Many people write me and say things like "I want to be a Rasta tell me how" or "where do I sign up" I thought this reply to one such query would be helpful to everyone who is travelling along that spiritual trod. Thanx to Shawn for letting me reprint this letter. Adam Simeon.
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Greetings in the divine name of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who has been revealed to us in that wonderful personalty of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I.
Greetings through the 12 Tribes of Israel, who were once lost and scattered abroad and has now been founded in the island of Jamaica by Our beloved Prophet Bother Gad, and functioning worldwide.
I also greet you in the Orthodox Faith, which is not a faith of writs, writes, vows or laws, but a mystical incorporated function of the heart. In plain words, to be born again.
I greet you as Bro Shawn Naphtali.
I testify that the words which follow are the simple reasonings of InI and
are
in no way trying to represent the reasonings and philosophies of Rastafari
Movement as a whole.
Brother Adam passed on your message and I was pleased to read that the faith is so strong in your heart you feel comfortable to be guided by the livity of Rastafari.
It's true what you say, it is up to each and every one to find the right path for them in this time. Rastafari is not a faith which can be converted to, in the sense that one can convert to Christianity. There is no one day which someone wakes up and says, "I think I'll become a Rastafarian." Rastafari is a way of life which has to be lived.
The feeling of the spirit is like a wave travelling through the soul. A wave which only reveals itself stage my stage. Rastafari is a life, and as in life, you learn as you live. No one person can say, "This is exactly what the Rastafari doctrine is!", because the beauty of the faith is that it is seen through the eyes of the beholder, not through the eyes/interpretation of a priest, vicar or pope.
When one declares themselves to any faith, people will always ask them, "How long have you been a ..........?" In the case of Rastafari, people don't realize how complex this question is. How long? When was the exact point of realising my true life's foundation?
The truth that I have personally found in the context of Rastafari is I have always been a Rastafarian, but I never fully knew it until I was about 17 / 18, and even then there's a certain amount of denial. I remember wearing a red, gold and green wrist band to school when I was about 14, and hiding it under my jumper as I was embarrassed because I was the only Black kid in my class and didn't want to become a stereotype of what they already thought. This is just one fragment of memory which hints at an early interest in Rastafari, but of course at the time I didn't realize it.
As you grow, you learn certain things and your eyes open just that little bit wider.
It's the same thing with Rastafari. It's not a doctrine which people have to memorize and recite in mantra or a text on which we will be tested. The test is how we live our life, with Rastafari in our hearts.
Rasta revealed itself to InI. Rasta came to know me from the beginning, creation, yet only fully open my eyes unto it when I was ready to accept it in that manifestation; in the image of Rastafari.
Rasta is a philosophy which reveals itself in stages; a feeling, a vibe, a science, a quote, an ideology, a picture, an outlook, a history, a life.
Rastafari is about learning. We realize that life has many mysteries and JAH lets us know as much as we need to know at any given time. This is how we learn.
Many religions become comfortable in their faith to the extent that they become complacent. They say, "I am a .........., and I know the truth." To use a Christian example, Maya Angelou once said she was sitting in a hotel and a lady came up to her and said words to the effect of, "I'm so glad you're a Christian. I'm a Christian as well and we have to keep the faith in the Lord, etc, etc."
Maya looked up at the lady and said, "Wow! You're a Christian already? I've been trying my whole life to be a Christian but I never give up trying."
It is this outlook to which Rastafari becomes more than a doctrine, religion or even faith; it is a way of life which, like life itself, continues to grow in mind, body and spirit.
As the Prophet Gad said in his recent interview, (http://web.syr.edu/~affellem/Gad.html), (big thanks to Brother Adam for putting that piece of Rasta wisdom on the net), Rasta is not a hair doctrine or a race doctrine, it is a doctrine which it so pure it is open to be embraced by anyone and everyone, regardless of appearance.
Keep the faith. Live the Life. Love Jah and Live.
For these few words InI truly give thanks.
Bro Shawn Naphtali
