Fate-Based Systems

You Are NOT the Father

Let's suppose my son comes from 23 generations of prize-fighters. Our family gets separated and he is forced to learn to fight from the descendant of a student of some competing training-camp. What if the founder of that training-camp learned all their valuable skills and techniques from my great-great grandfather, but their founder left no written record of that study and accomplishment? What if records were left by students of that rival camp's founder, who passed those down from generation-to-generation leaving out any reference to their founder receiving that training from my great-great grandfather? Could my son, then, inherit from those teachers the same valuable wisdom he would have gained from his fore-fathers or would he likely receive something of less value?

Greeks are credited with being the founding fathers of Western civilization. Consequently, the Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras is credited with being the founding father or Mathematics and Numerology. The problem with this is two-fold. First, Pythagoras never left a written record of his accomplishments or what specifically led to those accomplishments. Second, evidence does exist which proves that Pythagoras studied nearly 20-years in the mystery schools of ancient Egypt. So, how could he be the father of anything legitimate, when history records that he studied for 20 years elsewhere and wrote nothing down? Pythagoras simply does not past the test of paternity.


In the modern world, we tend to follow patterns devoid of true paternity. I call these constructs "fate-based systems". A fate-based system is one that offers the illusion of choice, when the reality is that those choices are confined to that system. If numerology pre-dated Pythagoras, yet he is given credit, then why? It is because the modern world was constructed on the idea of Western Imperialism. The Greeks adapted systems from more ancient cultures. The Greco-Roman Empire became the Holy Roman Empire. The Holy Roman Empire became the Church and established Western science, which touts accepted dogma and the merits of new, empirical evidence as scientific proof. Our metaphysical view is even decidedly Western, because our schools build solely upon the philosophy of those founding fathers.

So, while we have the illusion of evolutionary continuity with respect to philosophy and the sciences, much of the ancient foundation on which modern spirituality, philosophy and science are built has been hidden from us or is lost to us. What has been offered to us are fate-based systems that work within the present illusionary construct of reality. These systems fit within the framework of western-rule and do not allow for a true seizing of individual or collective destiny, divine or otherwise. In other words, we are trapped in a matrix.

In writing the Book of Numbers, I chose to deviate from the pattern of derivative work. I recognize that it would be easier to author a numerology work that agrees with all the others. But, the Book of Numbers is something new and different. There are reasons why one means X and two means Y. Fate-based information has hidden some of the knowledge that would liberate us from confinement to the present system. One cannot say the information is "wrong", because it works within the framework of the system. However, that information will not get us beyond the confines of that system.

Many of us feel we hit an invisible wall at-times - that there is just no getting beyond a certain level in our growth and development. What you are perceiving are the parameters upon which the system is based. Pushing beyond those parameters is nearly impossible without the tools with which to see beyond those parameters. Destiny-based numerology and astrology offer us two of those tools. All human behavior can be seen to fit patterns. That which enables us to transcend and transform those patterns changes the world. But, who wants to be the father and mother of the New World?! That's the question.

Reincarnation: A Chance To Do It All Again

When the Church chose to leave the concept of reincarnation out of its official dogma, we lost our ability to see how our past has a significant effect upon the present. If the use of drugs and alcohol by our parents can affect our genetic predisposition to adopt those same behaviors, it stands to reason that the scourge of war has a devastating effect on human physiology and behavior as well. It stands to reason that we have a predisposition to getting even, striking back and wiping the enemy off the face of the Earth that result from over 5,000 years of war.

And, while we can faintly recognize this effect as being passed from generation to generation via the gene pool, we are absolutely blind-sided to the effect that war has on the souls of men who live to die to return again through the process of reincarnation. For all of recorded history, civilizations modern and ancient have recognized that reincarnation is a reality. And, where we don't learn from the patterns of past-lives, those patterns are repeated in subsequent lives until we evolve beyond them.

I was reading an article in the UK Daily Mail on the Battle of Verdun in World War I - how 750,000 lives were lost in that 303 days of fighting. The article records that Ernst Toller wrote, "We were cogs in a great machine which sometimes rolled forward, nobody knew where, sometimes backwards, nobody knew why." That statement is sure proof of our unconscious consent to continue in this pattern.

Another French soldier wrote, "‘What a bloodbath, what horrid images, what a slaughter! Hell cannot be this dreadful." So, it would seem that in some ways we create our own hells, including the killing fields that play host to the generations of men. And, when given a chance to do it all again, we so willingly oblige. We think that "getting it right" means winning and continue in a pattern of personal self-destruction. Well, getting it right is ending the pattern of self-destruction that knows no right or wrong, only here and gone. It is not cowardice to abolish war, but the sensible policy of an evolved race. It's far-past the time to make let's 'do it all again' mean something new for all of humanity.

James Will M. Power

Absence: One of the Most Powerful Tools In Your Arsenal

The Tampa Police Union has called for a boycott of Beyoncé's Formation World Tour. They have vowed they will not secure the venue in protest of Beyoncé's Super Bowl 50 half-time show. And, while it is hard to fathom how her half-time performance was anti-police, it is well within the right of the police union to act on the behalf of officers in this way. In fact, this is a strategy the Black Lives Matter movement and all of Black America might want to consider employing ourselves.

Absence can often be a more powerful and effective tool than a boycott that calls for your presence. First, you have your perspective and others have their own. Often, arguing against another's perspective only strengthens their resolve to hold firm to their chosen viewpoint. Second, sometimes the very people you're addressing have no intention of listening to your concerns what-so-ever. There is a saying - "Power cedes nothing without a demand." So, the powerful are often unmoved, until and unless forced to act.

The act of 'not showing up' gets people's attention, especially if and when they have an expectation that you will be present. So, the police union is putting Beyoncé and all entertainers on notice. You will not align yourself with any group, action, ideology (or in this case imagery) that even suggests anti-police sentiment. Again, it doesn't matter that the Black Panther Party was pro-community. Further, it doesn't matter that the group disbanded decades ago. To those who fear some kind of imagined Black uprising, the iconography stands as a threat.

The sad thing is - the Tampa Police Union did not seek discourse or dialogue, toward determining if Beyoncé's performance was intended as anti-police sentiment. This further broadens the divide that exists between the community and the police, because it feels like the police are using the well-worn 'go-to' strategy of bullying individuals into submission. To the on-looker, this is absolute over-kill. It is reminiscent of so many stories we tend to hear about in the news - that the police shot multiple times, without being provoked to do so.

However, protestors can learn a thing or two from the Tampa Police Union. Absence is a very powerful weapon to have in one's arsenal and at one's disposal. As opposed to showing up to protest, don't show up at all. Don't join any conversations that don't include you or concern you. If Blacks and Mexicans, especially, got that our presence is needed for the game to continue, we would quit arguing with opponents and focus on having our constituency pull-back from the table.

Without criminals and crime, the police would not be in business. So, we are better served convincing the community to stop showing up in that way. We should push for an 80% reduction in crime in our communities, as a means of reducing the police-force by 50%. Let them face the challenge of going to school and finding legitimate work (or turning to a life of crime) like others feel forced to do. A drastic reduction in crime would force the very focus of the police department to change from "law enforcement" to "service-orientation".

Second, we must form our own towns, where we can live free from negative influences. Then, the police who are hired to arrest Blacks and poor-people can police their own communities. Let's see if they can do a better job there. We must stop showing up for the debate on whether gun-ownership makes sense. The numbers suggest it does not, especially in the inner-city we use guns to kill ourselves. Why continue to showing-up in support of gun-ownership, when we are the victims of the very laws that make it easy to acquire guns??? Funny how the gun is never available as a defense against the perceived threat.

We must stop showing up at polling places to defend candidates who perpetuate a broken two-party system, until and unless we have 'a dog in the race'. We must stop showing up to support a culture that has determined that certain classes of people will always be under-represented and under-valued. We must limit our cultural contribution as a means of forcing change.

Last year, I proposed the formation of a day of absence. I called it Black Out Mondays. The goal was and is to have Black people spend nothing on Mondays. In withdrawing our regular financial support of a 'corrupt system', it will do two things. First, it will shake things up. The 'system' will realize that we do make a substantial contribution and over time some course corrections will be made. Second, it will stand as proof that we can empower ourselves if and when we choose to do so.

Absence is a strategy worth employing because it has been proven to work. We have spent 50 years arguing for Civil Rights, only to find ourselves in the same condition in 2016. So, it is time to separate ourselves from those who are unwilling to cultivate relationships that foster real and lasting harmony among the whole of humanity.

Very simply, there are two types of relationships worthy of our consideration. The first is friends and family. You know your friends and family, regardless of race, culture or class. You love and support them. They love and support you. These are your loved ones. Otherwise, if it is not a relationships of intellectual, cultural or economic exchange, why keep showing up for people who absolutely refuse to show up for you? Your absence can make as powerful a statement as your presence. #absence #protest #blacklivesmatter #beyonce #formationworldtour #tampapoliceunion

James W. Power

The Book of Numbers (Now Available)!

 

My new book is now available!!!

We live in a society where 80% of Americans hold only 7% of the wealth, a society where the top 1% hold 40% of the wealth. Not limited to income inequality, we seem to have a rather interesting relationship with numbers when it comes to our calendar and measurement systems. As opposed to having a year with 27, 28, 30 and 31 day months, why not simply use a calendar with thirteen, 28-day months? Scientists say global warming is real. So, why do... we live in a society where nearly 50% of the population has an opposing opinion? Bottom line is – we have an interesting relationship with numbers (to put it mildly).

In every sphere of life, we are making choices about our relationships with numbers. Many of those choices relate to patterns of thinking that have been pre-determined for us. Thus, it seems we are fated to think, feel and act in certain ways with respect to numbers. In understanding the origin of numbers and their meanings, we begin to develop a new relationship with numbers, a relationship based upon a new-found destiny of our choosing. The “Book of Numbers” is a technology designed to facilitate new patterns of thinking about numbers. It is an extraordinarily powerful and unique spiritual tool that is simple and fun to use.

Order a signed, limited edition of this 22,800 word, first-run release today! They will be shipped USPS 2-Day Priority Mail! Thank you for your support!!!

James Will M. Power
Click here: http://tinyurl.com/jgujkev

How This Photo Can Help You Win Arguments

This is one of my favorite photos. It is a reminder to me of a simple truth. One has to be able to soar over the bull and the nonsense that is a natural part of life. When you decide you’re going to wrestle a bull, you have to deal with the horns and you have to take the bull-crap that comes with it. There is no avoiding it. It is in a bull’s nature to snort, to buck and to fight.

In attempting to soar over it all, you might get grazed by the horns a few times in the beginning. And, there is the distinct possibility you will miss your landing from time to time. However, dodging the nonsense gets easier. And, like the matador who side-steps the bull with seeming ease and grace, you develop the power to avoid most meaningless arguments and unnecessary conflict.

It is in an animal’s nature to simply react to stimulus by fighting, fleeing, or folding (seeking a place of immediate safety). Beings of higher-consciousness often have access to a wider variety of choices, with respect to how to respond to conditions in our external environment. Sometimes, the best response is none at all. When someone throws you a ball, there is no universal rule that says you have to catch it. We are merely conditioned to catch the balls thrown to us.

So, in deciding you’re not going to mirror behavior that is unbecoming of you, you are choosing to operate as a more evolved consciousness. Your idea of what it means to win changes and the strategies you employ in gaining victory over the perceived threat change also. Most times, that means soaring over the haters as a means of not even entertaining the messiness and nonsense. And, guess what? There is nothing wrong with saving yourself time, energy and aggravation whenever you choose to do so.

James Will M. Power

The Possibilities Are Limitless

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. Nandana Unnikrishnan is a reminder of the possibilities.http://weekinweird.com/2013/04/09/telepathic-girl-baffles-researchers-ability-read-minds/

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. Prahland Jani is a reminder of the possibilities.

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. Kenny Muhammad is a reminder of the
possibilities.

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. Daniel Tammet is a reminder of the possibilities.

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. Slaviša Pajkić is a reminder of the possibilities.

God is showing us that human potential is limitless. This sensei is a reminder of the possibilities.

Consider the possibilities. We are often encouraged in the common-place, but discouraged in our desire to make new discoveries about ourselves and human potential. We must break the shackles of doubt and skepticism, toward embracing the vastness of untapped human potential.

J. Power

The 10 Worst Addictions

Truth be told – determining the worst addiction to have is just as difficult as determining the best car on the market. It is a very subjective argument and one would have to know the factors being used toward making such a determination. So, let’s start with a little logic.

First, it stands to reason that most of us want to live; also that most of us would prefer to live a long, healthy life. Second, most of us would agree that the security of having our needs be met is preferable to having to struggle to survive. So, my top 10 list is both about life and quality of life. So, given those criteria, below is a list of the 10 Worst Addictions:

10 - Cigarettes

9 - Heroin

8 - Crystal Meth  

7 - Pills

6 - Cocaine 

5 - Religious Cults 

4 - Alcohol 

3 - Sugar

2 - Gambling

1 - Toxic Relationships

Ok! So, I guess you’re wondering why all of the hard-drugs are at the bottom of the list. Well, most of the hard drugs have devastating long-term effects. However, the addictions we don’t like to talk about as addictions have devastating short-term effects.

A toxic relationship can drive one to drink or do drugs. Worse, a toxic relationship can result in one being murdered in a moment of passion or loss of self-control. And, it is often just as hard to get out of a toxic relationship as it is to kick any other addiction, sometimes harder. They say choice of a relationship can determine one’s happiness in life. So, given that toxic relationships can have devastating short-and long-term effects, it’s first on our list.

 

 

Gambling is a highly-destructive addiction to have. One can blow hundreds or thousands of dollars on the temporary high that one gets from gambling. One can lose one’s whole livelihood overnight when gambling. And, this could result in the sufferer of gambling addiction committing suicide. Also, gambling, like being in a toxic relationship is perfectly legal. So, the danger often goes unnoticed and the addiction often goes untreated. Again, gambling can have devastating short and long-term effects. So, it is second on our list.

Sugar is the true gateway drug. Most of us get our first external chemical-high from sugar. Again, it is the true gateway drug. In fact, certain illicit drugs are almost indistinguishable from sugar. Further, it is perfectly legal to buy and it is available almost everywhere to anyone who’s willing to buy it.  Worst of all, in the U.S., there is a holiday dedicated to the promotion, sale, purchase, exchange and use of sugar products. To be frank, Halloween is society-approved irresponsibility. And, that irresponsibility promotes rampant addiction.

Now, as with sugar, gambling and toxic relationships, the consumption of alcohol is perfectly legal. Further, the culture encourages its use among adults via the media and in our cultural norms. We are all familiar with the effects of alcohol misuse and abuse, which include hang-over, black-outs, irresponsible behavior of every kind, drunk-driving and social & domestic violence. So, again, because of alcohol’s immediate and lasting effects, it is fourth on our list.

Karl Marx wrote, “Religion is the opium of the people.” Religion can have an anesthetic effect, rendering the adherent comatose to the concerns of people who are not a part of their group. Religious apathy is a form of malaise that is very difficult to remedy. So, millions of people have lost their lives as part of wars in the name of religion. And, hundreds of terrorists are planning to take the lives of others in the name of religion. Further, millions of religious adherents devote countless hours to groups that offer periodic booster-shots of inspiration.

I’m not referring to religious devotion and fellowship that improves one’s life and gives a sense of joy, renewed passion, love and hope for humanity. I am not talking about the groups that have adherents question their choices in deciding what is best for themselves. If it is good, it should feel good. Or, you should know that your investment is going to pay off in the form of a newfound level of happiness and bliss. Again, because religion is legal and free from oversight, adherents are the last ones to question those who have control over their choices.

So, the question is – how do we address addiction? Do we outlaw those things that lead to addiction? Or, would people find ways of breaking the law? Do we continue to treat addiction? And, if so, what methods should we employ? Well, I am against outlawing gambling or the use of various substances. I am also against placing restrictions on relationships. And, of course, I would never advocate outlawing anyone’s belief system. The truth is – when we tackle our addictions, we evolve. It is not the only means of evolving, but when we don’t recognize a problem we fail to look for a solution.

There are places in our world where the laws are very strict. Souls who yearn to experience what their hearts desire are forced to do so outside of the law or to leave those countries in search of places that allow for more liberty. We have all read stories about priests and monks who’ve taken vows of chastity, only to devolve into sicker forms of sexual expression. For example, the sexual exploitation and abuse of children is rampant in the Church. Illicit drug sales are estimated to be a $4 trillion dollar industry.

The human capacity for addiction is great. So, perhaps if we focused as much energy on recognizing and addressing our capacity for addiction, we could evolve beyond some of it. That likely will not happen on a societal or global scale, because some of those in power benefit from our continuance in these cycles of addiction. The only solution, then, is in each individual’s recognition of his or her own tendency toward certain types of addiction.  Once, we address them, address them for ourselves, we can then assist others. Our addictions often demand solutions that are spiritual in nature. And, that is not the stock-in-trade of this world.   So, for better or worse, we must face this problem ourselves.

Michael Jackson Wants Us All to Be Great - Here's How!

I guess it was the week for manifestos on Facebook. Someone posted a very touching and inspiring manifesto written by the late, award-winning science-fiction writer, Octavia Butler early in her career. In it, she decisively described how her road to success would be laid out. One could sense that she reached an impasse in her life and yearned for something more. I felt the passion and determination in reading that short manifesto. I am particularly drawn to the lines that read, “This is my life. I write bestselling novels. My novels go onto the bestseller lists…”

A few days later, someone posted another manifesto on Facebook. This time, it was one belonging to Michael Jackson. It was something he wrote in 1979 at 21-years of age, a manifesto shared on the CBS news-magazine, 60-Minutes, in 2013. It was beyond inspiring – that a man who’d achieved such a high-level of success, would seek to reinvent himself anew as oppose to continue to build on that legacy. Again, I could sense the passion and determination in his decidedly decisive statements.

He wrote, “MJ will be my new name. No more Michael Jackson. I want a whole new character, a whole new look. I should be a totally different person. People should never think of me as the kid who sang “ABC” or “I Want You Back.” Even more inspiring, however, were the lines “I should be a new, incredible singer, actor, dancer that will shock the world. I will do no interviews. I will be magic. I will be a perfectionist, a researcher, a trainer, a master. I will be better than every actor roped into one.”

He further wrote, “I must have the most incredible training system. I will dig, dig, dig, until I find.” Wow! I was absolutely amazed. And, from this manifesto, I took two things:

1.       More than just a conscious thought in Michael’s head, this was his soul’s beckoning him to move out from the familiar into the unknown - to make new discoveries about himself and his abilities.

2.       More than a creative imagining or inspiration, this was the realization that with or without that creative inspiration he would be successful at making discoveries toward achieving his goals.  

So, Michael etched his desire into his heart with the indestructible gem of his soul. Until today, I thought Michael’s success was owing mostly to his creativity. What I learned in reading his manifesto is that he was willing to “Dig, dig, dig…” and to “…have the most incredible training system” and that both these factors likely contributed as much (if not more) to his success than his creative ability.  

So, what the King of Pop is revealing that all of us can be great. Octavia and Michael have given us the blueprint. For those who are willing to follow it, the components appear below:

1.       Realization – you must come to a realization that where you are is not where your soul desires to be – that there is an achievable perfection to which you MUST strive.

2.       Courage – you must have courage to speak the truth; to say what the world, your family, your friends or the part of you that enjoys its comfort zone would never want to hear.

3.       Conviction – you must do more than have a conscious thought or make a vision board. You have to etch your desire into your heart, with the conviction of your soul. It must become your reason for being.

4.       Determination – you must express your convictions on paper in statements of determination.

5.      Common sense – you must have common-sense enough to know that success is not going to come knocking on your door. You will have to get up every day, prepared to go out and work hard to attain it.

In closing, I truly believe Michael Jackson wants us to all be great. I mean – why else would he have left us a map that leads all the way to our own personal Forever-land?! RIP MJ!

James Will M. Power

10 Better Uses of Your Time: For People Who Want to Protest Beyonce

                So, someone is taking time out of their life organizing a protest of Beyonce at the NFL headquarters in New York City. It seems she has ruffled some people’s feathers in choosing to allow her dancers to don berets as part of the Super Bowl 50 half-time show. And, while no one really made the Black Panther connection while watching the Super Bowl, by the time they saw the memes on social-media ‘the outrage was out the cage’. “How dare she???”

                Among the claims made were that she was too scantily clad, that the “political statement was inappropriate” and that Coldplay didn’t need an accompaniment anyway. We live in an ‘any excuse will do’ society, where being hyper-critical of “the other” is as American as apple-pie. So, it really doesn’t surprise me that her detractors saw the performance as controversial. But, protesting though??? That seems to be a bit much. This happened in a moment, a moment that will soon be forgotten. So, shouldn’t a few moments of attention and a few days in the news-media be enough? I guess not.  

               

Some argue that political statements should not be made at the Super-Bowl. But, isn’t the presence of any artist as much a political statement as an artistic and cultural one? Can you separate the artist from his or her political views? Will we all of a sudden turn a blind-eye to the experiences that have shaped who and what they are? And, I guess popular and politically-correct political statements are alright. No one is going to make a big fuss about advertising support for the military and the near-50% of the federal budget that we spend on the military industrial-complex annually, because it’s o.k. to kill people. It’s alright for our children to see messages that promote the killing of people, so long as it’s “the other”.
 

                However, it is not o.k. to inspire Black people, even if we are underserved, underprivileged and suffering from the kinds of humanitarian crises you would expect to find in a third world country. We’re supposed to sit-down, shut-up and take what we’re given. We are not Irish or Italian or German, so how dare we attempt to have any identity that is separate or distinct from the group? How dare Beyonce tell use to love ourselves? In fact, we should be happy to even be accepted as part of the group, since we are inferiors.  Well, that’s how some people think. And, any talk or action that is not in-line with that status quo is a threat to the very existence of this society, so it seems.

 

                Some would say I am being dramatic. And, I disagree. Anytime, ex-mayor, Rudy Guliani can get on TV to say that Beyonce is a threat to the police I am not being dramatic in the least.  Anytime a Super Bowl performance can be compared to a KKK rally, I am not being dramatic in the least. Anytime people are willing to come together in protest of an R&B artist, I am not being dramatic in the least. And, anytime I have to be a witness to crazy, I am certainly going to call it what it is.

 

                Now, I’m not one to suggest denying anyone their freedom of assembly or expression. However, time and energy are in limited supply. So, perhaps, a better use of that passion and sense-of-purpose would be to channel it into one of the following formation:

1.       Protest of military spending – 50% of the annual Federal Budget is spent on our military. What if that money could be re-directed toward serving humanity? What if we “beat our swords into plowshares”? What if we turned our guns into gardening-tools and our missiles into means of helping the masses? What are we in this for – to prove we are #1 or to live in a world where we can live in peace together?

 

2.       Protest for higher teacher salaries – If you’re going to protest anything, then protest on behalf of the people who are raising your children for six-to-eight hours a day. Our social security is not in the hands of any artist, but in the minds and hearts of our children.

3.       Protest for the missing children – Why are tens-of-thousands of our children going missing each and every year? What can we do to reduce that number by 70 to 80%. Why is the government not speaking-up about this issue? These are our children, for Christ’s sake.

4.       Protest domestic violence and the abuse of women – This is just common-sense. If our women don’t feel safe, how can our children feel safe? And, if our children are scared of everything, then they’ll be protesting Beyonce’s 2020 Super Bowl performance.

5.       Protest corporate irresponsibility – What angers me is that corporations can make what they want, dig where they want and dump where they please. So, the Pacific Ocean is a plastic, waste-dump and African nations on the coast of the Atlantic are a dumping ground for chemical waste. Countless lives have been ruined and lost in the name of usurping and unearthing the precious resources of various nations. Now, with fracking, global warming and methane and oil spills, the chickens have come home to roost in the U.S.

                Some of us don’t want to protest anything. Focusing on the negative can be a bit much. Ok. So, here are five ‘positive’ actions you can take. You don’t have to protest to make a positive impact.  

1.       Donate to time, energy or money to solving the humanitarian crisis in Flint. Flint is an American city. Infrastructure issues will need to be addressed over the next 50-years. So, next year’s Flint could be Baltimore or Chicago or Richmond. If we address this crisis properly, it will be so much easier to address the inevitable.

2.       Donate to your local ASPCA (American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). So, you’ve given up on humans? Trust me. I get it. But, most people love animals. They are so innocent and so deserving of our love. So, why not donate to the ASPCA each and every time you’re frustrated with humanity? You can be certain that there is still at least one true hero in the world, because that hero will be you.

3.       Take the “Do Good Challenge”. Do something good in the life of someone you know or don’t know.

4.       Post photos of dogs, flowers or babies on social media sites. Nothing disarms people better than a cute dog, a smiling baby or some beautiful flowers. So, drop a love bomb in the lives of your followers.

5.       Do nothing. If someone throws you a ball, you don’t have to catch it. A fire needs fuel, something to burn and oxygen. In doing nothing, you start the fire of that needed breath of fresh air. If you don’t show up, there is nothing to burn.

We are so used to protest as a strategy for addressing our concerns that we don’t realize that it’s not always the BEST strategy. Just know that when protest is an option, it’s never the only option.

James Will M. Power

A Breakdown of Beyonce's Formation (No Pun Intended)

               

When I first started teaching metaphysics and spirituality in 2009, one of my first projects was an eight-video defense of Jay-Z. At that time, it incensed me that critics were paining Jay-Z as a modern-day Satan, especially in-light of the hundreds-of-thousands of Americans who lost their homes as part of that decade’s predatory lending practices and the United States housing bubble collapse of 2006. That’s not to mention the 150,000 to 400,000 lives lost in the Iraq war and all of the other lives lost in all the wars perpetrated across the globe as part bolstering the for-profit, military industrial complex. So, in my opinion, Jay-Z just didn’t make the Top 10,000 on the list of people who should have been considered for the role of ‘the Millennial Satan’. So, how did Jay-Z get caught up in the conspiracy theories of quasi-Christian cultural critics and documentarians?

                A few years later, Kanye West’s head was on the chopping block. Flash-forward to Friday night! Beyoncé dropped an epic, near six-minute music video called “Formation”. Her song started with a well-deserved breath of fresh air in stating that the "Illuminati mess" is corny. Amidst the discussions about police brutality, whether Black lives should matter to anybody, and the humanitarian crisis in Flint, Beyoncé dropped a cultural atomic-bomb. Now, I am a Bey fan and as a sentinel in the Bey-hive, so I am admittedly protective of the Queen Bey. Therefore, after watching the magic happen for myself via my laptop and posting to spread the word on Facebook, I started sharpening my sword for any and all who would come for the Queen Bey.  And, Sunday’s Super Bowl 50 performance gave folks just the excuse they needed.

 

                Well, I will address the critics and their critiques throughout this article. But, let’s first break-down the video – “Formation”. At the start of the video, an effeminate, yet hauntingly powerful voice can be heard asking a question. “What happened after New Orleans?” One video-critic derided Bey for daring to even mention New Orleans in using the iconography as a back-drop for “Formation”. First and foremost, it is a five-minute music video. It is not a documentary. Beyoncé  is not a documentarian. She is an artist. So, one cannot expect Beyoncé to use her platform to address (in any great detail) the many injustices befalling Black people or any group. It’s a very unfair expectation.  

                What she did with the music-video was, however, very masterful! Anyone paying attention would almost immediately recognize that she was drawing a parallel in what happened in New Orleans and what is happening today in Flint, Michigan. There were about 100,000 residents left in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. There are nearly 100,000 residents in Flint, Michigan. The humanitarian disaster in New Orleans was not a direct result of the hurricane. The Army Corp of Engineers was responsible for building a new levee system, which was scheduled for completion years after Hurricane Katrina hit. The many delays in its construction were due to red-tape. To make matters worse, when the levees broke, the response to the disaster was slow and mired in political mess. Parallels can easily be drawn to Flint, where there is more government talk than action relative to handling this present-day humanitarian crisis.  

                However, the differences are two-fold this time around. With Katrina they were contending with unwanted flood-water. With Flint, we are contending with unusable drinking-water. With Katrina, people were waiting for the government to respond. With Flint, the people were moved to respond. So, the song is an anthem that inspires us to take collective-action toward resolving our own problems or else suffer the consequences. Bey sings, “You’d better get in-formation.” This is a double-entendre. It is intended to mean that we need to both inform ourselves and to form ourselves into an organized group. She continues, “Ladies, let me see some co-ordination.”

                This is why Beyoncé and her girls are depicted as dancing “in formation” throughout the generations. This is why they are dancing in a hallway lined with books. This is why both the natural sisters and the divas are represented. She is making a statement – that Black woman are everything and that no distinction should be made about one cultural expression being better than another. So, there are women from the 30s, the 60s, the 70s, the 80s and present-day. There were depicted women with their natural hair and others with weaves. The video is intended to show that the Black woman is modern in every generation – that she can express pride in herself for “slaying” in the past, present and future.  This video is intended to send a message that all expressions of Black womanhood are acceptable.

 

                Visually, she is saying it’s all beautiful. This is juxtaposed against all that could be considered ugly in the environment. So, amidst the blight, you see beauty in every generation. The girls in denim are dancing in an 80’s era parking-lot, in a scene that has an eerie “Rodney King Beating” feel. Still slaying! The natural sisters are dancing in an empty pool, which represents a reality devoid of substantive culture, but still slaying. Again, critics will take exception with Beyoncé  stating that she is a culture-vulture. But, look at the love-hate relationship some of us have with our professed cultural moorings. We don’t want anyone to embrace our small group’s expression of culture unless they do it in a way that we sanction. So, over time, the water of that cultural expression dries up.

Yet, because being natural is more than a “conscious” thing, it survives any attempt to corral it (again, that’s what the swimming pool is all about). This is why Blue Ivy can be depicted as wearing natural hair, while Bey is in braided extensions. Still, the ladies in the pool are wearing a tone that could be considered a “gold” or “Earth-tone” outfit. So, the scene is intended to depict that they are slaying in their own zone never-the-less. It’s an empty pool and no real game is being played, but they are slaying never-the-less. Also, notice that the pool is black and white. Hmmm???

                I digress. It is the prerogative of the Black woman to don any form of dress she deems appropriate for the moment. She is the humanities primordial mother and is the original blueprint on which all of us are based. So, consequently, there can be no cultural appropriation by the Black woman. After actress Bo Derek appeared in the film “10” in 1979, people forgot that hair-braiding originated among Black people. With one film, she had appropriated that whole cultural motif. Well, it is the same with all things Black. No one associates ancient India with Blacks or ancient Egypt with Blacks or ancient Asia with Blacks or the ancient Hebrews with Blacks or the ancient temples and monuments in South or Central America with having a Black influence. And, yet, Black was at the root of all of it. So, it is mind-boggling that a Black artist can be accused of cultural appropriation when we are essentially using motifs that our ancestors created to begin with.

                Then, there is the child who is dancing, in contrast to the cops who are in military formation. This is indicative of the child-like behavior being displayed on both sides – that the cops would be so childish, as to think that a little boy (who is only concerned with his cultural expression) is any kind of threat to their militarized formation and mindset. Then, there are the five brothers who flank Beyonce. They represent the power and might that backs her; that it takes a unified force to allow for her freedom of expression. In ancient Egypt, there are depictions of five Gods standing with the Goddess. The Goddess gives life, while the Gods take action to protect the life she creates.

 

                The colors red and white are heavily featured throughout the video. Red and white are colors associated with the God Shango. So, this is not surprising in the least, especially since Shango is the God of lightning, thunder, fire, drums and dance. In fact, Ifa symbolism is heavily featured in the music video, as colors and symbolism that are representations of Oba, Yemaya and Obatala can all be found in the work. Also, these deities are known to fight on behalf of Blacks and those oppressed by the scourge of White slavery. Our ancestral spiritual traditions include these African deities and the symbolism associated with them. It would be hard to make a video that is an expression of our cultural heritage and leave out these influences. So, even if they are only an unconscious addition, it still fits. I like to think these deities always have a hand in creating moments like this. But, that’s just me.

                There are two things about the music video and this moment (the music-video’s release and the Super Bowl performance) that really stand out to me. First, it is interesting that the moment really resonated with viewers. What perfect timing! Beyonce had a greater impact on the Super Bowl with that one performance than both the game itself and the ensuing controversy with Cam Newton. And, second, she predicted the video would spark conversation. Some of her critics would argue that she needs to tone it down. Others would question whether the lyrics were a compliment to the imagery. I think that’s just being ‘beyond hyper-critical’. Art is supposed to make this kind of statement. This is a teaching-moment as much as anything else. Beyonce was able to galvanize the energy of the people with the music video, all while sparking controversy, making money, promoting her tour and looking good doing it. Frankly put, to argue against that kind of success if asinine.  But, hey! What do I know?

J. Will Power