Much Respek for Luke Cage’s Anansi (Sahr Ngaujah)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.

Ok. I just finished watching Luke Cage Season 2, and I am not going to spoil it for those who have not seen it, but I thought it was descent.  The best character and the most profound scene was by Sahr Ngaujah who plays the character Anansi. His performance and monologue was so profound that I found it interesting that no one in the “woke” community caught it.

But, before I go into it, this season 2 has several antagonists. First, there is Mariah “Black Mariah” Dillard (Cornell’s “Cottonmouth” Stoke’s cousin) and Hernan “Shades” Alvarez returns from last season, but there is a villain named John “Bushmaster” McIver.

Bushmaster (Luke Cage 2)

Now, Bushmaster is portrayed as a crazed Jamaican who is obsessed with killing Mariah and any other Stokes that is alive. When he first encounters the protagonist Luke Cage, Bushmaster gives him a serious beatdown because he uses a Maroon fighting style known as Bangaran, which is similar to Capoeira minus the “jinga” dancing step. Sidebar: Denzel Washington and Robert Townsend did a form of bangaran in the classic film The Mighty Quinn. Anyway, you find out later that reason Bushmaster is out to kill Mariah is because the Stokes murdered his family and stole his inheritance.

Bushmaster fight Luke Cage

So, like I said, I am not going through the whole season. I am just going to say that the best, the coldest, the most relevant to our situation and the most profound scene that explains most of our situation occurs between in episode 24 “The Creator.”

In the scene, Shades and Mariah kidnaps Bushmaster’s Uncle Paul “Anansi” McIntosh. (Sidebar: Anansi is the name of the Akan Ellegua or trickster spirit who manifests himself as a spider, who became Aunt Nancy in the United States. The name Anansi is also featured in the show American Gods 2 as Mr. Nancy shown above.)

Anansi (Sahr Ngaujah) in Luke Cage 2.

Anyway, they are discussing how her grandfather “Buggy Stokes” stole Bushmaster’s father (Quincy McIver) distillery.

Mariah tells Anansi that afterwards, “The Italian gangsters took the liquor. The Irish cop’s protection but we (Stokes) kept the real-estate.”

Anansi responds saying “Yuh grandfather was a slave.”

Mariah retaliates, “Buggy Stokes was freer than you will ever be.”

Anansi, “That’s the problem with you, Yankee. Yuh nuh have the strength to fight yuh masters dem. Yuh lazy. Yuh content with the scraps. Yuh happy to sing and dance for dem.“

Mariah responds saying, “Oh, please. Every Jamaican talks that Marron bullshit.”

What, y;all didn’t get your freedom–What? 1962. And then you got enslaved by the World Bank.  All you’re known for is Marley, marijuana and murder.

Anansi tells Mariah, “Quincy McIver wanted to fight the Italians and di Irish. Him thought Buggy would’ve had him back.”

Mariah finishes saying, “Buggy could only fight for one family. And he chose the right one.”

And, it is here we see the entire psychological and social issue that most of us suffer from without even noticing. It interesting that none of the “woke” community has even spoke about it.  First, if you ever watched the first season of Luke Cage you know that Mariah has serious self-identity and self-love issues. She rose to power (spoiler alert for those who have not watched  season 1) because her cousin teased her by repeating a horrible nickname “Black Mariah,” which led to his death.  In the beginning of season 2, Mariah is persuaded to make a deal by another Black American gangster who discourages her from working with (paraphrase) “Cigar Smoking Blacks, Caribbean Blacks, Rum Drinking Blacks” (derogatory shots to Blacks in the Caribbean) and encourage her to work only with Mississippi Blacks (American Blacks).

Anansi’s statement to Mariah that, “That’s the problem with you, Yankee. Yuh nuh have the strength to fight yuh masters dem.  Yuh lazy. Yuh content with the scraps. Yuh happy to sing and dance for dem.“

She totally missed what Anansi was saying because like most people she did not know her history. The Maroon’s is a generic and derogatory term from the Spanish word cimarrón, that was corrupted in English to maroon to mean “wild, unruly and runaway slave.”

Family. The Maroons were not a single or separate race of people. They were Africans forcefully brought to the Americans and forced to be slaves, who had had enough and fled into the wild to make their own life. Many of the “Maroons” banded with the indigenous people of the land and built numerous communities all throughout the Americas and they warred with the Europeans to defend their land.  This is reflected in Bushmaster who has hazel colored eyes, was blessed by his grandmother who was an Obeah woman, etc.

New Orlean Indians: Courtesy of http://houseofdanceandfeathers.org/mardigrasindians/

Most people have only vaguely heard of the Jamaican Maroon community and think that the term Maroon only refers to escaped Africans there.  But, there were Maroons they escaped and settled with the Taino in Haiti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. The Maroons in the United States were the infamous Seminoles in Florida, that no one wants to really talk about. Not to mention the Africans who joined forces with the indigenous in Louisiana and Mississippi.  In fact, any African American who has an affinity with the Native American spirit Black Hawk will be surprised to find that it has nothing to do with how many are portraying him. It is drawing back to this Maroon spiritual connection, which means you may have some African ancestry who were Maroons.

Maroon culture promoted in Jamaica courtesy of http://etn.travel/jamaicas-tourism-promote-maroon-festival-9112/

There were Maroon cultures in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and their descendants are the Garifuna.  There were Maroon cultures in Panama, Columbia, Ecuador and in Brazil, the most famous Maroon culture was called Palmares home of the legendary leader Zumbi dos Palmares, rumored to be the birthplace of the contemporary Capoeira.

There were also Maroons in Mexico where the most famous Angolan Maroon leader, Yanga Gaspar, was said to have beat the Spanish so bad that it led to a peace treaty, which eventually led to Mexico winning its independence. Yanga Gaspar is honored today in Veracruz, Mexico with a statue There were even Maroon communities in Canada.

In Jamaica the “Maroons” had two pivotal wars against the British that eventually led to the British signing a peace treaty with them. Jamaica’s independence had nothing to do with the Maroons but they tried to tie the two together to make “selling out” looking appeasing and make our indigenous culture look primitive, backwards and unimportant.

Killmonger of Black Panther

Again, it was another tip of the Marvel hat to put down indigenous African culture and African mindsets as they had done with the Killmonger character in Black Panther.

It makes you ask the question that if our indigenous mindset (culture and spirituality) is so primitive, backwards and unimportant, why don’t let us be?

It is because they know that it is not. The Maroon culture is the only culture within the Americas that has flipped the system because they know that they are the only ones who are mentally and spiritually free. Understand, Maroon culture focuses on going within. In fact, all throughout the series Anansi keeps reminding Bushmaster that true power comes from within.

The Maroons all over the Afro-Diaspora are the ones who understood that anyone you allow to give you your freedom is your slave master, and this is what Mariah missed as she was applauding her grandfather who murdered his own just to settle for scraps from the Italians and Irish mobs.

Family. I hope that this has inspired you to take a deeper look at Maroon culture so that you can understand what it really means to be mentally and spiritually free.  A lot of effort is being made so that we do not return to our original spiritual mindset. This world has nothing to offer us because our genius is within.

Don’t be fooled into thinking otherwise.

Hetepu.

Kamitic Spirituality 101

Hetepu (Peace & Blessing) Family.

I recently received an email asking that I explain the difference between the subconscious and superconscious, and how it relates to Kamitic spirituality, so I thought this might benefit others as well.

When we are born, our mind (subconscious and superconscious) is like an empty slate. Besides the normal subconscious programming which is used to regulate our heart, digest food, etc., we have no programming until our parents begin to tell us what to and not to do. As we grow, our subconscious mind is given a list of do’s and don’ts, which it associates with certain emotional experiences. We learn not to put our hands on the hot stove because we will burn ourselves and to look both ways before crossing the street, and all of these rules that we learned from our parents, grandparents, etc. are stored in our subconscious. We also have rules that we have created ourselves based upon our preferences. For instance, if you do not like Brussel sprouts, this becomes a rule that you tell yourself every time you see this vegetable. There are also other rules that are stored in your subconscious based upon your experience. For instance, if you were bitten by a dog, then you create the subconscious rule that all dogs are bad animals. If you saw your parents fighting, then you create the subconscious rule that parents are supposed to fight, and so on.

All of these rules basically become the programs that run your life, which you mistakenly identify as “You.” So you tell people things like, “I don’t do dogs” only because you had a negative experience.  You may say, “All men are dogs” or “All women are gold diggers,” etc. due to your experience, which steers you away from dating certain people. You may have been told when you were a child by your parents “I don’t have any money for that. Money doesn’t grow on trees.” So the subconscious rule is created where you think that in order for you to make any money. You have to struggle and work hard, which prevents you from starting a multi-billion dollar business.

So, you have all of these rules that exist in your subconscious like writings on a chalkboard, which dictate to you what you should and should not do. You believe you can and cannot achieve a particular goal because you have never experienced it or have seen anyone in your immediate circle achieve it.  Let me say that again, everything you tell yourself that you can or cannot do is only because your subconscious mind does not remember any of your family members, friends, people in the community, etc. achieving this same goal. Therefore you tell yourself: “I will never be in shape” because you grew up in a household of people who were simply trying to survive so they ate unhealthy foods and lived unhealthy lifestyles.   You may say, “I’ll never be wealthy” or “I will never get out of the hood” because your subconscious reminds you of your parent saying, “Money doesn’t grow on trees” and it does not remember anyone being wealthy, so it tells you it is impossible.

For the most part, you believe everything your subconscious tells you because it has been telling you what to do all of your life.  Your subconscious is responsible for you living thus far, so it rationalizes with you by asking “Why would I tell you wrong?” You therefore succumb to your subconscious and believe everything it tells you can and cannot do because your subconscious is like a slate with a bunch of information and doodles on it.

Then something happens. One day you cross paths with someone who used to be in the same situation you are presently in but they changed. This could be anyone who overcame an addiction to someone who escaped the streets and is now a millionaire.  It could be someone recovering from an illness, etc. Whatever the case, you read or hear about people who changed their lives and this offers a glimpse of hope. Because what it means is that if they did it, you can too. Since your subconscious does not have the ability to reason, it will tell you that it is impossible to do what these people have done. Or it will rationalize with you by saying that you have to have special talent, be born with a certain gift, luck, etc. in order to get ahead but when you read about these people’s lives you learn they are ordinary people with similar struggles as you.

A more in-depth study into these peoples’ lives reveals that these people tapped into the mind beyond their subconscious, or their superconscious mind. The superconscious mind is like the clean slate you were born with in the very beginning. It is the preconditioned, preprogrammed and pre-habitual mind you had when you were born. Think of this way. This was the initial state of your mind before you learned all of the rules that dictate to you how you are supposed to live now. In other words, before you were told what you “can” or “can’t” do.  Said another way, the superconscious can be thought of as before someone started writing on your “Wall.”

Anyway, people who managed to change their lives and do so over a long period of time simply learned how to return to that blank slate, the superconscious and give their mind a new rule.

How does the superconscious work? Well, trying to change a subconscious programming is an ongoing battle because as stated earlier, your subconscious is old and it will rationalize (argue) with you until you yield. If you think of the chalkboard or a dry-erase board analogy, you know that sometimes if you write on the board and do not erase it immediately. The previous writing stays on the board and is hard to get rid of. It stains the board.  Let me give you an example. Once upon a time, I wanted to do some capoeira conditioning in the morning because I wanted to lose a little weight, plus it helped with agility and would not require a lot of time. Not to mention that capoeira is fun, but as soon as I said, I want to do it. My subconscious gave me this whole list of reasons why I shouldn’t do it, like ‘It is going to be hard. You’re too old. You might break something. You got bad knees. You don’t really want to get up early to exercise,’ etc. You see, your subconscious knows what you like and do not like because it has been recording your memories since birth. But, I had to remind myself that there were capoeiristas doing capoeira in their 70s and 80s. In fact, Anthony Bourdain went to Bahia and interviewed a mestre who was well in his 60s (or older).  This meant it is possible to do any martial arts but my subconscious has never seen it so, it tried to convince me that it was impossible. So, you see the argument and excuses our subconscious gives us. It will tell you anything to convince you to go in the other direction.

What’s the solution?

BYPASS it!

Instead of wasting time arguing with your subconscious, simply bypass it and go to the superconscious. When I bypassed my subconscious and tapped into my superconscious, I simply focused on imagining how cool it would be to do handstands, flips or a role’ (cartwheel). I imagined what it would be like to meet some capoeiristas (players) and engage in a friendly game (jogo) of Capoeira. Now, I didn’t just visualize this and it happened because the subconscious governs our everyday life or what people call normal consciousness or beta state. I had to plant this seed when the subconscious was at its lowest and most vulnerable point, which is during twilight and in the evening. These are the times when your mind naturally enters into alpha state. Once I did it, I found myself waking up every morning with a new habit of doing capoeira conditioning. It continued do it until I decided I wanted to do something different.

I cannot tell you exactly what I did when I was in alpha state because what worked for me may not necessarily work for you. What I can tell you is that there are numerous methods that anyone can use that will plant a seed in their superconscious like using autosuggestions, sigils, meditation, repetition, symbols, etc. and these are only a few ways but there are a number of ways to bypass the subconscious.  That the uninitiated refers to as magic but it is simply occult science or what “mystery school teachings.”

The point of this post is that spirituality is all about reprogramming your mind and the most effective way I have found to accomplish this feat is bypassing the subconscious and tapping into your superconscious. Why argue with your subconscious on overcoming a habit when you start new by giving it a new rule?

How does this relate to Kamitic spirituality? Well, if you think about how our subconscious is adamant to change and will try its best to convince us to do everything that is contrary to what we want.  It is a great adversary, which is the reason the subconscious is symbolized as the Kamitic devil Set (Please do not make the error of thinking the subconscious is evil. Remember we need it survive. It simply lacks the ability to reason properly). Those who are familiar with Kamitic mythology will now understand why Set (or the devil) is consider the author (or god) of confusion, chaos and war.

Set: The author of confusion.

The superconscious is symbolized as Osar (Asar, Ausar or Osiris) and it should now become clear that the reason Osar was so highly exalted was because he was the original redeemer that wiped one’s slate clean.

Osar: The Kamitic author or divinity of purity and knowledge.

Therefore, metaphorically speaking, to bring about any change in our life we simply need to be like Hru (Heru, Hrw, Horus) and connect with our Osar.

HRU (Heru, Horus)

So What Is Kamitic Spirituality?

I keep posting this question because people keep getting it twisted and bringing subconscious dogmatic religious, good versus evil or god versus the devil programming into the Kamitic mix. Thereby jeopardizing their ability to make some real strides spiritually. So I must say again, true Kamitic Spirituality is not about having a colorful name change, eating a particular diet and dressing in African attire, etc. None of this is going to make you more spiritual if you cannot control your mind.

It is not even about learning the history of the Kamitic people. Again, it is great and it helps if you know it but it is not necessary to practice Kamitic spirituality. It is not about trying to figure out why your enemy does what “he” or “she” does.  And last but not least, yet most importantly, Kamitic Spirituality is not about following anyone or joining a group.

If you’re looking for someone to follow, try following your Higher Self (Superconscious/Osar).

This is what Kamitic Spirituality is all about. This is Kamitic Spirituality 101.

Hope that helps.

Honoring the Spirit of Resistance!

Hetepu (Peace) Family

The 20^th of November marks the official death of Zumbi dos Palmares (1655-1695), the ex-slave and last leader of the Quilombo dos Palmares, who fought the Portuguese on behalf of the Maroon society in Brazil. Many people I have talked to about Zumbi asked “Why should we celebrate this event? It happened in Brazil.”

Well, I use to think the same way. I changed my thinking because the 20^th of November is celebrated in Brazil as Black Awareness Day and is used as a time to reflect upon the contributions made by people of African descent, as well as erase the vicious stereotypes that have been created about blacks.  In the beginning, I found this to be a little odd because throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, there are a lot of stereotypical images that are held dear to people of African descent like the Mammy figure. I remember, the first time I met Mammy it was at my padrino’s (my spiritual godfather’s) house. She stood next to his Ellegua and he told me that she was his Ellegua’s wife according to his spiritual practice. Being an African American I was a little offended by the image until I began to really learn the cultural connection.

Mammy also called La Madama in Cuba

You see, when the Africans were brought to the Americas. Many of them finding themselves in a foreign land, living as prisoners under the yoke of a racist slave owner, tried to recreate the life they knew in their homeland.  But they were unable to do so because the same social system did not exist. So, the Africans had to create a new cultural model in order to survive slavery, racial discrimination and most importantly resist the propaganda directed at them that they were inferior to whites.  So, having no kings and queens to turn to, the Africans turned to the wisest amongst them, which was their elders.

Preto Velhos of Brazil

Contrary to popular belief, the elders in the slave community were the most beloved because they were not seen as a physical threat to the slave owners.  As a result, the slave owners were more inclined to trust them versus younger slaves. But, the elders were also the most knowledgeable about the old ways of Africa. As a result, the spirit of resistance (from my research) in the slave community began with the brave men and women that worked in the slave owner’s home. Afterwards, these same men and women would return to their community and teach what they had learned to help their people. The elders of slave community basically played a dual role and they taught everyone they knew how to do the same thing until conditions were more favorable for them to institute the desired change.  It was from the elders religious syncretism was born, along with the whole idea of masking ones true intentions.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Now, when some whites got wind of how the slaves were living.  They tried to sympathize with their plight as Harriet Beecher Stowe had done in her antislavery novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin. What Stowe was trying to show in her book was how contradictory it was for them as Christians to enslave other Christians based upon the color of their skin.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was made into a play, which was performed all over the country and even the world.

What ended up happening was that millions of her books were sold and a number of Uncle Tom’s Cabin plays were performed around the United States and the world. It was from this book that a lot of whites got the idea that slavery was not the Christian thing to do.  But, the book also laid the stereotypical foundation of what the African way of life was all about. This gave rise to numerous stereotypical images and icons, that blacks were either pleased being meek, happy-go-lucky, submissive, singing servants or were brute, unruly, sex-craved animals.  This stereotypical imagery of people of African descent dominated the Western world. Although, many of these images that were embraced by people who never even read Stowe’s book or saw the cinematic viewing of the story, simply perpetuated the racist belief that blacks were inferior and meant to live in servitude.

Mexican black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin

Todays although many of these stereotypical images have been removed from the public’s eye. They continue to rear their ugly heads in the entertainment industry and other areas because of people refusing to embrace their ancestral heritage.

A Big Italian Newspaper Published A Shockingly Racist Cartoon Of Soccer Star Mario Balotelli As A Monkey

African Americans were the most damaged culturally by these stereotypical images I learned because we were outnumbered by the whites in the United States, but in places like Cuba and Brazil. Where the African descendants managed to preserve the truth about who these individuals were prior to the creation of this stereotypical attack. The images did not do much to destroy their cultural psyche because they knew that this was just a war on their cultural way of life. A war that they were determined to fight to win.

El Negro Jose

This is why an analysis of all of these ancestral archetypes will reveal the same thing, which is that these individuals were very knowledgeable slaves with high virtues and integrity. Many of which became or were the leaders of the slave community.  The darkness of their skin, as was in Kamit, symbolized that they were the original Africans of one’s lineage.  They all had white hair, indicating that they were wise.

Francisco, Francisca and La Madama on a Espirista shrine.

In Brazil the so-called Uncle Tom and Mammy figures of the United States were commemorated, honored and respectfully known as the Pretos Velhos (the old black slaves’).  In Cuba, they are sometimes known as Francisco and Francisca, or Jose Negro and La Madama.  In Puerto Rico they are known as El Congo (the Congo) and La Negra (the Black Lady). Their respectful names in Southern African American culture are Uncle Joe or Ole’ Black Joe and Auntie or Big Mamma.

A Black reader reading tea leaves for a young white patron, painted by American Artist Harry Roseland.

By the way, the real Big Mamma was usually a cook or house servant, but she was known throughout the slave community as a midwife, herbalist and a fortune teller, that was sometimes called a Black reader or Black Gypsy. Notice the similarity with the reader below.

Card reader reading cards for a client in Cuba

 As you can see, the stereotypical images was a ruse by the oppressors to ridicule our cultural way of life. In these contemporary times it is not the oppressor that ridicules our culture, but our own out of disgrace, ignorance and shame of who and where we come from. 

The new image of Big Momma

e now, but our selves out of disgrace and ignorance of our own culture.

The new image of Uncle Joe

So you see, this is why Zumbi should be important to people throughout the Americas (and others like him such as Gaspar Yanga), because he is the epitome of what our ancestors did in order for us to live today.

Zumbi dos Palmares the celebrated hero of Capoeira

By celebrating the life of Zumbi and others that resisted in their own way. We not only honor them but erase negative imagery created to ridicule our cultural way of life and show the true power of why our culture is so beautiful.

La Madama in all her beauty

Celebrate the Day of Resistance by watching the movie Quilombo and Sankofa.

Hope that helps,

Hetep

Derric “Rau Khu” Moore

 

* P.S. Please note that I am not against Martin Lawrence, Tyler Perry or any entertainer that makes films. It is just important for people to realize the impact that negative images such as these has upon the rest of the people in the diaspora.

Why is KAMTA (Kamitic/Kemetic Shamanism and the Maa Aankh Kamitic/Kemetic Cosmogram), so Important to Me?

Peace Family.

I was recently asked why is KAMTA and the maa aankh so important to me?  It was a loaded question.

So, I began by stating that it was Brother Arthur Flower’s Hoodooway list (which I had the honor and priviliege of participating on) and the Orb of Djenra blog that first brought to my attention that although early African Americans weren’t able to preserve a large portion of their religious culture as their kin had done in the Caribbean and Latin America. Early African Americans did manage to preserve a great deal of it through dances, folk practices, proverbs, songs and history.  It was through these various cultural practices that early African Americans were able to preserve their cultural way by passing on traditions, which became the basis of African American shaman tradition known today as Hoodoo or Rootwork, as it was called in the northern states where I am from.

Contrary to popular belief, Hoodoo/Rootwork has never been all about casting spells for ill, doing magical work and making pacts with the devil.  This is all sensational nonsense that was created years ago by racist individuals and promoted through a stereotypical media that took advantage of the public’s ignorance about people of African descent.  Unknown to most Hoodoo/Rootwork is an African American folk practice that was created by African Christians during slavery. Like most folk practices such as the European folk practice of reading of the Psalms, praying and saying grace before a meal, the use of sacred objects like blessed oil, blessed water, the Holy Bible and so on.  Hoodoo/Rootwork in employed to obtain spiritual and often divine remedies for material and physical ailments such as problems with money, obtaining love, protection from evil and so on.  Hoodoo/Rootwork as you can see is very similar to European folk practices.  The only difference between the two is that the African American folk practice was created and used by African slaves in order to fight, resist and struggle against the cruelties of slavery.

It was through this folk tradition that the shamanistic practices brought from Africa were able to survive the tragic slave experience and contribute greatly to African American spirituality. As a result, early African Americans were able to continue to mark very important events that occurred in his or her life through a spiritual blueprint or cosmogram called the Kongo Cross.

As I mention in MAA AANKH Vol. 1, I first learned of the Kongo Cross through my deceased grandparents. One day while contemplating how to do something that I remembered my grandparents use to do.  Shortly after, my attention was drawn to my grandmother’s obituary notice and there it listed her birthday and the day she died, but most African Americans have a strong ingrained cultural taboo against saying death or that someone died, especially when the individual was a godly-minded individual. Instead most African Americans say that the person “passed” or “passed away”, because although physically they do not exist something within our psyche knows that their soul continues to exist. On my grandmother’s obituary instead of saying like I have seen on other cultures obituary birth and death date, it stated Sunrise and Sunset.

This was amazing to me because I had, had this obituary for the longest time and looked at it numerous times and never saw that.  I could’ve called it mere coincidence that I was thinking about doing something that drew my attention to look at my grandmother’s obituary notice. I could if I was arrogant, naïve and didn’t believe in spiritual (invisible, non-material) intercession, but I do, which is how I “humbly” came to realize that ancestral spirits do exist. It was proof that the righteous souls do continue to exist and do not die. In other words, there is “life after death”; these ancestral beings just continually to exist as spirits.

This is how I truly learned about the Kongo Cross and came to really understand African American spirituality. It was this understanding that led me to see that the Kongo Cosmogram besides marking one’s birthday and their death.  Also signified other important events like the initiation into African American fraternities and sororities, as well as significant spiritual events like the day an individual was baptized, came to God or converted to their chosen religious faith.   It was all a reminder of one of the things older African Americans were known for saying, which is, “That we all have to go through something, in order to get something.” This something I later discovered as I analyzed my life helped me to see that life is all about the choices that we make.  It made me realize that many of our choices are ill-informed choices and unwise decisions. Some of us continue to keep making these same choices, which lead us into the same unproductive relationships, same unwise money purchases, etc. All because someone never told us that this is our life and it is up to us to make the best out of it. This means that just like everything else we have to learn how to make better decisions, which means learn from the past (your past and the past of others-ancestors-history).

This is one of the most valuable lessons that I learned from the Kongo Cross, which led to the creation of the maa aankh, a cosmogram inspired by the Kongo Cross but based upon the Kamitic/Kemetic (Ancient Egyptian) concepts and principles.  It was through the maa aankh it became apparent that when we learn from our mistakes, face our fears, and overcome our faults, that our spiritual talents are activated. This is our initiation system where we become great healers, musicians, entertainers, speakers, politicians, etc. There are countless stories of African Americans that have had this spiritual awakening.  This is why most grown people don’t particular care for teen boppers singing about love because deep down we know that this 15 to 24 years old doesn’t have any real experience with the subject matter. The older folks use to say, “They don’t have any SOUL”. Before then, it was called in our churches ANOINTING.

When you have ANOINTING, it is truly a powerful, cultural experience that can’t be explained in words because it is a mystical connection between you and the Divine.  It is similar to an assurance that everything is going to work out but it is also a pledge that you have to do your part.

It is for these reasons I can truly say that the maa aankh is not a New Age, magical circle creation based upon syncretic beliefs with sacred technology.  It is truly an initiation system that has been handed down to us from the first Africans brought to North America. The early African Americans just never called it an initiation/spiritual system or “religion” because like most indigenous people.  They didn’t regard their spiritual beliefs and practices as a “religion” in the way religion is viewed today as a set of beliefs and practices only performed one or a couple of days out of the week.  No, their spiritual beliefs and practices were an integral and seamless part of their way of life.  It is this understanding of the maa aankh that makes it so special to me, because it helped me to move beyond intellectualizing about being religious and spiritual, to actually Being

It is from this understanding that I have been informed to refer to this African American cross-spiritual practice as Kamitic/Kemetic shamanism because it offers various forms of healing including giving one a sense of purpose and access to forgotten knowledge (traditions). This is accomplished by entering into an altered mind state or a meditative/mediumistic state of mind, similar to dreaming, except one obtains information and power that can help them in their physical life. It works because it has always been a part of the plan for us to seek and connect with the Divine within our being in order to succeed in life.

I am aware that there are other Kamitic/Kemetic initiation systems that exist and I applaud the creators and founders of those systems, because they assisted me in realizing my divinity, as well. But the maa aankh is truly dear to me for several reasons.  The first is because it was derived from my most recent ancestors (my grandparents and great grandparents).  Second, since the maa aankh was derived from the Kongo Cross, which was created by the Kongo-Angolan people, a Bantu ethnic group, through it I was able to get a glimpse of my ancestral past. Last but not least, since the maa aankh also helped me to stretch back into time and get a glimpse of my Bantu ancestral memories, I was able to imagine and thus reconnect to those Bantu people that walked alongside the Nile River.  There simply is no greater joy than being able to reconnect to the Divine through your ancestral, cultural heritage, because once that connection is made there are unlimited possibilities as to how it can be expressed.  Another great advantage is that suddenly your small, limitless world all of sudden expands as you sense the cultural connection between you and others. Everything takes on a new meaning not because you intellectualize it but, because you see the spiritual significance of it. Like Capoeira before I saw it as a beautiful Afro-Brazilian art, but after my experience I see it as totally integral with my way of life.  When I do play in a a roda, I found myself easily going into the au (cartwheel) to access power or axe’ (ashe) from below (within, from the ancestors, etc. however you want to look at it).  Dancing rather it be to Mary Mary’s God in Me, Machel Montano’s Too Young to Soca, Bob Marley’s Soul Shake Down Party, Holwin Wolf Smokestack Lightnin to Celena Gonzalez’ Santa Barbara or Bamboleo’s Tecapacita.  It all has new meaning because even dancing helps to propel into the mystical realm some refer to as Zen.   It is all part of the awakening experience where one is blessed, and his or her talents are awakened, as they feel the Spirit, hence ANOINTING.

Simply put, it is a spiritual system that acknowledges our divinity because it is based upon our biological and cultural identity/self.

Amun Ra

For more information see MAA AANKH: Finding God the Afro-American Spiritual Way,
by Honoring the Ancestors and Guardian Spirits by Derric Moore

Copyright 2010 Land of Kam

Is Your Victory in Your Peace?

Have you ever heard the saying that your victory is in your peace? When I was growing up the older people in the church use to sing this song called Victory Shall be Mine, which went as follows:

Victory, victory shall be mine.
Victory, victory shall be mine.
If I hold my peace, let the Lord fight my battles.
Victory, victory shall be mine.

For the longest time I didn’t understand what they meant by this because to hold your tongue, not fight for yourself, etc. was seen as a sign of weakness, softness or simply just being a punk; and, of course, if you’re a punk you get beat down.  I also thought this was about not being able to defend yourself.

It wasn’t until I learned about the maa aankh and compared it with the story or Legend of Osar (Ausar, Asar or Osiris).  According to legend, king Osar was responsible for bringing peace, prosperity and order to the Kamitic/Kemetic people. He was loved by everyone until his envious brother Set (Set-an or Satan) murdered him and usurped the throne. Thanks to Osar’s devoted wife, an heir to the throne was conceived named Hru (Heru, Hrw or Horus) who challenged Set when he came of age. Now for a period of time, when the two engaged in battle, it usually ended in stalemate because Set was more conniving; after all he is the author of chaos, confusion and master of war. It wasn’t until Hru who had a gouged out eye repaired so that he could see clearly, and allow the deceased Osar to intercede on his behalf, that Hru was able to finally defeat Set and win the war.  After doing so, he was awarded the double crown called the Pschent.

Set’s color is the color red, which according to ancient African symbolism is the color of life, mediation, fire, aggression and masculinity, which is why the Kamitic/Kemetic people called the northern region of their country, Lower Kamit/Kemet, TASETT (The Red Lands), symbolized by the red crown they called the Deshret. Basically, it is what our elders use to call a “hot head”.

The southern region of the country further into the interior of Africa, the Kamitic or Kemetic people called it Upper Kamit/Kemet or KAMTA (The Black Lands) but they symbolized the dark fertile grounds of their country with a white crown they called the Hedjet. The color white in the ancient African mystery systems symbolizes purity, cleanliness (hence ethics and morality, thus a clean heart), knowledge, wisdom, stability, the honorable dead or the ancestors.

This means that Hru was given the double crown because he was able to keep a cool head and not allow his passion for victory to defeat him. In the Japanese martial arts systems the samurai Code of Bushido teaches and I paraphrase that a “the best warrior is the calm warrior”. In the Afro-Brazillian martial arts Capoeira mestres (masters) are forever telling young adepts not to just kick all widly but to exercise control. Even in the Hip Hop world, jokers are told that they need to “CHILL”.

I understand now that your victory is in your peace is all about exercising self-control, self-discipline and inner strength.  It is not about not defending your self but about not worrying and having any fear. This is why Set is considered evil in the Kamitic/Kemetic tradition, it is because he doesn’t exercise any self-control and simply allows his emotions (arrogance, lust, greed, jealousy, his hater mentality)  to control him.  He had a hot head and/or a hard head, which reminds me that my grandfather use to say a hard head makes a what??? Yeah, soft behind.  He also use to say, “Don’t let your mouth write a check that your butt can’t cash”, which all deals with excessive emotions or no control.

When we exercise a little control, the blessings of God (peace, wisdom, stability, etc.) manifests themselves in our life as hunches, intuitive thoughts, ideas, dreams, etc. delivered to us through our ancestors.  It is through the blessings of God that we solve our problems.

What do you think?

For a complete discourse and in-depth analysis see:
MAA AANKH: Finding God the Afro-American Way, by Honoring the Ancestors and Guardian Spirits.