A Human Being’s Best Friend

Night Fire: A Human Being’s Best Friend

Within the initiation camps that take place in the bush of the sub-Saharan region of Meritah, the youth are given stories as part of their initiation. The purpose of these stories is to inspire initiates to value a human being in both the physical and spiritual sense. The Kemetic schools have made it clear that by taking good care of the spiritual part of the self, one becomes more stable. This story shows the reader that there is more value in investing in one’s spirituality (by honoring your Ancestors and Gods), than in giving our lives to the destruction that the system puts in front of us. The system strategically puts love, peace, freedom and justice among other ideologies at the forefront of our attention, in order to bring every human being under their submission. 

The story I am going to tell comes from those invaluable initiations. It is a story about a man who had three friends. As many of us often do, this man thought he and his friends would remain friends forever. They were very similar and could not stay away from each other. These four friends could be found doing everything together; they were inseparable. If anyone wanted to see one of them, they would always see the other three. 

One evening these four friends were sitting in a room after dinner talking about life and what the next day would bring. Suddenly, there was a knock by someone at the door. Each one of the friends asked the other whether they were expecting anyone and they each said no. One of them stood up and turned to open the door. When he opened the door he found an elder standing there. The elder humbly greeted him and asked, “Are you Lakaza?” 

He replied, “Yes I am.” 

The elder said, “Well, sorry to disturb you, but our king has sent me with a message for you.” 

Surprised, Lakaza asked, “What’s the message?” 

“Well, the king wants you to come see him tomorrow.” 

Lakaza asked “What time?” 

“You need to be there at the very first hour of the day. Please don’t make him wait.”, the elder replied. 

Lakaza, losing his ability to hide his surprise, asked the elder, “Why does he want me?” 

“I don’t know why, I just have to give you the message that he wants to see you.” And with that, the elder turned and left. 

Lakaza went back to the room where his friends waited. He told them what the el- der had just said to him. They all began to wonder why the king was looking for their friend, Lakaza. They all knew they were living their lives without any problems. They did not break any principles. Finally, all of the friends said if His Majesty is looking for you then he is looking for all four of us! 

At that moment the friendship of those friends was being tested. This situation would determine the strength of their bonds and to what extent they could stay together. It was a test to see whether their friendships would be able to truly last forever. Usually in friendships, when things are good, that’s when friendships are strong. That’s the reality of friendship. The real test of friendship comes during difficult times. 

This unexpected event had left the friends in a dead silence, everybody went into deep thought and the room became as silent as a cemetery. Lakaza decided that the next day he would grace the king with his presence. He would stand in front of the king and royal court at the palace. 

That’s when the first friend admitted, I really like you, and I re- ally like your friendship. I’m ready for anything when it comes to our friendship, but in this situation I can’t go with you before his Majesty. 

The second friend added, For the sake of our friendship, I will walk with you but I cannot accompany you into the royal court. I will walk with you half way before I must return home. 

That’s when the third one proclaimed, In the name of our friendship, I will go with you and hear what the king wants of you. I will be a witness and see what the king wants with you. I will go with you to know why the king is looking for you. 

Things played out exactly the way the three friends stated. The first friend stayed at the house and said, “I will be here waiting for you.” 

The second friend walked with him halfway and said, “This is as far as I can go with you. I will be waiting for you back at the house.” 

The third friend said, I choose you as a best friend and in order to acknowledge that, I’m going to continue on the road with you to testify, to be your witness and to support you! When they arrived in front of the king, what needed to happen happened.... 

For those in initiations, everything is presented in the form of a metaphor or parable. The initiation masters, after telling this story give initiates the opportunity to look at their our own individual lives in order to find out what in their lives represent the first friend that stayed in the compound, the second friend that came only half way, the third friend which accompanied Lakaza on his entire journey and finally what could represent the King. 

Ancestral wisdom always leads one to concluding that the King is actually Wsr Unnefer, the Ancestral God of humanity and the sovereign of the World of the Dead. The royal messenger was actually death knocking at the door. When death knocks at your door, all of your valued material pos- sessions stay behind. Your car, your house, your land, and anything else you consider your wealth is like the first friend. The second friend can be seen just as your family, your friends, your beloved who will follow you, but only to the edge of your grave before they must return home. They can only go as far as to stand at the edge of your grave to support you and wish you peace on your journey. Your third friend is the one that goes beyond the boundaries of the physical world. It represents your spirituality, which consists of the process of building your human qualities, honoring the 77 Commandments, honoring the principles of life and nature, taking care of your Ancestors, and Deities. 

In today’s lifestyle, which has left no room for our fathers’ initiations, most people are not aware of these realities. Most individuals are living their lives pouring all of their energy into the first friend: material wealth, not realizing that this aspect of their lives will only support them so long. The second friend also has its limitations, your relationships, no matter how strong they are, will not transcend with you when you are leaving this world. However, the third friend, your best friend: your spirituality, will accompany you all the way to your final destination: into the World of the Dead. After realizing this, it’s important that we ask ourselves, “Where should we really be focusing our energy?”