On the Ancestral Path - Initiatic Misconceptions
Ever since my M’TAM initiation (Kemetic mystery school education) started years ago, there have been many people in search of the true face of reality who have come and gone, for various reasons. This initiation has been the greatest challenge that those seekers have ever had to overcome. Letting go of the paradigm that was instilled in us since our birth is not an easy thing to do. All of the perceptions, ideals, values, beliefs, notions and ideologies that have made their bed within our conscience make it difficult to accept any “new” realities that may expose us as misguided, mis-educated and ignorant individuals. Being conditioned from birth to adopt the history and values of other cultures without first embracing our own has and will continue to lead us further away from the true essence of our spiritual nature. The effects of this diversion is what we see today in the behaviors and attitudes of a people without an identity.
Interestingly, of the numerous reasons given to discontinue the education of The Earth Center schools, many have used the excuse of not understanding the teaching methods of Kemetic/Dogon Priest Master Naba and/or his teaching students, and therefore negatively judging them. As I grew in spirit, I also grew to understand and identify these psychological reactions that appear as valid reasons for us to ridicule such methods. In my early years of Kemetic training, I was one such student. Time and time again, I would allow my past conditioning to overpower my ability to use my intelligence and the ability to logically assess situations and events that directly affect my life. In many cases, I would allow my emotions to dictate my behavior and determine what I liked and disliked. If there was something that I was made aware of that didn’t fit my colonized paradigm, especially if it required vigilant effort from me, I would find reasons to stagnate my growth by not applying it to my life strictly based on how I felt, even if I knew the result would be the same every time.
This behavior represents the “animalistic memory” of a human being: finding different reasons to do the same thing, while knowing what the outcome would be. During those times, I had no idea how destructive this mentality was. Only time, suffering, pain and desperation allowed me to recognize the urgency of breaking that aspect of my former conditioning. And even now that I’m fully aware of it, it remains a daily challenge to maintain.
The authentic Kemetic knowledge that is being taught here at The Earth Center is being taught for the first time in modern history such an education was made available outside of the initiation camps of the African bush. It is of historical significance, and at the same time extremely difficult because of our preconceived ideas of how it is supposed to work, although none of us in this country have ever been exposed to it before.
The majority of people here that expressed an interest in the re-education that is being offered came thinking that they were just required to pay their money and show up for classes. It was being approached in the same manner as enrolling in a college or university, where your money and attendance is enough to graduate and receive your degree. But once it was realized that it didn’t work that way; once it was realized that we must embrace and reflect certain values; once it was realized that ten times more effort and discipline were needed, the number of students began to slowly decline. There were at least 45 students that comprised the first group of initiates to embark upon this spiritual journey. After five years passed 45 became just 4 and today I am the only student of that original group still present. Many of those that either left or were expelled have gone on to publicly slander Master Naba’s teachings and his uncompromising position to not accept certain behaviors and attitudes. Maybe, if money was his motivation, all 45 students of that first group and the majority of the 300 students after that would still be here. Financially, it would definitely work to his advantage.
The overall lack of humility is probably the most common trait I have observed during my tenure. I must admit, it is not a good feeling when your ignorance is exposed and your ego takes constant blows, but it is very necessary and a part of the process in enhancing your individual human qualities. But because of being disillusioned by the idea of who we think we are and what we think we know, we are not ready to humbly accept that we know very little about ourselves and the world around us. This is regardless of how many books we’ve read or how many people have placed us on high pedestals.
It was of no surprise when many students failed to make the proper readjustments and take on the challenge, but there were some students that gave the impression of being at a higher level of understanding that just could not let go of their old ways of thinking, and surprised all of us by simply giving up and quitting.
Being aware of how we constantly defeat ourselves by allowing our ego to interfere with the step by step process of spiritual development, has caused me to be more observant and mindful of my own behavior. Interestingly, I have discovered that the more I learn, the tougher the challenge becomes. It would definitely be easier to read hundreds of books on the Kemetic culture and pretend to know what it takes to live a spiritual life, than to actually go before a teacher in this ancient initiation. It is always faster to get to a place if one travels downhill, because there is no resistance. But the real education is an uphill battle that no amount of money can buy, regardless of who you are or what you think you know.