Before starting our initiations there was a little bit of time, so we took a trip to the Ọ̀ṣun grove—a beautiful space of nature the Ọ̀ṣun river runs through. This river is known for the famous Òrìṣà of the same name, who is connected to many aspects of divine feminine energy. When we arrived, we came across some Ọ̀ṣun priestesses who were nice enough to pray for us while we were at the river. In addition, they performed kola nut divination to provide any messages Ọ̀ṣun had for us for that day. We also provided offerings at the river as all things are a give and receive. Unfortunately, there has been some construction in Osogbo which is polluting this great river. I hope that something can be done to restore this treasure to its original state of beauty.
There were several large carvings within the grove. The Yorùbá people are known for their artwork and there were many beautiful examples to be seen. It was nice spending time communing with nature and taking in the energy of the space, oh and the monkeys were cool too.
We were measured for clothing when we first arrived in Osogbo, as there were items we would need to wear for the initiation. Measuring, buying cloth, and getting clothing made became a whole other aspect of the trip, but we will get to that a bit later. The morning of our first big day, I was up early with feelings of slight nervousness, intrigue, and excitement. The moment was finally here. From this point on I was told what to do and I did it trusting that I would be taken care of. There were many people on hand to support our experience. Numerous priests were present to chant the various verses of Odu Ífa providing messages for the both of us initiates. There were many young priests in training doing tons of hands-on work to keep everything moving as well as chanting in support and individually when required. I was in awe of the sheer scope of what was involved to make all of this happen. The amount of studying to learn these verses, to remember the processes involved and to do it all so seamlessly, I saw my future in that moment. And most of the experience was in Yorùbá with English translation when it was truly required. It was a lot to take in.
It rained as we went to the ÍFA grove for another part of the initiation which apparently doesn’t happen often. There were drummers who traveled with us along the way turning the experiece into a full on procession. There were moments of dancing, chanting, focus, and mystery. And then came the moment for my hair to go. Over 15 years of growth, gone in a moment’s time. When the shaving took place, I wondered what it would feel like and in the end, I felt nothing. The hair was removed, and I just remained present. I didn’t feel lighter or as if I lost something, I just continued to feel like me…only cold because of the rain. I think because I knew it was going to be removed I already let it go. This was just the formality.
Ṣelewa and I experienced quite a bit on our first day. We returned to the compound in a state of elation as well as contemplation. When you go through something like that you never go through it alone. Our ancestors were with us as well as our guides. Generations were waiting for this to happen as we now were firmly connected to our respective walks and aligned with our destinies. Long lines of tradition temperarily broken by slavery were reconnected. We were back home, and so were our ancestors.
