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I think the “stigma” of “spirituality” can be avoided by substituting other Western terms for “African spirituality”, for more elaborate terms such as “hypnosis”, “psychomatic manipulation”, “psychology”, or associated terms.
Relevant is that the root word of “psychology” is “psyche”, Greek for “breath/soul/spirit” (composite internal energies?).. Also “Psyche” is the name of a Greek Deity (Anthromorphicized energy/phenomena). Logy is “logos/logic” – the word, order.
Psychology then is literally “the logic” of “spirit, mind, soul, breath (internal energy)”.
It is very interesting that the term “trance” has been used to explain African “spiritual traditions” yet there is not a lot of scholarship examining “spirituality” as a form of “hypnosis”, “mind control”…
Terms like “mdw ntr/mdw nfr/odu ifa/Odu Afa” can be understand by comparisons to:
– “mantra” (Sanskrit for “thought behind speech or action” according to Google)
– “psychology” – logic of breaths/soul/mind
– “mind control”, “altered states of consciousness”, etc…Energy/utterances used to modulate the mind, create an altered state of consciousness.
This can help explain “O-gun” as “rising energy”… “veve” or “ikenga” etc. as “mental/energy modulation tools”.
Mdw Ntr or Odu Ifa as “utterances (used to emulate) ancestors/natural forces”.I think “spirituality” teaches self-discipline by modulating one’s behavior to be in tune with a certain example, whether it be an ancestor or nTr (fundamental energy).
Dr. Amos Wilson used to say that if African people are to be backwards it is politically necessary for African people to be “out of their minds”. The inverse of that is to progress African people must learn to control minds (psyche/spirit/ka/okra) etc.
“African spirituality” as what Western academia calls “mind-control” or “hypnosis” or “emotional self-regulation”.
This lens helps us Westernized Africans translate things like the Haitian Revolution, R n Prt M Hrw.
Also reinterpreting our “African art” or “spiritual tools” as “mental modulation objects” or “psychological focus tools” gives people more agency and understanding.What kind of parallels or comparisons (if any) would be drawn between Kmty “akhu”, Igbo “Agu/Ogwe”, Akan “okra”, Yoruba “Egun” and Sigmund Freud’s “Ego”? Sigmund Freud also posited that the Western “Psyche” or “Personality” is a composite entity made up of “Id, Ego & SuperEgo”.
What about comparisons between Odu, Ethos, Ontology?
What about comparisons betwen Meditation, Medicine, Mantra, Mind, mdw, Modulation, Umendu?Would it be better to substitute “Ancestral veneration” for “Ancestral Modulation”
Its my opinion that certain Western Academic Circles already understand these things, probably since Napoleon invaded Kemet or maybe before… all those artifacts were sent straight to academia for research.
Its not coincidental that these parallels have rarely been drawn before in writing.
Going forward I think the term “spirituality” has to take a backseat to other more elaborate terms of translation, more aligned with psychology. I think Dr. Wade Nobles latest book the Haiti’s Unfinished Revolution: The Island of Memes is the best book I have in terms of that futuristic model.
Terms like “god/deity/spirit” might have to take a backseat to terms from physics, thermodynamics, natural science.
Certain terms have too much church/circus like baggage or church like “nommo” as some would say.5 Comments-
This is the only book that popped up when I Googled “African Spirituality Hypnosis”:
The African Unconscious By Edward Bruce Bynum
https://books.google.com/books?id=sKBjimVCde8C&pg=PA81&dq=African+Spirituality+hypnosis&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiH4-T7wuDZAhVB82MKHcRrAswQ6AEIPjAE#v=onepage&q=African%20Spirituality%20hypnosis&f=false-
Haven’t read it yet but its on my list. Skimming it I see terms like “Freud had a foundation in Jewish mysticism”, “Kemetic Amenta”… so it seems relevant. Really I think this should be its own nominal field of study. Dr. Wade Nobles created the name “Sakhu Djaer”
Here’s the author: https://www.umass.edu/counseling/edward-bruce-bynum
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@chizorookeke: I find the point you are making very interesting. I agree that spirituality does have a certain stigma from a western point of view. Researching the western term ‘spirituality’ of course only takes us along the line of western history that -as we know- has in many ways been modified to hide the afrikan heritage. For example you are mentioning a greek deiti whiles ‘we’ know that the greek deitis have (all) been copied and renamed from afrikan deities.
So to wrap it up I think we should not focus on making western terms repesent our afrikan contents in a better way. I’d rather focus on us afrikans learning an afrikan language and the medw nTr to work on what stands behind ‘afrikan spirituality’ because these languages are capable of transporting the contents of ‘afrikan spirituality’. I have’nt heard of a eurasian language that is.
But I can understand the approach to want to be seen in a better and more correct light from a western point of view (if that is your approach). But to me that feels like the analogie of investing everything into a better looking frame and caring less for the lens when buying a pair of glasses. No offense my brother or sister, just trying to make my point clear. What do you think? Did I get you right with my interpretation?
Mekyea wo! Greetings to you!-
Odu is Yoruba and Igbo, Umendu is Igbo, mdw is Kemety script… I referenced several Afrikan languages multiple times… for example. I said “What about comparisons between Odu, Ethos, Ontology?”
“What about comparisons betwen Meditation, Medicine, Mantra, Mind, mdw, Modulation, Umendu?”mdw – words (Kemet writing script)
umendu – breath of life (Igbo)
odu – formula, utterances, advice (Igbo/Yoruba)-
Thank you for clarifying Chizoro!
Anybody else got some thoughts on this?
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