Comfortable with Change

In an age when spirituality is becoming more mainstream and is even fused with pop culture, many people are drawn to what they perceive as a spiritual path. The seeker may be guided towards spirituality consciously or for reasons that disguise themselves. They may be guided to an honest system or a corrupt one. If a person is lucky enough to have been guided by his ancestors toward an honest spiritual path then his honesty as a seeker begins to be tested immediately.

Upon entry into the Initiation education, the Initiate is immediately made aware that an honest and valuable spiritual education is difficult and that it will challenge and affect every aspect of the paradigm held by the individual. The student also quickly realizes that he must become comfortable with change.

Change is not something we are taught to value in this society; instead, we are taught how to pursue a standard of material wealth and information that is passed off as education. Once we achieve that, we are taught to be comfortable with what we have achieved and not to need for anything else. This comfort zone is where we get into trouble as humans who want to be seekers. There is no human who willingly seeks out discomfort or who likes to feel unstable; once we establish a comfort zone, we feel safe. Much of this is due to the fact that our education here lacks the knowledge of existence that is present in the schools of Kemet. The Initiate in the schools of Kemet learns that everything in the Universe is in a constant state of becoming or Khepra, that there is literally nothing in the Universe that can exist in a state of stagnation. With each moment and each breath we take, we are changing, growing, getting older, and moving towards our death.

While at first this can be devastating to a student who is holding onto the thought that they can keep everything the same while they hold onto each

moment and cheat old age, it eventually becomes apparent that knowing some of the truths about existence brings a different kind of stability to the mind that lying to oneself could never bring. Each of the Initiates at The Earth Center learns that, while it is not easy, we must become comfortable with constant change.        

Even before I first arrived to begin my Initiation, I knew of several habits that I would have to leave behind me at the door. It's amazing how many lazy habits and handicaps we carry around; indulging in them when we think we have nothing motivating us to break them. We even convince ourselves that we deserve them because they help us cope with this or that difficult circumstance in our lives. This laziness and indulgence could be some of the main factors keeping us from improving our lives.

I was aware of some of the factors that contributed to my life in this way, but only the most obvious ones. I had no idea how deeply my comfort zone was embedded and how the image that I held of myself and my life and the world were keeping me from growing and becoming a better person. I am still discovering impeding new factors every day and I know that I will continue to uncover layer after layer in myself as long as I am on the path of an honest seeker.        

We are taught that everything in the Universe is in a constant state of becoming. We then learn that most often when we think we or those around us are staying the same, they are probably changing in a destructive way. If they or we are not overcoming the obstacles necessary to move forward than we are most likely moving backwards or becoming further entrenched in the habits that become self-destructive. For example, when I came to The Earth Center to begin my Initiation, there were things that I thought I knew about myself, others, and life. As these things began to change, as others around me began to grow and have a different perception of the world that they live in, I was struck with a sense of instability that was frightening. What I knew and had come to expect from others in my circle of sisters and brothers was changing and I didn't know that what I was missing was the comfort of predictability. Thinking that we know what life is going to bring us is one of the greatest ways we settle into illusion. We can never be fully prepared for what life has to bring because the only thing guaranteed is death.

I am slowly realizing with the help and guidance of my older brothers and sisters that, as I face the challenges that are in my own path and accept the struggle of becoming a better person (instead of feeling comfortable with how far I've come) I become more comfortable with change in others and the becoming of everything around me. Because as we face the personal obstacles we each have, we build a much more stable place to stand on, and as our personal foundation becomes stronger there is less in our environment that can shake it. Eventually the knowledge that we and everything around us are in a constant state of becoming can itself be comforting because it gives us a sense of knowing what to expect, even if that means trying to be prepared for anything. As my education and work on myself as a human going towards the world of the Gods continues, my gratitude for Master Naba and all of the Initiates at The Earth Center deepens.

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