Ancient BaNtu Connection: Kamitic/Kemetic Color Symbolism and African Cosmology II

Hetepu Family.

Summer is almost here and I hope to be travelling to some historic places where our ancestors once stood. A few years back I visited Jamestown and Williamsburg, VA where the Williamsburg Museum actually acknowledge how the first Africans on North American shores were from the Kongo Angolan region. For those of you who don’t know and are new to my blog, the Kongo people prior to be taken to the Americas were not forced into Christianity. Many of them willingly converted to the new faith before the start of the Maafa (the Africa Slave  Trade/Holocaust).  At the Williamsburg Muesuem they actually have a Kongo rosary from the late 1600s or early 1700s. The interesting thing about this rosary was that it didn’t have Jesus on it but instead Queen Nzinga. (I wish I could have taken a picture…I really tried and even tried sketching it but lost the drawing). It was a clear fact, that the Kongo people actually Africanized Christianity prior to their arrival. So this year my family reunion is in Atlanta, GA and I hope to visit Savannah, GA to see the First African Baptist Church.

First African Baptist Church 1775

First African Baptist Church was built in 1775. It claims to have been the first church originally founded in 1773, but it is contested by First Baptist of Virginia. My interests in this church is that this is where the Kongo floor diagram was found.

Kongo Cross First African Baptist in Savannah, GA

According to historians, the church was also on one of the stations on the Underground Railroad. Escapees were hidden under the church and the holes in the floor boards acted as vents. It appears that in typical African thinking to identify where the runaways were they marked the spot with an X.

Kongo Cross used for Ventilation during Underground Railroad

But, I was wondering if there were more signs of the Kongo influence that have gone unnoticed.  Since the money to build the church was donated by slaves who were saving to purchase their freedom and everything was hand built by them also.

Court of the Kongo Kingdom and First African Baptist Sanctuary

A look at Fist African Baptist sanctuary is very similar to the Kongo court.  Can you see the Kongo Upper Land and how it was converted using the archway?

First African Baptist Sanctuary

The lights above give an allusion that something glorious is taken place, while something within is sacred.  This is where the idea appears to have originated from.

The queen is depicted in the position Funda Nkata, a very common pose among the noble class and religious authorities that indicates dignity or authority.

Notice how the enclosure begins or opens up at the bottom.

Kongo Yowa Cross

If you will recall, the Kongo Cross or Cosmogram begins from the Musoni moment as well.

Maa Aankh Cosmogram

Also, in the Kamitic / Kemetic traditions, Amun Ra is said to be the True Creator. Correction, not Creator but the Originator because the Kamitic thinkers liked to personify concepts in order to better understand them. Amun Ra as you can see is not a god nor is he The God.  The God in the Kamitic / Kemetic language was called Nebertcher or “Lord of Everything”.  Amun Ra we see simply means the Hidden Ra (Energy or Force).  Now, a closer look behind the pulpit of First African Baptist and there are stain glass windows of their pastors.

First African Baptist Sanctuary stain glass windows

Notice how it forms a cross, but here’s where it stretches back to Kamit/Kemet (Ancient Egypt). Notice that there are nine marks or small discs encircling the image. Again, it should be noted that these were made around the late 1700s and early 1800s by ex-slaves and enslaved African Americans.

First African Baptist Sanctuary stain glass windows

 This same number also appears in the patchwork ceiling, which resembles a quilt.

First African Baptist Sanctuary patchwork ceiling

The number nine is a sacred number in Kamit/Kemet because it refers to the Kamitc Tree of Life also called the Paut Neteru, which was introduced by Ra Un Nefer Amen in his Metu Neter series. The number nine is also sacred in various African traditions as it refers to the gestation period and thus the completion of a cycle. When you look at the ceiling you see that each segment is composed of nine smaller segments. It is another way of drawing the Kongo Cross using diamonds and squares.  It basically is another illustration of an individual’s life term.

White Hedjet Crown

The fact that the ceiling is white gives another meaning, which reveals African cosmology at its best in North America. This is because remember, the color white in African thinking symbolizes the ancestral dead.  Remember, this is a symbolic concept that early Africans as far back as Kamit / Kemet created, which is why Osar’s (Asar, Ausar, Osiris in Greek) is known as the Lord of the Dead (Ancestors).  The name of Osar’s backbone or column is called djet, the symbol of strength. Even the root term of Osar’s crown ‘djet’ refers to inner strength.   Are you starting to see the picture?

Djett: Osar’s Backbone

When we put together the color white with the concept of completed cycles on the ceiling. What we have here is the Kongo Cross turned upside down. The larger squares symbolize those who completed their cycle in the land of the living. That’s right. What we have above is an African view of Heaven. Where one would hope to die and see their deceased loved ones, but there’s a double meaning. This means the reason the pastors each have nine marks surrounding their image is because the Africans found another way of honoring those who lived a full term.

First African Baptist Stained Glass Window

The other meaning or I should say the most important interpretation is that the ancestors above are looking over (protecting) their descendants, thus the church itself has just become a Kongo Cross or Maa Aankh, and in case you’re wondering.  Above the ceiling of course is where the Almighty God Nebertcher or Nzambi is imagined to be over it all, hence the Lord of Everything.

Of course, all of this is just my theory but, when you look at the floor of the sanctuary, which is red or reddish brown.

FAB Sanctuary

What comes to my mind is the land of the living or TASETT on the Maa Aankh.

TASETT – The Red Lands. Literally also known as the desert region of Lower Kamit or Egypt. Metaphorically, it symbolizes our Lower Self and the Land of the Living (Physical Realm).

It should be clear that our ancestors thought about God, their ancestors, and the heavenly realm on a daily basis as indicated by this quilt, which also resembles the patchwork ceiling.

Woman holding African American Quilt from 1700s

Now, another interesting fact that I have found about African First Baptist is that even their logo is a Kongo design.  Of course, it is not known if the artist was aware of this or not (most likely not).  Whatever the case, that is not the point.

FAB Logo

 The point is that our ancestors really did leave instructions for us in stone.

Kongo Cross on Colonoware

We just need to take the time and investigate our culture, practices and traditions, instead of running behind everyone else’s.

Basic Kongo Cosmogram

No we do not need imitate, mimic, resurrect or reconstruct an exact replica of what our ancestors did because culture is not static, it is always evolving.

This is what the Kongo Yowa Cross (above) and Maa Aankh (below) indicate.

All we have to do, is search for God and we will find our ancestors there waiting to point us in our cultural direction.

Hope this helps.

Hetep.

Like this post? You may want to check out: Ancient Ancient BaNtu Connection: Kamitic/Kemetic Color Symbolism and African Cosmology I,
So Early Christian Stole From Kamit/Kemet Now What? Part 1 or So Early Christian Stole From Kamit/Kemet Now What? Part 2

Have You Been Called? Understanding African Cosmology and the Calling Amongst African Americans

Hetepu (Peace) Family.

Hope all is well. This is something that has really been on my mind since Malcolm X’s birthday is nearing and the rising disturbing actions and behaviors perpetrated by our youth in their desperate attempt to make money.  I have also wanted to address this issue about because some people have been asking if Kamta is a New Age thing.  So I have been letting this subject run around in my mind for a minute in order to address is appropriately.

Kamitic priest in leopard pelt

Because shamanism has become such a very popular term to throw around by anyone claiming to be spiritual and not religious or refusing to follow the order of organized religion. I have decided to write this post to clarify, specify and distinguish Kamta from the New Age shamanistic movements. Please understand that I have nothing against New Agers because everything has its purpose, but I want to make it clear that this is not a trend.  I have to keep telling this story in order to raise consciousness, not because it is the trendy thing that is in fashion now, but because it is a Way of Life pertaining to my survival.

Portuguese ship

Kamta is a Spirit – led shamanic tradition based upon Kamitic (Ancient Egyptian) philosophy and Afrospiritual thought.  When the Africans were enslaved and brought to North America, unlike those taken to the Caribbean and South America, they were unable to maintain and retain all of their religious beliefs because their formal introduction spiritual system had been disrupted or simply destroyed. This along with the fact that there were various ethnic groups with different cultures and spiritual beliefs also made it difficult for the spiritual systems transported to Protestant Christian North America from Africa to survive. Fortunately, prior to the advent of the Slave Trade, many of the people from the Kongo region had willingly converted to Roman Catholicism or were at least familiar with the Christian faith due to their encounter with Portuguese merchants and missionaries.  Consequently, those Africans brought from the Kongo Angolan region were able to retain majority of their spiritual beliefs under the guise of Christianity. Although, they were not able to create or recreate a formal initiation system such as the ones that exist throughout the Afro diaspora, they were able to maintain an informal initiation system that follows what is commonly referred to as the Rule of the Sun.

Kongo Cross (also called the Dikenga or Yowa)

The Rule of the Sun is based upon African Cosmology particularly the Yowa, Dikenga also called the Congo or Kongo Cross. The general understanding of the Kongo Cross is that the human soul like the sun rises, zeniths, sets and is reborn again to create another dawn. Spiritually speaking, we rise and peak in our awareness, but when we experience problems, setbacks, calamity, dishonor, illness, etc.  It is because we are spiritually dying or our sun/soul is setting in the West. The reason we spiritually die is because we have picked up impurities (egocentricities) from dwelling amongst the living in the physical world like selfishness, egotism, fear, etc.. So, spiritual death occurs in order to purify our soul. If we survive the problem, illness, fall from grace, etc.  It is believed that we have traveled to the spiritual world and were reborn like the dawning sun. So along with this core belief, early African Americans believed that when someone experienced a spiritual death.  It was because they were being Called to the spiritual world to obtain their spiritual gifts.  Although good and evil existed in the Kongo mind, the whole battle between the good and evil was seen as a way in which one finds his or her true Self.  In other words, it was seen as way to establish and maintain balance, so that an individual could learn to stand on the edge of both worlds.

Basic Kongo Cosmogram

Now the Calling in the African American community was similar to other shamanic societies, in the sense that those who were called at an early age displayed unusual birth signs such as being breeched, born with a caul over their head, having uncommon birthmarks and so on.  But, the most common form of calling in the African American community  was the fall from grace in which the individual after experiencing problems had some sort of epiphany or revelation.  This is because all adversity was seen as an individual going through a dying phase, because as one elder told me “You have to go through something, in order to get something.” This something that the individual must go through is of course the adversity and hardship of the physical world.  The something that the individual is going to get refers to their reward, their talent, purpose, destiny, etc. that will be obtained spiritually (or from the spiritual world).  This is why it is not uncommon to hear of individuals within the African American community today being “Called” to the pulpit to be a preacher.  In the olden days, the Calling was not just about being an evangelist.  The Calling pertained to doing any type of ministry (God or Spirit-led) work in regards to helping people in the community such as being a seer, a healer, prayer warrior, and so on.

Robert Johnson the Blues Musician Who Supposedly Sold His Soul to Play the Guitar

Those familiar with African American folk beliefs will not understand the basis of Robert Johnson’s Crossroad Ritual and will now understand the reason what Johnson did was considered evil is because his blues music was not helping his community. It was only going to make him richer, which is why the man who allegedly teaches him was called the devil.

The Transformation from Malcolm Little to Malcolm X to El Hajj Malik Shabazz

The Calling is a form of initiation based upon the Kongo Cross and it refers to being initiated and inducted into the spiritual fold to help the community. Like most initiations, which end of something old and the beginning or start of something new. It was understood that anytime an individual experienced any sort of unusual hardship, setbacks, obstacles, problems, etc. the individual was being Called.   This is the most accepted undocumented belief in the African American psyche.  It is the reason those individuals that have undergone a complete transformation such as the legendary Malcolm X (and a host of others), are so cherished in the African American community.  It is because African Americans like most people love a “comeback to grace” story and it is because the basis of our culture centers on the Rule of the Sun.

Because the Church became the most respected institution that white America during slavery (for the most part) would not meddle with.  Many of the people that were Called were given regular titles within the institution such as deacon, evangelist, missionary, etc. but there were also those who were known as Father, Papa, Poppa, Uncle, Brother, Mother, Momma, Auntie and Sister “so – and – so”.  Each of these individuals at some point in time assisted in the healing services that occur inside the church.

Contemporary Ring Shout

Like most shamanic traditions, African American religious service usually consists of a form of ritual called praise and worship, which consists of songs, music, dancing and trance called, filled with the Holy Ghost.  Next, the preacher that gives the congregation a message from God and at times can also include being prayed upon for healing using blessed oil.  The reason most people don’t think of it as being a shamanic trance induction service is because it is so norm and most people think that shamans are spooky witchdoctors running around with masks and bones in their nose chanting some unpronounceable language. A true shaman mediates between the spiritual world and physical world for his or her community. Everything that the shaman does is for the community because their spiritual development and advancement depends upon the people they serve. This is why typically those who were called in the African American community also did and continues to do something in regards to the church.

It is because of the Kongo Cross, anyone can participate in any form of African American spirituality (spiritual tradition, spiritual practices, folk practices, etc.) because it all centers on you going through something and surviving. It is simply put a spirituality that is based upon survival, which celebrates one’s success or victory over adversity.  And, this is what makes African American spirituality a form of shamanism.

Disney’s Shadow Man of New Orleans

But, this form of spirituality has been steadily suppressed because in the early twentieth century, African Americans were routinely harassed and even imprisoned because of their religious beliefs. Today when people think of African religions or spirituality, it conjures up images of evil sorcerers. As a result, older African Americans familiar with this form of spirituality have often denied any association with it out of fear of being ostracized. Because African Americans were separated from the Motherland, in general unfamiliar with African cosmology and the old Kongo spiritual systems are nonexistent due to slavery and colonization. Slowly but surely, this system has continued to fade into extinction as the elders that followed and taught the system transition and are not able to pass their wisdom on to younger generations.

Emmett Till and Lil Wayne Controversy

Today, a great cultural tragedy is occurring on several fronts. From one perspective, because of the lack of a cultural spiritual tradition, youths unfamiliar with their own ancestral history are mocking and ridiculing their heritage.  (i.e. the entertainer Lil Wayne).  This is also due to the fact that many still suffer from Afrohagiophobia, which according to http://www.mamiwata.com/part2.html.

“A pathological fear and irrational intimidation of African spiritual and esoteric science, ancestral veneration, and its ritual and cultural expressions. The simplest spirit manifestations that were once understood in their cosmological context, now ”spooked” the newly conditioned generations of African-Americans.”

On the other hand, many people are exploring, searching, investigating, embracing, imitating and mimicking spiritual systems that are foreign to their culture and wondering why these systems are not working and helping them to bring money, peace of mind, or harmony to their relationships.  I am very well aware of the latter because I have put in my time researching and dabbling in various faiths and traditions myself. I have firsthand experience and know that if you do not belong to a particular cultural group, contrary to what anyone tells you. You are not going to get everything as the individual who is born into that culture.   There is going to be a lot of information that is going to be lost in the cultural translation.  A person born and raise Baptist, COGIC, Pentecostal, etc. and converts to Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, etc. is just not going to get everything because those spiritual systems are tailored to the cultures they serve.  I have even witnessed and talked to people who were involved in various African and Afro-American religions and they have told me about the indifferences that exist there as well.

Kongo Cross on Colonoware

So, here comes Kamta to save me.

After doing all of this research and studying all of these philosophies years ago. After trying to make a dying relationship with a “spiritual person” work and trying to incorporate all of these metaphysical ideas, I became deathly ill. Meaning, I almost died twice. How I survived was by throwing out everything that didn’t work and relying upon what I knew that did. I always have to tell people my story so that they can understand what happens when you don’t accept your calling, because it is real.

Queen Nzingah

While I was undergoing my own rebirthing process that is when I began putting rhyme to reason and that’s how I learned about the Kongo people and our ancestral tradition, which can be traced back to the Ba-Ntu people who dwelled in Kamit/Kemet (Ancient Egypt).  It was because the original Kongo systems for the most part is nonexistent that Kamit/Kemet became the inspiration behind this system and I discovered the Maa Aankh cosmogram. By the way, this is totally within the Bantu-Kongo thinking because Kongo traditions have survived throughout the diaspora by adapting and modifying existing philosophies to fit their purpose.

So, the battle between good and evil is not seen as an eternal conflict between God and the devil, but between man and woman’s higher and lower selves allegorized as the battle between the Upper and Lower Lands of Kamit. It is the same Kongo concepts of the physical world above and the spiritual world below where one has to travel and meet Osar in order to be reborn, so that he or she can be stand on the edge of both worlds.

Unify Your Kingdom Within

Now, the key differences between Kamta and other shamanistic systems is that everyone is called to do something because the Rule of the Sun is a way of introducing and inducting everyone into the cultural fold of communal service.  For instance, I have a cousin who just celebrated being drug free for 15 years now.  His ministry is helping other drug addicts.  He had to undergo that little experience in order to fulfill his purpose in life.  As I have mentioned before, since I have overcome and survived lupus. My responsibility has been to help others to do the same thing. This is one of my callings. There is a saying and it holds true for Kamta and it is, “Everyone is Called but only a few will answer.”

Maa Aankh Cosmology

The point that I am trying to make is that we have our own spiritual traditions, our own ancestors, our own spirits and guides that we can work with and are willing to assist us out of this bind that we find ourselves in.  We do not have to make up, create or mimic another’s cultural tradition especially when they do not share our concerns and would not dowse us with water if we were on fire.  Our ancestors left us with all sorts of guides and maps.  We just have to use them.  So, I am writing this post to help you all to understand that if you have been called what you need to do, because the only ones who can tell you about it have either transitioned into the spiritual realm or are refusing to talk about it because they are suffering from Afrohagiphobia. Hopefully, this post will help you to understand why certain systems aren’t working for you and what you need to do to find your Maa (Way).

Sincerely, I hope this helps.

Hetepu (Peace),

Rau Khu

Copyright 2013

So, Early Christian Stole From Kamit/Kemet Now What? Pt.2

Hetepu (Peace) Family,

How are you all doing? Hopefully, everything is well with you all.

Well, I decided to post a second part due to the overwhelming response I received from the last post, and also because a received a lot of inquiries as to where I got my information from.  One email in particular (I won’t state the individual’s name) where the reader stated, “Man this is great stuff! Where you get your information from so I can do the science on it?”

In most of the emails I received, I answered honestly by stating that it came from within, but for a lot of people that response was not what they wanted to hear. I must admit after reading it and contemplating on it, it sounds very cliché; as if I am trying to hoard all that I have learned and prevent someone from knowing what I know. At least that is how I use to feel when people gave me a similar response when I was much, much younger.

So, let me give you a little bit more insight about this subject.  I will not bore you with how I am even got to this point in my life where I was even receptive to the Spirit. Such as the people I met from the Caribbean, the teachers, the backsliding, the calling, the initiation, and how I discovered the Maa Aankh cosmogram.  Yeah, that is a whole story within itself that I wrote about extensively in my first work: Maa Aankh Vol. I.  I will skip right to the historical details and how it falls in line with our purpose.

Let’s begin…

Portuguese ship

Around the 1480s Portuguese ships settled along the coast of Africa along the Zaire estuary.   There are numerous explanations as to why the Portuguese were sailing around the African coast. Some claim that they were trying to replenish their finances due to the massive losses of the Crusades. Others claim that they were trying to avoid the Muslims. Whatever the reason, they settled along the West Coast of Africa and the first people they encountered were people from the Kongo-Angolan Kingdom.

Now contrary to popular belief, these First Contact Europeans didn’t get off the ship with a bible in one hand, a whip or club in the other, and began enslaving people in their own land. No, our ancestors’ story is somewhat similar to how the first Europeans encountered most Native people in the Americas and the Pacific.

In the beginning, the Kongolese people avoided these pale skin strangers in their hot garb, like the plague. After seeing that these people weren’t going anywhere they befriended them and shortly after trade began. Sounds like a familiar story we all have heard before. Right?

So, as trade goes. The Kongolese and Portuguese began trading all sorts of raw goods. The first goods that were traded according to some sources were gold and ivory.  Then suddenly someone got the idea to trade prisoners.  As most historians have acknowledged, it was believed that the prisoner would pay their debt of servitude off and be set free. No one could have imagined that the atrocities that followed would be so grave and severe.

Well, like all stories that speak about trade between different cultures.  It wasn’t long afterwards that the mingling of beliefs and ideas occurred.  Before long, ‘some’ of the Kongolese people became increasingly interested in the Portuguese Christian faith. One of these individuals in particular, was the Kongo manikongo (ruler) who would later try to convert the entire kingdom to this new faith.  Naturally, there was opposition to this from fellow chieftains, which led to a civil war.

Portuguese before the ManiKongo

In the end, the ruler of the Kongo kingdom came out on top and established a peaceful but unequal peace agreement with the Portugal crown.  One would suspect that the Kongo ruler may have believed that by forming such an alliance with a more economical and technically advanced country, that it would greatly advance his own kingdom. As a result, most of the Africans brought to the New World were prisoners of war shipped from the ports off of the coast of the Kongo.  Most (if not all) of these Africans were indentured servants.

Now, what is rarely discussed is why did the Kongolese people willingly convert to Christianity? What was it about Christianity that captivated the Kongo people? Most historians don’t even discuss this because they take a Darwinistic perspective, which is that the Africans were just primitives fascinated by the Europeans. A deeper look into the Kongolese beliefs or African cosmology reveals possibly why the Christian faith intrigued some of them so much.

The Kongolese Beliefs

Unlike most of the West Africans nations, which believed in a Supreme Being and had a pantheon of divinities (orishas, abosom, vodou, etc.). The Kongo belief system was a very complex and sophisticated system, but simplistic enough for some of them to see how it mirrored the Christian faith. First, the Kongo people believed in one Supreme Being (like all of the West African people) but their religious beliefs centered on veneration of their ancestors called nkuyu (similar to Christian martyrs), basimbi spirits (similar to angels/saints) and bakulu (similar to devils).

The Kongo cosmology there was four distinct parts, which were governed by Four Moments of the Sun. Each of these ‘Moments’ in turn mirrored the four paths of humankind.  For instance, Sunrise signaled a new beginning and the birth into world.  The Midday Sun, which shined high in the sky, thus allowing everything to grow towards it, signified an individual’s growth and the knowledge they acquired in life.  When a person died, it was seen as the Sun setting in the West, thus marking the end of the day. And, last but not least, the Midnight Sun was seen as a time of rest.  This symbolized that the person’s soul had returned back home from whence it ascended from, the great waters called Kalunga. This created what was known as the Kongo Cross, dikenga or Yowa, which is very similar to the Christian crucifix.

Now, so that we don’t lose perspective, those familiar with the Kamitic/Kemetic (Ancient Egyptian) beliefs can easily see the similarities between the two cultures. This same African cosmology linking the sun and the human soul, is what archaeologists have told us is the voyage of Ra. For years, most people accepted the Westerners’ interpretation as literal gospel because they weren’t familiar with African cosmology or thinking. Only Sir E. A. Budge, who is now looked upon as charlatan by his colleagues, noted and documented these distinct similarities between the Kamitic/Kemetic people and the people of West Africa – particularly those in the Kongo.  Even I had overlooked this until my grandmother had passed to the ancestral realm, and a year after her death. I noticed that her obituary clearly stated her Sunrise “her birth date” and Sunset “her last day on earth”.  This is when it hit me like a ton of bricks that Ra is not the Sun! And, that Khepera, Ra, Ra Atum and Amun Ra were all the Kamitic/Kemetic Four Moments of the Sun!

Let me make it plain, the same African cosmology that existed in the Kongo existed in Ancient Egypt.  Khepera is Kala (notice black in color), Ra is Tukula (both refer to the color red), Ra Atum corresponds to Luvemba (both refer to the color white and the west) and Amun Ra and Musoni (both refer to the color yellow and midnight).

Again, only Budge was keen and brave enough to make the connections. In fact in his book, Osiris and the Egyptian Resurrection, he states that major emphasis is placed upon the moon and not the sun. This is because according to Ancient African cosmology the moon corresponds to rebirth. There are some other reasons as well but I will let you research that those. Just to give you a hint, if you talk to anyone that participates in African traditions they will tell you constructive work is done during the waxing and repelling work done during the waning. Again, all referencing and practices based upon African cosmology, which can be traced all the way back to Ancient Egypt because the moon corresponds to Amun Ra, which translates esoterically to “The Hidden Ra” .

I still get chills up my spine just thinking and talking about it, because the interesting thing is? How did my deceased grandmother know about this? She didn’t study anything about Egypt? Answer, it is in our blood – genetic memories. Now, so that you don’t think I am crazy…it is not like my grandmother’s ghost appeared and she physically showed me this. No, it was more like a thought, a hunch, whereas I remembered seeing her when she was alive and the next thing I know. My attention was directed to her obituary. This is one of the ways our ancestors speak to us, but the most common form is through our dreams.

Why our dreams you ask?

Answer. It is because when we sleep our consciousness like the setting sun, travels to the spiritual realm, the 12 hours of night (as one group of  the Kamitian (Kemetian) sages called it), which is where the Dead reside, hence Osarian like people, such as my grandparents.

Oh, it gets deeper, and I guarantee you that when you get it. You will clearly say, “It is like fire shut up in my bones.”

Ok, back to the African cosmology and the Kongo belief system. As I stated it was divided into Four Moments of the Sun, and these were divided into two distinct areas.  One of these areas was seen as the Land of the Living and the other was the Land of the Dead. The ‘Living’ move about freely and do whatever they want, while the Dead dwell in the great waters of Kalunga. Kalunga is considered to be the abysmal waters where life began (in the Kamitic/Kemetic tradition they called this Nyu or Nyun). It separates the Land of the Living from the Land of the Dead.

In all of the West African religions and traditions the color of the Dead is the color white.  In fact, the land of the Dead in KiKongo is called Ku Mpemba (Land of White).  In the Kongo, this concept is based upon the fact that river clay is white or pale in color, hence it is absent of life. White is called in KiKongo mpemba and it was used to purify people because the color white is also the symbol of purity.  Today this term continues to exist in places where Kongo descendants were taken such as Brazil, where chalk is still called pemba.  Also, in Cuba, the term survives among Paleros (a religious sect based upon the Kongo beliefs) where chalk is called pembe.

Brazilian Pemba Chalk

The interesting thing about this is that according to Wyatt MacGaffey, one of the leading scholars on the Kongo culture, the Land of the Living is believed to be flawed and full of gross errors. When a Great person died it was believed that they took with them their knowledge, wisdom and experience, hence their “know-how” on how to successfully live life.  Therefore, when an individual did wrong it was out of ignorance but also because they had lost connection with the ancestral Dead.  So, when an individual was taken before the tribunal because of a lawsuit. If the individual was found innocent, it was believed that the just judgment returned innocence, knowledge, wisdom, peace, blessings, etc. from the ancestral dead.  As a result, the one found to be innocent was anointed with white clay and a great celebration took place.

Got that?

White Hedjet Crown

The one found to be innocent was anointed with white clay/powder and the people celebrated. Now, think back several thousand years ago about the Kamitic/Kemetic people. Hru (Horus in Greek) has been accused of being a bastard and all sorts of unlawful acts by Set. Thankfully, Hru is then found to be innocent of all crimes and is awarded the white Hedjet crown.  When the tribunal ruled in Hru’s favor, what was he said to have brought back? Yes, it was said that he resurrected the Kingdom of Osar. He restored or brought back knowledge, wisdom and the righteousness of Osar (Osiris in Greek), the first Kamitic/Kemetic Ancestor.  Again, the Western scholars took it literal, which is why most of us never put together what the Kamitic/Kemetic people were talking about the evolution of consciousness.

Red Deshret Crown

Just like in Ancient African cosmology and Kongo belief, the Land of the Living was believed to be flawed (full of sin or impurities) according to Kamitic/Kemetic belief. Remember in the Kongo the land of the Living is believed to be flawed, imperfect and full of sin. In predynastic Kamit/Kemet, they called this the Land of Set, the Red Lands or TASETT. The Kamitic/Kemetic writers tried to make the point even more clearer by saying that Set gouged out Hru’s eye, to really drive the point home that while living in the physical realm, the Land of the Living or Land of Set, we pick up a lot of impurities that affect our soul-awareness.  When you put it together this explains why Hru’s colors are red, the crown of the northern region is red, and why he needs the white Hedjet crown to make the Double Pschent crown.

The Double Pschent Crown

So, you see, when the Kongo people first saw the Portuguese, it is very likely that they thought they were the Dead or their ancestors due to their white skinned. If this theory is correct, it would explain the reason why they avoided them because the Dead sometimes have a bad habit of taking the Living back to the ancestral realm below Kalunga. After interacting with the Portuguese they may have began to believe that the new faith Christianity was a gift from their ancestors. After all, the crucifix resembles the Kongo Cross.  Jesus didn’t say anything that was contrary to popular belief. Not only that, Jesus was born, he lived, died and was reborn – another Kongo concept realized according to African cosmology.

Queen Nzingah

Of course, it wasn’t until later when other European countries became interested in the trading of Africans, that it was realized that these people were not ancestors at all. But, by that time, the damage had already begun and only a few like Queen Nzingah had tried to undo the deeds of their elders.

Colonoware

Those Kongo people carted to New World, probably thought that they were being punished by their ancestors and therefore dragged to the underworld, as the Europeans loaded them upon their ships with white sails, and sailed across the great abysmal waters of Kalunga.

Colonoware

It was only after arriving in the New World, that the Kongo people realized different and probably had the same revelation as their siblings did in their homeland. I will not talk about the various traditions that were created in the New World as a result of this interaction, but in the United States.

Ring Shout

The Kongo people already familiar with Christian concepts began adapting, modifying and altering the faith to suit their purposes. It is only when you see a ring shout or hear coded songs used by slaves who escaped to freedom that you realize, that these Africans didn’t convert to Christianity nor were they forced to accept it. Let me say that again.

All of the Africans were not forced into Christianity. This is a myth. 

They modified Christianity to suit them or as some would say Africanized Christianity.

Contemporary Ring Shout

Examples of this Africanized Christianity can be seen all throughout history from the Ring Shout to the speech by Dr. King in Washington.  During the Great Awakening when Africans supposedly converted to the Methodist and Baptist faiths because of baptism. A closer look will reveal that the Kongo descendants changed the Kalunga concept of water, which is where the Dead resided to the Holy Spirit. For instance, even the great Apostolic and Pentecostal movement that occurred on Azusa Street is another example of African Spiritism.  Today, when you hear people talk about this, they make it seem as if everything was okay, but many white Christians have known all long that their version of Christianity had been tainted with a foreign system. This is why one of the so-called fathers of the Azusa Street Movement, Charles Fox Parham, initially denounced according to Rev. Thomas L. Kinkead as an event taken over by “hypnotist”, “spiritists” and fortunetellers. This is because the actual founder of the movement was a black student of Parham named, William J. Seymour.  Clearly, Seymour unfamiliar with African Spirituality in 1906, had taken the spirit of the ancestors and now gave it the name Holy Ghosts, which is why people “speak in tongues” when they are struck by the Spirit.

Azusa Street Revival

Now, I am not saying all of this to ridicule anyone because of his or her faith. I am just trying to get you to understand that most of the Christian rules performed in the church today are African – particularly Kongo – influenced.  Even the whole spirit descending down can be traced to a particular spirit that is believed to perch up high and descend among followers, called “cymbees”, which is derived from the BaSimbi spirits, a type of ancestral spirit with a tricky nature.

Why the Kamitic/Kemetic Philosophy?

Our ancestors made Christianity theirs out of survival because that is how the Kongo belief system was, it adapts to survive. This is the reason almost 700 years later we can still trace it back to the Kongo origin and go even further back to Kamit/Kemet.

The reason for the Kamitic/Kemetic philosophy is because I have learned that when a tradition is practiced with no spiritual science, it degenerates and becomes superstition. This is the state that most of our people are in. They just go to church because it is the thing to do. The remedy for all problems you will hear people say, “Go to church and pray” as if that will make everything all right. This is because the African spiritual sciences haven been lost and prior to the advent of the slave trade. Many Europeans didn’t have any spiritual sciences either. If they had they wouldn’t have blessed the slave trade, the Salem burning of women and all of the other atrocities that have occurred under the guise of Christianity.

Kamitic/Kemetic Falcon

Fortunately, Kamit/Kemet has remained unchanged and even though people can claim what they want. We can always go back and compare notes because their beliefs were chiseled in stone.  As a result, it becomes a simple “Show and Prove” when you understand the Kamitic/Kemetic teachings. If anyone claims that a certain thing came from Kamit/Kemet, all we have to say is prove it and by that. I do not mean just show where it exist in some book, but prove it in life. This is what I have tried to do with the Maa Aankh and even though there are no books or any other references that indicated that the Kamitic/Kemetic people had such a cosmogram. You can clearly see the cultural connections.

When we put aside the intellectual babble and start to trust our intuition.

This is when we get into the real power because Osar you see refers to indwelling intelligence within us that is associated with our elevated ancestors. All we have to do is listen to the voice within that is encouraging us to take the higher road. This Voice that speaks from within is full of knowledge and wisdom, which is why Hru could never defeat Set until Osar stepped in to the picture. This is why the double Pschent crown was so important because it was a visual and spiritual reminder to be strong on the outside but to trust your intuition because it is wiser and stronger.

This is what Osar was all about and why I am so grateful for having learned about it. And, one day when we choose to move beyond the intellectual perspective and truly delve into the invisible spiritual perspective. That is when we will see the beauty of our own traditions and really appreciate it all.

Hope this helps.

Hetepu

Derric “Rau Khu” Moore

For a full discourse see: Maa Aankh Volume 1: Finding God the Afro-American Way By Honoring the Ancestors and Spirit Guides. 

Return to So, Early Christian Stole From Kamit/Kemet Now What? Pt.1

Why Kamitic/Kemetic Shamanism?

Hetepu (Peace) Family.

In the past few days, I have had some people ask me why Kamitic/Kemetic shamanism? Well, before answering that question, it should be noted that…

Kamitic/Kemetic priest in leopard pelt

…in 1972, a 50, 000 year-old-Neanderthal burial site was unearthed in Southern France by two French archeologists. The burial site, which became known as the Hortus site, contained the remains of a man wearing a leopard skin with claws and tails still intact, but no leopard bones were found in the grave.  The only cultural comparisons the archeologists had on record, was that in other culture, tribal shamans were known to wear similar capes made from animal skins and be buried with ritual objects. The archeologists concluded that the man must have been a shaman.  My question is how come the same conclusion is not drawn about the Kamitic/Kemetic (ancient Egyptians) priests and priestesses who were known to wear similar garments and be buried with ritual objects as well?

Could it be, that if the Kamitic/Kemetic priesthood were actually shamans, it would mean that Kamitic spirituality is at least 50,000 years-old or older?

Could it be, that by calling the Kamitic/Kemetic priesthood and society itself a shamanic culture, it would cause some to sympathize with traditional African people, the same way people did after it was realized globally what colonizers had done in degrading the culture of the Native Americans and indigenous Australians? Maybe?

Well, I tend to think the conspiracy is a little deeper than the above reasons because shamanism is not a religion.  Shamanism is a time-tested, widespread, practical, healing, spiritual system that is not bound by any land, people, culture, language, etc. In other words, it is not bound by doctrine, dogma or a set of holy rules. It is a spiritual tradition that only those who have been called and have acknowledged the call can be shamans, but the tradition itself can be practiced by anyone.  This would mean, that the reason the same conclusion was not reached about the Kamitic/Kemetic society being a shamanic culture is because if it were the case. People would realize that if the Kamitic people achieved greatness by tapping into their divinity without any religious order, they could achieve similar results. Therefore, it serves the religious few for people to believe that there is a need for organized religion.

I believe also if it were stated that the Kamitic/Kemetic people were a shamanic culture it would unite them with the rest of traditional Africa, who not only followed but continue to practice the custom of burying their dead with the last objects the individual used, which archeologists referred to as treasures.  Here is a listing of the most common items buried with the dead. Many of these items you will find early African Americans of Kongo descent placed on their deceased loved one’s graves.  Many of these practices are still practiced in the United States.

• Personal Belongings – It was customary for the most personal belongings of the deceased, such as their eating utensils, walking sticks, blankets, etc., to be buried with them.  Favorite pieces of jewelry were bured with the dead, along with decorations from the home.

• Seashells - Seashells (especially white) are associated with the spirit world in many early African religions. They believed the world of the dead was connected to the living by the ocean or water.

• Broken Pottery - Pottery that belonged to the departed is often broken on top of their grave so their spirit would not come looking for them. Incorporate broken bottle pieces into your African funeral tribute. You could use some of your loved one’s items, or terracotta pots.

• Lamps/Fire - Oil lamps or bonfires were used in traditional African funerals because the light pointed the way to glory. Create a tribute around a central flame or flame bowl.

• Mirror Pieces – Mirror pieces and other shiny objects were often used in traditional African funerals. It was thought that their ancestral spirits could be seen in the reflection. Use mirror pieces, gold or other reflective pieces in your African funeral tribute.

  So, the question, why Kamitic/Kemetic shamanism?

Well, besides the reasons given above, because shamanism is not a religion. It doesn’t require that you practice it once or twice a week. There is no obligation. It is not based upon theory but upon physical, tangible results. If it works you use it. If it doesn’t you don’t use it. That Simple.  There is no one forcing or goating (manipulating) you into doing something that you do not agree, believe or comprehend.  You don’t mimic what other cultures have done nor do you have wear elaborate costumes. None of that is necessary because it is not about mimicking forms. At the same time it challenges you to live correctly by rewarding you when you do live according to Maa (balance/truth) because it focuses on spiritual content.  When you do not live according to Maa, you don’t advance or achieve your goals. This isn’t a punishment from some Supreme Deity, it is simply the consequences of your actions and behaviors.

Protected by Hru (Horus)

The interesting thing about shamanism is that all of the books in the world can help you but none of them will prepare you for this mystical journey. This is the problem with a lot of traditions.  They have a set of recipes on how to do something based upon some old records or grimoires but they don’t have the discipline or the wisdom to carry it out. This is not the case in shamanistic practices because it is a spiritual healing practice based mainly upon trial and error. Where you acquire more divine power through your own self-discipline.  Some people might not like this approach and prefer to be told the rules and the how-to’s.  The advantage of not having any rules or “no regla” as it is called in Spanish, is that you work directly with your Spirits, which is easier in some ways because you are not following exact recipes.

So, this is some of the reasons why I follow the Kamitic/Kemetic shamanic path.

Hope that helps.

Derric “Rau Khu” Moore

7 Codes/Laws of Maa: The Secret to Moses’ Power and the Mysterious Books of the Dead

Hetepu (Peace) Family

Recently someone asked me if I could elaborate on what the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa are and what makes them different from the 7 Principles of Maat.

Well, the fact is that all traditional healing systems function or operate by the same codes, laws or principles. Depending upon the tradition you have been called to the number of principles can range from 5, 7, 9 to 13 and so on. Most esoteric systems settle around seven because the number seven usually has a special meaning. In my own path it is Oset’s (Aset, Auset, Isis in Greek) number and corresponds to the number of manifestation. The number also relates to Oset, who was the foundation and the rock, the birthed Osar’s (Asar, Ausar, Osiris in Greek) return through his heir Hru (I am speaking metaphorically).  The number seven also relates to inner knowledge. Inner knowledge or insight is one of the principles that corresponds to Maa, symbolized as an eye for inner sight. But, inner knowledge for what you might ask?

First put aside your intellect. It has already been confirmed that the Kamitic/Kemetic people did not have slaves build the pyramids and so forth. In fact, most Hebrew Kaballist don’t even believe the story was literally true, but metaphorically it was, which is why you need to put aside your intellect to understand this thing about the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa. Ready?

Well, remember Moses according to biblical lore was supposed to be an educated Hebrew that was raised in the palace of the Kamitic/Kemetic ruler Ramses (Ra Mesh)? Remember according to legend he could do all sorts of miraculous things? Then, when he led his people out of bondage he was going to give them some laws to set them free?

Cecile B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments starring Charleston Heston.

Well, the laws that Moses was supposed to be giving his people were supposed to be the same principles that he learned in Kamit, that gave him the ability to accomplish the miraculous feats of legend. Keeping in mind what I said about sacred numbers, it should be noted that Moses wrote five books.  So, what happened? Why didn’t he teach them how to become god-like? It was because he learned that his people weren’t ready. This is why he got angry with them and threw the tablets. Actually he simplified the laws into simple commandments.  Sidebar: I remember I use to always wonder about this when I was a kid, which was why Moses had to tell his people, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t kill, etc. as if they didn’t know something was wrong with it? I use to wonder why didn’t he give the same commandments to the Kamitic/Kemetic people? It was because they already knew them, which meant the Ten Commandments is a ruse or a metaphor for something else.

Now, the Kamitic/Kemetic people (Ancient Egyptians) didn’t have a set of laws that they lived their lives by, like the ancient Hebrews did or like we do in these contemporary times. There were no laws stating, “Thou shalt not kill,” because such a commandment would not be applicable in times of war or self-defense. The Kamitic/Kemetic philosophers instead understood one thing that Moses took for granted and is taken for granted in our society today, which is that provided we all have considerable use of our five physical faculties, thus we can be considered normal.  We all have different cognizances based upon our affiliations, backgrounds, beliefs, etc., which is why we can’t generalize what truth is and is not.   In other words, you can’t expect everyone to be on the same page as you because we all have different levels of understanding based upon our knowledge and maturity.  This is why the children of Israel didn’t understand Moses.  This is why it is foolish to try and force someone to accept certain truths. In fact, I believe the present situations involving most organized religion is due to force conversions to religious beliefs, because anyone who truly understood these prophets would be dead set against atrocities occurring in their name.  This would mean that the heinous acts committed in these individual’s name (or so-called “God’s name”) are actually being perpetrated by individuals who have misinterpreted and misunderstood the original teachings. There is no way Jesus could have preached about love, yet at the same time those who had different beliefs he declare enslave and kill. This is why Jesus says and I paraphrase, “do not throw pearls to swine.”

This means that original message or Truth that was taught by these prophets was seriously warped and it was warped by seriously spiritually immature individuals. Said another way, “the swine got hold of the pearls.” How did this happen? Well, we all have played the childhood game of telling secrets, where the original secret that is told becomes a whole new story by the time it reaches the last child in the link. So, the Kamitic/Kemetic philosopher understood this and this is why they chose not to teach Truth in this manner.  They refused to create laws commanding people to do x,y, and z, but they understood that the people needed something to govern themselves with. So, the plan then became for people to learn how to govern themselves through “commonsense” and this is how I believe the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa were conceived.  It is based upon the fact that everyone (that is normal) has “commonsense” or God within.  The thing is that we have to learn how to listen to it, which requires self-discipline.  When we learn how to listen or follow our Higher Self or what the Kamitic/Kemetic philosophers called the ba, we discover what my spiritual teacher called “La Manera,” which is Spanish for “The Way.”  The Way is another synonym for Maa, which simply means in a nutshell that “what works for you may not work for me,” and this is where self-control, self-discipline and self-governing comes into play.

Anyone that has really lived truth knows that TRUTH is dependent upon both knowledge and wisdom.

If Moses’ people were spiritually mature, he would have given them the same principles that he was taught, which enabled him to become the Great Conjure Man of the bible. But, they weren’t ready and this is why the only thing that people have to remember this event by is the Ten Commandments. The true principles however, were based upon Maa and another word synonymous with Maa is Faith and this is the secret to Moses’ power.  As any true kaballist will tell you, there is a whole host of magical charms attributed to Moses and magic isn’t fueled by the intellect but by Faith.

The first observable Truth that the ancient Kamitic/Kemetic philosophers could all acknowledge and agree upon was on the power of man and woman’s will, along with the fact that we all live and we all will physically die.  So, to help people to come into their divinity, governing their own “selves” and to prevent people from just making up spiritual paths as they go along to fit their whims.  The Kamitic philosophers created the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa, which were taught to Moses. These codes/laws have been adapted and modified to contemporary times but generally speaking they are:

1. Maa is Truth and Is Based Upon Perspective
2. Maa is Balance and Is Limited by the Mind
3. Maa is Harmony and Becomes What Attention is Focused On.
4. Maa is Justice and Doing What is Right, Right Now.
5. Maa is Love and Love is Exchange
6. Maa is Order and Not Coincidence
7. Maa is Propriety and Doing What is Relevant

As you can see, these codes/laws are ideal principles that speaks to each individual based upon his or her knowledge and maturity. These Codes/Laws based upon one’s maturity allows one to create the type of life they want provided it is according to Maa. Like the principle of gravity, they will never change and will continue to assist an individual regardless of his or her growth because they aren’t laws, so there is no need to update them. If you have studied another system, you will find that these Codes/Laws coincide with the principles of that system as well, provided it is focused on the evolution of consciousness.

For instance, Code 1 we see that the truth to an individual can be the religion that they were born in, but as an individual’s cognizance expands. It can include metaphysical principles and so on. Does it mean that one of the perspectives is right and the other wrong. Not at all.  In this situation both perspectives are valid, but the latter has more knowledge on the subject according to their awareness. It is like comparing an elementary math student to a phd math candidate.  Both perspectives are valid, the latter just has a better grasp on the subject because of his or her knowledge and maturity.

So you see, these 7 Codes/Laws of Maa or Principles were never meant to be Commandments or Laws because life is not black and white. Only spiritually immature individuals that have a limited understanding of who they are (Knowledge of Self) would see life as being so rigid, which is why they see the need for having Laws.  These individuals feel that if they didn’t have commandments or laws given to them by the Almighty God that they will not follow them. This is the reason the Commandments given to Moses’ people had to be modified, which is why John the Baptist and Jesus came into the Christian scene.

The Kamitic/Kemetic philosophers always understood that life is very grey, which is why they advertised, promoted and encouraged people to live a life dedicated to Maa (Balance). They knew that once an individual finds his or her Maa (Balance/Way). No one has to put the fear of God in them because they have a love for the God within them.  For instance, an individual with the Love of God within them according to Code 5 would not harm an individual just to do so nor would they allow harm to fall upon another, but they would defend themselves and others according to Code 4. This is because the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa made one responsible for themselves and each other. Part of the reason why is because at the core of Maa is Love, which is another principle associated with Maa.  This is why the netcharu (netjeru, neteru, guardian angel, etc.) that governed Maa was called Maat, depicted as a woman wearing a feather on her head. The feather symbolized that Maa is a powerful force that is light as a feather but very strong as a rock, hence it is the foundation for the universe as indicated by the uraeus (serpent) emerging from the third eye.

The Kamitic/Kemetic philosophers had all sorts of puns, and according to Kamitic philosophy Maa was the first thing that the Almighty God Nebertcher created after coming into Being. It is the foundation that our universe is built upon and everything from the duality that exists in nature to love is reflected through the Maa. This is why it is important that everyone find his or her own Maa, because it is how the divine energy is able to manifests itself through you.  For instance, as I mentioned in previous works, I grew up in a Christian household and never learned how to pray (at least not how I heard the televangelists pray), but the first time I set “Lights” (candles) it came easy to me. But, according to my Christian upbringing I was wrong for setting lights.  It was only because of Code 2 and Code 5 that I realized that this is my Maa (my Way). This is one of the ways the Divine works through me, by working through my hands. I now can lay hands and have used my hands to bless others such as blessing them through prayer, artwork, cooking, etc. It was through the Maa that I learned that I have what the old folks called ‘Healing Hands’, but I would never have learned this had I not followed the 7 Codes of Maa. Now, because I have Healing Hands, there are certain things that I have to do so that I don’t lose my divine talent. Like any other divine talent, if it is not used correctly it will be taken away from you. Not because God is punishing you but simply because of Maa – Cause and Effect. Without the 7 Codes of Maa, who knows how long it would have taken for me to learn this. As you can see, this is one of the ways the 7 Codes of Maa can help you to find your Way.

The Books of the Dead

So, when you compare the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa with the 42 Declarations (incorrectly called the 42 Laws of Maat or 42 Negative Confessions) and the whole Pert em Hru (the so-called Egyptian Book of the Dead which translates literally to The Book of the Sun/Day) we can easily see that the Declarations and the book itself is actually someone’s spiritual diary with their favorite scriptures, spells and so forth.

At first I didn’t want to accept this but, the more I learned about shamanistic culture. The more I began to realize that, that is what the Pert em Hru was, which is very similar to the Tibetan Bardol Thodol (the Tibetan Book of the Dead).  Those familiar with deep meditation know that when you meditate on a much deeper level you know that you will come in contact with a host of immaterial entities. These entities or spirits can be helpful or spiteful, but it all depends upon the practitioner’s perspective, hence Code 1. This is why even Set (the evil one) can be made to serve. Most authors miss the point when it comes to interpreting the Pert em Hru because they don’t understand shamanic cultures and shamanic traditions. It is only when we see the Kamitic/Kemetic society as a traditional African culture that followed a magico-religious faith with shamanistic techniques. That we will truly understand what the Pert em Hru was all about. Once we do, we will understand that the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa gives us the ability to write our own Pert em Hru, which metaphorically means The Book of Transforming Your Will. That’s right people, to the spiritually immature it was called a book of magic.

It is sort of like the Christian bible or the Holy Bible, which in Latin is called Helios Biblios or Sun Book (sounds familiar). Now, this is not by coincidence (Code 6). At first glance you would think that the early Christians simply copied it from the Kamitic/Kemetic people. I did as well, but I was missing the deeper truth. I had the facts but not the wisdom. It wasn’t until I reviewed how the elders in my life viewed the bible that I got a better understand what it was. You see, back in the day, older people would read and read and read the bible the closer the came to end of their life cycle on earth. It was like they were trying to memorize it. I remember meeting one elder who was always happy. When asked why he was so happy all of the time, he stated that he had one scripture that he remembered, which was a Psalms that he always repeated in times of difficulties. Old people throughout the Southern US were known for using the Psalms.  In fact there is a whole tradition on using the Psalms and even divining with the bible. Yeah, no one wants to talk about how culture seeps out of us even when we aren’t trying to but every time that preacher steps up to the pulpit and opens the bible. He (or she) is divining as to what the inner self needs to tell him or her self and the congregation. I have seen the same thing done with the Quran by people in the rural areas of Senegal.

Do you understand what the Christian bible is now? I might remind you that quiet as kept, the Christian bible was buried with the dead as well, just like the Kamitic/Kemetic bible. No one says, the Christian Book of the Dead but, this tradition is still practiced in some areas, so you do understand what the Christian bible is now?  It is the Christian’s Book of Transformation.  Many people have mixed views about the bible because of how it was used as a tool of propaganda, but in Theophus Smith’s Conjuring Culture: Biblical Formations of Black America, the author shows how African Americans, Jamaicans and others used the bible as a tool of resistance to conjure their own reality.

The problem is that most of our ancestors didn’t teach us before they left this plane how to do the same.  Fortunately, I discovered that this was possible because of the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa. Now, our ancestors didn’t know of the 7 Codes/Laws and probably didn’t call them as such, but these codes can be found in any traditional culture.  You see the thing about the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa is that if you think of them as being laws then they will degrade into commandments, which later becomes dogma. Again, this is the problem the ancient Hebrews had, which is why Jesus had to come and correct them. But, when you see the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa for what they really are you see that they are the same divine principles that gave birth to the Universe. That’s right. These are the same principles that the Creator used to create the Universe and everything in it. This is why by learning the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa, you can manifest similar miracles in your life because it is the foundation of spiritual technology. Everything such as the so called law of attraction and positive thinking is based upon the 7 Codes of Maa, which gives one the ability to change whatever he or she wills, hence the Pert em Hru.  For instance, we find the ability to lay hands on an individual is based upon Code 1, Code 2 and Code 3. Karma is based upon Code 4, Code 5, Code 6 and Code 7, and so on.  So, the 7 Codes/Laws of Maa were all about, teaching people how to come into their divinity and create the desired change in their life using the power of the divine. Simply put, the codes allows you to create miracles in your life. The Codes are not laws just guiding principles that should be kept in mind. It is through these codes anyone can pick up anything and make changes according to their will. Understand, that when I am talking about making changes, I am not saying that you can twinkle your nose like Samantha on Bewitched or tap your broom like Nanny McPhee. No, we’re talking about using the same principles that the universe were created upon to sow seeds in the invisible spiritual realm to manifest physically through faith.

Hope that helps.

Hetep

Derric “Rau Khu” Moore

For more information on the Maa click on Maa: A Guide to the Kamitic Way for Personal Transformation

Kongo Cross/Cosmology on Colonoware

Bottom of marked Colono Ware bowl from South Carolina.

Historians argue that crosses and circles in certain contemporary African American rituals were derived from depictions of the cosmos traditional among Bakongo priests from the southwest coast of Africa (Thompson 1983:110,121; Stuckey 1983: 3–97). The basic form of this cosmogram (cosmology) is a simple cross with one line representing the boundary between the living world and that of the dead, and the other representing the path of power from below to above, as well as the vertical path across the boundary. Marks on the bases of Colono Ware bowls found in river bottoms and slave quarter sites in South Carolina suggest that more than one hundred and fifty years ago African American priests used similar symbols of the cosmos.

While cataloging thousands of Colono Ware sherds, South Carolina archaeologists began noticing marks on the bases of some bowls. Most of these marks were simple crosses. In some cases a circle or rectang le enclosed the cross; in others, “arms” extended counterclockwise from the ends of the cross. On one there was a circle without a cross, and on a few others we found more complicated marks.

Initially we called these “maker’s marks” since the first ones discovered had been in cised on the vessel bases before firing and bore a resemblance to maker’s marks on European and Asian pottery. Similar marks, however, were soon found inscribed on interior bottoms, and still others were scratched into the bowls after the vessels were fired. Some archaeologists argued that they were “owner’s marks,” but there was too little variety in the marks to suggest different owners. Interpreting the marks as either “maker’s” or “owner’s” had serious flaws.

Although we could not explain what these marks meant, over a period of several years a pattern emerged linking the marks to earthenware bowls collected underwater from rivers. What we knew was this:

The majority of marks were a cruciform or some variation of a cross or X.
All marks were on Colono Ware bowls, none on the Colono Ware cooki ng jars we commonly found. Also, there were no such marks on imported European bowls, although slaves were using large amounts of European ware as well as Colono Ware.
Marks always were located at the very bottom of the bowl, either on the inside or outside. Sometimes they were made before firing and in other cases after firing.
Marks were more commonly found on bowls with ring bases than on those with rounded or flattened bases, even though ring-based bowls comprised only a small proportion of the total number of bowls recovered.
Although marked pieces had been found around former slave quarters, most were picked up in adjacent rivers. This was true in spite of the fact that many more Colono Ware sherds had been recovered from terrestrial sites than from those underwater.
Clearly the marks were associated with bowls and with water, but what did they signify? In February 1987 at a Williamsburg symposium on African American culture, I showed illustrations of the marked pots and mentioned that while we believed these bowls were in some way associated with water, we really didn’t know how to interpret them. After the presentation, Wythe Dornman, a member of the audience, and later an associate, Elaine Nichols, called my attention to the similarity of the marks to Bakongo cosmology.

The Bakongo are a numerous and powerful people located in the southern portion of modern Democratic Republic of Congo near the Angolan border. Their homeland is in the area identified in discussions of the Atlantic slave trade as the “Congo-Angolan region.” Bakongo culture has been so influential that many non-Bakongo people have adopted Bakongo practices, especially in religion. During the time when traders brought slaves to North America, almost half of those arriving in South Carolina came from the region of Bakongo influence.

According to Bakongo religion, an almighty God emanates power that may be controlled for either good or evil by living human beings, people who make sacred medicines or minkisi. Minkisi control the spirits of the cosmos connecting the living with the powers of the dead. Making an nkisi (plural: minkisi) involves packaging a variety of “spirit-embodying materials,” which might include cemetery earth, white clay, stones, and other items. Nkisi containers include leaves, shells, bags, wooden images, cloth bundles, and ceramic vessels (MacGaffey 1986:42–51; Thompson 1983:108–131).

Bakongo philosophers explain the land of the living as a mountain over a watery barrier separating this world from the land of the dead beneath. Each day the sun rises over the earth and proceeds in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed from the southern hemisphere, across the sky to set in the water. Then, during earthly nighttime, the sun illuminates the underside of the universe, the land of the dead, until it rises again in the northeast. The cycle continues incessantly, representing the continuity of life: birth, death, and rebirth (MacGaffey 1986:42–46; Thompson 1983:108–109).

Circularity pervades West African ideology, and the circle proved equally important in African American slave religion and art. Moreover, the watery barrier, which separates the corporal and spirit worlds, also found a weighty role in African American ideology.

Considering the West African emphasis on circularity and water spirits, and the influence of Bakongo cosmology and ritual in the Congo-Angolan region, it should not be surprising that early African American religion would bear these same characteristics. The marks on bowls picked up from river bottoms in the Carolina lowCountry strongly resemble Bakongo cosmograms. The association of marks with earthenware vessels, ring bases, and underwater sites also fits the general West African model.

South Carolina’s marked bowls were made and used by American descendants of the mythical Ne Kongo who cooked medicines in earthenware pots. Although no marks have been found on Colono Ware cooking jars or pots, some marked bowls show charring from use over a fire. Overall, the traditional African association of medicines or charms with earthenware vessels, and the exclusive archaeological association of marks with handbuilt earthenware bowls, and not with imported European ware, suggests an interpretation of the bowls as receptacles in a ritual similar to those involving minkisi.

As Africans came to the Americas they arrived with a belief in water spirits and a profound respect for the cross and circularity as symbols of life and death. Again, we can read these tenets in the archaeological record: two-thirds of the marks are unquestionably cruciform and three out of four marked bowls have been recovered from underwater, bowls that embody circularity. Not only are the bowls themselves segments of spheres, and circles the dominating lines of spheres, but the ring bases add even more circles to the vessels. When they are attached to spherical bowls, the ring bases appear as circles attached to circles; when marked they appear as circles enclosing the Bakongo cosmogram.

The archaeological pattern fits the West African model quite well. The combination of marks, handbuilt earthenware, circles, and underwater context suggest that African American priests performed traditional rituals passed from Africa to South Carolina.

This is article is originally from http://www.nps.gov/ethnography/aah/aaheritage/lowCountry_furthRdg4.htm .

I am only posting it here because I have tried to contact the author in order to repost and was unsuccessful.

Hope this helps…Hetep

Derric “Rau Khu” Moore

Let My People Go!

Hetepu (Peace) Family,

Here’s an interested fact I came across.  Because one of the major pillars of peoples’ enslavement to the dogmatic, literal interpretation of the bible, is the story of Moses and the Children of Israel crossing the Red Sea.   Did you know that according to the Torah, when the Children of Israel were fleeing the pharaoh that they called out to God and begged for his help? And God asked,

“Why are you calling me?“

Afterwards, God told the Children of Israel, who were faced with either being killed by pharaoh’s army or drowning,

“Go jump in the water!”

According to Kabbalistic scholars, God’s question and response to the Children of Israel was a code telling the people that they themselves had the power to escape the predicament they were in on their own.  The whole story was an allegory never meant to be taken literal, but to inform people that they didn’t need God’s assistance. They just needed to connect and use the divine energy that exists within them.

When you think about the whole story now, maybe the reason Moses told the biblical pharaoh to “Let my people go!” Really was a request or command meaning release my people from Mental Slavery. Maybe this is the real reason Moses was viewed as a biblical hero and a spirit guide by early African Americans prior to the Civil Rights Movement. Maybe this is the reason why Moses was identified as being a shaman in Afro-Brazil.

Hmmm…something to think about. What do you think?

Hetepu

Is Knowledge of Self Still Relevant Today?

Hetepu (Peace) Family

I was just sitting back and listening to Black Star’s K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self), which had me reflecting on some things. I remember back in the day, not to sound like an old fogey, when Quest, DeLa, Gangstarr, Paris, Heavy D, Brand Nubians, Black Sheep, PRT, PE, KRS-1 and all of them was around.  We talked about knowledge of self to raise the consciousness of folks.  It wasn’t all about power. It was about just surviving, living, enjoying life and making sure we don’t fall in the social traps. It was all about seeing the divine within you, but I noticed something.

Nowadays, people are always talking about knowledge of self but they never express the benefit or purpose of knowledge of self. To begin it must be understood that you are composed of several parts. There is a thinking part of you, a feeling part of you, a spiritual part of you and so on. In psychology these different aspects of you are commonly referred to as the conscious, subconscious and unconscious minds. Technically speaking, you only have one mind, but it is divided into different parts that control different aspects of your life. The subconscious mind governs your memories, emotions, autonomous body functions, etc. Your conscious part of your mind governs your rational thinking and your will, while your unconscious corresponds to those aspects of you that lie outside of conscious and subconscious control such as your intuition.

Now, let’s see how this applies. Ninety-nine percent the world population lives their life based upon what was learned or the memories of their subconscious because the subconscious is responsible for our habits, but as we all know, our habits are not always good. A lot of us have some pretty destructive habits in the sense that they cause harm to us and others like smoking, abusive behavior, critical language, etc. For instance, when we see someone doing something that we disagree with. It is out of habit that we may criticize their actions and behavior, but before we do it. There is something inside of us that gives us the impulse not to do it. That something speaking within us is our unconscious. A lot of times, we choose to do the exact opposite of what that unconscious voice is telling us not to do. The decision to choose is due to our conscious. As you can all of these three parts contribute and make you who you are.

When you don’t have knowledge of self, you tend to only rely upon the subconscious part of your being. This means that engage in actions and behaviors based solely upon you feel and have learned because remember, the subconscious governs our emotions and memories.  This means, if it doesn’t feel right, we don’t like it, etc. we will not do it. This sounds great but we have to remember as we saw earlier, our subconscious can mislead us because it lacks the ability to reason, which is a function of our conscious. This is why there are so many people addicted to cigarette smoking and a lot of other destructive habits. It is because somewhere along the line, the individual that picked up the habit of smoking thought it was “cool”, “hip” or whatever, so the subconscious liked it and became a “destructive” friend.

So what knowledge of self does is to remind you first and foremost that you are not your subconscious, your subconscious is just one aspect of you. Said another way, you are not what you have learned, memorized or done in the past. This is just something that you have done. This is very important to understand because a lot of people think that since they made some grave errs in their life.  That they are not welcomed and do not deserve the blessings of God, which is so not true. Your subconscious or your past does not define who you are. It is the conscious choices that you make that determine who and what you will be. As I stated in the example above, there is an unconscious part of our being that speaks to us, but we have to decide on if we choose to listen to it or not. This unconscious part is also what is referred to as the Divine Spark or the Spark of God within. Every living being on the planet has it, but only man and woman have the ability to listen to it or ignore it totally.

When you have knowledge of self it reminds you of all of this, but it also helps you to see that the same divine beauty that exists in you dwells in others as well. Everyone and everything is sacred because it is created by the Divine. Even man-made objects have place in the scheme of things because they are still a manifestation of God through human hands. But again, knowledge of self throws back in our face that it is what we choose to do with our life and the things in the world that brings about our demise and the demise of others. When you knowledge of self, you have no need for a secret philosophy because you see the benefit of expressing gratitude. You understand the nature of your being is the nature of the universe and vice versa. And, this is why it is important to get Knowledge of Self.

Hope that helps.

Proof that Reincarnation is Real

Hetepu Family,

I just happened to be watching a documentary on the science of the soul and they were talking about this kid named James Leininger.  For years I recall my parents, grandparents and others saying that a child was an old soul returned, but this was the best example I have seen proven that the soul reincarnates. While I could not find the documentary, I was able to find similar post of this kid. Enjoy.

Hope this helps.

The Origin of Black Jesus

Formerly (How to Separate the Deified Jesus from the Jesus Within? (The Birth of Black Jesus)

There are a few people wondering why I advocate using the Lord’s Prayer even though I consider myself to be a follower of the Kamitic philosophy.  It is because as a shaman, I am concerned with what works because most of our ancestors were Christians and we come from a Christian background. But, due to misinterpretation, misrepresentation and misunderstanding about the ideas our ancestors had about Jesus Christ.  There is a lot of confusion circulating around.  This has led a number of us to turn our back on spirituality or worse become an atheist, which is totally out of sync with our nature and a true slap in our ancestors’ face.  So, let’s begin.

This discussion started when I was talking with my wife and at the time we were watching the film Red Tails, and noted that one of the pilots had a picture of Black Jesus.  I am not sure if people got it but the director was trying to show how there were two depictions of Jesus that existed.  To understand this, it has to be remembered that when the Africans were brought to North America, unlike the Africans in the Caribbean and South America. They were unable to practice their religious beliefs, which most of us already are aware of. Consequently, they had to adapt and modify their beliefs and practices in order to survive in the new hostile environment they found themselves in. Now, contrary to popular belief, the Africans brought to the North America were not forcefully converted to Christianity as some authors believe. There’s a substantial amount of historic evidence that reveals that many of the people from the Kongo-Angolan region had converted to Christianity prior to the advent of the slave trade.  This means that even though most of the Africans from this region weren’t Christian, many of them had knowledge of this European faith.

During slavery, for almost hundred or more years, Protestant Euro-Americans were very leery about converting the Africans to Christianity for fear that baptism would give them “crazy ideas” that they were free from bondage.    So they gave the early African Americans bits and pieces to make the people subservient, which allowed the early African Americans to fill in the voids with their own beliefs and practices. According to my research, most of these beliefs were influenced by the Kongo cosmogram.  This went on for years until evangelical Baptist and Methodist preachers began traveling through the south during the Great Awakening. It was during this time a large number of early African Americans converted to the Christian faith and one of the big drawing points was water baptism. According to classic Kongo belief, it was a barrier of water that separated the land of the living from the land of the ancestors or spiritual realm. When one crossed over to the spiritual realm and returned back to the land of the living with a change of consciousness, it was believed they were reborn, a similar belief existed in Kamit (see the maa aankh). Prior to the early African American involvement in Christianity, you will not find this belief nor practice, because it is straight from Africa particularly the Kongo-Angolan region.   In fact, there is no proof of people ever speaking in tongues, the sign of the Holy Ghost, until African Americans joined the church and people were struck by the Spirit at the Azuza Street Revival.

So, what this means is that for more than a hundred years, early African Americans even though were not encouraged practiced their traditional beliefs did manage to blend their beliefs and practices with European religion, which became the foundation of what we call as the Black Church Experience. It was from this spiritual legacy, that the Black Jesus was born.

Now, for those of us searching for spiritual answers and trying to find our way (our maa), we find this hard to accept.  I know I did, because we wonder why our people would willingly convert to the religion of our enemy. Why would they willingly convert to a religion that taught that they were meant to be beast of burden and the wretched of the earth based upon the so-called Hamitic myth?  I know that if you are like me, you probably have ancestors that resisted this and you’re probably torn up inside about the whole Jesus issue.  Well, through a lot of soul searching and conversations with my ancestors I learned that early African Americans didn’t really convert to Christianity. They actually created their own version of the religion, which began in the Kongo, this is where Black Jesus was born and why in the Caribbean Black Jesus is associated with Kongo spirituality.

Now when I say Black Jesus, I am not just talking about a painting of Jesus painted as an African man.  I am speaking about the concept of a Black Jesus. That is an individual who suffered right alongside the slave in the field. An individual that was beat and whipped by the oppressor, and then persecuted because of the color of his skin.  Just think for a moment. Have you heard or read anything about this Jesus? If you’re like me, most likely you haven’t. There is not much written about him, but you can identify with him because he exists in your racial consciousness. This is the Jesus that Negro spirituals and the first gospel songs were all about. I don’t care what you claim to believe, even the staunchest black atheists today can’t resist the power of Mahalia Jackson singing, “How I got over,” because this is the Jesus that she is singing about.  Black Jesus was birthed out of struggle.

The difference between Black Jesus and the Jesus that was taught in Sunday school is that Black Jesus is a powerful archetype that took on the characteristics of the Kongo nganga’s (Kongo priests) and the Yoruba orishas. This is why if you read any books about the religion of the slaves, like the Slave Religion by Robert Robetau.  You will find that early African Americans loved Jesus because he was healer and miracle worker like Moses.  In fact, next to Moses he was considered to be the greatest healer or conjure man of the bible. Note that I said, next to Moses. Another difference was that Black Jesus wasn’t worshipped like Jesus is nowadays, but was talked to like a familiar friend or a common ancestor, because he was about community and was associated with the super conscious.The interesting thing about this is that Jesus was viewed the same way in the Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Latin America, which means this could not be a coincidence.

The super conscious also called the higher consciousness, objective consciousness, divine consciousness, the Spirit also referred to as God.  It is what connects us all together as one. It is the divine spark that dwells within each and every one of us regardless if we believe it exists or not. It is what gives us the divine potential to accomplish anything we put our mind to. Many non-Western cultures created spiritual cultures to cultivate peoples’ higher spiritual abilities. For instance, we all have the ability to see into the future but in order to achieve such a goal requires us learning how to listen to our higher consciousness or simply intuit. Spiritual cultures focused on developing these abilities in individuals so that they could greater contribute to the survival of the entire community; whereas non-spiritual cultures simply focused on the physical survival of the people by dominating and subjecting others to their physical rule.

Early African Americans (as well as others in the African diaspora) have known about the or super conscious for hundreds of years because they are descendants from African shamanic cultures.  In shamanic traditions the way to access the super conscious is through dancing, drumming, fasting, sensory deprivation, exposure to extremes of temperature or the use of psychoactive drugs.  Those familiar with the African American religious experience will note that besides the latter two, all of these practices can be found within the Black Church. These practices along with the latter two (exposure to extreme temperature and psychoactive drugs) are readily used within the Native American spiritual services, which should give you a general idea as to how the relationship between Native Americans and early Africans Americans evolved.

Anyway, the early African Americans danced, chanted, fasted and on occasion drummed (using handclaps, hand and body slaps – i.e. hambone since drums were officially outlawed) to go into trance and meet Black Jesus who gave them certain virtues like lucidity, patience, kindness, truthfulness, humility, and forgiveness towards one’s fellow man, which is called Gifts of the Spirit or the Holy Ghost in some churches. These are all qualities that according to traditional spiritual teachings, one cannot obtain without ascending to the higher consciousness or meeting Black Jesus. Unfortunately, because many African American pastors refuse to research their own spiritual lineage. They fail to understand that this is the reason they feel they have to go to church. It though has nothing to do with the church itself but it is all about connecting to the Divine consciousness. Some of the other fruits of the Spirit are chastity, faithfulness, gentleness, generosity, goodness, love, modesty, self-control, strength, wisdom, counsel and peace. So, you see, the bible simply conveyed what early African Americans already knew about the super consciousness, which the Kamitic people called the ba – the divine spark.

But somewhere along the way, things went awry in regards to the Black Spiritual Experience. Many have traced this great change back to around the Civil Rights and Cultural Movement of the 1970s. It is not known exactly what happened but it seems as if the Black Jesus fulfilled his purpose and people had no more use of him as they got more rights and freedoms. The reason is because people started accepting the Euro-American Protestant idea of Jesus who was more about individualism instead of community. It should be noted that around this same time, there was a sharp decline as conditions in the community across the country got worst.  As people migrated out of the neighborhoods, more and more drugs became available. Isn’t it interesting that most of the social ills that exist in our communities were not present prior to that time? The other interesting thing is that it wasn’t that drugs, prostitution, etc. did not exist at all, but there was something preventing it from running rapid as it exists today. The reason is because there was a change in consciousness.  In a matter of time, the religious experience of African Americans moved from communal based spirituality to individualism.

This is why in the minds of many; Black Jesus is simply an image.  He is not the Black Jesus of old, which is why no matter what color Jesus is. For many of us it is hard to divorce ourselves from the myth versus the cruel reality associated with Christianity. When we hear the name Jesus what comes to mind are all of the atrocities that were done in Jesus’ name, under the banner of a long blonde hair man looking to the heavens. Understand, I have nothing against Europeans and their descendants but it has to be understood the psychological and spiritual damage that was committed due to the idea of some and their so-called “master race.” Although Hitler was the only individual to build a society that worked towards the annihilation of other ethnicities, he wasn’t the only one that believed in such theories. These theories of white superiority had been circulating around Western civilization for centuries. It was these theories that later inspired Colonialism, which is why in the minds of many (especially those who know history) they are associated with Jesus.

So that we are clear about the confuse state people are in regarding Jesus. Just think about the four little girls that were killed in a church bombing in Alabama by Jesus loving Klansmen of the KKK. Clearly, these individuals that committed this crime didn’t know anything about the peaceful teaching of Jesus, but can you imagine still loving a God that would seem to condone such acts of violence? What about all of the lynchings of all the Black, Jewish, Native American and Hispanic men by so-called Christian men and women? Imagine if you were a Native American and you were told that Jesus didn’t love you and you would not go to heaven because your entire way of life is uncivilized, along with the number of treaties supposedly made under God that were broken? Could you still love Jesus? This is why Jesus leaves a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths because of the actions and behaviors of foolish and ignorant people. Jesus taught about love but many of his stewards all around the world have done otherwise.  And, they are doing the same thing today. This is why a lot of young people are not just turning away from him but turning away from spirituality all together. And, it is not just minorities.  Many Westerners are turning away from Jesus and to atheism because of the same negative history. I can’t tell you how many atheists I have met that are so fond of talking about the various atrocities committed in the name of savior.  And, why is there all of this confusion? It is simply because some zealous men made Jesus and the God one in the same.  It is hard to worship a God that oppresses you, but we can’t exist without God, because being spiritual beings in a physical body. We need God just as much as God needs us. Without God we have no access to the spiritual fruits that were spoken of earlier, but without us. God cannot physically implement His/Her plan in the world of the living.

So, how do we get rid of this evil concept so that we can grow spiritually? How do we erase the hundreds of misinterpreted, misrepresented and just totally incorrect ideas about God and Jesus that have been told to us throughout the ages?

We just simply need to return to the old ways and see that Jesus is an archetype of who we are supposed to be.  Jesus is not the God, which is why he never talked to God by talking to himself. He talked to God like everyone else did by speaking with his super conscious or ba. Notice that when the disciples asked Jesus how they should speak to God, he said talk to the father by saying, “Our Father.” Jesus gave an ancient recipe on how to connect with the ba. It is a similar recipe that the psalmist gave in the Book of Psalms, which is why was the most popular book in early African American and Jewish folk traditions. If you look far enough you will find this is the same way the Kamitic people spoke about the God when they mentioned Osar.

When you really read about Jesus it makes sense why he clearly told his disciples not to worship him, because he knew it would confuse people. Jesus understood that the super conscious was the ba and he identified it with God. This is why saying the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23 empowers you, because it is poetic and it invokes the Spirit within our being. It is spiritual alchemy that the ancient Hebrews learned from guess who?  That’s right the Kamitic people, who people are beginning to recognize now were master shamans. So, to reprogram your lower consciousness and rid yourself of the old, dogmatic ideas of Jesus and your divinity, invoke your ba as Jesus did. Jesus referred to his ba as his Father. Early African Americans following suit referred to their ba as God or Lord. This is why the Kamitic people understanding the nature of the ba called God Nebertcher (Ne-ba-tchar) – The Lord of All Things, which is why it is perfectly okay if you are trying to clean your spiritual slate to pray the Lord’s Prayer.

Hope that helps.