It
is my prediction that by 2004, money and power are going to be in the
hands of the spiritual community.
SRI
SIVA
WORDS WE SPEAK
- ENERGY
& INTIMACY
- GIBSON
AND GLOVER MAKE NEWS
- MOON
NAMES
- MELANIN
- VISUALIZING
LIGHT
- BLACK
THINK TANK RESULTS
- DRIVING
WHILE BLACK
- THE
STATE OF OUR SOULS
- DISTRESSED
BY STRESS?
- MONEY
AND SPIRIT
- DIVINE
CONVERSATION
- MANSHARING
- SEX
AND SKIN
- THINK
AND ACT
- Gullah-Geechee
Culture
- BLACKS
IN NAZI GERMANY
- THE
GIFT OF JAZZ
- WOMEN
AWAKEN
- CHILDREN
AND SEX
- BREATHE,
MY FRIEND!
- WOMEN
& MUSIC
- SINGLE
GRANDMOTHERS
- AIN'T
I A WOMAN?
- REPARATIONS
- MSG
KILLS
- MOTHERHOOD
- STAND
IN THE LIGHT
- FORGIVENESS
- COSBY
SPEAKS
- TREE
SHAKERS
The Gift of Cowrie
by Latranei Gaibole
Column: BenBen Volume 45: The real history of the
cowrie shell, and why it is valued as a cultural and
spiritual item
She walked through the park in her long mud cloth
dress, her locks tied away from her face. Hanging from
her ears were simple, yet elegant, cowrie-shell
earrings, and hanging loosely around her neck was a
rare necklace made with copper and cowrie shells to
match her earrings. Her dress was simple, yet elegant,
and the cowries sewed onto it in the pattern of the
Sankofa Adinkra symbol made a statement that could not
be denied. Her dreadlocks, unruly yet tied away from
her face with a barrette adorned with cowrie shells,
had more shells woven into them. The woman was
conscious of the attention that her presence drew, and
knew that as she continued on her way, her appearance
caused heads to turn towards her from all directions.
She was not a beautiful woman, but her dress and
presentation inspired admiration from all who laid
eyes on her.
The cowrie shell is perhaps the most recognizable of
African cultural and spiritual symbols. It is an item
that we wear when we wish to portray the message that
we are conscious, spiritual and fighting for the
upliftment of Africans worldwide. They are used to
make statements: social, cultural, spiritual and
political. The intended symbolism of the cowrie
depends on the context in which it is used. But
regardless of its use, the cowrie always inspires
admiration, respect and awe.
Traditionally, the cowrie shell has a very specific
meaning and history, but because many people who use
cowries are not knowledgeable about the important
spiritual meaning and history that cowries carry, they
are often misunderstood and misinterpreted. Cowrie
shells are not meant to be mere fashion statements;
they are serious spiritual items that deserve respect
and honor.
Cowrie is the common name given to marine gastropods
belonging to the family Cypraeidae, a family of marine
snails that are found in the tropics. They are found
in the Indian Ocean, around southern California and in
many other places. The cowrie's shell is covered by
its large mantle when alive - when the cowrie walks
across the ocean floor, the mantle envelopes the
shell. The cowrie is constantly adding layers onto the
top surface of its shell, so unlike other mollusks
who add on larger quarters to their shells when
needed, the cowrie constantly adds new shell layers to
the top of the shell while simultaneously using acid
to eat away at the interior layers.
To fully understand the importance and history of the
cowrie shell, I petitioned Master Naba, Dogon Priest
and Spiritual Master from Burkina Faso, one of the
centers for culture and spirituality in West Africa.
While I had researched the cowrie shell at length, the
quality of the information that I found was missing
something. I knew there was a deeper meaning and
history behind the cowrie. Master Naba was able to
close the enormous gaps in my research and tie
everything together.
The cowrie shell was the first symbol of money and
wealth known to mankind. In Ancient Africa (and at
that time, the African civilization encompassed every
land on Earth), the cowrie was used much like the
dollar is used today. They were wealth, and they were
traded for goods and services. But why would humanity
choose the cowrie shell over all other items that
could be used for the same purpose?
"There is a Goddess who lives in the water called Mote
or more affectionately, the 'Mommy of Water'. This
Goddess lives in the sea, and because the sea surrounds all of the lands and is connected to all
water on Earth, she is accessible through any body of
water. This Goddess is a powerful Goddess who affects
the lives of people on Earth as well as other Deities.
Mote often adopts people as a husband, brother,
sister, mother, friend, child, etc., and she can
become very jealous when a human that she has adopted
becomes close with another human being because she
fears that her adopted human might pay more attention
to the other human being than to her. The Mommy of
Water has the ability to reward those who please her
and to punish those who do not. The rewards that the
Mommy of Water gives when she is pleased is the cowrie
shell, and this is where the notion of money comes
from," Master Naba explained.
"The Mommy of Water is so powerful that she was able to prove to the entire world that she can reward or
punish people at will. The cowrie shell comes as a
token of recognition by the Goddess," Naba went on to
say. "When people pleased her, she made the sea wash
out cowrie shells on the beach that came from deep
within her kingdom, the sea. They came as a proof of
being accepted by the Goddess and as a reward and gift
from her. Because it carried such a heavy spiritual
meaning, people who did not live by the coast wished
to trade things with people for the cowrie shells.
They wanted to have something from the Goddess too."
Why was it so important for someone to have an object
that was given by a God or Goddess? Why would people
travel hundreds of kilometers to trade goods for
little shells? "Cowrie shells are a gift from a Deity.
The best way to access a Deity is through the gifts
offered by that Deity," Master Naba said.
The Mommy of Water is a very powerful Deity in that
she can affect human life and personality drastically.
While she is not part of an Ennead of Gods and is seen
as a 'lesser' Goddess, her direct contact with humans
makes her popular and powerful. Her counterpart on
land is the Goddess Sekhmet, a very powerful Goddess
on Earth. "Her gift of the cowrie shell is one that is
not taken lightly, as it symbolizes one of the four
elements of life: 'mooey', or water. Gods of the other
three elements also give important gifts," explained
Master Naba, "that could have been used as money but
were not. Nwt, or fire, gives the holy fire, a
purifying fire that is needed for a God to reach the
heavens, and Nwt gives the celeste rock as a gift. Shw
(air) gives incense and spices. Geb (Earth) gives
gold. We do not see gold in the same materialistic way
that others do. Gold is really a gift from the God
Geb and is holy and spiritual."
It makes sense that divination is often done in
traditional Africa using cowrie shells. "The best way
to access a deity is through their gift," Naba told
me. Cowrie shell readings, then, are not readings of
Earth Energies, but rather readings of intervention. The accuracy of the readings depend on
the growth of the reader. "Mote is a Goddess that can
affect everything. Every God found her useful, and
that is why cowrie shells are used. The reader is
using the influence of the Goddess when doing a
reading because she has access to every deity, being and place!" Naba explained.
|
Namaste,
Well, its 2004 and the world's wealth is still in the hands for the most
part of what he calls "non-spiritual" people. One can still hope
though and the year is still young. I'm going to work with these 2 and see
what happens. I always give a mantra 3 months of repeating it every day at
least 108 times a day to see its effectiveness in my life.
Peace, Liaya
This discussion taken from the BlackGoddessForum@yahoogroups.com
with Matomah Alesha
Putting Money Back into
the Hands of the Spiritual People
Sri
Siva speaks
Born in Tamil Nadu, India,
Sri Siva is the first scholar-mystic from the Tamil Siddha tradition to
travel to the West. Sri Siva studied with gurus in the Himalayas and South
India. He holds two master's degrees in literature from India and a
doctorate in religion from the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught
meditation courses.
As the Siddha mantras have
never been published, the mystical teachings can only be passed on by word
of mouth. The first individual to be given permission to teach these
meditations was Wayne Dyer. Sri Siva, who remained in silence for a long
period, is now coming forth to teach this powerful wisdom himself.
In general, spiritual people shy away from money and this is a historic
truth. Examine a statement like the following: It is easier for a camel to
pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom
of God. Examine the life of the Buddha that led him to leave the palace
and his wife and child in order to become a monk. Somehow the world has
put god on one side and money on the other. You go to church/temple/mosque
and all of a sudden you become very grave. You seem to think that god
might love long faces because your concept of god is that he is a kill-joy
and a peeping Tom. It is time that spiritual people change their negative
attitude towards money and material life.
My commitment in this lifetime is to put money and power back into the
hands of the spiritual people. Currently, money is in the wrong hands -
those of people who are totally unconscious. These rich people are
self-centered, egocentric and want to grow richer and richer at any cost.
They don't even realize that they have more money than they could possibly
spend in this lifetime. They have no sympathy for the 3 billion human
beings who go to bed hungry. There is no willingness to share their
wealth. Conversely, the poor and the spiritual people want to share
whatever they have with those who are in need. Unfortunately, because
these people don't have money, their sympathy has very little impact.
The World is Changing
We are living on the threshold of a New Age in which there will be a
paradigm shift. It is my prediction that by 2004, money and power are
going to be in the hands of the spiritual community. I need to prepare the
world for this change. Fundamentally, spiritual people should come out of
the closet and become more active. It is important for them to understand
that if you meditate for longer hours and spend a lot of time reflecting
on god, over a period of time you will become other-worldly. In some
cases, it may even create depression and a lack of interest in being
active.
It is important that all spiritual people should do something to remain
grounded. They can practice a martial art or some other form of physical
exercise that will keep them alert. Also, get rid of the concept that this
world is an illusion and it is important to focus attention on god rather
than the world. You must realize that the world with all its complexity
and silliness is still the creation of god. Think that when you are having
a good meal, you are connecting with god. To run away from the world is to
run away from god.
Some Tips to Radically Change Your
Mind
Perhaps you have been a monk or ascetic for many lifetimes. In those
lifetimes, your priority had only been god. You rejected relationship,
worldly pleasures, politics, etc. in favor of a reclusive and ascetic
life. These strong memories from past lives should be erased. I have
developed a meditation for this problem. It involves meditating with the
sound Thiruneelakantam. This sound is what I call a Karma- busting
mantra. The sound will work like a pill.
As soon as the sound gets
diffused into your throat area, you will experience the evaporation of
your past karma. You will then no longer have the desire to stick with
your old car. Miraculously, things will change and then you will end up
acquiring a Mercedes. Over the past few years, I have helped many people
to buy a Mercedes, build a home or move to a new apartment.
In the year 2001, I put out a lot of my energy to workwith spiritual
people. The world will not see any substantial progress unless money and
power change hands. From time immemorial, money has always remained
in the hands of the wrong people. No more can we allow this to happen.
Already the world has suffered. Let us bring all the spiritual people
together and work towards this goal. Over the last few years, Wayne Dyer
and Deepak Chopra have done important work in this area. I congratulate
both of them for their extraordinary work. I gave the "Ah"
meditation particularly to Wayne Dyer. I am glad that it is being
practiced all over the world. I just came back from London and I heard
many people speak about their success with the "Ah" meditation.
As we go along, I will reveal more secrets about transforming your
procreative energy into money and power energy.
Ara Kara: The Technique for Power, Money and Enlightenment
The mantra "Ara Kara" is an exceptional one from the Tamil
Siddha Tradition. It will fundamentally change your mind to have a
positive attitude to accomplish anything that you need in life.
Historically, the technique has been used at times when there have been
major shifts of power. The technique will dethrone heartless
dictators and bad rulers and establish dharma or righteousness. It is my
desire to start a global "Ara Kara" Meditation Group at specific
times of the day in order to bring in the new world order. The group will
use the Internet to facilitate the change of power.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
From: "Matomah Alesha"
I think some black people
shrink on this issue because its connected to slavery...when folks use to
clean other peoples houses and the old stories and the years of oppression
there is plenty to point your finger at and say MONEY IS EVIL...MONEY
KILLS. Because in the ghetto, the plantations, the palaces, the homes some
of us grew up in....that is what we can see and conclude....money leads to
soul-less cruelty to life, to people, even to your own kin.
My development around this includes the mistakes that others make and the
limited vision they have about spirituality and money.
I have also seen though....diviners with a heart of gold who live in
poverty....I see the struggling artists....who work in places they hate
and struggle everyday to get the monies to do art...spiritual healing art.
I know about this and seen. When we point out for instances that most of
the nations tax dollars goes to the military...we are also saying that our
money is not going to life changing, spirit uplifting programs,
individuals, organizations and visions that add to people and nature and
not destabilize it.
The journey with the Black Goddess, for me, includes reclaiming all things
and reorienting them to something that is pro-life and pro-creativity.
This means
SEX,
LAND,
MONEY,
FUN,
SCIENCE,
TECHNOLOGY,
MARRIAGE,
MEDICINE,
FAMILY,
EDUCATION,
CHILD REARING,
and more......so its one house....among many houses that have...as it were
a patriarchal, anti native energy that has taken it over...its
guardians.....and made the whole thing a servant to nihilism. In
Kemet....every place beamed with light and love....and the issues we face
wont change until we courageous go into every house, look under every
stone......take every text, holy book and genealogy book and turn it to
the sun.
This is a holy marriage...money, social responsibility, spirituality, the
universe, ethics.......one BIG FAT GROUP MARRIAGE.
So don't avoid anything....not when the whole universe and the world
depends on it.
Peace Mat
"The rewards that the
Mommy of Water gives when she is pleased is the cowrie shell, and
this is where the notion of money comes from," Master Naba
explained.
Cowrie Myths
The cowrie shell has often been associated with the
female sexual organ. This association has no basis in
spiritual fact or tradition and is a modern concept.
The aperture, or opening, is in the form of a toothy
slit. Historically, the association of this part of
the cowrie began with Europeans, who associated it
with the genital tract of their female pigs. In
Pompeii., women connected cowries with the womb and
Goddess energy (which is not entirely incorrect, as
the cowrie is associated with the Mommy of Water) and
wore them as necklaces to ensure their fertility. In
traditional Japan, women hold cowries during
childbirth to help the progress. It is to be noted
that the association between female sexual organs and
the cowrie shell is a modern concept and has no basis
in spirituality or African culture.
Use of Cowries
Cowrie shells have many uses, both traditional and
modern. While they are currently used by many people
as decoration and a fashion or social statement, their
traditional uses are many.
-
Gifts - If someone gives you cowrie shells as a gift,
they are really offering you wealth and a way to
improve yourself. They are giving you a gift from a
Goddess, and this carries a deep spiritual
significance.
-
Gambling - Traditional gambling involves the use of
cowrie shells in a game similar to craps. The gambler
takes four shells in the hand and throws them. If
three are open and one is closed, the thrower wins
(open means the jagged side faces up); all other
combinations means that the thrower loses.
-
Sympathetic Magic - Cowrie shells are destined to
transfer power and good fortune to whoever they are
oriented toward. On the other hand, because Mote also
punishes, ill fortune and bad luck can also be
transferred. Depending on the circumstance and use of
the cowries, the affect can be either harsh or
rewarding.
-
Readings - Cowries are often used in readings, such as
in Ifa. When they appear face up, this is a positive
sign; face down normally means one will not get what
one expects.
-
Ancestral Offering - The cowrie shell plays an
important role in ancestral offerings. When one puts
cowrie shells inside the grave or coffin, the dead
person can use them whenever needed in the World of
the Dead for intervention.
-
Symbol of Fortune - The cowrie shell carries with it
good luck and material wealth. It is a gift from a
Goddess, so it always carries the concept of good
fortune and blessing from the Deity.
While cowrie shells have become a social statement, in
reality, they are a highly valued spiritual token of
Motešs blessing. They are used in weddings, funerals,
traditional ceremonies, art ,their uses are
countless. We can adorn our bodies and our instruments
with cowries. We can tie them in our hair and sew
them on our clothes. They can hang from our ears or necks. They can be given as gifts or
offerings. The
only thing that one should never do with a cowrie
shell is to burn it. Regardless of how you use the shells, always keep in mind the significance of the
shell and its true spiritual meaning.
http://www.theearthcenter.com/ff45benben.html
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Thiruneelakanta
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