How to Work With Your Set (Shadow Self)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.

You know one of the beautiful and powerful aspects of Kemetic spirituality is that thousands of years before the birth of Sigmund Freud and Carl G. Jung, the Kemetic sages devised ways of dealing with the shadow self.  The reason this tidbit of ancient psychology was missed was that westerners did not understand African spirituality or metaphysics, but I digress. 

Anyway, the shadow self is made up of all of our uncontrollable impulses and emotions like envy, greed, rage, selfishness, including our unnatural fears.  As a result, it is believed that when we ignore the shadow self for too long it will eventually sabotage our happiness. It is for this reason, the Kemetic sages thousands of years ago called what is labeled the shadow self, Set.

Contrary to popular belief, although Set is the origin and inspiration of the Christian Satan, Set is not the devil, nor is he the epitome of evil. In the Kemetic philosophy, Set symbolizes our lower self, and to remind us of this concept. The Kemetic sages ingeniously refer to Set as the youngest sibling in Kemetic lore (direct opposite of Osar/Osiris who is the eldest sibling symbolizing our Higher Self). This was done so that we don’t forget that Set represents the childish and immature aspect of our mind, body, and spirit. Set is rash, chaotic, and dangerous because he is like a spoiled child with a weapon.

This means from the traditional African perspective, uncontrollable impulses and emotions like envy, greed, rage, selfishness, including our unnatural fears, are considered the actions and behaviors of our dangerous spoiled child.  Understand, that when our Nilotic (Kemetic, Kush, etc.) ancestors said that Set is ruling the kingdom, what they meant was that the ruler was behaving as a dangerous, spoiled child.

Today we live in a society that is controlled by Set, which is the reason 90% of us have been duped into believing that the way we feel determines the correct course of action we should take. This is why so many of us are in the habit of saying,

This is why some of us do not do what is right and excuse this behavior by saying, “I didn’t feel like doing it” or “I didn’t like what they said, and it made me angry”, and so on. Without understanding that our Set operates based upon what we find pleasurable and unpleasant like a child. We must remember that our Set is our lowest self and as a child, he would have made us eat chocolate, candy, and sweets, or all the things children love and gives them pleasure because Set does not make informed decisions, but responds to pleasurable (or unpleasant) desires.

Hru and Set – Fighting the Devil Within

Therefore, a major part of Kemetic spirituality focuses transcending our Setian behaviors because it is not an external force (devil, demon, etc.) that is sabotaging our happiness, but our lower self.

There are many ways to deal with your Set, and I learned how to deal with certain Setian issues by understanding why Oset refused to have him killed. In the Story of Osar, after Hru defeated Set on the battlefield. He dragged Set before Oset so that she could sentence Set to be executed, but she refused on the basis that he was family. It took me a while to understand what this meant, but after contemplating on the subject a while, it clicked.

Set is our greatest adversary and opponent, who knows all of our weaknesses and shortcomings. He knows how to get under our skin. Set knows what triggers to use to provoke us. Set knows how to irk us and make us sick because he is like family. Some of the greatest lessons about our self are taught to us by our family, which revealed that Set’s purpose is to force us to address our physical limitations and embrace our spiritual unlimitedness.

We, therefore, need to decide that if we continue to act and behave like a tempestuous child or Set, then the Spirits/Universe will continue to reflect our childish nature. In other words, if we continue to be selfish, then the Spirits/Universe will reflect our behavior and force us to live in lack. If we continue to be envious, then we will always be chasing other peoples’ dreams of happiness, instead of focusing on our self and making improvements to get what we want. If we continue to act out of rage, be impetuous, and/or allow our anxiety, fear, and worry to control us. Then, we will continue to blame others for our failures and shortcomings, instead of embracing the fact that the reason other people have achieved successes and we have not, is because they have taken responsibility for their life. 

The way I overcame certain issues in my life was by:

First, create a haven by praying for clarity, and resolve over a Juniper Smudge stick using your power hand. Then, smudge the corners of the room you will be working in beginning with the door and moving clockwise. Then, with wintergreen, wisteria, rose, rue, heliotrope, and/or juniper herbs or oil added to Rose Water, pray over the liquid using the opposite hand that the room is sealed with tranquility. Then, sprinkling the liquid in the corners moving in a counter-clockwise direction.

Second, write out the problem that you are having, and one scenario that triggers your response. Since your Set is your lower self, you can ask him what the problem is. Please note that you Set can be brutally honest, so brace yourself for the truth. Meaning if the uncontrollable impulses or emotion is the link to some traumatic event in your life, your Set will reveal it to you. Give yourself permission to be angry, upset, and scared, knowing that you are safe.

Third, contemplate on the fact that the reason you responded the way you did in the past situation was that you lacked the experience and intellectual maturity to act and behave rationally. In other words, metaphysically and spiritually speaking your Osar was dead, so your Set governed your life.

Forth, now that you are an adult, and understand that there is a better way to do things and that to continue to act and behave in this manner is to continue to act and behave like a tempestuous child. Therefore, imagine what the reward is for acting and behaving like an adult. Once, you have this goal firmly in mind, light a white candle and offer it to your Osar, while asking Osar for spiritual strength in overcoming the Setian behavior.

Finally, burn the paper and as it burns, imagine and chant “Thank you for the opposite of the Setian behavior and scenario.” For instance, if you have trouble managing your anger, and you tend to get angry whenever someone yells at you. Then, you might want to imagine and chant, “Thank you for helping me to be calm and cool whenever someone yells”, while imagining having a smile on your face. Chant this aloud or silently as many times as you like until it resonates strongly with you while allowing the candle to safely burn itself down. 

Hru Osar and Set

To make this a permanent change, continue to repeat this chant every time you get a moment to do so. You can repeat this chant when you retire and when you awake. Do it as much as you would like until there is no reason to do it anymore.  By actively taking these steps you will fully resurrect your Osar. 

Hetepu. 

The Kamta Origins: How Osar (Osiris) Became My Father

Narmer (Menes) was the first king to unify Kemet and the first ancestor to be deified, thus becoming Osar (Osiris)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family. 

The Kamta cosmology is based upon the Ancient Egyptian or Kemetic legend known as the Story of Ra & Oset (Isis). In the Story, there were numerous plots made against Ra as he traveled across his kingdom from the east to the west. All of these plots failed except for the one enacted by Oset.

Spirituality means a lot of things to a lot of people. To me, since we are spiritual beings with a soul having a physical experience. Spirituality means reconnecting back to the original Spirit because as we walk in this physical plane, we tend to forget that we are spiritual beings. When we forget that we are spiritual beings, we identify with our physical nature and thus become powerless. So spirituality is the process of reminding ourselves that we are spiritual beings. Therefore, Kemetic spirituality is the Kemetic way of reminding ourselves that we are spiritual beings. In other words, it is all about remembering or re-membering.

In recent years Kemetic spirituality has become a very popular subject. Consequently, a lot of people are under the impression that to learn Kemetic spirituality simply means to study a bunch of historical facts and adopt a Kemetic name. Some have even taken steps to wear Kemetic symbolic clothing and adorning themselves with Kemetic-styled jewelry and/or tattoos. While I do not profess to be the Kemetic gatekeeper or Kemetic police, I can say that these cosmetic aspects do not make you Kemetic.

To be Kemetic is to know and understand that you are the last link of your ancestral line, but your ancestral lineage goes back thousands of years to Kemet (and beyond). It is not something you believe or can read in a book. It is something you know. 

You see, I didn’t use to believe and see things this way because I, like so many, today needed physical proof. I had read and studied Kemetic religion, history, and metaphysics for years, but I was not getting anywhere because. I wanted proof that my ancestral line was this old and connected to Kemet. If I didn’t see it in a book, I couldn’t believe it no matter how strong it resonated within me. It took me a while to overcome this conditioning of needing validation of my truth, my maa, from some western-trained scholar and their book. If you read some of my old blog posts, Origin of Kamta, you can see that I was still going through the definition stage of remembering.

So, that’s why my ancestors, who speak to all of us in our dreams, visions, and hunches, led me to find the Dikenga Kongo Cross (dikenga dia Kongo or tendwa kia nza-n’ Kongo). As I was reading about the Kongo people and how their way of life revolved around the Dikenga Kongo Cross (dikenga dia Kongo or tendwa kia nza-n’ Kongo), that’s when my ancestors reminded me about the Story of Ra and Oset.

In the Story, Oset wanted to be as powerful as Ra, so she poisoned him into revealing his name. Ra tells Oset that he has a “multitude of names and a multitude of forms” but as he grows weaker.  He states that he is Khepera in the morning, Ra at noon and Tmu (or Atum) in the evening. But, Oset comments that this was not his real name. Finally, Ra concedes and shares his real name with her in secret, and then the story ends leading the reader to believe that the name was not mentioned. But, my ancestors showed me that it was a riddle referring to Amun Ra – the Hidden Ra.

When I put all of the Ras together, Amun Ra was directly opposite of the visible Ra, with Khepera and Ra Atum intersecting to create the east and west horizon, hence the Maa Aankh diagram was formed.

This was not just proof that my ancestral lineage goes back to Kemet. It was also proof to me that my ancestors were from the Kongo-Angolan region, and their predecessors were Bantu or BaNtu who resided once upon a time in Kemet.

It gets deeper.

In the Story of Ra and Oset, Oset tricks Ra so that she can be as powerful as Ra, but my ancestors told me that this was not interpreted correctly. They said that Oset tricked Ra so that she can be powerful, meaning so that she could have free will, hence a soul. So, when Ra shares his name with Oset in secret. Guess who was the first one Oset shared the Hidden name of Ra with?

Yes. That’s right. Her child Hru (Horus).

This means that we are all Oset’s children because we are all Hru (male and female) due to the fact that we each have a soul. Therefore, our father is Osar.

So, while most religions have a patriarchal lineage, those who are Kemetic have a real patriarchal and matriarchal lineage. What makes us Kemetic is that we can actually access our patriarch and matriarch, through our ancestral spirits because Osar and Oset were once real people. The reason we can do this is (and this experience was proof of it), is because all of our ancestral memories are locked up in our DNA and all we need to do is access them, is invoke our ancestors so that they can help us re-member our Osar.

And, who is Osar? Osar was the first of our ancestors to achieve greatness, which means the potential for greatness exists within us as well.

Narmer palette Courtesy of Wikipedia.

Hence, the beauty of Afrikan spirituality is that it is not just based upon belief (or superstitious beliefs). It is based upon knowledge, and all of the spiritual practices are based upon the application of that knowledge. 

Hetepu.

Why Are There So Many Gods and Goddesses in Traditional African Religions (Part II)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.

Continuing our conversation from Why are there so many Gods  and Goddesses in African Religions (Part I).  The question that comes to mind is “How Do You Work with Your Archetypes?”

There are numerous ways to work with your archetypes, gods, goddesses, etc. but I have found that the best way to work with them is by first understanding how your mind works, so as to not fall into the trap of becoming superstitious because working with archetypes is kind of a magical process.  Therefore, for simplicity purposes, our mind is composed of three parts and they are the conscious, subconscious and Superconscious.  

So as to not make this post too incredibly long, the conscious is the part of our being that we use to make decisions.  

The conscious is the part of our being that we use to make choices and decisions. 

The subconscious is the part of the mind responsible for governing all of our processes that occur outside of conscious awareness, like the storing and governing of our personal experiences, memories, emotions, and beliefs, along with maintaining our autonomous body functions.  

While the Superconscious, on the other hand, is different from the subconscious in the sense that it is basically an unlimited storehouse of every living being on the planet. Since the Superconscious is the storehouse for everything it is omnipresent (everywhere), omnipresent and all-knowing, and functions according to the law of synchronicity.

We can think of the Superconscious as being like the Sun.  Sidebar:  Some of the older Kemetic traditions equated Ra and the Sun with the Superconscious., which was incorporated into other traditions, which is the reason all of the Kemetic creation theories pay homage in-one-way or another to Ra/Amun Ra.) 

As you know the Sun is full of raw and untapped power, which can be used to power anything. But, if you plugged a television set directly to the Sun. You and the television set would burn up because the intensity of the Sun’s heat and power is too great.  You would need a converter or some kind of tool to streamline the power of the Sun so that you can use it safely without harming yourself or anyone else, and this is what the subconscious does for us.

Our subconscious basically reflects whatever we believe to the Superconscious, which if held in our awareness for a period of time will become our reality.  

Now, the reason most spiritual work places emphasis on the subconscious is because the subconscious acts as a gateway to the Superconscious since its primary objective is to help us to physically survive.  What this means is that our subconscious basically determines what we want from the Superconscious. To put it plainly, since our subconscious governs our emotions we basically determine the type of life we want based upon how we believe and feel, and it is our Superconscious that indiscriminately makes what we believe and feel a reality.

The purpose of the subconscious is to help us to survive by protecting us from danger.  It accomplishes this by indiscriminately learning and memorizing everything that is in its environment, so that we are not hurt physically, mentally or emotionally.  One of the most familiar ways the subconscious protects us is by reminding us how it feels to be burned by fire or something hot. So every time we see fire, it is our subconscious that is reminding us to be careful. We respect the element fire and are cautious dealing with it because we all have a memory of either being burned or seeing someone burned that is stored away in our subconscious. Our subconscious uses this memory to remind us of the consequences of not being careful when handling fire.

But sometimes our subconscious can become too overbearing and will store memories or life lessons that are detrimental to our wellbeing even though it thinks it is doing the right thing. Typically these are traumatic memories that have made such a deep impression on our psyche that they have formulated beliefs and actually influence our actions and behaviors.  Most of the time these beliefs created by these traumatic memories cannot be erased and replaced by simply saying so because they are deeply embedded into our subconscious. When a traumatic event has been embedded into our subconscious whereas it shapes our beliefs.  Our subconscious dictates and even enslaves our conscious with these memories, thus preventing us from achieving the life that we want out of fear, guilt, and other inhibitions. Right now, part of the reason you are reading this post is that there is something you want or wanted to accomplish or do but it was your fear, guilt, and inhibitions that prevented you from doing so. Now, you walk around with a heavy heart full of regret because your subconscious beliefs and emotions are holding you back. 

This is what is called a crossed condition because the subconscious is not supposed to make choices and decisions for us.  This is the responsibility of our conscious.  The reason the subconscious has hijacked our life is that we have been led to trust our emotions over reasoning.  So we believe that everything that is good for us should feel good and everything that feels bad should feel bad.  This simple system of classifying works for touching fire but not for more complex matters such as choosing a career, mate, etc., hence the term crossed.

I have found that there are a lot of people who think they are cursed or that “God has forsaken them.” In truth, they have simply crossed themselves up with their beliefs. For instance, the other day I happened to turn on the tv and there was this lady complaining about how she could not find a man.  So she moped around all depressed and unhappy because she wanted a man and when one of her friends mentioned in disbelief that her boyfriend was cheating on her. The lady commented that there were only two types of men and they are, “The ones that cheat and the ones that have not got caught.”

The audience laughed but the reality is that this lady created her own limited paradigm.  She has crossed herself up and the reason she will not find a good man is that she believes that there are only two types of men and they are both unfaithful.  So, since she believes this, her subconscious will make sure that she will never meet any good men. 

Courtesy of: https://www.essence.com/love/black-twitter-hurt-bae-angry-guy-cheating-his-girlfriend/

The sad thing is that this lady could run smack dab into the man of her dreams but her subconscious beliefs and feelings will sabotage all of her chances of having a good and prosperous relationship because she believes that there are two types of men and they all are unfaithful.  This lady’s subconscious may also only ensure that she only meets bad men just to validate her beliefs that there are no good men.

It is important to understand that the reason our subconscious makes gross errors in our judgment in choosing a mate, a career choice, trusting people, etc. is that it has a limited perspective, which is solely based upon our personal experience.  The subconscious is like a child in the sense that it overgeneralizes solely based upon what it has experienced, which is our personal experience. 

Don’t get me wrong, when the subconscious generalizes over things like fire it is great because all over the world fire is hot and if not used correctly will cause harm.  But, the subconscious cannot generalize that all men are bad because human beings as a species are too dynamic. There are some aspects of men that can be generalized but not all of them because we have a unique home life, unique family and friends, unique cultural and historical backgrounds, etc. , and all of these factors are what makes each man on the planet uniquely different. Saying that there are no good men is like saying all men are the same or all women are the same, etc.

Now, if this lady is serious about getting a good man she has to uncross herself, which means change her beliefs by impressing upon her subconscious a new belief. Since most negative beliefs are impressed upon our subconscious through some emotional traumatic experience. The new belief has to be impressed upon the subconscious with a greater emotional force to overcome the old thinking and generate a new experience.  Basically, she needs to create and/or develop her own personal truth or personal maa.  

Establishing Your Personal Maa

Maat (the Personification of Maa)

Maa is the Kemetic word for balance, order, law, righteousness and truth but truth is relative and subjective. For instance, if I do not like brussel sprouts (which I am trying to but I don’t) and when I eat them they make me gag,  My personal maa is that brussel sprouts are not for me.  This does not mean that this vegetable is good or evil.  It simply means that for me this vegetable is not good.  Therefore,  your personal maa is knowing what works for you based upon your Spirit.   In the previous example with the lady experiencing relationship troubles,  She is basically living her life based upon someone else’s experiences.  When we our spiritually ignorant, we all do this by asking our family and friends their opinions on what we should do or the individuals we should choose to come into our circle.  We forget that we are dynamic beings so although one person may look good in a particular relationship does not mean he/she will be a suitable mate for you.  This is the reason we have to let our Superconscious take a more active role instead of relying on the whims of our subconscious. And, one of the most effective ways I have found to do this is by creating/developing your own personal maa by: 1) Adopting a story as a mental guide and.  2) Using the character in the story to symbolize aspects of the mind.

So that we are clear, the reason for creating/developing your own personal maa is because our subconscious mind, which you will recall is the part of our being that governs all of our personal memories, beliefs, emotions, and indiscriminately mimics whatever it is exposed to.  Communicates to us through symbols and is programmable but it cannot make decisions so it needs a model as a frame of reference.  Part of the reason our subconscious has led us astray so far is because it did not have anyone to model in regards to the things we want out of life.  As a result, our subconscious usually motivates us to foolishly model athletes, actors, entertainers, etc.  When you adopt a legend as a mental guide, it trains the subconscious to understand that it has a limited experience and must align itself with the Superconscious.

1) Choose a Legend

Choose a legend or story that you are fond with as a map of your mind. The more intricate the story the greater impact and insight the story will play in your life. 

2) Using the character in the story to symbolize aspects of the mind.

Label the character in the story based upon the aspects of your mind. 

You can choose any legend that you desire and radiates with you. For instance, if you like the Wizard of Oz  or The Wiz you can choose this legend and allow Dorothy symbolizes your conscious. The good witch is your Superconscious and the evil witch if your subconscious.  (This theme can be used for all fairy tales where there are two opposing witches.).  If you are familiar with the Hindu chakra system you can include this in your subconscious programming as the “yellow brick road.”  There are numerous ways you can play with this and you do not even need to stick with this story line.  You can weave other stories into your mythology as was done with the film series Shrek.   

Although you are encouraged to pick any legend you want, I personally would avoid choosing the Christian lore because of notable contradictions.   For instance, according to Christian teachings which is influenced by astrological theology, Jesus is the source of everything which is equivalent to the Superconscious.  However, religious dogma also portrays Jesus as the hero/savior of humanity thus indicating that the messiah is outside of our being, but the true hero/heroine in mythology around the world always corresponds to the conscious mind.  This means that Jesus is both the Superconscious and the conscious, which does not make sense to the subconscious part of our being because, the subconscious is very logical like a computer and needs clear instructions.   This combined with the racist and sexist perversion of the Christian message makes the Christian lore a poor model for our mind.  

This is the reason most Christians (including Jehovah Witness and Muslims who follow this similar path) have no individuality, feel as if they have no rights to question God/Jehovah/Allah (or messengers), and are borderline (if not) religious fanatics because, they have surrendered everything to the Superconscious part of their being.  Unfortunately, what a lot of people are realizing-particularly those that leave these religions of “least resistance” -is that while it may bring solace to give your burden to someone else (Jesus, God, etc.).  It does not excuse you from your destiny and the lessons you must learn.  For instance, if you have trouble managing your anger, it does not matter how many times you pray to Jesus or how many attributes of Allah you recite. You are still going to have this problem because you cannot just give it to something. You have to learn how to control your anger, which involves you working face-to-face with your neglected subconscious.  In this case you may be able to use the good angel/bad angel model but you have to remind yourself that this is an internal dialogue occurring within your mind and not outside of you. 

There are a lot of problems that arise when using the Christian lore as a model mainly because the early Christian writers decided at the Council of Nicaea to interpret the stories attributed to Jesus literally.  Instead of getting boggled down with trying to sort out what is good and what can be discarded, I just prefer to start afresh with another mythology such as the Story of Osar.

I personally am fond of the Kemetic Story of Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris) because it is ancient, it effectively helped the Kemetic people build a 3,000+ year civilization and it is full of metaphorical language.  I symbolize my conscious as Hru (Horus), the Superconscious as Osar and the overgeneralizing and childish nature of my subconscious as Set.

Once you commit your legend to memory and assign who your Superconscious, subconscious and conscious is going to be. 

Hru (left/Conscious),  Osar (center/Superconscious) and Set (right/subconscious)

All of the other characters becoming supporting cast members that will help you align to yourself with your Superconscious. The magick occurs when you start to trust your intuition and simply talk to these archetypes and tell them what is on your mind because the archetypes are linked to the Superconscious, which uses synchronicity as a form of delivery.  For instance, I have asked my Set why a particular behavior exists and he has shown or rather reminded me where I picked the negative behavior from. I have called upon my Djahuti (Thoth, see About Rau Khu) to explain to me how to solve a problem, and after a few minutes of thinking or worrying about the issue. I receive a response that just pops into my head and as soon as I do I issue my Djahuti words of gratitude.  I have talked to Hru (Horus) and receive a sign in the form of a hawk.  I have been traveling and been given signs from Npu (Anubis).   In other words for me, when I connect to my archetypes I also forge a bond with the spirit guides and animal totems associated with them.  I have written about all of this in my books just to prove that it works and explain from a scientific perspective why. 

We can have as many archetypes as we like because they exist to help us to make a better life.  The thing is we all have archetypes because generally speaking, we all have to deal with unpleasant events. We all encounter issues when dealing with people, and so on because these are universal.  So, we all have archetypes speaking to us all the time.  The problem that most of us had is that:  1) We have been told that all of the gods and goddesses are false gods and thereby powerless (useless) because we were listening to people who were literally worshiping a deity outside of themselves,  And, 2) We did not have a map of the human mind, so we did not know which of the voices (archetypes) to listen to.  

Now that we understand truly what archetypes are, and we see that Africans (and other people of color) never worshiped false gods and idols.  It becomes quite clear that our ancestors simply understood how to work the Divine’s greatest creation, which is the human mind.  

Hopefully, with this understanding, we can now make some drastic moves in our lives.   

 Hetepu.

Why Are There So Many Gods and Goddesses in Traditional African Religions (Part I)

Image from the Kamta Primer

I will never forget when I started erecting sacred spaces to work with the deities, there was a Christian relative of mine who caught a glimpse of my altars.  In his barrage of opinionated attack of why I should not be worshipping gods and instead should turn my life over to Jesus. He remarked, “Why do you have so many gods anyway?”

At the time, I was relatively new to the path so I did not know how to respond until one day I learned about archetypes.  Now, I had heard the term used by people for years but I never knew what they were. When I finally began reading about them, the first book I picked up on the subject was Carolyn Myss’ Sacred Contract. In this book, I found that the Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung was the individual who created the term ‘archetype,’ which he saw as fundamental units of the mind.  But thousands of years before him the Greek philosopher Plato called them forms.  Plato explained that forms were idealistic templates that existed in the non-physical world, which includes roundness, softness, blackness, etc.

What Plato and later Jung was stating was there are forms, archetypes or ideal templates that exist all around us.  That is an ideal model of how everything within the physical world functions.  For instance, plants do not grow all over the planet. Plants need water, air and a certain type of soil to grow and develop. This is the template that all plants must follow, then to get more specific. Certain plants require a little bit more or less of these ingredients to produce a specific type of plant, fruit, etc.

So, according to Jung there are numerous forms or archetypes that exist and some of the most popular ones are:

When non-western cultures around the world such as the Kemetic people observed that everything in the physical world is following a specific template. They stated that there is an intelligence governing that particular physical thing, which the ancient Kemetic sages called netcharu (netjeru, netcheru, etc.) and western archeologists, as well as theologians, have tried to demonize by calling them, gods and goddesses.  These intelligences are simply the same forms or archetypes which Plato and Jung identified.

Why did Westerners make a  distinction?

Well, when Christianity swept through the Western civilization, thus making people depended more upon logical, rational and scientific thought.  To avoid persecution and distinguish themselves from pagans, western philosophers dropped the term gods and goddesses because they believed that these entities existed outside of them, and just associated all the positive attributes with the archetype whom they called God, and the negative with the devil.

What the Westerners did not understand was that the so-called gods and goddesses or forms and archetypes are a part of us as well because we are also a product of the physical realm.  In other words, archetypes are the invisible forces behind human behavior.

For this reason, many non-western cultures continued to view the archetypes or forms as gods and goddesses for two reasons.  First, they maintained this tradition because they knew that these intelligences existed outside of them but also within them particularly their unconscious. For instance, the same nurturing nature that exists in mothers can be found in female cows, female birds, and everything in nature, which is why the Kemetic sages called this intelligence Oset (Aset, Auset, Isis), the Divine Mother of Everything. Second, they continued to maintain the tradition of referring to these intelligences as gods and goddesses because they knew that if you could observe how this intelligent was functioning in your life. If the behavior is unacceptable, you can easily separate yourself from the god/goddess and correct it.

Oset (Aset, Auset, Isis) with Child Hru (Horus) (L) and the Virgin Mary with Child (R)

It should be noted that failure to understand the psychology behind the nature of archetypes is the reason Christianity was able to mimic the Kemetic thought by transforming Oset to the Virgin Mary. But, unable to spiritually transform adherents as evidenced by the growing number of sexual abuse cases plaguing the church.

So what is it that archetypes do and why are they so important?

Archetypes basically influence our behavior because they are from a psychological perspective, software programs for our psyche.  We are all influenced by archetypes rather we choose to believe in them or not. For instance, if you want to have a romantic evening what do most of us do? We put on soft, seductive music. Light incense and/or soft colored candles.  Have a romantic dinner, etc. because we want to set the mood. Who told us to do this? Most of us are not sure but we do it because we are being influenced by the archetype of Love & Passion.  In Western mythology, this would be Venus. In Kemetic mythology, it would be Bes.  

Your archetype is basically what triggers your emotional response to behave bravely, courageous, protectively, cowardly, etc. Identifying who you archetypes are will give your life a lot of meaning. Understand, that when I say your archetype I am speaking of the main archetypes that play a major role in your life. These are the personalities that you identify as yourself.

Why are so many people afraid of this?

As stated earlier, a lot of people in west did not want to be stigmatized and persecuted as being a pagan because “to go against the Church, is to go against God.”  Later, when the German psychologists Sigmund Freud emerged and proposed his theories about the unconscious mind and its’ unfulfilled desires.  Thereby suggesting that most people were crazy or psychotic, which is the reason Freud termed his field of study psychoanalysis.  Freud’s theories further cemented peoples’ fears about the mind and the Christian idea of the devil being associated with this part of our mind.  So, when we hear voices in our head, it was concluded based upon Freud’s theories that we were crazy or from a religious perspective hearing the devil. This is the reason when we see people talking to themselves we automatically assume that they are mentally unstable.

Although Jung was mentored by Freud, he took a different approach from his older colleague by observing his patients and studying the various mythologies from around the world.  This humble approach led Jung to see familiar psychological patterns among his patients and himself.  These patterns are what Jung termed as archetypes and led him to conclude that everyone (including himself) had a fragmented consciousness. In other words, what Jung theorized was that while we may think of our mind as being a single unit or I.  According to Jung, our mind is plural and consists of a pantheon of archetypes.

Therefore, when we hear voices in our head it is important to know that it is one of our archetypes speaking so that we can weaved it together to make our psyche whole.

Now, there are numerous ways this can be accomplished and one very effective method inspired by the Kemetic pantheon centers around the Higher Self.

Coming Soon! In “Why Are There So Many Gods and Goddesses in Traditional African Religions (Part II)”, we will go over some ways of working with our archetypes. 

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 they 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 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 souls 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 beaten 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 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 a healer and a 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 superconscious. 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 superconscious 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 minds 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 to learn how to listen to our higher consciousness or simply intuit. Spiritual cultures focused on developing these abilities in individuals so that they could greater contribution 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 superconscious for hundreds of years because they are descendants from African shamanic cultures.  In shamanic traditions, the way to access the superconscious 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 African 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 that 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 rapidly as it exists today. The reason is that 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 confused 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 was 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 altogether. 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 the savior.  And, why is there all of this confusion? It is simply because some zealous men made Jesus and the God one and 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 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 superconscious 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 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 superconscious 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 the 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.

I hope that helps.

Happy Earthday/Birthday (Another Heroic Cycle Completed)

Hetepu Family,

I celebrate another Earthday (Birthday) yesterday. I would like to sincerely thank you all for your blessings and wishes, because this Earthday was really special.

The reason is because I thought way back how the media reported that most “Young black and Latino men weren’t going to make it past 18.”  We lost a lot of friends during those turbulent 1980s and 1990s, but my best friends and I thought about it and we made it. I thought about how when we were 18 they said, “Young black (and Latino) men won’t make it past 21” and we did. Then they said, “Young black (and Latino) men  won’t make it past 25” and again, we thought about it and did. Unfortunately, because of the grim picture that the media painted for me.  I looked at every birthday for a young urbanite as a game of survival and nothing to be celebrated. In fact, I almost fell into the Westernize trap this year of just thinking of this day as being just a number to dread because it means you’re getting older and closer to death. (Westerners fear death.)
But, I never thought about it until yesterday, as family, associates and coworkers (who don’t share my shamanic Afrikan understanding of the life) wished me happy birthday. That they have no clue what I had to do to get here, to this very point. What I had to do to survive and why today of all days, I am grateful to be alive. I wondered why my friends and I beat the odds when “they” claimed we wouldn’t make it? It was because we didn’t allow “them” to decide our destiny. We decided to write our own Story (History), the day we chose to beat the odds, but I wasn’t deluded. We didn’t do it alone…

As I thought about the maa aankh, I saw that I made it through TASETT because like the dying sun.  I thought (contemplated/meditated, hence went into a mild trance) about what I wanted to do and made a wise choice to do so.  Then, those on the other side of the veil of life approved of my choice. Consequently, I was mysteriously reborn like the dying sun because of the hidden hands (ancestors and guardian spirits) that dwell in KAMTA, approve of what I have done thus far. That’s RIGHT! Every little white hair on my head, I earned because it is a stripe and proof I visited KAMTA, and each time I did. I returned with more and more wisdom.

“Only the righteous will be reborn”

So, what an eerie yet wonderful feeling it is to have, to know that there are those (like our deceased grandparents and other love ones) watching over you from the other side (not on Mt Olympus, but in the fields of Aaru) approving of what we do in life.  A powerful feeling overcomes me to think that I am their Hru in this lifetime, as they were mine before I was born and so on.

As I make my way back around to the Khepera moment and think of all the people that didn’t physically make it this year. I can vividly hear my ancestors with Osar, saying “You’re not finished, but job well done.” And, for the first time in my adult life I celebrated my Earthday, as a Son of a King (Osar and Ancestors) returned. This year I return with more determination and vigor with the aim of helping others. I can’t wait to when this romanticized view of Kamitic spirituality passes and people see that the Story of Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris) as what the great American mythologist Joseph Campbell calls a monomyth, which is the basis of our ancestral philosophy and culture.  What a joy it will be when it is realized that we are the Hru and the Osar represents our aakhu (egun, egum, ancestors), which means.  All we have to do is make a “spiritual” phone call.

So, as I completed my journey and stand on the edge of both lands (or worlds) before starting my next heroic adventure in TASETT.  I thank you all for walking with me and thank you my NYC Mut (pronounced “Moot” You know who you are T…). Thank you all for making me better and helping me to help you achieve your destiny, as well.

God and Ancestrally Bless.

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.

The Origin of KAMTA: Kamitic/Kemetic Shamanism

Kamitic/Kemetic spirituality or way of life means a lot of things to a lot of people because Kamit/Kemet has and always will be a source of inspiration to generations and for generations to come. For some Kamitic/Kemetic spirituality/way of life is an initiation system that focuses upon reconnecting to Nebertcher or God in order to expand one’s consciousness.  With the sole hope of declaring before their life came to an end that they are Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris).  For others Kamitic/Kemetic spirituality/way of life is about recreating, reconstructing, and rebuilding the Kamitic/Kemetic society of old in order to restore Maa (balance, law, order, truth, etc.) to our hell-bent society.  But for the Land of Kam, Kamitic/Kemetic spirituality/way of life is all about assisting the individual to improve their daily lives through the power of God. Unlike other Kamitic/Kemetic inspired traditions that begin with the conflict between Hru (Hrw, Heru, Horus) and Set in the Story of Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris). The basis of the Land of Kam spiritual practice also called KAMTA (the Black Lands) centers around the pragmatic knowledge of the Kamitic/Kemetic people and their Story of Ra and Oset.

The Kamitic/Kemetic Influences from Nature

Like most stories and traditions of indigenous people, the people of Kamit/Kemet’s beginnings are heavily influenced by how they migrated to the region, acquired food, whether by hunting animals or through agriculture, and developed into a peaceful society. According to the history of the Kamitic/Kemetic people, their country was divided into two regions due to the north-flowing Nile River. The southern region of Kamit/Kemet was called the Upper Kamit or KAMTA (the Black Lands), which is where the name of this practice derives from. This region because the mouth of the Nile began in the south, had fertile dark soil, which made it possible for the Kamitic/Kemetic people to have lush crops, which naturally attracted lots of wild game that could be hunted.  It was because of this rich fertile soil, the Kamitic/Kemetic people were able to develop the science of agriculture, which laid the foundation for them to become prosperous. The Kamitic/Kemetic people didn’t know how or why the Nile flowed from the south to the north (it was a mystery) but by observing the stars and the planets, they were able to mark when the Nile would flood, this eventually is what led to the people creating the calendar.

The northern region of Kamit/Kemet that opened up to the Mediterranean was called Lower Kamit or TASETT (the Red Lands).  This was because this region, for the most part, was very arid and the terrain was difficult to work.  The lack of fertile soil made this what is imagined to be a very windy region that has the ability to dry one’s eyes, hence the origin of the Evil Eye. This coupled with the fact that nomadic warring tribes it appears fought constantly in this northern region for resources led to TASETT for the most part being seen as a harsh desert section of the country.

So you see it was from this astute observation of nature, the southern region known as KAMTA called Upper Kamit was equated with fertility, prosperity, abundance, peace, blessings, stability, strength, water, night sky (heavens), mystery, the south, etc. While TASETT was associated with infertility, impotence, poverty, limitation, war, chaos, violence, fire, weakness, physical land, the north, etc. It wouldn’t be long afterward that these influences would eventually be grafted into legends, myths, and stories used to validate cultural practices. As time moved on it became general knowledge amongst the Kamitic/Kemetic people of the dyadic relationship that existed between the two regions. It was simple; it was always KAMTA/TASETT, mystery/known, secret/unveiled, invisible/visible, spirit/physical, dead/living, dark/light, and night/day.  The reader will note that this would appear to be a contradiction because you may have heard that Set was the devil and Hru was associated with the day.  A thorough analysis of the Kamitic/Kemetic legends will reveal that this was not the case originally.  Originally Set was good but eventually usurped by Hru who became associated with light and day and Set became associated with evil. Early Christians copied this word for word, which is why the devil in Christian lore was associated with being a good angel before being kicked out of heaven. Set still carries some of his old names as being the Lord of Light. Returning back to our subject, one of those stories that are often overlooked is the Story of Ra and Oset.

The Kamitic/Kemetic Story of Ra and Oset

The Story of Ra and Oset begins with Oset wanting Ra’s power so that she could become a divine being. She believed that if she could discover Ra’s real name, which he kept secret she could gain control over him and become as great as he.  Through magical means, Oset created a serpent and laid it upon Ra’s path so that when he came across it, the serpent would strike him and make him ill. When the poison of the serpent caused Ra’s skin to boil with fever and his bones to shake. Ra states that he has a “multitude of names and a multitude of forms”. As Ra grows weaker and Oset persists to ask him to give her his real name, Ra states all of the things that he has created and that he is Khepera in the morning, Ra at noon and Tmu (or Atum) in the evening. Finally, having no other choice, Ra secretly revealed his real name to Oset so that it would be hidden to others. He does so by transferring his name from his body to hers, thus revealing that Ra dwells within. Then the story ends with the impression that Ra’s real name had, not been revealed.

In order to fully understand the story, one has to have an understanding of the Kamitic/Kemetic language and philosophy. When Ra states that he has a “multitude of names and a multitude of forms”, it indicates that Ra is not the God or the Supreme Being as Egyptologists have claimed, but an attribute, part or section of the God. When Ra states all of the things that he has created and responds that he is Khepera in the morning, Ra at noon and Tmu (or Atum) in the evening. He reveals that he is not the sun but that his name is associated with the moments of the sun.  In other words, his real name is what gives him purpose and declares what he is supposed to do. Finally having no choice and forced to give in to Oset wishes, when he reveals his real name to Oset he does so in secret by transferring his real name from his body to hers. We learn that the real name of Ra or the real Ra resides within. The real name of Ra is secret, hidden, and is called Amun Ra, which means Hidden or Concealed Ra. The real Ra that Ra transfers from his body to the body of Oset derived from the Kamitic/Kemetic word “ra” meaning energy, power, strength, etc. It is the Kamitic equivalent of the Semitic “el” which means the same thing and is used the same way as prefix and suffix to various words. The real Ra that dwells within is the life force, the Holy Ghost, the Power of the Spirit of God that exists everywhere and in everything.

The Kamitic/Kemetic Culture and Way of Life

Maa Aankh Cosmogram

When all of this is taken into consideration, compared with other traditional African systems – particularly the Kongo Cross – and put together according to the moments of the sun: Khepera is marked by the rising sun (sunrise), Ra by midday sun (noon), Ra Atum by the evening sun (sunset) and Amun Ra by midnight. Together these four moments of Ra graphically create the cosmogram called the maa aankh.  To the trained eye or the one who was biologically or culturally akin to the Kamitic/Kemetic people generally speaking Khepera is birth, Ra is life, Ra Atum is death and Amun Ra is rebirth. This is why activities pertaining to life in Kamit/Kemet were associated with Khepera, the rising sun, and the east, which is where the practice of facing east derived from. It was originally done to initiate or stimulate rebirth.  Today African American hymns still make reference to the east, just listen to the Winans song Tomorrow or Anita Baker and the Winans song Ain’t No Need to Worry. An analysis of the Kamiti/Kemetic culture will also reveal that activities associated with Ra Atum, the setting sun, and the west, were also associated with death, and so on.

Kamitic/Kemetic Spirituality

As you can see, the Kamitic/Kemetic people were a very ingenious group of people that tried as best they could to protect their country from foreign invaders from the north, which they associated with the color red, that the reader will recall was associated with the younger brother Set, Lower Kamit and TASETT. The two lands of Kamit/Kemet are likened to the head (upper) and tail (lower) of Rau, which was later adapted and modified to the Story of Osar (the older brother) and Set (the younger brother). The color white, by the way, is the color of wisdom, purity, knowledge, and the honorable dead.

The Kamitic/Kemetic peoples’ close observations of nature made them also observe what occurred within their being. It was understood that just like there were a KAMTA and TASETT that existed physically, KAMTA and TASETT also existed spiritually within man and woman. A man or woman that was peaceful, prosperous, righteous, truthful living, God-fearing, fertile, disciplined, etc. was viewed as being influenced by KAMTA and associated with the “individual” called Osar. A man or woman that was untruthful, disrespectful of God, impotent/infertile, lacked self-discipline, a warmonger, rash, impoverished, etc. was said to be influenced by TASETT as was associated with the energy Set.

According to history one of the first Kamitic/Kemetic individuals associated with Osar was the first dynasty ruler named King Menes/Narmer. It is not known who was the first individual to become associated with Set, what is known is that Set later became Set-an and finally the Christian Satan. Because King Menes/Narmer was a physical, living human being, it disputes the popular claim that the Kamitic/Kemetic people worshipped gods and goddesses. A thorough analysis of their culture and the grand edifices that continue to stand that are actually memorials.  Reveals that what Egyptologists call gods and goddesses are actually categories for the particular ancestral spirit. In other words, King Menes/Narmer became associated with Osar, which the reader will recall is associated with KAMTA (mystery, stability, strength, prosperity, peace, etc.) because he unified the country in the most peaceful way that he possibly could thus bringing prosperity. He was therefore revered as an ancestor, meaning Osar and all of the other so-called gods and goddesses of Egypt are actually guardian spirits. This is the reason why throughout Kamit/Kemet there are images of these spirits guiding and performing tasks like any other angelic being.  When we compare this to other African traditions with similar cultural practices and observe how it exists in contemporary times, it becomes clear what is Kamitic/Kemetic spirituality.

The Origin of the Amun Ra Religion

The real Ra or Rau within which corresponds to the Holy Spirit and Power of God is all-knowing, omnipotent, and omnipresent because it is what is called in Western psychology the superconscious, the collective unconscious or God. It is a mystery, which is why the Kamitic people associated it with KAMTA.  The subconscious, which is the part of our being that corresponds to our personal memories, habits, etc. they associated it with TASETT.  It must be remembered that KAMTA and TASETT are also called the Upper Kamit and Lower Kamit, psychologically speaking what is termed today as Higher Self and the Lower Self.

Psychologists will tell you that the superconscious and the subconscious work together. Deep, intuitive messages come from the superconscious and are received in our subconscious as inspiring thoughts and actions. This is why the Kamitic/Kemetic people understanding the connection between the subconscious and superconscious, likened with the unification of KAMTA and TASETT. This is classic ancient African thinking that from the spiritual comes the physical, from the unseen comes the seen, the head to the tail, from the feminine principle comes the masculine principle, from the invisible, comes the visible in order for there to be life, and so on, is all symbolized as the unification of KAMTA and TASETT.  The way to engage the superconscious and subconscious together is through conscious effort, which is how Khepera, Ra, Ra Atum, and Amun Ra come into the picture, because they all correspond to our conscious mind, the rationalizing aspect of our being, which is our Soul.  When our Soul is at the Ra and Ra Atum moments we have difficulties because are attention is focused on the physical, the material, the things of the world, the limitations that exist in TASETT. When our Soul is at the Amun Ra and Khepera moments we are in the most receptive states and are able to receive guidance from the Rau. This is because our attention is focused on the whole perspective (spiritual/physical) and is opened to the endless possibilities that exist in KAMTA. The night sky is the limit or NO LIMIT.

What this means is that the Kamitic/Kemetic Way of Life in simple terms is all about listening and being receptive to the Rau – the Holy Spirit of God and the emissaries of the Rau, which are our aakhu (ancestors) and netcharu (guardian spirits).  When you are receptive to the Rau, the Rau (remember, being all-knowing, omnipotent, and omnipresent) will show you how to accomplish any and all of your objectives in life. If you have ever gone to sleep with something on your mind and awoke with an answer, that answer came from the Rau – the Divine Spirit of God within our being that is connected to every living thing on the planet. Have you ever had a dream and in the dream you saw a deceased relative tell you something or you awake from your dream with new insight on how to accomplish something because you saw the deceased relative? This was your aakhu (ancestor) interceding on your behalf or delivering a message from the Rau. It is that simple and if you trust in the Rau the Rau will show you how to achieve any objective. If you state what you want to the Rau, the Rau will deliver it to you, which is why Jesus called the Rau – the Power and Spirit of God, the Comforter.

The Kamitic/Kemetic people understood this and this is why they categorized their ancestral spirits the way they did.  It was by observing nature they began to see a pattern and they recognized that when they said something that they didn’t really want it corresponded to Npu (Anpu, Sobek, Sebek, Anubis). Hence, the saying, be careful what you ask for you just might get it, but when they said something that they wanted. The Rau would provide them with a Npu guardian spirit that would help them to get what they want ethically, morally, and without harming others. They understood who and what the Rau is and they knew, what prevents most people from achieving true happiness, peace, wealth, health, etc. is their ability to follow the Rau due to their fears, inhibitions, and past experiences.  All of these inhibitions correspond to TASETT or what older African Americans would call the blues or negative spirits the Kamitic/Kemetic people called aapepu influenced by Set. People want to debate if spirits are real or not.  If you want to know if a negative spirit is real all you have to do is say that you are going to do something positive and I guarantee you, you will have a bunch of energies/forces that will try to stop you. So to remind people that they are made in the image of God and that they are the controllers of their destiny, they built their civilization around the maa aankh.

Understand, at present besides the ankh or aankh symbol (which symbolizes the rebirth of one’s conscious or being “Born Again” there are no artifacts that have been found suggesting that the Kamitic/Kemetic people had a maa aankh, but do you know what?  There probably never will be a diagram found, because as stated before the Kamitic/Kemetic people lived it, and like the Kongo-Bantu people, their society revolved around it.  For those who need more proof, simply study the Kamitic culture and you will find that it corresponds to the various moments and philosophy.  As to why the maa aankh exists today it is because I asked the Rau – The Spirit for a tool to help me improve my life because I was in dire need.  After benefiting from it, I was given the task to share it with others because our families, community, and society are also in bad shape.  Simply put, God and our ancestors need individuals who aren’t afraid to stand for truth and invoke (or conjure) the power of God on point to give people encouragement, inspiration, and power to take back their life from Set and the aapepu.

KAMTA is a different form of spirituality because it approaches the Kamitic/Kemetic way from an oppressed person’s perspective, like the hero Hru fighting to reclaim, attain, and maintain his or her heritage.  This unique perspective can not be learned by solely by books. It requires that one take a walk on the other side – KAMTA – in order to get a full picture or holistic view of life.  This is why the basic mission of KAMTA is to help people with their everyday trials and tribulations by invoking the power of Nebertcher in their life.

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

Hello World!

Hetepu (Peace to You All) Family, my name is Derric Moore and I along with several netizens around the USA created the Land of Kam website in 2001 because we were very interested in the  Kamitic (Kemetic, Khamitic or simply the Ancient Africans of Egypt) spiritual tradition but lived in very remote areas away from actual spiritual communities.  Several of us had dealings with several Kamitic spiritual study groups and had interacted with others in various Afro-Diaspora traditions, so we understood the importance of continuing our studies but found it extremely difficult to do so without any support.  We also understood the importance of our ancestors, or at least we thought we did from an intellectual perspective, so we all had an ancestral altar.  It was through my ancestors that I was given the name “Rau Khu” and this is how the Land of Kam was created.  It was created basically as a platform to encourage and inspire each other (and others) to continue reading and studying these Kamitic concepts and principles.

Then several years later, my body became deathly ill, so naturally I being the main contributor of the site had to take a hiatus, while focusing all of my attention to attaining, regaining and maintaining my health.  It was during this time, as I literally fought to survive, I had a chance to see Kamitic spirituality from a unique perspective because; I was functioning from a different state of consciousness sometimes referred to as the Death Awareness. Simply put, if you don’t know what the afterlife holds or have no proof that heaven or hell exists, how can you live your life on this material plane? When you get a true glimpse of what happens to the soul after we physically die or what happens after death, you have a better understanding and appreciation for life. That’s when you really come to understand that life is an adventure and that you have no time to deal with any drama or foolishness.

It was from this awareness as I literally applied the Kamitic concepts and principles to my life in order to overcome my illness and regain my health, that I made a very deep connection with my ancestors and guardian spirits.  That’s when I discovered that the core of Kamitic spirituality is an ancestral shamanistic tradition that focuses upon healing or maintaining Maa (balance, order, holism, etc.). This unique understanding made me realize what I had known all along that biologically and culturally speaking, the Kamitic people were black and brown skinned Africans.  This meant that despite what some try to claim, true Kamitic spirituality (like most African derived religions and traditions) is not a “book religion or practice”.  In other words, all of the books you have read about the Kamitic mental science, Kamitic religion, Kamitic tradition, Kamitic philosophy, Kamitic Way of Life, etc. aren’t going to teach you about true Kamitic Spirituality. The only way to learn true Kamitic Spirituality, which is essentially Ancient African Spirituality, is to live it by establishing a relationship with the Divine through your ancestors.  This is alluded to in the Legend of Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris), which is how Hru (Hrw, Heru, Horus) by working with his ancestor was able to defeat his uncle Set with the power of God or Ra/Rau. A lot of times people get all caught up in the science that they forget that most of the grand edifices of Kamit were built and dedicated to the honorable dead – ancestors (aakhu).

Knowing that the Kamitic initiation or mystery systems are really about being reborn with a new state of awareness, inspired me to make drastic changes to the Land of Kam.  Since, Kamitic Spirituality is essentially Ancient African Spirituality, it became more important than ever to make it known that while it is culturally important to know that the Kamitic people were black and brown skinned Africans. The Kamitic Way is basically an Ancestral Practice or Way – meaning it has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin per se but rather one’s African-derived and influenced culture.  In other words, if an individual(s) is not biologically and/or culturally akin to the Kamitic people, they would have to heavily rely upon the writings of archeologists and other Western trained scholars just to get, as some would call it, “one leg” or one side of the picture.  This is because they have no ancestral link (biologically or culturally), which would ultimately contribute to them having an identity crisis and inspire them to adopt various forms (customs, attire, etc.) without having a clear understanding of the concepts and principles.

Understanding this, the Land of Kam websites and blogs were created to encourage, empower and inspire people throughout the African Diaspora, to improve their life by investing in their ancient African ancestral legacy.  It is not as difficult as some make it seem. Yes, the mental sciences are deep but they are nothing when you truly begin to explore the mysteries of the Spirit because it all part of our ancient African legacy.   When you truly understand what Kamitic Spirituality is really about, it becomes clear why some have tried to make it so difficult for us to really understand, because it is not in the books but in the mind, heart and soul of every Kamitic descendant.

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

Welcome to the Land of Kam Blog

Hetepu (Peace to You All) Family, my name is Derric Moore and I along with several netizens around the USA created the Land of Kam website in 2001 because we were very interested in the  Kamitic (Kemetic, Khamitic or simply the Ancient Africans of Egypt) spiritual tradition but lived in very remote areas away from actual spiritual communities.  Several of us had dealings with several Kamitic spiritual study groups and had interacted with others in various Afro-Diaspora traditions, so we understood the importance of continuing our studies but found it extremely difficult to do so without any support.  We also understood the importance of our ancestors, or at least we thought we did from an intellectual perspective, so we all had an ancestral altar.  It was through my ancestors that I was given the name “Rau Khu” and this is how the Land of Kam was created.  It was created basically as a platform to encourage and inspire each other (and others) to continue reading and studying these Kamitic concepts and principles.
Then several years later, my body became deathly ill, so naturally I being the main contributor of the site had to take a hiatus, while focusing all of my attention to attaining, regaining and maintaining my health.  It was during this time, as I literally fought to survive, I had a chance to see Kamitic spirituality from a unique perspective because; I was functioning from a different state of consciousness sometimes referred to as the Death Awareness. Simply put, if you don’t know what the afterlife holds or have no proof that heaven or hell exists, how can you live your life on this material plane? When you get a true glimpse of what happens to the soul after we physically die or what happens after death, you have a better understanding and appreciation for life. That’s when you really come to understand that life is an adventure and that you have no time to deal with any drama or foolishness.
It was from this awareness as I literally applied the Kamitic concepts and principles to my life in order to overcome my illness and regain my health, that I made a very deep connection with my ancestors and guardian spirits.  That’s when I discovered that the core of Kamitic spirituality is an ancestral shamanistic tradition that focuses upon healing or maintaining Maa (balance, order, holism, etc.). This unique understanding made me realize what I had known all along that biologically and culturally speaking, the Kamitic people were black and brown skinned Africans.  This meant that despite what some try to claim, true Kamitic spirituality (like most African derived religions and traditions) is not a “book religion or practice”.  In other words, all of the books you have read about the Kamitic mental science, Kamitic religion, Kamitic tradition, Kamitic philosophy, Kamitic Way of Life, etc. aren’t going to teach you about true Kamitic Spirituality. The only way to learn true Kamitic Spirituality, which is essentially Ancient African Spirituality, is to live it by establishing a relationship with the Divine through your ancestors.  This is alluded to in the Legend of Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris), which is how Hru (Hrw, Heru, Horus) by working with his ancestor was able to defeat his uncle Set with the power of God or Ra/Rau. A lot of times people get all caught up in the science that they forget that most of the grand edifices of Kamit were built and dedicated to the honorable dead – ancestors (aakhu).

Knowing that the Kamitic initiation or mystery systems are really about being reborn with a new state of awareness, inspired me to make drastic changes to the Land of Kam.  Since, Kamitic Spirituality is essentially Ancient African Spirituality, it became more important than ever to make it known that while it is culturally important to know that the Kamitic people were black and brown skinned Africans. The Kamitic Way is basically an Ancestral Practice or Way – meaning it has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin per se but rather one’s African-derived and influenced culture.  In other words, if an individual(s) is not biologically and/or culturally akin to the Kamitic people, they would have to heavily rely upon the writings of archeologists and other Western trained scholars just to get, as some would call it, “one leg” or one side of the picture.  This is because they have no ancestral link (biologically or culturally), which would ultimately contribute to them having an identity crisis and inspire them to adopt various forms (customs, attire, etc.) without having a clear understanding of the concepts and principles.
Understanding this, the Land of Kam websites and blogs were created to encourage, empower and inspire people throughout the African Diaspora, to improve their life by investing in their ancient African ancestral legacy.  It is not as difficult as some make it seem. Yes, the mental sciences are deep but they are nothing when you truly begin to explore the mysteries of the Spirit because it all part of our ancient African legacy.   When you truly understand what Kamitic Spirituality is really about, it becomes clear why some have tried to make it so difficult for us to really understand, because it is not in the books but in the mind, heart and soul of every Kamitic descendant.

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