The Sun Lion King Part 2: the Zodiac and Throne of David-Solomon in Ethiopia

Give thanks for Life,

Though it has taken quite some time, I was able to summarize my writings on the Sun Lion King and the Messianic Throne of David some more, to include the zodiac meanings behind the titles and symbols....

One of the most important truths of RasTafari is the claim to His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Sellassie’s Ivinity; or His likeness or true representation of the Messiah King, the Kristos King, Son of God. For the true believer, His Majesty replaces the deities of Abrahamic religion, and is a Real Living Proof of the Godhood or God Head Trinity present in our world in flesh, Irator as Iration.

While most RasTafari expressions of Identity or theology come from the Abrahamic foundation Afrikans were given through slavery, there is a wealth of information showing that the Abrahamic Identity is itself a composite of more ancient Afrikan (embracing all Africa, Middle East and Asia) cultures. By seeing that the Abrahamic religions are composites of ancient religions, and in order to better overstand what they really are about through their origins; we gain more overstanding of exactly what the meaning of the Kristos King is, his purpose, identity and origin (in addition to reclaiming our ancestral root, Sankofa). 

It is better to know more about InI God and King in the heights of this hidden realm which has been buried under religious colonialism for ages. InI can see more dimension, truth and reality to His Majesty’s Ivinity, or His Cosmic birth by learning the secret cosmic meanings of all the Titles and Symbols attributed to the Throne of David-Solomon. These titles give a greater power of proof to the RasTafari stance that the Emperor is the Manifestation of JAH, the heavens, as above so below- the banner of red gold green black, The Lion of Judah, Kristos, the Messenger of Providence, Soldier of the Cross, Son of God, the Messiah of Humanity, a Beacon, a Star in Afrika to point us back to our origin that we may relearn these truths of our DNA. 

This knowledge empowers InI to be free, to be separated from ignorance and idolatry, to be champions of the Natural Right which is both cosmic and terrestrial, Iritual and earthly; that InI be no more slaves to Babylon but free minded, laboring for a higher livity and Wisemind redemption with a firm foundation, knowledgeable not doubting, accountable not slacking, loving not killing. Ultimately learning about the cosmic birth of His Majesty not only brings greater appreciation of HIM as the Messiah through His cosmic birth as Judah, but also more importantly on the day to day living, shows InI that we are all born under stars and signs, and we must pay attention to the months, days, numbers and names which mark our births to learn more about our personalities, strengths and weakness and our experiences, as there is great cosmic relevance in the lives of every man and woman.

(In terms of knowledge that will really help explain astrotheology, I recommend as I mentioned before, The Witness of the Stars by Bullinger and The Light of Egypt by Thomas Burgoyne, as well as watching all Santos Bonacci videos as he speaks on these works, the cosmos and how they are hidden in the Ible and all religion. These works may help ones to really overcome all slave mentalities that encourage us to think that any knowledge of nature is pagan or heretical.  But the REALITY is that nothing we think we know about gods and deities, namely Iyesus Kristos, is without its cosmic allegorical meaning. When it comes to Abrahamic faiths we are dealing with myths and allegories not historical facts.) 

As I mentioned, all the Judeo-Christian Messianic attributes taken from the Judaean House of David and applied to the Ethiopian Negus since the reign of Axumite King Ezana in the fourth century, are linked to cosmic prophecies and cosmic deities. Iyesus Kristos is a figure based on Heru and Osiris and they are sky deities, so we cannot ignore the cosmic history of today's gods and religion. What I am saying here was decoded from all the information  RasTafari already know about Haile Sellassie the First, all the Scriptures we use now to hail HIM Lord and King. The only difference is that I went beyond the church traditions of Jews and Christians back to the origins of religious dogma, the Nile Valley. So without the colonial lens when we view our history, it is clear that His majesty’s Throne was indeed one once crowned in the name of a more astrotheological tradition, so now InI must now take a look at the other side that is yet to be revealed.

The House of David in Ethiopia came from a marriage between fabled King Solomon of Jerusalem and Queen of Ethiopia and Yemen or Saba, Makeda. Their son Menyelek I became the first King of Judah to rule outside of Jerusalem given that his father sent him back to his mother to take her place on the throne, having been given coronation in Jerusalem with the princes of Israel’s twelve tribes. The Kebra Nagast and writings of Kaye Corbett which can be found online, speak more on this historical legend of Ethiopia, Arabia and Israel. Afrika and the Middle East have for a long time shared the Jewish Identity scattered across places like Harar, Timbuktu, Judaea and Saba. Now while the Kebra Nagast says this marriage is how Judaism came to Ethiopia on a state level, Christianity came to Ethiopia on a state level by Frumentius, to the House of Ezana. This was in the same century that the nature of Iyesus Kristos and his gospels were chosen by the Bishops and dispersed around the world. Frumentius was one such "missionary" for the Roman Church whose seat was in Alexandria, Egypt.

Although all kings were now being crowned as the House of Solomon, representing the Lion of Judah (Iyesus Kristos), bearing all the titles and symbols and regalia of the Illuminated King, I am sure that the Lion symbol was used way before Christianity came on the royal scene. It was these kinds of similarities that might have made it easier for Frumentius to convert a worshipper of Mars and other deities. 

Because ancient Kings like Ezana worshipped the cosmos or planets and had their festivities by the signs of the constellations; another similarity that Ezana might have enjoyed was the story of the Mother and Son, and the son’s future success as king.  I have found that Virgo and Leo more than others, are signs or constellations which contributed a lot to the Mother and Son relationships in the Abrahamic tradition, namely the Persona of the Messiah or Great Warrior King, or Son, or David-Solomon dynasty.

While the story is really about the man-child she has, the Mother is the source of his manifestation, the provider of nourishment and of love. Virgo is the Mother, “the Woman in travail to bring forth" in Scripture first depicted by Eve. Eve and her son were the first allegory to symbolize Virgo, as the serpent would bruise the heel of her young son Cain. This is the same Woman and Son of Revelation 12, Genesis 3:15, and  Isaiah 7:14. The Woman’s seed is cursed to battle against Satan, as depicted throughout the life of Israel the chosen seed or sons of Eve, like the Davidic Kings. In the cases of patriarchs like Moses, Samuel, John, Solomon and Iyesus, if you notice in Scripture there is deep bond, a relationship of love and respect between the patriarch-kings-priests-prophets and their mothers. In terms of Judah’s kings, a beloved mother may only be known by a name or a deed, but she was mentioned alongside her son. The most important verses for the Wombman Proverbs 31, carries a legend of being written by a mother for a son, to demonstrate how important the bond was to producing a fruitful kingdom.

Being named “Branch” ( Jer 33:15, Zechariah 3:8) “Servant” “King of Kings” Lion of Judah” “Son” or “Man Child” or “Son of Man” (Genesis revelation 12, 14:14, Isaiah 9:6-7) are instances where David is being linked to the Son that sits upon the Virgin’s or Young Woman’s knee. In the heavenly Virgo the child is a star called COMA. The word Branch is actually a star in Virgo, so the link is not just one that is assumed, David is Virgo’s Son because of the word Branch. He is the Branch of Righteousness.

This bond of mother-son, the Madonna of Christianity, signifies the immaculate conception of the cosmos and earth, the fertility that the month and sign Virgo represents as well, as she is depicted with ears of corn/wheat in her hand; for the harvest is ready to be reaped. Virgo is fertility, the birth of life. Virgo is the Tribe of Asher, who shall “yield royal dainties” in Genesis 49;20. The reaping of what was sown or birthed from her womb is signified by the stars BOOTES or the man who reaps the earth with his sickle in Revelation 14:14-16,18. He is the Coming One, likened to the Branch, the awaited one to judge the earth (ps 96:13) 

Alongside Bootes is Centaurus or Cheiron or the Two Natured one. He is the sufferer, the despised to be wounded by Satan. Here lies the Ivine and Human duality of the Kristos King Iyesus as the Son of David. The two-natured one in this constellation is the sufferer who is sacrificed, being pierced. He is humiliated and then exalted. (Isaiah 53:3) so Virgo as a constellation depicts the life, nature and struggles of the Messiah.

 

Woman with Child, the Madonna, Virgo. Note the nimbus or halo on their heads depicting the Sun deity.

While Virgo deals with the coming prince, his humiliation, suffering at the hand of the serpent who bites; the tribulations of David and his sons; The king (which is really the Sun) is expected to gain the final victory eventually, and this comes from his rising in the sign of Leo, the House of the Sun. Leo is the fierce warrior, the active agent of creation bringing strength, courage and fire. Physically there is abundance and bright flourishing in the earth. All things are ripened by its corona of rays and growing to full maturity. David is a Lion King because he was born of the tribe of Judah which in the Ible was the warrior tribe, the lion tribe of the twelve sons or constellations. Judah became known by David and David by Jesus, being the Righteous Branch, Root and Conquering Lion. The number of the messiah is 5. Leo also is represented by 5 and July 23 is 5.

Leo constellation has four main star groups that give the story of the champion lion. First we have the Lion of Judah himself, rending, angry and reading to tear the head or trample the head of the hydra. Revelation 5:5, Genesis 49:8-10  (His Majesty as King, leader of the Army of Lion warriors)

The Hydra is the second, meaning the “abhorred,” despised enemy of the king that is bound in Revelation 20:2. The hydra is the serpent and the dragon as well, or Satan or winter or cold and the infertility of the earth in these months.  (the Serpent or Hydra or Satan is Mussolini, Rome, Babylon in Revelation prophecy, see the Book National Sunday Law. The war with Italy started and the king had to be exiled as He was bitten and temporarily  wounded by the serpent, this corresponds to Libra-Scorpio. But now in Leo the serpent is to be dealt with the by the Lion, as in the return from exile in 1941.)

The third group of stars is Crater or the cup of pouring out, the wrath, the fire and brimstone. It is also called a bowl Psalm 23, 75:8 and 11:6, Revelation 14:10, 16:9 and 19:20. (The Italian Ethiopian war, the road back to the throne by the Emperor)

Finally is Corvus or the raven, whose natural enemy is the snake. The raven breaks up the hydra, pecks at it – just as in Revelation 19 :17 when the angel calls the birds to the feast after the Lion of Judah, the King of Kings has defeated the enemy. (After the war, and the lion's allies take care of the Serpent's threats, Mussolini's dead body is left for the birds to feast upon. In Italy the people were the ravens, as they came and beat his body for all the bad he had done.)

By knowing the true story behind the constellation of Virgo and Leo especially it is clear that His Majesty's life was indeed like an epic story of Hercules. His entire life was "caught up to the throne of God" the Sun-Lion-King.

For further reading in Scripture focus on the Books of 2 Esdras, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms and Revelation which speak much on this Virgo-Leo identity of David’s lineage.

Overall it cannot be denied that the Ethiopian Throne of David, installed by Emperor Menelik II and Glorified by Haile Sellassie I, manifests true order and power “as above so below”. Two of its most important symbols show this power, the tricolor flag with the lion symbol, and even trinity star symbol; as well as the coat of arms which is covered in symbols that point Leo and Virgo: branches, lions, swords. In addition to the scakes of Libra. In ancint days Libra and Scorpio were part if Virgo. Then  they were separated making twelve constellations. Virgo Leo also corresponds to the Sphinx which speaks on the virgin purity rising from animal nature.

 the Ethiopian Coat of Arms

 

 All these cosmic titles and thrones in the earth are based on the great Cosmic heavens, the Kingdom of God, the vast domain of the Light and Eternal Life – this is the everliving throne of the world that JAH RasTafari sits upon. All humans look to the heavens for Ivine connection and it cannot be denied that to truly overstand religion is to truly overstand cosmic science and its true preoccupation in man’s mind as it is the path to immortality. To Know JAH is to know what is happening all around InI, to overstand why Greco-Roman Babylon is so interested in the heavens and wants us to stay away from such under the threat of paganism and heresy. The Zodiac and the path of the Sun through it, is natural, it is knowing our earth and seasons fully, and seeing this as the blueprint of Jah’s handiwork. Psalm 147:4 and Psalm 89, Isaiah 40:26, Job 9:9, 38:31-2.

Kemet knew the truth and didn’t want Japheth to have it, so they coded it and this code was corrupted and maligned for allthe human race by Greco Roman religious colonization. Now is the time to truly know and see the Most High Livity Law and Light, and to overstand as I said that His Majesty’s cosmic birth is a mirror of all our cosmic births. InI are all Ivine Beings as humans are indeed made of star dust. The cosmos knows itself because of our manifestations, and our patterns under the twelve signs/constellation. And when InI accept our zodiacal balance as part of the key to “know thyself” then InI can see how our destiny is to return to it in purity and to heal all the oppressing ways of flesh, that our physical plane may align and reflect a greater cosmic order.

Love,

Sista Ila

All Natural Dreadlocks Care how to

Blessed love!

I hope that all Sistren and families are blessed!
I myself am doing okay, taking each day at a time and doing what I can - business, house, homeschooling, the whole shebang.

Today I finally was able to wash Nile's dreads and make her look neat for dance class later - they were just looking dry and in need of a good wash! So I decided to just make a simple little tutorial on how to basically care for dreadlocks. What I do for her i also do for myself but I don't make mine neat I just let them dry. I do it for her because our kind of hair clumps together really easily and I didnt want her to have a massive bongo on her head before she was big enough to really manage such a dread. I only make it neat once a month otherwise it is free and wild when washed and she wears her headscarves when out in public anyways. So it's not that I style up her hair all the time. I just separate and oil her dreads when washed.

Note that it is good not to palm-roll or interlock the dreads at all, or more than every four to six weeks. Salon dreads or "manicured" dreads tend to be thinner than free form dreads, and when they become very heavy, like around waist length, they pop at the root. The root must be thick and tight to support the weight pulling against the scalp. Letting thin weak ones join or fuse will help, as well as tying it up or having a good regular cleaning and oiling regimen. The breakage is inevitable if your roots are not thick enough though.

 Caring for your dreads naturally or in an ital way,  is the best way to go: spring water, aloe vera gel, rosemary water, lime/lemon and natural soap are all you need for the softest cleanest healthiest strongest dreadlocks. Of course I know that most just have to make do

with what you can get readily in your neighbourhood, but it's best to go all natural and forget the commercial shampoos that have cancer causing agents in them.

I use raw Afrikan black soap for both skin and body. It's just a brown-black bar that you tear a piece off of when you are ready. it is water soluble as well.  Black soap you can get at your local rasta culture shop or an afrikan shop! But if you don't have access to buying blacksoap locally and would prefer to order a ready made product I recommend a nice all natural shampoo made by MyCoCreations - it's called Cleanie gel. You can use that for body or hair and you can choose what ingredients you want to add, and it's really affordable and works excellent for an all natural product! I've been using the last of mine of Nile's hair since I got a big chunk of blacksoap.
In trinidad you can get raw blacksoap at various spots in port of spain and at Kamara's culture shop in chaguanas. It costs $25TT per bar or for whole sale about $125 TT which is a great deal!
Same goes for the essential oils - you can get your olive and coconut oil in the grocery and you can
also get the essential oils like lavender, peppermint, tea tree and almond oil from a pharmacy in small glass bottles most times - under $20TT each! otherwise you can just order a bottle of each online and then make a blend and voila you have hair and body oil! your supplies will last by blending.

one more tip I forgot to mention in this tutorial is the aromatherapy scalp rinse - for adults of course because it can burn the eyes and kids wont like it! For a non burning rinse, steep a big bunch of fresh rosemary ( keep a plant for your dread! ) when cool, throw over scalp and dreads that have been washd.  In a big cup of water put 2 drops of rosemary, peppermint or lavender or tea tree oil - no more or it will burn and wont be a pleasant tingle! Pour over scalp, squeeze out water from dreads and wrap in towel turban style. Sit for a while doing nothing or something very quiet while the tingling works on the scalp and opens up your sinuses. I love it!

So here is my tutorial:

JAH Love
Ila

Fasting

Greetings,

I know there are Sistren out there who are taking up various types of fasts for various reasons - whether it's a food fast or unhealthy habit or person or place fast. Fasting isn't easy, but it's worthwhile, so in the Irit of supporting the Sistren who are fasting, or are thinking of fasting, or want to know more about it, I offer another one of my writings from the Book of Ises:

(17) Fasting

Like Giving Ises in song, music and dance; fasting is one of the most powerful tools of the Irit against the Carnal body and carnal-minded mentalities. Fasting awakens a whole new relationship or gateway of communication between JAH and Man/Wombman; and empowers humanity with self-preservation and endurance in any entrapment or tribulation.

The Fetha Nagast says: “fasting is abstinence from food, and is observed by man at certain times determined by law, to attain forgiveness of sins and much reward, obeying thus the one who fixed the law. Fasting also serves to weaken the force of concupiscence so that the body may obey the rational soul” (Strauss 2002, 93).

This last sentence is a pinnacle tenet of fasting. Fasting is a method or double-edged sword used to gain Iritual strength, or energy to command the body and mind by the Irit’s Will of Righteousness. Fasting denies “My Self” to gain the “I Self.” This power is gained by the most important part of fasting which is to control the carnal appetite, with the rational mind or soul. The body is driven into a state of denial of all sustenance so it may resist the carnal appetite and temptation when it arises. Fasting is a personal vow to do better, as through fasting one forcefully purges the body of bad and unhealthy habits and mind-sets.

By fasting, basically the Irit conquers the carnal, or the God conquers the animal instinct. Fasting means that the false-ego and carnal appetite for anything unholy or unhealthy - like unhealthy foods and fetishes, gluttony, envy, revenge, fornication, acts of rage, hate, violence and crime - are severely brought under hand.

Fasting is preparation for the fight against temptation, craving, lusts, addictions and so on. Therefore fasting aims to deliver the mind and body from the temptations or physical pleasures of everything negative or sinful. After fast, one should be mentally and physically stronger, having built up Will over the body, so that I-Self can then be fed with more honourable, upright daily thoughts, habits and influences.

Next to the dreadlocks covenant, Ital Living is the biggest fast in RasTafari life. Ital requires that which is only good and natural to and for the body. Nothing foreign to the five elements of earth, air, water, fire and Irit – by which the Earth and Her children were formed – are to be imbibed or digested by the mind and body. Ital is an everyday Livity or way of life, but building up the longevity to live Ital can only come through the act of fasting and conscious denial of cravings and Babylonian culture.

Carrying out the conscious act of fast means that little food is eaten during and after fasting time. During fasting no food or water is taken, but after the allotted fasting time is over each day, some eat only fruits and vegetables natural juices and water, while some like Ethiopians take only a little bread and water. Usually meat and animal products are totally omitted during the season of fast for the Ethiopian Hebrew Nazirene. Ital takes that flesh fast into an everyday routine. Fasting can be used to help eliminate sweets, processed and bleached goods, meat and animal/dairy products from one's livity, obeying the Commandments to love all and refrain from killing.

Fasting therefore involves restricting our “diets” on two levels: no food is eaten until the allotted fasting hours or days are up; and bad foods are fasted from after the period of fasting is over because the mind and Irit have more will, knowledge and control over the carnal ego and addiction. Fasting is used to bring the body back to an Ital First Creation Perfection (Eden), where it is fed with only natural foods and utilizes its energy and mind optimally.

Fasting is therefore the act of purge or elimination – but the elimination of more than just unhealthy foods. Fasting is about eliminating negativity, unkindness; about confessing wrongs, baring one's shame in the Face of JAH. It is brings an overall washing and cleansing away of sins; emptying that negativity which is burdensome to self and others. The faithful eliminate and repent because they want forgiveness and a fresh start. The Ethiopian Orthodox fast regularly, suffering as Krist suffered in His honour; afflicting themselves so they can emotionally, physically and mentally draw closer to Him. When the conscience and body are made lighter by such fasting, one has room for reasoning and enlightenment. Instruction, guidance, forgiveness, light, love and positive vibrations of Kristos, JAH RasTafari may now flow in and be received by a ready mind and heart. Fasting in this sense kind of symbolizes a phoenix that rises in splendour from the ashes. It is ultimately therefore for a good cause to the faithful as it brings peace and joy to the mind, body and Irit.

In Scripture, it is evident that in addition to proclaiming or speaking one's Ises with song and poetry, the higher level of worship is fasting. Fasting is for those who are desperate for deliverance from tribulation, or simply want to praise the Lord and catch Yahweh’s/Jahovah’s/Yesus Kristos’ favour or prophetical guidance. Fasting was used by the Ancients in response to both the good and the bad; but more so it represented their hope and faith in deliverance. Fasting is thus the energy and action that accompanies our prayers, especially when we seek help or are repentant.

Fasting is thus the ritual of supplication. Drawing references, Daniel 9:3 says that fasting accompanies prayer and supplication. Psalm 35:13 mentions that fasting humbles our souls so our affliction is returned to us as a blessing. Joel 2:12 says that we should turn to JAH with all our heart, with fasting and mourning. Ezra, Mordecai and Esther showed that fasting is a part of any petition we carry to JAH through the Covenant, and is more powerful in unity and numbers. Every First Monday and Wednesday of the month is a fast in the Bobo Shanty house, and all come together in the camp to reason on the Ible, give Ises, partake of communal sacrament and share positive vibes and love with the youths. Communal Fast carries the peace and sanctity of Sabbath within.

The Nazirite Vow which is a major part of the Bobo priesthood, is a fast in itself, and was probably used during times of fasting in ancient Israel. One fasts from vanity by not cutting the hair, one fasts from defilement of the body and Irit with death or dead flesh, and one fasts from means of intoxication which invite lusts and sin. It is therefore fair to say that the entire trod of Rastafari, by the vow taken in growing the dreadlocks, is about fasting from Babylon every day. Fasting is a ritual professing and invoking the power of this separation from wickedness. Fasting is one of the ways to grow closer to His Imperial Majesty and to also ready and prepare ones to repatriate home as a New Jahrusalem – cleansed of the old ways of Babylon, no longer oppressed by the evils therein.

Ezra, who was responsible for one of the first major repatriations to the Old Jerusalem City, is a prophet that showed the importance of humility and gratitude for such favours by means of fasting and beseeching JAH with prayer. In his case, it was about asking JAH for some form of protection and guidance : “Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.” (Ezra 8:21-23).

Binding the Nazirite vow and ritual of fasting therefore is the pledge of humility before JAH. It certainly is an important character for one who is fasting to naturally possess. In fact, learning humility is a fast in itself because one is forced to be disciplined enough to enjoy less and be strong-willed against carnal, ungodly desire. In general, fasting achieves purity through Iritual education, humility and abstinence. Hence humility conquers vanity, and fasting also conquers vanity, even through a Nazirite vow. During the time of Ises and in fasting, it is mandatory that one's vanity or ego be checked. We do not need to be adorned with jewellery, shoes, watches, anything else ornamental, or money.

It is also important for ones to abstain from thinking of sex during worship and fasting - to tune out the carnal senses and focus only on the spiritual. It is not possible to praise the Living JAH Who asks us to be holy as He is holy; with intercourse, dwelling on physical appearances, money, flesh and blood like “pagans” are known for doing. Fasting is therefore an extension of the lifestyle of the Law, as Isra’el must be strong enough to consistently refrain from these lusts for prolonged periods. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church observes these same principles according to the Fetha Nagast:


"No one shall wear ornaments on those [fast] days; woman shall put aside their ornaments. Everyone must avoid lying down with his wife during the Lenten fast and the Holy Week, because our redemption and the forgiveness of our sins occurred during this period. It is an act contrary to the law of marriage for one spouse to stay near the other in bed during the Lenten fast. Woe to him who commits this sin in the days of the Holy Week. If we will fulfil our will in pleasure in the Holy Lenten fast, where then will be our joy to see the resurrection? And fasting does not consist merely of taking bread and water only; the fast which is acceptable before God is living in purity of heart. If the body is hungry and thirsty, but the soul eats whatever it likes and the heart is entirely given to delights, what benefit derives from your fast?" (Fetha Nagast Strauss, 2002, p. 96).

Finally, fasting is not something that is to be seen by anybody but JAH. It is not something we boast about, or openly show-off. It is not something to be done in the open so that people will look upon you in pity and awe. Appear as normal but let it be that in your mind and heart, you are suffering through a conscious denial of vice, or searching your way through a deep supplication unto JAH. “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:16-18).

Being a humble supplication, atonement or affliction, fasting is therefore a personal transaction between man or woman and JAH. If one is to share the journey of fasting, it is with the humble intent to fellowship, to inspire or enlighten someone else.

It is important to remember, that by moderating material things, fasting allows every individual to develop their will to accomplish all things through JAH, not by ego or reliance in man and idols or “things.”

Fasting regenerates the body, improves body functions; and increases wisdom and intuition.

I really hope this was informative and inspiring,

Blessed Heart of Sabbath coming,
Sis. Ila

An Introduction to Ital: The Original Way of Man and Wombman

 Ital is the Rastafari Word for Vital, Natural, Pure, Unprocessed, JAH-Made - not MAN-made. It is one of the most important components of the RasTa trod and identity, being the way in which I and I love, purify and rejuvenate the land and ourselves - mind, body and Irit. Ital replaces "diet" as it contains the word "die." In fact, diet is what Babylon does, and Ital is what Rastafari live by.

Ital is the substance and essence of Eden - the First Creation - it represents the Earth and Creation or "Mother Nature" before the children of men learned the art of manipulating natural resources from the Watchers (the fallen angels who lusted after the daughters of mankind and created the Giant race such as Anak, Og, Goliath).

Think about the Garden of Eden at the time of Creation - it was a rain forest watered by four rivers, nestled in the heart of Afrika - the Nile Valley region - the land of Kham, Kush and Kemet. The animals were peaceful, and dwelled in harmony. The plants, trees, bugs and the birds were untouched, unharmed and allowed to flourish in a clean environment. Life was perfect, it was good. And in that perfection, was the circle of life, or the food chain - but flesh was not on that menu! "Adam and Eve" and the rest of the animals were given the green herbs as their "meat" their "daily bread." They were vegetarians, peace-dwellers.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day (Genesis 1:29-31 New King James Version).

The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.  And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food....Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2: 8-9, 15-17)

Ital is therefore the original way of nourishment and eating, the cultural ideals of the First Peoples, who lived on spring water, fruits and fruit juices, vegetables, herbs, flowers, barks and roots. There were no "snacks" unless you count honey, and fruits like pineapple or berries. Nothing was prepackaged only preserved through natural processes. This way of living was natural to Man and Wombman, it was embedded in their DNA - there was no other way to survive but to till the land and reap the harvest of the fields, vineyards and gardens. 

(I often go outside of the "Holy Bible" or Ible, to find more information on the Hebrews and the True Way of Life for the Prophets, Priests and Kings - but also because the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is based upon more Spiritual Literature than the Ible - there are 81 books instead of 66, and there are also other texts that contribute to Eastern Church or oral traditions, like the original Torah, Apocrypha and Dead Sea Scrolls. There is also the Book of Jasher, and the Book of Jubilees, and the Forgotten Books of Eden - they hold all the family history of the Israelites from the time of Adam.)

The Book of Jubilees gives more insight on the day-to-day living at the time of Eden:

 And in the first week of the first jubilee, [1−7 A.M.]  Adam and his wife were in the garden of Eden for seven years tilling and keeping it, and we gave him work and we  instructed him to do  everything  that is suitable for tillage. And he tilled (the garden), and was naked and knew it not, and was not ashamed, and he protected the garden from the birds and beasts and cattle, and gathered its fruit,  and eat, and put aside the residue for himself and for his wife [and  put aside that which was being kept].    (The Book of Jubilees Chapter 3:15-16)

Although it was against the DNA or genetic make-up of Man and Wombman to kill and eat flesh, meat was introduced into the human diet very early on, as the sons of men and Giants multiplied in the Earth. At the time of Noah, the Earth was so far gone and defiled in its carnal obsessions such as flesh, blood, wine, adornment, sexual intercourse, idols and sacrifices; that all had to be destroyed. And after the flood, Noah and his tribe had to be fed - his three sons were married and had children already. As the animals multiplied, their offspring were taken as food to feed the growing nations. But with that taking, came the ritual of sacrifice - ones had to give thanks for the life of the animal, and ask its blessing before ending its life.  The Israelites were in Leviticus Chapter 11, given strict orders on what types of flesh were forbidden and allowed, clean and unclean to the body and Irit.

In today's world, Babylon, the ritual order and selection of flesh are lost traditions because the vanities and creativity of mankind have continuously developed new ideals and societies. Such progression keeps us moving farther and farther away from our true selves. Unclean meats like pork and shell-fish  are consumed daily with zeal -  but they [respectively] are heavily polluted with hormones and mercury and other sea pollutants, so though it may taste good, the long-term effects are tragic. And it is selfish to neglect the other living beings that are suffering too - habitats and animal species have been avidly destroyed era after era, as the world changed and shifted under the weight of population and economic growth. Mother Nature's population has significantly declined, She has lost many kinds of children.

Today, mankind has reached an all-time low (at least in my opinion), because it has taken that God-given Lordship over the Earth, too far. Man has wrought all kinds of abominations against his very own creation or nature or root. He transforms his sex and she her bodily proportions. All kinds of wild animals are hunted as "delicacies," killing off entire species. Forests like the Amazon are being destroyed day by day to provide paper, wood and other materials. Seas are polluted by oil, and fecal matter, while top soils are being eroded by toxic surface water run-off as more concrete structures go-up. Domesticated animals are raised in pens and injected with hormones which give them cancer. The bad soil and infected meats contribute to the cancers and other illnesses that men and women suffer from alike. Herbs are mixed with toxic chemicals to created medicines and vaccinations that fail to cure disease, and often make the body ill. Seeds are grafted to produce crops with their own built-in pesticides, and likewise carry little nutritional value. In fact, most soils, foods, medicines and toiletries today are poisonous to the skin and body, and have significantly reduced the lifespan of humans over the years. Years of using toxic products bring up all kinds of damage in older age. Food culture has also changed, and fresh produce which holds all the nutrients is cooked and killed, and made into a "side dish" instead of the main course.   "Fast food" is preferred to home-grown, home-cooked food, causing obesity and diabetes in young and old. The list of damages is endless, the Original Livity and Glory forgotten as the human race exists at sub-par, blinded by the shiny things, and pretty reflections.

I am sure I speak for Rastafari when I say that Babylon has changed the order of Man and Wombman, displacing Human Nature in pursuit of riches and development. 

And even though it seems impossible to pin-point, this fact-filled book by J. Herer, "The Emperor Wears No Clothes" shows that most of the damage came when American businessmen decided to push their new products (nylon, cotton, GMOs, alcohol, tobacco) and ban personal cultivation of the hemp plant which once supplied all American family and military needs. Along with the oppression of the "Eighth Wonder of the World" governments rigorously controlled the production and distribution of crops with trade laws, the pharmaceutical market, and the divide of town and country, upper and lower class. 

But along with the loss of health and Original Tradition, comes the loss of Human I-Consciousness, Spirituality and Harmony with Creation. Bodies are ill, and so are the minds and the souls. All three components of man are clouded over by vanity, chemical addiction and the slave-like pursuit of meaningless things, and worship of people - celebrities - who are in fact portraying what is wrong and abominable. They are the new age idols. 

All of these realities contribute to the slave life and slave mentality or culture, that Rastafari breaks away from. Rastafari is a journey to building back the ancient connection to JAH in Mother Nature, and the freeing of the mind from idolatry and carnal lusts and vanities. Balance is returned, Rationale is embraced. The Return of the I-Consciousness comes when Man and Wombman find back their connection with the Ivine Earth, and the other elements of fire, Irit, air and water. Union with the elements is union with the Seven Sacred Chakras or Irit-Energy pathways, a marriage that heals the senses, mind and soul. That means that all processed, toxic, shelf foods and beauty products are "kicked to the curb." Ital says no to the vaccinations, the shampoos, conditioners, relaxers, lotions, tampons, the fake tans, the alcohol, the pharmaceuticals, birth control, the corporations, the moral indiscretions...

 ***

My humble reasoning on Ital principles of Rastafari will continue as I branch into Ital recipes, the Alkaline Blood balance, the Nazirite and Tree of Life origins of Ital Livity.

Stay in touch and feel free to leave your contributions on Ital, there's an endless wealth of information out there and  this is the place to share it!

Bless!

Sistah Ila