Lao Tzu

The Way = Oludumare!

I love this quotation of Lao Tzu’s that describes perfectly my own view of the world and Universe I live in and my own ‘concept’ of God.

“Something there is, whose veiled creation was before the Earth or sky began to be; so silent, so aloof and so alone, it changes not, nor fails, but touches all; conceive it as the Mother of the World. I do not know its name; A name for it is “Way”; Pressed for designation, I call it great. Great means outgoing, outgoing, far reaching, far reaching, return. The Way is great, the sky is great, the Earth is great, Man also is great. Within the realm these four are great. Man but stands for one of them. Man conforms to the Earth; The Earth conforms to the Sky; the sky conforms to the Way; the Way conforms to its own nature.”

–Lao Tzu

I find myself agreeing with her on much.

While I have an historical interest in Egypt, and of course authentic human anthropology, I have often wondered why it easier for African descendents in the ‘New World’ in seeking to identify with their lost identities, choose to model their spiritual lives against lineages not related to them except by ideologies in the farthest reaches of antiquity.

The enslaved Africans who helped to people this part of the world WERE from West Africa. So why are Rastafarians modeling their spiritual beliefs against Judaic religion, or why do my Khemetic leaning brothers and sisters choose a system that hasn’t even been fully or correctly translated, and whose rituals are thousands of years out of practise, when the living traditions of our WEST AFRICAN ancestors exists still in largely unbroken lines down to us today?

The sisters commentary is interesting, and touches quite a few points I’ve raised myself. I often wonder if the state of our communities is directly related to an inability on the whole of us to connect with this West African heritage. Without it, we’re still not a cohesive unit, still labouring under false pretenses and mental slavery.

In a facebook discussion, a young man who I have discoursed with for years, and who incidentally I share very little intellectual or ideological common ground with, asserted that the sister in the video had nerve to imply disrespect because of other people’s priorities and choices.

I replied, ” I actually understand many of the forces that shape these ‘choices’, which are often ‘no real choice’, not always, just often, and I put them in what I see is the appropriate context. Also, ‘depends on the question’? What is her question here? It’s the same one I frankly ask on a regular basis… I put it to Rastafarian brothers and sisters, to Khemetic brothers and sisters, to Christian brothers and sisters and Muslim brothers and sisters… and I find the answers (often ‘non answers’, not always, but often) very grounded in a particular world view and mind set. ”

I also want to ask a couple more questions, and I included it there too. When you look out across the Atlantic, what do you see? Just the Sea?

I see a turbulent ocean true, but I can never look at the Sea and not see Yemoja and Olokun. I see that too…

When I look out across the Sea, I can never forget that across this water, the next land mass is where my Ancestors came from.

When I look out across the Sea, I can never forget the millions of Africans lost to it’s depths, and when I see that choppiness of the water, I hear them call out to me… to something inside me asking me to remember them and honour them.

So for me, I can never look past my spiritual roots, beyond it to something else. I am not denying the African origins of Egypt, Christianity, Judaism or Islam. I accept these this as part of my historical understanding, even if many others cannot see it, or reject it.

My only point of divergence, is I would say, her comments on the origins of humanity in north-eastern Africa. I am fairly convinced of that. Even the Yoruba believe they walked out of Khemet, across the desert and into Sub-Saharan Africa thousands and thousands of years ago, with an intact religious system handed down largely unchanged until (colonialism) recent times.

My question I put to many across the Diaspora–and I mean those who are seeking, those who have invested themselves in homegrown spiritual solutions, Rastafarism and Khemetic philosophy in particular–why they feel the need to create something from strands of something else, when such a powerful tool as their own Ancestral practise and their spiritual inheritance is there for them to use.

Found a marvellous photo essay on Voodoo on BBC.co.uk. Check it out. Click on the link below to view the whole essay.

Spiritual force

Voodoo is a state religion in Benin – the West African country where the practice started, before being taken to Haiti and elsewhere by slaves.

Some 65% of the seven million population are adherents. They say it is a positive force, bearing little resemblance to the popular image of people casting evil spells by sticking pins in dolls.

Priestess Na Danon says the word “Voodoo” means both the religion and the spiritual forces within natural phenomena such as water, fire, earth and air.

From: BBC NEWS | Photo journal | Voodoo priestess | Spiritual force

Well… I had a guarding Orisa reading last night to definitively find out who my tutelary Orisa was, and while it was a nice surprise and no surprise….

My MAMA is Yemoja!!!

However, Osun is walking with me hand and foot. The two of them take care of me. I am in fact what they call Dos Aguas in Lukumi… a daughter of two waters.

The way it was explained to me was that Osun said “Okay Mama, you can have herhead, but she’s mine from the neck down.”

I guess I always knew it… there is no other explanation for the supernatural relationship I have always had with the Sea, and water in general and very specifically.

Read more…

Well, here I am, enjoying a five day break from work. It’s Easter weekend, and I’m luxuriating in sleeping until 8.30am now two days in a row, and going to sleep at nine… **bliss**

Yesterday, our eyaniev came by (she’s in England on a two week holiday–got in on Thursday) around 11.30. For the next six or so hours, we talked non-stop, had lunch, trawled Queens Park (the actual park) and laughed over dessert.

Say what, it’s good to have a good friend around.

Today, another good friend, but from Trini this time, is coming by and bringing some dhal and curried vegetables for me… my first Trini curry since being in London. I expect, it’ll be another talk-a-and-giggle-a-thon, but hey….

Tomorrow I’m going over to monilove’s to hang out, as it is her flatmates birthday. She also asked me to help her out and show her the White Bath.

It’s kind of interesting to me, because even in our conversations now, I don’t hold anything she did, or the way she treated me against her. I still love her. It’s just I don’t think she understands friendship the way I do, and that’s alright. Thing is, I’m still her friend. For me, to love is to accept people faults, warts and all…. and with her it’s the same. I know I will find the opportunity to talk to her about what went down, but you know, for me it’s important not to do it in a confrontational way.

In any case, that’s what it is. I’m pretty sure I committed to do something on Monday as well, but for the life of me, I’ve forgotten what it is.

Tuesday BT comes and installs my land line in the morning, and Homechoice my broadband in the afternoon. After that folks, sister girl will be wired and you can expect a lot more activity on this here blog thing.

I am looking forward to it… truly. To once again be surfing at my leisure instead of relying on cybercafes and fleeting moments on other people’s computers… yet another form of bliss.

Sad thing is, I really do need to replace my iBook. Poor  thing… so I’m still trying to hunt down the fastest, cheapest Mac I can afford.

So there you go… just a little update.

After next Tuesday, they shall become more frequent if God spares my life.

Bless it up!

My birthday is a mere three weeks away now. I’m a little stunned, but then I always get a little stunned around my birthday.

I’m going to be (ACKKK!) 31.

As always this is my deep self examination time. Personally, this year, like all others in the last decade, I am feeling my loneliness.

Contemplating the number of my friends who have paired off, those who have had children and how come I haven’t been able to do that.

A few weeks ago I went to see a babalawo here in London. (Did I write about that? I can’t remember.) Mostly it was about getting my One Hand of Ifa sorted out, which while not critical is still quite important.

I was told to stop worrying, and to stop telling out my business; not to talk too much with people about projects I’m undertaking.

I was also told not to get too picky about men.

Except, is having standards being too picky?

Is being picky caused me to be alone for so long? I want children… I really want babies… a little person that looks like me and someone else.

I am really longing for a house and a family of my own. I think maybe this is what is missing from my life, and i fdodon’t even know where to begin to insert that… men are so fucked up, and taking a risk in this day and age just seems stupid and juvenile, and well 31 is too old for that isn’t it?

:sigh:

Expet more pondering like this coming down to the day itself… April 13 for those who are interested. Planning another Winnie The Pooh cake this year…

My own experiences with seeking spiritual help, and travelling down a road of distraction and time wasting, have led me to finally understand that part of my life’s lessons is to learn things the hard way.

While I don’t regret it—I can’t because I learnt so much about so many things, and gained some valuable experience with Orisa work—I see now how wrong I was to put my trust in people.

I knew early on, that the people I had turned to, were limited, but I kept seeking out understanding and growth, and ultimately help. I was losing myself, and grasping at the people who had reached out to me, to save me, and they were too underdeveloped to grow.
Read more…

Egun Shrine In Transit, Charlton London, January 2005

In any Yoruba dervived spiritual tradition, a good madrina/iya or padrino/baba will tell you, before you can start dealing with Orishas, you must first deal with your ancestors.

The reason why they say this is because Ancestors are us and we are them. Think about it. In your genetic makeup, you are the sum total of the genes in your family going back to the common mother of us all… our GREAT MOTHER, Mitochondrial Eve. The path that they opened for humanity–their children–has left us with our cultures, our languages, our social mores and our spiritual perspectives on the world.

Many people say they don’t ‘like’ history, but all that went before influences all that happens after, and there is no way to mitigate this.

Africans have ALWAYS practiced rites for the dead. Since not only archaeological evidence but now genetic evidence as well proves that life spread out from Africa, our rites for the dead are embedded in our understanding of our lives in the world. All cultures practice some form of Ancestral veneration, even it doesn’t initially seem that way.

Catholicism and hence almost all subsequently derived Jesus Christian tradition have their saints or the respect they pay to the founders of their particular flavour of Jesus Christianity, all of whom are deified Ancestors.

• ah bubbling to: Bad Girl by Usher

Folks…. our more weeks and my dramas will be over.

Back at the beginning of January, depressingly ensconced in my cousin’s filthy house in Essex, I realised I had lost touch with a fundamental part of myself. My ability to pray with my whole soul. Since I’ve been in England, I wasn’t do enough of my spiritual work, just trying, trying, trying. More, I felt that I wanted to work with my Ancestors, but felt (wrongly) that I needed to have my own space to do so.

I went down to the seaside often, tears streaming down my face, I poured my heart out to Mama Yemoja all that last week or so I was in Clacton. On New Years Day, I took honey, white cloth soaked in Florida Water for her, and sweets for Baba Esu. I prayed and prayed.

Then a little over two and a half weeks ago, (I think I mentioned it) I went and had a White Bath. (Wizardress I remember you asking what it was. It’s a spiritual bath that cleanses your aura and spiritual self of negativity.)

That same day, I started to work with my Egun. Then they asked me for food; I had to cook for them. They also gave me some guidance on work and looking for work.

Read more…

I went to the four crossroads nearest to where I live this morning, and I took four candles with me, and the three sweets per candle I laid down in my room last night.

I made a counter-clockwise circle three times around the round about and lit the candles one by one; then on the last pass, I laid down the twelve sweets.

Try as I might, one candle refuse to light; the other three lit fine and stayed lit. The one that refused to light, first my lighter kept going out, then I lit it and the wind blew it out.

The corner that the ‘refuse to light’ candle is on, I had to pass to go to an interview with the agency at 2pm today. I just decided to try and relight it when I went out.

The thing is, for the most part, when I am depressed or worried what I do is I dance, I sing, I hang out with friends, play with babies… I guess that wasn’t working, because where I am staying with my cousin I am very, very isolated. There are no people around and in particular, no black people, and when my cousin isn’t home he isn’t friendly at all, and barely speaks to me.

Even as I went to the crossroads this morning, I drew stares from drivers and passersby. I draw stares or embarrased ignoring in general in this area because it is 1) countryside England and I am what they call ‘coloured’ 2) because of my blonde dreadlocks I’m sure.

I felt better having gone to talk to Eshu.

I plan to do the bath again in a week.

—–

When you call out in need, there are people who answer, oui? Orisha too…

Mama Ochun Kofa De had actually said, not to light candles at the crossroads, but to throw candies in the crossroads. I misunderstood what she said. However, I think the candles helped.

The agency was VERY impressed with my work (which I had bound up and took with me) AND my CV. They said they’d find some temporary work for me, and look for permanent work for me as well. In fact, the lady was amazed when I told her I was looking to move out of my main field (journalism) and into something that would use my second career skills (web development), she thought my work as an editor was high caliber.

On the way BACK from the agency, a friend of a friend called me and said he was sending my CV out to a friend of his who needs a person to help them with layout for a week. (Need money bad for clothes as am currently freezing my butt off, oui?) The man with the job called me when I was on the train and wants me to come in tomorrow… all I need now is a place to stay in London for the week I’m up there. So I called up a young sister (Wildegirl/Mahie) who’s living in London, and after some discussing with her flatmates, I have a place to stay until the weekend.

ALSO, my friend’s friend put my CV up on the noticeboard in his office, so people can see it when they pass by and maybe find stuff for me to do.

Got an email from someone who needs help putting listings up on eBay. and asked me to put in for the job… part-time, and minimum wage, but money is money, oui?

When I came back from the interview, all the three candles that lit had burned down, except the one that wouldn’t light at first. I lit that when I went out to the interview, and when I got back, not only was it gone completely (as in no trace) so were the candies.

Also, I am staying next to a lake, and have honey and luckily, five pennies (:smile:) and will take it for Her… my Beautiful, Generous Mama.

My money is down to nothing, last night’s expedition to the local Tescos and the travel to the agency has wiped me out, but my heart is light, and I feel really calm and serene.

Baba Esu appreciated those candles… I’m sure of it! My spirit guides too appreciated my efforts. Talk about working fast!

Modupe Baba! Adupe! Modupe to my Guardian Orisha/Angel, Modupe to my Spirit Guides, Modupe to those who protect me.

Modupe, Adupe! I say MOJUBA!