“Abundance is something you already have. You simply must learn to change it from one form to another.” – Omenka Egwuatu Nwa-Ikenga
A few years ago, a book came out that took the world by storm. Entitled “The Secret”, the book taught people how they can manifest what they desired through something called the law of attraction. Now the purpose of me mentioning this isn’t to analyze the message expressed by that author, but rather draw your attention to an bigger secret that happens to be right in front of your eyes.
In the last step, you learned the importance of breath. The next step we will focus on the next most important thing, which is water. Humans can survive for minutes without air, but days without water. And if you were born and raised in Igboland before boreholes, you had two ways of getting water: Fetching or catching.
Let’s first begin with fetching water. The instrument of fetching water would be a clay pot. You would carry this pot on your head as you walked to and from the stream or lake that your community depended on. Now if it was rainy season, you can leave other types of pots outside and let the rain fill them for you.
You can could utilize this water in several ways. You could utilize it to water your crops during the dry season, or let it happen automatically during rainy season. Of course these crops once harvested would be the main source of food, which is your nourishment.
You could utilize this water for bathing, either in a designated river or in the comfort of your own home. You could use it for washing your hands before and after a meal. You could directly use this water for drinking, or to prepare other drinks or other various meals. The list goes on and on.
For the purpose of this step, let us define water as a metaphor for the various blessings (ngozi) in life. Good health, wealth, wisdom, etc; Your talents, resources, achievements and so forth. What if I told you that there was an unlimited source of blessings that you could access anytime and anywhere? How much would your life change? How generous would you be with your various blessings if you knew that you had an unlimited supply of them?
Well my brothers and sisters, I have supremely good news to share with you. Circling back to your previous lessons, you’ve learned the importance of your Chi na Eke being in sync with one another. And I’ll give several reminders of why.
What would happen if you tried to pour one pot into another but they weren’t in alignment? Most of the water would end up on the floor, and go to waste. Another question is what would happen if the pot you carried to fetch water from the stream had a hole in it? By the time you return back home, it would be empty. Likewise, if the pot you laid outside was covered up by something, then it would be unable to catch water from the sky, and remain empty.
Your Chi na Eke being out of sync is equivalent to the negative scenarios I mentioned above. The Chi, which if you recall was your potential energy, is the source of the water (blessings). And your Eke is the pot that receives the water. If you recall, your Chi is unlimited. If they are in sync, you will be able to catch all of the water you need. If you decide to either increase the size of your pot or the number of pots you utilize, you will be able to receive more water. If you share the water from your Chi, you can always replenish it because it never runs out. Isn’t this amazing?
The igbo phrase for abundance is Aku na Ụba and that is the name of this step. And the secret that I want to share with you is that abundance is something you already have. And once you learn how to tap into it, you can turn it from one form to another. For most of human history, crops were one of the main forms of wealth, and this continues until today. Its no coincidence that most festivals are agriculture related and involve food and drink.
A seed once planted in healthy soil and given adequate sun and water will eventually grow and yield a harvest. That is one form of abundance by itself, but does not have to stop there. I’d love to give some examples of other forms of plant based abundance that each of you are familiar with.
The edible part of crops when properly cooked and prepared can be transformed into fantastic meals. If you can think about some of your favorite foods and drinks, you will know how much of a blessing it truly is to be able to enjoy them. Some of those edible parts can also be turned into medicines. And when you or a loved one is sick, having the right medicine available can truly be a matter of life or death.
The non-edible portions can be utilized in a number of ways. The clothing on your body contains fibers that came from a plant, as did the dyes that give it color. Every building you’ve ever seen has plant based materials from various trees or bamboo stems. And of course, paper, musical instruments, books, etc. None of these things would be possible without an abundance of water.
And once you understand the abundance you already have, you can utilize it to get the type of abundance you want. How do you do that? I’d like to tell you about the 3 phases of abundance:
Phase One: Igbako Ngozi (Counting blessings)
The first phase is taking an inventory. I call this counting your blessings. And I do mean this literally. Take an assessment of your life and take note of all of the good things you have going for you, no matter how trivial or mundane it may seem to you. For people who don’t posses that thing you have, you are indeed more wealthy than they happen to be in that particular area.
For example, a person who has happy healthy relationships is indeed wealthier in that area than a person who has alot of money but extremely toxic relationships. A person who has fame and fortune but bad health is actually not better than a person that has great health even if they aren’t very wealthy or well known. I will now remind you of some of the forms of abundance that you already possess.
If you are reading or listening to this, then you are literate in at least one language. That is a form of wealth and it opens you up to being able to acquire information, knowledge and information from others. If you recall, we covered this in step 6, which was Ako Bu Ije. And of course, you must have access to the internet, which means you can find information about pretty much anything you can imagine. If you recall the lessons from Step 4, Nrọ, information and knowledge are actually revealed to you every night when you sleep, including important parts of your destiny (Step 5).
“Peace and blessings manifest with every lesson learned. If your knowledge were your wealth, then it would be well-earned” – Erykah Badu
The next type of abundance is your community, which includes your friends, family, and colleagues. They are the main source of the abundance you have but did not earn. This is the type of abundance that has been given to you as a gift from others. Those of you who grew up in a healthy home environment often don’t realize how much of a blessing it was until you encounter people who did not. The same applies to growing up and living in a safe and friendly environment. Having friends who can be there when you need them, as well as tell you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear. And there doesn’t seem to be a greater joy in the world than having a loving partner and sharing your love with children.
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1)
“Nwakego” (Children are better than money) – Igbo name
Another type of abundance is one’s health. Your body is mostly water and not drinking enough will have adverse effects. If you are blessed with the 5 main senses, you are abundant compared to people who are not. People in good health are more productive, accomplish more and usually live longer more fulfilled lives than unhealthy people.
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Phase Two: Mgbanwe (Transformation)
The type of abundance I’d like to discuss is one that is not the type you have, but the type you can do. If you recall the lesson from the last step, your main task involved things that energized you either after or while you were doing them. The activities that energize you while you’re doing them are usually the same as your talents. And the activities that energize you afterwards are often utilized by successful people before they perform a particular task. Now both of these tie into the next phase of abundance, which is the transformation phase. And also includes the lesson from Step 3, which was Ikenga.
Besides being your self image, Ikenga is also the source of your drive, as well as the tools you need to accomplish your tasks. Its not a coincidence, that in ancient Igboland, Ikenga was associated with blacksmiths. The same way that blacksmiths turn iron ore into various types of objects, you too can turn your time, talents, knowledge, etc. into money, prestige, power, etc. However one has to be willing to take the initiative, endure through thick and thin, stay the course, etc.
Ikenga also teaches you that you can achieve tasks quicker and easier if you work with others rather than trying to do everything yourself. Being able to work together with others will result in something known as synergy, which is energy that is greater than the sum total of all of your individual energies. And just like the blacksmiths utilize a tremendous flow of air in their forging process, if you utilize your umu ndu practices to supercharge your Ikenga, you can now turn the abundance you have into the types of abundance you want.
Phase Three: Inye (Giving)
And the last phase and one of the most overlooked of them all is that of sharing. As I said earlier, the blessings that come from your Chi are infinite. It’s not just a coincidence that the infinity symbol is the number of this step turned on it’s side.
If you are tapped into something that has an unlimited supply, isn’t that more than you can possibly utilize for yourself? And if you have more than you need, why not share with someone who needs it more than you? My brothers and sisters, actively sharing your abundance in a sincere and wise way will not only keep the waters from your Chi flowing, but also increase the amount you can receive.
Sincere giving is one done without expectation of a return. It’s when you give not because you want attention, control or a favor in the future. A very simple test would be whether or not you would still give if you didn’t get any credit for it (i.e anonymously). Wise giving is when you give in such a way that it helps further the growth of those who receive it. For some people, receiving too much or too soon can be detrimental to their growth, especially if they need to eventually learn to be independent. Utilize your judgment (Ako bu Ije).
Regardless, the key thing to remember is that increasing the abundance of others does not have to diminish your own. In fact it can do the opposite, in ways you may not expect or realize until afterwards. Despite what you may have heard, life is not a zero sum game. A person does not have to win at the expense of others. Win-win scenarios are what you should strive for.
As a recap: If your Chi na Eke is in sync, you can tap into an infinite source of abundance. You first must take inventory of what you have by counting your blessings, and then utilize what you have (blessings + talents) to get the things you desire. You will have better success if you work well with others than if you try to do everything on your own. And of course along the way, give sincerely, wisely and cheerfully to those who need more than you do.
Step 8: I recognize that I already have abundance, and must learn to change it from one form to another. Increasing the abundance of others does not diminish my own.
Action Items:
Engage in regular practice of igbako ngozi. Whatever the frequency, make sure you keep up with it. I recommend a journal or a visual representation that you can look at frequently (Such as a vision board but for your blessings)
Take initiative on a task if you haven’t already done so
Find ways for collaboration on tasks you have already started
When the need arises, give sincerely, wisely and cheerfully, without any expectation of getting anything in return
Stay tuned for Step 9, which is coming out the next new Moon, which is April 11. Yagazie!
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