Control Your Kuumba, Or Your Kuumba Will Control Your Life
Great Kujichagulia:
Today we will look at controlling our Kuumba. Kuumba is a powerful tool, but we have to exercise our Kujichagulia in dealing with it. Our ancestors' first rule upon entering a temple as a disciple was control of thought, but for us it is control of our imagination. Time and time again I have witnessed people creating their own hell that spills out to everyone around them. These people have plenty of Kuumba but lack the kujichagulia to control their creation. This comes from the luxury that our ancestors labor, blood, sweat and tears have created for us, more free time. We have people wasting this powerful resource to play mind games with themselves. They sit at home, offices, coffee shops, etcConcocting fuckery that usually takes a hold and causes confusion.
“Kuumba is a powerful energy that lets each of us create. But we need to use our kujichagulia to control it.”
Our Imagination is like a horse, and our lives are the carts that they pull, but for many they have never taken the time to tame and control this horse, so rather than going where they want to go they usually end up somewhere else. We have to take the time and tame our Kuumba, and the only way to do that is by practicing it. We can practice it, by using it to create things within our lives that are useful. In the last article I spoke about creating rituals, or transforming rituals that we can use to help keep us grounded in our culture, and they can also help to ground you. It has been said that “the Imagination is an excellent servant, but a cruel and tyrannical master”. Many of us just have to sit down and think about which position we would rather be in.
“What if Imagination was the tool we used to change our lives rather than just a pastime or entertainment.”
I Myself would rather be the master, and I sit down on a daily basis and try to tame my Imagination. To do this we have to realize that control falls up under the principle of Kujichagulia, and begin to use our self determination to guide our Kuumba. Because regardless of whether we know it or not our Imaginations are active, and if you are not conscious of it, believe when I say “It is not working for you”. Our Kuumba is about creation, it does not matter if it is good or bad for you. It is going to create, so we might as well begin to learn how to build up our lives, and tribes. Some practices that I use to keep my Kuumba engaged are:
“I am the master of my imagination and I will not allow it to be an enemy of my existence. If you can do that you can begin to understand Kuumba, and how the world around you began.”
- Writing - take some time to do some writing. It can be a journal, diary, blog, or a book idea. Writing pulls on our creativity because to put some of the things that we are thinking into words is not an easy task. Plus to write something that others will read, and be able to comment on builds up our Imani as well. Some people say that we have to do creative writing, but I believe that any type of writing is creative. It forces you to look at your thoughts, and use your imagination and create the patterns of words that convey that thought. This is a useful skill that you will get better at as time moves forward. Also you can eventually move this ability to being able to map out your days and projects. This act of Kuumba can be very useful for visionaries, and can help train your Kuumba to pop up when you want it, and not when it feels like jumping up.
Reading books and viewing other media - BE CAREFUL WITH THIS!!! When you are reading certain books you can use your imagination to take you into the world of the book. You can stop reading and predict what you think is next, or even write an alternative ending. This ability is useful especially when you are reading sacred text because you can become the character that you are reading about, and when you return from the read bring back with you the best of the character. Watching movies and other media you can do the same thing, I suggest limiting this on social media, but movies and tv shows you can treat them very much like your reading of books.
Breathing & Visualization exercises - Use your imagination combined with the body exercise of Nia breathing is called visualization. Now unfortunately we use this exercise unconsciously (I will talk about this more on the podcast), but now that you know you can begin to use it on purpose. You can take some time and breath and visualize your day, your week, your life, and create what you want. You can use it to mentally practice a skill that you have been working on, you can use it to solve a life problem,and/or you can practice your response to certain stimuli (events) in your life. Remember we are in the realm of Kuumba, the sky's the limit, so push it.
Freestyle performance - I use this one myself, turn on the camera and just go! For those too shy, step in front of the mirror and go. Pick a topic and talk, create poetry, songs, and/or raps. Allow the creative part of yourself to go and do what it does.
This is just 4 uses, there are many more and maybe you will end up creating more that you can write about on a later date. I don’t want to leave you the impression that Kuumba is evil and working against, but we have to understand that we are not working with mortal beings when we start talking about principles. Men’s laws, and morality are not their rules. They will bring to you what you ask for or reach for if they are serving. Just learn to use the power of your Kujichagulia to protect your and those lives around you. Because there is nothing more dangerous than someone with a little knowledge and a lot of Kuumba.
See y'all tomorrow…
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