Lost but Not Forgotten: Reclaiming Your Spiritual Identity in the Diaspora

Author: Iyanifa Ewà

Ifá College

Introduction — When the Soul Remembers What the Mind Forgot

To be African in the diaspora is to carry stories in your bones that your tongue can no longer fully speak. It is to feel pulled by a drum you have never physically heard, yet your spirit moves when it calls. Many of us grew up praying in languages not native to our ancestors, celebrating traditions that never came from our soil, and adopting spiritual beliefs that were handed to us by the hands of history — not by our elders.

And yet, even across oceans, even through generations of separation, the spirit remembers.

This is the beauty and blessing of being a child of African spirituality. No matter how far we travel, we are never spiritually lost — only temporarily disconnected.

Today, we are reclaiming, reconnecting, and reawakening.

The Diaspora Experience: When Identity Is Split Between Worlds

For many African-descended people abroad — in the U.S., U.K., Caribbean, Latin America, and beyond — there is a silent struggle:

✅ Feeling spiritually incomplete

✅ Searching for roots and meaning beyond religion

✅ Knowing there's more to life than Western beliefs

✅ Feeling drawn to African culture, but unsure where to start

Many say:

“I feel African, but I do not fully know how to be African spiritually.”

This is not weakness. This is awakening.

Colonialism, slavery, and religion forced a rupture. But Ifá teaches us:

Root cannot forget soil. Spirit cannot forget source.

Your return is not rebellion — it is remembrance.

A Personal Moment of Remembering

There was a time in my life when I felt lost too — not physically, but spiritually. I knew the prayers I recited, yet I felt hollow. I knew God, but I did not know myself. Then one day, I sat with an elder who simply said:

“You are looking for home outside, but home is inside your spirit.”

Those words sparked a journey back to Ifá.

And the first thing I learned?

Spirituality is not inherited by accident — it is encoded.

We are not discovering Ifá — we are returning to it.

We are not picking up a new path — we are reclaiming an ancient one.

Why Many in the Diaspora Feel Called Back to Ifá

African spirituality is not a religion of fear or punishment.

It is a system of identity, balance, destiny, and self-knowledge.

Key pillars that attract the diaspora include:

Spiritual Calling	Description
Ori (Divine Inner Self)	The idea that destiny lives inside you, not outside you.
Ancestral Reverence	Acknowledging where you come from, so you know where you are going.
Nature as Teacher	Healing through herbs, earth, water, breath, and energy.
Community & Purpose	Knowing you belong to more than a passport — you belong to a lineage.

These are truths many felt but didn’t have words for — until Ifá called them home.

Breaking Myths — African Spirituality Is Not Evil

Many diaspora seekers struggle with fear because they were taught:

✖ African spirituality is “dark”

✖ Traditional practices are “witchcraft”

✖ Ancient knowledge is “dangerous”

Yet those same societies use meditation, chakra work, crystals, herbs, energy healing, astrology — all spiritual systems rooted in indigenous traditions like ours.

To reclaim your spirituality is not to reject God.

To reclaim your roots is not to reject faith.

It is to rediscover your divine design.

How to Reconnect With Your African Spiritual Identity

You do not have to rush. You do not have to know everything at once. You simply need to begin.

Here are steps to start your return:

✅ 1. Learn Gently — Not With Fear

Study, ask questions, read, listen to elders, join guidance spaces.

✅ 2. Honor Your Ancestors

Light a candle. Pray in your words. Speak their names if you know them. If not, say:

“I honor the ones who walked before me.”

They hear you.

✅ 3. Understand Ori Before Anything Else

No deity or spirit comes before your own divine consciousness.

Ori is the first Orisa.

✅ 4. Take Cultural Steps Too

Learn Yoruba greetings, songs, proverbs, foods. Culture and spirit grow together.

✅ 5. Don’t Force. Let Spirit Lead

You are remembering — not competing.

Ifá is not a trend — it is a soul contract.

Signs You Are Spiritually Awakening & Returning Home

• You feel emotional when hearing African drums or chants

• You crave cultural connection

• You question religious teachings that demonize Africa

• You feel drawn to herbs, nature, deeper meaning

• You dream of ancestors or old African settings

• You feel like something inside you is rising

• 
  

These are not coincidences.

This is ancestral memory activating.

A Message To the Diaspora Soul

You are not lost.

You are not late.

You are not disconnected.

You are a seed planted far from home — but not forgotten by the soil that birthed you.

Ifá says:

“Omo aráyé á padà sí ilé tí wọn ti wá.”Every soul will eventually return to its source.

You are returning. With grace. With wisdom. With destiny guiding you.

Ready to Continue Your Journey?

Whether you are curious, searching, or ready to fully embrace your African spiritual identity.

Ifá College is your bridge between worlds.

We offer:

📚 Courses on Ifá, Orisa, Yoruba culture & herbalism🌍 Programs designed for diaspora learners🎤 Live mentorship & spiritual discussions✨ A safe space to return home spiritually

🔗 Start learning at Ifa College today📩 DM or WhatsApp to speak with us directly

Because your spirit did not forget. And we are here to help you remember.

Call to Action

If you feel called, don’t ignore it. Trust your Ori. Trust your spirit. Trust your ancestors.

Click to join the Ifá College family or Send a message to begin your guidance journey.

You are not alone.

You were never forgotten.

You are simply coming home.