Knowledge of Self: Who Are You Really?

“We are actually God Beings having a human experience.” -LeVar Burton

     This coming September marks thirty years since I have had Knowledge of Self via knowing 120 Lessons. If you are unfamiliar with what 120 Lessons are here is a video that I shared about The Origin of 120 Lessons and How They Function. Yet and still, knowing this information is just part of my process of gaining Knowledge of Self, as there are many paths of enlightenment. Knowledge is more than just knowing a bunch of facts, having a lot of information, using AI to make intelligent-sounding social media statuses/comments, or posting our personal library online to look smart. Knowledge is awareness; consciousness that comes from the root word "know." When we use the phrase "Knowledge of Self" it begs the question what part of Self do we need to know? In order to do that, we need to first identify The Self. Is the Self our name? Is the Self our nationality, ethnicity, age, or gender? Is the Self our race or religious/non-religious ideas? Is the Self our language, accent, diet, or temperament? Is the Self the car that we drive, our career, income, relationship status, or the clothes that we wear? Is the Self the neighborhood that we live in, our medical and family history, hobbies, or future aspirations? Is the Self our physical body? And if we define the physical body as "ours", what is the Self that owns this physical body? These are "my hands", "my eyes", and "my brain" creating this article, yet what am I that owns these hands, eyes, and brain? Those are big questions that many people have never asked or explored. At the root of all of these parts of ourselves is awareness. Awareness, consciousness or knowledge is the essence of our identity, and it is infinite and intangible. That awareness, consciousness or knowledge is The Self that underlines these multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted aspects of who we are as sapient beings. LeVar Burton simply described this idea as, "We are actually God Beings having a human experience" during a recent Wild Card Interview with Rachel Martin. I would take it a step further by saying that as beings, we are also created with the same matter or star dust that created the physical universe. Our atoms, which are the building blocks of matter and everything that exists within the universe, is the same or undifferentiated. 

We Are Star Dust

     When we start to ponder the above questions about identity, we began to take ourselves to the "ledge" of what we "know" by exploring the limits of our thinking. And this thought process is often rooted in a westernized segregated thinking that betrays the wholistic thinking that classical and indigenous Black/Brown civilizations conceptualized and integrated this into our societies as first world people and the fathers and mothers of civilization. Knowing this ledge or limited thinking is the path of Knowledge [know + ledge = knowledge]. In order to ask "questions", it requires us to be on a "quest" [quest is the root of question]. The further we question and explore, this leads us to the conclusion that The Self, as infinite and intangible awareness/consciousness, it underlines the multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted aspects of who we are as sapient beings. It's a dichotomy because The Self is simultaneously many things while at the same time one. This is what is meant by the word individual; we are an indivisible [inseparable] duality. Knowledge of Self is a never-ending inner journey to explore the multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted aspects of who we are. The purpose of that exploration it is align with our infinite ability to elevate our consciousness, quality of life, sense of purpose, and relationships to others and this planet. This journey requires us to learn about our family, their stories, and how we got here on the map of human geography. It requires us to assess our diets to see what is best for us. It requires us to reexamine the things that we have embraced as principles, values, and social norms. It requires us to go places and expand our lived experiences by seeing something new. It also requires us to be studious by committing ourselves to learning about the past, what is presently happening, and considering how we can positively shape the future. It requires us to better understand the planet and our relationship to its animate/inanimate objects. These, and many other lifelong considerations, are a part of this journey of Knowledge of Self.

     In this journey of Knowledge of Self, there three things that always happen:

1. We learn new ideas.
2. We confirm some things that we always knew.
3. We learn to get rid of old ideas.

     Every single thing that we experience fall within these three categories, and every category requires change. Sometimes that change is easier than others. I remember starting to learn how to identify unhealthy ingredients in packaged foods. Not eating those ingredients was easy. The hard part was oftentimes not having a reference guide in hand to look up ingredients while standing in a grocery store aisle; cell phones and Google did not exist at this time. Some of us find it hard to change our attitudes or habits about things that we always knew were right or wrong. I've known women who had a difficult time leaving an abusive relationship even though they knew it was the right thing to do. Sometimes it is easy to get rid of old ideas, sometimes it is not so easy. This self-diagnostic process helps us elevate our consciousness, quality of life, sense of purpose, and relationships to others and this planet. It is through this journey that we become more aware and empowered to share that knowledge with others, which may include how we were able to change our attitudes and habits.

 Endogenous vs Indigenous

     Endogenous means originating within or an inward origin. Indigenous means originating in an outward place. As awareness/consciousness incarnated within a physical form, we are endogenous before being indigenous to any place. The mind [intangible] proceeds the body [tangible]. Anything that has an outward manifestation first originates within. This includes our audible voice. Before anyone can hear what we are thinking or what we are saying, it is first internally communicated through the inner voice. That voice that you are presently hearing inside of your head as you read this sentence is the inner voice. That voice, that we call the inner monologue, internal dialogue or self-talk, is the non-audible inward expression of awareness/consciousness. Where did it come from?   

     The inner voice that we hear inside of our head, that usually sounds like our voice, is not ours. We learned to claim it as ours. It’s actually a combination of ideas from different voices that we have heard throughout our lives. Some of those ideas that we claim are good, some are not. Some are louder than others. The journey of Knowledge of Self is also about processing and unpacking those ideas that we have identified with and claim as our inner voice. Because that self-talk which eventually manifests itself in how we talk about ourselves and others. A person who has low or vacant esteem, who always talk negative about themselves, has been socialized through a combination of negative ideas from different voices that they have heard throughout their lives. Children how have been told their entire lives that they are bad, ugly, or stupid, often adopt that idea as a part of their identity. That is sometimes the loudest voice that they hear inside of their head. And sometimes it requires more than religion, Supreme Mathematics, retreats, programs, psychedelics and etc. to change that. Sometimes people need therapy to help them process and unpack those negative ideas that we have identified with and claim as their voice. All of this is a part of one's journey of Knowledge of Self. Negative self-talk betrays and neutralizes the infinite potential of The Self. If our idea about who we are is limited to our career, relationship status, appearance, religion, etc., we fail to acknowledge the multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted aspects of who we are as sapient beings. It's like having a gift to create visual art within us and never acknowledging or exploring it. Most people have numerous gifts and abilities that they never explore(d) because they don't acknowledge that they are essentially multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted. They only identity with parts of who they are, not the whole.

     Now, just because we do acknowledge this and consider ourselves to be on a journey of Knowledge of Self, it does not automatically mean that we know what to do with what they are learning. That requires wisdom. It is being aware of what we now know, and having the consideration, courage, consistency to use it. There are things that we learn about ourselves, and about others, that require us to change our relationships. That is not always easy. Imagine being in a relationship for many years that you always thought was true, then one day you find out that it was a lie and you were being cheated on. Imagine that this was your relationship to yourself, and one day you discover that you've been cheating yourself. You've been cheating yourself all of these years with ideas that betray your ability to elevate your consciousness, quality of life, sense of purpose, and relationships to others and this planet. Most people are not happy when they find this out. In fact, they become angry at themselves and others who they feel/believe set them up to be cheated on. Everyone who is on the journey of Knowledge of Self experience this kind of heartache. It's traumatic, and everyone doesn't recover from it. Some people stay heartbroken and vow to never associate with certain people, places, or things that trigger this trauma. I know people who had a traumatic academic experience, and their reaction [not response] to that trauma is anti-intellectualism. As anti-intellectuals, they became obsessively skeptical of anything academic and consistently smart shame and show disdain for people whom they believe are educated. It can take people a lifetime to recognize that has not been the wisest way to address this trauma. Sometimes recognizing this lack of wisdom requires therapy. 

     Wisdom is using right discernment [judgment] to apply what we know about ourselves, others and the world around us. As sapient beings, this is one thing that separates humans from animals. With a more advanced brain architecture, we possess a consciousness that enables us to think abstractly, solve complex problems, and experience life through self-aware sensory perception. While animals can demonstrate wisdom, humans have the ability to demonstrate supreme wisdom or a higher degree of discernment. That is, humans who are on a path of enlightenment. Historically speaking, when humans have not had a path of enlightenment, we see a decline of civilization and descent into a primitive state as evidenced in The Dark Ages. You can also see this evidenced in the Information Age where we still see a decline of civil discourse, civic engagement, and civilization even though the exponential growth in technology allows people to access more information than ever before. We see people who would rather produce hours of content talking negative about people, places, and things that they don't like instead of investing that same time and finances to create positive solutions. The irony is, some of these people claim to have Knowledge of Self; which shows a clear disconnect between What We Teach [knowledge] and What We Will Achieve [wisdom]. There can be a number of reasons for this disconnect and someone's inability/unwillingness to create positive solutions. Sometimes the problem IS the actual solution. And to solve some problems it may require us to delicately walk back across a fragile bridge that we burned. I can only imagine the level of humility, courage and consideration required to do this. I also understand that there must be some lessons in this to help us become wiser. 

     All of us are on a journey in life and will face challenges, that sometimes appear insurmountable. Some of those challenges are people, places, and things along the landscape and we will need the mental fortitude [knowledge] and skills [wisdom] to address them. The stories that we tell ourselves, the stories that others tell us, the stories that we agree/disagree with and how we use them either aligns with or betrays The Self's ability to meet those challenges. Those stories either align with or betrays our ability to explore The Self's multidimensional, multilayered, and multifaceted aspects of who we are as sapient beings. Our sense of identity is a fundamental part of that self-work. In a number of Surahs within the Quran, the Arabic phrase "Kun fayakūn/Kun Faya Kun" (كن فيكون) is used which means "Be and it is!" In the book of John 1:1 we read, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." If we think and tell ourselves that we can't, we won't. Regardless of the support and encouragement that is available to us. If we think and tell ourselves that we can, we will. Regardless of the lack of support and discouragement. Each day is an opportunity for us to be better and do better for ourselves, others and the planet. How we choose to ultimately see ourselves will determine what we do. 

Peace,

Saladin

Jung Money Cash Money Billionaires 

 

When it comes to being “Conscious” and ultimately “Consciousness”, one thing I’ve begun to realize is that many of the ideas we have are set upon Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung foundations. Much of our language, analysis, and descriptions of the phenomenon called Consciousness, are directly from the books of these 19^th Century theorists. Even much of our pedagogy, or method we use to teach about Consciousness, is based solely upon Freudian and Jungian Psychology. The error in this is not because they’re cited. Some of what they taught I agree with. The error lies in the fact that although first world people have been successfully analyzing, articulating, and defining Consciousness for thousands of years before both of these men existed, some of us have not taken the initiative to investigate these classical perspectives before drawing a conclusion on what Consciousness is, isn’t, or even if the word itself is accurate enough to use in order to define this phenomenon.

How we view Consciousness sets the stage for our Cosmology; our creation story and how we perceive the universe came to exist. This is the basis of our Ontology; our sense of beingness, or what it means to be/exist in this universe. Our Ontology paves the way for our Epistemology, how we come to know things, and our Axiology, how we establish our value system. Yet central to all of this ‘ology’, is our fundamental idea of a/the Creator, our relationship to that Creator, and our relationship to the Earth. If we view Consciousness as our brain, this perspective plays a key role in influencing how we process our life experiences. If we view Consciousness as having a Subconscious and equate this with gender (male and/or female), this will likewise influence our values, and how we interact with others. If we view Consciousness as having several different levels, this will likewise influence how we attend this world. How we think influences our way of life.

Carl Jung’s definition of Consciousness is “bringing parts of the collective unconscious into ego awareness. Becoming more aware of the workings of the psyche and the meaning of individuation.” The collective unconscious, according to Jung, is “the realm of the archetypes including the Self. Ancestral memories and religious instinct reside here as well.” In layman’s terms, Jung viewed Consciousness as a process of becoming more aware of the total conscious mind -which consists of discriminating its individual parts. These parts of the conscious mind, according to Jung, are archetypes (inborn pre-formed structures), ideas, memories, instincts, and the Self (guiding center of the psyche or God-image).

You probably have to re-read the above paragraph a couple times if you didn't get it. I wasn't getting it the first time I studied Jung either because it's just plan complicated. Well the key points to keep in mind about Jung's theory are:

1.)  Consciousness is not a state, but a process.
2.) That process is a method to discriminate components of the conscious mind in order to develop as an individual.

Now that you know this, you can see where many people get some of their ideas about components of the conscious mind (i.e. Unconscious, Subconscious, Super Conscious, Magnetic Conscious, and etc.) from, and their quest for individualism (discrimination). It's textbook Jung -with very few, if any, references to first world people's perspective on Consciousness. Again, my concern is not with referencing Jung, it's with using Jung as the authoritarian on Consciousness. Lets take a moment to analyze a few of his quotes to give you a better idea of what I mean.

"There is no coming to consciousness without pain."
     Really? So those of us who buy this believe that unless it's painful, it's not an individual growth and development process. Sounds alittle masochistic to me.

"Man's task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious."
     Here is one of the biggest departures from how first world people generally define Consciousness in comparison to what Jung suggests here. Since the times of Ancient Khemet/Kemet (Egypt) this is what we've taught: ALL is consciousness; undifferentiated matter energy with no variation, vector, or distinction. The term Subconscious or Unconscious is really a misnomer because ESSENTIALLY there is no below (sub), above, or around the ALL. Subconscious is a phrase that only applies in the context of the physical realm, where duality, and the denseness of Consciousness exists. Consciousness, as an essential state, is all encompassing; omnipresent and omniscient. Our physical vehicle, as a three dimensional conduit and lens of Consciousness, only "perceives" and interprets Consciousness as various streams. So ultimately, what people call Subconscious, Unconscious, Super Conscious, Magnetic Conscious, or etc. is actually just ALL Consciousness. Our physical form, as well as time and space, are filters (conduits) of Consciousness. The same way there is relative truth to the denseness and dimensions of the objects around us, in essence, they're ALL one materially (atomically). Consciousness is the same way essentially.

In regards to the term Unconscious the only state that could be considered a dynamic opposite of Consciousness is 'Nothingness' (No-thingness). The negative prefix "un" meaning 'not', as in Unconscious (not Conscious), cannot be the source of, or proceed, Consciousness. Essentially, the only state that is 'not' Consciousness is Nothingness (No-thingness). Since the creation of this universe, everything that was, is, and will be is an aspect of the ALL -there is no undoing that. Regardless what we choose to believe, there is no 366 degrees, or something outside of the ALL (360 degrees). The ALL was first symbolized as a black dot: "O", a cipher/circle. That glyph/concept of completion represents no-thingness, and everything, simultaneously. A cipher/circle is 360 degrees. 3+6+0 = 9, and everything that was, is, and will be goes through a gestation phase,  from no-thingness (O) to something (O), in order to be born complete. That phase is no different than the 9 month process it takes to birth a child. This is also the reasoning behind the glyph/concept "9" being shaped like a spiral, shown to wind around a fixed center point at a continuously increasing or decreasing distance from that point. Therefore, "9" is shaped like a coil circling around that point (black dot; O), or demonstrates the phase from no-thingness (O) to something (O).

Can you see the number "9" within this circular (O) coil?

Again, the error arises when people only critique Consciousness from the vantage point (lens) of their physical form. So because the body serves as a liaison between the intangible (Consciousness) and the tangible (Material World), people only perceive what they call Unconscious (not Conscious). So I would argue that man's task is not about becoming conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious. Our task is to first realize that Consciousness, as an ALL encompassing state, has no below (sub), above, around, or "upward from" it. And everything that our physical form experiences in this material dimension, within these perimeters of time and space, is Consciousness -the ALL- being filtered.
     Now what does this have to do with money? How we view Consciousness directs how we ultimately live, and how we live includes our basic spending habits. Money is what it is and does not equate to an economy. An Economy is the systematic, organized utilization of shared resources that can include money, yet money isn't necessary to have a well functioning Economy. As a matter of fact, Economies have functioned, and still function in some societies, where money didn't/doesn't exist. So the true basis of any Economy is how we relate to each other. It's about relating in a systematic, organized way to share resources in order to sustain each other. This means the people who are working to establish, and maintain, an Economy must share a Collective Consciousness, that Collective Consciousness can be distilled into one practical word: Culture.
     Culture is the sum total of all of our people activities, and these activities are based upon the principles we adhere to, and values we carry. Our Culture is our diet, how we define gender roles, our style of dress, our views on education, the way we rear children and define family units, and etc. Culture either reinforces or undermines the Collective Consciousness we need in order to establish an Economy. One of the main reasons a local Economy is generally absent within black/brown and poor white communities as a whole, across the United States, and in areas abroad, is because we lack a Collective Consciousness, based upon cultural cohesiveness. There are countless examples of people working as a group to empower themselves economically, and this is because they share a cultural basis. They have a common language, heritage, principles, similar experiences, and shared values. These people activities form the cohesiveness necessary to trust, depend upon, and work with one another to preserve, protect, and advance the group. Without this, there is no group reality, sense of community, unified families, or relationships breed division/dysfunction. While many of us are personally looking for money to change our circumstances, we're squandering our cultural capital that will transform our collective condition.
     One of the challenges with black/brown people is the fact that many of us live within societies as a subculture, where our point of view isn't primary, nor the consensus of the dominant society. What this means is that what we're taught about life, including Consciousness, is filtered through the lens of that dominant society. And that dominant society either reflects an American perspective that's only 237 years old, or it's primarily derived from Greco-Roman perspectives that don't exceed 2,650 years. Although there were many positive observations and contributions made during this segment of time, you'd be hard pressed to find them more in abundance then the observations and contributions that first world people shared over the last 200,000 years, When the World Was Black. We must not limit ourselves to 237 years, 2,650 years, or even 200,000 years of observations and contributions. We also must not limit ourselves to the theories, and language of 19th Century Psychologists when Consciousness was well thought out for thousands of years before them, in various geographic locations, by first world people.
     We think how we spend, and this thought process is the basis of our Economy. When we view Consciousness as our ancestors did, as ALL, than we relate to each other collectively -as various manifestations of the ALL. Therefore, we strive to identify with and be sensitive to the common language, heritage, similar experiences, and values we share as one people. As I stated, these people activities form the cohesiveness necessary to trust, depend upon, and work with each other. Wealth is not, and has never been, an individual accomplishment we're led to believe in (i.e. Oprah, Jay Z, Diddy, Tyler Perry, and etc.). It's collective work and responsibility. To believe otherwise only serves to enrich those who know they didn't get wealthy on their own. Oftentimes that wealth is old blood blue money, that's been passed down from family generations. So while we're steady trying to make it on our own, as a solo artist for example, we're being used for a tool, and also as a slave, to make money for family businesses, and corporations, we're not a part of. As far as Consciousness is concerned, YMCMB is really young money. The driving force behind it is really JMCMB: [Carl] Jung Money Cash Money Billionaires. At the end of the day, Carl Jung's ideas about "ego awareness" and "individuation" are some of the central themes that keep the dominant society's well oiled machine called Capitalism going -because many of us buy into it, in more ways than one.

Peace,
Saladin