In Memory of the Man Who Transformed My Life

Since I was a little girl, I had always been attracted to what little my mind could comprehend of "blackness". I pondered it more than anything else. As I got older, the attraction grew into a deep seated desire to know what it meant. My adolescence was marked by a need to identify myself under this "blackness" that I was so attracted to, and I quickly developed a strong fixation on my connection to Africa, a connection that I knew existed but I couldn't understand it well enough to explain to myself or to anyone else exactly how or why. I knew that Africa was a part of me, I knew that I didn't trust the system that the "white man" created, and I knew that there was something more to life that I just couldn't put my finger on. 

Driven by the goal of figuring out everything that I wanted to know about life, I double-majored in Political Science and African Studies in college, because I was convinced that the answers to my questions (and the means to accomplishing my mission of saving the world), were somehow entangled in these areas. I left college still pretty lost, but with a more firm understanding of many of the aspects of my identity that I was confused about, and the efforts to understand my identity lead me into a new quest - the search for my spiritual path, the search for my true self. I sought rigorously into different spiritual practices, from Zazen meditation, to Rastafari, to Ethiopian orthodoxy, to Hare Krishna, my mind raged with questions that I couldn't find complete answers to... What is the truth? When will I know that I've found the right path? How is my path connected to Africa? 

When I first saw Master Naba, I said to myself, "This is who I want to answer all my questions." I saw his face on The Earth Center website after I had been googling key words like "Nubia and Kemet", "History of ancient Egypt", and "Kemetic spirituality" with a steadfast mission of getting closer to answering the question that I had found myself struggling to answer for years, "Why am I searching for myself in Africa?". Honesty and wisdom emanated from his eyes, and I sat staring into his face for several minutes before I began to examine the site. His face was handsome, with an aura of stern kindness and humble confidence, like he was assured in the legitimacy of the knowledge that he had, and was serious about sharing it. I trusted him, and wanted to know everything that was on the site.

I sat for hours reading through all the links, my scrutinizing personality wouldn't allow me to miss anything worthy of criticism or questioning. Returning more than once to the 77 commandments, the requirements of being a Kem, and the history of Merita (which I suddenly preferred to use instead of "Africa" for reasons I learned from reading the site), I made sure I didn't overlook anything. I read over the links and pages repeatedly, thinking and questioning, and ultimately managed to subdue my reluctance to utilize the "contact Master Naba" option. I wrote Master Naba an email, spilling my guts, asking as many carefully worded and contemplated questions as I could muster. After I finished typing, I sat and read and reread what I had written, procrastinating to click "send" out of both embarrassment and fear. I sat there embarrassed because of the confusion that I had spewed in an email to a man I didn't even know but somehow trusted with all of the most important concerns of my life - would he laugh at my ignorance as he read it? At the same time, I reread my email through watery eyes in fear of what response I would receive - would he never respond, and leave me hanging in my search for knowledge (like some other organizations I had encountered)? Would his response reveal that I actually did not find what I was searching for? Would it reveal that I actually did? 

After reaching Master Naba, I didn't have to wait long to receive an email from an initiate/teacher at The Earth Center, who was responding to emails on his behalf. His response reflected great concern for my quest, and his answers assured me that The Earth Center was worth my time. After hearing from him, contacting the New York center and speaking to another initiate/teacher there, I wasted no time getting to The Earth Center for an orientation that seemed to be planned just in time for me. I found myself floating in feelings of excitement, awe, and fear, by what I had discovered after attending that orientation. And although the fear of taking a step in a completely new direction in life seemed to clench at my neck, I couldn't let what struck me as my opportunity towards enlightenment pass me by, and I decided to become an initiate at The Earth Center. I began classes with the weight of just one thought overpowering all the others - "I can't wait to meet Master Naba." 

When I was told that Master Naba had died, I did not want to accept it. After being an initiate at The Earth Center for just about four months, the thought that my master would be gone never once crossed my mind. I sat confused, consumed by emotions that all emerged from the one dominant thought in my mind, "But I didn't even get to meet him!" I fought to control the erupting disappointment that threatened to dominate my consciousness - how could I continue at The Earth Center if Master Naba isn't even here anymore? I took my time sorting through my emotions, and with the help of words from my family at The Earth Center, I was able to come to a conclusion that I knew was right; Master Naba may have left this Earth, but the gift he has left to me, and to humanity, will live here for years to come. 

Being an initiate at The Earth Center has completely changed my life. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for Master Naba's teachings that I have received through The Earth Center. My entire understanding of the world, life, and reality has been redirected. I now have the opportunity to align myself on a path of self improvement, to establish a connection with my Ancestors, and to advance towards the Divine. I have found answers to what I have been searching for; thanks to what Master Naba has done. I definitely have more questions, but because of the legacy that he left behind, I have a path to knowledge that I know will lead me to the answers and that will stay with me beyond my time on this Earth. Although I never had the privilege of meeting him, Master Naba has touched my life more than all of the people I have ever met. Duau Master Naba.