Category: Heal Yourself

Heal Yourself

7/1/2015

Temple Weekly Community Newletter Khoyak (October) 6254

Peace, Hotep!
Welcome to Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI New Weekly Community Newsletter

Our Story
Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI (Kiswahili for Temple of the Seven Principles) is an international, self-governing, self-supported, Universal Spiritual Temple established to acknowledge the Creator and restore the original, indigenous Peoples. Located in the Chicago Territory, we provide a sacred space to advance Ancient spiritual understanding, receive and acknowledge the Creator & become spiritually whole to transcend ones full potential on Earth.

The Temple focuses on spiritual awareness and ethical teachings. We embrace the Seven Principles of Nguzo Saba and believe that a true spiritual foundation is composed of the Seven Principles through exercises of self-awareness. Our common goal is to expound upon each ofthe Seven Principles to build strong communities.

Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI was established in Tybi (November) 12, 6252 (2012). Wegather weekly on Moon’s day (monday) for meditation & Sun’s day (Sunday) to study from Husia. Every first Sun’s day we collaborate with other Afrikan spiritual temples in the Chicago Territory. Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI is membership based and we do not recruit. Our meditaion and study is open to the public and we look forward to meeting you.

Khoyak 6254 KMT
October 1, 2014

Our Story
Temple Healing Initiatives
Ministry Projects
KMT/Indigenous Community

Temple Healing Initiatives
Self Awareness Exercises

First Sunday Spiritual Community Gathering
Join us at the I AM Institute on
Khoyak (Oct) 4, 6254/2014
Soul Vegetarian 205 E. 75th, Chicago, IL

Self-Study Sunday
We provide a sacred space to advance Ancient KMT spiritual understanding. We utilize Selections from the Husia to introduce KMT Culture & Life. Khoyak (Oct) 11, 3pm
*Address below

Meditation
We offer meditation every 1st & 3rd Monday. Come to our 1st Monday Meditation Khoyak (Oct) 6; 6:00pm. We will not allow entry after 6:30pm. *Address below

Visit our website for more info

Healing Ministry Project(s)

KMT/Indigenous Community

Self-Nuturing Sustainability Project
Our Self-Nurturing Sustainability project is an initiative to establish a self-supported, sustainable system of producing and sustaining healthy foods.

For information about our Self-Nuturing Project visit our blog at ukuunki.blogspot.com and click Gardening for the Soul.

Monthly community events?

Check out

ukuunki.blogspot.com

for updates on weekly events & activities in the KMT & Indigenous community.

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Restoration Through Recollection

7/1/2015

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	Rekh wer 6254/Feb 2015 Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI Temple of the 7 Principles		1
One United Spirit Community Newsletter

Reconnecting to the Self

Practice as Cultural Ritual

During 2013’s International Conference of the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC), Baba Ali McBride did a presentation on the need for practice with regards to traditional African spirituality. He argued that "practice" equated with rigorous engagement and internalization of the values of these systems, and ultimately demonstrated their capacity to inform a revisioning of communities. so beset by what Kobi Kambon has termed cultural misorientation. I think of Baba Ali's presentation often.

A few weeks ago my children and I were discussing conceptions of speech in the ancient Nile Valley. I was explaining the differences between mdw nfr, which is good speech; and mdw ntchr, which is divine speech. Good speech is speech that perfects one's character. It is speech that emphasizes balance and sound judgment (Maat). It is speech that is intelligent (Djhuty). Divine Speech is speech that is transcendent. It is speech that captures the timelessness and boundlessness of wisdom, connecting the living individual with the wisdom of their ancestors, and the cosmic or divine principles (ntchr) that were believed to govern the universe. The difference between these two demonstrates that good speech was a process of refining one’s character, deepening one’s knowledge, and expanding one’s awareness in an aspiration to practice divine speech. This aspirational quality cannot be understated, as mdw nfr requires constant practice.

I was thinking about how Baba Ali's point about practice is captured quite succinctly in this conceptualization of speech. It is also conveyed in the Yoruba concept of iwa rere (good character) and the Akan concept of Suban Trenee (righteous character). This is to say nothing of ritual as cultural and social practice.

If practice is imperative, and we need more of it, as Baba Ali stated at the beginning of his presentation, then we are left to ponder what does this mean in expanding the locus of cultural practice beyond the realm of individual transformation to communal transformation. How are mdw nfr, iwa rere, and so forth operationalized in a way that become compelling and instructive for the community at large?

On the South Side of Chicago Baba Zakee coordinates a Capoeira Angola class. His class is important in a number of respects. First, it is an attempt to make African Diasporic culture accessible within the African American community. This is critically important, as many elements of traditional African or African Diasporic culture are often inaccessible, both geographically and economically for low-income and working class African Americans. Baba Zakee’s class location and cost all attempt to disrupt this pattern. Second, Baba Zakee emphasizes that Capoeira is not simply a kinesthetic art, but it is a healing art. He argues that just as Africans in Brazil employed Capoeira in their resistance to the system of enslavement in their efforts to transform Brazilian society, so too does Capoeira possess the capacity to transform our communities and our lives. Third, Baba Zakee’s sbayt (instruction) reflects Baba Ali’s point about the necessity of practice. It also echoes a statement in the Yoruba sacred text, the Odu Ifa, that states “It is by practicing Ifa that we come to understand Ifa”. The implication herein is that a thing cannot be fully understood from the standpoint of being an observer. True depth of understanding comes from active engagement with a thing within a community of practice. Thus I agree with Baba Ali—we need practice. We need to practice at educating for liberation. We need to practice the science of food production. We need to practice the art of healing the bodies and minds of those who have so been affected by the Maafa. We need to practice the various cultural forms that inform and augment our capacity to transform reality.

Indeed, we need practice.

By Professor Kamau Rasid

So, now what?
If this newsletter has reached you in good spirits reply or/and join us at one of our upcoming events posted to the right.

We offer a sacred space to understand and practice ancient spiritual understanding every Sunday with Self-Awareness study and every 1st & 3rd Monday Meditation.

For more information on Temple of the Seven Principles check out our website at ukuunki.wordpress.com

Find out how you can write for our blogspot at
One United Spirit

We are all energy (spirit)

Peace & Love,
Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI
Temple of the Seven Principles

Upcoming Events

RekNeds/Mar 1	3PM
Spiritual Gathering 809 E. 42nd Pl. TACC

RekNeds/Mar 2 & 16	6PM
Meditation Culture Connection 400 W. 71st

RekNeds/March Every Saturday	10A-2P
Urban Farm South 2622 E. 83rd

RekNeds/March Every Sunday except 1st Sun	3-5PM
Self-Study Intro to KMT Life/Culture

About
Temple of the
Seven Principles

Hekalu Ya UKUUNKI (Kiswahili for Temple of the Seven Priniples) is a self-supported, Universal Spiritual Temple established to acknowledge the Creator for the restoration of the Original, Indigenous peoples. We offer a sacred space to advance ancient spiritual understanding/practice to become spiritually whole and trascend ones full potential on Earth.

Established in Tybi (Nov) 6252 (2012), we gather weekly for self study on Sunday. Every 1st Sunday we gather with other spiritual temples of the Chicago community.