Blessed greetings! I've been getting a lot of mail from readers lately and I must say E SE PUPO (THANK YOU VERY MUCH) for your support and for reaching out! Ase Ire is all about good feelings and knowledge so nothing makes me happier than to hear that my words have inspired someone or taught him or her something.

One of the letters I got recently was from a reader who is a Iyawo, or a new initiate into the Ifá-Òrìsà tradition. The period following initiation -- or any major life change -- can be very challenging. Despite the beautiful transformation taking place, significant life adjustments can feel dark, dramatic and uncomfortable.

The womb is dark and the birth process is dramatic and uncomfortable, but it is only through this experience of darkness, drama and discomfort that new life can be created. It is said that a baby being born believes that its whole world is coming to an end -- when the water drains and everything is loud and blinding -- before it realizes that it's being born into a whole new world, bigger, better and brighter than the one it knew before. When in the midst of major change, you may find yourself in the darkness of a metaphorical womb, waiting to be reborn. While it may seem like things are tougher than ever, trust in your divinities, trust in the process and trust that a whole new world awaits you on the other side.
 
~'Funlayo