Ten Cardinal Principles Of Ancient African Deep Thought (Summary)
1) Cultivate the ability to distinguish between the real and the unreal.2) Cultivate the ability to distinguish between right and wrong.
3) Learn to be free from resentment under the experience of wrong.
4) Learn to be free from resentment under the experience of persecution.
5) Believe the truth can be found.
6) Believe the truth can be lived.
7) Have faith in the ability of the Higher Power to teach the truth.
8) Be devoted to the purpose of realizing union with your Divine Creator.
9) Learn to control your actions.
10) Learn to control your thoughts.
Ten Cardinal Principles Of Ancient African Deep Thought (Detailed)
1) “Cultivate the ability to distinguish between the real and the unreal. This mandate requires us to think for ourselves and question for ourselves. We must learn to think critically and deeply, strengthening our reasoning abilities so we can get beyond “either/or” conclusions and can understand “both/and.” That which is unreal tends to be illusory and temporary and will, upon awakening or enlightenment, disappear or dissipate. That which is real tends toward the everlasting and eternal. In a social context such as ours, where the highest value is placed on appearances, material gain, and consumption, the potential for deception and the distortion of reality will be great. 2) Cultivate the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The development of our capacity for moral reasoning is critical for our good health. We must identify and articulate the standard of ethics governing our moral conscience and behavior. We cannot rely on the standard of ethics of a society whose development from the beginning has been based on theft and the terrorizing of others for personal gain. Africans in America have brought the United States a long way by leading the fight for equal civil rights under the law; we cannot lose sight of our historic role. 3) Learn to be free from resentment under the experience of wrong. We must not judge by appearances, rather, we must look beyond appearances. Looking with only the physical eye, it may appear the universe is not just. The universe is governed by the law of opposites, and all life processes are conducted based on the principle of duality. In other words, in order to know good, we must also know what is not quite as good. To know life, we must know death, to know male, we must know female and so on. When challenges, which may involve struggle or sacrifice, come, we must not be resentful, but consider them as special opportunities for the exact growth we need to achieve mastery and the highest good. 4) Learn to be free from resentment under the experience of persecution. Practice forgiveness for your own sake. When disagreements occur, assume a lack of information is motivating the other party rather than mal-intent. Our ancestors understood no one has the power to steal your joy, peace of mind or opportunity to realize your greatest good, unless you give it to them, because no one can control what you think or feel but you. As we maintain our power, we realize there is no reason to be resentful. The universe is just. Everyone reaps what they sow. Our challenge is to sow only good and therefore, only good must return to us. 5) Believe the truth can be found. Seeking truth takes courage and trusting, that what will be found, will be sustaining and “the truth.” We must seek the truth. Commit to finding out the truth, develop the ability to discern through multiple dimensions, reason, intuition, insight, revelation, and sensing. With the goal of gaining knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, ask the universe and the order and laws of the universe require we be answered. 6) Believe the truth can be lived. Faith in ourselves to internalize the truth we find, and sustain our choice to live it, is invaluable. Should we get off track, we must forgive ourselves, master the lesson to be learned, then get back on track, being clearer, stronger, and more committed than ever before. 7) Have faith in the ability of the Higher Power to teach the truth. Be mindful of where, and in what, faith is placed. All that is, is faith, our positive belief in it makes it so (even if later found to be in error, it was “real” at the time). Belief that there is an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Creative Life Force, whose nature is love, the source of all good, means everything must be in Divine Order. We must trust that Force in us, to lead us to our highest and greatest good. 8) Be devoted to the purpose of realizing union with your Divine Creator. Consistent and persistent critical self-reflection and self-examination are imperative. Life is about lessons leading to the achievement of a greater and higher good. In the African cultural tradition of wisdom and deep thought, the purpose of life is to become one with God. This process of deification could take many lifetimes. With each incarnation we choose, with the Creator and our Guides, exactly what context and experiences are needed for us to grow closer to realizing this objective. Devotion to this process will yield mastery and mean, upon achieving conscious union with God, we would not need to return to earth. We could choose to return to help others or move on to another plane of existence. Whether or not we believe as our ancestors did, let us be devoted to whatever life’s purpose we have identified. 9) Learn to control your actions. Think before acting. None of us is yet perfect, though striving, so there will be times of acting from other than our Higher Self. Let those times be lessons for growth. What we think and feel are reflected in our behavior. Others may (mis)interpret our actions based on what would be true for them, but checking ourselves for internal congruence between our intentions, thoughts, feelings, and actions is most valuable. This ability requires us to stay in touch with our heartfelt feelings and bring them to conscious awareness, so unconscious emotional issues or unresolved conflicts do not drive our behavior. Let the habits we create be good ones, helping us achieve optimal health. 10) Learn to control your thoughts. We must be as selective of the thoughts we let into our consciousness and find a home, as we are of the food we put in our bodies. We must become consciously aware of whatever it is we are assuming is true about life, knowledge, the universe, or whatever, because these assumptions shape the parameters of our thinking and our conceptual system. Thoughts are things. “As a man thinketh so is s/he.” We can best control our thoughts by making sure our assumptions are conducive to and congruent with the values and beliefs toward which we aspire and desire to create using wholesighted (inclusive of heart, mind and soul) reason. Every thought that crosses the mind you need not own, but develop the cache that allows you to treasure most thoughts. Whatsoever things are good… think on these things." (2)Practicing these fundamental principles will result in right alignment of self as sacred spirit. This protects and supports health and well-being. (3)
(1) Myers, Linda James, “Our Health Matters: Guide To An African (Indigenous), American Psychology And Cultural Model For Creating A Climate And Culture Of Optimal Health.” Columbus, Ohio: Ohio Commission on Minority Health, (2003), p.26. [Mostly quoted with minor changes. Summary, headings and formatting added]
(2) Ibid.
(3) Myers, Linda James, Ph.D. & Speight, Suzette L., Ph.D., "Reframing Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being Among Persons of African Descent: Africana/Black Psychology Meeting the Challenges of Fractured Social and Cultural Realities,"The Journal of Pan African Studies, (2010, June), vol.3, no.8, p. 76.
