Reconditioning the Mind
Ka’at Ibi: Reconditioning the Mind
The initiatic system known as M’TAM, is the oldest educational system known to man, tracing back more than 80,000 years ago. Within this system is a collection of knowledge that is presented at The Earth Center in a course known as Ka’at Ibi. The Ka’at Ibi course is presented as closely as possible to the practices of those who receive this knowledge in initiatic bush camps today, a knowledge that has passed in an unbroken chain from generation to generation. The class contains breathing techniques, body movements, chanting, transcendental meditation, relaxation, and much more. This is a holistic education that affects the body, mind, and soul. This is the great gift Prophet Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig brought to us with the permission of his King and Elders.
When I started at The M’TAM School of Kemetic Philosophy & Spirituality, I thought I was beginning to take some classes, but in reality I was beginning a life changing, transformative process. Within this process one is exposed to myriad tools to help one better understand the universe in which we exist. The tools are presented as concepts and these concepts help to expose truths about the world we live in, answering many of the “why” and “how” questions that plenty of us carry from an early age. Questions that remain unanswered by the modern educational system or the modern culture which produced it. The concept of “death” for instance, is something we are all promised, but it is never touched upon in the modern educational systems. Within M’TAM, we learn about the complete cycle of life, from birth, to maturation, to death, and rebirth including many of the intricacies that come with each phase of life. We come to learn how body parts are formed from a spiritual level and also how we are endowed with the special gifts and skills inherent in all of us. On a less esoteric level, we learn aspects of human history and psychology, which lend to a heightened awareness of our own actions and place within the existence. Not only do we learn these valuable concepts, but we also learn the techniques mentioned above that assist in unlocking other aspects of human potential.
Perhaps the most important tool one will become familiar with is one’s mind. The initiatic process, by design, helps a person remove the layers of conditioning that have been caked upon the mind, helping the initiate to better perceive reality for what it is more so than what we want it to be. Reconditioning the mind is no simple task, as it involves large doses of humility and honesty, two things many of us are not raised to revere. Admittedly, I came to the initiation believing I had some firm understandings about life and what goals I should strive for. It didn’t take long for me to find out that my grasp on the understandings I held was weak. Not only that, but I found my understandings were shallow as well.
I found that some principles I thought I knew and understood were turned upside down. For example, when posed the question, “Which force is stronger, good or evil?” I was sure that good is stronger. Good always prevails in the movies right? I’m good. I am a winner. Well, these are the types of fantasies and values we are fed from a young age to which we grow attached. What I learned is, evil is very dynamic and knows no bounds, making it stronger than good as evil is capable of doing anything in order to conquer new territory. Good, on the other hand, has limits as to what it can or will do. Good has a clear set of boundaries or guidelines (as defined by the 77 Commandments in the Kemetic paradigm) it must adhere to in order to maintain its purity, making its ability to conquer diminished. On a deeper level, we could get into how one determines what is good and what is evil. And yet a level deeper, we can begin to look into our own lives and recognize where these two forces exist within ourselves.
Another key concept expounded on in M’TAM is the “Heru/Set” principle (duality), predecessor to Yin-Yang. This principle informs us of the two opposing forces of construction and destruction. It is at the absolute extremes of these two interrelated forces where we find death, but in the balance of the two, life can be sustained. This principle transcends all dimensions and helps to further our understanding of the existence and our place in it.
It is through developing and strengthening our understanding of concepts like those above that we can begin to draw closer to reality. As human beings, we have the ability to project our imaginations on top of reality to the point that we are simply, wholeheartedly living an illusion. I had to come to the realization that I don’t really know much. Some of the simplest functions of nature I am incapable of explaining. Prior to some of the lessons I’ve received, it had never dawned on me to truly analyze the values that I was holding and protecting in order to find the source of these values and what the agenda of the giver of these values had in mind. I used to think because I was able to name or label something that I knew about it. This is the type of arrogance I was walking with and this was normal and ok. I haven’t conquered all of my shortcomings, as this is a lifelong battle, but I have, due to the caring guidance of my Ancestors, been put on a path that has allowed me to be exposed to Ancestral Knowledge that has expanded my consciousness immeasurably. This new perspective lets me know there is much more to life than the eye can see.
I was told that one of the greatest gifts our Ancestors left us is hard work. I have really come to embrace and know this as fact. The only way we are able to grow and raise our personal quality is through work, and the work is hard and often humiliating. The only way for us to con-vert information into knowledge is through actively applying the lessons. Knowledge does not live within the bindings of books or within the scrolls of papyri. That is but mere information waiting to be alchemized through a process of hard work and determination. It is said that the Divine World will give us anything that we wish for, except knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. These are the priceless gems reserved for those willing to work for them. The Earth Center, due to the tireless work and sacrifice of Prophet Neb Naba Lamoussa Morodenibig, is a grand repository of and bridge to Ancestral Knowledge that was once inaccessible to people outside of Meritah (Traditional Africa). When the door opens, will you walk through?
