THE HUMAN PRACTICE OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION
In the passage of the Atlantic one of the wealth the Kôngo people brought with them was the reminiscence of their spirituality. However, they focussed on the kind of spirituality they deemed necessary for the circumstances of war they found themselves in the world of dispersion: the human practice of African traditional religion (ATR).
This practice that they codified in Cuba, in the different Palo schools, is essentially based on the use of the spirits of nature, the bisîmbi (plural of sîmbi) in order to organize, protect, and elevate the society.
This contribution of the Kôngo people has marked also other Black practices of spirituality such as: Haitian Vodou, Santeria, Candomblé, etc.
Looking at the Black’s spiritual landscape in the diaspora, one has the impression that the human practice is all that defines the African practice of spirituality.
In order to correct this weak perception, let’s follow a candidate of Kimpasi, the Kongo school of divine mystery, in his initiatory path.
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THE DIVINE PRACTICE OF ATR
Our candidate starts his spiritual journey toward the point 1, which is the West in nseke, the world of the here-living. From there, he must evolve counterclockwise to point 3, which is the East at nseke.
This West-East move is explained by the fact that divine practice requires of the candidate to become like a little child, i.e., pure, innocent, humble, etc.
From point 3 he will join point 4, which is the West in mpêmba, the pure world of holy ancestors. This step means that he must dies symbolically, i.e., he abandons a vile personality to become a new being in mpêmba.
Thus, he reaches the point 5 where he receives spiritual teachings from the holy ancestors, via the initiators.
Finally, he will arrive at the point 6, which is the East of mpêmba. The question here is: where will he go from point 6?
- Will he join again the point 1 as a sign of resurrection in nseke, a sign of going back to the community he has left for the initiation process?
- Will he go to a higher point then 1? How can we explain this last occurance?
The answer to this question determines one’s journey from Palo to Bukôngo and the wealth of the Kôngo spirituality.
To correctly answer this question, one should remember that the Kôngo cosmogram is only a simplified version of the spiral, the central symbol of divine mystery among the Bantus.
Thus, from point 6 our new initiate will go to point 7, which is a West higher than the West of nseke. In other words, the points 4, 5, 6, 7 are different stages of mpêmba. On the cross the points 1 and 7 coïncide, but on the spiral they are at two different levels.
This situation brings in another issue. Physically speaking, our initiate will resume his place in the community after the initiation, he will be a newborn. It means that physically he goes from point 6 to point 1.
But the difference is that by seeming to be in nseke, he will be now living as one who is in mpêmba among the holy ancestors.
In reality, while physically he is back to the community, i.e., to point 1 as nseke, spirituality speaking he abides at point 5 , i.e., in mpêmba, in the pure world of the holy ancestors.
Here the new question is: while he was at nseke , prior to his divine initiation, he was in Palo, or Vodou, or Santeria, i.e., in the human practice of African traditional spirituality (ATS). Thus, he was using the bisîmbi of nseke, the human bisîmbi. Now, that he spiritually lives in mpêmba which bisîmbi will he be using?
Remember the Bible says of of its initiates of the divine mystery (2 Corinthians 5:17 ) – “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
Therefore , our initiate will be using now the bisîmbi of mpêmba, the divine bisîmbi, for him the human bisîmbi don’t anymore exist, everything in mpêmba being new.
Now, I said our divine initiate lives in reality at point 5, in mpêmba. However, there are different “depths” in mpêmba. All the holy ancestors are not at the same spiritual level in the hierarchy of divinities.
Thus, from point 6 to point 7 our initiate will again abandon a vile personality to go higher in his spiritual journey. This process of spiritual rebirth will continue until he reaches the eternal heaven, kayengele.
In eternal heaven we have three kinds of personal beings:
- Nzâmbi Ampûngu Tulêndo , the Most High.
- Mbûmba Lowa, the Creator and similar beings all being Children of Nzâmbi (Suns, Ras, Stars, Loas or Balowa).
- Mpina Nza, the Logos.
These are self-conscious beings. Aside from them, we only have the heavenly nature. That nature includes: joy, harmony, peace, intelligence, etc.
Let’s consider peace. You agree with me that it can be a driving power for a Child of Nzâmbi. Therefore, peace as a driving power is a spirit. However, this spirit is an impersonal one.
Thus, being heavenly, joy, harmony, peace, intelligence, etc., are divine bisîmbi. Being impersonal, these bisîmbi are without free will, they are divine (totally good) and neutral.
So, we have divine bisîmbi, human bisîmbi, and demonic bisîmbi. They all are impersonal neutral spirits.
It is thus of paramount importance for the Kôngo people to reintroduce in the Black’s spiritual landscape that wealth which is the Bukôngo, the the divine practice of ATR.
BUKÔNGO AS THE DIVINE PRACTICE OF ATR
Our academy, NZIL’ALOWA, is a modern school of the divine practice of ATR. At this level ATR is an exact science, a continuation of the divine mystery of ancient Egypt; its practice, based on the purification of thoughts, aims:
- To set the highest moral standard for society.
- To help the initiate become back a manifest Child of Nzâmbi (God).
- To heal through the purification of thoughts.
- To develop the divine min’kisi (powers) that must be perpetuated as human min’kisi.
- To fight witchcraft (hexes and curses) through the means of divine Love, not retaliation.
For this purpose, Nzil’Alowa organizes online courses destined to introduce the Black people to an understanding of the divine mystery of ATR. For a formal practice of Bukôngo, Nzil’Alowa offers initiatory sessions to people of Black descent. More on the online courses can be found on https://kongospirituality.com/kongo-spirituality-courses/