The four right basic ways to connect with Culture - Nedumu

By Ezinwa Anaedo The four right basic ways to connect with Culture.

Four basic steps summarise the right journey in Odinani.

• Alignment or Attunement.

• Appeasement or Aja.

• Reconnection.

• Continuous Growth.

Of all these four steps, where the service of a native doctor (Dibịa) is needed in the utmost sense is only in Appeasements. Others are what one must do for himself/herself.

The first step in culture (Ọdịnanị) does not start at the native doctor's (Dibịa's) Chambers. Starting your journey in culture (Ọdịnanị) by rushing to native doctors (dibịa's) Chambers would only breed frustration. You won't even understand what is happening or what exactly you are doing there. And in most cases, it leads to a waste of time, money, material, and other resources. In the end, doubts, frustration, and the desire to give up or quit set in. It is like when someone who did not attend primary school suddenly finds himself in secondary school or university.

Some native doctors (dibịas) don't even take out time to school their clients on basic information and knowledge. If you meet a native doctor (dibịa) who is kind and generous enough to take his time and explain things to you please pay attention and appreciate them. I am such a person and the team of young native doctors (Dibịas) I work with currently have the same mindset as me because we have come a long way and we ain't just in culture (Ọdịnanị) for the sweet juice of it but to accomplish a divine task of restoring our people and the Igbo land through Ọdịnanị awakening. The various articles I write here are part of the work. I am not just catching fun typing all these if not that there is a need for it. May Igbo land (Anị Igbo) bless all who are on this selfless positive task.

Most native doctors (dibịas) only do a consultation (cast Afa) and then deliver the ambiguous message to you, whether or not you understand is none of their business, after all, how much did you pay him?

Though I have written lots of articles on this topic before now I still find the need to reiterate it further.

When you begin your journey in culture (Ọdịnanị) rushing to the native doctor (dibịa), the native doctor (dibịa) will surely give you a list of things to do and a list of spirits to appease. He'd tell you for instance that your Chi (your god) needs to be appeased. But you don't even know or understand what or who is this Chi (god), what it looks like, and what it takes to maintain this energy subsequently (did I just say energy? You don't even know what energy means self to start with). The native doctor (dibịa) will further tell you that you are connected to Mmiri (water) and need to settle them too. At the hearing of this, most spiritual novices would start breathing fast as if running out of air.

They'd be like "wow! So abụ mụ nwa mmiri?" (i am a child of water) as if there is something so much special about that. Well, every human being has connections with all four elements of earth, water, fire, and air. So a native doctor (dibịa) telling you that you are Nwa mmiri (Child of water) is no big deal. I don't even need the constellation (cast Afa) to tell you that you are Nwa Mmiri (child of water). Yes, you are. And if you see those natural waters in your village and that of your maternal village you will go there and identify with them because they are part of the governing spirits of your community or village. So just bear that in mind. Let no native doctor (Dibịa) trip you with that.

But a native doctor (dibịa) telling you a novice that you need to settle ndị Mmiri (the people of the water), you don't even understand what he is talking about but because you are already excited and want all your problems taken away overnight so that the money will start flowing in, you accept to start up immediately to settle and appease, Nne or Nana (Mother or Father), there is every possibility you will repeat that ọrụ mmiri (water work) several times until you do the needful. It may not be failures on the part of the native doctor (dibịa) but failures on your part to do the needful. I am not wishing you bad anyway but I am here to guide you from my own experiences which I spent hundreds of thousands of money to get, and also from the experience of many others.

ALIGNMENT

Give yourself time to first establish a solid foundation in your culture (Ọdịnanị) while you carry on with alignment first. For this Alignment or Attunement,t I always recommend it. 

(i) Ịgọ Ọfọ, invocations and libations 

(ii) Daily practice of body cleansing with water and use of collar nuts (ọjị)

(iii) meditation and conscious living

(iv) Conscious living through exercising your mind powers.

(i) - (ii) Ịgọ Ọfọ, invocation,s and libations
For invocations and libations (Ịgọ ọfọ), you need items like ọjị, nzu, edo, hot drink, water, use of fire or candlelight, salt, and other natural materials. With these, you start invoking your associate spirits such as CHI, Miri Chi, Agwu, Ikenga, Ogwugwu, Arụsị, Ngwu, Udo, Ụrasị, Ngene, Ndị Ichie, and all universe forces such as Anyanwụ, Anị, Ikuku, Miri, the seen and unseen universe forces or energies, etc and pour libations to them. You learn to interact with all beings.

(iii) - (iv) Meditation and Conscious living
For meditation and conscious living, all you need is your mind and its powers - thoughts, words, feelings, and actions. With our mind, we connect with the Universe's Giant Mind which creates everything.

APPEASEMENT

This is mostly where the direct services of native doctors (dibịa) are needed in the ordinance spiritual journey. I won't go much into detail on this since my focus is on you the individual seeker.

RECONNECTION

This is another task you must fulfill yourself as an individual. Appeasement is not reconnection nor is it alignment nor is its growth. Anybody can just get hen (Ọkụkọ) and kill for any deity or spirit but are you aligned with the spirit (Mmụọ)? Are you truly connected with the spirit (Mmụọ) spiritually? Killing animals and sprinkling the blood is no big deal. The real deal is in the connection.

After the native doctors (dibịa) have pacified your god (Chi), for instance, it does not just end there. There is a need for you to constantly connect with that energy and feed it. Feeding one's god (Chi) is not only by blood sacrifice. Yes, blood sacrifice is very important, but remember that blood sacrifice only covers the action and words part of the requirements. Your will, thoughts, and feelings are part of the energies you feed your God (Chi) with. And these are even the most important of all. Your thoughts for, instance, bear more force than even your words and actions. With thoughts, you can cause things or people to move or behave in certain ways even without establishing physical contact. A very powerful energy frequency. If you only pacify your god (Chi) and then turn away without following up with constant connections it would always look as if you did nothing because the energy flow is stagnant. Same with Ndị Miri (people of water) and others.

CONTINUOUS GROWTH

This is the resultant effect of the first three. If you are in a culture (Ọdịnanị) without experiencing growth then something is wrong. The growth I mean here is not growing in your bank account, because this is the only definition of growth any average man or woman knows. If it does not bring money, then, it is rubbish.

When you are experiencing spiritual advancement within yourself you don't need anybody to tell you. You know it. You feel it. It becomes obvious. Aim at growth.

Your growth must either be upwards or downwards. No seating on the fence. But it is my wish that you grow upwards.

By Ezinwa Anaedo. I come for the total restoration of culture (Ọdịnanị) and especially (Ọmenanị Igbo) Igbo culture.