“Ife na-azo na-egbu, ife na-egbu egbu na-dzo azo”

“What saves also kills and what kills also saves”

Welcome to step 10. By completing the first nine steps, you’ve now entered into some of the higher lessons. And as a result of you making it this far, I’d like to give you a few gifts I’ve prepared for you. The name of this step is  “Ọgwụ”, which is usually translated as medicine, but that is just scratching the surface of its meaning. For the purpose of this step, I’d like to give you an additional translation for ọgwụ, which is “change agent.” To those familiar with chemical reactions, the word “catalyst” is also a good synonym. 

Ọgwụ is something causes a measurable change. It can be in the form of an object or an action that is performed. The change from ọgwụ can be slow or it can be quick; it can be positive or negative; it can be subtle or very pronounced. Most of the time, it is associated with a change in one’s health (going from a state of disease to a state of wellness), but the type that I am imparting to you also has to do with your mind, spirit and overall situation in life. So take time to reflect on each bit of ọgwụ that you’re about to receive. 

Nke Ọgwụ Mbụ: The Magic Medicine

For millennia, humans have searched far and wide for a “magic pill.” Sometimes they called this a panacea. Othertimes it was known as the “elixir of life” or the “philosopher’s stone”. Regardless of the name, the magic pill was a singular item or action that one could take and magical results would happen. In some stories, planting magic beans would sprout a stalk that reached to the heavens. In others, ingesting it could give a person superhuman abilities or remove all of the ills in their life. Given its purported benefits it should come as no surprise that countless hours and lives have been spent in its pursuit. And I’m here to give you nke ọgwụ mbụ: There is no magic pill. 

Ironically, if you’ve made it all the way up to step 10, this shouldn’t come as a surprise to you should it? Whether it’s in the form of a particular “ism”, a spiritual practice, charm or sacred object, there is nothing that will be a solution to all of your personal (or societal) problems for all time. Furthermore, there are few good things in life that come extremely quickly. In fact, the good things in life that come quick, be they fortune, money, etc., can leave just as quickly, and usually do. Just about everything that’s truly worth in life is a process. And again, if you’ve made it this far, you’re already aware of this, and this bit of nke ọgwụ simply served as a reminder. 

Nke Ọgwụ Abụọ: The Bitter and Sweet Medicine

The vast majority of ọgwụ used for medicinal purposes is the edible variety. Now when it comes to the ọgwụ that one consumes with their mouths, we are going to focus on two tastes: Sweet, which is pleasing to the tongue, and bitter, that which is not pleasing to the tongue. Pretty much everyone has a sweet tooth to some degree, meaning they enjoy consuming things that are sweet. And while things that are sweet aren’t by themselves bad, too much of such things will cause a number of negative side effects, including rotting of teeth as well as destruction of one’s health. Likewise, when ọgwụ is consumed via the ears, one can fall into the trap of hearing what they want to hear. Over time, this will result in one digging themselves deeper into delusion until they have an inability to tell verifiable reality from their fantasy. Being optimistic is actually very beneficial to one’s success, but excess optimism can be harmful and cause ruin. 

Now, regarding the bitter medicine, one will observe that those ọgwụ that are not sweet to the tongue usually have the biggest positive impact on one’s body and mind. Usually bitter things are associated with poisons (nsi). However, the idea that poison must be bitter is a misunderstanding. I’d argue that most of the poisons that people ingest (through the eyes, ears and mouth in particular) are indeed the sweet kind that will kill you slowly over time. With that being said, one can also ingest too much bitter ọgwụ, and slowly turn into a person with a bitter mindset and demeanor. 

What are the takeaways of this nke ọgwụ? That even good things can be overdone and turn into bad things. Many things that taste sweet are poisonous and bitter medicine is often the best type. 

Nke Ọgwụ Ato: The Medicine Given After Death

Most of the time ọgwụ comes with instructions, not only how much to take but when to take it. It goes without saying that taking medicine early is almost always better than taking it late. Furthermore, when one takes a small amount of particular ọgwụ on regular basis, it becomes preventative medicine and minimize or outright keep certain misfortunes from occurring. One can have the best medicine on the planet, but the longer the delay in taking it, the less effective it will be. In this particular case, procrastination and delay are poisons that neutralize nearly every ọgwụ. At some point, even the most potent ọgwụ will be too little too late, and effectively would be like administrating medicine after death; which of course is ridiculous isn’t it? 

With all of that being said, however you desire to take your ọgwụ , just take it! You’ve already been introduced to several types of ọgwụ in step 7, as you learned about umu ndu. 

Step 10: There are no magic pills, everything is a process. What can harm can also heal and what can heal can also harm. I will not delay, and won’t wait for tomorrow what I can begin today.

Action items: 

Take an honest self evaluation with your current life and decide what changes you’d like to make. Secondly, assess the current things you’re doing that are either slowing down or outright blocking you from those changes becoming your reality. Afterwards, assess the things that you’re currently not doing, that if you were, would bring you closer to your dreams becoming reality; and then start doing them, without delay! And stay tuned for Step 11, which is coming out the next new moon, which is June 10. Yagazie!