by James Weeks | Mar 2, 2016 | Blog
I fell in love with Tobe Correal’s book immediately.
Tobe, an initiated priestess, is the author of “Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa: A West African Spiritual Tradition.”
She’s a talented writer: “Yoruba religion is a way of life. It is seeking to know the sacred nature of life – the breath of God flowing through all things. It is the holistic integration of all aspects of our being – bodies, feeling, thoughts and energies – in order to restore wholeness where there is fragmentation and balance where there is disarray.”
Tobe is also very brave and very honest, and this is why I think her book is such a gem.
“I saw how some people misused the tradition to live on the surface of their lives. Some used ritual as a way of avoiding responsibility. I became aware of great pain in myself and others. I lived with a gray cloud of depression hovering over me. Behind closed doors I was a mess,” she writes.
“While paying homage to the ancestors, we must also face our personal demons. While honoring deities, we must also learn to love ourselves and treat each other with greater kindness.”
Tobe tells it like it is…
I had the good fortune of meeting her recently. She spoke of many things: her battle with chronic illness, her commitment to the ongoing process of spiritual re-initiation, the challenge of dealing with loss. Her 40’s were all about loss, she confesses.
But her losses came with blessings too: “I was able to find hidden jewels because I kept on digging. I learned that I don’t need to get rid of the negative side of life, I need to learn how to work it because there’s something of great importance, something beautiful that’s going to make you richer. Light and darkness come together.”
She tries to look for something good and beautiful every day, she says…
I like that approach. If you look for something good each day, you’ll probably find it. And if you look for something negative you’ll probably find it too. Be careful what you look for.
I asked Tobe what she wishes for you and here’s what she said: 1. A deeper encounter with the truth of what lies in you and the willingness and the courage to face it. 2. To take the necessary steps toward healing and transformation, which requires a warrior spirit and a willingness to work.”
If you haven’t read Tobe’s book, order it today at Amazon: Finding Soul on the Path of Orisa.
In the meantime I would like to know how you deal with loss or what jewels you’ve been finding in your struggles. Send me your answer and I’ll be sure to send you a personal response.
Until then, may the ancestors continue to guide and bless each step you take.
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Blessings
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River
by James Weeks | Dec 14, 2015 | Blog
Myles is here…
His birth is one of the miracles of 2015, and he’s teaching me faith and courage and perseverance.
His Mom, Letitia, says “nothing is too hard or impossible to achieve when you’re walking in your destiny. When you follow the voice of God and guidance from the ancestors, everything that is meant for you will come to you at the right time.”
Letitia is a friend as well as client. I first met Letitia and her husband, Derek, back in January when I traveled to their home in Baltimore to perform a spiritual ceremony that helps one connect with the orisa of wisdom, Ifa. She received her “Hand of Ifa.”
Sacred Ifa Kernels
The birth of Myles is miraculous for many reasons: 1. Letitia had been unable to conceive for 13 years. 2. She became pregnant the weekend of the ceremony. 3. Because of her age, 41, she was a high risk for miscarriage and other complications.
The statistics were daunting: the fertility rate at age 40 is 5%. Chances of having a baby with genetic or chromosome abnormality like Down Syndrome, 1 in 38. Chance of miscarriage, 33%.
Going through with the pregnancy was also difficult for another reason: Letitia had lost a baby girl before and the memory of her death haunted her during the pregnancy with Myles. “I had periods of doubt and fear of losing him,” she says. “The odds were never in our favor and I would question the strength of my faith. There were times when I felt foolish or naive to have faith and ignore all logic. I was in a battle with myself.”
Both Letitia and I believe the pregnancy was a gift from the ancestors; we’re convinced that there’s a link between the ceremony and her conception. During a reading she had two years ago, the Ifa oracle spoke of a child waiting to be born.
“I didn’t believe it at the time,” she recalls. “There were some things I had to do to receive my blessings, including picking a spiritual path. The ceremony put me on track with my destiny.”
Because of the high risk, my elders in Nigeria got involved and provided crucial ritual and spiritual support during key phases of the pregnancy. Letitia and I communicated almost every day during the nine month period.
There were many scares: like the time Letitia started bleeding heavily at the eight- week mark. Then, in the fourth month, doctors performed a procedure to stitch her cervix because she was in danger of losing the pregnancy.
For me, the biggest scare came a few days after his birth when I got a call from Letitia early one morning. “I’m scared,” she confessed. Myles had an abnormal heart rhythm. His heart was beating too fast, and he had to be rushed to a more advanced intensive care unit.
After that call, I got on the phone with my elders and they began working with the orisas and a team of senior priests around the clock to save his life. Meanwhile, at the NICU unit of the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, a team of doctors worked to stabilize Myles.
That was three months ago…
I have good news to report. Letitia says Myles weighs a chunky 12 lbs right now. Developmentally, doctors say Myles is right were he’s supposed to be. Perhaps even a bit advanced. Letitia says he rolled over by himself the other day.
“I’m so in love with him,” she says. “I have a greater appreciation for life and the delicate process of creation. It’s something we can’t take for granted.”
I agree with Letitia…
We can’t take life for granted. One of my elders who led the ritual work on Myles recently passed. One soul arrives, another soul returns to the ancestors. We thank Baba for his love and expertise in helping bring Myles safely to us.
Aseda, one of the late Ifa priests of Nigeria
I share the story to bring you inspiration. The human spirit always needs one more compelling reason to believe again and to love again. One more reason might be all YOU need to turn your life around for once and for all.
No one can claim miracles don’t happen. They happen all the time. Remember this truth in your moment of darkness, when it feels that the forces of life have risen up against you.
A miracle could be right around the corner. Your miracle! But you might never discover it if you give up too soon, or if you allow fear, laziness or the clouds of negativity to block your dreams (and your blessings).
This is no time to quit. This is no time for excuses. It’s time for faith and it’s time to get back in the fight.
Myles is a fighter!
May we all learn something from him…
Letitia wrote me on FB the other day. “Myles just looked up at me in the middle of nursing and gave me the biggest, most sincere smile ever. And my heart just melted.”
Letitia and Myles
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River
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by James Weeks | Jul 12, 2015 | Blog
“We all know when we are not following our calling,” says the late Zulu healer P.H. Mntshali.
P.H. Mtshali
“We are unhappy,” he says. “It’s as simple as that. We are restless. We do not like the people we work with. We do not like our work.”
“We must move on. This work, these people. It is not their fault. We are in the wrong place. It’s so important to take responsibility for our own healing.”
I love P.H. Mntshali; he was an amazing man!
Mntshali was one of several African healers featured in the book, “Called to Heal: African Shamanic Healers.”
Great book! Love it!
But back to what Mntshali is saying.
Are you in the wrong place? If so, what are you going to do about it?
If you’re in the wrong place I totally get it. I was in the wrong place at my last job in Corporate America.
I ended up leaving that job to work on my calling as a filmmaker and spiritual counselor.
Though my path is not easy, I’ve learned that things have a way of working out for you once you listen to your heart and the guidance from your ancestors.
Sure, it’s tough sometimes, but somehow, my ancestors provide for me month after month; I am here to tell you that your ancestors can provide for you too.
But you’ve got to develop the courage to step out on faith…
And you must have patience and discipline and a strong work ethic.
The support from the unseen world can be amazing at times!
Here’s how Mntshali describes the magic…
“As for financial security, it all depends on how you obey orders. If you obey exactly as the ancestors direct, your practice, your life, will not fail,” he says.
“The ancestors will provide. At first you may worry. How will you pay your bills? The children’s school fees? Then you become so caught up in your calling, your true work, your love for it grows.”
“Soon you are only serving and not worrying so much about the bills. When you need it most, money or goods arrive. Your calling is God’s work. God does not call us then leave us to drown in hardship,” says Mntshali.
The day you stop doubting the guidance of your ancestors is the day your life will start to improve dramatically.
I’ve got to run, but I would love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave a comment.
Also, if you’ve enjoyed reading this article, then sign up for my inspirational newsletters at the link below.
Blessings
James Weeks
Producer, Across The King’s River
by James Weeks | Feb 8, 2015 | Blog
You must honor your Spirit…
This is where you must begin; this is where you must end.
That’s the advice I gave to a client who came for divination tonight
Not only must you honor your Spirit, you must remember that you ARE Spirit!
Forget what everyone else thinks or does.
Be still; attune yourself to what your own Spirit is saying.
Stop thinking you need outside validation for every single decision, for every single step you wish to make.
You don’t…
Listen from within! Be strong! Walk on!
James Weeks/Across The King’s River
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Blessings!
by James Weeks | Dec 15, 2014 | Blog
Believe in yourself…
That’s all the ancestors are asking of you. That’s all that the universe demands!
I know! It’s easier said than done.
Yet, this is the challenge before us. This is where the work begins. This is not a battle you can afford to lose.
There’s simply too much at stake…
The outside world wages a systematic campaign every single day to chip away at your self-confidence and to keep you in your place.
That’s what marketing, advertising and the media are all about, crafting messages that create false needs and false fears!
You’ve got to take your power back!
This Holiday Season, as we begin the countdown toward 2015, take time out to get in touch with your Spirit again.
And nurture that Spirit!
Be clear about what you really feel, what you really think, what you really need, what you truly love, who you truly love!
Believe that you can turn your life around…
And believe that Spirit will lead you in the direction that’s truly best for you!
May the ancestors bless you from the north, the south, the east and the west!.
Love,
James Weeks
