About IFA Religion Group of North Carolina

Who are we?
Western Religion created a paradigm where you had to remain childlike and dependent to accrue the benefits they professed to offer. Some might say that our relationship to God MUST be childlike and dependent...they would be wrong. All one has to do is look at God?s construct to see how animals, plants, fish, birds, insects etc. all raise and nurture their young , but invariably set them free to fend and empower their own lives. We are no different.
In Ifa, and even more so in Lucumi/Santeria, this Judeo/Catholic Paternalism has corrupted the self-empowering concept that is truly the basis of the Ifa philosophy. Today Babalawo, Priests, Priestesses, Italeros etc. attempt to create a situation where you are dependent upon their skills or power to survive and prosper. Through secrecy, fear, exclusion and rules, they seek to prevent your growth and knowledge, your own ability to perceive and fix your lives, your God given and God constructed right to self-empowerment and adulthood.
Why do they do it? There are many reasons...all of them dangerous and wrong. It may be for money. It may be for Power. It may simply be because they accepted the Western Religious model and never examined it. Yet, the result is always the same: You fail to grow. You remain a child.
This group was formed to learn to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. We do not encourage, or indeed permit, a lifelong dependence on us to care for you. We will responsibly help you find remedy for your immediate problems, but the goal is to teach you to:
1. Avoid those problems in the future, and
2. To be able to deal with them yourself should the occur.

We will practice Empowerment, not dependence.






Who should join this group?

Those who wish to maximize their life and their relationships - with family, community and the universe we are part of - in a logical, consistent and thoughtful manner.





Who should NOT join this group?

If you believe that a worldview that expresses discrimination, secrecy and control is what you want to entrust your life to, then there is no point in discussing logic, common sense and universal values. If you believe that women are less than men, that skin color defines a persons value, that sexual orientation can only be expressed in limited ways, that there is a devil, that this is a malevolent universe, that logic and intellect do not apply to spirituality, that secrecy and learning can ever go hand in hand, that you need to be taken care of rather than learning to care for yourself than our work, teaching and concepts are not for you.





What type of events are planned for the future?
One of the most important things you can do to begin your journey is to find out exactly which Orisa crowns your head, along with the life path that you selected for your Destiny. This will be accomplished through the collaboration of a competent Babalawo or Iyanifa from the Ifa Foundation of North America. They will also offer Life/Guardian readings.
We will be holding meetings and workshops where we can learn as well as teach others.