I Hate the “This is What They Did in Africa” Mantra (Living Maa)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.

Let’s get right to it. I am so tired of hearing people tell me that “This is what they did in Africa” to justify their crazy beliefs, ideas, thoughts and practices. I mean, I get it and I understand why people say it because in the western world where we are taught to believe only in what we can physically measure (touch, taste, smell, hear and see). It is more convenient to say “This is what they did in Africa” then it is to say, “I am trusting my Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris, the Lord or Higher Self).”

But, here is the thing….Africa is not a country. Africa is a continent with 54 countries.  The people within the continent of Africa don’t speak African. There are over 2,000 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Nigeria alone has 200 languages that are spoken within its country.  Africa is not one gigantic forest with millions of people living in huts. They have forests, savannas and thriving metropolis and industries because Africa is composed of numerous cultures.

What am I saying?

I am saying that Africa does not have a homogeneous society or culture.

When you say, “This is what they did in Africa” what part of Africa are talking about? Are you talking about the East, West, North or South of Africa? Which ethnic group are you speaking of that they did this? When they “did this in Africa” when did they do it and why did they do it? What was the purpose? Did “They do it” a million years ago, a thousand years ago, a hundred years ago or are they doing it now?

You get where I am going with this? Stop using “Africa” like the bible and the Koran to justify your silliness. When will people understand that what they did in Africa does not mean it is going to work over here. Just like what we do over here is not going to necessarily work over there.

Now, let me be honest, and tell you that I used to say this same stupid mantra too because I came across Family who would use it to justify everything they believed from diet to religious practices. All of that changed when I met and asked my godfather who was a Lukumi (Santeria) priest and member of the Abakua Society, why the Yoruba religion was not practiced in Cuba exactly the same way it is practiced in Nigeria in Cuba. For instance, why did they syncretize the orishas with the saints. My godfather told me in the simplest terms, “Because we ain’t in Africa!”

What works in Africa works in Africa but that doesn’t mean it is going to work here. This is what I keep trying to get Family to understand about Kemet. The Kemetic people never had to deal with systemic racism, capitalism, socialism, etc.  The Kemetic people lived in an agrarian kingdom with a relatively loving ruling class who cared about all of her citizens within her border. Prior to the advent of the slave trade and imperialism, the Akans, Fons, Yoruba, Ibo, Bantu-Kongo and various other ethnic groups did not live in a society that discriminated against people because of the color of their skin. If you offended the Ancestors, the Deified Ancestors and disrupted the order of the community, then that’s when the elders took you to the side and reeducated you and everyone to correct the error in our living. It was a spiritual culture and this is what it means to live in a spiritual, holistic culture, but we do not live there anymore. This is the reason when the Africans were brought to the Americas, their religions, spiritual practices and spiritual traditions could not survive unless they became more aggressive and defensive.   In other words, the spiritual practices and traditions had to adapt to the new circumstances in order to be useful.

This “It was done in Africa” mantra is a Setian (Egotistical) approach to fixing problems.  If you will recall, our Set (lower self/ego) relies on past experiences and only believes in the physical reality.   In other words, it only sees one side of the picture. It does not see the whole, so it discourages us from aligning with our Higher Self or Osar.  One of the ways it does this is by telling us “This is what was done in Africa (or China, India, etc.)” to get us to focus on the past or past experience because Set is stubborn and does not want to change but we have to realize that Maa is about living truth based upon perspective.

Let me give you another example. If you have ever eaten the Ghanian dish fufu (coco yam) or the Nigeria cuisine gari (cassava/yucca) you know that these are two of the main starches that are consumed throughout the West and Central Africa. I love eating fufu and gari but I cannot eat these dishes all of the time as it is done in parts of Africa for several reasons.  For one, I live in the United States and I am not as active as many who eat these foods as a staple of their diet.  Second, they are high in carbohydrates, which means if I am not very active these foods may cause my body to store additional sugar/fat.  Now, notice that I did not say that these foods were bad.  In fact, they are more nutritious than the regular potato but it is because of my lifestyle and the environment that I live in, which makes consuming these foods all of the time a problem for me.  Again, does this mean that I should not eat coco yam or cassava even though they were consumed in Africa? No, it simply means that if I am going to eat them I need to make adjustments to my lifestyle or limit my consumption of them. This is what it means to live according to Maa by taking everything in perspective.

It is not Maa to live your life based upon an outdated practices and traditions. Presently as I write this, I know guy right now who is from Ghana having the hardest time trying to succeed socially because he is still doing things as if he was in Accra. This guy has upset a lot of people he has come in contact with because he tells them he is proud that the “British colonized the world.” He literally believes that the British saved humanity through their savage ways, so when he said it aloud and was verbally accosted he did not understand why. Clearly, this guy does not see the whole picture and only believes what the imperialists have told him in the history books. Now, another reason for mentioning this guy is to show that everyone from Africa is not “conscious.” Just like everyone who wears their hair natural, in braids, in dreads, etc. is not “conscious” either. We need to stop repeating this mantra because all it does is make us focus on what was written in a book or some other superficiality.

If we stopped saying, “This is what they did in Africa” and just say, “Hey, I did it.” It is more convincing and let’s people see the Maa.  The Maa is not about trying to see how many people will follow you.  It is opening peoples’ eye so that we can change the “rotation of the planet.” Stop giving in and encouraging people to follow their Set. Remember, Set wants us to do anything and everything but listen and follow our Osar (Higher Self). Set will say anything and everything to keep us from hearing our Osar by telling us what we are doing is wrong, not supported by others, not favored by the majority, not the popular thing, etc.

Maa-The Path of the Feather

Living your life according to Maa means trusting the God within you and testing the suggestions that are given to you.  Yes, you have to test it because remember the old scripture “every spirit is not a spirit of God (spirit of the Higher Self).” So, you have to test it and try it out to make sure it is the truth that is best for you and that it is coming from your Higher Self and not your lower self and some other low influences (negative ancestral spirits or aapepu).  And, by the way, testing and trying it out does not just mean seeing if the information is in a book.  You have to try it, test it out, see if it works for you and if it works for others.  This is the only way to know that a suggestion, comment, etc. is coming from the Higher Self.

This goes for people too. Most of you know that I come from a very religious family background. I had people tell me all of the time, “God said fill in the blank.” and when I was younger I would follow these so-called prophecies and wind up broke and hurt.  So, guess what? My Osar and Aakhu (Ancestors and Spirit Guides) know that they cannot approach me like this. They also know that I am going to put to the test whatever they tell me. So, when I get messages now, it is verified. If I am doing a ritual to Npu (Anpu, Sebek, Anubis or the Divine Messenger/Trickster of the Higher Self) and receive a message telling me I need to do something. It is verified through some type of omen. Npu may send three dogs across my path or I bump into a person wearing red and black, which are his colors.  I may be at the store and some stranger comes to me out of the blue and tells me something, thus verifying what the message and pointing me in the direction I need to go.  In other words, “God does not give a vision without giving provisions.”

So if a person claims to have your best interest at heart and state that their information is truth. You can test it to see if it is Maa and that individual should not have a problem with you doing so because, if they are truly sagely and of God.  They should understand that in these days and time we cannot take nothing for face value.  If this individual gets upset and offended, then they most likely are feeding your info to boost their Set (Ego).

Understand the more you listen to your Osar, the happier and better off you will be because you are free.

Hetepu.

I Hate the "This is What They Did in Africa" Mantra (Living Maa)

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.
Let’s get right to it. I am so tired of hearing people tell me that “This is what they did in Africa” to justify their crazy beliefs, ideas, thoughts and practices. I mean, I get it and I understand why people say it because in the western world where we are taught to believe only in what we can physically measure (touch, taste, smell, hear and see). It is more convenient to say “This is what they did in Africa” then it is to say, “I am trusting my Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris, the Lord or Higher Self).”

But, here is the thing….Africa is not a country. Africa is a continent with 54 countries.  The people within the continent of Africa don’t speak African. There are over 2,000 languages spoken in the continent of Africa. Nigeria alone has 200 languages that are spoken within its country.  Africa is not one gigantic forest with millions of people living in huts. They have forests, savannas and thriving metropolis and industries because Africa is composed of numerous cultures.

What am I saying?
I am saying that Africa does not have a homogeneous society or culture.
When you say, “This is what they did in Africa” what part of Africa are talking about? Are you talking about the East, West, North or South of Africa? Which ethnic group are you speaking of that they did this? When they “did this in Africa” when did they do it and why did they do it? What was the purpose? Did “They do it” a million years ago, a thousand years ago, a hundred years ago or are they doing it now?
You get where I am going with this? Stop using “Africa” like the bible and the Koran to justify your silliness. When will people understand that what they did in Africa does not mean it is going to work over here. Just like what we do over here is not going to necessarily work over there.
Now, let me be honest, and tell you that I used to say this same stupid mantra too because I came across Family who would use it to justify everything they believed from diet to religious practices. All of that changed when I met and asked my godfather who was a Lukumi (Santeria) priest and member of the Abakua Society, why the Yoruba religion was not practiced in Cuba exactly the same way it is practiced in Nigeria in Cuba. For instance, why did they syncretize the orishas with the saints. My godfather told me in the simplest terms, “Because we ain’t in Africa!”
What works in Africa works in Africa but that doesn’t mean it is going to work here. This is what I keep trying to get Family to understand about Kemet. The Kemetic people never had to deal with systemic racism, capitalism, socialism, etc.  The Kemetic people lived in an agrarian kingdom with a relatively loving ruling class who cared about all of her citizens within her border. Prior to the advent of the slave trade and imperialism, the Akans, Fons, Yoruba, Ibo, Bantu-Kongo and various other ethnic groups did not live in a society that discriminated against people because of the color of their skin. If you offended the Ancestors, the Deified Ancestors and disrupted the order of the community, then that’s when the elders took you to the side and reeducated you and everyone to correct the error in our living. It was a spiritual culture and this is what it means to live in a spiritual, holistic culture, but we do not live there anymore. This is the reason when the Africans were brought to the Americas, their religions, spiritual practices and spiritual traditions could not survive unless they became more aggressive and defensive.   In other words, the spiritual practices and traditions had to adapt to the new circumstances in order to be useful.

This “It was done in Africa” mantra is a Setian (Egotistical) approach to fixing problems.  If you will recall, our Set (lower self/ego) relies on past experiences and only believes in the physical reality.   In other words, it only sees one side of the picture. It does not see the whole, so it discourages us from aligning with our Higher Self or Osar.  One of the ways it does this is by telling us “This is what was done in Africa (or China, India, etc.)” to get us to focus on the past or past experience because Set is stubborn and does not want to change but we have to realize that Maa is about living truth based upon perspective.
Let me give you another example. If you have ever eaten the Ghanian dish fufu (coco yam) or the Nigeria cuisine gari (cassava/yucca) you know that these are two of the main starches that are consumed throughout the West and Central Africa. I love eating fufu and gari but I cannot eat these dishes all of the time as it is done in parts of Africa for several reasons.  For one, I live in the United States and I am not as active as many who eat these foods as a staple of their diet.  Second, they are high in carbohydrates, which means if I am not very active these foods may cause my body to store additional sugar/fat.  Now, notice that I did not say that these foods were bad.  In fact, they are more nutritious than the regular potato but it is because of my lifestyle and the environment that I live in, which makes consuming these foods all of the time a problem for me.  Again, does this mean that I should not eat coco yam or cassava even though they were consumed in Africa? No, it simply means that if I am going to eat them I need to make adjustments to my lifestyle or limit my consumption of them. This is what it means to live according to Maa by taking everything in perspective.
It is not Maa to live your life based upon an outdated practices and traditions. Presently as I write this, I know guy right now who is from Ghana having the hardest time trying to succeed socially because he is still doing things as if he was in Accra. This guy has upset a lot of people he has come in contact with because he tells them he is proud that the “British colonized the world.” He literally believes that the British saved humanity through their savage ways, so when he said it aloud and was verbally accosted he did not understand why. Clearly, this guy does not see the whole picture and only believes what the imperialists have told him in the history books. Now, another reason for mentioning this guy is to show that everyone from Africa is not “conscious.” Just like everyone who wears their hair natural, in braids, in dreads, etc. is not “conscious” either. We need to stop repeating this mantra because all it does is make us focus on what was written in a book or some other superficiality.
If we stopped saying, “This is what they did in Africa” and just say, “Hey, I did it.” It is more convincing and let’s people see the Maa.  The Maa is not about trying to see how many people will follow you.  It is opening peoples’ eye so that we can change the “rotation of the planet.” Stop giving in and encouraging people to follow their Set. Remember, Set wants us to do anything and everything but listen and follow our Osar (Higher Self). Set will say anything and everything to keep us from hearing our Osar by telling us what we are doing is wrong, not supported by others, not favored by the majority, not the popular thing, etc.

Maa-The Path of the Feather

Living your life according to Maa means trusting the God within you and testing the suggestions that are given to you.  Yes, you have to test it because remember the old scripture “every spirit is not a spirit of God (spirit of the Higher Self).” So, you have to test it and try it out to make sure it is the truth that is best for you and that it is coming from your Higher Self and not your lower self and some other low influences (negative ancestral spirits or aapepu).  And, by the way, testing and trying it out does not just mean seeing if the information is in a book.  You have to try it, test it out, see if it works for you and if it works for others.  This is the only way to know that a suggestion, comment, etc. is coming from the Higher Self.
This goes for people too. Most of you know that I come from a very religious family background. I had people tell me all of the time, “God said fill in the blank.” and when I was younger I would follow these so-called prophecies and wind up broke and hurt.  So, guess what? My Osar and Aakhu (Ancestors and Spirit Guides) know that they cannot approach me like this. They also know that I am going to put to the test whatever they tell me. So, when I get messages now, it is verified. If I am doing a ritual to Npu (Anpu, Sebek, Anubis or the Divine Messenger/Trickster of the Higher Self) and receive a message telling me I need to do something. It is verified through some type of omen. Npu may send three dogs across my path or I bump into a person wearing red and black, which are his colors.  I may be at the store and some stranger comes to me out of the blue and tells me something, thus verifying what the message and pointing me in the direction I need to go.  In other words, “God does not give a vision without giving provisions.”
So if a person claims to have your best interest at heart and state that their information is truth. You can test it to see if it is Maa and that individual should not have a problem with you doing so because, if they are truly sagely and of God.  They should understand that in these days and time we cannot take nothing for face value.  If this individual gets upset and offended, then they most likely are feeding your info to boost their Set (Ego).
Understand the more you listen to your Osar, the happier and better off you will be because you are free.
Hetepu.

Remembering Haiti and the Real Revolution

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about Haiti because it was recently realized by a select few within our community that Haiti was the second republic to win her independence after the United States.  I first became interested in Haiti and the Vodun religion after reading Jacob Carruther’s The Irritated Genie, in around 1993.  From what I could attest, the reason Haiti won her independence was because in 1791, Boukman Dutty followed by Jacques Dessalines tapped into the power of God within them, who sent the Vodun loa of war, Ogu.  When the spirit of Ogu arrived, he mobilized and motivated the freedom fighters by teaching them a guerrilla tactic which, led to them defeating every western nation that attempted to return the people back to slavery.

Courtesy of Wikipedia

What most people do not know about our beloved Haiti is that after her independence was won, many of her citizens implemented a similar chattel system in order to reestablish her foothold in the sugar production market.  In other words, they removed one horrific system and replaced it with another, and this has been going on since her inception. Today, the entire island of Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic) suffers from extreme forms of colorism and racism, which was created and erected by the French and Spanish.  Yes, the European countries and United States have all had a hand in Haiti’s demise but the real reason Haiti has had all of the problems she has had is because she has the same illness we all have.  That is, the lack of spiritual development.

Courtesy of lightskinvsdarkskin.weebly.com

Haiti is living proof that none of the systems Europeans created will save us. Democracy, socialism, communism, etc. do not work and will not work because they are systems based upon man and woman’s lower self. The lower self you will remember basis everything that we do upon our limited personal past experiences. The lower self is also the part of our being that focuses on differences rather than similarities. The reason the Haitians reverted back to their enslaved way of thinking after the revolution was because this was the only system they knew of and were familiar with based upon their personal experience.  It was also the only system that categorize peoples’ self-worth and importance based upon the hue of their skin.  It was the only system they believed could work, which we know now failed them miserably.

The point of making this known is because many of us are traveling down this same rickety road created by our lower self. As a result, there is an erroneous theory circulating that if people somehow toppled the elite 1% that is controlling the world, that things will change. These same people believe that all we need to do is boycott, march, pray, have sit-ins, etc. and people will somehow have an epiphany and decide to do what is right and just.  Anyone who believes this does not understand basic human psychology. If it were that simple and easy to change peoples’ egotistical behavior then, we would all be cured of our destructive and negative habits through wishful thinking. Sorry, it doesn’t work that way. The only way for people to change their behaviors is by having their Higher Self imbue their lower self with knowledge, wisdom and power. In other words, it is by having their Higher Self direct and guide their lower self.

Remember, the Haitians defeated their enemies by having Ogou (the warrior aspect of their Higher Self) teach them guerrilla warfare.   Do you understand that? Do you know that when the Haitians defeated Napoleon Bonapart’s military that it bankrupted France, which resulted in the Louisiana Purchase? Do you know why you were not taught about this in history class? Does it make sense why traditional African  spirituality is demonized and the mere mention of Vodun, Ifa, Lukumi, Palo Mayombe, Abakua, Macuuba, Candomble, Obeah, Shango Baptiste, strikes fear in the hearts and minds of people? Yes, we are talking about REAL GOD POWER.

Courtesy of https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfHBAsXLtes

So, let me say it again. The HAITIANS not the freedman, not the enslaved, not the mulattoes, not the half-breed and all of these other stupid ass labels that Europeans have placed on us to keep us from coming together as a people.  No, the HAITIANS won their independence!  You see, when we stop seeing one another based upon our differences and focus on a common goal, the Spirit of God and our Ancestors will bring us together and this is when the real revolution begins.  This is what “they” don’t want you to know.

You may ask, how do we know it will work? It is because our ancestors along the Nile did it. Our Kemetic ancestors recognized the differences between other cultures but they understood that by focusing on it, it would cause further separation from the whole. Kemet became great because they created a national identity by focusing on the Higher Self or Osar (Asar, Ausar, Osiris). In other words, they were the first people to walk around calling one another God and actually creating a society based upon that ideology.

Think about that, you pass down the street and see guys ciphering for real by erecting an altar that honors all of our ancestors in the community. Could you imagine the impact that would make on peoples’ minds? Could you imagine that instead of honoring celebrities (no disrespect like Biggie, Pac, etc.) who have not done a damn thing for our community besides claiming they were from there, and instead honor our ancestors and make a commitment to do right by one another, how peoples’ minds and hearts would be uplifted?

We have to remember that the society we presently live in is sick. As a result, we all suffer from a type of psychosis that focuses only on what is tangible.  We all have a lopsided view of what we think reality is and is not. This lopsided view is what we call TASETT and it is governed by our jealous, high-strung, fear driven Ego called Set. The reason no new ideas are come into play is because it is not the lower self’s purpose to create new ideas. It’s purpose is to help us to physically survive even if that means depriving, exploiting and warring against others. It is a narrow minded view that animals use.

We can create change but, don’t be deluded into thinking that this will occur intellectually. That’s an egotistical ploy. The only way to create real change is by invoking our Higher Self or Osar. When we invoke our Higher Self or Osar, we are able to see the other side of the physical reality or the spiritual realm which is unlimited.

We have to tap into our Higher Self in order to make this happen. Only the Higher Self will give us a radical idea that will create change we need.  Only our Higher Self will allow us to see the God within all of us and this is what spiritual development is about.  We have to see one another based upon our potential not our past.  If we use the same thinking that westerners have used to create the problems we are in, we will get nowhere because as the old adage goes, “You cannot solve a problem using the same thinking that created it.”

The only way to solve the problems we face is by using intuitive thinking by tapping into our Higher Self or Osar because the real battle is not won through brawn but through the mind.

Now, I know what you are thinking. This is that ole’ spooky spiritual crap but here’s the thing. I am not trying to tell you about a mystery God in the sky. No. I am trying to tell you that you are the mystery and the only reason you will not awaken yourself is because your lower self or Set got you shook and afraid to do so. Well, the time has come that if you want to be a revolutionary, then be a real revolutionary by letting your Higher Self show you how to defeat your enemy. How many failed systems and tactics do we have to try in order to realize that it is not going to work because it is not inclusive of us. We got to wake up family and realize that we have to fight differently.

The world is full of fools with guns.  What the world is lacking is men and women with intelligence.

What I learned from Haiti is that the real revolution is all about revolutionizing your thinking. If a person does not change their thinking, it does not matter how many coup d’etats they have. They are simply replacing one system with the same system. The faster we understand this the quicker our revolution will be won.

Hetepu