Playing with Perception
Playing with Perception
The M’tam school of Kemetic philosophy and spirituality offers initiation into traditional culture and values, presenting ancient knowledge that is over 150,000 years old. One of the values embedded into Kem culture is exposed in a very old true story known as the garlic effect. In this story the great prophet Amenhotep warns humanity about the greatest danger it faces – ambition. Ambition is the desire for achievements, such as power, fame, or wealth; it includes the willingness to strive for the attainment of an object or desired state no matter what. In the story of the garlic effect, someone rubs garlic into a priest’s mustache without his knowledge.
The garlic distorts his senses so that everything he smells is filled with the smell of garlic. Modern society is built upon the ambition of those who value the pursuit of pleasure, power, and material wealth at all costs. Everything that we are exposed to in this society directs our perception and perspective toward the pursuit of these values. We can see this in the history of the past 2000 years, which is filled with pollution, war, slavery, disease, and crime. The reality is that when humans are making decisions based on desire – we can never be satisfied. So modern society’s thirst for pleasures, power, and material wealth are never quenched. If we look carefully we can see how these problems have only been amplified in present times.
All of the issues we are facing today can be traced back to the pursuit of these ambitions. I have witnessed and seen how my own perceptions, behavior patterns, and choices are influenced by the values of modern society. Eating for instance, is presented as a pleasurable pastime. We are taught to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner; supplemented by numerous snacks and beverages that are readily available. We eat to feel good and we even eat when we don’t feel good. When I look at my own eating habits I see myself doing the same. I am tempted to eat, even when I am not hungry.
I choose what tastes good over what is good. It is easier to order from a restaurant than cook. I would rather go to the grocery store with unlimited food selections instead of having to do the work and deal with the limited choices and quantity that come with growing my own food.
On any given day if I had to choose between doing work or playing games; I would rather play. I would rather watch movies than exercise or study. It takes more work and effort to generate income on my own than it does to get a job. A bed is more comfortable than lying on the floor. If I see an elevator and stairs, I choose the elevator. If I need to go somewhere I would rather drive than walk. It is easier to look at the faults of others instead of focusing on my own. All of these ideas and choices are a result of the way my perception has been influenced by this society; they represent the proverbial garlic in my mustache.
While these choices are easy to make, the mental, physical and moral deterioration that are the side effects of this lifestyle have deadly consequences and support a system whose agenda and resulting practises are leading humanity to destruction. It is evidenced in the record number of mental and physical illnesses we now suffer from, shortages in clean water, political unrest manifested as terrorism, sex trafficking, Child pornography, all manner of crime, industrial monopolies, poverty; the list of atrocities that are a part of our everyday news stories never end.
In the Kemetic culture, humanity’s ambition is directed toward copying the Divine World. So every aspect of life is geared toward building spiritual qualities and humans achieving their best potential. This foundation of Kemetic civilisation results in a society living in harmony with existence, but it takes sacrifice and hard work to live in alignment with nature.
The most important aspect of initiation is the application of knowledge to one’s everyday life. So every day I now have to think about what is influencing my perception. I must struggle and change my behavior and thought patterns; and make sacrifices, in order to live in alignment with the spiritual system and values of our ancestors so that I can make a contribution toward the preservation not the destruction of life, in this life and all my lifetimes to follow.
