24 Apr Give Thanks for the Water and Let it Soothe You

Alaafia Family! Spring is finally tryina spring in the northeast and I’m thankful to be able to be out feeling the warmth of the sun, smelling the newly bloomed flowers, and hearing the chirping of the birds as they return. The beauty and nourishment of nature is our first and biggest blessing and our Orisa Prayer and Meditation message reminded us of the importance of giving thanks for it all.

In this story, which comes from the Cuban orisa story corpus, humanity had stopped giving thanks for their natural blessings. They stopped bringing their first harvests and making rituals in thanks to the rain and the trees. In reaction to this, Olofi (the Supreme Being) withdrew the rain. Crops began to wither, rivers and lakes began to dry, and humanity found itself in a terrible situation.

All of the orisa gathered to discuss how they could help and ultimately decided one of them should go directly to Olofi to plead humanity’s case. One by one, each of them made an excuse why they shouldn’t be the one to go. Who stepped forward to volunteer? Yemjoa, the mother of all who cares for her children who are as plentiful as the fish in the sea. Understanding the dire straights the world was in, she knew there was no time to waste with excuses or arguments.

When Yemoja arrived at Olofi’s palace, she was tired and desperately thirsty. The only water available was one small muddy puddle that had collected in front of the palace. As she stooped down and began to drink, Olofi came outside and was horrified to see the great mother, a queen and ruler in her own right, drinking dirty water. Olofi apologized for having withheld the rain and immediately brought the water back to earth.

So many lessons! First being that we must always — ALWAYS — be thankful for our blessings, big and small. Ifa tells us that the ability to express gratitude is one of the attributes that makes human beings different from other animals. We can recognize blessings and give thanks for them, and we must. A perfect message to coincide with the Earth Day, which was April 22, and every day!

Another lesson: leadership is hard and can be a dirty job! People often think that leading means sitting on high being served when, in reality, it means being a servant. It means being willing to go the extra mile when others won’t. It means rolling up your sleeves and doing what needs to be done without worrying about who else didn’t do what or why. Yemoja understood the assignment and took it on, no questions asked, because she understood what was at stake. That is true leadership.

Inspire, our card for the week from the Fanm Saj Sacred Ori Affirmation Oracle deck reminds us that we mustn’t fall into the traps of self-doubt or negativity even when things are tough and others aren’t pulling their weight. Instead, we should “midwife” our selves (fanm saj means midwife in Haitian Kreyol) by catching, gathering, and nourishing all the precious parts of us. Giving birth is never an easy process but, by focusing on the outcome — a beautiful new baby, painting, organization, book, or other project — we can find the strength to keep pushing.

Crystal ally lithium quartz helps to soothe our minds and spirits and overcome self-doubt, anxiety, and depression allowing us to tap into our inspiration. This crystal helps us to stay focused, yet relaxed, so that we can allow all our waters flow. Give thanks, stay inspired, and stay cool! 

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

~Iya Funlayo

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