Testimonials

Dear Family,

Thanks so much for the invitation to contribute to my experience.  17 years!!!  Amazing.  It blows my mind to imagine the exponential impact that your work has had on all of us and our families of origin AND our communities.  If I just count the people in my world that have been impacted by the transformation the Institute has made possible in my life…it numbers in the hundreds.

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The opportunity to have a reading on our cosmic union and a retreat designed specifically for the growth and evolution of us as a couple has been priceless.  Learning the sacred Odu for our relationship has given so much clarity to the divine role we play in each other’s lives and has given us a tangible way to create an evolutionary relationship every day.  We also gained sacred insight into the connections between the purpose of our relationships and the legacies of our families of origin.  Sangodare even wrote a song inspired by the Odu and used it for a special surprise growth proposal. Out of this insight we have been able to create a collective commitment, a context that honors both our role in each other’s lives to cut through all blockages and open the way for light and also our shared role to bring light to our communities.

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The blessing of my father’s access to a Whole Life Oracle Reading from Baba and Iya goes beyond words (and both my father and I have a LOT of words.)  My father was able to reclaim his purpose and destiny as a king in the spiritual sense of the word.  He had this reading towards the end of his physical life, but he lived the end of his life with a profound purpose.  The fact that his origin Odu is the same as our relationship Odu was profound for us while he was alive (he felt that it was a sacred message) and has become even more profound after his death.  He died before our first collective commitment ceremony and the ceremony was the same week as his memorial service in Anguilla.  The oracle made it perfectly clear that our relationship (and all our relationships) is a direct continuation of the life mission of my father to clear the way for the light of creation and creativity to come through everyone.

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The Sacred Feminine Mysteries Priestess Initiation has been a blessing to my whole family. The multiple generations that are alive now and far beyond. During this initiation, my father and grandfather were dying, and my sister was on a journey to give birth.  At this time of major shift for my family (and it turns out our planet) the access to the tools to go deep within, to connect with my cosmic purpose beyond the physical plane, and to commune with ancient ancestors and future realities has allowed me to be present to the divine purpose for everything and to serve as a healer and creative presence in my family in a deeper way than ever before. This initiation also happened as my first books were released into the world and the divine grounding of this work has allowed my work as a scholar, artist and writer to resonate on a level beyond ego and smarts, that activates accessible transformative love across the planet. And the journey continues every moon cycle, every week, and every day.

Love love love.

Namah Lilah Mingshee (Alexis Pauline Gumbs)

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Although 2016 was the first year I attended the weekend to honor the Great Mother, I have had opportunity to speak with and receive from Iya lots of wisdom, assistance, and healing guidance. Typical of Iya and Baba, they invited me to do what I do and be what I am. This was a powerful weekend for me: to get to be fully embodied and fully manifested; to call the ancestors; to help facilitate healing. Am grateful for the opportunity to be with other women in praise and healing; and to be with men in the same space. I love that Iya and Baba continue to open their arms and home to “traditional” practitioners from many walks and for those who walk paths older than tradition. Am grateful that they have created a community where all can show up fully themselves without apology. This is such a gift to receive from one’s elders. I look forward to working with them in the future. – Much love and grace, always, -M. Eliza Abegunde Hamilton

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  Over the past few years of knowing Iya Osunnike and Baba Koleoso, I’ve been honored to receive Spiritual Intuitive Readings and attend weekend journeys of exploration and celebration. I started my journey with the Institute of Whole Life Healing when a good friend and sister gifted me a reading with Iya Osunnike. The spiritual reading was so powerful and spot on. I was on a spiritual journey, but I wasn’t living a life in tune with my spiritual values with regard to all my relationships. Iya was so free of judgment and full of love in offering interpretation and advice during this challenging time in my life. It felt especially heart-warming since I had never met her, let alone, had a conversation with her prior to this reading. It charged and encouraged me to dive further into myself and learn more about the spiritual blockages that prevent me from achieving my life purpose. It also encouraged me to look more deeply into the need for ancestral healing. Before I left to visit my homeland, I received an Odu reading with Iya. Chanting and connecting with this sacred Odu truly helped me achieve a space of healing and peace with my ancestors, both on their land and in my womb space. I give so much thanks to Iya for helping me cultivate this space of magic and healing within my being.

Since then, I’ve been honored to meet with and share space with Iya and Baba-ji through the Sacred Sexual Healing, Liberation and Wholeness Igniter weekend and the Great Mother Celebration. These opportunities have allowed me to tap into my sacred power and to continue to work towards honoring my worth and purpose in my work life and in relationships. I’m still a work in progress, but I have no doubt that much of my emotional and spiritual growth is in part thanks to my spiritual family and the way they’ve taught me about the discipline of having a spiritual practice. Each opportunity to be present with Iya Osunnike and Baba-ji has been a treasured one. They are gifted with the light of divinity, like all of us, but the difference is that they work to access and share this light with all of humanity. They have always given me spiritually resonant and healing advice to help guide me through my own spiritual transformation and arrival into sacred womanhood. The love-filled work that they offer our communities is priceless and so necessary. It’s incredible that we have such beautiful beings as Iya and Baba willing to share spiritual practices with our communities, so we can continue to collectively evolve into a more divine space of human consciousness.  I intend to begin the Sacred Feminine Mysteries journey within the next year or two, so I look forward to deepening my journey with the Institute over the next few years.  -Sheena

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Although 2016 was the first year I attended the weekend to honor the Great Mother, I have had opportunity to speak with and receive from Iya lots of wisdom, assistance, and healing guidance. Typical of Iya and Baba, they invited me to do what I do and be what I am. This was a powerful weekend for me: to get to be fully embodied and fully manifested; to call the ancestors; to help facilitate healing. Am grateful for the opportunity to be with other women in praise and healing; and to be with men in the same space. I love that Iya and Baba continue to open their arms and home to “traditional” practitioners from many walks and for those who walk paths older than tradition. Am grateful that they have created a community where all can show up fully themselves without apology. This is such a gift to receive from one’s elders. I look forward to working with them in the future. – Much love and grace, always, -M. Eliza Abegunde Hamilton

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Over the past few years of knowing Iya Osunnike and Baba Koleoso, I’ve been honored to receive Spiritual Intuitive Readings and attend weekend journeys of exploration and celebration. I started my journey with the Institute of Whole Life Healing when a good friend and sister gifted me a reading with Iya Osunnike. The spiritual reading was so powerful and spot on. I was on a spiritual journey, but I wasn’t living a life in tune with my spiritual values with regard to all my relationships. Iya was so free of judgment and full of love in offering interpretation and advice during this challenging time in my life. It felt especially heart-warming since I had never met her, let alone, had a conversation with her prior to this reading. It charged and encouraged me to dive further into myself and learn more about the spiritual blockages that prevent me from achieving my life purpose. It also encouraged me to look more deeply into the need for ancestral healing. Before I left to visit my homeland, I received an Odu reading with Iya. Chanting and connecting with this sacred Odu truly helped me achieve a space of healing and peace with my ancestors, both on their land and in my womb space. I give so many thanks to Iya for helping me cultivate this space of magic and healing within my being.

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Since then, I’ve been honored to meet with and share space with Iya and Baba-ji through the Sacred Sexual Healing, Liberation and Wholeness Igniter weekend and the Great Mother Celebration. These opportunities have allowed me to tap into my sacred power and to continue to work towards honoring my worth and purpose in my work life and in relationships. I’m still a work in progress, but I have no doubt that much of my emotional and spiritual growth is in part thanks to my spiritual family and the way they’ve taught me about the discipline of having a spiritual practice. Each opportunity to be present with Iya Osunnike and Baba-ji has been a treasured one. They are gifted with the light of divinity, like all of us, but the difference is that they work to access and share this light with all of humanity. They have always given me spiritually resonant and healing advice to help guide me through my own spiritual transformation and arrival into sacred womanhood. The love-filled work that they offer our communities is priceless and so necessary. It’s incredible that we have such beautiful beings as Iya and Baba willing to share spiritual practices with our communities, so we can continue to collectively evolve into a more divine space of human consciousness.  I intend to begin the Sacred Feminine Mysteries journey within the next year or two, so I look forward to deepening my journey with the Institute over the next few years.  -Sheena

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My Whole Life Reading with Baba Koleoso and Iya Osunnike laid the foundation for my spiritual path over these last six years. The reading was extremely comprehensive and provided important and highly accurate insight on my spiritual, mental, relational, physical, and emotional well-being. Because the reading included the consultation of several different oracles from different traditions, I received rich guidance that has continued to be a guiding light in my development. I continue to refer back to this reading to better understand my life and purpose. It is an invaluable investment!

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Iya Osunnike is the most spiritually perceptive, loving, and intuitive guru that I have encountered on my path. She is able to gracefully yet powerfully understand the roots of spiritual imbalance and challenge and offer clear and specific guidance toward healing. I have referred many women to her, and all have shared that they felt safe, empowered, and understood during their sessions; all of them left with greater insight into their lives and greater clarity on how to further evolve. All my readings with Iya Osunnike have been fruitful and given me more tools to realize my purpose in this lifetime.

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My Weekend Healing Intensive was truly a transformational experience. Every aspect of the two days that I spent with Iya Osunnike and Baba Koleoso was thoughtfully designed for my spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. I ate delicious, nourishing food, engaged in a deep ritual practice that allowed me to connect with my body and begin to heal ancestral trauma, and received loving and highly insightful counseling in many areas of my life. I left the weekend feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and with much greater clarity. Without a doubt, this was the best investment in self-care I have ever made.

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The Sacred Feminine Mysteries Initiation completely transformed my life. It allowed me to uncover personal and ancestral wounds–wounds which had caused unhealthy patterns in my life, and which had caused me to shut off essential parts of myself. SFM also helped me recognize the expansiveness and power of who I am AM, particularly as a feminine being in this lifetime; it has allowed me to own my gifts and to begin to better articulate my life purpose. Most importantly, Iya Osunnike has helped me cultivate the tools I need to consciously continue on my path of spiritual evolution so that I can be of service to humanity.

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I attended a Sacred Sexual Healing, Liberation, and Wholeness Igniter weekend which set me on my path to claiming my power as a feminine being. Through that experience, a very deep, divine part of me was reawakened and I began to truly hear the wisdom of my intuition and recognize the ancient knowing that lived in my womb and my heart.

Love & Blessings,

Dara

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I am blessed to have been introduced to Reiki Ase Natural Healing technique by Iya Osunnike Robin Scott-Manna. She initiated me to Reiki Level I and this experience has assisted me toward greater levels of self-healing than I ever thought imaginable. New insights and abilities to understand who I am are present in my life. Even though I do not perform Reiki professionally, I have performed this healing technique with several of my friends. I hope to expand my use of this beautiful and powerful spiritual energy force in the future under Iya Osunnike’s gracious guidance by achieving Reiki Second Degree in the near future. I am truly grateful and honored to know and learn from such an incredible spiritual teacher.

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I first met Iya Osunnike on the cusp of the millennium. During my session, she asked me why are you wishing to die? My eyes popped open because deep within my spirit I knew it was true, but I did not want to know consciously, and I did not want anyone else to know. In essence, she made me aware of this unhealthy desire and changed my life. I believe that I am here and thriving today because of the seed of life she planted within me seven years ago.

 

My most recent encounter with her was equally as powerful. I came to her because I was in pain with a stomachache that had lasted since I lost my last baby more than a year before. I told her that I felt something was in me and that I wanted to push it out. On the second day of my treatment, we discovered that I had been carrying twins and that the spirit of one of them had remained in my womb. That is why I felt heavy and ached. His birth was long overdue. The reiki, sound and energetic treatments were so powerful that I have not felt that pain since I left Kentucky, and the spirit of my baby was taken safely into the arms of Mother Mary and the spiritual midwives.

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I respect Iya Osunnike as a healer, woman, and teacher. She plants seeds and allows you to grow without being a spiritual busybody. Iya Osunnike exudes love and kindness. Most of all, she possesses an abundant amount of spiritual maturity that is sometimes hard to find in those who have been blessed with a lot of spiritual power.