Week One: pg. 1 – 20: Khamitic Nubian Philosophy: Write down your goals and expectations of all of the things that you would like to learn and gain from Sacred Woman and try to keep it in the back of your book or journal.
When I tell ya that I had my dictionary handy, trust that I used it well.
Things I learned: Hotep (Peaceful)
Hetepu (Peace and Blessings)
I like how Q. A. explain what she shares; love the explanations, it helps! I'm not sure in how to pronounce Hetepu or some of the other ancient terms/spiritual energies but I do know how to say, "Peace and Blessings."
I always wondered why folk refered to the Book of Coming Forth by Day from Night as The Egyptian Book of the Dead. I'm a sticker for documentaries and what not and whenever I would watch something related to Egypt I'd hear folk say: TEBD. At first I was like...hmmm is this a book about witch craft, is it about killing people, or what? It was the presentation of facts that was off course, now when I read what Q.A. shared it was like...mmm hmmm that makes sense! Why attach negativity to that inwhich WE don't understand? Folk quick to to that tho (including me).
I believe in a Mother/Father Creator too! I come from a background laced with Christianity, and well its like I could look at my own family unit and see a mom/dad and I tried to relate to how a person or spirit being could come into the world without a mom/dad and I was puzzled. How is it that I can be a woman and give birth and accept the explanation of what some Christians share. How can I not question text against experience? I have always wondered and questioned...how can we not have a mother figure to relate to other than sweet Mary. I'm like, how many sweet Mary's do you know?
She's right about western concepts of divinity and the male God up in heaven somewhere ruling over a hierarchy of male angels and little boy cherbus. LOL, I FEEL that "THIS WILL NEVER DO FOR ME!" Yes, ma'am! It won't!
Page 14, paragraph 3
For me, It's nice to see and read of others seeking a spiritual home, and to know that like me, Q.A. has traveled this path too, its encouraging and lets me know that I am not alone or crazy. I like that, "yet I was always a visitor."
My mantra for the month: We are the original Lotus People, sweet, beautiful, illuminating, spiritual, and compassionate. ( I so feel that)
Well, I'm closing for now...BBL
A spiritual journey
I was raised an "obligatory Christian". My family was not religious or spiritual at all, we would never talk about God or go to church, unless it was on a holiday and only then to please relatives. I do remember a prayer said by my parents before meals, but they would race through it so I could never understand the words. I was a very spiritual child growing up in a house where spirit was the last priority. And when Christianity was placed before me on certain holidays, I didn't see myself. I saw an image of a White man with long hair up in the clouds, and a mother who got pregnant without being touched. This never stirred or inspired me. And then when I got a little older, and I learned that those who enslaved us taught us Christianity so that we would be easier to control, it all made sense. I have respect for people who have made that faith their own and it has worked for them, but it wasn't for me.
So then I started to search for a different path. I could definitely relate to Queen Afua's story of searching for her own path in the religions of other cultures and just not feeling "it". She said, "For years I kept seeking my spiritual home in many beautiful cultural and spiritual paths from other races of people. In my search I learned to love and appreciate all forms of spiritual life. Yet I was always a visitor. All those years I was on the outside looking in while I danced their dance of the spirit, chanted their words of praise, draped myself in their garments, and spoke in a foreign tongue." (p. 14)
I looked into Buddhism, Wicca, the Goddess movement...those were wonderful things, but they were not for me. For awhile I just wiped my spiritual page blank in utter confusion, and after that for many years I have been what I like to call a "Pan African Spiritualist". I began to study the spiritual traditions of Africa, Cuba and Bahia. After some time doing that, I've chosen to follow the path of the Orixas (I feel like it chose me quite some time ago, but I'm only just now ready to accept it) and since doing that, I feel so much more connected to myself, my spirit and my culture.
I still continue to study our many spiritual paths though. I found a very good translation of 'The Book of Coming Forth by Day From Night' called 'Egyptian Book of the Dead' by Dr. Ramses Seleem. They main thing I notice about what the Khamites wrote was the acknowledgment of their indwelling divinity. One example:
"I rise like a mighty star in the Star World. Let me journey through it like the Son of Ra...I am Hru--heir of Asar. I have received his Nemes crown in the Star World.
Do you ever notice how people refer to themselves and others nowadays? Most often it's not with such reverence. But if we study our spiritual history, we know we were on that path, and we can return to it.
My womb
On page 2 ( yes it begans) the state of your womb reflects the stae of you life. I love this topic. Ok i have to be honest I haven't taken the best care of my womb or muy body that I should have. I ate meat, didn't drink many teas and let men abuse my temple. Now... i know Knowledge is Power. My womb and my body are sacred. I have bean to drink some of the teas the queen talks about and already I feel that my womb is making her journey back to he glory! ATTITUDE GYAL
I'm with you.
Now that I'm working with Queen Afua within the realm of Sacred Woman I can't believe that I had this book in my possession one time before now & couldn't hear her. I guess I jus wasn't ready. But I'm ready now. If it wasn't for Soul Living (as she is the one who birthed this book circle & ymib) I wouldn't be reading it now. So I give thanks as this is jus what the doctor ordered... a new order, a new spiritual discipline!
I also don't know if I am pronouncing the words right, but I try to say them anyway as the original sound carries great resonance & power. The sound current is so beautiful.
I also want to read the Book of Coming Forth by Day from Night. She said that it "teaches us how to love ourselves more each day so that we can be of grater service in uplifting humanity."
My Grandparents are devout Catholic & my mother is fanatical about Jesus. Ever since I was a young girl I never 'believed' the whole chant surrounding Christianity. Intuitively I knew deep within myself that the Original Trinity was Man, Wombyn & Child whereas the western view replaces the Mother with a 'Holy Ghost'. They include the Father & Son, but where is the Mother who brings Creation into fruition. After all, Earth is a wombinverse!!!
I'm Every Woman
I am so glad you ladies came forward with your thoughts...your admissions confirm that I am not crazy for thinking like so! When I raise these questions within my circle and community I am sometimes shunned. Folk look at me like I've went off the deep end for even thinking or questioning such a thing, I've been called a devil worshiper, atheist, and pagan simply for asking about the role of woman/female within the circle of life. I think about that quote, "know your role" and I'm like, how can I know my role when it's never been clearly defined. My role may be that of a female but its so much more to being a female/woman than what's presented in certain text, cultures, and religions. In closing I sing (a little off key): Lenny Kravits', "Sister-Mama-Lover" and Chaka Khan's, "I'm Every Woman."
I PRAY for the predators that hunt me.
Same Here!
Mawiyah Kai EL-Jamah Bomani
The lack of balance between a mother father unit always struck a cord in me that made me uneasy. After searching and styuding the AfriKan concepts I found a place where my own being was embraced. Truly without the lifeforce of woman all things imagined would not come into fruition.
Yeah!
I just finished up pages 1-20 tonight, and I had the on-line dictionary at work too...LOL. I love analogies, like you were saying..that Queen uses, it makes for a great read. I also liked the part about NTR...the balance between mother and father...man and woman.... I never really thought in depth about the fact that the current Christian world and many other religions are not as balanced, because there is no woman counterpart to create that balancement. That was enlightning to me!
SoulLiving ~ Every Minute Counts
Godis : A Womyn
Can you imagine how much different our lives would have been had we been raised to understand the feminine force in the universe? How different our outlook on life would have been if we didn't have this picture of a man in the clouds plastered on to our psyche. That was one of the reasons why I was so attracted to traditional african spiritual systems. In ancient systems the woman and her power are revered!
- Odokemi
Iya Mi Ile Odo ( my mother's house is the river)