Author: Afua, Queen

A transformative journey of physical and ancestral healing from a renowned herbalist, natural health expert, and dedicated healer of women’s bodies and women’s souls “Just when I thought I was all alone, I found myself walking with a group of conscious women who were taking sacred steps and speaking sacred words. We were on our way to Queen Afua’s Global Sacred Woman Village. Come with us, there’s Maat—balance and order—there.”—Erykah Badu Queen Afua practices a uniquely Afrocentric spirituality. Her classic bestseller, Heal Thyself for Health and Longevity, forever changed the way African Americans practice holistic health. Now, with Sacred Woman, she restores the magnificence of our spirits through sacred initiation. Queen Afua begins by helping us to discover our unique “womb-an-ness”—and to honor the womb as the center of our consciousness and creativity, giving us a twenty-one-day program for womb purification and spirit rejuvenation. Then Queen Afua summons us to enter the Nine Gateways of Initiation, where she blesses us with the exact tools we need to bring our beings into true harmony with the earth and the cosmos. Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, and rituals rooted in Ancient Egyptian temple teachings, Queen Afua teaches us how to love and rejoice in our bodies by spiritualizing the words we speak; the foods we eat; the spaces we live and work in; the beauty we create in our lives; the healing energy we transmit to self and others; the relationships we nurture; the service we offer; and the transcendent woman spirit we manifest. With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women—to heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world. Praise for Sacred Woman “ Sacred Woman flings open the gates of understanding the feminine essence. It is the return of the soul force to women.” —Jewel Pookrum, MD, PhD (Sunut Arit) “Queen Afua is an extraordinary healer, teacher, mother, and keeper of our legacy. Through Sacred Woman, she has given us the sacred tools we need to live our lives in this new century.” —Hazelle Goodman, actress “ Sacred Woman offers profound wisdom to all who seek healing and transformation. Queen Afua is a national treasure.” —Bob Law, author, radio personality, and vice president of WWRL Review “Just when I thought I was all alone, I found myself walking with a group of conscious women who were taking sacred steps and speaking sacred words. We were on our way to Queen Afua’s Global Sacred Woman Village. Come with us, there’s Maat—balance and order—there.” —Erykah Badu “ Sacred Woman flings open the gates of understanding the feminine essence. It is the return of the soul force to women.” —Jewel Pookrum, MD, PhD (Sunut Arit) “Queen Afua is an extraordinary healer, teacher, mother, and keeper of our legacy. Through Sacred Woman, she has given us the sacred tools we need to live our lives in this new century.” —Hazelle Goodman, actress “ Sacred Woman offers profound wisdom to all who seek healing and transformation. Queen Afua is a national treasure.” —Bob Law, author, radio personality, and vice president of WWRL From the Inside Flap Queen Afua is a nationally renowned herbalist, natural health expert, and dedicated healer of women's bodies and women's souls who practices a uniquely Afrocentric spirituality. Her classic bestseller, "Heal Thyself, forever changed the way African Americans practice holistic health. Now, with "Sacred Woman, she takes us on a transforming journey of physical and ancestral healing that will restore the magnificence of our spirits through sacred initiation. Queen Afua begins by helping us to discover our unique "womb-an-ness"-and to honor the womb as the center of our consciousness and creativity, giving us a twenty-one-day program for womb purification and spirit rejuvenation. Then Queen Afua summons us to enter the Nine Gateways of Initiation, where she blesses us with the exact tools we need to bring our beings into true harmony with the earth and the cosmos. Through extraordinary meditations, affirmations, and rituals rooted in ncient Egyptian temple teachings, Queen Afua teaches us how to love and rejoice in our bodies by spiritualizing the words we speak; the foods we eat; the spaces we live and work in; the beauty we create in our lives; the healing energy we transmit to self and others; the relationships we nurture; the service we offer; and the transcendent woman spirit we manifest. With love, wisdom, and passion, Queen Afua guides us to accept our mission and our mantle as Sacred Women-to heal ourselves, the generations of women in our families, our communities, and our world. About the Author Queen Afua is an initiate of the shrine of Ptah and Chief Priestess of Purification in the temple of Neb-Het, an ancient Afrakan Order. She is also a Khamitic (Egyptian) priestess, yoga teacher, herbalist, holistic health specialist, natural healer, and lay midwife. She is the founder and spiritual guide of Global Sacred Woman Village and the co-director, with her husband, Sen-Ur Semahj, of the Smai Tawi Heal Thyself/Know Thyself Afrakan Wellness and Kultural Center. Among her many clients are Erykah Badu, Vanessa Williams, Roberta Flack, John Amos, and Stevie Wonder. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. C H A P T E R 1 KHAMITIC NUBIAN PHILOSOPHY THEY SAY OUR WAY IS DEAD. THEY SAY OUR WAY IS NO MORE. THAT THE NILE VALLEY LEGACY ALL ENDED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. BUT WE ARE HERE, AND WE REMEMBER! My people are the Elders of the earth. They are the originators of what is commonly known as "Greek philosophy," which is actually the ancient Khamitic (Egyptian) way of life. "Khamit" refers to the original Nubian Maatian culture of the Hapi (Nile) Valley Afrakans. The spelling of "Af-ra- ka" literally means "flesh [af] and soul [ka] of the hidden Sun [ra]." The more common spelling, "Africa," comes from the Arabic word firk or frik, which means separate, divide, or conquer. Like "Africa," "Egypt" is a name imposed on ancient Khamit by foreigners. The Khamitic people are the spiritual heads, teachers, motivators, and guides of the planet ordained by NTR, the One Most High Creator. The people of ancient Khamit had much to share thousands of years ago. We descendants and perpetuators of that sacred tradition have much to share today. The hotep (peaceful) ways and original holistic nature of the Khamitic people is a model that, if properly adapted, has the ability to save Planet Earth from mass destruction. It is this path, this way of life, that has so deeply inspired me and become the root of my life's work. The ancient ways of the Khamitic people can teach all people how to become truly humane again. The Khamitic Masters came to this realization by purifying their lives. Today, as we purify our own lives, we grow closer to our divine selves, and this transformation can bring us to a state of constant bliss, peace, and wellness. Sacred Woman is the entranceway I offer into that state of enlightenment. Following the path of body/mind/spirit purification can bring us to the place where we will be touched by and united with the great-great-great-grandparents of the earth--the Ancestors. My Ancestors learned how to combine and unite the elements of earth, air, fire, water, and spirit, and they continue to teach us their methods through the carvings and inscriptions on their temple walls. They bring us the gift of the laying on of hands through the efforts of Ast (Isis) and her sister Nebt-Het (Nephthys) to restore life to the broken body of Asar (Osiris), who became a symbol of resurrection for all humanity. Contrary to popular belief and ignorance, my Ancestors, the Black people of the Black land of the Nile Valley, did not worship many gods and goddesses. My Afrakan Ancestors viewed NTR, the Creator, as the undifferentiated One/All-Divine from which all life emanates. However, NTR has many wondrous divine attributes, and all of these manifestations--the NTRU--are aspects of Its wholeness. Consider, for a moment, such divine emanations as Maat, the aspect of balance, harmony, truth, law, righteousness, and reciprocity; Het-Hru (Hathor), the aspect of divine love and beauty; and Nefer Atum, the Sacred Lotus, representing the highest ascension and unlimited potential. Heru (Horus) the falcon represents victory, the aspect that we can call upon to fly above all obstacles; Tehuti (Thoth) embodies the aspect of divine intelligence, and so on. The Khamites, my ancestors, believed that within the heavenly realm the presence of the Divine is reflected in the balanced worship of NTR--the Mother/Father Creator, where both aspects in One are given equal respect. By contrast, most present-day Western religions recog-nize only the male priest and worship only a male God in a heaven of male angels. In the ancient Afrakan spiritual tradition, there is deep respect for the Mother Creator and the female priestess as well as for the Father Creator and the male priest. The Khamites lived the philosophy of Maat (harmony) and had respect, reverence, and honor for NTR and Its divine manifestation in man and woman and all Nature. They saw Nature and their environment as an expression of NTR, and an inspiration for self-healing--from which my "Heal Thyself " philosophy comes. The Khamites used the element of water for purification rites through baptisms, fasting, and enemas. They used the element of earth in the form of healing foods, herbology, and aromatherapy to purify and rejuvenate the Body Temple. My Ancestors used the element of air-- breath--through what was called Ari Ankh Ka, now known as Hatha Yoga. The various sacred movements and poses that have been depicted on the walls of temples and pyramids were carved by my people thousands of years ago. Their records have outlasted man-made misinterpretations and outlived the libraries burned by foreigners who could not comprehend or appreciate the spiritual heights and advancement of my people. To be recharged and purified, my people used the element of fire in rituals based on the powerful rays of Atn-Ra (the Sun), which blazed over the vast desert of Khamit. They used fire foods to cleanse, such as radishes, leeks, onions, and cayenne. They burned frankincense and myrrh, cinnamon and other spices, herbs, and essential oils and used them to smudge their bodies to destroy negative spiritual entities attracted to the Body Temple. Today, we only need to look to the source of this knowledge as presented in the Forty-two Laws of Maat. FORTY-TWO LAWS OF MAAT I will not do wrong. I will not steal. I will not act with violence. I will not kill. I will not act unjustly. I will not cause pain. I will not waste food. I will not lie. I will not desecrate holy places. I will not speak evil. I will not abuse my sexuality. I will not cause the shedding of tears. I will not sow seeds of regret. I will not be an aggressor. I will not act guilefully. I will not lay waste the plowed land. I will not bear false witness. I will not set my mouth in motion against any person. I will not be wrathful and angry except for a just cause. I will not copulate with a man's wife. I will not copulate with a woman's husband. I will not pollute myself. I will not cause terror. I will not pollute the earth. I will not speak in anger. I will not turn from words of right and truth. I will not utter curses. I will not initiate a quarrel. I will not be excitable or contentious. I will not prejudge. I will not be an eavesdropper. I will not speak overmuch. I will not commit treason against my Ancestors. I will not waste water. I will not do evil. I will not be arrogant. I will not blaspheme NTR, the One Most High. I will not commit fraud. I will not mistreat children. I will not mistreat animals. I will not defraud temple offerings. I will not plunder the dead.

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Languages: English