Spirituality

and Balance

Spirituality With or Without the Use of Blood






Oluwatoyin Vincent Adepoju
Compcros
Comparative Cognitive Processes and Systems
Exploring Every Corner of the Cosmos
in
Search of Knowledge

Having traversed various realms in spirituality and philosophy, I have become

circumspect about spirituality.

This means I take spirituality with a pinch of salt, even though I identify deeply
with it.

Spirituality can work.
I have proved that for myself to the point where I now conclude that seeking
spiritual experiences and power is not a challenge for me but managing the day
to day life of a conventional human being addressing successfully the
fundamental human need to operate successfully in society is my greater
challenge.
No matter how wonderful spiritual achievements may be they can't replace but
only complement basic orientations accessible to everyone- discipline,
consistency, imagination, vision, love, patience, tact, logical thinking, among
others, nor can they supersede the achievements represented by making
meaning out of one's life in the daily round of living in society.

These reflections emerge in the course of the claim that blood, with particular
reference to animal sacrifice, is indispensable to spiritual insight and power.
As a person who believes it is barbaric to kill animals since they are obviously
sentient, and share much of human qualities, such as a love of life and the
building of family bonds, and has explored various spiritualities and
philosophies, in theory and practice, across Africa, Asia and the West and got
satisfactory results without killing anything, I disagree.

If we refer to travelling to a different dimension through the aid of a center of
power in a forest, interacting physically with others in that dimension, and, on
completion, finding oneself back in one's house from where one began the
journey, as is claimed for aje or witches in Nigeria, I have experienced that
without sacrificing anything except my time and energy.

If we are referring to being in a very serious accident and surviving it by closing
your eyes before the accident and opening them to find yourself somewhere else
uninjured, after the accident, I have experienced that without any effort apart
from closing my eyes in meditation.

If we are referring to being able to merge one's spatial location with that of a
spiritually powerful tree so that even though one is in one's house one
experiences the location of the tree at the same time, I have experienced that
using nothing but visualizing and contemplating the tree.

If we are referring to communicating with a tree and getting in response what I
expect is a message from that tree, I have experienced that using nothing more
than concentrating on the tree and sending it a telepathic message.

If we are referring to cultivating the power of what is known in Yoruba as oju inu,

the inward eye with which one can perceive spiritual energy, I have cultivated
through through contemplating the beauty of trees, particularly trees strong in
such energy.

If we refer to closing your eyes and seeing the sun at night I have been there
through meditation and chanting.


If we are referring to knowing the future in a manner unexplainable in terms of
conventional logic, I have experienced that without even seeking it.


If we are referring to invoking Yoruba orisa or deities and getting almost instant
results, I have experienced that through visualization and verbal invocation.

If we are referring to having a spirit companion whom you can feel
accompanying you everywhere, I have been there through daily invocation and
meditation.

In fact, it came to a point where I have had to tone down my spiritual activities so
I could function normally in the world, yet I am a vegetarian who does not kill
animals for any reason except self preservation, such as with mosquitoes, and do
my spiritual work largely as a Do It Yourself initiative from books and personal
experimentation.


There is great power in and existing in relation to the human being which can be
harnessed through the disciplined use of the mind, through supplication and
through companionship with nature, a sublime teacher.