Iyalorisa Omitonade Ifawemimo(Òrìṣà Priestess)

Isese a gbewa

🙇🏽‍♀️🙇🏽‍♀️

As an Ìṣẹ̀ṣe priest or priestess, our responsibility goes far beyond performing rituals or initiating others. Our true role is to educate, guide and enlighten those who are already within the tradition, as well as those who are just finding their way back to Ìṣẹ̀ṣe. We must help them understand that initiation is not the ultimate goal nor is priesthood the highest measure of spiritual success. Initiation is only a beginning, a doorway into a deeper journey of self-discovery, discipline and alignment. What truly matters is how an individual shapes their life afterwards, how they grow, how they embody good character(Ìwà pélé) and how they align with their Orí. When a person is truly aligned with their Orí, it reflects not only in their personal life but also positively impacts their children, family and the wider community. It is deeply concerning and at times, painful to see how much emphasis our people place solely on initiation and titles. This fixation has largely come from what is most commonly discussed and promoted within Ìṣẹ̀ṣe spaces. The conversation is often centered on becoming a priest or priestess as though that alone defines spiritual fulfillment. However, there is very little attention given to what it means to live as an ordinary devotee, what some may call a “villager” whose daily life is guided, informed and transformed by the principles of the tradition. We do not talk enough about how to live rightly, how to build strong character, how to maintain spiritual discipline and how to apply the teachings of Ìṣẹ̀ṣe in everyday life. If we are truly committed to the preservation and growth of Ìṣẹ̀ṣe, then we must shift the narrative. We must begin to emphasize living the tradition not just entering it through initiation. We must teach that spirituality is not a title but a way of life, one that is reflected in our actions, our relationships, and our responsibilities to ourselves and others. Only then can we raise a generation of practitioners who are not just initiated but truly transformed. Ìṣẹ̀ṣe òní towo mi bàjé ó.... Àṣẹ!!!