My
first exposure to the initiatory culture of Burkina Faso, West Africa, came
several years ago with the reading of the book Of Water and The Spirit by
Malidoma Patrice Some. I remember not being able to put that book down, as I
was fascinated by the detail of the writer's own rites of passage. He stated
that, in his culture, one who did not experience initiation remained a child
mentally and spiritually. This point stuck with me. I wanted to meet Malidoma
to personally discuss these matters in more detail. Shortly after that, while
on tour in Germany, I met a woman who had spent six months in Burkina Faso, as
well as a Balaphone player/singer from there. After returning to the U.S. a
friend told me that she was in touch with the woman who sold Maildoma's tapes
and books in this country. I eventually received an autographed copy of his
second book, Rituals. This same friend told me, "I also met someone from
Burkina Faso who is more special than Malidoma in terms of his depth of
knowledge". That person turned out to be Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig, who was the
founder and director of The Earth Center and publisher of Choices Magazine,
then based in Iowa City, Iowa.
As a member of an illustrious group of African psychologists, Naba had been
privee to Malidoma's application for membership to that group. During his first
visit to my home, we spent a weekend discussing the lack of any kind of rites
of passage in our culture, with the exception of the Jewish Bar Mitzvah (and
Bat Mitzvah) and the Native American Vision Quest. At that time I asked Naba if
it were possible for us to organize some type of initiation here. At the time,
he told me that one would have to travel to his country to experience this
under the auspices of the tribal Elders. Since that time, many have asked Naba
if he would at least consider teaching a class as a means of imparting basic
knowledge of African Spirituality.
After visiting The African Festival of the Arts in 1999, Naba decided to move to
Chicago. Choices Magazine evolved into the Rising Firefly Magazine. Now, with
the sanction of his tribal Elders, Naba has been given the decree to initiate a
new breed of Western students into the Mysteries of M'TAM. Here the
delineations student, initiate and class, course of study
and initiation are used interchangeably. This kind of initiation into
the Ancient Kemetic knowledge outside of Africa is unprecedented. What makes
this Mystery School even more rare is that it is multi-gender and multi ethnic.
This would never be practiced in Africa, as men and women are always initiated
in separate groups. Obviously, his Elders must feel that it is important, at
this time, for the knowledge to be disseminated in this manner. Naba explains,
"one who completes this will be able to speak the initiatic language as it is
spoken in my country" (this being the true language of the Pharaohs).
Naba also stated that this course of study is even more advanced than that
received by professors of "Egyptology"." If they heard this language spoken,
they would not understand it", Naba stated. This course of study poses a major
challenge to the initiates, as it demands that one learn to read, write and
speak hieroglyphs at an accelerated pace. The Mystery School also teaches the
science of Geomancy so that students will learn to do Earth Energy readings as
featured in this Magazine. None of the 15 students in attendance (including
myself) knew quite what to expect. I attended beginning in the second week and
found the class to be quite expansive in scope. The first part engages students
in very deep philosophical discussions, which unfold vital background
information required for one's preparation for initiation into higher
knowledge. The second half took us headlong into the phonetical recognition and
writing of Hieroglyphs utilizing intensive individual and group drills. After
the class, there are delicious home made vegan cookies and breads. Many linger
to continue discussions. I seized this opportunity to speak with most of the
students about their impressions after the second class. Charles, is the only
student of pure African decent, as he comes from Ghana (his father is a native
of Burkina Faso). Charles said of the "class", "I'm the type of person who is
searching for my final destination so where I see there is a lot of knowledge,
I try to go close to it. When I found this class I knew this was the ending of
all knowledge." He went on to explain to me that the educational system in
Ghana was designed to advance "the interests of the colonial masters" and that
the knowledge being taught by Naba was not obtainable even there. "I am lucky
to be a part of this group," exclaimed Charles. 
Francine, with whom I had studied Reiki some seven years ago (and later a class
on reading the Akashic Records), told me, "I'm very excited about the
Hieroglyphs. I'm not an artist, but the artist in me is coming outI didn't
think it would be so simple; its all fitting together. This is like being on a
Safari and not knowing what to expect." Because I myself am an artist, I had
taken for granted the artistic acumen required to draw the pictorials. One must
develop an eye for form and develop an expeditious system of notation. There is
a shorthand system for some of the more complex symbols, nevertheless, Naba
stresses that we learn the basic system before working with the abbreviated
symbols. Shnuvo Ben Yisrael, like at least half of his classmates, had learned
about the Mystery School by reading the Chicago Firefly. He explained, "Naba
seemed to be presenting something that was different. I've always wanted to
find something that is African in origin and not something dressed up and
claiming to be African." I asked if he had come to the class with a blank page
philosophically? He replied, "I've lived long enough to understand that in
order to learn anything, you must humble yourself in order to open yourself to
what is being taught; and one should avoid comparing the teachings to anything
else. It's like opening a mystery that has been hidden for a while. I've always
felt that something was hidden in the Hieroglyphs and that the Ancestors left
it that way so that, one day, they would initiate something in those who needed
to be awakened."
Uaab Heter was a client of Naba, the herbalist. He had been dealing with health
issues that no one had previously been able to address successfully. Naba's
reading and herbal consultation completely restored his health. Renee,
likewise, was introduced to Naba, the herbalist, at the Chicago Firefly booth
at the African Festival of The Arts. She stated with regards to the classes,
I'm in a very neutral, comfortable place... open place. I asked fellow student
Nikki, a schoolteacher, if the first class had met her expectations. She stated
that, "the first class was beyond my expectations. For the longest time, I've
been looking for some kind of spirituality. My mom actually taught me to
question religions and the dogma of it because she had been so brainwashed by
it. Naba talked about transformation. I see myself already being transformed by
the class in terms of my perception of spirituality. It is helping me to take
my energy and focus it on something. By reading and writing the Hieroglyphs I
feel like I'm exercising a part of my mind and that it's opening up these doors
of perception so that I can become a more spiritual person." Mary Ellen,
likewise felt that the class has exceeded her expectations. She says, "I didn't
expect it to be so accelerated, but I can deal with that. I feel that the
benefit of speaking the Kemetic language is that it puts us more in tune with
our ancestors with the ancestral spirit and our history." She too expressed
that she was lucky to be a part of this special group.
The details of Initiatory Knowledge is sacred in African culture. Discussion of
this knowledge with the non-initiated is said to dissipate one's power. If this
course of study is for you, contact the Earth Center. This is a once in a
lifetime opportunity to reach the level of Kemetic Priesthood. However, the
journey is not an easy one. If it were, the very ease of it, according to Naba,
would corrupt the seeker. As Naba stresses in every class, "Corruption only
goes downhill." That which is obtained by great effort is of great value.
�)