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Noticing that he had my interest my father began to smile that "I gotcha smile". I imagined it is the same smile that a hunter has right when an animal that he has been tracking for a long while falls into his trap. "The curse of Fortuna!" I was confused and was trying to understand what he was talking about. Before I could get the question formulated in my mind to ask he began to answer the question. "You are probably wondering who is Fortuna, but you have to sit through a story to learn, and hopefully in learning you will avoid the curse." Now I was really confused, and really interested, so rather than saying anything I just shook my head letting him know that he should continue. When he got the signal to continue, he took another sip of his coffee and got to his tell. "This story is autobiographical, so pay attention and you may learn a thing or two about your old man. Before we get to deep into the story, let me tell you about Fortuna. Fortu

 Listen in to this show as we look at the microbiome, proper breathing, and take a deep dive into Gye-Nyame Journey culture. We are building over here, and you are welcome to join us. If you like this information be sure to sign up for our Free Ecourse , to get more engaging content. We are building a better world one Tribe member at a time. Listen to "Old Man Rant - Microbiome and other Thangs" on Spreaker.

 We are back on the podcast game, and we are looking at parasites and how they can effect your health. Tune and be sure to send us comments and questions. If you like this be sure to subscribe to our email list and be sure to checkout our Free ecourse. We will help you learn more about yourself, help you plug into your culture and live "The Best Life"... Listen to "Parasites & Our Health" on Spreaker.

Here is a video from this years Simba Camp, It is a pleasure to work with these young men, and to help mold the future. I personally have been involved with Simba for over 20 years, and plan to be involved at some capacity for the next 20 years. Checkout the video, and when you have an opportunity be sure to support in anyway possible. This is the work we do at Gye-Nyame.... Too Black

We are at it again, come and join the Toast and keep up with Gye-Nyame Journey. 

  Don’t Let Them Get Comfortable I am surprised the fox is just now coming around in my selection of folktales. Those that don’t know the fox in Aesop fables is in every role, from the bad guy, to the hero, to the instigator, and traitor. This animal is the trickster that you find on every content and in every story tradition on this planet. (My fault he was the bowman and the lion tale) In this story format which you run into maybe a few more times in reading Aesop. The fox is introduced to something new. He has never seen a lion,and he is terrified. But as time goes on he eventually begins to talk to him and finally becomes comfortable around him. Since Aesop stresses I think it is one that we need to cover. For some reason aesop feels that he needs to warn us against allowing people to get comfortable around us. In fact in another story that we eventually cover this comfortableness leads to slavery. I believe that the message is that in our dealings never let people get too comforta

  Experience Matters I love this story because it stresses the power of experience. The mother is looking over her chicks and raising them up and from her bag of experience she not only taught them a powerful lesson, but also those of us who read the story. The moral of the story is “Self help is the best help” which is a powerful statement on its own, but the lesson I learned from the story was take time and learn from your elders. The lark in the story through observation had learned the ways of man. Through her observation she knew exactly when to flee. Even though her young ones were ready she knew that they had time to put more weight on, and eat before it was too late. This type of experiential learning is not only a lesson for the young, but is also a lesson for the old. Are you an elder that can present the young with good advice because you have truly observed the world and participated in it. Are you giving sound advice to the young so that they can build up their mental libr

  Stand Up, But Be ready to Fight Seeking what is yours in the court of an oppressor never works out well. This story reminds us of this. I think that it was stories like this that really made me fall in love with Aesop. He showed that if you really want something that requires you getting permission from others you have to be willing to fight. Freedom can never be given it has to be snatched out of the hands of oppressors. This story does a much better job of demonstrating this because in this story the lions make a reply to the poor hares.  I can see the hares going to lion universities integrating into their system, and still be hunted as prey. Learning the ways and laws of lions, but after all that they end up being shut down by the simple  fact.  What is crazy to me is the rabbits were not seeking separation, they simply were asking to be treated equally, by the lions and other animals. But this request was out the question because the one thing that rabbits needed they did not ha

  Don’t Lose What You Have For Imaginary Gains Here is another folktale about losing ourselves in pursuit of something that is not ours, and truly can never be. We to birds that were gifted with the ability to sing, that became enamored with the neigh of a horse. When I first heard this one I could do nothing but laugh because I had been caught in situations like this.  The swan and kite in the story fell in love not necessarily the sound of the neigh, but they may have fell in love with the sense of pride in which the horse did it. I believe that they confused the two. They really wanted the pride that the horse put behind the neigh, and not the neigh. Many of us get caught in this trap. We confuse the exterior with the internal and think that we want what the other person has. We begin to imitate, but we don’t get the same response that the original received. It is hard for us to understand that “it is not the close that makes the man, it is the man that makes the close”.  “The kites

  A True Sucker Move This is a tale of enslavement, and as sad as it is I have to make sure that my readers get the point. Please realize that this horse was a slave long before he took the man as his partner. The horse fell prey to the Unbalanced passions that we often talk about in Gye-nyame long before the bit was placed in his mouth. He led himself toward destruction and sacrificed everything because he was not seeing clearly. The most unfortunate thing about this whole story is that I witness this behavior on a daily basis. We have people willing to slow dance with destruction rather than take a moment to really think about the ramifications of their actions. I have seen people destroy and attempt to destroy organizations that serve the community for something as petty as the horse’s grievance in this tale. Just like the horse, these people don’t realize until it is too late that they have sold their souls. Man it is like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know the result yo

  Know Yo $#!+ This is a key lesson that I hope that you get. If you have been reading these posts then you are someone that wants to make improvements to your current life. This means that you need to work on becoming a master of something. Preferably something that you can offer to your community that they need. But before you put up your shingle please make sure you know what you are doing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being an apprentice to someone that can guide you on the path to becoming a master. Because what we have out here now is all of of sudden everybody knows everything. You have all experienced it. People who last week working at the electric company and that you have known for years, have all of the sudden become a financial guru. I know yall know what I’m talking about and I am throwing shade. But as one of the Ancestors said ‘ When you throw a rock into a pack of dogs the one that got hit is the one that yelps”, if you are yelping excuse my rock. These insta

  Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty This story touched my heart because loyalty is one of the pillars in Gye-Nyame Journey. This seems to be a dying thing  in these modern days and times. Sometimes I feel that everyone is for sale. But this story gives me hope. I know that it is about a little dog but to know that even back in the days of Aesop they had some of the same issues gives me hope.  For those of us seeking freedom and justice, loyalty can go a long way, and it is a practice we need. As the documents flowed out about all the leaders that were assassinated and imprisoned during our freedom struggle. We come to find out that every last one of them had traitors in their midst. It is kind of scary when you look at what people actually received for betraying our people. You would think that they would receive the world but just like judas they received a bag of minor currency. Loyalty is a valuable trait and if you can find the right person or tribe to practice it with you will truly be bl

  Sometimes The Enemy Looks Like You This folktale spits a hard truth into our face, that many will find hard to head but my friend please get it. Do not allow the look of someone or the feelings of familiarity fall upon you in all situations. Just because someone looks like you and have all the right lingo does not make them your ally. History is riddled with the bodies of those that were betrayed by familiarity, and this story throws this up big time. The dogs in this story were sweet-talked to a sour death at the hands of their new partners. Many of us up to this day are being “got” by the same trap. We listen and hear all the words, we don’t pay attention to the body language, hell we don’t even look at the history. We just believe that everything is going to work out. But as old and hopeful as I am in my life I have learned that if it sounds too good to be true, then it is. We are living in a dangerous time where many wolves are able to broadcast their messages over the internet,

  You can’t Be Fooled If You Know Who You Are Here we are with another story about the ass. I told you that the ass provided much material for Aesop, and has produced many nuggets of wisdom for us. The ass in this story demonstrated I believe a lesson that we all need to get. Now remember I am looking at this folktale through my lens, my view is not the only view as you will here in the attached video or podcast. This is a story that touches on the maxim that states “Know Thyself”.  In this story unlike the last time we met with the ass, this ass knows who he is and his lot in life. He appears to have harmonized himself with it. Rather than wasting time and energy to run with the old shepherd, this ass appears to have made a choice that lined up with who he is. The lesson for all of us is to take time to learn about us. Know who we are, where we are, and then make decisions from that point. I know many people will disagree with me on this point, because they will say that the ass shoul