Ofo Ase-The Healing Power of Words-Healing Speech (Part I)

The wound left by a cutlass may heal, but the wound left by speech does not heal. (Injury inflicted through speech is impossible to heal.) Yoruba Proverb

Summary: Be careful of your speech lest you harm your self and others. Ofo Ase is the power of speech to manifest. Sacred speech is a portal to maintaining cool and gentle character and supports our collective destiny as humans to bring goodness. Beliefs, thoughts and feelings precede speech. One must cultivate a reflective practice to understand how our thinking and feeling patterns and what we believe contribute to our speech. The unwholesome aspect of our ego will fight to preserve our identity and status; thus the ego can be a barrier to the consistent practice of healing speech.

In this installment I will focus on precursors to speech, values, beliefs, feelings and thoughts, and the importance of a reflective practice as a path to Ofo Ase. In the next installment I will outline practices within Ifa and other world traditions that support us to speaking in powerful and healing ways.

A sustaining belief in Ifa is that we have incarnated as humans to bring goodness to the world. How each of us brings this goodness is unique to our individual destiny and our free will. Ifa tells us that we will continue to return (reincarnate) until all humans have attained the "good position." Odu Osa Ogunda speaks of our collective destiny as humans in this way:

The anthill is the place of deliberation of the eerun ants. Asuwa, a grouping together in harmony is the place of deliberation of human beings. It was through the principle of grouping together that earth was created. It was through the principle of grouping together that heaven was created. And it was in the form of collectivities that beings descended on earth. All inclusive was the grouping together when beings were first created. All embracing was the grouping together when beings were completed. Formed into collectivities were beings when they rained down on earth. All goodness became a grouping together in harmony...

Alasuwada, Great Being who creates all beings in groups, we ask you humbly, that you grant us things gathered in groups so that they bring together all things good for us. Bees form swarms... Dews pouring lightly, pouring lightly were used to create the world. And likewise was done to create the earth. So that the goodness of togetherness could come forth at once. Indeed all goodness took the form of a gathering together in harmony.

Now if one ori (mind/heart) encounters good, it will spread out and touch two hundred. If my mind/heart is good, it will spread out and touch you. and if your mind/heart is good, it will spread out and touch me. For if just one mind/heart experiences good, it will spread out and touch two hundred.

As people of consciousness we consider the actions and practices that demonstrate our commitment to this collective human destiny. Odu Ogbe Otura instructs that the cultivation and maintenance of good character (iwa pele) is what is necessary to fulfill our human destiny.

If we have money and do not have character, the money belongs to someone else. Character, iwa, is what we are looking for, character. If we have children and do not have character, the children belong to someone else. Character, iwa, is what we are looking for, character. If we have a house and do not have character, the house belongs to someone else. Character, iwa, is what we are looking for, character. If we have clothes and do not have character, the clothes belong to someone else. Character, iwa, is what we are looking for, character. All the good things we have, if we do not have character, these good things belong to someone else. Character, iwa, is what we are looking for, character.

Building and maintaining our good character is central to our bringing goodness to the world. Bringing goodness then requires us to be discerning beings, people who make appropriate judgments in word and deed that support good character.

Merriam Webster defines discernment as "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure." Discernment stresses accuracy, and the power to see what is not evident to the average mind. Webster further defines the qualities associated with discernment:

* Discrimination: suggests the power to distinguish and select what is true, appropriate or excellent
* Perception: implies quick and often sympathetic discernment
* Penetration: implies a searching mind that goes beyond what is obvious or superficial
* Insight: suggests depth of discernment coupled with understanding sympathy
* Acumen: implies characteristic penetration combined with keen practical judgment

A discerning nature composes the foundation upon which build our character, for it is the discerning person who responds appropriately to any given situation, and who chooses whether to speak and act in ways that are helpful or harmful.

Ofo Ase

In Yoruba, the power of the word is called ofo ase and refers to the ability of our words to manifest out intent. Ofo ase is evident in our prayers and songs and in ritual. Ofo ase also extends to mundane speech, speech outside ritual-a fruitful field for cultivating discernment. We know that our harmful speech blemishes our character and the well being of ourselves and others. Harmful speech creates disconnection, discord and disaffection. Conversely, healing speech can bring goodness, helping us to fulfill our shared destiny as humans.

We speak because we are compelled to communicate. We speak to tell of our internal condition, to articulate feelings and thoughts, to externalize our desires and express our needs to another. We speak ultimately to be understood; and sometimes to protect, to protest, to harm, to soothe and to heal, and to express our joy and our pain. As powerful as words are it is when we couple our words with our conscious or unconscious intentions that our speech gains profundity.

So much of the trouble in our lives and the trouble we cause others are rooted in our idle, accidental and even destructive use of words. It is very important to become aware and take command of our tongues. Everyday Holiness, Alan Morinis

Precursors to Speech: Beliefs, Thoughts and Feelings

Our words spring from our storehouse of values and beliefs, our thoughts and our emotions. Thus, we are better able to speak sacredly when we are adept at identifying and examining our beliefs, feelings and thoughts-when we are reflective beings. Our heightened awareness and willingness to act from that awareness supports sacred communication.

A healthy ego is necessary for our survival. However, unwholesome ego states create barriers to our reflection and discernment. A primary function of the ego is to protect our sense of self, our beloved identity. The ego defends our way of thinking, of speaking and acting, and resists when we subject our thoughts, speech or actions to examination-to the light of reflection.

If we are disciplined in examining our values, beliefs, thoughts and feelings, with as little judgment as possible, we observe how certain beliefs lead to feelings which subsequently motivate the words we speak to ourselves and others.

While thought can be an entrance to understanding, it needs to be clear and honest for it to do any good. Indeed, much of what holds us back from progress in life in general are the little lies, fantasies, and deceptions we repeat to ourselves inside our heads all day long. There are two ways of approaching these untrue thoughts. One is to break the habit of chattering to ourselves all the time... The other is to honestly question the things we tell ourselves... When we stop filling our minds with our habitual, delusive thoughts, an interesting thing happens: other thoughts which have always been present but have rarely had a chance to be heard come to the forefront: thoughts of selfless generosity, compassion, love, and empathy. And these are aspects of enlightenment itself. The Place of Thought (from Berkeley Buddhist Priority)

 Field of Reflection

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field." Rumi

The field that Rumi refers to is a place where we come to commune with ourselves, where we focus our attention and intentions on those practices and disciplines that help to illuminate the self, and which help us to elevate. From this field we observe ourselves with curiosity and interest; we refrain from judgment and self blame. In this field we have the courage to examine our beliefs, our thoughts and our feelings. Ultimately, nurturing this field helps us to gently let go of the habits that lead to harmful speech and other harmful actions toward ourselves and others.

This field has many locations. This field is the small pause we take before speaking, or our meditative practice. This field is a physical place we return to which is conducive to reflection. This field is the place of communion with people who share the same intentions. This field is the opening that we create inside of our own selves, the space that we make for our growth and our humanity.

For Your Reflection

I was thinking about how easy it is to speak sacredly when I am talking with children. I am very conscious of how I speak; I do not want my speech to harm the child. And, when I have said something harshly to a child, I usually have been quick to acknowledge my harm. However, I don't often give that level of consideration to myself or to other adults.

Is there someone or some group of people for whom you are most conscious about not inflicting harm to with your speech? What is it about that person or group that motivates you to refrain from harming them with your speech? What implications might your reflections have on your speech with others outside this "protected" group?

In enduring peace, Ayodele