How to Find Your Purpose in Life (The Odinani Way)
So many people are obsessed with external validation and productivity hacks these days, and as a result many are searching for a deeper answer to the question: “Why am I here?”
Let’s explore how Odinani shows us the way to discovering purpose, as something deeply woven into who we are, where we come from, and how we choose to live.
Your Chi Uwa: Clues From Your Previous Life
One of the most unique features of Odinani is its belief in reincarnation. You are not here for the first time. Your soul has traveled before. Your Onye Uwa (reincarnator) or Chi Uwa, the one whose life you are continuing, is a major key to understanding your purpose.
Ask yourself:
Who were they?
What were they known for?
What dreams did they carry, but couldn’t fulfill?
What did they excel at or struggle with?
Many Igbo families keep oral records of who a child is believed to have returned as. The spiritual belief is that destiny continues to span out through generations, and the unfinished work of an ancestor might be seeking completion through you.
In many cases, your mission in this life is to complete, evolve, or even exceed what your Chi Uwa began.
Your Chi: Your Unique Self and Natural Interests
In Odinani, your Chi is your personal spirit, your divine self, your compass, your individualized link to the Creator (NneChukwu Okike). And your Chi speaks. It speaks through your interests, passions, childhood fascinations, and persistent desires.
Reflect on:
What fascinated you as a child?
What talents came naturally to you?
What do people always come to you for?
What excites you, no matter how much time passes?
If you’re unsure, ask your parents or relatives who were around you when growing up. Usually, our childhood tells the truth about who we are, before society’s noise begins to drown it out. Even now as an adult, what pulls your attention no matter how much you try to ignore it?
Your purpose can be found in what you’re drawn to, over and over again.
Divination + Discernment: Spiritual Guidance, Not Prescription
In Igbo traditional practice, many people turn to Igba Afa (divination) to discover their destiny or spiritual calling. This is a valid and powerful tool, but it must be used with discernment.
Divination can:
Reveal your spiritual archetype or framework.
Confirm what your Chi is already hinting at.
Offer clarity when the path is foggy.
But the truth is no Dibia, no matter how powerful, can live your life for you. They can show you a doorway, but only you can decide whether to walk through it.
You can use divination to support your search, but not to replace your personal insight and intuition.
Solve a Problem That Matters to You
Another powerful way to find your purpose is to find a meaningful problem and devote yourself to solving it, for your family, community, or even yourself.
This, too, is the Odinani way.
Purpose is not always glamorous or mystical. Sometimes, it is practical, embodied, and grounded in everyday life:
Heal a wound you once suffered.
Build what your parents never had.
Offer what your community lacks.
Evolve what your ancestors began.
There is an Igbo saying: “Ányị́ bị̀àlụ́ ị́gbá mbọ̀ nà ụ̀wà.” — We are here to live out our lives in the most productive ways possible.
This is a reminder that purpose can also be something you grow into by engaging life with intention, and in the most productive ways possible.
Purpose Is Not a Destination, It’s a Journey
Too many people treat purpose like a final answer: one job, one title, one role. But Odinani reveals that purpose is fluid and layered. You can be:
A healer in your 20s,
A builder in your 30s,
A teacher in your 40s,
A wise elder in your 60s.
You can be multiple things throughout your lifetime. At every stage, your Chi may lead you to express yourself in new ways. So don’t be afraid if your purpose shifts or expands over time. That is not confusion, it’s evolution.
To Sum It Up
Finding your purpose isn’t about waiting for lightning to strike, or for revelation to drop from heaven. It involves:
Paying attention to your Chi Uwa for guidance.
Trusting your Chi’s inner voice.
Seeking divine confirmation through divination when necessary.
And taking courageous action by showing up for life.
Your purpose is not “out there” in the future. It is already calling to you in your memories, your interests, your dreams, and your persistent questions.
So lean in. Ask better questions. Take small steps. And trust the process of your life unfolding.
