The Last Yearly Reading

You know what? I didn’t even ask Baba Orunmila about a reading for the year when 2010 rolled around. What’s the point? Baba always says be patient, it’s coming. And so I’ll be patient. The next thing you know it’s a couple months later. It happened in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. I figured this year I’ll do something a little different. Straight off the bat, I waited. And I waited. And I waited. But it’s hard to out wait an Orisa.

When March rolled around I figured enough time has passed and Baba is going to wait for me to ask no matter what. I can understand. He’s a busy guy. The assistant to the Supreme Being of our universe is simply doing other things waiting for me to simply ask. No biggie really. Baba is a busy spiritual entity. When it comes to being busy, he’s probably number two throughout the universe, at least according to the Yoruba spiritual belief system. So figuring that all I had to do is ask, I waited for him to show up and I asked. He said he’ll get back to me. It was the same thing who would’ve said if I asked like clock work when the New Year rolled around.

Baba was toying with me. Either he was in an extremely good mood or he was about to slap some education on me or a little bit of both or a lot of bit of both. Okay Baba, we’ve gone without it this long, I guess we can go without it little longer. Baba asked me if I really needed the reading. I told him that if he’s not giving it to me then I guess I’d have to say that I really don’t need it. I mean, we’ve been going this long without any reading. I imagine we can always go longer. Baba just nodded.

But I couldn’t leave the subject alone. Obviously, somewhere along the way, somebody decided that there was going to be an annual ritual of year reading where people would receive instructions for how they should live for the next year. I wanted to know how the yearly reading became an annual tradition.

This sparked a conversation I had serious difficulty following. Baba peppered me with a series of rhetorical questions. Who is to say when the time comes for a reading? What does the time stops? When does the next phase begins? Isn’t it just a reading? Can’t you get a reading any time of the year? Why is there a need to hold fast to tradition and allow rituals from the past from people unknown to dictate the path of the people today?

Yes it is true that I got the yearly readings in the past. But that was because I wasn’t ready for the next step from a spiritual perspective. I was still caught up in the tradition of getting that annual reading with community wide implications. Now that I’m a little older and a little wiser, I shouldn’t feel the need for getting that yearly reading for everyone, especially when so few are listening or are listening elsewhere.

There are some people, way too many people who follow the Ifa spiritual belief system, who are still too caught up in traditional rituals to do anything else. A yearly reading here means nothing because there is nothing being asked in return. Other people will give a reading telling people to give the babalawo five thousand dollars and throw ten cowry shells into the ocean and people will do whatever they can to make it happen. What have I done to impact such an arrangement? Giving a yearly reading for everyone to read at will isn’t enough to dissuade somebody from being led where they want to go instead of where they need to go or should be going.

The lesson is that people will do what people want to do. People who are looking for the yearly reading are people who are still looking for something to believe in. Ritualistic ruts are not something people should be looking forward to. But nevertheless, it happens. It’s nice if people develop the spiritual maturity to look beyond the ritual and the rote. But that takes a healthy willingness to grow. And all too often, people prefer the intellectually lazy approach of letting someone else take responsibility for their spiritual guidance. All too often, people don’t want the responsibility that comes with growth. It’s easier to just pay someone else. And like everything else in this level of tangible existence that comes with a price tag, you get what you pay for. Things that come for free cannot possibly compete with things with high sticker prices. That’s just the way it is.

Essentially, if people are looking for answers they will find them. It is easier to see the folly if there is someone to help you. People who see the flaws and want to do what they can to change things will find their way. If people want to change, change will come. Don’t wait for the yearly reading for your answers. That’s letting somebody else dictate the terms of your growth. Do what you can when you can. That will demonstrate real spiritual responsibility. This is the last yearly reading.