ÒYÍGÍYIGÌ ỌTA OMI

THE INDESCRIBABLE IMMENSITY OF THE DEPTHS

Toyin Adepoju
Those aspirations that transcend what the mind can fully encompass,
that continue to unfold even to the aspiring mind within the creative dynamism of the self.

Will you black out against the awesomeness of infinity

as the true nature of that seed you have nurtured begins to emerge?

The indescribable totality

the irresistible power of the pull within you emerging from what is outside you.
Where do inside and outside begin and end?

Stability across eons of time.

The rushing flow that transforms everything.

You cannot see it the way you see water

but it is demonstrated by the fact that everything is in motion
nothing remains the same forever
neither you or the air you breathe
transformed as you breathe it in and out.

The sun above you might not be there billions of years from now.

You and your fellow creatures that walk the earth

human and animal
might not have been here billions of years in the past
those who were here before you : the plants,water, the earth,might not always have existed.

Your thoughts change from moment to moment.

Situate yourself within this progression

so you gain strength from change
wisdom from transformation
power from torbulence

And yet
within this ocean
there are islands of relative stability :
the self that enables continuity from moment to moment
the peak that pierces the onward flow
intimating the possibility of soaring beyond time and change,beyond being and non-being

but do you really want to transcend change?

does death not heighten the meaning of life ?

If time were to stop, what would you do with it?

If you had the chance to return to the past, what is gained from reshaping it to suit yourself?
Would the sweet tang of living not be stolen by being able to manipulate the future?
are uncertainty, finitude, limitations, not knowing all possible outcomes, not part of the
vitality of living?

Tomorrow does not exist except as a possibility.

The past does not exist except as a realised potential.

The present is all.

Play this game, Komolu, without fear of outcomes.

All possible outcomes are transcended in the ultimate transformation from being into mystery
the jump from life into the ultimate unknown.

Shall we meet again?

I do not know.
But for now,let us play the game
with vigour and lust,with daring and vision,with hope and fear.
Text credit

Yoruba text by Kayode Gbadebo.

The conception of “oyigiyigi” in terms of an indescribable immensity is by Rufus Orindare

at OmoOdua Yahoo group on 30 December 2010 in the thread “Òyígíyigì Ota Omi : The
Sunken Depth of the Peak of the Great Mountain”

Image credit

Aso Rock,Nigeria at the site of Golden Age Hotels

http://www.goldenagehotelslimited.com/tour.html

“Aso Rock and Cave : This is the largest of the rocks within Abuja ranging about 936 meters
above sea level, overlooking residential quarters and office buildings like the National
Assembly, the presidential villa, etc. Aso means victory in Gbagyi dialect. The environment
sorrounding the rock is serene and very natural”.

Accessed 2.10.2011

More on this rock from the Embassy of the Federal Repuiblic of Nigeria,Sweden.

“The rock is the largest rock outcrop within the Abuja metropolis, ranging about 936m above
sea level, dominating the landscape of the capital city and overlooking residential quarters
and office buildings like The National Assembly, The Supreme Court and The Presidential
Villa. The rock has become synonymous with the nation’s seat of power. It has some caves
within the structure which can be visited by tourists with the permission of the local priest.
Aso people used to take refuge in the cave during intertribal wars. The rock is a sight worth
seeing for every visitor in Abuja”.

http://www.nigerianembassysweden.se/nigerianembassy/index.php?option=com_content&vie
w=article&id=14&catid=10&Itemid=8

Accessed 2.10.2011