African Spiritual Economy

According to Yoruba thought, money is a deity. Her name is Aje, the daughter of Olokun. Aje is kose e mani, the indispensible one, the key to physical as well as spiritual progress. The importance of understanding the divine essence of money cannot be overstated. Money is known by many more attributes, which collectively explain the complexity of human activity in relation to earning, spending and investing it:

Owo ni koko: Money is the key
Sure lere: Patience is profitable
Ibanuje ni ojo ori, owo l’agba: knowing your age is sad, money is the eldest (Age without money is sad)
Olowo n soro… talika loun ni “idea”: The rich man speaks and is obeyed… the poor man on says “I have an idea”
Owo ni keke ihinrere: Money is the engine (bicyle) of the gospel
Oogun ti a o f’owo se, ehin aaro ni gbe: A spiritual medicine bought cheaply has little value
Owo eru kii gb’oro: Money should acquired in a clean way
Ise l’oogun ise: Hard work is the antidote for poverty

All the divinities of orisa lifestyle have their own ojubo (shrine). The ojubo not only represents the divinity, it is also the place you go to invoke the divinity for guidance and protection. In this light, you learn that, instead of praying FOR money – or even worse, praying TO money – it is best to invoke the spirit of Aje to activate prosperity in your life, according to divine principles. In this way, you develop a relationship with money that is in alignment with the spiritual laws that govern the universe. Ifa teaches us that people are called eniyan, the chosen ones. We are all selected by Olodumare – God Almighty- to bring about the Good Condition. In the holy odu IrosunIwori, Ifa teaches us this way:

Let us do things with joy
Those who wish to go may go
Those who wish to return may return
Definitely, human beings were chosen to bring good fortune to the world…

The pinnacle of human excellence, according to Ifa, is to create a world in which there will be full knowledge if all things, joy everywhere, life without anxiety or fear of enemies, attack from snakes or other dangerous animals, without fear of death, disease, litigation, losses, wizards, witches, misery or poverty.
How is this possible?

Ifa goes on to tell us that it is because of your inner power, good character and wisdom that you will achieve this, which is known as the Good Condition. In this regard, in orisa lifestyle, we aspire to make money work for the Good Condition. Money has historically been a problem where there are no clearly defined values. For this reason, there are rituals specially organized around six core values:

– Giga | Elevation: Money is meant to serve the highest intentions of the human spirit.
– Otito | Trust: People are best served when the use of money is based on long-term relationships.
– Afarabale | Discipline: Economic success will be defined by balancing social, spiritual and ecological impact, not by financial results alone.
– Egbe | Networks: The strategic integration of social networks will be increasingly important in the circulation of money.
– Aseyori | Innovation: A deeply entrepreneurial culture is required to generate breakthrough ideas at the intersection of social change and finance.
– Idogba | Equality: All who seek to align their values with their money will be granted access to opportunities for investing, lending, and giving.