Not everything you feel comes from you.
Where is it? Where has it gone?
I pray, offer prayers, sing, and give praise, and nothing. Simply nothing. No answer, no help.
What is faith for if nothing changes or ever will? I asked the Orixá, and nothing happened.
I do everything right: I offer flowers, food, candles, and my pleas… but nothing ever seems to be enough for them. I think about giving up, changing religions, or even no longer believing in anything.
But it is at that moment that the Orixá answers me:
What is the use of so many burning candles?
What is the use of asking, asking, and asking, and never giving thanks?
What is the use of giving up your religion if, without faith, no religion will help you?
Sons and daughters of Ilê Axé Luz de Odara and all who support us, we do not expect you to understand us. We only hope that you trust us.
Do you want strength? I will give you opportunities to learn and grow strong in faith.
Do you want a job? I will give you opportunities to pursue and achieve your goals.
Do you want love? I will give you opportunities to learn to love yourself and others.
Living for the Orixá means learning deeply and continually, every day of your life.
Living for the Orixá means learning to live life as it is: with its ups and downs, pain and joy, losses, weariness, and victories.
It is not, and never will be, an easy life. But it is a true life, in which failures become simply paths that need to change, and victories are paths we continue to follow.
So when you say “we belong to the Orixás,” remember: to belong to an Orixá, we must cultivate all the precepts within ourselves, not only in our social lives but above all in our spiritual lives, as mediums of Sacred Umbanda or children of the Orixá.
All of us who call ourselves children of the Orixás must learn to cultivate patience and love for others, always.
And above all, understand why:
The Orixá also represents silence.
Silence about the disputes we hear.
Silence about the matters we hear discussed.
And above all, we must be true representatives of silence.
