10 Apr Banish Negativity and Make the Most of the Marketplace!

Family, it’s been a very hard and heavy moment for me. I have experienced the loss of someone very close to me and the grief and pain are very real. At the same time, as I shared during this week’s Orisa Prayer and Meditation, the reminder that our time here on earth is limited has filled me with new resolve to enjoy it to the fullest!

Ifa tells us that aiye loja, orun nile, meaning earth is the marketplace, the spiritual realm is home. Oya, who we also call Iyansan, the mother of nine, is said to be the queen of the marketplace, as she represents the archetype of change and governs the main exchanges that take place in that realm: money changing hands, the exchange of information, bartering, and more. In the marketplace of life, she is our first and last breath and, in diasporic understandings, she is said to be the queen of the cemetery, watching over and facilitating communication with those who have passed on.

As much as we may not like to think about it, all of us will eventually go home to the spiritual realm. Life is precious precisely because it doesn’t last forever. What will we take with us from this marketplace when we leave? What experiences are our souls craving? Who are we meant to love? Whose lives are we meant to touch? How do we make the most of this marketplace that is life? 

The short answer: live! Go places! Do things! Call and spend time with those you care about! Laugh! Dance! Play! Enjoy! Gbadun! Grab the sweetness from life! We pray that Oya brings sweet cool breezes to our enjoyment and that her sweeping winds carry away the negative! Ase!

Aligned with this, the Hierophant, our card of the week, encourages us to consider the influences we allow into our space as well as the influence we have over others. Do you allow negative energy to penetrate your aura too easily? Are you, yourself, a naysayer or pessimist? The Hierophant says, check yourself and ensure you’re only exuding — and allowing in — those energies that uplift and empower you.

Black tourmaline, our crystal ally, is a powerhouse at blocking and absorbing the less-than-high vibes, thus protecting us from the ways in which they can drain us. If you’ve got a piece, hold it in your hand and breathe deeply, envisioning yourself breathing out anything you need to release, just as we do in meditation on Sundays.

May these messages and lessons resonate with you whenever you connect with them! Ase!

~Iya Funlayo

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