Gye-Nyame Journey Media

  Great Kujichagulia to all my Kuji born out their: "Umoja in motion (collective work and responsibility)" We are looking at Kujichagulia today through the marvelous principle of Ujima. For those new to the journey, and to remind the old heads Ujima means collective work and responsibility. We teach within Gye-Nyame that Ujima is Umoja in motion. Today let's look at the power of a collective, which is a group that pulls together to accomplish a goal. Now let's imagine that they collectively focus on defining their world, or bringing it close to home,redefining their world. What type of changes could this collective bring about? "Gye-Nyame Journey has already put this into motion , by redefining the day" Kujichagulia as we saw last week is strong on defining the world, and since we are in the week of Ujima I believe that it is appropriate for me to call on our collective to start to redefine the world that we are in. Using our collective thought power to resh

  Great Imani: "Let us look at Imani through the lens of Kujichagulia" Yesterday we spoke about the power of Kuumba and how it was unleashed when we were able to define our purpose. Now we are going to continue that conversation by traveling to the other side of Kuumba. Ladies and Gentlemen a present to you the principle of Imani. For us in Gye-Nyame Imani is the basis of the Nguzo Saba, which means that if we want to unleash the power of our principles we have to start with Imani. "Imani means faith in self, family, community, and our people" For today's post, I want to look at Imani through the lens of Kujichagulia, and ask what Imani is. Imani means faith, and in the Kwanzaa tradition it means to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle. Faith in general means a strong belief or trust. In the context of Kwanzaa, it means the belief that we can be self-determined, self-authored and s

Great Kuumba: We have made it through week two of this cycle's challenge and I want to salute all of you that are participating and hanging in there. I know that it can be hard dealing with these questions, getting up for the Toast Ritual, writing and moving more than usual, but believe me (My fault), don't believe me believe the process. The process that you are going through now was created over a long period of trial and error, but we got it together. As a matter of fact this process is a living testament to Kuumba. It was through following the process that this system even emerged. Realize that where you are I was... I will just leave it at that, I was struggling trying to figure out what my Ancestors were trying to tell me through their "crystalized wisdom" (write this term down because it will continue to pop up throughout the process). One proverb always stood out, I must admit that it was not my favorite but it was the one that held the secret I needed. The qu

Great Nia: I was out yesterday with the Gye-Nyame girls, because Gina wanted to take a walk in the woods ( I will attach pics). She actually wanted us to go out after dark, and go for a hike. I personally was not with that yet. I have noticed more and more tents around some wooded areas and I don't want to get caught in the dark with my little ones and it end up bad either way. To make a long story short I was walking, observing the environment, and listening to a book and the author quoted Brother Cornel West. Dr. Cornel West was giving a talk about the blues and his statement set me off on this article for the FAM. Brother Cornell described the blues as "courageously bearing witness before the worms get your body". For me that is a perfect definition for living Nia. Can you stand up and say that you are courageously bearing witness to your Nia? "Once we know the truth of each principle (Umoja, Kuji, Ujima, Ujamaa) we can bear witness to our Nia" Bear witness r

Before I go down the road of the title I want to reflect on what we discussed yesterday and bring it in line with today's idea. We focused on defining responsibilty. We stated that "taking responsibilty gives you power", but now brother ha2tim wants to to take it one step farther. When we take responsibility it puts us in the seat toward ownership, or it should. Ownership of a thing gives you control. There are many things in life that we cannot control; but, there is something that all men have some level of control over, and that is their own physical body - your mind and spirit too. See, I can't make the sun shine, but I can put on my shades. I can't make it rain, but I can get an umbrella or simply stay indoors. "Taking responsibility gives you power" When you think about your life, your career and all the things that are apart of your world, who owns them? Who do you give ownership to? If you think about your job, who owns it? Is it your company, o

Great Ujima: It is time to discuss Ujima from the standpoint of Kujichagulia, and today I want to look at the responsibility part of this principle. We Know (at least those who have been listening) that Ujima in Gye-Nyame is Umoja in action. Ujima works because responsibility is exercised, but let's take this day to look into the idea of responsibility. Responsibility is the ability to be in control of our actions and words, it is a state of being accountable for one's actions and words. There is a deep level of self-respect and self-love that comes with responsibility. A responsible person knows who they are, they know who they are, they know where they are going, they know what they want, they know why they want it, and they know how to get it...in other words responsibility gives us power. Many of us do not want to take responsibility, but the reality is that we are responsible for our actions and non-actions. The lack of responsibility breeds anger, frustration, confusion,

Great Kujichagulia; We are in a Kuji week and today is Kujichagulia day. I guess this means we need to take a deep look at defining. We have to take time and break down so that we can know exactly what we are doing when we exercise the power of Kujichagulia. When we define something we are stating or setting forth the meaning of a thing. We are also saying how something will be referred to or perceived in some context. We also determine what is important about an object and what is incidental, contingent, or unintended about it (1). Defining can be both difficult and easy depending on the situation you find yourself in. We are defining who we are and what we stand for. The dictionary definition of Kujichagulia would be: self determination. Most people believe that this is associated with the right to make decisions concerning one's own person or affairs. Some think of it as self-rule. There is no doubt that there is much debate on the real meaning of Kujichagulia (self-determinatio

Great Umoja: We are in the week of kujichagulia and now we have to figure out how to see these powerful, life changing principles through the lense of Kujichagulia. To get things started let's look at what the principle Kujichagulia is: Kujichagulia speaks of us defining ourselves, naming ourselves, creating for ourselves and speaking for ourselves. This principle is about creating reality. Using the power of words to shape the world we exist in. Now to apply that concept to the other principles will be a joy. Today we are on the principle of unity, and kujichagulia demands that we take the time to define what this principle is. "We need to break it down to it's very last compound." Let's be clear we can't do anything until we have a clear definition of what this principle is. Unity is being or existing together as one; undivided or unbroken completeness or totality with nothing wanting; harmonious cooperation; agreement; unification; uniformity; consistency;

Growing up, I remember hearing people talk about the importance of unity. Now, as an adult, I hear it more than ever before. But the thing is, I know that unity isn't achieved by talking about how important it is; it's achieved by actually being clear on what it looks like and then going out and creating it. What does unity look like to you? Have you taken the time to think about it? Does your tribe or collective have a clear mission statement that has been agreed upon by everyone? Or are you blindly following some vague idea of what “unity” should be? I'm not saying that we shouldn't have our own individual opinions and beliefs. What I am saying is that if we are trying to create change in our communities and in this world, we need to be clear on what those beliefs are so that we can actually work together toward a common goal. And if you've ever seen a group of people talking about how important having a single unified vision is, only to turn around and do somethi

Imani is the foundation of so many other principles. We can't discuss Umoja without Imani—and we can't celebrate Kujichagulia without Imani, either. Yesterday, we touched on the importance of Imani when it comes to Umoja, and today I want to jump into this discussion with Kujichagulia. Self Determination is a powerhouse in itself but like the other principles it leans on Imani. In order to exercise the power of Kujichagulia we have to have faith in ourselves. This is why it is important to really take the walk through Imani and gain all the lessons that accompany this principle. Once we have worked on the Imani in ourselves we can now leverage its power and move to the next level. We can extend our Kujichagulia from us to things around us. For those new to Gye-Nyame, kujichagulia is much deeper than the words self determination. Kujichagulia is about the ability to define. Once we have established Kujichaguilia within we can now start focusing this power out into the world. Joi

The power of determination and the creativity that drives it goes back to our childhood. As kids, we played games during recess and organized our blocks into towers or towers into castles. Our parents told us to stop playing but we didn't listen because we loved to play. As adults, we can apply this power of creativity and determination to any area of life. One reason why Kujichagulia has become so popular is that it provides an opportunity for us to embody these qualities in a profound way. We have all faced difficulties in our lives. These struggles may be big or they may be small but no matter how big or small, they are always there. We can get stuck at times. We may feel overwhelmed by certain problems or situations. However, no matter what the problem is, Kujichagulia provides the tools for us to empower ourselves through determination and creativity when faced with any challenge. Practicing Kujichagulia means being willing to work through difficult things in life that we enco

Today is called Kujichagulia (32222-6). This is the day when we celebrate our self-determination and family. As a member of the tribe, I'm always thinking about how I can best improve my life so that I can build something that is lasting. If my internal supports are collapsing, then what's the point? And to me, family is a huge part of that support. It's important to have both people and community in your life that you can rely on when you're facing hard times or need advice for how to move forward. I want to encourage all of you to take some time this weekend to not only connect with your family, but also reflect on some of the things they've taught you over the years: What are their values? How do they express them? What lessons have they learned that they want to pass down to you? This knowledge will be helpful whether or not your family is still around by your side. Sometimes there are people in our lives who we love and respect, but for one reason or another, w

Let's talk about what you are not on this Ujima day. Many of us have been caught within the mask we have to wear to survive, and we have worn them for so long that we have forgotten that they are masks. Our belief becomes so strong that we start to believe that people's reactions to the mask we wear is actually a reaction to us. When in fact they are actually reacting to what we are pretending to be. You are not your job, you are not your car, you are not how much money you have in the bank. You are not your problems. You are not your age. You are not what other people think about you. You are not your past. You are here now, and everything else is just a thought and a story. You are what you choose to be right now. You can choose to drop the mask and start being yourself right now or you can choose to keep wearing the mask and keep pretending until it kills you (literally). Come over to GNJMedia and learn the definition we use for the Self: Follow

To dream is to believe in you. To believe that you can achieve something, despite the odds. It takes courage to reach for what seems undoable, and audacity to attempt it anyway. Few people are comfortable with ideas that are different or unconventional. Yet, there are some who don't check their dreams at the door when they come knocking; those who dare to imagine a better future for themselves and everyone else! They're the creative thinkers and doers who know that ideas aren't just about words on a page — they're about actions in the world. Reaching for what seems impossible is risky business. But then again, anything worth doing is challenging. The best way to live is not easy. You may have to deal with difficult people, situations, or circumstances. But you can't let them dissuade you from reaching for that which inspires you most: great ideas that make a difference! And we're not talking about just having them — we're talking about making them happen! So

While it's good to have heroes and role models, you need to ask the question: Who are you trying to be like? I find this question pops up a lot when I talk with young people. They go to great lengths to be like the people they admire and respect. It sounds reasonable, right? Do what your heroes do and you will be just as great. But there is a problem: Who determines who you are trying to become? You or those around you? Are the models you follow good for you or your culture? Although this thought started with young people it does not stop with them. We all need to look at who is helping us determine who we act like. Is the person you are trying to be like a person who is proud of their time on this planet? Are they doing things that make sense for your life? If not, then why try to be like them? You need someone that can help point you in the right direction for your life. Someone that will challenge you, encourage and support you!!! Take the free ecourse and get on our email list

We want to be known for our greatness. We want to feel like we belong, that we are not alone in our struggles. Intellectually, we might know this to be true — that other people struggle as we do — but emotionally, we aren't so sure. We worry that if they knew the real us, they wouldn't accept us. So we hide parts of ourselves away, assuming those parts make us unworthy of connection and belonging. We need to be authentic. We need to share the real us with the real world. The battle is never won when we hide parts of the real us away. We are not great because of our accomplishments or our accolades. We are great because of who we become and what we give in the inherent process of becoming. If we sell ourselves short, we're cheating everyone out of a piece of greatness that we never even discovered was available for us to create. To get the rest of this article and others like this be sure to sign up for our email list: Follow Listen to "5 ways to live into your nam

  In our culture, the self is a powerful being. Kujichagulia or self-determination is that power of the self. The power to control one's destiny and create one's own path in life without fear or guilt. To be able to live freely in your own skin without the fear of being controlled by other people's opinions, judgments or expectations. The self is the ultimate being and as such, it should not be oppressed. It is the most perfect aspect of being and as such, nothing can be greater than it. Our oppressors want us to believe that they are larger than life and that they are in control of our destinies. They want us to believe that we are powerless, unworthy and incapable of making decisions for ourselves. They want to control our minds so that we become followers instead of leaders, but this does not have to be so. Follow Listen to "Kujichagulia Toast - The "Self" in Kujichagulia" on Spreaker.