Aretha's Funeral Decoded

Hetepu (Peace & Blessings) Family.
You know it has come to my attention that a lot of people have not discussed with their loved ones why they don’t go to church because: 1) they are either afraid to do so, or.  2) They don’t know how to explain it.  This dawned on me as I was flipping back and forth watching the service for Aretha Franklin and then heard the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr. of Salem Baptist Church in Atlanta.

Before beginning, let me first acknowledge the obvious rituals that were performed for public viewing.  The Ariana Grande that people keep talking about was just there for eye-candy. She was basically there to make sure that her generation (following) tuned in to hear Williams’ sermon. The whole she is wearing a mini-skirt is a ploy. These entertainers have professionals around them everyday who inform them on what is appropriate/inappropriate.  She purposely wore the dress to disrespect the black church in order to get people to think about religious tradition.
Now, the public viewing was for five days and it was broadcasted in some areas for three days. Three as most of you know is the sacred number of the messenger and psychopomp spirits Npu (Anubis), Ellegua, Mercury and Hermes. Five is the sacred number of the spirit that governs many singers Nebhet, Oshun, Venus and Aphrodite.  According to numerology 5+3=8, which relates to fate.
From an occult perspective, the reason there was a star-studded funeral service is because the powers that be were trying to tap into the remaining essence of Ms. Franklin’s spirit (imo). As I watched bits and pieces of the funeral service conducted at my old church, I was reminded (for those who do not know about Aretha Franklin) that she is the last of great divas.  Aretha, unlike the other divas of her time (e.g. Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, etc.) was a preacher kid of a great Baptist preacher. She started singing in the church when she a little and her following began at an early age because of what people call in the church “the anointing.”
What is the anointing? The “anointing” is a real basic term that is used mostly in Protestant Christendom to explain an extraordinary talent. In the black church/community the term is used to signify that an individual is working with a higher spirit (commonly attributed to Jesus) to heal the sick, to preach, to minster to downtrodden, and it is extended to include intelligence as well as musical talents, which mainstream America calls prodigies or genuises.
Unfortunately, because most black churches do not delve into traditional African thought, esoteric studies and metaphysics (out of conditional religious fear and social stigma), they simply call these gifts anointing. Everyone according to African American thought has an anointing, which is also sometimes synonymous with one’s Calling. Most people have to find their anointing/calling but some of us return to this earthly plane with it.  This is because the anointing is the essence of a god, goddess or ancestral spirit. Aretha’s anointing comes from a soul of a Fon devotee of Gbadu, who is the goddess of fate, hence the number 8. In Greek mythology she is the goddess of Tyche and in Roman mythology she is the goddess Fortuna, who was commonly portrayed in a domestic context, which linked her to Oset (Aset, Isis). Now if you review some of Aretha’s iconic songs such as Bridge Over Troubled Waters, A Change is Going to Come, Ain’t No Way, Daydreaming, and Natural Woman, while keeping in mind that a spirit of fate and fortune was anointing her to see women-in particular black women-in another light other than domestic servants.

Aretha was anointed and you can hear it in her voice. All her songs moved peoples’ soul. Unlike the great soul singer Sam Cooke, Aretha got (official) permission to cross over from singing spiritual music to secular music because her music reflected our experience in and outside of church – particularly women’s perspective.  Just think about her songs “Do right woman, do right man” and the classic “Respect,” which raised the consciousness of both men and women.   The thing is, there are a number of songs that she has made and collaborated on which talk about our experience.
But, Aretha’s anointing left her sometime around the time when she did the song “Think” for the Blues Brother’s film.  If you compare her early music to the 80’s song “Freeway of Love” you will see that the latter is commercial crap. It only really became a hit because it was a crossover song to pop culture and like most crossover songs, it has nothing to do with empowerment but focuses on the superficialities of love.  So, the anointing (the spirit of Gbadu) left Aretha a long time ago and what we were really left with was a shadow or copy of the original.
Everyone in Detroit knows that like most people whose anointing leaves, Aretha started doing some weird and outlandish things that only accentuated her ego.  She didn’t go all out but her separate occasions I witnessed her showboating.  In one instance, I remember the MC of an event announced that Aretha was not going to sing because she was under the weather.  So an amateur singer sung in her place and performed so well, that Aretha mysteriously was healed and chose to sing just to put the amateur singer in her place. Lets not forget that before Aretha passed she sang the national anthem for 4 minutes and 35 seconds.  Yeah. One word.
Ego.
The Ego is usually the first sign that you know the anointing has left. It is similar to when Michael Jackson started acting out and doing outlandish things. As many have noticed who study mythology, Jackson’s anointing was owned by the god Pan more specifically the avatar of Pan commonly known as Peter Pan, the childish spirit of the wild that dies once he leaves Neverland. In fact, there are many stars who have their anointing leave. Some manage to keep their anointing a little longer than others, but most eventually crack under the social pressure, which is what we call selling out.
Anyway, because most of our people don’t understand our power, the so-called “powers” that be used the Rev. Jasper Williams Jr., as a last attempt to encourage people to return to church based upon her legacy.  It was also an attempt to encourage people to return to the mosque, which is why they continued to show Min. Farrakhan even though they did not allow him speak. I am not saying Farrakhan was a willing participant of the theatrics. I am just noting that they used his image for their purpose. Question: When was the last time you ever saw Min. Farrakhan and Bill Clinton at the same function? Answer: Never.  This is a sign it is Theatrics.
Once, I saw this, it all made sense why Williams’ eulogy sounded more like a scolding for not attending church instead of being focused on Aretha’s accomplishments.  Williams’ eulogy was also a litmus test to see how many people are out of the church and feeling Williams’ message.  What they discovered was that the eulogy fell on deaf ears because they are dealing with another generation. So understand, that the powers-that-be were using the legacy of Aretha Franklin as another means of social control. I guarantee you that the same sermon will not be said when any of the other divas make transition.
Now, why don’t we go to church (kingdom hall, temple or mosque)?
It is because all of these religions place emphasis on empowering an entity that exists outside of our self. Most people cannot put a finger on it because they do not understand the nature of the mind.  But we have spent a lot of time worshipping a deity (called Jesus, God, Jehovah, Allah, etc.), meanwhile our lives and our community have continued to drastically decay.  Most people today attend religious service out of habit and social conditioning because it is programmed in their mind that it is the thing to do, or they will be punished (go to hell, cursed, etc.). Only a few people (that’s us) get it and realize that most people are following a religious superstition.
We are the generation that understands that if I want to improve my finances. I have to learn money management because Jesus ain’t going to do it for me. If I want to improve my relationships, I may have to learn how to talk to my woman/man like I want to be talked to, because Jesus ain’t going to do it for me.
In other words, we are the generation that is beginning to realize and break the religious/social conditioning, of believing that some outside force is going to magically make our lives better. If we want something different, we have to empower ourselves and this is the reason we do not attend church.

We know that a 15-minute meditation session where we focus on aligning our conscious with our higher self, is more powerful and effective than a five or six hour Sunday service that focuses solely on entertaining our Ego with singing, dancing and a pep rally sermon.
Remember, that in Kemetic thinking the Ego is personified as Set, the Lord of Chaos, Confusion and Calamity. Any thing that accentuates our Ego is only going to cause problems.
If you noticed anything else funny/weird about this funeral, please share.
Hetepu.