Hetepu (Peace)
Greetings Family, well continuing our conversation about writing your own story by developing a magical mindset like our Kamitic (Ancient Egyptian) ancestors and their descendants, the term mojo is recent years has once again surfaced and entered the mind of pop culture.
Contrary to popular belief, the term does not mean sexual prowess and it doesn’t have anything to do with sex per se. It is an African American term believed to be a creolized form of the Yoruba word “mojuba,” which means “Thank you.”
There are other theories that exist about the origin of the word but I tend to accept the Yoruba mojuba one because as we have seen in past post. Our mind/Spirit is composed of a conscious, superconscious and subconscious. The conscious mind is the part of our being that we use to make choices and decisions. It is the part of us that we call “I” and for this reason is called our spiritual heart, soul or in the Kamitic language – the Ab. The superconscious is the omnipotent and omniscient part of our being. It is where our most brilliant of ideas come from. Its purpose is to provide us with perfect solutions to whatever troubles us, because it is the divine spark called the Ba. The subconscious is the part of our being responsible for governing all of our personal memories and our autonomous bodily functions (those functions that occur without us telling it to do so like our digestion, regulation of our heartbeat, assimilating of cells, etc.), because its’ main purpose is to ensure that we physically survive. The thing is that our subconscious does such a wonderful job in maintaining that it doesn’t want to change and that’s where the problem begins.
Our subconscious (and superconscious) does not discriminate. It does not distinguish between right and wrong, left and right, past, present and future, etc. These are all concepts created to help us understand our universe, but the universe does not conform exactly to these concepts. This is the reason if you repeat long enough what you can’t do something like learn mathematics. You will find that eventually you can’t do mathematics. It doesn’t mean that you can’t do it ever. It is just that you put out in the Universe or told your Spirits you can’t, and the Universe or your Spirits manifested what you wanted. Why? Because you are made in the image of Divine and the Universe/Spirits must conform to the will of the Men and Women of the Divine. This is why if you keep waiting for karma to catch up and divine retribution to be enacted, you will be waiting forever. It is time to move on Family.
Of course, every time this is stated someone asks this silly question, so the answer is “yes.” If you as God Man or God Woman told the Sun to stop shining it would but what would be the purpose of doing that? Why destroy the Universe for something as silly as to prove to you that you have the power of God within you? That’s why it doesn’t…let’s move on.
Anyway, most of the problems we have in our life are because our subconscious is so stuck in its habitual ways that it will fight every conscious decision to change presented. Say you want to lose weight. As soon as you say it, our subconscious has already given us at least six (or more) reasons/excuses not to do it, from being tired, not having time…you name it. You want to quit smoking cigarettes. Your subconscious has already made excuses for why you should keep smoking cigarettes from it tasting good and being cool looking, to being accepted by those in your social circle. It is this way with everything we try to do. Want to find a new love; your subconscious will fight you on changing your ways to do that. Want to make more money; your subconscious will fight you and convince you somehow that it can’t be done because of all of those conditioned memories that you learned from your parents, family, friends and society.
This is the reason the Kamitic sages personified the subconscious and called it Set (Set-an or Satan). Set or Satan, the devil, is called the Great Adversary. It is not because he is the epitome of evil, but because he is there to make sure that what you say you want is REALLY what you want. And, when you realize that the devil is not some evil, red skinned, goat headed man running around with hoofed feet and pitchfork promising wealth if you sell him your soul, but is your lower self that is fighting you. You could think of Set basically as being your own fail switch.
You see, we want a lot of things but aren’t you glad that most of these wishes never came true? Like, aren’t you glad Sisters that you didn’t hook up with that one guy because you learned later that even though he looked good. He was lazy, abusive and really immature. Or Brothers, aren’t you glad you didn’t hook up with that one lady because you learned that she had a lot of self – created drama, she wasn’t supportive, and didn’t know how to love and respect a decent man. This was all due to your Set opposing you and placing every obstacle he could find in your path. This is not to say that if it is easy, it is meant to be, but the purpose of opposition is to get us to overcome the impurities and shortcomings in our subconscious. By constantly having opposition towards a particular thing, it forces us to reevaluate what we want and redefine our thinking.
For instance, you get into a relationship and one of the individuals in the relationship doesn’t like how the other manages their money. Set appears and an argument ensues, while he poses the question, “Are you sure you want to be with this individual?” If you decide no, then it is over, but if you decide “yes” then you will discover that it is a learning experience for both people involve. One individual has to learn how to manage their money, while the other has to learn how to teach or work with the other in overcoming this shortcoming. This is where “True Love” comes into the picture. It is having the patience and courage to work with another for the better despite their shortcomings.
I know what you are saying. Some of you are still wondering why bad things happen if we have a failsafe switch. It is because if we keep telling ourselves the same thing over and over again, it is assumed that apparently we have redefined our thinking and are certain of what we want. That means that your present situation is a reflection of the thoughts you focused upon in the past. I know some of you don’t want to accept this and can’t believe it, but it is true. Of course, no one deliberately dwells on negative thoughts. At least no one in his or her right mind. We do however complain about what we don’t want and that is just as bad. Just recently, I witness a brother for the past two to three months complain about how he was tired of his wife. I mean every other day, it seemed like he was complaining. A couple of days would pass and he was fine, but shortly after he was back to complaining. On an average, he complained more about her then he did express his gratitude a month, so why in the world was he upset when he was served with divorce papers? It was because he he didn’t want her to leave, he just wanted her to stop doing certain things. But, guess what? He didn’t say that and the Universe/Spirits interpreted his constant complaining as he wanted his marriage to end. This is the reason you have to understand the Seven Codes of Maa and realize that Maa is not about following laws, but understanding how the Universe/Spirit works.
So, how is this done if our subconscious or Set is always going to oppose us?
Well, remember the part of our being that provides excellent solutions is called our superconscious or Ba. This is the divine spark meaning it is mysterious, abstract and irrational part of our being. Unlike our subconscious/Sahu, which is limited to our personal beliefs and experiences, the superconscious/Ba is unlimited, hence omnipotent and omniscient. This means if you want to get it to solve a problem for you, you need to hand your problem to it and trust that it will provide you with a perfect solution. This entails you not obsessing and worrying over the end results, which is the greatest way to destroy any prayer or wish from manifesting.
One of the ways of doing this is by expressing gratitude for the blessings you have. When you do this, it signals to the Universe or to Your Spirits (whichever you want to call it) that you are appreciative of the things you have and want more. Another way is to make a mojo and this is why I think it stems from the Yoruba word “mojuba” because when you make such a charm you are still expressing gratitude but trying to either attract more or repel what you do not desire, through symbolic gestures.
A mojo is spiritual medicine, which Westerners call a charm. Most African American mojos have their origin from the Kongo Angolan region. They symbolize the end result or the desired result and are composed of herbs, papers and personal items which link the individual with the desired objective. Now, lately everyone claims to be a hoodoo practitioner or a shaman because it is the faddish thing to do now. All of these people after taking a course are now calling themselves Papa, Doctor, Momma, Auntie, Miss Whatever. And, all of these people are claiming that in order to make a properly prepared mojo you have to use flannel, you have to use this herb, tie it a certain way, etc. which is just not true. These are basically people trying to get others to cosign their story in order to extort money from us. Back in the day, if someone was given a title Papa, Doctor, Momma, Auntie, etc. it is because they earned it. Meaning these individuals like most shamans had an ordeal they had to overcome. It was after overcoming the obstacle they were reborn and acquired a certain spiritual prowess in dealing with particular issues. Their success reflected in their life. Our ancestors left us our own hero’s path or self – initiation road map as the Kongo Cross diagrammed as the Maa Aankh below.
In other words, I wouldn’t talk to Joe Smo’ about money issues and how to make a billion dollars from a $100. I would talk to Donald Trump or better yet, Warren Buffet because the proof is in the pudding. Well, the same was done back in the day in regards to spiritual matters and we need to get back to do things our way.
Now, when it comes to making mojos, no mojo is made the exact same way. They are all unique to the owner and the owner’s need. For instance, what one woman needs to attract love may be rose petals, while another needs cinnamon, because these herbs symbolize the unique background and experiences of both individuals. This is why it is best you make your own by discerning which herbs, stone, items, oil, etc. symbolizes what you want.
Listen, I always refer back to what did our enslaved ancestors have. If our enslaved ancestors didn’t have flannel, a particular herb, oil, etc. Or, if the moon wasn’t waxing, full or waning, do you think that stopped them from making a mojo? I think not. They did whatever they needed to do and whatever worked to impress the idea upon the Spirit.
Alright, there are several ways of making these spiritual medicine bundles, but they should be small enough to fit inside the palm of your hand, no bigger. You can use the traditional red cloth or colored fabric to symbolize your goal – red for love, green for fertility/money, purple for power/success, black for absorption, white for wisdom/peace, brown for legal issues/justice, etc. But, if a particular symbol doesn’t fit well in your scheme change it. For instance, I use light blue for legal issues because it is the color of the sky (air) for ethical issues, it is the color of most police uniforms, so therefore it is governed by Maat.
Write what you want on a piece of paper. This can be white paper, brown paper bag, etc. Old books use to say parchment because the old grimoires and Jewish texts stated this, but it is not necessary. This is done to help you to focus on what you really want.
Next find items that symbolize what you want. This can be herbs, stones, small icons, symbols, etc. whatever you feel like putting inside of your little bag. The reason Catholic prayer cards are so popular is because the image of the saint serves as an excellent symbol for a desired objective. Remember, the Spirit (superconscious/subconscious) doesn’t distinguish right and wrong, between black, white, brown, red, etc. It imitates whatever it is programmed to do, which means if you took a Saint Michael prayer card and used it for protection. The Spirit following the symbols inside would understand what you mean.
Once the charm is complete, tie it up so that none of the content inside will fall out. This can knotted based upon whatever each number symbolizes, just follow your intuition. For instance, some people make three knots to symbolize the mind, body and spirit, or the father, son and holy ghost. I have even heard of knotting it nine times to resemble an umbilical chord, whatever you want. You are the creator of your own medicine, so no one is going to tell you what you are doing is wrong, and if they do who are they to tell you what works for you? Just because it is wrong based upon their learning, just means it is wrong in their eyes. We have to get out of doing things for other people’s approval and accept that what is right is what works for us. I know it is ongoing process but you have to start somewhere, right?
When you are finish, bring your spiritual medicine or mojo to life. You can choose to pray over it using Psalms 23. You can clasp it tightly in between your hands, while sensing energy coming you and then breathe breath into it. You can smack it on its butt, to symbolize a baby taking its first breath. The choice is your God and Goddess.
Whatever you choose to do, after it is created you need to feed it. Feed it simply means giving it attention. The traditional way to feed a mojo also called a toby in the African American community is to give it a little whiskey or bless it with some favorite cologne, particular oil akin to its objective, or blessed olive oil. But, you can use anything. In the Afro-Caribbean culture they use rum and blow cigar smoke. Some even use incense and in Tibet and China, they use tea, honey and even milk. Again, it doesn’t matter, because the choice is yours. Whatever you choose keep doing it and if you created your mojo on a Friday, it is best to feed it every Friday so that you don’t forget. To feed it, all you need to do is follow your intuition, while telling it “Thank you for attracting (or repelling if that is what you are doing) your (goal).”
You should always treat your mojo with respect. Don’t other people touch it, because the last thing you need is someone else’s doubt. You got enough on your plate working through your own subconscious programming. The general rule of thumb is if you drop your mojo then the spirit leaves. This seems to be more out of respect and based upon the idea that if you think of your mojo as being a child, if it drops it is damaged. It is just a rule to ensure that you protect your medicine. Simply put don’t drop it.
Now, how do I know this works? It is because when I first learned about mojos it was because I had got a copy of Robert Pelton’s book The Complete of Book of Voodoo from a friend in Chicago, when I was in college. As I was photocopying it, I came across a page that had a torn out cigarette advertisement inside of it. When I asked my friend about it later, he told me that his grandmother would use images like this to help people overcome addictions. Did it work? Well, according to my friend, people kept coming to her for help, and the interesting thing is that I didn’t even find this particular rite dealing with addictions in the book (so it wasn’t about the book), which meant this lady conjured up this work (like a true shaman) out of her own Spirit to help this particular individual. In other words, she wrote her own Story. So the question is, will it work for you? Well, the answer is how strong are your beliefs in the Power of God within you?
Understand, the Universe or Your Spirits, will answer your request in several ways by either:
- Giving you exactly what you want, or.
- Giving you a close or near equivalent.
Remember that this is one way of impressing what we want on to our Spirit and the reason we do this is because our subconscious, which focuses solely on our physical survival doesn’t want to change. To encourage change, we must use “allegorical speaking” hidden ways, like repeating declarations while falling asleep.
At is only during this time (alpha – theta state), that our being is receptive to change.
Hope that helps.
Hetep
Nice post! Always informative!