I thank every reader for taking this trek through Kwanzaa these past seven days. It was the first time that I attempted to write about each day separately. The other work projects, KC Chiefs and making Black Eyed Peas and greens conspired to get in the way of my aligning with Intentions (Our Raw Material weeks nine and eleven)
Kuumba/Creativity as the last day of the year and Imani/Faith as the first day of the new year resonates with the month of January. Named after the Roman god, Janus, who has two faces that looks back to the past and the future simultaneously. In many ways, our creativity can be guided by our past mistakes. Yet, when we become engrossed in our Kuumba, we lose track of time, we are in the ‘zone’. Actually, we don’t lose track of time, we elongate time, after all, it is flexible and fluid.Â
Time and timelessness bring us to our Imani/Faith. We sense other realities. We bypass our intellects. We transcend our egos. We end our trance or transcend our limitations. Let’s embrace our two faces, our two hemispheres of our brains. Allow the left to analyze the details of our Kuumba, what paints we need, what key to sing in, how to have a challenging conversation. But let’s choose to have faith/Imani in our other hemisphere where the story holds truths that may not be self-evident until the creativity is completed.
Fire element Aries, Leo and Sagittarius bring Kuumba through movement. Spirit moves through our physical bodies through dancing, sporting and loving. Aries brings the matches, the ‘what if?’ Leo radiates through dignified move. Like all big cats, their energies are substantial and magnetic. Sagittarius moves your mind and body through discussion or goading playing with rules. Trash talk included movement of the jaw or freestyling a rap.
Imani/Faith demands a soulful patience, a trust in what is not expressed, but is felt. The water element of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces will support the Kuumba of all they meet. Unless you are dismissive or cruel, these subtle folx will give freely. I believe the spiritual virtue is called long-suffering (which is not in vogue since the 1980’s (or whenever you feel the ‘me’ generation began in earnest lol). Without the water element there would be no compassion or faith. There’d be no juice in our stories, there’d be facts but what would be the value of the lessons? However, these sensitive people need Imani/Faith in the physical plane which represents their bodies, money and survival. Without such faith, they perform their lives for others---providing and supporting, but not enjoying. Que triste. How sad.
Once the water signs connect to the earth element of Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn, they can relax. The gnomes of the Earth element seek water’s quiet presence to soften and relax them from their worries about never having enough. Along with fire’s energies, Earth signs need to allow room for Imani/Faith to simply be in the moment. No rearview mirror obsessing over the ‘would’ves, could’ves or should’ves’. There is only now, the long and deep present moment.. Those with whom you share your bounty. It’s been said that the earth element has the least amount of Kuumba/Creativity, but that’s usually said by those who haven’t been intimate with them.
The air element of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius have their well developed minds to thank. These have the energetic breadth to hold all their thoughts of Kuumba/Creativity and Imani/Faith within themselves and their behaviors---or so they think. It’s one thing to enact Imani/Faith as an ideal, abstract and possible exclusionary. It’s an entirely different reality to live their ideals or allow Kuumba/Creativity to be as messy as a child with Play Doh or paints without a canvas. Like the wood element (plants) need water, sunlight and dirt, our minds through the air element needs each of the other elements to stay connected, inspired and grounded---lest they parrot other people’s Imani/Faith and appropriate our Kuumba/Creativity. However, when the air element or our minds admits to what is not known and accept the mysteries that is our lives, they soften (usually through open hearted listening), engage warmly/personally and pace themselves. Instead of calling it a ‘cheat day’ (when they break or bend their principles) let’s reframe it as a ‘rest day’.Â
There is no finding of Kuumba or Imani. There is only a rooted knowing of how your inner world works. These seven principles of Kwanzaa originated to give an oppressed people a celebration of their own. 57 years ago, the Voting Rights and Civil rights Acts were in their toddler phase. We had just become proud to Black. Colored were for segregation signs usually reserved for the South (yeah, right). Simply setting any of these seven days as intentional living ala Our Raw Material (weeks nine and eleven) makes the difference between acting from our assigned roles and living life authentically and lovingly.