An audio-visual presentation of this post can be viewed on You tube, Bitchute and Rumble
It was only
when the taxi driver dropped me off at the base of the mountain did I realize what I had agreed to. If I was to
fulfill my mission I would have to ascend a steep mountain. So, determined to
reach the School of Vision Rasta Camp nestled high in Jamaica's Blue Mountain
that is just what I did, huffing and puffing all the way up.
I stayed there
at the guesthouse for a week. That gave me enough time to interact with
community members and to attend their Saturday worship service. I also had a
short reasoning session with Dermod Faegan. He is the visionary, who 25 years
ago, claimed squatters' rights on territory in the Blue Mountain. Since then,
he along with others have transformed this rugged land into a habitable village
for Rastafarians.
Upon entry into
the village, it is apparent that the Rasta Camp is more than mere housing for
those willing to climb mountains. Depictions of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile
Selassie along with selected scenes from the bible decorate the buildings. And
a pedestal-like monument showcasing a picture of the Emperor is strategically
situated for all to see. These Rastas are devoted to Haile Selassie. And as I
pointed out in an earlier blogpost (and accompanying video) entitled "Natty
Dread Rise Again" they are justified in their adoration of this Emperor.
During my visit
to Jamaica in 2015 I presented to a group of Rastafarians in Kingston. Since, I
have received even deeper insight into the Rastafarian cause. So, I felt
compelled to return with the hope of passing on my more recent "Rasta
apologetics" to as many Rastafarian elders as possible. But I never
thought that mountain climbing would be part of the deal.
I discovered information that linked the bloodlines of the European royalty to
Nephilim. And that explained a lot. Nephilim are a product of the mating
between some kind of non- human species and Homo sapiens. The bible portrays
them as violent and predatory just like we see with the European royalty. The kings and queens of Europe were on one
conquest after another looking to grab other peoples’ land and resources. The
partitioning and the looting of Africa is the perfect demonstration of how this
predator class has operated.
Put simply, the
rulers of this realm have inflicted great trauma on most of the aboriginal
populations of the Earth. In the name of colonization, these so-called elites
have been brutally acting out their predatory nature. And this is the world
scene in which Haile Selassie was installed to become the emperor of Ethiopia.
When I say installed, I am not referring to the political interference of a
3-letter agency. No, I am talking about the movement of the Almighty through a human as a corrective measure.
Selassie was
unlike the royalty of his era. His bloodline could be traced to the house of
David. He was not descendent of Nephilim. And his actions proved it. He was not
interested in looting Africa like the monarchs of Europe. He was a true human
king who wanted the best for his people. In fact, he wanted the best for all of
humankind.
By the time
Selassie had arrived on the world stage Africans had been through a lot.
Economic exploitation and events engineered to traumatize folks into
submission were all done in the name of colonization. Religious missionaries
even got in on the act. Every region of the African continent, except Ethiopia,
had been taken over by the Europeans. And these psychopathic rulers were hell
bent on snuffing out Africa’s ancient ways.
But Emperor
Selassie was having none of it for his country.
Selassie had arrived at just the right time to ward off the take-over of
Ethiopia by these forces of evil coming out of Europe. He fought off the
invasion of Italians and defended his people as best he could.
Not only was
Selassie a defender of his ancient kingdom; he was a custodian of his faith
too. His ancient brand of Christianity positioned him to become a beacon of
light and truth for the traumatized and downtrodden. This human king
offered practical advice and spiritual guidance meant to uplift and empower.
Meanwhile far
from Africa in the Jamaican diaspora, talk of repatriation and Pan-Africanism
was in the air. Marcus Garvey was a prominent voice in Jamaica, and he went
about championing for the dignity and rights of black people everywhere. He
wanted them to have their political and economic independence. And he saw in
Selassie a major African head of state on the world stage who could help bring
that about.
One of Garvey’s
followers took this interest in Selassie even further. Leonard Howell, like
Garvey, was concerned with socio-political conditions for blacks; and he wanted
to see the end of colonialism. However, Howell added a spiritual dimension to
the cause with his declaration about the Emperor’s divinity.
Howell knew the
Almighty Creator as a living God operating in the world. For Howell,
Selassie was like Jesus in that he embodied the Christ, that active aspect of
God working in and through a human to impact our species’ history. Jesus was
about the salvation of humankind and Selassie was too. And both knew that a
leap in human consciousness is the way to true redemption for our species. But
the Emperor’s role in that salvation involved campaigning for the birthrights
of the black race. Finally, there arose on the world stage someone to advocate
for blacks.
Unfortunately,
Emperor Selassie could not wave a magic wand to bring about instant justice and
harmony for the black race like some had fantasied. Nevertheless, he delivered
a powerful message of hope to blacks everywhere which reinforced the
Rastafarian movement in Jamaica.
For those early
pioneers of Rasta, black empowerment was not just about equal rights and
justice gained through the courts. A sense of dignity based on self-mastery had
to be affirmed by each individual. Colonizers had
convinced many to believe in the black race’s inferiority. And the programmed
captives needed to eradicate this negative self-concept through a process of
self-development. What started out as opposition to soul-crushing colonialism
morphed into a spiritual revival like no other. For some, this emphasis on self-mastery led to the acquisition of unity consciousness. And that is why the reference
to one’s own self as “I-n-I”.
Through music
Rastafarians have been able to amplify Emperor Selassie’s wise advice for
obtaining “black man redemption”. But, the impact that Rastafarians like Bob
Marley, Peter Tosh and so many others have had on the collective is
indisputable. They called out the oppressive power structures promoting
inequity and exploitation. Rather than blame a nebulous power called Satan,
they named the perpetrators of evil in this realm, with the royalty of Europe
along with the Vatican being a major component.
God really does
work in mysterious ways. In the final analysis the rise of Haile Selassie
birthed a politico-spiritual movement. Rastafarians have had a huge impact on
the consciousness of humankind because of their devotion to Emperor Selassie.
However, another blessing came about through this Emperor. He prevented the
takeover of Ethiopia and protected his ancient brand of Christianity.
Ethiopia has
played a major role in preserving the Book of Enoch. This scripture had been
excluded from Christian biblical canon since the 5th century and was
considered lost until late in the 18th century when a complete copy was
discovered in Ethiopia. The book is part of the canon used today by the
Christian Ethiopian Orthodox Church and is of great interest to humanity. It is
helping to clarify what the ancients knew about the parasitic class who have
been ruling over our species for at least 6,000 years. Who knows what would
have happened to that information if the Vatican through the Italian invasion
had got a hold in that kingdom.
Today more and
more African states are working to shake off the yoke of imperialism. They want
to be free of the parasitical psychopaths who exploit them. Although Muammar Gaddafi
was prevented from delivering Libya from the clutches of these evil ones, Niger
has made the bold move to get France out of their country. Geopolitics is
shifting and Africans have the opportunity to ally with anti-imperialist forces
like BRICS.
Those early pioneers
of the Rasta movement believed that Emperor Selassie’s coronation marked the beginning
of a new world dispensation. They expected the dismantling of old-world power
structures and the ascendency of the black race to be the next installment of the human story. Isn’t
the recent geopolitical shift a sign this new configuration is in the works now?
No doubt freedom from the evil rulers of this world is going to require our tenacity and self-mastery. And an evolution of human consciousness is what is needed. As Haile Selassie aptly noted, “We must become members of a new race”. We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook.” And from my perspective, sometimes even a little mountain climbing is called for.
Faithfully yours,
Sheila Banks
 |
| Pic: Rasta Camp, Blue Mountain Jamaica |
