A Year For Rebuilding

Baba Orunmila has finally given me the reading for the year.  If it was anyone else I would have said that it was about time.  But like I’ve said before, trying to rush a reading from Baba is like trying to hold back the Iya Osun in her form as the Mississippi River with Lego blocks.

To be honest, I received the reading earlier this week.  We decided to give it a title of A Year Of Give And Take.  To accompany the reading I chose a picture of a shore line with its waters in a constant rhythm of give and take with the sand.  The picture also shows billowing clouds meant to symbolize the fact that this year is going to be a year of great changes just like last year was.  And everybody knows last year was a hell of a deusy.  I don’t think I’ve met anyone who thought otherwise.

With the wisdom of hindsight I can see that last year was intended to give us all a new perspective of the need for material wealth.  A lot of people had their face slapped when they realized their economic security was being pulled from under them like a rug.  Many of us stumbled.  Some of us stumbled harder than others.  Few were untouched.

When I was little I went to Sunday school and we learned that Jesus said that a man shouldn’t build his house on a foundation of sand.  So many of us have built our future on an economic foundation based on an entry in some bank’s database somewhere.  A magnetic record somewhere tells everybody what we are worth.  And people are working like crazy to increase the size of that magnetic bank balance easily wiped by the stroke of a keyboard.  If that doesn’t sound like a foundation of sand then I don’t know what does.

This year, we will have another chance to get our focus back on what is important.  We need to focus on building our relationships.  As Baba said, change is best confronted when we have people around us going through the change with us.  Family and friends are key to weathering the coming storms.  Anyone who thinks they can face the future without support from others is taking a huge risk.  I know I wouldn’t want to try it.

One thing Baba Orunmila said that wasn’t included in this reading is the fact that there will be an addendum to the reading that will be coming later.  Honestly, a sequel to the reading is most appropriate in a year described as give and take.  So Baba gives a part here.  We have no choice but to give Baba the time he wants to come back with the sequel.

In the mean time, we should take heed and do what we can to keep our families close and our loved ones closer.  This ride has just begun.  I think last year was just the beginning.  There is a lot more to come.

And just in case you don’t bother to go and read what Baba Orunmila said for yourself, the Orisa for the year is Baba Obatala.  I was taught that Obatala is the Orisa of the mountains and there isn’t much more stable than that.  In a year of great changes we will need stability in our lives.  Baba is also the Orisa of justice.  And what symbolizes justice more than the concept you reap what you sow?  And we will have a lot of reaping to do for a long time.

But that’s cool because Baba Obatala, the Orisa of the mountains will be here to help give us a better foundation.  We just have to make the choice to take him up on his offer to guide us.  And if nothing else we’ll learn to build our future on a rock solid foundation.