Yes my dear sister, you are most correct, It is a fact that I do not know everyone who practices African religion (thus I said I know no one who.... and did not say....There is no one who....) but I know those who practice it around me, where are grew up and everywhere I have been around my immediate community and I have hear those who have been interviewed on radios broadcasted to my immediate community and they all promote the very African religion that I have briefly mentioned. The African religion that has not brought life to my community to date; that my dear sister, is the realty I have observed within my immediate community. All along this journey I was guided but when I compare then to now, I see that I had no structure in my journey, I heard things I did not understands, I followed voices and words I knew not where they lead me but I followed.
In reality my dear sister, what I mentioned is just a tip of the iceberg in relation to the above mentioned African religion practices, I left out the woman abuse, the children abuse, I left out the adult disrespect by young men who have just returned from the so called initiation schools, I left out how sangomas divide and separate families and friends, how they too make our people part with their hard earned money, the human mutilation..... And know this my sister; until I came across the Kwesi Ra Nehem Ptah Akhan and their website (odwirafo) and Blackroots science, I had thought that That was the African religion. And thereafter structure begun to slowly appear in my journey, I could see the specific direction I was heading and the eye that Set had closed begun to move. You see my dear sister; the above teachers increased my awakening of the truth in African culture and life. And in reference to the Laws of MAAT:
Tehuti Truisms:
My ability to know is unlimited. I understand that what seems as my not knowing is merely the momentary inability of my knowledge to take verbal form in my mind.
I understand that God manifests Its divine plan in the world of Man by incarnating in the soul of men and women who have elevated their consciousness to the higher parts of their spirits. I therefore honor and follow the guidance of Sages and Prophets above all other kinds of men.
I am successful in handling the emotional and sensual challenges in my life because I realize that nothing has an emotional or sensual quality in itself. My emotional and sensual reactions are betrayal of my lack of spiritual cultivation in relation to these objects.
Until I can still my thoughts to let my wisdom manifest itself at will, I go to the oracles that the eye that was harmed by Set can be restored.
I understand that God has saved us by sharing Its power of wisdom within us. I will be successful in its awakening because I have no problem in giving up my head, and keeping my heart still.
(and please also note: I do have my own interpretation of the above including of the Laws of MAAT; I go where my Heart leads me e.g. I will not and do not honor and follow the guidance of Sages and Prophets if they do not confirm what my Heart had already told me but I could not put into words before then (My ability to know is unlimited. I understand that what seems as my not knowing is merely the momentary inability of my knowledge to take verbal form in my mind)
As such I do not go to any Prophet as I am yet to meet one whom my Heart approves but Sages I have a lot and may my ancestors keep increasing them)
The African religion as stated by odwirafo website, Blackroots science and others along that line is not the African religion/culture/tradition/way of living etc as known by my friends, my relatives, my enemies and my immediate community. IT IS NOT. I have been greatly blessed by my ancestors, as much as I have forgotten all of myself, they(my ancestors) have always been able to notify me when something is wrong and lead me to that which can give me life. Thus I could not join christianity and islam as well as be part of the current arrangement of African religion practiced in my community as something inside me was telling me to wait and find out first, I have been finding out since then.
The first revelation that I had in my life I was around 16 and that was when I realised that what I lacked as a young black boy in order to make good and informed decisions about my future, my life, was my past, I realised that I lacked knowledge of what I then called my history, today I have been given a new word by my teachers: my Truestory. Then I sat down and read, from the bible, to African authors, I observed my environment and all I interacted with. I learned about the white humankind and about humans, about my community and their community (do you know that I have seen and heard more white: 8 out of 10, say thank you after being served by the very African they despise and only about 2 out of 10 of my very people will say thank you to their fellow African after being served by them) I do not know if it is that way in America as well but I have observed it so here in South Africa within my immediate community.
What I have also learned my dear sister, is that there are two types of African religion, the underground African religion and the surface African religion. The surface African religion is an incorrect religion/culture/tradition/life style of our people, it has all the signs of a perverted and corrupted practice. I know nothing about the underground African religion/culture/tradition/life style of our people but the hints that I have had, is that it contains the true practices of our people.
I think that the question that all sane Africans should be asking is this: why in the name of our true ancestors are our elders who are still in line with the true African religion are still hiding it from US at this critical time in our juncture....the underground African religion is the one I will not comment and make “statements” about but the African religion practices within my immediate community, the one that I interact with daily...my dear sister, that one I will comment about. In fact I will even venture on to say: If a young brother or sister comes to me for advice relating to religions, I will promptly advice them to seek alone, to venture out and face the pain that comes with realising that some of our very own people have also betrayed us; then I will direct them towards those who taught me with the hope that they will take it from there, if that proves too much for them, then to join a certain type of christianity that we here in SA refer to as bazalwani (these are Christian churches more in line with TD Jakes, Creflo Dollar, Miles Munroe etc churches) instead of the roman, certain churches that have linked their activities with African practices, islam and Yes the current African religion, I will advice them to read the bible themselves and understand it, and ask questions, and seek the answers thereof for I have learned that this here journey can also cause an African to decide to go 360 (it is very wonderful and beautiful to discover that which others thought they have hidden from you). I have been taught to seek that which gives LIFE and not death, to follow the stream that leads to the ocean, not the one that leads to the desert.
We continue: My dear sister and I hope you will understand this: just because a thing is not written in a book; that does not mean it is not written. I have been recently taught that that which is outside is a reflection of that which exists inside. Our minds in this case can be perceived as the book, so if a particular practice exists on our minds, in our hearts then it is written there and it cannot be read unless we know how to read it. That was the true purpose of initiation schools, to get us in touch with our inner self so that we may remember, to teach us how to read this book called the Mind and flap the pages of our ancestral DNA. To date my dear sister I have never met anyone or heard of anyone who has achieved getting in touch with their higher self and remembering on their own.
I understand that we need to be taught by those who came before us, those who have also been taught by those who came before them (Until I can still my thoughts to let my wisdom manifest itself at will, I go to the oracles that the eye that was harmed by Set can be restore). Walking is a natural thing, but I understand that babies do not learned it naturally, a baby might know that he/she can walk and that he will eventually walk but they observe and learn the walking process from those who have walked before them and we congratulate them when they achieve this small thing (always remembering that to them it’s a huge achievement, something that they need us to guide and encourage them through). It might be a small thing to us to get “in touch” with our inner self...but is it a small thing to my brother, to my sister? Can they do it without a teacher, without a guide, can it be done without a teacher, without a guide. In the mean time what is wrong with us showing them the truth in all the religions so that they can begin there....I tell you my sister, my mother knows that there is truth still in the current African religion, she has told it to me but not to the extent that I came across it on my own via the above mentioned sources, but she stays away from the current African religion for no one is telling about that truth.....rather they do the same thing as what christianity, islam etc does, they entice us with a little bit of truth, and then trap us with death....
From the above you should be able to realise that I follow no religion, no tradition ( I understand that the two change) but I only have respect for my African Culture and my Culture is internal before it is external (I perceive Culture to be unchangeable i.e,. I perceive eating as Culture and food as tradition. Once in a while you must eat, that does not change, but the food you eat can, do and will change)
But then again I am grateful to the ancestors that they lead me to this site Destee.com, to you and to some great teachers here. Some might think that our discussions and debates here are a waste of time and energy, but to me, they give me an opportunity to learn, to listen and to increase in reasoning, comprehension and knowledge.