Excerpt from The The Ifa / Orisha Religious Tradition: A New Global Perspective by Oloye “Baba” Ifa Karade

The time has come for the African seed to once again push through the concrete and abstract obstacles built and enforced by Western perceptions. Since enslavement, every generation has had to be replanted and every generation has had to break free of the shackles that bound them. The ancient wisdom systems of Africa have always been the developing root. And, as a root, it reaches deeper into the recesses of our earth; of our minds to gain the necessary elements for our growth. But the root must be strong, or it will falter and fail to sustain us.

We can strengthen ourselves by studying and applying the ancient wisdom systems. Ifa, the foundation of West African religious and cultural thought, is such a system. It has been passed on to us by way of our ancestors. For tens of thousands of years, it has existed. It has survived the devastation of enslavement It has remained a viable method for reclaiming our African mind and soul; culture and religion; self-worth and divine reflection. However, because of its viability and potency. It has been buried by the oppressive society making it almost impossible to find. Even if uncovered, it's difficult for one to get a clear and precise image of it. Hence, Ifa is projected as non-therapeutic in respect to healing the physical, and unholy in respect to the salvation of the soul. However, nothing could be further from the truth. The coin continues to spin.