A Journey Of Growth
A Journey Of Growth
Growing up I never realized the importance of knowing my own culture. I was aware that it was important to be proud of who I was and where I came from, but I truly knew nothing about it. What was being taught through the school system was just a repeat of the same things that I heard all of my life since elementary school. It was taught that Africans were brought over to America as slaves. We went through slavery and after a period of time gained our freedom. This leads us into the civil rights movement and slowly to the present. Through all of this, we came out with various leaders, heroes, and inventors, but was that really all there was to know? Once I graduated from high school and prepared to go off to college, I was sure that things would be different. I was given the freedom to pick my own classes based on the things that I was interested in. Because of this, I figured that I would find what I was looking for.
My quest began along with taking the courses provided at my school. I took it upon myself to read materials that weren't school-related and took part in different activities such as African dance. As time went on my eyes were, in fact, opened to things that I had never realized were true, or even existed. I was provided with answers, which in turn only led me to have more questions. I soon found what I was searching for when I heard about the M'tam School of Kemetic Philosophy and Spirituality at the Earth Center. I was familiar with some of the Neteru (Gods) through having read books on Egyptian Mythology and Astrology. I was very interested when reading true stories on the Neteru in the Firefly magazine.
Soon I wanted to see what was offered at the Earth Center and began attending the Ka'at Ibi class that was offered on Saturdays as a guest. Through the lectures, given by Master Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig, everything was falling into place for me. I decided to rearrange my schedule so that I could enroll in the Medu Myeet class that was offered on Sundays. In this class Master Naba lectures for the first half. He goes over history, conspiracies, and notions we can apply to our lives at the present time. The second half is spent learning Medu, or what most people know today as hieroglyphics. Medu is the original language of Kemet (Africa) given to man by the Neteru. It is also the language from which all others originate. Learning Medu is unlike learning anything else. You not only learn how to write and speak it but also come to understand the conceptual value that the language holds. The simple task of putting a sentence together becomes a whole new challenge. For example, saying "I walked up the stairs". There are several ways to say the word walk. Are you walking slowly, fast, or taking large steps? You have to make sure you take all of these aspects into consideration.
One thing in particular that I've learned that sticks out in my mind is how Master Naba stresses the importance of coming together as one unit. How we must rely on one another and work together. We are constantly told in this society to act as individuals and to only rely on ourselves. We are led to believe that doing things on our own will make us stronger and better people when that simply isn't true. By doing this, you begin to isolate yourself. This is something that has been set in our minds since the days of slavery and it is what keeps us conditioned. Separating us makes it easier to distract us from what is really important, which is our culture. By taking away our culture and the symbols that we had to tie us together, the common bond that we shared is broken, leaving us separated. This is what disables our growth instead of helping us grow as a people.
While attending the M'tam School I have formed a bond with my classmates that can be compared to nothing less than a family. I know that I can rely on them for anything. Whether I need to go over a lesson, or just simply want to talk about my day. Meeting Master Naba and enrolling in the Mtam School of Kemetic Philosophy and Spirituality Is the best thing that has happened to me. I have noticed the growth not only in myself but also in my brothers and sisters who have decided to embark on this journey with me. The quality of my life has changed. It now has much more meaning and a solid purpose, which involves becoming a better human being. I am forever grateful to my ancestors for leading me to where I am today, for I truly could not see myself in any other position.
