What’s up y’all, it’s Abba Parks I’m in Tha Annex and Today I want to talk about ‘The power of self knowledge’.
Someone great once told me:
Self knowledge is the key to mastering the board on which the game of life is played.
At the Time I didn’t really understand what he meant so I did the usual smile and nod pleasantries but now, after going through some shit that I thought I’d never go through again, I finally began to understand what he meant. I got what he was saying.
That one sentence opened up my eyes to a whole new level of bullshit I didn’t even know I was at. For real y’all.
It was a painful pill to swallow and It took some time for me to work through all of that but now that I’m here I want to share a little bit what I have discovered through the process of mastering my self knowledge.
Now I’m not trying to be the next Ghandi, or Mother Theresa, or Sadhguru and in fact you should not worship me at all. I’m just a melanated, educated, sassy sista out here sharing some truth with y’all. So please use your discernment if you’re picking up what I’m throwing down, let’s vibe baby but if what I’m saying ain’t for you, cool let’s vibe anyways. Share some of your experience with me, I love hearing other perspectives and collaborating on conversations with passionate people. So bring your tea we got plenty of room at the table, let’s get it.
Self knowledge is self knowledge and it’s hard to talk about it without sounding preachy, so I’ll speak on what helped me to define self knowledge for myself.
What I do to help me get back on track after losing focus is grounding. I used this basic tool as a way to maintain my goals and how they align with my overall purpose and the best thing about it is, it’s free; take’s a little discipline and work to make it consistent but it’s really what helped me get to where I wanted to go. But before I get to all the good stuff, I want to get y’all in the right headspace so you understand where I’m coming from.
We all have within us limitless capabilities to create wondrous creations and when life comes crashing down, that’s when it happens. The slate being wiped clean is like the universe saying nah you can do better.
This time around I knew I had to do something new and the big question I asked myself before I started anything was ‘why am I afraid of my own greatness?’.
No I didn’t just finish watching Coach Carter, ok yes I did but regardless I realized that I had been spending a lot of time looking for the answer already.
I had moved to a different country, then back and then to a new city. I was sober and celibate for a while, then I tried my hand at a few different ventures but all in all I was looking for the reason why I was so afraid of my own greatness.
It wasn’t until I woke up one day, I looked in the mirror, I know it’s cliche, but its real it happened. I looked at myself, I looked at my life and it just wasn’t me. It wasn’t me at all. Soon after that awakening my entire life fell apart, I lost everything. I mean everything. I had to start all over again. Begin a whole new life from scratch.
The first few months was so hard, I was so sad and lonely but the isolation, looking back now that was a Godsend, that was the key.
In that isolation is where I had the privacy to discover the fears I had and how they were keeping me from experiencing my own greatness. In my early adulthood I was focused so hard on trying to fit in and be liked, I had completely forgotten how wonderful it is to know my Self and to be my Self.
Crazy right.
But having that period of isolation reminded me. It allowed me to identify my fears and find efficient ways to manage them which in turn reconnected me with my roots, my ancestors and now I have established my identity in my truth.
No religion, magical book or highly acclaimed way of living saved me; it was a kind dude who’s one sentence sparked something within me and got me questioning my reality. “Self knowledge is the key to mastering the board on which the game of life is played.”
I grounded myself in those words and boy my life has not been the same since. So if you’re gonna go on that journey you prepare yourself, learn how to ground yourself.
A process I use to ground myself and keep me on track is Ritual. If you yelling ‘she a witch' right now, relax. I’m not. Often there is a lot of stigma and taboo energy around the word because there has been so much miseducation and the wide spreading of misinformation but I’m here to tell y’all to throw out all that garbage, you don’t need that in ya life.
Rituals and how you practice them can be anything. They have the power to bring so much fullness and beauty in your life. Some cultures and religions have sacred and traditional rituals that need to be honoured and respected so please keep in mind the appropriate protocols when engaging with rituals that are not inherently your own. Respect y’all, let’s not be that person ok.
What I’m trying to get at is this, Self Knowledge is a tool, method, a way for you to create a rituals that allows your Self to be present in your everyday life. The truth behind making this work is creating a practice that you are able to maintain consistently.
Don’t be doing too much because you think you have to, start simple. Your rituals can have as many different elements as you need but only take what you need, never more. You can use writing, cooking, exercise, going for a drive, creative expression, reading, meditation, having sex, whatever works for you.
Just make sure that your ritual is fulfilling the needs of your Self because overtime this will become the basic foundation of how you live your life. It should be fully reflective of who you are and lined with elements that enhance your being but be careful not to be too rigid. Comfort does now afford growth. Make sure that the structure you are creating is solid yet flexible enough to allow spontaneity and moments of quiet reflection; even in the craziest moments.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up, keep it fresh, try something new or don’t. Do you and I’ll catch you here next week. Same time, Same place. Until then take it easy and be kind to yourself. Much love.
