Minister Louis Farrakhan: Friend Or Foe?

Minister Louis Farrakhan

Friend Or Foe?

One week following the 10.10.15 Justice or Else Rally in Washington, DC I couldn't help but notice the widespread criticism of Minister Farrakhan and his Nation of Islam by both mainstream media and the everyday person via their social media page. Some of these criticisms have been outright name calling such as "FarraCON" or 'FarraCoon"; defining the minister as a misleading charlatan that's blood sucking the poor. Others have been less abrasive and have articulated their desire to see the evidence and practical application of "or Else" -which they claim wasn't defined at the rally. In his defense, some of his supporters have retorted that a General doesn't announce his strategies to the public, the minister has laid out plans of action years before the rally and people have no right to question someone in his position because they're not the leader. Well today I wanted to offer a perspective to willfully help reconcile these perspectives.

For those who are Anti-Farrakhan:

First and foremost I think it's important to keep in mind that as a leader, some view the minister as a spiritual father, father figure and ultimately someone who occupies a parental role within their life. Considering this, whatever your criticisms are of him, it sounds and feels no different than you talking about someone's parent. Imagine someone talking about your mother or father. Regardless how respectful or on point someone is with a criticism of your parent, you're going to feel some kind of way about it, initially. I don't know many people who are comfortable with someone calling their parent names, ridiculing them or etc.: those are usually fighting words. Even though no person, parent or not, is above criticism, there's always a certain level of respect we've shown our parents even if they were dead wrong. And when I say respect I don't mean "agree and go along with any and everything they say" because sometimes they're not the best knower in every given life situation. To take it a step further: even though the minister may not look it and he colors his hair, he is an 82 year old grandparent and great-grandparent. That in itself warrants the kind of respect we show any elder, not just a parent. And just like our own grandparents and great-grandparents, we may not agree with everything they're saying or doing, but out of respect, there's a way we should talk to and talk about them. That is the posture, decorum and etiquette of a civilized person.

Because I am a free thinker I don't agree with what everyone says or does. Everyone doesn't always agree with me and there are times I reassess something I said or did and don't agree with myself. That being said, I think it's healthy to express the right to critically analyze what anyone says or does. However, I think we have that right not simply for the purpose of argument or to point out what we think is wrong. We have that right, and responsibility, to show and prove what's wrong by presenting what's right. In other words, if you think I can use a better strategy in my STYA Program to teach my youth, don't just point out what you think I'm doing wrong, offer me the right way. When you approach people by penalizing them, as opposed to offering them an alternative, people tend to shut down and be unreceptive to what you have to say. For example, I also teach preschool in addition to my program and there are times I see my students do something wrong. One day I gave a student instructions on practicing their writing. When I walked over to check their work they weren't following the instructions. They were writing, they just weren't following the right instructions. I didn't walk over, snatch the pencil out of their hand and say, "No, that's not how you do it. This is the right way." I said, acknowledging they were at least writing, "Hey..., that's good. Now see if you can write it this way" as a patted them on the shoulder and redirected them back to the right instructions. As adults the same approach, sense of consideration and tact applies. People are generally more welcoming to being offered alternatives than just being criticized or even ridiculed for what they feel, think or believe. This is not to say that we should not engage in intellectual discourses and tiptoe around everybody. This is to say that the basis of these discourses should not be for the purpose of name calling, to ridicule others or for pissing contests. The purpose of any intellectual discourse, especially with our people, should be to discuss and assess the best ideas and strategies to solve our problems. If someone is so caught up in their feelings that they have an inability to rise above their emotions for that purpose, then you need to walk away. Some people worship who they perceive as their leaders, whether it's Jesus, Muhammad, Beyonce, Buddha, Minister Farrakhan and even The Father Allah. And anything you have critical to say about them will be outright rejected, including you and some of your well meaning uninvolved associates. 

For those who are Pro-Farrakhan:
Just because someone questions a man or woman's idea or strategy it doesn't make them an agent, hypocrite, hater or anything else some of you define as antagonistic. Sometimes people simply have and can share a perspective others don't see. This is the reason Minister Farrakhan has a research team; there are things he simply doesn't know or understand and he relies on a counsel of advisors to teach him. And yes, some of them are about half of his age. Now keep in mind that there are many people who are not a part of the minister's advisor team who are more than qualified to advise him, and them, too. Many of these men and women are not Muslims nor are they registered members of his Nation of Islam. Some of them are a part of your social networks and you interact with them often. I mention this to emphasize the fact that knowledge is inexhaustible which gives everyone the potential of being a best knower in any given situation. Some find it difficult to grasp this reality because it seems to conflict with a hierarchal structure of having one leader at the top and a descending order of roles beneath them. It's difficult to imagine that someone beneath the person at the top can conceptualize something beyond that leader's realm of thinking. It's also difficult to imagine that the person at the top cannot conceptualize something from someone that's beneath them. You are aware that someone had to teach Minister Farrakhan how to set up and use a Twitter account right? I'm sure you also know his team of advisors put him on to certain Rappers he never heard about before because they were key support contacts he needed to meet in order to promote the Justice or Else rally, right? The point in saying this is to remind all of you that the title of leader doesn't mean that someone personally has all of the answers. No great leader would make that claim, and when these leaders do make the honest claim that it's not about them, and even give credit to their benefactors, many of us simply don't believe it.

One of the other things that's important to understand is this: there are those who respectfully disagree with the 10.10.15 Justice or Else rally because they have a hard time "quantifying" it. Sure many can speak about the quality of their personal experience and no one can take that away from them, but how do you accurately quantify or measure that experience? This is one of the reasons some people were/are discouraged and disenchanted with the rally; they don't see a tangible, concrete example of "What's next?" For example, the 2015 BET Hip Hop Awards viewer ratings were down over 50% [1.4 million] this year from 2014. It can be argued that this plunge is a direct result of the BET Boycott social media campaign against the network for not covering the rally. You can even argue how the current nationally conscious #BlackLivesMatter backdrop, coupled with the Justice or Else rally, has created the Anti-Empire sentiments responsible for their weekly rating drop. That is quantifiable, it's tangible and concrete. For those who would like to effectively demonstrate the rally's impact, or even the minister's impact on a local, regional, national or international level, these kinds of quantifiable Talking Points are necessary to show and prove it. Some people are simply not moved by someone's personal beliefs or human interest stories. Understandably, some people want to know what's in it for them, what is the actual outcome, if/when they invest their time and/or money into something.

In conclusion, I think it's important to keep the focus on the collective movement of people who are actually invested in programs, projects and initiatives to bring about justice. I had an opportunity to participate in a National Community Forum after the rally which echoes these sentiments. It took place at We Act Radio Station [Washington DC] and its purpose was to bring people from across the nation together to discuss these programs, projects and initiatives we're already invested in and how you can also get involved. In addition to checking out the above link for ideas of how you can get involved, here is something else you can do and share with others: Down from 11% last season, we the people are again calling for a Nationwide Boycott during the Holiday season (November – December 2015) to not purchase any goods or services. If anyone makes any purchases, it should be strictly with Black-owned businesses. Also, we are encouraging everyone to not advertise or promote any goods, services, brands/logos of outside companies using their social networks [Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and etc.]. We should only advertise or promote Black-owned businesses. Let's keep our personal beefs and religious disagreements off of social media and at home. Publically we must continue to be positively invested in this collective momentum that's quantifying the transformation we would like to see.

Peace,
Saladin

Justice or Else: What's Next?

Justice or Else: What's Next?

7 Experiences of a Five Percenter

It's 3:09am and I'm up reflecting and writing on the 10.10.15 Justice or Else Rally in Washington DC I recently attended. Although there were many things I saw and heard, here are  7 Experiences I wanted to share with all of you. Before I do that I want to first give a shout out and thank my brother Keith Muhammad of Luv4Self for organizing our trip and the other members of our entourage for travelling down.

• I loved seeing the numerous vendors utilizing this entrepreneurship opportunity to provide goods/services for the people. It was definitely an example of cooperative economics. Aside from the economic stimulus to the city's economy via food, lodging, transportation and etc., I'm already working on something to address and redirect some of that revenue to neglected communities/commercial zones when gatherings like this take place, regardless of the City/State.

• The "Justice or Else: What's Next?" National Community Forum I participated in focused on various grassroot programs, projects and initiatives we're engaged in that already addresses "What's Next?" We discussed the political process, displacement/gentrification, education models, cooperative economics and etc. The best part about grassroot forums such as this is people don't simply leave encouraged. We were there working and we left with tasks. For example, during a segment we took a moment to come up with a vision statement and #hashtags to start tweeting a public official to begin using our social networks to mobilize around a specific quality of life issue. Click the highlighted link so you can check it out.



"Justice or Else: What's Next" National Community Forum

• I'm glad I had an opportunity to connect with so many people in the flesh who are working towards bringing about a better world for our present and future generations. I'm also glad that I was able to connect with my Queens and Howard University students Asiyah and Aziza and share some time with my eldest Asiyah because her 20th Born Day was also 10.10.15. In addition, 10.10.15 marks the 51st year and formal Born Day of the Five Percenters so it was also beautiful to celebrate that with some of my Universal Family. One of my best highlights was finally meeting the young sun my God Brother and his Queen gave me the honor of naming "Khemel." That was indeed love to the highest degree!

• By the time I arrived in DC I was running on fumes: the last full meal I had was a day earlier and I hadn't slept in 60 hours. Although I ended up eating some of the food/water donated by Author D. Scott I still hadn't slept taking turns driving back. Not sure if any of you have experienced this before but lack of sleep can make you hallucinate. At one point the white vehicle in front of me turned red and looked like a Dumb & Dumber version of Clifford The Big Red Dog. Lol I say this to say: when you're travelling, make sure you get some rest first and possibly when you arrive somewhere, before you travel back.

• Of the many positive things people said to me, one of the things that struck me was a brother saying how proud he was of me for the way I represent Five Percenters worldwide. It wasn't a back handed compliment and he was sincere about it. I appreciated that because it's not often that brothers put their EGO aside and honestly give another brother credit like that without wrapping it up in joke or mumbling it. Herein lies a greater problem with that mentality: When we're not sharing our love, support and appreciation for each other, we're not showing our younger generations how to love, support and appreciate each other. One of the reasons we don't see it in our millennial generation is because they don't see us doing it. I've not had an issue sharing love, support and appreciation for what others are doing and willfully that gesture symbolizes a growing sense of unity and cooperation we need as brothers to effectively address the problems that are plaguing our families and communities.

• The "or Else" means many things to many people. To me it's an unfinished sentence that represents the consequences of apathy, disunity, egotism and blind consumerism. So for example, "Justice or else... we're going to see the continual deterioration of our families and communities." Sometimes in order to build, some things must be destroyed. In this case, and among other things, it's apathy, disunity, egotism and blind consumerism that must be destroyed in order to transform our present conditions.

• If we're participating in a nationwide blackout/boycott to not support certain businesses and services we also should blackout/boycott promoting and advertising certain businesses and services. For example, not buying Polo gear for a couple of days yet simultaneously posting pictures on Instagram, Twitter and/or Facebook wearing Polo gear defeats the purpose of participating in a blackout/boycott. Even though we didn't buy anything, we may have encouraged half a dozen people to go buy something. Lol Just something to think about. Here's a video I did entitled Advertising and Self Determination where I further elaborate on this.

In closing I had an excellent time building and networking with others, seeing the beauty of our unity and leaving with more ideas to continue my work at home and abroad. Regardless who was there, who spoke and etc., people will ultimately take away from this event what they brought to it and willfully what they gained while being there. The above video visually documents part of my experience there. The background music is a track called "Pressure" which was also produced by me.

Peace,
Saladin

September 30th, 1995

September 30th, 1995

Each year I celebrate three different Born Dates: January 6th, April 23rd and September 30th. I was physically incarnated on January 6th. On April 23rd I legally changed my name 16 years ago and have assisted dozens of people do the same via my book How To Change Your Name Without A Lawyer. I celebrate September 30th because on this day in 1995 I finished learning my lessons. In other words, as a Five Percenter I gained KOS [Knowledge Of Self]; I got all 120 lessons from my Enlightener, was tested on my recital and understanding of those lessons and became a qualified Enlightener myself. Since I am 40 years old, this also means that I've been living this way of life half of my life now. From this day forward each year will mean that I've had KOS more years than I haven't. Today I wanted to share some of my thoughts about my experience over the years, where I'm at right now and where I'm aspiring to go.

Like with learning anything new, I had some misconceptions and unreasonable expectations about what gaining KOS and being a Five Percenter was twenty years ago. One of the biggest misconceptions I had was that lessons were something on paper someone hands to you. Even to this day, people with the same misconception reach out to me from all over the world inquiring if I could email, postage mail, inbox and refer them to where they can purchase lessons. When I met my Enlightener and asked him can I get the lessons he didn't write anything down on paper. He developed a companionship with me, we walked together and he taught me the lessons, mathematics and alphabets word of mouth. I eventually wrote them down for myself. The lessons weren't something he handed to me and sent me on my way with. Another misconception I had was the idea that just because I saw the value in this kind of education and journey of KOS that everyone else would too. Not. Lol It took me time to understand and respect that everyone has a choice. I've always been the kind of person who would walk a mile in the snow on a Saturday morning to go to the library. I've also known people who have lived in a city for several years and didn't know for sure where their local library was. I used to judge that, harshly. As I got older and wiser I understood that just because something is meaningful to you it may not mean sh*t to someone else. If someone is interested and invested, they'll strive to do everything in their power to attain it. If not, anything can and will be used to stand in their way. At times I put my own intentions, work ethic and expectations on others. Yes I desired greatness for some and other times it was pure EGO. When it was I learned the hard way that EGO doesn't only Edge God Out of the equation, EGO ultimately Eliminates Great Opportunities to grow, develop and forge healthy relationships. It took me time to understand and respect that everyone doesn't have the same learning styles as well. Some people are visual learners while others are more auditory. Still others are kinesthetic and prefer a hands on approach in education. These were some of the things I didn't know when I first came into the realization of who I was and sought to help others become self actualized. 

Anytime we're purposely learning, dealing with and meeting challenges in a white supremacist and institutionalized racist society, it is an accomplishment. There are so many things that can get us caught up, sidetracked, hoodwinked or dead behind. People often compliment me on how graceful, easily understandable and down to earth I present Five Percenter culture. I'm always appreciative of that recognition yet I think it's equally important to recognize that it didn't happen over night. It took and is taking time, patience, sacrifice, studiousness and many other elements to stay the course. In addition to my channel A.S.I.A. TV, I encourage you to check out my show Atlantis Build Talk Radio to gain further insight about some of these elements, especially Episode 1 Knowledge of Self. In this episode I discuss in more detail my personal growth & development process, the journey of KOS in general and I highlight other significant moments of becoming more self actualized.

In closing, I just want to thank all of you for your continual support and feedback along my journey. Sometimes I look at the clock and wonder how in the world I have enough hours in a day to do the various things I do yet I find a way. My only aspiration is to continue finding ways to further maximize my time and space to do even more. Create more. Be more of an example of Peace. Share more contributions with this world so it's left a better place than when I physically arrived here. 

Peace,
Saladin

A New Release!

On September 16th I quietly released my 13th book "When Teachers are ready, their Students appear." I say quietly because I did it at 4am in the morning. A middle of the night book release is literally saying I do this while others sleep and there is nothing theatrical, flamboyant or spectacular about that. As a journalist and author my intention has always been to simply make information accessible to people, not sell books, win a Pulitzer Prize or be on Oprah's book club list. Book sales and testimonials have come as a result of this information accessibility and I am very thankful for that. 

In a society where it is often expected for students to be properly prepared to learn [information], I always understood that our educators must be properly prepared to teach. Oftentimes that is not the case in mainstream society. Over the years of having Knowledge of Self [KOS] I also found that it can be true within my society of Five Percenters. When Teachers are ready, their Students appear is a series of essays pertaining to teaching and gaining KOS from the cultural perspective of a Five Percenter.

This book is now available along with my other titles at my E-Store, Amazon, Amazon Kindle, book outlets worldwide and my website Quanaah Publishing. If you have a family member who is incarcerated that you would like to send a copy to please email me at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com.

I appreciate your support!

Peace,
Saladin

Five Percent Nation Talking Points

Within The Five Percent

One of the common phrases you may hear within the media are "Talking Points." A talking point is a statement designed to support one side taken on an issue during a debate or discourse. It's also a position someone takes or a series of points/remarks used to guide their conversation and support their argument or discussion. Take for example Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo on Fox News. He starts off his memo with a question and then goes into some commentary highlighting different talking points to support his argument. Here's a good example of one of his memos about The Dramatic Muslim Invasion.


What some of us overlook about shows like Bill O'Reilly's Talking Points Memo is that the network itself defines and supports his points/remarks. As a television host on this network, O'Reilly and his points/remarks are used to advocate the network's perspective and vision of the world, the people in it and their relationship to the planet. And when I say "the network's perspective", I'm referring to FNC [Fox News Channel] founders Rupert Murdoch, Republican Party media consultant and NBC executive Roger Ailes and others who own a piece of the company and its sister channels. When we're watching Fox News or any other channel for that matter, their points/remarks are designed to guide their audiences arguments or discussions on that subject matter. Even if we're watching the National Geographic channel; if it's a show about endangered baleen whales, the points/remarks made in that show are designed to guide our arguments or discussions on that subject matter or to possibly solicit financial support from us. When we don't own or control our own media outlets, we don't control our narrative or talking points. And when we don't control our talking points we're subject to others talking about and for us.


When we're having a discussion, engaged in a debate or even an argument, we're exchanging talking points. We're making a series of points/remarks to guide that conversation and support our argument. All of us do it; some do it better than others. However, the goal is not to simply make points/remarks. The goal is to do something with the points/remarks we've exchanged. Generally speaking, Christian talking points are derived from the bible. Muslims get their talking points from the Koran while others include talking points from Muhammad. I know some teenagers who get their talking points from trap music and elementary school youth who get their talking points from the Disney channel, internet and their peers. One time I was asked about the Five Percenter perspective of God by a Christian brother and I simply said, "WWGD: What Would God Do?" I went on to explain that as the biblical scriptures say we are fashioned in the image and likeness of God, our perspective is to strive to do things in a Godly way. He didn't argue with that and I successfully used a talking point not to argue or debate but to guide that discussion in a positive direction, even if that person's intention was to argue or debate.

Within the culture of the Five Percent, 6/8th's or 75% of our talking points are derived from 120 lessons. Our lessons not only define our position on the map of human geography, they contain information that enables us to make a series of points/remarks on an issue, or an aspect of an issue, related to us, our chronology, our relationship to others, the planet and the universe. These points/remarks define our perspective and vision of the world, our discourse at home, in public [abroad] and within the media. If I'm having a discussion with someone about diet, because of my cultural orientation as a Five Percenter, I may make points/remarks during that conversation that supports a position that they don't embrace, or never heard of before. Whatever those points/remarks are, it's up to me to provide the actual facts and concrete evidence to help them draw their own conclusion. This is the reason I stated 120 lessons is where we get the majority of our talking points from, not Supreme Mathematics. Supreme Mathematics, which is only 12.5% of our cultural curriculum, are principles that correspond to 0-9 within our numerical system; 1 = Knowledge, 2 = Wisdom, 3 = Understanding and etc. Numerals are symbols that represent numbers, they are not numbers themselves. Numerals and Numbers, like the principles of Supreme Mathematics, are abstract concepts/ideas until applied to concrete things. Meaning, Numerals and Numbers, like the principles of Supreme Mathematics, are an idea prior to having a physical or concrete existence. For example, the numeral "3" says nothing concrete in and of itself; it's just a symbol. As the number three, it still says nothing concrete until used to represent "three" apples, for example. In Supreme Mathematics the numeral "3", and number three, corresponds to the principle of "Understanding"; which also says nothing concrete until understanding is explained within the context of every day life. Even if I were to use the common phrase, "The Understanding is the best part; our children," I still have to explain WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, HOW and WHY because that phrase is an abstract concept. Without our explanation, many people don't understand that, will remain confused and oftentimes won't tell you how confused they are; they'll just nod their heads in agreement and won't ask questions for clarity. Mathematics is a mental system that uses numerals as numbers to teach us how to think; how to calculate, quantify and compute reality. Supreme Mathematics is also a mental system that identifies principles that correspond to numerals and numbers that teach us how to calculate, quantify and compute reality. 120 lessons lay out the terrestrial/celestial landscape of the reality we're calculating, quantifying and computing with the principles of Supreme Mathematics and qualities of our Supreme Alphabet.


Consider this: If a person only has the principles of Supreme Mathematics, which are abstract concepts, what is the concrete basis of their talking points? Since their points/remarks are not derived from 120 lessons, where did they get their actual facts from to define their position, support their argument and guide their discussion? Take for example a discussion about the devil, civilization or righteousness which are not any of the principles of Supreme Mathematics. Without 120 lessons, which deal extensively with these subject matters, what is the basis of their talking points about the devil, civilization or righteousness? By simply considering these questions, you can see what's behind some of the contradictory behavior/positions, weak arguments and inability to guide a discussion about our culture by people who claim to be Five Percenters who are not striving to learn 120 lessons and/or who only claim Supreme Mathematics as their entire culture. The same scenario applies to Christians who claim Christianity without knowing the bible, a Tour Guide who doesn't know the area or a Game Stop customer service specialist who is not a gamer. In all of these instances it's only a matter of time before these people sound like they're talking out of their arse, or they look like one, in a discussion.


As Five Percenters, it's impossible to make a consistent series of solid points/remarks to guide our conversation and support our position/argument about this culture if we don't know 120 lessons. We're missing too many points to talk about. Our lessons provide many actual facts about our identity, chronology, the physical dimensions of our planet, our relationships with our human family and the perimeters of our solar system. Again, it's 6/8th's or 75% of our talking points.


Peace,
Saladin

Trumpla: Political Reality TV

Trumpla: Political Reality TV

While out in DC recently I had the pleasure of running into White House Commentator/Georgetown Adjunct Professor Jon-Christopher Bua. JC covers international politics and writes for a few publications including the UK Huffington Post. We had an excellent discussion on foreign political processes, the 2016 Presidential Election, some of his work media training campaign spokespeople and his course at Georgetown 'Politics and The Media: an American-European Perspective'. One of his latest pieces you should check out is called Donald Trump vs Everyone: Do TV Debates Really Matter and to stay in tune you can follow him on twitter: @JCBua

Morton Downey Jr. Show 

In a reality tv society where the best press is bad press, all of this 'Trumpla' and his stagecraft antics have forged him into a one man Morton Downey Jr. show; a true pioneer of political trash tv. Like him or not, the guy is entertaining and represents the voice of millions of Americans who think and feel the exact same way. 

Like the 1980's era that catapulted Morton Downey Jr. into a pop culture celebrity, the same trend is happening with Donald Trump. To give you a sense of his popular culture impact consider the fact that his name has been dropped in rap lyrics at least 67 times by popular artists over the last 25 years. In terms of popularity, Trump is almost peerless in comparison to other presidential candidates except for Deez Nuts -no pun intended. Unlike Canada or other places where citizens vote for political parties represented by candidates, American citizens vote for the popular guy, not political platforms. Couple that kind of political process with an uneducated apathetic electorate and what we see is exactly what we get.

Know Nothing Party political rhetoric  

Two things I wanted to point out about Donald Trump is his 'whig' and no nothing political platform. When I say whig I am not talking about the spider monkey hairpiece on his head. I'm talking about his Whig Party perspectives. In the mid 1800s, the Whig Party was known as American Patriots, anti-Democratic and took many conservative stances that would be considered 'far right' today such as occupational prestige and upper class opportunism. Eventually succeeded by the Republican Party, Whigs were also said to be many things to many people, willing to abandon core convictions for the purpose of gaining political clout. Ironically the word whig is derived from the Scottish word 'whiggamore' and Donald Trump shares Scottish ancestry; his mother Mary Anne MacLeod was from the island of Lewis on the west coast of Scotland. In the mid 1900's the Anti-Masonic Party, the third major party in the United States, merged with Whig Party, and was considered the first right-wing reactionary movement in American politics at that time. In regards to Trump's no nothing political platform, his views are reflective of The Know Nothing Party’s xenophobic (fear or dislike of foreigners/outsiders), anti-immigration/naturalization sentiments. Also active in the mid 1800s, The Know Nothing's were a party who viewed themselves as the true Native Americans and only accepted membership of Protestant males born of British ancestry. They were also considered semi-secret because its members were instructed to reply, “I know nothing” if asked about the Party’s activities. Unlike today, xenophobic, anti-immigration/naturalization and anchor baby sentiments are not a secret; every time Trump opens up his mouth it is clear that he 'know's nothing' about addressing certain national and foreign policies. 

In the final analysis I think it's important that we understand that things happen in cycles, including political philosophies. Technology wise, we just have easier access to some of the same ideologies that built or destroyed this country in the past. In order to be an educated electorate we must be aware of this. I don't have a prediction on the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election because it's still too early to tell who corporate America will choose to represent their interests. What I will say is that we cannot underestimate the power of popularity vs political platforms. A little over a decade ago the Morton Downey Jr. Show set a rachet television precedence and helped pave the way for reality television. Today we have a new kid on the block leading the same flock and it is going to be hard to trump that.

Peace,

Saladin

The Original Woman and Planet Earth

The Original Woman
and
Planet Earth

Within Five Percenter culture, one of the common phrases people may hear us use is, "The original woman [black woman] is the Earth." Have you ever really considered what this means? I once heard a female say, "It means she's dirt", which is as far from the truth as Meek Mill's diss track response to Drake. Anyway, some of my female readers have been reaching out to me requesting that I elaborate on this perspective further and here it is.


We consider the original woman [black woman] the Earth because she corresponds to our planet. Meaning, she is parallel or equivalent to it in form, character and function. When we say 'black' we are referring to all women of color; from the darkest shade of black to the lightest shade of black. As black is the essence from which all color is derived, these melanated shades are gradations of that source. When it comes to geography, the study of describing the Earth, our planet has various shades [gradations] of soil yet it's still one planet. Human [hue-man] geography is likewise the same; as people of color we're one original family. I think it's important to clarify this because some people may think that being dark skinned is what solely makes us original or first. That is not entirely true because regardless how much melanin we have, we still may be last in a lot of things in life -including intellectual maturity. So in addition to color, we must also consider consciousness and cultural orientation when it comes to what being original means.


Various classical and indigenous societies view the original woman as Mother Earth, the Great Mother and Mother Nature because of her form, character and function -such as her physical composition, atmosphere and ability to birth and sustain life. One of the first things to keep in mind about the Earth is that it's a terrestrial planet. That's where the name 'Earth' is derived; the Latin root "Terra", the root word of terrestrial meaning 'of the land.' This means that our planet possesses a solid surface and a metallic core. This core is the source of Earth's geomagnetic field that shield's it from cosmic radiation. The Earth also has four different layers: an inner core, outer core, mantle and crust [surface]. Lastly, Earth is distinguished from the other terrestrial planets Mercury, Venus and Mars because it possesses water which is vital for life as we know it. All of these qualities have a symbolic relationship to the original woman. In regards to the Earth's primarily Iron [Fe] core, the source of its geomagnetic field that shield's it from cosmic radiation, iron is considered the life-force of the Earth in some societies such as the Aborigines of Australia. As a life-force of the Earth, it symbolizes a woman's vitality, integrity, resilience, strength and fortitude. In regards to functioning as a geomagnetic shield, that symbolizes a woman's protective instinct against outside danger. The four different layers of the Earth symbolize the layers of a woman. The crust is the surface or most outer layer of the Earth. This represents what and how we physically see a woman; this is her appearance. The mantle is the second layer or what lies just beneath the surface; as a mantle is that which cloaks, shrouds or disguises. Also keep in mind that movement of the mantle causes tectonic activity such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes on the crust, her surface. In symbolic terms, sometimes it's something lying just beneath the surface, that's undetected by the naked eye, that causes the unstable activity we see on the outside. The hottest and deepest layers of the Earth are the outer and inner core which are primarily composed of iron and nickel, thus making the planet magnetic. It is in this interior place that our Earth derives its magnetic field; its North and South Poles [compass]. In symbolic terms, internally is where you'll find the core convictions and source of a woman's moral compass and sense of direction. As the Earth possesses other precious metals and minerals that develop within it's womb, women possess the ability to develop precious life within their womb; children. The Earth's weather is primarily determined by the state of its atmosphere, as a woman's mood is partly determined by the state of her emotional atmosphere. The Earth's magnetic relationship with the Moon's 28 day lunar cycle effects our planet's tides the same way a woman's 28 day menstrual cycle effects her emotional tides that are linked to her sympathetic nervous system that partly regulates her hormones and body's ability to cope with stress. As hunter gatherers that eventually transitioned into agriculture and industrialism, we directly consulted with women who were biologically in tune with our landscape, planting and harvest seasons. As forecasters, their wisdom and guidance was critical to our survival and that consultation also corresponds to the creation of calendars based upon a 28 lunar and her 28 day menstrual cycle. Among many societies, a woman is seen as an oracle [diviner] within its cultural matrix because of her intuition, what our southern relatives call "mother wit" and what Western Philosophy has come to define as a priori knowledge. In Greece for example, she was the priestess Pythia; central figure of the Gaia [Earth] society and Oracle of Delphi men would consult for guidance on the seventh day of each month.

Divine Iz Earth [photo credit: Rugged Vision]

Women defining themselves as the Earth is not a Five Percenter trademark nor is it our intellectual property. That idea has existed for many years, in different geographic locations and among various societies before there was a North America and the Father was born. Culturally speaking, how we define, articulate and apply that idea as Five Percenters is unique to us, and how we define and articulate those parallels are customarily represented by our women. So for example, as the Earth is covered 3/4th's under water, 139,685,000 square miles of water and 57,255,000 square miles of land, Five Percent women dress modestly; clothing themselves 3/4th's as various other women around the planet likewise do. Something that also distinguishes Earths are the customary head wraps [crowns] they wear. We consider all of this her refinement because that style of dress reflects a sense of decency, cultural elegance, sophistication and grace. To learn more about refinement you can check out the blog of Izayaa Allat. Nutritionally, and to promote optimum health, our women strive to not pollute their bodies the same way many of our ancestors did not pollute, defile or desecrate themselves or the Earth. Therefore, our women strive to make certain dietary choices and engage in those people activities that help them maintain a positive physical, emotional, mental and financial state. As men we strive to reciprocate that state by making corresponding dietary choices and engaging in those people activities that help us maintain a positive physical, emotional, mental and financial relationship with our woman, and the planet Earth. The Earth rotates on its own axis yet revolves around the Sun. The rotation, travelling 1,037 1/3 mph, is symbolic to a woman's autonomy, identity, self-determination and purpose. It's her motion, personally. The Earth's revolution is her motion around another body; her orbital relation to the Sun within the context of our solar system. In symbolic terms, as man corresponds to the Sun, a woman's revolution as the Earth is her interdependent role and relationship within the nuclear family.


These are just a few of the countless examples why we as Five Percenters, and various societies around the world, view the original woman as the Earth's twin. Even if we were to say a woman were a Goddess, as a deity she still maintains a terrestrial correspondence and is personified/defined according to earthen qualities. So there is no way around, below, above or through that; a woman is analogous to the Earth. I think it's also important to note that just because a woman doesn't call herself the Earth within the context of the Five Percent, it doesn't mean that she's not functionally corresponding to the Earth. There are various indigenous societies who have never heard of Five Percenters that equate their women as the Earth and who've been successfully expressing that worldview for hundreds of years. There are also various women today who live by non-Western cultural norms that are Earth-centered. It's likewise true that just because a woman calls herself the Earth it doesn't mean that she automatically corresponds to that. Some women, and people for that matter, are more aligned than others, regardless what we call or don't call ourselves.


In closing I want to remind those of you who have read this intellectual breakdown of the original woman's correspondence to the Earth that it does not substitute learning from, walking with and having an actual relationship with the true and living Earth. As a male/man, I do not correspond to the Earth and there are many things I am not personally qualified to speak on. That is the role and responsibility of the Earth, not the Sun; I am simply shedding light. So in addition to reading these articles, my books and watching my videos I strongly encourage you, particularly women who are interested in learning more about the Earth, to do so from the true and living Earth. You can email me directly at: atlantisbuild@gmail.com and I can strive to connect you with the sisters I know in your respective regions.

Peace,
Saladin