African Origins Course Discussion Forum

[admin]

Greetings
here you will post the answers to your reading and video assignments and you will receive feedback on your work. In this forum you will also communicate and interact with other students.

Use this Discussion Topic to post all your Audio, Video or Reading Assignment answers and exercises

HTP

[Amuntyt]

The .__Persians___ conquered the country and were expelled briefly by native Egyptians, but they reconquered the country.
P 119 – 182

3-List the important points you got out of the reading. Please note there were many important points in this chapter.
• The relationship between Nubia and Egypt and the Nubian origins of Kamitian culture.
• Interesting – that even in later times, house and even royal palaces still continued to be made of mud brick and wood, a signal of the importance placed on spirituality as opposed to worldly life.
• The Sphinx represents a high order of culture that existed prior to the pre-dynastic period.
• How the mystical implications of the principals of the Asarian Resurrection and the mythology are still in accord with the pre-dynastic teachings.
• How Akhnaton tried to force the population to understand that all the gods and goddesses were complete in Aton and the rejection of worshiping the lesser divinities.
• The information describing the various periods from pre-dynastic to the Coptic Church period. Also, Manetho documenting the chronology which is given as the Gods, The Demigods, The Spirits of the Dead, etc.
• The concept of the imperishable stars and the path of spiritual evolution! – It is very profound that the Egyptians interwove their myth and temples with the stars in the sky to convey the concept of that which is unchanging, absolute, transcendental and perfect.

4-Which items if any are you in need of revising as to the history you previously learned. (Optional: how do you think this will affect how you relate to others who have not had this education or who come to you with alternative histories or understandings of the implications of the history as presented in this class which have proofs and references for what is in the textbook?) No revision necessary.

5-What is the most remarkable thing you learned in this lesson and how do you think if will affect: A-Your development as a human being and member of society; and B-How will it affect the way you relate to yourself and a spiritual aspirant.
The most remarkable thing in this section is how the ancient Egyptians aligned their monuments and temples to the celestial heavens. For example, Heru-m-akhet facing the Constellation Leo and the Great Pyramid incorporating the teachings of the imperishable stars. I realize this teachings is letting me know that as above so it is below and that my essence is so much more than this physical body. The teachings affirm that we are all connected with a higher aspect of our being represented by this teachings in regards to the celestial heavens. It outlines the essence of my being – always seeking higher consciousness and immortality. The Aker-Akhet symbol, symbolizes the Sphinx on Earth constantly looks at Ra (the sun) while he faces the Sphinx in heaven. I must constantly keep up my Shedy disciplines to obtain enlightenment and eventual immortality.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by Amuntyt.

[admin]

U,
It is interesting to note that the wood and mud-brick construction, though more perishable than stone, is still visible in many places; however, the stone is truly more durable and also majestic and in the same way our spirit is more durable and majestic than the perishable body and this wisdom is a constant reminder of the spiritual reality. In modern times, the apparent abiding nature of concrete and cement has led to the illusion that modern construction is abiding and thus the teaching of construction materials has been lost.

Akhnaton’s message was also one of reforming the notion of neteru in a context of Henotheism and this message is sometimes needed to be reiterated periodically since mature societies (society that has achieved heights of spiritual evolution) need to reaffirm the teaching so as to prevent it from becoming ossified in ritualism and entrenched bureaucracy. In part this is the reason for the other different traditions to emerge (Anunian, Theban, Memphite, Goddess, etc.)

HTP

[Amuntyt]

Please note: The post listed is for the previous week which is already there.

To be successful in _selfless service, the aspirant must be able to sublimate the ego through developing patience…
P 182-252
3-List the important points you got out of the reading.
• The similarities between sub-Saharan religion and Kemet. Such as, there is one God (Supreme Being), God expresses as lesser divinities, God and the universe are one, the three stages of religion, rites of passage, etc.
• Concept of the Devil – African religions ascribes evil and suffering to disruptive spirits and unrighteous living. The Christian and Jewish faiths see evil or Satan as the antithesis of God. Also, sin is the idea of separation between one’s self and God, the state of ignorance about one’s own spiritual essence (see more on this in item 4).
• Maat Philosophy and Ubuntu and how Ubuntu is very compatible with Maat and the concept of humanism or social awareness and caring. This is portrayed in the story that I like to share on Ubuntu,
At the Festival of Peace, in Florianopolis, South Brazil, the journalist and philosopher Lia Diskin related a beautiful and touching story of a tribe in Africa she called Ubuntu. She explained how an anthropologist had been studying the habits and customs of this tribe, and when he finished his work, had to wait for transportation that would take him to the airport to return home. He’d always been surrounded by the children of the tribe, so to help pass the time before he left, he proposed a game for the children to play.
He’d bought lots of candy and sweets in the city, so he put everything in a basket with a beautiful ribbon attached. He placed it under a solitary tree, and then he called the kids together. He drew a line on the ground and explained that they should wait behind the line for his signal. And that when he said “Go!” they should rush over to the basket, and the first to arrive there would win all the candies.
When he said “Go!” they all unexpectedly held each other’s hands and ran off towards the tree as a group. Once there, they simply shared the candy with each other and happily ate it. The anthropologist was very surprised. He asked them why they had all gone together, especially if the first one to arrive at the tree could have won everything in the basket – all the sweets.
A young girl simply replied: “How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?” The anthropologist was dumbfounded! For months and months he’d been studying the tribe, yet it was only now that he really understood their true essence…
• African mystical philosophy is not merely a primitive superstition. It is based on the mystical experience of Sages and Saints throughout the history of Africa. These experiences were codified in the form of religion myths and shamanic (spiritualist) rituals that were designed to promote these experiences in others.
4-Which items if any are you in need of revising as to the history you previously learned. (Optional: how do you think this will affect how you relate to others who have not had this education or who come to you with alternative histories or understandings of the implications of the history as presented in this class which have proofs and references for what is in the textbook?)
This is not so much a revising as to the history previously learned but a better understanding. The definition of sin implies that we are born in sin – due to separation of the divine state and ignorance of the divine nature of the self. As you know in Christianity, Psalm 51:5 – “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” Has some truth to it.
5-What is the most remarkable thing you learned in this lesson and how do you think if will affect: A-Your development as a human being and member of society; and B-How will it affect the way you relate to yourself and a spiritual aspirant.
The most remarkable thing that I learned in the small number less than 20% of the people in Africa still practice traditional African religion. This lets me know how fortunate I am to be able to practice Shetaut Neter and not take this opportunity lightly.

[admin]

Udja
A very apt story that correlates Maat philosophy with Ubuntu and the African philosophy of “We versus I”. In a certain context Maat philosophy may be considered as codified Ubuntu wisdom and thus in a mature society not only would the we versus I philosophy be cultural but also legal and literary, meaning that it would be an acknowledged and conscious reality as opposed to a cultural or subconscious custom. The point is not to denigrate the custom of Ubuntu practice, such as it is, but to highlight that the codification raises the teaching to the level of formal and dominant societal philosophy wherein other societal philosophies, norms, practices etc. coming in from other divergent and or degenerate cultures would not easily corrupt the Ubuntu/Maat society.

Furthermore, it is the contention that if Maat philosophy were recognized as a mature African philosophy, other countries in Africa today could look up to it and adopt it and use it today to lead to a higher culture. If people such as philosopher Lia Diskin and anthropologists were to view it in this light their studies could move from cultural anthropology to social science and not merely as a positive social custom as Ubuntu is treated for the most part. Nevertheless, it is not up to philosopher Lia Diskin or any western scholar to but rather it is up to any who view this teaching for its deeper wisdom and its ancient practice. So people like the Diop conference scholars, the ASCAC etc. could be interested but also African scholars such as the recently passed Ali A. Mazrui or others such as George Ayittey. However, that may not be possible given that these and others are closely associated with modern world religions and or secular culture. It seems odd that one might find more fidelity to African Tradition in a personality such as Basil Davidson. In any case, it may not be possible to have this adoption going forward (if it ever was) due to the influx of slavery, colonialism, neocolonialism orthodox religion and secular culture with its modern technology and capacity to appeal to the base aspects of the human personality left naked by the stripping away of its culture, language, norms, legends, spiritual traditions, myths and practice.
HTP

[Amuntyt]

Udja – Maat viewed as a Social Science? Do you mean as part of the educational curriculum? Then you are really talking about having political and economic power – the power to define an educational curriculum. Maulana Karenga has written a book “Maat – The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt – A Study in Classical African Ethics, 2006. I am not sure if he has a specific class on Maat or just teaches it as part of another course. But as you mentioned in you response society has degraded too much to consider Maat as a Social Science. But the scholars such as yourself have made a tremendous effort to establish it as moral ideal in spite of the base aspect of the human personality …DUA!

[admin]

U

What I meant by this statement, “If people such as philosopher Lia Diskin and anthropologists were to view it in this light their studies could move from cultural anthropology to social science and not merely as a positive social custom as Ubuntu is treated for the most part.”, is that currently Maat Philosophy, it treated at all, is seen through the prism of anthropology or Egyptology as an “ancient” cultural expression or almost as a mythic (idealized religious goal) as opposed to a living social expression of a society that views virtue not only as a worthy goal before and after death, but which centers societal norms and practices around it; in other institutions such as art, courts, farming, government, religion, schooling, etc. These are all infused with the perspective of maat and maat is not just an ideal that may be possible in a “mythic” afterlife but a practical as well as prescient goal and practice now in secular life as a foundation for ordered society and platform for spiritual evolution both individually and society-wide. This is what was done in ancient times and not studying it in this fashion is to distort history and lose the benefit of Maat as a legacy for humanity that if followed from ancient times would have helped humanity avoid the disastrous end it is leading itself to and if adopted now would afford a chance to avoid the impending apocalypse born of unrighteousness and lack of virtuous intent as a society and as a humanity; which is the result of not following such a virtuous societal philosophy. Therefore, anthropologists, philosophers, social scientists, etc. who do not or are unable to recognize Maat in this light are, wittingly or unwittingly, a disservice to humanity and are merely cogs in the wheel of the an-maat machine of disorder, delusion, destruction and crime of the dominant societal philosophy which amounts to focusing and expanding empire, greed, sociopathy and psychopathy instead of virtue, honor, balance order and peace in the human personality, between societies and between humanity and nature.

HTP

[Author]

Posts