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Jah bless

  
 
Char Aina
03:23 / 22.05.04
i have been doing some thinking on my own personal pantheon, and have realised i have constructed one that is not actually all that personal.

sure, there are a couple of allies in there that no one has heard of, and there are even some who i have grown fond of and have an affinity with.

it shits me somewhat that i am doing the running all the damn time, conforming to the archetypes rather than wearing them like a tight old pair of leather trousers.

it hit me last night while dancing my ass off to one of glasgow's best sound systems (sober as a judge. not a real one, obviously. a metaphorical one.) that i have always had a great and good love for the music of jamaica. from ska to dub, the bug to lee perry, all that offbeat phat bass craziness really gets me somewhere special.

i know that the music is often the equivalent of protestant hymns or psalms, talking of praising jah and lifting one's self higher. this is something i was always comfortable with; surprising when you think that i dislike stevie wonder being so godbothery.

i also like weed, i'll not lie there.

do you think there is potential for a god like jah to be vaguely interested in communing with an irreligious and homo friendly person like myself? i ask that because for me, sexuality is an open catalogue full of choices, and i realise that on the whole jamiaca and its brand of rastafarianism is dead against anything other than heterosexual leanings. of course there will be those who dont have a problem with more interesting sexuality, but
this does come from the bible(leviticus, innit?) so there is not much chance of easily ridding the religion of that, or finding too many sects that embrace gay rude boys.(there is one tune, actually... but mostly)
in some ways, jah is the sum of his worship, and that worries me a wee bit.


i am a non-believer in the power of christ and the judaeo christian god (i belong to the jesus was a hermetic mage school of hecksplainin that one), but i am nevertheless aware of a wierd affinity i have for the lion of judah and his posse.


i will obviously need to devise a means and protocol for communing with jah, but is it worth it? will i be likely to be able to smoke up, throw the switch and pray to a deity who has such dedicated followers?(i wont get dreads, for example)

will my burnt bridges with jesus and his dad be a problem?

has anyone else tried this?


to be honest, any work anyone has done with any of the bigger gods(jc, allah, etc) would be useful for a starting point. more would be better.
 
 
LVX23
06:11 / 22.05.04
Pick and choose as you will. There are specifics of Rastafarianism that require heterosexuality and suggest gender imbalances between man & woman. But like all religions, it's best to look past the specifics and study the general.

Jah, IMHO, is a fantastic diety, benevolent and powerful. Rasta honors life and nature, love and friendship. Blood, earth, sun. The term "I&I" is roughly analogous with the Hindu "Atman & Brahman".

Jah rastafari, ever living, ever loving, ever fearful, ever shure.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
15:59 / 22.05.04
You think too much. Jah is God. For Jah to be God, God cannot be a culturally specific desert god from the near east. God has to be everything. All of life. All of creation. Everything that you can think of, and can't think of, and the spaces in between. Jah is God. God is the entirity of the Quabbalistic Tree of Life from Kether to Malkuth, from station to station. God is the expression of the formula Yod He Vau He. God is Bon Dieu in Haitian Vodou. Oludumare in Santeria.

I can't comfortably ascribe any specific personality traits to something so huge, by God's very nature, God is All Things. From your sexuality, to your feelings of uncertainty in this post, to the track 'Conquering Dub' by King Tubby that's playing as a type this. Jah made it all. Jah is it all.

Rastafari preserves the African drumming forms of Burru and Kumina. Kumina is the musical component of the Spiritist religion Pocomania. As such Rastafari, syncretised with Christianity, could be thought of as a New World religion in a similar sense as Vodou, Santeria or Candomble. As such, the issues of cultural appropriation are crucial and can't be overlooked. The chaos magic practice of "paradigm swapping" can dovetail into cultural imperialism if approached in a certain way - which is all too common. Be aware, be respectful, and approach whatever it is you're approaching humbly and with an honest heart.

The next time you decide to smoke weed and listen to some reggae tunes, do so as religious practice. Light candles. Play heavy dub. Prepare a feast to be eaten later. Offer the weed, the food and the course of the entire evening unto Jah. Meditate on Jah. Seek to understand the Mysteries of Jah. This is a shamanic practice. The totem spirit Marijuana is an ally that you already have a relationship with. You are calling on this Spirit to help you get closer to God, closer to an understanding of and communion with the Mysteries of the Universe.

"He causeth grass for the cattle, and herb for the service of man" Psalms 104.14

"Better is a dinner of herb where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred there with." Proverbs 15.17

Practice this Grounation - worship, communion and meditation on Jah - by yourself for awhile. See how you go with it. When you feel comfortable with the nature of Grounation, perhaps invite other likeminded people along to a session. Smoke the weed in honour of Jah. Prepare a big feast for everyone who comes round your house, all dedicated to Jah. Play the drums. Spin your best reggae tracks. Get high and dance in worship of God, worship of everything in the universe.

This is what Religion means to me. It's not a dry church service, it's not empty repetition of received dogma, it's not the cold academic circumambulations of ceremonial magic. It's direct gnostic experience of the Divine. Smoking fine weed, listening to great tunes, enjoying good company, eating fine food, and dancing as the sun rises over the town where you live. All in honour of the Mysteries, in honour of Jah, in honour of the universe and all of creation.
 
 
LVX23
03:48 / 23.05.04
Good points, Gypsy, though I think the notion of God as a singular unfathomable force is somewhat limited. The Kabbalah itself acknowledges that there are many forms or accretions of G-d. Certainly there is the formless no-god of infinity, but there are also more concrete and mundane manifestations as one moves down the tree. Jah is but one anthropomorphic diety used to represent an archetype, as well as a way of life. Ultimately, as one moves closer to the hidden face of G-d such notions of cultural personification fade away and all deities resolve into one.
 
 
Char Aina
06:57 / 23.05.04
The totem spirit Marijuana is an ally that you already have a relationship with.

yes,
but it has always been a recreational drug to me.
THC as sacrament will be a new experience, and one that will take some psyche-rattling to pull off.

I can't comfortably ascribe any specific personality traits to something so huge

no,
but millions(it must be millions) of rastafairians charging that belief battery will have given him character, surely? if i commune with the power that is and made all thats one thing; to choose an already established representative of that All is to choose an already established way of looking at that All.

i could make up a mcguffin god and praise All through him...
but there is difference, i feel.



i will be standing on the shoulders of the rastafarians who have empowered the deity, so surely i can't ignore that influence?

(thank you, by the way. all the input is golden so far.)
 
 
LVX23
05:29 / 24.05.04
 
 
illmatic
08:02 / 24.05.04
Great postm, GL.

Hey Toksik

I think you should definitely consider issues of cultural appropriation here - the thing about "millions(it must be millions) of rastafairians charging that belief battery will have given him character, surely?" -

Now, I don't know that much about Rasta (picked up bits and pieces but never studied it) but as I understand it, Rastas believe that God was a living man, in the form of Haile Selassie, and he was sent to help take the black man out of "Babylon" (the West Indies/America/Europe) back to "Zion" - Ethiopa. As I understand it, this isn't allegory, but literal truth, a prophecy that will someday be realised. (Some rastas actually did get as far as setting up a small community out there, which has been pretty unsuccesful, IIRC). Now, I see this religion as a response from the West Indian community to the pressures of colonialism, racism etc. - a reimaging of Western religon (drawing on apocalyptic Christianity imagery) to create a liberating narrative for black people in the West, one which promises deliverance, freedom from the woes and worries experienced in a racist, oppressive system. As such, this seems to me, a specifically Black religon, drawing on the problems experienced by Black people in this society. If, as a white person, you want to pick up these symbols, you'd better be pretty sure of what they mean to the people you're borrowing them from, and your relationship to these ideas. I think the whole narrative of escape from Babylon is part of the mysteries of Rastafarianism. What I'm saying is that the attractiveness of these symbols to you (oerhaps driven by the thrill of the "other"?), is going to be very differnt to what's going on in the mind of your average rasta. Which is not to say it might not be enlighting to find out what these thoughts and feelings are.

The question I ask myself re. cultural appropriation, as a kind of measure of my own sincerity, is would I be able to look a practioner from the culture of origin in the eyes, and try and explain what I'm doing. If you want to draw on these symbols you got to take the living reality that goes with them. What do you reckon you'd say to the guy at your local blues?

Just some thoughts. I'm totally with Gypsy on smoking and dancing as a way to know God, but if you want to take Selassie as your patron saint, the above might be some considerations.
 
 
grant
13:55 / 24.05.04
Well, the idea wasn't really that Haile Selassie was God, per se. It was that he was, as the lineal descendant of King David, the Messiah. (The Messiah=God thing is a Christian concept, although it may have rubbed off a little into Rastafarianism).

For the Rastafarians, the black men are the "true" Israelites, waiting for the Messiah to re-establish their Promised Land in Africa.

Basically, they're a bunch of Orthodox Jews - living by the Law of the Prophets. Only getting really high and not caring that much about the modern country of Israel. Zion is Ethiopia.
 
 
illmatic
14:28 / 24.05.04
I was thinking of a Marley song I can't remember - "Know that God is a living man", or something similar

That would explain the not cutting the hair thing - same as orthodox jews? So, Grant, any idea od how the community is functioning now in the aftermath of Selassie's death? How has their eschatology dealt with this?
 
 
LVX23
14:46 / 24.05.04
Good points, Grant & Illmatic. But let's not forget, for the sake of this forum, that there's a difference between the formal religious practice of rastafarianism (or any religion) and it's underlying prescriptions for living. Likewise, the fundamental god of Jah (or any other) is different from the diety/egregore we wish to approach/invoke as chaotes. Our magick, for better or for worse, is all about cultural appropriation, but we should be sensitive when dealing with true believers.

For the average white seeker, the pragmatic tenets of Rasta can be usefull and fulfilling. Self-reliance, rejection or at least suspision of western culture and white dominance, connection with the earth, resistance to oppression, and salvation through devotional chant & prayer are all elements of Rasta that are accessible to anyone. Smoking mass quantities of herb is appealing too. Likewise, Jah is a generally benevolent and admirable deity to work with, worthy of devotional attention.

Much of rasta is based on the work of MArcus Garvey.
 
 
grant
17:08 / 24.05.04
Yeah, dreadlocks are based on the same prohibition in Leviticus against cutting the hair on the sides of your head & beard....

I don't know the current status of Selassie re: eschatology, but I do know there are currently Rastafarian communities in Ethiopia, and most folks there don't quite know what to think of them.

Actually, wait -- I know I did an infodump on them over yonder, at Cross and Flame.

Have fun chasing the links. According to the stuff I dug up there, the official Rastafarian story on Selassie's death is that it was a lie created by the oppressive white establishment.

I should also note that, according to the Wikipedia article linked to within the infodump,
Rastas believe that Jah has had four avatars. Moses, Elijah, Jesus Christ, and finally Haile Selassie, the ultimate embodiment of Jah, were each saviors. Many also believe that the god of the white race is actually Satan.



Elsewhere in that article is a link to an article on the Lion of Judah. Apparently, he first shows up in the Book of Revelation.
 
 
SteppersFan
09:27 / 25.05.04
Great thread.

Illmatic, let's chill a little bit on the cultural appropriation theme. I think yer man Toksik seems to have a certain amount of respect for the material and the people. It doesn't look like glossy exploitation is his agenda. Moreover, it's not as if rastafarianism does not have its inclusive aspect -- think Twelve Tribes, for example. Or Shaka.

Equally, while Gypsy's proposed service sounds delightful, and I have done similar rituals myself, it's not the only way to do it -- it's a touch church-y too, if you don't mind me saying so. That's an observation, not a criticism. If you're going for the Yabby Yu vibe, it's great. But Yabby Yu is not the be-all and end-all of rasta-inspired spirituality.

Above all I would caution against being too definitive about what is and is not rastafarian belief. Imposing a cut-and-dried analytical framework on rasta don't really fit the cultural reality. Rasta, to the degree which it is reified into varieties of belief systems, is highly heterogeneous, from literally Christian Ethiopian church ("300 years before Rome!!") and neo-Baptist revivalism to deep, dark shamanism which is not a million miles away from vodou. And ALL points in between, including many which are suffused with humour and gamesmanship highly redolent of Toksik's proposed approach. They DO NOT all insist on heterosexuality or diet; they don't even all smoke Herb.

And crucially, one must never forget the immense emphasis placed on "Reasonings" within rasta ontology. This makes rasta belief overtly fluid, dynamic and flexible. Re-imaginings of Jah are central to the evolution of rastafarian belief. It sounds to me like Toksik is proposing a form of devotion entirely in keeping with that.
 
 
SteppersFan
09:47 / 25.05.04
I would also point out that the literalism of the return to Ethiopia (and Africa generally) is, at the vey least, a matter of debate.

If someone here would like to argue that all rastafarians literally mean that they want all black people (or at least black Jamaicans) to go back to live physically in Africa, today, the feel free.

I could do with a good laugh.

(Go on Ills, I know you're spoiling for a fight!)
 
 
Char Aina
10:33 / 25.05.04
i think illmatic knows i know that he knows that i know that he means no meanness by his talk of cultural apropriation.
it is a concern, and i am glad he mentioned it, if only to see it written down.
if you knew me you would know that africa is as much mine as scotland is.



one thing;
i want to strike up a friendly and honest relationship with jah, not become a rastafarian.

maybe learning more about these 'Reasonings'?
do you have any linkage?
 
 
SteppersFan
10:40 / 25.05.04
Reasonings: Start with Lloyd Bradley, Bass Culture. Watch "Babylon".

Smoke weed, play word association football about spiritual ideas with your mates, experience bursts of radiant energy, sink back into reflection. Find yourself chanting "praise jah" in your head when you're driving in the sunshine.

Make jungle remixes of classic reggae tunes.

Sorted.
 
 
illmatic
10:55 / 25.05.04
Yeah, Toksik, that's kind of where I ws coming from - I don't think you're Mr Evil Coloniser, but it's certainly stuff I'd flag up when doing any cross cultural work. I think a sense of honesty and not bullshitting yourself is the first point. In part, I was thinking of this thread that I started yesterday - an intro to an article which critques the understandings that get laid onto reggae by white critics - often very different from the understanings their intended black audience has for them - Late Night Blues. Gets that fed into my post above.
 
 
illmatic
11:00 / 25.05.04
Someone go and contribute to that bloody thread, for Jah sakes.

Oh, and a note on religous rasta music - check out Count Ossie and the Mystic Revealations of Rastafari. Wonderful stuff.
 
 
SteppersFan
14:06 / 25.05.04
> Someone go and contribute to that bloody thread, for Jah sakes.

Done it, bruv.
 
 
Dadaist
14:31 / 28.05.04



HAILE SELASSIE I King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Lion of Judah.
 
 
pornotaxi
14:46 / 28.05.04
i thought henrik larsson was the king of kings? can there be more than one? or are jah and henrik both manifestations of the same divine spirit?

the plots thickens.
 
 
yawn - thing's buddy
07:18 / 02.06.04
and he cut all his dreadlocks off - what can it possibly mean?
 
 
cusm
16:13 / 02.06.04
Tangentally, anyone have good recommendations on Dub? I personally fell in love with Aswad - A New Chapter of Dub at a tender age and have yet to find anything matching it in depth. Sure, plenty of regee, dub sound, and elements in stuff like Massive Attack, Theivery Corporation, Transglobal Underground and the like, but little on the deep heavy trancy stuff that makes smoke and meditation a deeply magical experience. Cause if you're gonna work with Jah in a shamanic context, that's what you'll need for it for sure.
 
 
pornotaxi
18:01 / 02.06.04
cusm, i'd recommend this and that.
 
 
Gypsy Lantern
20:07 / 02.06.04
I conjure forth the Spirits of King Tubby, Augusto Pablo, Yabby Yu and Lee Perry. Invoke them into your soundsystem using any of the Trojan dub boxsets or any of the dub reissue compilations available on Soul Jazz. There's a particularly good double CD set called something like 'Dub Sessions', but I can't remember what label it's on. Then go to the music forum and do a search for the various reggae threads.
 
 
LVX23
20:38 / 02.06.04
Re: Lee Perry...

Black Ark in Dub and Super Ape are two of my faves.
 
 
illmatic
07:16 / 04.06.04
My fave Lee Perry is an LP called "Blackboard Jungle" on Clocktower. It's amazing. The Trojan Lee Perry boxsets are absolutely awesome as well - the best one is "Open the Gate". For dub, the orginator was King Tubby - there's a lot of comps, I'd say look for the earlier stuff, with extensive annotations. If you can find anything with Steve Barrow's name on it, that's a good sign - he's reggae's number one historian in my book - a good compliation is "King Tubby's Special" on Trojan. The man who's been running things in the UK re modern roots is Jah Shaka - have a killer LP of his earlier dubplates with Aswad tracks, the Wailing Souls etc. Can't remember the name, duh, but as a tip - look for compilation of dubplates by big sounds. Oh, and it ain't dub, but a simlar aesthic, if you're only going to buy one reggae record ever, make it "Heart of the Congos" by The Congos. Another Perry production - I'd say (modestly) that it's the greatest LP in the history of recorded music.

The reggaification of the Magick Forum continues apace.
 
 
pornotaxi
13:22 / 04.06.04
i second "heart of the congos" as quintessential. didn't blood & fire reissue that as a 2cd set recently?

oh, and big youth - screaming target, how could i forget.
 
 
pornotaxi
13:26 / 04.06.04
or anything and everything by prince far i. which i must dig out of the cupboard right now!
 
 
SteppersFan
09:14 / 08.06.04
Row, fisher man, row...

Heart of the congos has indeed been reissed and delightfully remastered as a 2CD set.

My choice for most magickal track ever recorded: Lee Perry's Roast Fish and Cornbread. Utterly transforming.

Tubby -- watch out. Lots of shit comps out there -- and some shit ones even have good covers! Always start with Blood and Fire.

Of course, 80s dancehall is better than dub...
 
  
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