Power Seen, Power Heard

This morning I am thinking about the conversation we had last night during Odu Study group about the two Odu for us in 2026.

For the entire Egbe it is Odi Osa.

For us as an individual Temple it is Ose Obara.

Both came to us in alignment with good fortune.

We talked about how the two would interplay in our life throughout this year.

This morning I am inspired by one of my students in the class, Ifakemi. She talked about lightning and how it forms.

So this morning I'm learning about lightning and thunder.

What I have learned is that the very first component is Air. In both lightning and thunder, Air plays a particular role in how strong it is.

Now when we look at some of the stories we hear about Sango and Oya, it is often stated that she is the one that goes first in a battle.

Ifa is not just one thing. It is Wisdom of Nature. That encompasses everything.

So we got air acting as this insulator between the charges within the cloud, and also between the cloud and the ground. Once the charges get to a certain state, the air stops acting like an insulator and there is a rapid discharge of electricity that we see as lightning.

Thunder is the sound that lightning makes (I just learned that by the way). When lightning passes through the air, the air gets warm. The air expands rapidly and creates the sound we hear as thunder. You can hear thunder from 10 miles from where the lightning actually struck. (masculine)

Now, let's go back to how we understand the relationship between Sango and Oya. Oya being the Orisa of Air. We have the work she is doing during a storm but we can not see her. You can't see Air.

We know it's there. We need Air to breathe. The lightning needs Air to first contain the charges and the break that containment at just the right moment so that it can be seen. Lightning be see for 10 miles away from where the actual storm is. This wouldn't be possible without Air.

The power of the thunders is also due to Air. Again you can not see it. Thunder is a sound so it is intangible (feminine). However, the strength and power of the the storm is also perceived by the thunder you hear. And again, you can hear the thunder for miles away from where the storm actually is.

And though stories highlight who is stronger, they are both powerful in their own right. The dance and interplay with one another is what makes them a formidable couple. He needs her as much as she needs him. She is what allows him to be seen. He is what allows her to be heard.

How do you apply this to your own nature?

There is are two particular areas of your life that works like the lightning and thunder. The Air insulates at first. Contains. It only breaks down that insulation when it's time for things to be seen and revealed. Then CRACK! FLASH! A revelation or change that is rapid and radical.

This change allows you to not only be seen but it creates an inner transformation that, once undergone and integrated, allows for external changes to be seen within your life This is when you find your true strength and power.

This is just one way your feminine and masculine energy work together.

For me personally, this is the 2nd and 8th house axis in my chart. There are things that are insulated. They must be kept close. Mysteries. With my Sun in the 8th, this includes me personally. I need to be insulated. Funny, there are things that have come up and I didn't understand until I got back into doing the work of of looking at my chart via the lens of Ifa.

When I allow that insulation to do what it needs, this is when the power builds up. When it is time to take that insulation down, then I move into that 2nd house energy. I can see changes in how money flows, even my voice quality changes. However, it's internalized first before materialized in my world. Then when I, or whomever is meant to do something with that lightning, do what is needed; then I can be heard.

This is how this energy manifests for me. For each person it will be different.

When we look at the two of them as a couple, they are the best of friends. They feed off one another in a way that strengthens them, not drains them. Still he has his own things he does (wood working, divination, etc.). She has her own things (tornadoes, fertility (River Oya), carrying our words to Esu when we make our Iwure).

They have what they have both together and personal. Allowing them to be a unit and individuals within their relationship.

What can you learn from this dynamic that may be beneficial for yourself?

Thanks so much for reading.

I have been studying how Nature speaks and how Ifa shares that Wisdom. One particular arena has been how we reclaim certain esoteric wisdom as originally African. Me looking at charts through the lens of Ifa has been one such area. Studying a few Elders who laid that groundwork, I was able to truly understand and thus understand my own (and others) nature even clearer.

I hope you'll continue following me on this journey. Let's see where it leads.

Storms - https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-science-overview

Ifa and the Cosmos - Baba Chief Solagbade Popoola

https://www.obafemio.com/uploads/5/1/4/2/5142021/the_creation_story.pdf

https://www.sacredmysteries.org/post/yoruba-ifa-creation-story-stages-1-2