Empress Menen Asfaw's Early Life and Marriages

 Greetings Beloved,

These  two posts can be found on www.farifacts.com, but the information definitely belongs here for the benefit of all sistren seeking to learn more about the Empress Menen Asfaw. It is a brief summary of Her earlier life leading up to her marriage to Tafari Makonnen.

Woyzero Menen Asfaw was born April 3rd 1891 in Egua at the mountain fortress Ambassel, located in the Wollo district of Ethiopia. She was born to noble parents, Jantirar Asfaw Ali and Woyzero Sehin Mikael who was the daughter of the famed King Mikael of Wollo, father of Lidj Iyasu. She had a brother Haile Maryam Asfaw. Much of Her Wollo family carried an Islamic background which was then converted to Orthodox Tewahedo Christianity. Their family line can be traced back to the Prophet Mohammed.

As a young girl Menen, whose name denotes Her beauty and high esteem, was educated at home by tutors. She was taught to read Amharic letters, cotton spinning, household management and childcare.

Throughout Her life Menen was devoted to Her faith. She loved going to church with Her mother and women of Her community. Like many young Tewahedo girls of Her time Menen had crosses tattooed on Her hands.
From an early age, 9 years old, in the year 1900, Menen was married by civil contract (an arranged marriage organized by family for the purpose of economic/political/social alliances), becoming Woyzero (Mrs.) Menen. She had her first child at age eleven. In Her first marriage to Dejazmatch Ali of Cherecha She had two children a boy Jantirar Asfaw Ali and a girl Balaynesh Ali. 

This marriage ended in divorce and She wed again to Dejazmatch Amede Ali Aba-Deyas; having another boy and girl, Jantirar Gebre Egziabeher Amede and Desta Amede. 

Both husbands were prominent Wollo nobles. Her second husband died suddenly and Her grandfather Negus Mikael arranged for Her to marry a Shoan noble Ras LeulSeged Atnafseged. This marriage was annulled, however, so that She could marriage Dejazmatch Tafari Makonnen when She was 20 years old, which was Her first marriage officiated in the Orthodox Church.
Her four children were left in the care of their fathers' families, as in Ethiopian custom, only children under the age of 5 were allowed to stay with their mothers after a divorce.

These children however, continued to be close to the monarchy in later years, and were given prestigious marriages and so on. The Empress had the benefit of having all of her children in her life.

---

Dejazmatch Tafari Makonnen at a young age was first married briefly to Woyzero Altayech and had one daughter Princess Romanework Haile Sellassie. This was a civil contract marriage, which was a very popular custom in Ethiopia back then, where families would arrange unions between their children before they came of age, for the purpose of making social, economic and political alliances. These civil marriages could be annulled if the families did not wish to renew their contracts. The second type of traditional marriage was conducted by the Tewahedo Orthodox Church when the bride and groom were of consenting age. A civil union was not recognized by the Church. Woyzero Menen also was married under civil contracts three times before She wed Dejazmatch Tafari in the Church. She had four children from those unions. The Church did not recognize Their previous marriages.
On July 27th (or possibly 29th) 1911 at the age of 19 when He was Governor of Harar, Dejazmatch Tafari was legally wed to Woyzero Menen Asfaw (aged 20) in Harar as organized by Her uncle Lidj Iyasu (heir the throne). Their marriage was arranged, but it was a love match. It was observed by Her uncle that She and Tafari, his cousin, had a natural rapport and deep attraction to one another.
For the marriage ceremony Woyzero Menen travelled 45 days to Harar from Addis Abeba to meet Her future husband. Their official marriage followed traditional Tewahedo custom: they were both robed in the “Cloak of unity,” exchanged their wedding bands, anointed with the holy anointing oil and crowns were placed on their heads. Then They took the matrimonial oath and received Their first holy sacrament of Communion as a married couple.
It was believed that an official Ethiopian marriage which was in tuned with the Most High’s will and favour, would be blessed with children, material abundance and a strong spiritual foundation. These three blessings were granted to Emperor Haile Sellassie I and Empress Menen Asfaw throughout Their marriage which lasted over fifty years. They had a home filled with love, peace and adoration abundantly shared among Their six children and many many grandchildren.
Upon the Empress’ passing on Febreuary 15 1962, His Majesty commended Her great spirit and the peaceful union They shared as husband and wife:
“All of you knew her well but she was more intimately known by I. She was devoutly religious and did not lose her faith even in the time of hardship. During the memorable days of Our companionship We never had differences that needed the intervention of others. As Sarah was to Abraham, so was she obedient to I. Our wishes were mutual until we were separated by the Almighty. Her assistance for the good of the young, the old and the needy requires no testimony for they are greater than thoughts and words.
We have been extremely pleased to live long enough in the perfect union that enabled us to see our offspring, our grandchildren and our great grandchildren. We are thankful to the Almighty for having vouchsafed to us that long uninterrupted union which is not very common in the world today: There could be no more profound prayer for I to utter.
In spite of Our utmost efforts efforts to save her life in her time of illness, she was overtaken by the fate of Adam and passed away.”

Sources: The Biography of Empress Menen Asfaw The Mother of the Ethiopian Nation by Anjahli Parnell and

www.jah-rastafari.com/ selassie-words/show-jah-word.asp?word_id=pass_menen

Ital is Vital for The Being of the I

Hail Sistren,

I am finally putting my ipad blogger app to good use, and will be making the time late at night or early morning to post more. I have never stopped wanting to post, just using the computer was inconvenient, so now it is convenient I will try my best to be more consistent and with Their Idance and Blessing, put JAH works out there for the nation!

Because I really have no more to post on the actual rules and regulations of RasTafari for Dawtas, and because it is more critical to InI Nation to cater to the internal livity as much as the external appearance and ways, I feel motivated to keep sharing my own journey and inspirations (information) to obtain a better quality of life, a life that that reflects my passions, goals and needs, one that attracts them in fortune, one that is healthy and free from illness, worries and bad vibes. I see true ital Livity as a holistic cause and effect. I believe that if InI all could focus on our health and how we treat ourselves Irit mind and body, and truly see ourselves as small active units of the Iniverse, that RasTafari on a whole could vibrate at a higher, more unified level of Kristos Consciousness. 

I have always seen Sistren online post their partially or totally raw livity for years but to trod it Iself now in more fullness is a great feeling. I thank you all for being there keeping the strength that others would one day know themselves. Being vegan or Ital as RasTa, doesn't always mean eating enough fresh foods so as I break away from old eating habits I am replacing them with new ones, with more information. I have been more aware of how electric or live foods feed the melanin and the actual light centres and life current of the body.

So in my posts, and through my Instagram page @ItalAfrika, i am for now focusing on healing the body temple through Ital and over standing the body as part of nature's cycles. Overstanding the rhythms that all huemans are bound to helps InI to overstand our behavior and character better. 

As I have been  eliminating  processed foods and sugar I have been eating more raw or Sunfired foods, and i have been creating a lot of fresh meals and seeing how they directly relate to how and what I real-eyes, think and feel and manage overall daily. I feel a higher vibration within my heavens, a permanent shift in positive power. 

 So really and truly, knowing how connected huemans are to the plant world through light/colour and elements, is the first real healing, the true submission to Ital Livity. And enhancing or healing the temple by Ital Livity is the first true way to attain Ivinity consciousness, to see oneself in union with JAH, for the temple houses the Irit, and must therefore be a sound natural vessel to attract and direct the forces of Nature. This brings to mind theGnostic  Gospels of Peace, which can be found online.

For  a Dawta to feel good about herself, for her to manage all the million tasks she must fulfill in a day, for her to be inspired, inspiring and creative, she must be balanced within her temple. Her mind and heart and lungs and bowels and womb must be right and in working order. Her daily flow must be smooth and powerfully graceful. To really be a Goddess she must act, think, look, talk and eat like a Goddess. Every Dawta deserves to have control of her life and vibes, and this control I have seen for my own self, starts within, if the internal is functioning, she immediately has more power and will to rise and conquer in her queendom, and navigate all that comes her way with WiseMind and confidence. She will not be brought low by wickedness, but evolve in her own shining path.

So whether seeking mental clarity and inspiration, or healing the womb for the purpose of easier moon cycles, or treating cysts or infertility if a Dawta has those issues, true Ital Living will give the entire mind and body temple a rejuvenation, clarity, light and love. In order to Prevent or heal any female issues or illnesses (and even a headache is disease)  or emotional and psychological issues, a lot of work must be done on self, on mind, on what a Dawta thinks says and does on a daily basis: moods and works, attitudes and desires. She must command in her lifestyle and presence, Positive vibes only, and it starts with her personal cultivation of such. 

And I do hope that the kings who read this will see that you yourself are responsible too, for taking care of yourself and for seeing to it that your wife and daughter, the wombs in your home, are being loved. Are the wombman in your life happy? What is your role in their current physical, mental and emotional state? Are you providing the right idea of health and livity in your home by your own principles and actions? Dawtas too, how are we influencing our kings and yutes based on how we feel inside on a daily basis? Are we nurturing and being nurtured? Or are we abusing ourselves and others by not taking the right care or feeling like we are neglected?  if I may so bold as to make an observation, our overall use of marijuana as man and wombman, smoothes over issues with a false sense of progress, but does not heal or correct them. A bun takes troubles away but doesn't fix them, unless what you resolve in your mind you can actually manifest later... In fact overuse of marijuana can itself feed unhealthy habits like alcohol, sugar and flour cravings, and defer Ital principles in the moment. so InI must overall know that we must be truly responsible and not overlook every area in the temple that needs improvement. InI must focus on being healed and being in control and not controlled by any type of abuses.

These Iditations send us all in the right direction, for if the answers are bad, InI can be inspired to achieve better, to have a healthy happy unified home, to taste Salvation or Ivinity, to have a healed and pure state of consciousness, the state of Kristos, of wellness and illumination. Ital Livity is the true healing of the nation! It is our way of achieving the principles InI Sight in Jah RasTafari Haile Sellassie I Menen Asfaw I! 

Love and Power to the I

heal ThySelf and believe that it is your destiny, the way to Light Love and Life Itinual

Ila

Words of Advice for the Seeking Dawtas

Hail all Dawtas of His and Her Imperial Majesties JAH RasTafari!

Give thanks and Ises for life health and strength to carry on each and every day no matter the trial or tribulation!

I wanted to give an Iditation for the Dawtas who are new to RasTafari, who are coming into this Livity because they are in love with a man who says he is a RasTa man, who want to know how to please him, what he expects and how they should act and dress as a RasTa Wombman. This post is ideally a review of reasonings I made a while back about Marriage and Livity…

If there is one truth that I think InI can all agree upon, it is that “every man do his thing a little but different,” if you know the reggae. And even though InI may all call ourselves RasTafari, and may know the same principles and guidelines and share similar ideals, InI are never the same. Though InI all can access the same information on the Order whether it is from elders or in books or on sites such as RasTa Wifeline – when it comes to Livity and marriage between one and one, raising the youths and so on, every man do his thing a little bit different. And from that, a Dawta must know that what she is really seeking to know is how to balance the cultural ideals of RasTafari with what works for her and her kingman in their own personal space. This is realistic, because no one as much as they would like to believe, follows the Tenets and Livity perfectly. A Dawta must see that she can take a word sound from books like the Bible and Feta Nagast, she can observe the Livity of others, she can take a reasoning from another sistren; but at the end of the day, a Dawta must pay attention to her own man and how he does his thing. How she must please him, is based on what he likes and what his personality responds to. 

How does he do his thing? Is he an honest man, does he live up to his word, does he only do things to get a reward from you? Is he a hard worker, and does he deal fairly with people and money? How does he keep his space and his possessions? What does he like to do in his free time? What are his friends like? What are the kinds of things that he would say, and truly mean? How does he do his thing? Is it a positive energy or negative most of the time? What makes him angry? What makes him happy? How does he respond to stress or ignorance? 

And to a Dawta I would say have a serious heart to heart with yourself: Do you really feel in your gut that you can trust him with your life and heart? Oftentimes, at heart we feel that certain moves another makes doesn’t rest well with us, and we ignore that feeling that something wasn’t right with them, until “the shit hits the fan.” Then when everything is a mess you decide to be real with yourself that you should have known better. Too many Dawtas experience this feeling of not listening to themselves or listening to the pattern or history of the man they wish to be with. Don’t overlook the warning signs just because a bredren can deliver knowledge or is charismatic. Men in general have a tendency to always get what they want by any means necessary in this day and age, and women need to be more mature about who they allow to take possession of their mind and heart and body. SERIOUSLY> InI are the ones left with the babies to raise alone and the cycle must stop! 

There are so many things to consider about the person you think you are spending your life with, and it is important overall, to know and consider these things about yourself, ask yourself these questions, think about what you put out there, and how you are treated by others> What are their opinions of you? What are your weaknesses or flaws? What or who do you need to leave behind in your old life as you enter in RasTafari Royalty? Are you moving on and making a new kingdom and is he? Do you think that you can represent this man as his queen, and do you think he represents you well as your king? How well can and will you serve him and the princes and princesses of your womb? Have you talked about this, and what kind of parent will he make for your children? How do you think you both will manage the stresses of parenthood?

Knowing how to serve your kingman and be good wife is ideally all wrapped up in the two of you and how hard you love one another, care for one another and truly raspect one another, edify one another. So to please a man or to be a wife, a wombman needs to really figure out how he operates and how she responds, how she operates and how he responds. Is there a true companionship, a true gelling of souls? 

It is important to really be with someone who you know would give his life to protect you and his children. You should feel confident and secure that he is a true man of honour like Emperor Haile Sellassie I. If you want to really see a Man of Morality, take in the book called The Mission and the many many photographs of the King and see how He carried His family with Him always and was very close with them, how they were His life as much as Ethiopia. In exile He relied on family to keep HIM going because They faced racism and poverty in Britain and from Italy and other countries. He never left them behind in any way and did His best to ensure that they were well taken care of and stayed on the moral path. A kingman therefore at his lowest point, can rest assured that when he has been treating his family with love all along, he knows that he can rely on them for anything in his time of need. The yutes and a beautiful kind wife will be his treasure and joy.

Empress Menen also teaches through Her lifetime that a wife must be the confidante and best friend of her King. She must be the one who is his deputy, his MVP. She will never reveal his secrets. Who remembers what he might forget, who boosts his confidence and treats him kindly and raspects his wishes. The Empress shared Her King’s vision and She worked hard alongside Him and saw them come to fruition, as One. A Dawta likewise should embrace the motherly attention that her kingman needs from her even though she is his woman and not his mother or maid, by ensuring the homespace is clean, sacred and well stocked and prepared for her king. It is His sanctuary, where he does his resting, deep thinking, relaxing, planning, and love-making. It must be the place he longs to be when he isn’t there, to see the people who make him the happiest in life. and it his duty to ensure that his castle is being kept well, that what needs repairing gets fixed. A Dawta will clean but when things get broken she wants her king to take charge of the home. Keep your sanctuary in running order. Dawtas, choose a king who takes pride in his appearance and his environment.

I find it also helps to be realistic and accept that how your kingman “does his thing” may not always be perfect, and in the cleanest or most organized or successful or efficient way. No one is perfect at all, so it is good to know whether you can live with someone as they are, and be willing to pick up the slack for them and not be judgmental about it for the rest of your life – or not. No one can live up to all your expectations and it is good to recognize and love them for what they do give you and what they try to fulfil. It is good to separate harmless flaws from dangerous or wicked intentions. 

It is also good to be with someone who is willing to give you everything they can and whom you feel to give your all as well. It isn't everyday all the time that we can do this, because InI all have highs and lows, but truly our general acts of partnership should be willing and abundant. Often I find it better to learn to pick our battles and to allow others the same freedoms we want for ourselves – mainly to be who we are and to be free to be imperfect with overstanding from others. People can mature and change over time but it has to be genuinely their own evolution, it cannot be forced upon them. Being with Someone who inspires you to grow and who also grows strong and wise in this way is a marriage that will be firm forever! 

Now I know that aside from these things, when most Dawtas are seeking Fari Livity they just generally want to know the tradition of the RasTafari Wife, or the “Orthodoxy of RasTafari,” meaning the tenets and way of life that is specific to InI. They want to know so they can be authentic, and can be especially on the physical level, a true empress for their king. They also want to know what he will expect from them, and more importantly, why he expects all these changes and restrictions on their part. And Most Of All-All they want to know how to fit in when they go to a Yard for Binghi or Gathering or Groundation. The need to blend and be accepted by a kingman's people is a very intense and urgent need that often rushes the process of rising into RasTafari. InI end up doing things, and letting go of things because InI don't want to be judged or outcast.

Some Dawtas are smart enough to know they their king doesn’t know enough about Dawta Livity, so they must find out through others. This generally leads ones to Mansion Livity, to the more religious traditions that have shaped the way RasTafari man and woman interact in the home and at groundings.

On this website I have provided reasoning on what I have been taught to be the foundation principles of RasTafari through elder Bobo priests and their wives. I have included however, a more detailed look at these principles with I have learned through diligent study of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures the Holy Bible – KJV, Aprocrypha – Good News Translation, the Gnostic Book of the Holy Twelve, Book of Peace, the Ethiopian Book of Jubilees, the Book of Jasher, the Kebra Nagast and Feta Nagast and so on. 

My scope is therefore not limited to the Bible but generally is aimed to prove the “Ethiopian-Hebrew” or Judeo-Christian roots of both Ethiopia and RasTafari in the Caribbean, to show how much RasTafari has aligned theologically and culturally to the Biblical and Ethiopian Israelites or Jews or Christians, and how much Emperor Haile Sellassie I fulfills all prophecies of the King of Judah or Messianic Redeemer. All in All RasTafari have seen a true and clear connection and thus adopted the “Joseph” or “Ephraim” or “scattered” “exiled” Ten Tribe of Israel tradition which appoints the Head of Judah to lead the way back home. Or it could be as it is in my opinion that there was only ever truly a historical House of Yehuda or Judah in the olden days, which is said to have moved to Palestine from India, or that the names of Indian places were used to write the Bible. 

In this tradition InI see ourselves as the lost sheep who have been found (fulfilled April 1966) and reclaimed to New Jerusalem the “New Flower” (repatriation to the landgrant of Shashemene and the EWF,by seat of the throne Addis Abeba), by the Root of David King Selah. In acknowledging I-Majesty’s strong Judeo-Christian background and livity, as detailed in the Feta Nagast and Bible,  means that the identity of this religion has a huge part to play in how RasTafari Dawtas act and dress and how they are treated by their husbands. Empress Menen has always served, alongside of Ethiopian and Afrikan wombman as the Ideal in which InI Dawtas of captivity reclaim the Afrikan Identity. 

So if one is looking to know how to be RasTafari Wife in the Judeo-Christian sense that it would serve to read the Old Testament, namely Genesis to Deuteronomy, and the Pauline Books namely 1 Corinthians, also 3 Colossians, 1 Timothy. I have listed a number of other Biblical verses that I have condensed at the top of the Blog in various posts.

So in terms of what a Dawta can learn about being a RasTafari Empress or Queen or Princess or Dawta or Wombman or Sistren, or whatever you want to say, I can offer a lot of the patriarchal Judeo-Christian traditional outlooks and views that I have been exposed to over the past eight years. I believe that these principles detailed by the books of Moses and Paul can help a man and woman to live a cleaner and more grounded life in terms of morals and values. I believe ones can get a good overstanding of ungodly versus godliness from the Scriptures,- that means one can build up a conscience, a moral foundation by learning to refrain from a lot of "lusts of the flesh" which cause problems in our relations, because I and I all have them! 

But no matter how much law you follow -  it is up to every Dawta and Bredren to really be accountable for self, and deal with a good heartical vibes over all - cause even the righteous can fall into sin - the only way not to sin is to have an abundance of love and right thoughts. InI must be aware that knowing the rules of the Bible does not really equate to being righteous or good or happy; and the Bible because of the example of JAH RasTafari, cannot be allowed as a platform to oppress a wombman in the home or in the marriage.

Following all the rules of wearing long skirts, headwraps, or no makeup and jewelry and nailpolish and no pants and so on, will on the outside make any I look like a royal beautiful queen of Afrika, it will present an Identity for the Rastafari Queen that she deserves as Afrikan Royalty. But InI must "render the heart not the garments" as Rastas are known to say in this debate. InI have to have nboth Identity and a Humble Attitude of peace and love and raspect and truth.  And I have learned from my own growth that it is the countenance of a Dawta that will truly shine forth this way as the Light of the Emperor and Empress of Ethiopia and all other Ankhcestars.

As it says in Proverbs 31, a Virtuous Wife is known by her good works and words. It is the good words and works of a Dawta at home and in her community that will truly set her upon a throne of Life. The rules and tenets are there as guidelines to separate InI from the follies of Babylon, they are there to guide us out of indiscretion, but they must be used with WiseMind, they must be overstood heartically and not forced upon anyone. This I have learned because I feel like all the laws a Dawta is forced to keep, and then InI don't take the time to focus on the morality side, healing the habits, making better decisions in what we say and not just what InI wear. Then if the kingman doesnt match up in his own character, dawtas becomes disillusioned.  InI also create problems with one another because of rules and practices.

I myself keep many of the laws, but I am no longer bothered when a Dawta chooses not to do something - like wearing skirts only or not covering the head, these kinds of things. I raspect many Rastafari Queens and it's not because of what they wear and don't wear - although I feel more love and Inity or common interest when I see them in the traditional dress. Everyone has a right to be themself - I too want that right for ISelf and I take it - if it suits one to be "BIble Holy" it doesnt have to suit another in the same exact way. Freedom and Overstanding - and the Golden Rule. These are lessons I was free to learn, and it was in the interest of sisterhood - too often Dawtas lose the Sistarhood because of petty arguments and "Judgey attitudes". I did not like myself becoming that person!  While it looks good when InI are Inified in dress as Rastafari, having good attitudes and getting the works done are more important, aren't they? MATURITY comes with living by Mosaic Law. 

Every Dawta should know that she can be beautiful and adorned and yet modestly express herself in her own way, without feeling like she is being “sinful” and Kings must support their Queens and encourage them to feel beautiful and love themselves. He mustn't let anyone discredit her character because she may not conform to everything. When a queen feels beautiful and protected and comfortable she is then prepared to do her works with a positive and friendly attitude, she feels confident in her works and her rewards. and truth is, that no one should deny a Dawta her right to express her natural beauty in her own way. and I say this quite sincerely but I also think it so beautiful when all Dawtas can show forth RasTafari traditional wear.

So my advice is to really find a balance between your Afrikan I Self and RasTafari Livity. Any Dawta who wants to be a good wife mother and sistren must first tend to her own mind and heart and body. When she is Right and Balanced within, Maat, dealing with Good vibes, good thoughts, Ital food and hailing the Powers of Iration in Man and Wombman…all other things will be added unto her. To every Dawta seeking herself in RasTafari, her number one job is to cultivate her Lioness Strength and feed her mind with knowledge and love of self. And of course a Kingman must likewise work on his own self, and see the balance that must be achieved between laws and actual hueman nature and character.

I chant a song for all RasTafari Queens at this time struggling with marriage, motherhood and the pressures of stretching yourselves thin over everything for everyone. I know how you feel. Some days I could just run away just to get a moment to just breathe and be at peace in nature - to not have to answer to anyone but be consumed by self-expression and rest. Nature is my safe space, my place of recharge and rejuvenation. But this is our role as Wombman, to be the heart and backbone of everything, this cannot be escaped, so each of us have to learn how to be Queen of our situations and to find that Imega Strength within to do what we have to do without giving up, without complaint, like Empress Menen who survived war and the loss of her children all while co-running a country. The only way to make it through and be happy in your role and your Livity is to truly be Kristos-Conscious, to have the peace and love of JAH within, being inspired daily by the Wonders of JAH RasTafari working through you!

Blessed Be the Iternal Mother Goddess that lives in all of us. Menen Ites!

Selah! JAH RasTafari!

Sis Ila

Reasoning on Marriage and Hardships

Blessed Love,

Days ago I was to post these videos up on the blog, but hopefully those who have suscribed to the youtube channel have already seen them!

Given that Sistren have been asking me so much about my thoughts on marriage, and given that it was a topic recently discussed by my fellow Sistren here in Trinidad at the Roots Dawta Connection - I decided to just take the word sound to a small video reasoning.
 I offer advice on how to deal with relationships, I refer to King Alpha and Queen Omega marriage or the ensample of JAH RasTafari Emperor and Empress of Ethiopia. I also reason on things to consider when entering into marriage, as well on polygamy verses promiscuity.

We have to be right within our consciousness in order for our marriages, relationships and works to be right and fruitful. If we are not right within then nothing can prosper. No good vibes can flow.
All Dawtas need to know and overstand that they are not alone in the hardships of marriage and raising a family. The Wombman is the backbone of the home and no matter how rough things get, I and I have to know how to balance and be mentally clear and strong to make it through no matter how much help we get or don't get.
 It is important for Idren to see that no matter how much livity one may practice, it is truly the conception of the heart, and truly bringing forth the fruits of the Kristos Irit, that see ones through daily (self-control, peace, patience, joy, charity etc.).
 Your attitude, thoughts, actions, words, are the forces that build your reality, your world. It is important to not  just focus on following rules and laws of righteousness, but to work on being a shining light of goodwill, kindness, compassion, love, wisdom and truth. It is about reflecting the Image of  JAH - being connected to and raspectful of the Iniverse and Creator God and Goddess. If you don't have the peace of Kristos within, then life will always be a struggle, negativity will always be around you because it has not been purged from within.
If I and I all learn to live with one another as Gods and Goddesses, or as Sons and Daughters of the Kristos Anointing, then our homes will be stronger, the vibes stronger.
Full mind, body soul Iditation and enlightenment must reign in the hearts of all flesh for Babylon mentality, pollution and corruption to be avoided and kept out of the home and marriage.

Think Jah, Live Jah, Be Jah! RasTafari!

Ila

These videos were updated on 24/9/2021

Queen Vashti: an example of wickedness or modesty?

Blessed Love

For Sabbath I continued to read Edith Dean's "All of the Women of the Bible," a book which I recently came across on Amazon. I found it very helpful in finishing my book as she brought to my attention some important figures which I had never quite paid attention to because so little was mentioned of these women.

Today I read about Queen Vashti because I was considering what her story had meant from Biblical text as well as Jewish.

Now just from reading the Bible, one thinks that she was a woman who refused to obey her husband because he was asking a very ridiculous request. King Xerxes I wanted her to parade before his court wearing her crown - only her crown it is said in some sources. The king and his court had been drinking wine heavily for seven nights, and were no doubt feasting their eyes on concubines, musicians and dancers. They must have engaged in a talk about who was the most beautiful woman or wife, when the king announced that his own wife was fairest of all, and he could prove it. Whatever the dirty conversations being held, he somehow needed to have her showcase herself to prove a point. The men were probably rowdy, rude and stink of wine and meat. Queen Vashti, who had been dining with the women in the king's castle for the seven days, might not have wanted to play the role of a trophy wife, or even a harlot. She might not have wanted her beauty to be trivialized or exploited. She wanted to continue being the secret treasure for the King's eyes only - and it is said that in those days queens were generally not seen by the public, so what he had asked was unlike her custom.
Because of her refusal the king sought the advice of the wise men who told him that she was setting a bad example for wives all over the land who would hear about her sin. She had to be removed from her position as Queen, and a new law had to be issued saying that no wife could refuse her husband, every man was the king of his castle.
I felt pity on her, because she seemed to have paid a heavy price for self-preservation. The first thing I thought was that a husband should never (at least publicly!) request of  his wife, something that will conflict with her morals and comfort zone - something that would cost her a part of herself. Don't exploit her, don't make her do something she doesn't do or would never look to do.  Don't make her choose to defy you in order to live with herself.
Yet I thought Queen Vashti made a horrible choice because it was better to save herself and position than to break the law. Her choice then affected women all over the world negatively. I think that she just stood up for herself, and that her husband probably was indeed acting a fool. But at the same time, she should have shown respect of the king and somehow compromised in that disobedience - she could have gone to the banquet room but wearing her clothing. But she could also be admired for her modesty, integrity and refusal to partake in wickedness. There was a right and wrong way to handle the situation, and a woman of wisdom would have known how to get herself through it.

But is that really how the story goes? I found out that Vashti might not be deserving of my mixed feelings at all.

Researching on Wikipedia, I found out that the Midrash text of Judaism declares her to be a wicked Queen, one who worshipped the idols of Babylon. It is said that she is in fact the granddaughter of Nebuchadnezzar and daughter of Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon before the Medes and Persians divided it. They were the ones responsible for the destruction of Jerusalem. Her father was killed because he had a banquet using the holy goblets and other vessels of the Temple. Now Vashti was the only survivor when her father's kingdom was destroyed, and so she the Princess of the city, was taken to Persia to be the wife of the king as was the tradition in those days.
The Midrash say that she was vain, cruel to all Jewish women she came across, as her fathers had been to the Israelites in general - She was known to be vain and cruel yes, and apparently she didn't obey her husband for spite. She purposely wanted to ridicule and control  him. The law passed by the king against wifely rights made sure that no wife could ever think of doing such a thing again. (wow)
The Jews believe she deserved what she got, and revel in the irony of her replacement being a Jewess Hadassah, or Esther. Her demise was as important as Haman's because she was evil to the Israelites.

What a whole new light to paint her in isn't it?
 Was the king just so fed up that he was glad for a chance to rid himself of this Babylonian woman? I mean, that's who she really was - and Xerxes might have really resented that about her. Has history been cruel to her, being written by men? Or was she being truly a princess of Babylon, really just like Jezebel and Athaliah, or Herodias, the wicked idolatrous queens who killed prophets and princes? Or was she simply just a character created to further the Jewish agenda to condemn all things non-Jewish? I will never know.
If only there were more records of the past -so sad that wars and the expansion of empires are the reasons why ancient facts and artefacts are lost forever.

Thoughts are welcome!

Ila