Build A Village to Raise A Nation

"Build A Village To Raise A Nation"

My daughter just turned 6 years old and, like all fathers, I feel that my little princess is growing up way too fast. Well, no, it's not  her growing up too fast that actually worries me (although I would love to be there for these years) it is more so the world that she will grow to inherit. Our modern society has moved so far away from living out the spiritual truths of our ancestors that I fear that no matter how much I do or say, it all will be futile. How much power does one lone incarcerated father really wield against a system so total and so pervasive as this modern White Supremacy system?

What is White Supremacy?

Maybe you've heard the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child. Well, as I watched my daughter's birthday come and go, it was a phrase that would just not leave my mind. Many people have traced statement back to our West African cultures and the way that the entire adult village structure played an integral part in the upbringing of each child. That seems simple enough right? Pretty straightforward stuff, right? Well, it wasn't for me. See, for me, the phrase not only offered a cultural methodology but also a way of strengthening a child against a carnal world; a way of truly cultivating the Divinity that lies within each of us; a way of winning the war against White Supremacy and slaying the dragon as a community of conscious individuals committed to living Truth everywhere they go.

Ain't that the truth!

See, when I think about my daughter and the type of woman that I would like her to become, it is not her career path that I think about; it's not the type of person she may one day marry or even if she is financially secure. I understand that all of these things are merely the effects of something far more important: the state of her mind and her awareness of her Divinity. This is the basic lesson that I strive to teach my daughter: you are a goddess on Earth but it is up to you to choose to live as one.

Now we know that this teaching goes contrary to the contemporary Western idea of man. For most people, we are "only human" meaning that we are "inherently weak and flawed" "born sinners" and must depend on some outside agent for our peace, prosperity and salvation. Whether this agent is a God or G. O. D. (government of democracy) it is all the same principle at work. Our ancestors, though, did not hold such cynical views on the nature of humanity.

In our Khemetian (Ancient Egyptian) Mystery System the human being was seen as the Supreme Being who, being made in the image and likeness of the Neteru (gods and goddesses=Divine principalities) could
rise above it's carnal nature (Set) and claim its birthright as the Divine King (Heru the Elder). To accomplish this certain parts of the self had to be taken from dormancy to an active state and assimilated into the aspirant's psyche. Our ancient forrunners had mapped out the spiritual evolution process of man, and therefore, they were able to initiate, pass and raise those worthy candidates who entered the ancient mystery schools to the realm of the Neteru. Can our institutions and communities boast the same?

Kemetic Tree of Life

According to the Khemetian (Ancient Egyptian) Tree of Life's view of man spiritual anatomy, the lowest four spheres (spheres 10, 9, 8 and 7) form the lower faculties of man. The lowest sphere—sphere 10 (Geb)—represents the animal spirit or self-preservation instinct in man. it is simply the attraction to what gives us pleasure and the repulsion from what brings us pain. For this to be fully grasped, you must understand that pain is not only biological but that it is also associated with feelings like guilt, shame, worry, fear, doubt, etc. This system is critical to our early years of development, when our reasoning abilities have not yet developed and we are totally dependent on others, but if not transcended, it impedes our spiritual evolution. How? Well, I know that you can think of many things that you like to do that aren't really good for you. Drugs, alcohol and many tasty foods quickly come to mind. Just as there are many beneficial things like diet, exercise, meditation, etc that you may not find pleasurable. Therefore, this sphere must be overcome.

Sphere 9 (Aset) is extremely receptive and can be related to what psychologist call the subconscious mind. In our early years we are prone to learn more by imitation. This is how infants learn to walk, talk and as well as feed themselves. Due to the nature of our current society and the fact that most adults have not transcended their own lower natures, we learn or imitate those behaviors and ideas that cater to our emotions and gratify our craving for pleasure and dislike for pain.

Sphere 8 (Anpu) is our faculty of disintegration or separation. In our early years we learn all of the different names and definitions for things based off of what others tell us, rather than our own inperience. This concept of "knowing" vs. "believing" is one of the vast differences between the Khemetian (or Ancient Egyptian culture) and today's westernized view. It is also in this sphere that we use the logical aspect of our minds (the left hemisphere of the brain) to rationalize and justify the dominance of our survival instinct in our decision-making process. Thus, we get statements like "I'm just doing me" and "I'm only human" along with economic theories like capitalism and communism. It is simply the immature intellect of man serving the desires of his survival instinct.

Sphere 7 (Het-Heru) can be associated with the imagination or right hemisphere of the brain. This is the faculty that we use to visualize what we want and visualization is essential to the attainment of any goal. The thing is, because we are still dominated by our lower self, we tend to visualize more of the wrong things. What we want is still largely determined by what feels good.

If you notice, on the Tree of Life, spheres 9, 8, and 7 form a triangle pointing down to Geb, the animal spirit, or sphere 10. This shows us that in this stage of our spiritual evolution, our minds (subconscious, left and right hemispheres) are all in service of our "lower/wordly/carnal" nature. Yet and still, they are integral to the raising of consciousness (or Spirit) to the higher realms. What we need are new beliefs and experiences (sphere 9), new definitions and logic (sphere 8) and new images and visualizations (sphere 7) to transcend the dominance of the self-preservation instinct (or survival instinct) in our lives. But, short of living a monk-like existence, how can this be accomplished in today's hedonistically pleasure driven world?

Be honest with yourself, how many times do you succumb to peer pressure or suggestion on a daily basis? How many times have you bought something to eat when you weren't even really hungry? And why, because it looik good or smelled good right? Or maybe you just ate something because everyone else was eating. These are just a few small examples of the effect that the lower spheres have on our decisions. Sadly, for black children today, there are far worse habits being promoted than simply overeating. Our children are falling victim to patterns of violence, drug abuse, consumerism, hypersexuality and a host of other ills, and it is only a unified front that can successfully combat this.

It takes a village. The Truths that I am striving to instill in my daughter will be more easily accepted and lived out if they are nurtured by those around her. Humans are naturally social creatures. We want to be accepted and we long to feel as if we belong. This longing is so strong that many of us (myself included) have sacrificed our own uniqueness just to fit in. So, knowing how powerful influences and peer pressure can be, especially for children, how much easier would it be for my daughter to live out spiritual truth if everyone around with living it out too? If her mother lived by the principles of Maat and supported a holistic outlook on life, how much easier would it be for our daughter to hold true to it? If she goes to school and her teachers and their curriculum promote these principles; if the store owner and shopkeeper on the corner lives out these spiritual Truths; if she goes to church and they are preaching the same message; how much easier will it be for her to live them out herself? If the book she reads, the show she watches, the music she listens to; if they are all in harmony with Maat (with Truth), then how much easier would be for her to live Maat out herself? It is by living Maat that we will overcome.

So this is my fear and that is my goal. We are living in a world where one is constantly being pressured to give into and justify their every carnal desire. I need more of my people to begin to live out spiritual truths and build institutions that uphold these truths so that our children can conquer this chaotic world. I cannot do it on my own and neither can you. We all need each other. Never forget: Live Out Spiritual Truth even When Others Rarely Do. If not for you, then for my daughter and for all of our children. #SpreadtheWord. It takes a village.

P.E.A.C.E.

Proper Examples Accompany Children Excelling