Heeding the Ancestral Call: A Collectively Individual Journey Back to Spiritual Basics

Iya Ifalola Aboyade Omobola
Wind Whispers Publications (2005)
ISBN 0973972009
Reviewed by Mary Simmons for Reader Views (8/06)

It has been said that everyone has a story to tell and that within every person’s life is the making of a great book. We all have ups and downs, adventures and mishaps, losses and gains on our journey through life and the memoir is the avenue we can take to share these experiences with others.  In her personal story, author Iya Ifalola Aboyade Omobola describes how she went from being the African American daughter of civil rights activists to a priest in an African spiritual movement and the steps it took to reach that point.

While “Heeding the Ancestral Call” is written by a priest of the Orisa, the author does not shy away from controversial issues facing her spiritual community. She freely discusses points of contention and indicates areas in which she can see a need for improvement. She makes heartfelt suggestions which she hopes will benefit current and future initiates. She also urges her readers to focus on what makes them happy. She urges them to find a special thing in their lives and make a connection.

Omobola reveals that from a young age she felt a spiritual calling, to the point where she was on the verge of entering the seminary with the intention of becoming a Methodist minister.  In her search for spiritual truth, Omobola was also faced with cultural questions about the hardships facing her people. She had to come to terms with the past so she could move forward.

Omobola acknowledges that there are lessons to be learned in life even when we least expect them. Experiences that may seem to have been more trouble than they are worth have actually occurred for a reason and we must be open to the message.  She says our purpose is to be of good character while we are here on Earth and to fulfill our destiny. “It is the individual struggles we ensue and the eventual elevation of consciousness we receive that makes the world a better place for all.”

In searching for information about her ancestors, Omobola says she discovered a sense of shame among African Americans about the role slavery played in their history. For her mother’s generation, “Slavery was not an ancient history. It was knocking at the back door.” And yet for her, it was this journey into finding out more about those who came before her that played an integral part in her own healing spiritual journey. She came
to understand that life does not have to end with death; that stage can lead to another realm which can be accessed through an ancestral altar.  Establishing this altar did not come quickly or easily, but it was a profound experience.

“Heeding the Ancestral Call” is an inspirational and moving look into one woman’s search for truth. It echoes the journeys of many others and will resonate with all of those who have struggled and come out the other side with a deeper sense of who they are and what they were meant to do with their lives.

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