Fundamental Code of Natural Laws in Ifá́ ́́ Divination as Agents of Morality for Good Governance in Nigeria

Ifá is the natural wisdom and knowledge concerning all life activities divinely revealed to Ọ́ rúnmìlà by Olódùmarè, God in Yorùbá belief. It is the living foundation and custodian of the deity, moral, economic, language, religion, healing arts, tradition, culture and metaphysical orders. However, the concern of this paper is on the moral contents of the natural laws in Ifá corpus. Basically, there are two fundamental codes of natural laws in Ifá divination under which all other laws in Ifá exist. The first law enjoined every human being to acknowledge Olódùmarè as the Supreme Being and father of the universe who created all things. While the second law says “do unto others what you want them do unto you.” However, it is quite unfortunate that, today, these laws that linked human relationships with the Supreme Being and the dos and don’ts of the divinities and those that hold the society together in harmonious relationships are no longer in proper use. This is evident in the lack of fear for the Creator, mismanagement of public funds, embezzlement and political killings, to mention a few. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the natural laws in Ifá and suggest how it can help sustain our fragile democracy as it did in the traditional society in the past for the sake of our future. The paper is premised on Matthew Flanagan’s theory of divine commands which asserts that what is moral is determined by what God commands, and to be moral is to follow his commands.

The Need for Multidisciplinary Research within the History and Theory of Homeopathy

The controversial issue of homeopathy's scientificity will, in all probability, not be settled by means of clinical trials alone, as long as uncertainty or ignorance about methodological, philosophical, and socio-economical essentials prevail on both sides of the argument. Rather than uncritically adopt the standards of the currently predominant paradigm, homeopathy should not forget its roots, peculiarities, and self-conception. Contrary to conventional medicine, it is based on a teleological image of humanity, a holistic and sustainable approach towards curing sickness, and an up-to-date concept of medical theory in terms of healing arts. However, under today's frameworked conditions of industrialisation, commercialisation and commodification, the strengths of homeopathy tend to be disregarded or even attacked, and a special kind of reductionist and materialist rationality, compatible with expanding markets and profits, is preferably facilitated. To reveal and demonstrate these developments and relationships on a scientific level, there is a need for multidisciplinary research on the part of the humanities, such as history and theory of medicine, history and theory of science, history of economics, sociology of scientific knowledge, and philosophy.

A Spiritual Well-Being Model for the Healing Arts

This article presents a theoretical model based on a synthesis of psychological (the word psyche means soul) theories regarding components of the human spirit, human spirituality, and the development of spiritual well-being, with a focus on the relationship between stress and human spirituality. These components include an insightful relationship with both oneself and others, a strong personal value system, and a meaningful purpose in one’s life. Additional aspects include a model for spiritual growth (seasons of the soul) and various aspects of one’s life experience that hinder or promote greater spiritual growth. Based on this model, holistic nurses may integrate these concepts into their world view of holistic healing and include the health of the human spirit as a greater part of the holistic wellness paradigm.