisper, ‘Oh, he’s making santo, oh, she’s making santo’. My mom would always worship Yemoja because she’s a daughter of Yemoja. For me, I always knew I was a daughter of Osun. Whenever I would hear her name, I knew that she was mine and I was hers. It was not even a question in my head. Ironically, I found out from Mom that I had this little wooden figure that I would play with growing up. I asked Mom one day, ‘What is this wooden figure?’ She said: ‘I got it from a friend of mine when I was pregnant with you but didn’t know I was pregnant. He said: ‘This is from Nigeria. This is the fertility Goddess, Yemoja.’ When I heard that story, I had to learn more about the pantheon of Gods and Goddesses.”

Being Open About Her Faith

“I’ve been open about my spirituality since 2002 because when I was in college, I was studying Afro-Latin literature. I had a professor who was an iyawo at the time, and she invited me to a ceremony for Obatala. During the ceremony, Obatala recognized me as a daughter of Osun and I started to cry. He gave me a gift – a white cloth with gold figurines on it. And I remember thinking, ‘I can’t take this. I can’t accept this.’ But I couldn’t reject it because it was coming from Obatala and I felt such love for him. As soon as the ceremony was over, I tried to hand the gift over to one of my professor’s, and she looked at me and said, ‘Don’t ever reject a gift from God.’ And I said, from this moment on, I’m going to be ‘out and about’ [my faith]. It’s a spiritual gift to be cared for by a Goddess or a God – a piece of the divine energy that is connecting all of us. I can’t reject that gift nor should I hide in the shadows because others might not understand. This is something to be proud of. To be happy about. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s such an immense blessing that when I think about it, I want to cry. I feel so utterly protected, loved and cared for. During a storm, I literally feel like I am being picked up by the energies of the orisas. It protects me, loves me, and informs me when I can’t think. I don’t need to think. I just need to be quiet and listen. I feel very lucky because there are so many people who are lost. They don’t know up from down. They read books trying to find their way and that’s good. But I feel lucky that, at an early age, I could feel the energies of the orisas. I could give the energies a name, and they could live in my life.”

Before She Hits The Stage

“I always say a prayer to help me get out of the way. What I do on stage is not about performance. I’m not there to entertain. I’m there to get out of the way. My physical body contains a voice that is anatomically pretty. God created vocal chords in my throat and in my neck that operate in such a way that they produce a beautiful sound. That’s fine and dandy. There are lots of people like that. But there’s a special juice in my vocal chords and that’s God – that’s God delivering what God needs to deliver. And so I try to get out the way.”

Song For Osun

“We’re doing a song for Osun on the 3rd CD. Part of me was like: ‘Do I dare do this?’ And the answer was ‘Yes! Yes! Yes! Let’s do this. There are always those people in our community that are gonna say: ‘You didn’t do that properly. You need to do the songs in the right order.’

Well, call me naive, but I really feel that if you do things with the right intent, that means more than the ritual. The ritual is a process that we carry forward generationally to embody something that is more than the physical. Ritual exists for a purpose and that purpose is important. But the intent is 99% of it. If you go in there with the wrong intent, but the right ritual, what’s that going to serve? I feel moved to do this song, and if I do it with all my heart, and Osun knows how much I love her, then how can I go wrong?”

By James Weeks

Producer, Across The King’s River