Malidoma Some

“Men get caught up in the socio-economic nightmare of giving away most of their time in order to survive,” says best-selling author and shaman Malidoma Some. “We didn’t come into this world to give all our energy to stay alive, we came here to live. The biggest dragon is the one that tells us we have to work eight hours a day, and we end up being so tired that the very thing our soul is yearning for we don’t have time for.”

“The dragon wants us to be introverted,” Malidoma says on his website. “Men usually fool themselves into serving the big dragon. We must endanger the problem by confronting it,” he insists. “It is to be dug out of its hiding and exposed to the air. It cannot breathe oxygen. The light of day is lethal to it. That’s why the dragon tells us that we should be safe, because the dragon wants to be safe. We end up actually serving the very thing we want to be rid of.”

I first interviewed Malidoma more than 10 years ago in a tiny office in the hills of Oakland, CA. You can hear excerpts of our conversation at my other website, tamarindyears.com. But little did I know back then that I would one day be working on a film – and that Malidoma would appear in it. As I read his words about “slaying the dragon” I thought about my own escape from Corporate America earlier this year and how leaving the rat-race to pursue my passion was the best thing for me and my family.

A refugee from Corporate America – a happy refugee. That’s how I think of myself these days. Malidoma’s lifework and message about slaying the dragon strongly resonates with me at this juncture of my life. I’ve come to believe that we are all called to slay dragons – “dragons” that stand in the way of who we are and what we are called to do. Dragons that stand in the way of what’s healthy for us and our communities.

My journey toward this film has taught me that it’s possible to fight the dragon and win. No, it wasn’t a quick, easy fight and at times I’ve had my doubts. But we are on the verge of receiving funding for a film that will have a significant impact on the lives of millions. For now, it seems like the dragon has retreated to the corner. With the help of the ancestors and the orisas, hopefully it will stay there!!

P.S. For a treasure-trove of wonderful newsletters by Malidoma Some that have been archived, click here:

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David Cumes, M.D.

I had the good fortune of speaking to this kindred spirit recently. In my upcoming film, he will share his unique perspectives as a Western-trained medical professional AND shaman who has been initiated and trained in the South African healing and spiritual traditions. He is certain that since humanity was born in Africa, the healing arts began there as well.

Trained as a urologist, Cumes has taught at Stanford Medical Center and has published extensively in professional journals. He also has a successful private practice in Santa Barbara, California. But little did he know that he would one day be initiated as a sangoma (medicine man) and would “throw the bones” to provide spiritual guidance for others.

In 1992, when he was first told in Africa that the ancestors were calling him to embrace African spiritual and healing traditions he was skeptical and resisted the message from Spirit.

According to an article on his website: “after returning to the States, he began to experience incessant migraines and back pain he had never had before. He made his way back to Africa, not just to seek a cure for his physical ailments but also to discover if he really was destined to become a sangoma. After a series of meetings with other sangomas, Cumes finally relented and was initiated into the tradition.”

These days, Dr. Cumes combines both his skills as a surgeon and as a sangoma to provide healing to others. He returns to South Africa on a regular basis for advanced training.

In the story of Dr. Cumes’ long journey to self-discovery, I also hear my own story. I was initiated as a priest of Ifa, but it took me many years to accept my destiny because I was skeptical when I first received the call from the ancestors.

I’ve come to believe that if we don’t fulfill our purpose we put the lives of others at risk. The gifts that we have within must be cultivated. We all have a role to play in the healing of humanity.

As Dr. Cumes says: “the movement toward the inner world is our primary purpose on the planet. If we deviate from our soul’s path, we create imbalance and poor health. Each patient must find the healer and healing technique that best connects them to Self.”

“Western medicine has brought us many boons but there are glaring deficiencies as well,” he adds. “We focus too much on the intellectual, cognitive and scientific and too little on the intuitive, receptive, artistic, compassionate and mystical. Going back to our root or core self with the help of ancient African wisdom gives us not only an understanding of our origins but a clear perspective of a new and, at the some time, very old paradigm of healing not confined to the space/time continuum.”

For more information about the life and work of David Cumes, visit: www.davidcumes.com

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Meditating in the hills of Oakland

It’s been four long years since I went to Nigeria with the dream of doing a film. My initial concept was to focus on Yoruba sacred traditions. As time went on, the vision expanded. I felt the need to explore other cultures as well. Hence, the vision of also going to Senegal, Burkina Faso, Egypt and the Caribbean was born.

The size of the crew has also expanded. I traveled alone to Nigeria in 2008 and did everything by myself. I am delighted that I will be working with a team of solid professionals moving forward. I’ve had many challenges over the years on the journey toward this film. But my elders in Africa – a team of senior Ifa priests and diviners have been with me each step of the way.

Always maintain faith! Understand that your ancestors have better plans for you than you have for yourself. There is a bigger picture. A higher order. Never give up the vision!

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This photo was taken by prozac1

To live without vision is to live without realizing why you are even here. To live without vision is to live without realizing your potential to impact the earth and those around you. Honor your vision! And step toward it today!

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This morning I listened as a friend of mine vented. She’s trying to break into the entertainment industry and was upset because she auditioned for a spot on a music video featuring a popular rap artist but wasn’t selected.

I understand her frustration and the sadness that followed. But I also told her that it’s important to keep pushing – to keep finding reasons to celebrate who she is, where she is and what she aspires to be.

The journey toward this film has taught me that it’s not always about what you want. It’s about the lessons we learn along the way. It’s about growth, the development of character, patience, the willingness to persevere to the end.

It’s also about being there for others. Not being so wrapped up in ourselves that we forget how to serve, who to serve, and why we serve. Who can you share your wisdom with today? Who needs you to reach out to them? What can you offer? When will you offer it?

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Madame Fatou Seck (center) at a healing ceremony in the U.S.

It’s a feeling that has haunted me for years. I plan to visit Senegal in Across The King’s River to pay my respects to Fatou Seck and others who fight to keep the healing and spiritual traditions of this West African country alive.

I also long to walk barefoot on Senegalese soil. Though, I’ve never been there, I sense some of my ancestors were Senegalese (as well as Yoruba). Stephanie, my wife, has always insisted I look Senegalese. Perhaps this explains the connection I feel – the urge to visit a land that speaks to my past, present and future.

Madame Fatou Seck, crossed over in Spirit several years ago. Those who met her say being in her presence was a moving experience. Charles Finch, an African-american doctor and scholar who has conducted extensive research in Senegal, says meeting Fatou Seck was unforgettable.

“For the first time in my life, I could feel energetic power. When you have that experience, it makes quite an impression,” Finch says.

And Finch recalls how he witnessed “near miracles” while working with Fatou Seck – like the time she healed one Italian man who had suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome, a nervous system disorder, for most of his life.

Born into a family of fishermen in 1896, Madame Fato Seck was called into the healing traditions at age 17 and was “never known to fail” in her healing initiatives. At 26, she became a priestess of Ndeppkat, a spiritual science known for its efficacy in treating medical and mental disorders.

Practitioners of Ndeppkat are all women. Through Ndepp, God, the world of the ancestors and humankind are reunited once again, and “healing is carried out by invoking the intervention of cosmo-spiritual beings known as Rabs. Although there are many Rabs, only seven major Rabs guide human destiny and one communicates with them through drums, dances, songs, invocations, offerings and sacrifice.”

Maam Coumba Lamba: Ndoye is the ruler of the rabs. She is the “Great Mother of the Waters” whose special medium is the ocean.

Maam Massamba: Ndoye is the messenger of the rabs, maintaining the interconnection between the rabs and their human devotees. Trees and forests are sacred to him and when he is well satisfied with obeiances to him, he shows himself as a sudden, powerful gust of wind.”

Maam Nguessou: is the rab of griots and drummers.

Nak Dawur Mbay: is the rab of Dakar, the capital of Senegal.

Ndiare: is the daughter of Maam Coumba Lamba.

And Matuley Faye: is the rab of Muslims.

As we prepare to go into production of Across The King’s River, I can’t help but wonder what Madame Fatou Seck and the Rabs will reveal to me – and you.

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Vanishing Voices: The Extinction of the World’s Languages, is without question, the book that inspired me the most to make this film. I was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to speak to Dr. Daniel Nettle, one of the co-authors of Vanishing Voices several years ago. And you can listen to that interview here: http://acrossthekingsriver.com/press/

Scholars say that at least half of the world’s languages may die out in the next century, and when languages die we lose a vast body of knowledge (scientific, medicinal, linguistic, botanical, etc.) because the accumulated wisdom of humanity is encoded in language and many languages that are on the verge of extinction are not well documented.

The authors of Vanishing Voices argue that “the extinction of languages is part of the larger picture of the near total collapse of the worldwide eco-system.”

As I read the book, I couldn’t help but think of the vast body of healing knowledge in Ifa and other African spiritual systems. If we allow our spiritual traditions to die, in many ways we will die too.

The issue of language extinction is a complex one. Although some cultures “abandon” their language in favor of another, external pressures are often the root cause of language extinction. In the book, “Ifa Will Mend Our Broken World,” Yoruba scholar Wande Abimbola says: “The school system in Africa has to be decolonized. It is still a colonial entity. Colonialism and slavery have not ended on the African continent. Once a people are not allowed to use their own mother tongue for education from infancy, their minds have been colonized! The conceptual space in their minds has been occupied by the language that they now speak, which makes them more or less like robots.”

I’ve been studying the Yoruba language for more than 10 years. Though I speak it fluently, I know I’ll be a student for the rest of my life. I must admit that I am disheartened that very few people in the African diaspora speak the language. It’s not that difficult to learn – the keys are dedication and hard work. You must make it a way of life. Here are some tips for those who wish to learn a new language:

1. Make it part of your daily routine. Don’t just take classes.
2. In addition to studying books, watch movies in the language you wish to learn.
3. Don’t make excuses: practice, practice, practice.

I recently saw a video of a young, white American man speaking Yoruba. I was inspired by his dedication and his fluency. If he can learn it, and I have learned it, what’s stopping you? Here’s the link to the video: Kayode Oyinbo Speaking Yoruba

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Christopher Brown in Egypt

This native of Texas has degrees in both math and computer science and was once employed as a software engineer for the United Space Alliance, the leading contractor for NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. But his life’s purpose, he insists, is to bridge the gap between science and spirituality.

Christopher firmly believes science and spirituality are not polar opposites – in essence they are really one. Religion, says Christopher, if properly understood, is really science in disguise. The ancients clearly understood this. The modern world, it seems, does not. In Across The King’s River, Christopher will share some of his insights on African spirituality, science, shamanism and the binary code, which is widely used in modern digital computing although it has its origin in African divination.

Although I knew for years that Ifa divination (and other African divination systems) is based on a binary code system, I didn’t realize that modern technology “adopted” this code from our ancestors. It all became clear when I saw a lecture on You Tube by Dr. Ron Eglash, a renowned mathematician and scientist who has done extensive work on African fractals. Eglash, who will also be featured in Across The King’s River, says audiences are always shocked when he reveals that the binary code can be traced back to African divination. “Every digital circuit in the world started in Africa,” says Eglash.

Scholars say the binary system has its roots in geomancy, a form of divination that was brought into Europe by African Muslims (Moors) who called their divination system “ilm al raml,” (the science of the sand). The modern binary code, however, was introduced by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, a 17th century German mathematician and philosopher who is credited for inventing calculus.

It is an irony that baffles me to no end – the Western World widely demonizes and ridicules African spiritual practice, yet benefits from our genius (the binary code) every day. While the world is led to believe that African spirituality has nothing to offer, our indigenous science (and spirituality) is intimately interwoven with every day life.
This reality has been hidden from us for too long.

But it won’t be hidden for much longer. After “Across The King’s River,” the world will look at our spirit-based technologies and our “science of the sand” in a different light. That’s the hope, that’s the prayer and the mission. May it be so!! Ase!

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Never beg anyone to see value in who you are or in what you aspire to do. I learned this lesson a long time ago on the journey to this film. I love this lesson. Just walk on with confidence. Believe in yourself. Give someone else an opportunity to honor/appreciate the gifts you have to offer. I assure that someone else will.

These thoughts come to me as I actively search for a replacement for someone on our production crew who seems to think we desperately need his services on this project. He is mistaken. We do not, and we are moving ahead without him. We are giving the honor to be a part of Across The King’s River to someone else.

Don’t be afraid to cut folks loose. Honor who you are! Respect your vision. You are far too valuable. Move forward with conviction.

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The journey toward this film continues to teach me that the elders, the orisas and my spirit guides truly know what they are doing and do it well. And so I must tell you that I believe your spirit guides know what they are doing too. Don’t be discouraged if you feel you’re not making progress or if you think you’re at a dead-end. Be patient, the key is to listen, trust and follow-through.

See..the heart always knows but the head always doubts. Begin and end with the heart. The heart is a seat of high intelligence and travels far ahead of your logical mind. Every step you take with the heart is connected to a higher purpose – a higher will – that time will reveal to you. When the “appointed time” comes, many events and people that have entered your life will make sense to you. The purpose behind each step will be made clear (once you learn how to listen).

I didn’t always believe that each step we take with the heart is divinely guided. But each day my convictions grows. The more I awaken, the more I realize I’m not the “doer” – only a “vessel.” I feel both awe and gratitude for Spirit. I also feel inspired to share the lessons I’m learning along the way with others.

Know that there are no accidents. And there are no coincidences! Trust that you are being led where you need to go. Blessings!

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