Today is 29 December 2021 and the 4th day of Kwanzaa. I will continue to celebrate Kwanzaa similar to last year by exploring and producing art and intention. Our ancestors frequently used intention to celebrate, pray, and receive guidance because they understood that materials should not control our beings due to it lacking value in the spiritual realm. I will post per diem to summarize the principle of the day and ways to incorporate its energy into our atmosphere until 1 January 2022, the last day of Kwanzaa.
Ujima- Collective work and responsibility
Kujichagulia- Self-determination
7 Nguzo saba- The 7 principles
Which candle is lit today?
I decorated my environment with symbols: mazao, kinara, and bendera to represent Kwanzaa. I do not have a physical candle holder nor candles, therefore I drew 7 candles to replace the idea of physical candles because the intention of the drawn candles are just as important as the physical ones. The second red candle located towards the far left of the kinara will be lit today to represent brotherhood and sisterhood. I want to eliminate the false narrative that black people were only known as being slaves because we were actually Kings and Queens. Many of us were rich, traded goods and art with different countries, and influenced the art world. One of the main reasons why our King and Queen representations are kept secret is due to haters and racism. Those individuals were and still are afraid of our power and elegance, so they have tried to separate our people and destroy our race but that has not happened because we are here to stay and flourish!
What does Ujamaa represent?
The previous nguzo saba was Ujima so we could properly focus our energies on mastering the mental, spiritual, and physical realms. If one of these realms are imbalanced then we would not be able to do anything in this world like being able to have our own thoughts, receiving symbols from our higher being(s), and having the ability to move our limbs. Last night, I had a dream that I attended a pep rally where I spoke to everyone who sat around me. The hosts of the event passed out containers filled with delicious food, however I noticed that I received a second plate which was unfair and against the rules. When I tried to give the second plate to the correct individual, the container fell on the floor which led to the juices inside of the container to appear everywhere, but despite this I cleaned the outer container and I gave the plate to the correct person. The meaning of that dream was to do the the right thing, to communicate with those who were around me, to be helpful, and to be aware of my surroundings. Today is the 4th day of Kwanzaa which also makes the meaning of the number 4 extremely important. This number represents our roots, community, and foundations. Ujamaa represents all of our Black and African people inside and outside of the home. This means that with our brothers and sisters we must make sure that we come together, support each other, maintain a healthy environment, be an act of service, heal, grow closer to our culture, and share our wealth with each other. If we do not help each other then a lot of our problems will be overlooked and our art would not be discovered. Remember that the materials in this world will not follow you to the mental nor the spiritual realms because it does not hold any value. Yesterday I separated myself from the community so I could work on self-care and because of that I have enough energy today to spread love and joy into the community.
Kwanzaa introduction 2021
Ujamaa (Part 4 and Current post)
Kwanzaa introduction 2020
Black/African excellence master list
Affirmations of the week: Inner Strength
Self-Care activities (Wednesday)
How to strengthen your spirituality
Art 1) African Painting, market seller, African art 0144
Art 2) Louis Armstrong- The Artling
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