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First Day of Kwanzaa…Umoja…Unity in Family, community, nation, and race.
I burned the slices of bread and the bones of the chicken legs as an offering to the ancestors to hear my thanksgiving and plea for their support. This is a day of unity, where we come together as a family in community. I listen to my female business partner, in a fluid conversation, we dance in our ideas and come to an agreement on our development, plan for our business, starting the first of January. New year and new steps to be taken. Visioning.
Honoring and practicing rituals of healing and renewal allows me to have compassion for myself and my story and in turn, I gain the capacity to have compassion for all others around me. I remember to redefine my relationship with myself, revisit my goals, my strengths and weaknesses. I remember to honor my human process, my journey of the soul. I remember to practice the ritual of the acceptance of life unfolding, going with the flow of life. It does not mean I am in agreement, but I accept the steps that create a new awareness. Gratitude.
Second Day of Kwanzaa…Kujichagulia…Self Determination
Today I awaken to my day with the thoughts of how I can do more than just survive, but to thrive in my being, my visioning, my dreams and hopes, I have come to this planet to be of loving service to myself as a man of the human race and a man of my African culture. I claim my heritage with a sense of the grace of knowing its worth and importance as I recognize my own personal worth within the whole world vision.
I vow to be of service to my gifting and gifts I bring into this world. I have a choice today and today I will fulfill my personal destiny. I have respect for all who have come before me and all in the future. I free up my soul by expressing the wisdom of my soul, my visions of transformation. At the end of the day, I burned the stale slices of bread to release old fears and memories of lack. Thrive.
Third Day of Kwanzaa…Ujima…Collective Work and Responsibility
I am a man of many colors and hues. In that sense, I am a man of color. I am a human being, a spiritual being, living in a flawed world and I am determined to be a facilitator of healing and evolutionary change. I am willing to look at my own flaws and will uplift myself as well as all others.
Yet, I know how to pull back, lay back and relax to rebuild what I had just given out. I am determined to support my mind, body, and soul, so I may go do my business of being love in action. I am a man of many coats and faces, all have a purpose of being. I am a man who knows the need to share power. I understand the responsibility of letting go of my personal power to gain unified power with those around me. Working in a circle of living means you pass the power and task around the circle, to be performed by the circle. It does not stay in one person’s hand. Action.
Fourth Day of Kwanzaa…Ujamaa…Cooperative Economics
I now live in a circle of giving and receiving, joining. I cannot fully be present in life unless I give and receive, become a part of. I am willing to support my efforts of success with money, time and dedication. I will uplift others as I uplift myself. If I am free, I mirror freedom for all others. If I support the finances of my community, I am supporting myself as well as my community. I buy locally for all of my personal and business needs, as it is possible. I burn the bread, again, in the fireplace and think of all the ways I can spend my time and money to support cooperative economics. My word for cooperative economics is the word “Amata,” fair business. Committed.
Fifth Day of Kwanzaa…Nia…Purpose
I will rebuild and restore my sense of self, in my personal life, political life, cultural and spiritual life. My purpose is to know my history, my gift I bring into the world and know how to utilize the gifting to the betterment of my cultural community and the planet. I create and manifest with the healing powers of the arts in order to heal myself and my planet earth. My purpose is to honor life by being aware of my steps in life, in order to be of purpose for life. Be aware of my weaknesses and their effects on me and all others. Be willing to change that weakness and turn them into strengths by recognizing the lessons being learned. Focus.
Sixth Day of Kwanzaa…Kuumba..Creativity
I will do what I can to enhance my community, culturally and nationally. I want to leave my world in a state of abundance. I have my vision of purpose in place and I am remembering my history as a person of color, as a human being a part of the larger society. I must be creative in my living as I express my story and be my story in my art of living. The eyes of my heart create the story and ears of my mind edit the pages of my book of life.
I am a man of many colors and many faces, the characters existing within my book of life. I will value and honor all cultures, races, genders and sexual orientations whether I am in agreement with them or not. I accept them and respect them as I would want to be respected. I am a man of love, creative in understanding the truths of life as I am expressing my visions, my wisdom gained from my lessons in life. I am using the techniques of the arts, my expressive forms of communications to stay in the flow of healing of the flaws in our human society. Creativity is my art of living. Third Eye
Seventh Day of Kwanzaa…Imani…Faith
As I burn the last slice of the stale bread in the fireplace, I confirm my faith in the word “Amata”, which was coined by myself to express the idea of fair business practices that allow businesses to be supportive, honoring of the customer (demand)and the provider(supply). It is a word that calls for loving acts of support, business being done within the terms of compassionate profiting.
“Amata” was formed from the unification of three names, Amy (ama), Mathew(ma) and Terrell(ta), for Terrell Anansi. Three friends who had faith that fair business would to be the norm, the practice of the day.
I am committed to the dream of fair business, equality being the norm and I believe the day is in its formation. I believe and commit to working towards the goal of having faith in the coming abundance of respect, love, and finances for 2019. Thankful Trust.
I am thankful for the feast of thanks, Kwanzaa.
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