I have often heard the phrase, "My relationship with my Orisha is mine, and they understand me" from both people near to me and from people I barely know. I often find it difficult to understand these statements because of my mindset. I believe that I entered into the priesthood of my own volition - I was neither coerced nor was I forced. As such, when I underwent initiation, I understood that for the rest of my life, I would no longer be a free agent. I would be forever beholden to the divine intervention and will of my tutelary deity - I would be his/her's tool on Earth, here solely to do Orishas work. I believe and accept that I must mold my existence to conform to those of my deity, and to the attainment of the goals that they set for me.
I believe that perhaps, part of the reason that our religion is failing around us, is the lack of universal goals. Though that may seem a bit dogmatic - at the end of the day, there is no requirement to keep people from using the religion simply for selfish reasons. These two topics may seem disconnected - but in my mind, they totally go hand in hand.
If we seek initiation, it must be two fold - or it is for naught. We must seek not only to meet with Orisha to better ourselves, but also to better the world around us. Perhaps the requirement that one Osha be done for free? Perhaps we should all take vows to help those around us? Perhaps we should take vows that we will never overcharge to pay our bills?
Perhaps - our Gods have become so close to us, that we no longer see them as superior, but as peers - and that itself, leads to a familiarity that is too human, too mortal - we forget that they are still Gods.
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