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Date: 26 Oct 2000 00:00:00 GMT
Subject: Ancient wisdom in Africa
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As promised, I post in its entirety the paper, "The ancient wisdom in
Africa", by Patrick Bowen. Copyright for this paper rests with the
publisher of the Journal, Studies in Comparative Religion. Permission
has not been sought from this Journal to publish the paper in this
manner, but I do so on the basis of fair use, for educational and
non-commercial purposes.
As indicated in the companion post where I found it useful to quote from
this paper, the author is white South African, and his prejudices are
clear. He seeks to ascribe Jewish and/or Berber provenance to the
ancient wisdom of which he speaks. However, since the Society of which
the paper speaks traces its origins to a priest of Isis (Auset) from the reign
of Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu), it is immediately obvious that Jewish influence,
at least ab initio, is ruled out, as is Berber influence. Pharaoh Khufu,
who is credited with building the Great Pyramid, is of the 4th Dynasty.
By whatever chronology is used, short (ca. 2500 BCE) or long, that would
preclude Jewish provenance, since Abraham (1700 BCE), the Jewish
patriarch comes much later. (Btw, this also means that Jewish forebears
could not have built the pyramids, whether as slave labor or any other
way.) The Berbers also are ruled out, since these do not make an appearance
in Africa until 18th Dynasty.
Btw, Bowen gives us to understand that Mandhlalanga is Berber, a name
however that they do not apply to themselves. They call themselves
"Khabyles (he pronounced the name Kha-beel-ya, the "Kh" he pronounced as a
guttural), from North Africa." In this context, it is interesting to
examine the origin of the term Berber. In this regard, Diop tells us:
"This ... is a word improperly applied to populations of the Nile Valley
that have nothing in common with those properly called Berber and Tuareg.
There are no Berber in Egypt. On the contrary, we know that North Africa
was called Barbary, the Barbary states; this area is the only real
habitat of the Berber. Subsequently, the term was incorrectly applied to
other populations. The root of this word ... was probably of Negro rather
than Indo-European origin. In reality, it is an onomatopoeic repetition
of the root Ber. This kind of intensification of a root is general in
African languages, especially in Egyptian. Moreover, the root Bar, in
Wolof, means to speak rapidly, and Bar-Bar would designate a people
that speak an unknown language, therefore a foreign people." (African
Origin of Civilization, p. 55). One may speculate that the term
barbarian has the same etymology, with a denotative meaning merely of
foreigner, but with connotations of being uncivilized or uncouth
overtaking this original meaning.
I would say one more thing by way of introduction to this paper. For
those of us who remain persuaded that there is no such thing as
a common African religion, I would point out that the paper refers to
a Society, the Bonaabakulu Abasekhemu (the brotherhood of higher ones
of Egypt), which, as well as tracing its origins to 4th Dynasty
ancient Egypt (khemu), comprises members who come from "every tribe and
nation throughout this great land."
The paper is attached.
Peace,
Grisso
----------------------------------------------------
The Ancient Wisdom in Africa
By Patrick Bowen
[Transcibed from Studies in Comparative Religion, vol. 3, Spring
1969, pp. 113-121]
That Asia is the source from whence all philosophy sprang is a
universally accepted belief; and that Europe is the custodian and
preserver of the knowledge originated in the elder continent will
likewise be generally maintained. Few ever consider that Africa
was the home of a learning as profound as any Asia can show; and
few, if any. will believe that such learning remains alive today
among the inhabitants of the Dark Continent. Yet that such is
the truth I assert and shall endeavour to make clear in the fol-
lowing pages.
Many years ago, when I, a boy of ten or twelve years of age, fol-
lowed my father's wagon through the wild Bushlands of the North-
ern Transvaal, Portuguese East Africa, and Mashonaland, I met and
gained the friendship of many Natives--principally Zulus--of the
class known as Isanusi, a term, popularly but improperly inter-
preted as "Witch Doctor". Why those men, who with Europeans and
even with their own people are always intensely reserved, should
have favored me with their confidence is something I do not, even
now, clearly understand, yet they certainly did so. I recall a
conversation with one of their number, by name, Mankanyezi (The
Starry One) with whom I was particularly intimate, which im-
pressed me deeply; so much so that I have never forgotten it. My
father had declared his intention of placing me in care of a Mis-
sionary, in order that I might receive some education, and learn
white men's ways. I repeated his words to Mankanyezi, who shook
his head doubtfully on hearing them and said:
"Your teachers are doubtless learned men. But why do they strive
to force their beliefs on us without first learning what our be-
liefs are? Not one of them, not even Sobantu,1 knows anything of
our real belief. They think that we worship the spirits of our
ancestors; that we believe our spirits, when we die, enter the
bodies of animals. They, without proof or without enquiry, con-
demn us, the Isanusi, as deluders of our ignorant brethren; or
else they declare us to be wicked wizards having dealings with
evil spirits. To show how ignorant they are, I shall tell you
what we teach the Common Man (ordinary Native). We teach that he
has a body; that within that body is a soul; and within the soul
is a spark or portion of something we call Itongo, which the Com-
mon Man interprets as the Universal Spirit of the Tribe. We
teach that after death the soul (Idhlozi) after hovering for a
space near the body departs to a place called Esilweni (Place of
Beasts). This is a very different thing, as you can see, from
entering the body of a beast. In Eilweni, the soul assumes a
shape, part beast and part human. This is its true shape, for
man's nature is very like that of the beast, save for that spark
of something higher, of which Common Man knows but little. For a
period which is long or short, according to the strength of the
animal nature, the soul remains in Esilweni, but at last it
throws aside its beast-like shape and moves onward to a place of
rest. There it sleeps till a time comes when it dreams that
something to do or to learn awaits it on earth, then it awakens
and returns, through the Place of Beasts, to earth and is born
again as a child. Again and again does the soul travel through
the body, through the Place of Beasts, to its rest, dreams its
dream, and returns to the body; till at last the Man becomes true
Man, and his soul when he dies goes straight to its rest, and
thence, after a space, having ceased to dream of earth, moves on
and becomes one with that from which it came--the Itongo. Then
does the Man know that instead of being but himself, apart, he is
truly all the tribe and the tribe is he. This is what we teach,
I say, for this is the utmost the Common Man is capable of com-
prehending; indeed many have only a vague comprehension, even of
this much. But the belief of us, Wiser Ones, is soemthing far
wider and greater, though similar. It is far too wide and great
for Common Man's comprehension--or for yours, at present. But I
may say this much, that we know that the Itongo is not the mere
spirit of the Tribe, but is the spirit within and above all men--
even all things; and that at the end, all men being one in Spir-
it, all are brothers in the flesh."
Mankanyezi was a pure Zulu, of the royal blood. What his age
might have been, I do not know, but certainly he was at least
seventy. He was a tall, lean man, light chocolate in colour, of
a distinctly Jewish cast of countenance, without a trace of the
Negroid, with the exception of his snow-white hair, which was
frizzled. Both by the Natives and the few white hunters who knew
him he was regarded as a powerful magician, but only once did I
get a glimpse of this side of his character.
A year or two subsequent to the talk quoted above, in company
with a famous Boer hunter named Sarel du Pont, I met Mankanyezi
near the Limpopo River. `You go on a far journey,' he said, af-
ter some preliminary remarks.
`Only as far as the Zambezi,' replied [du Pont].
Mankanyezi shook his head. `Much further I think. You will ere
you again see this river visit the Great Lake of the North (Lake
Nyasa). To the eastward of that lake, you will visit the springs
of another river, and there you will meet one of my elder broth-
ers.'
`Indeed,' said du Pont, `if it should happen that we go so
far, which is not our intention, how are we to know this brother
of yours? I suppose he is not your brother in reality, but mere-
ly one in the Spirit, as you say all men are?'
`He is, as you say, not my brother in the flesh. I call him
my elder brother because he is an Elder in the Family (Society)
to which I belong, whose members are the guardians of the Wisdom-
which-comes-from-of-old. There are many of us -- one at least in
every tribe and nation throughout this great land. We are of
many ranks, from the learner to the Master, and to those Higher
Ones whose names may not be spoken, I am a common Brother; he of
whom I speak is my elder.'
`But,' I asked in surprise, `how can you know this man, seeing
you have often told me you have never travelled beyond the Zam-
bezi?'
`I know him because I have often seen him, though not in the
flesh. Often we have spoken together. Do you think the mind of
Man can travel only in the flesh? Do you think thought is limit-
ed by the power of the body? See this, and try to understand.'
As he spoke, he pointed to a lizard which basked in the sun
near by. Fixing his eyes upon it, he extended his hand, palm up-
ward, towards it, and began to breathe slowly and regularly. In
a few seconds, the beady eyes of the little reptile turned to-
wards him. It took a little run forward, then stopped, its sides
expanding and contracting, rhythmically. After a few seconds
further pause, it again darted forward, and settled itself upon
the old man's palm. He let it rest for a minute, then slid it
gently among the leaves, where it quickly concealed itself. He
looked at us and smiled gently. `That is witchcraft (ubutakati)
perhaps you will say, and perhaps I sent an evil spirit to call
the lizard to me. Or perhaps it is itself an evil spirit which
serves me. If I tell you that my mind went out and entered its
brain and our two minds became one, you will not believe. Some
day, perhaps, you will understand.'"
Over a year later, near the source of the Rovuma River, to the
east of Lake Nyasa, we put up at a Native Village, and there met
an old man (a Masai, not a Zulu) who greeted us as friends of his
brother, Mankanyezi. From careful inquiries made by my compan-
ion, it became certain that this man and Mankanyezi could never
have met. The one had certainly never been south of the Zambezi,
and equally certainly the other had never been north of the riv-
er. Yet there was no question of their intimate knowledge of
each other, a knowledge which could not have been gained second
hand, for a thousand miles separated their dwelling places, and
the tribes had no point of contact whatever."
About the time of Dr. Jameson's Raid on the Transvaal, I entered
the service of the B.S.A. Co. (Chartered Company), and since then
down to 1924, I was almost continually employed by one or other
of the Colonial Administrations from the Equator to the Cape, al-
ways in some capacity which brought me in intimate contact with
the Natives. Of the existence of the Society, mentioned by
Mankanyezi, I received constant assurances, and once came in
close touch with certain of its higher ranks.
Some years after the Boer War, I was engaged in work of behalf of
the Natal Government, in a certain large Native Reserve,2 in the
course of which I was astonished to find occupying a remote, in-
accessible valley, a small community of people--perhaps less than
a hundred of all ages and sexes--who were certainly not Zulus,
nor, in fact, of an African Race I had ever seen. Had it not
been for the fact that they lived the life of the Natives, and
identified themselves in all respects with their Bantu neigh-
bours, I should have said that they were members of some Southern
European Race. In colour they varied a good deal, from the brown
of a high caste Hindu to pure white. Their features were of pure
European type, more uniformly classical indeed than is usual
among Europeans.
The chief of this little community bore the Zulu name of
Mandhlalanga (Strength of the Sun). He was a man of striking ap-
pearance, well over six feet in height, slight of figure, with
wavy, snow-white hair, olive complexion and features, which, with
the exception of the cheek bones which were rather prominent,
were almost pure Greek in type. Among the Zulus, he bore the
reputation of being a supernatural being.
From the first, Mandhlalanga was extremely friendly towards me,
and showed a desire to win my confidence. He gave me invaluable
aid in the work upon which I was engaged. and that, eventually, I
completed successfully largely owing to him. As regards himself,
he remained for a time rather reserved, however. He and his peo-
ple, he gave me to understand were Berbers, or rather Khabyles
(he pronounced the name Kha-beel-ya, the "Kh" he pronounced as a
guttural), from North Africa. But what they were doing five
thousand miles from their native habitat, or why they chose to
identity themselves with the Zulus, he did not explain.
Time, however, brought about a change in his attitude. One day I
was speaking of the inexplicable manner in which news of distant
happenings spreads among the Natives, when suddenly he said:
"Thought is speedier than the electric spark and needs no wires
for its conveyance. All it requires is a brain to despatch it
and another to receive it. Would you believe if I told you that
I and others of the Brotherhood to which I belong can transmit
our thoughts one to the other, no matter how far apart our bodies
may be?"
This was a rather startling statement, but I recalled what I had
learned from Mankanyezi. I replied, "Yes, I think I might be-
lieve that, but I should be more sure if you explained how it is
done."
"To attempt to explain our science to you," he said, smiling,
"would be rather like trying to explain the differential calculus
to a child who is ignorant of simple addition. However, I am
satisfied that you have a mind unclouded by the average Euro-
pean's prejudices and preconceptions, so, if you will, I will
take you as a pupil and teach you the simple addition of our
lore. Whether you reach knowledge of the differential calculus,
will depend entirely on yourself. I can teach, but I cannot
guarantee that you can learn."
After some consideration I agreed to become Mandhlalanga's pupil,
and for a year continued under his instruction. Then circum-
stances arose which led to my abandoning my studies and quitting
this portion of the country. I never again encountered my teach-
er, nor for some considerable time afterwards did I ever receive
a communication from him. With another of his fellows, whom I
met at that period, I have several times been in contact, and
have received from him communications at infrequent, though regu-
lar intervals.
The sum of the information I gained from Mandhlalanga, during
that year, is not very large, and I am so far from clear concern-
ing its exact significance that I shall make no attempt at ex-
plaining it. I shall content myself here with certain extracts
from the copious notes I made of his discourses at the time they
were delivered and allow the reader to interpret them as he sees
fit.
Mandhlalanga, I may explain, is a master, or teacher in the
Brotherhood mentioned by Mankanyezi. He has travelled in Europe,
Asia, and America. He speaks English and other European lan-
guages perfectly, but his talks with me were conducted in the se-
cret Bantu tongue, which to the ordinary Native has been dead for
ages, and of the continued existence of which few Europeans are
aware. In the following quotations, the reader must realise that
many obscurities are probably due to the difficulty of rendering
in English the exact shades of meaning.
Mandhlalanga deals as follows with: THE RIDDLE OF EXISTENCE.
"The Itongo (Universal Spirit) is ALL that ever was, or ever
shall be, conceivable or inconceivable. The Itongo is ALL
things, all things are of IT; but the sum of all things is not
the Itongo. The Itongo is ALL the power there is, all power is
of it; but all power, perceivable or conceivable, is not the
Itongo, The Itongo is all the wisdom that there is, all wisdom is
of IT; but all wisdom conceivable is not the Itongo. ALL sub-
stance, ALL power, ALL wisdom is of IT, and IT is in them and
manifest through them, but IT is also above them and beyond them,
eternally unmanifest.
Man who is of the Itongo can never know the Itongo while he is
man. All he can know of IT are certain manifestations which come
within the range of his perceptions.
The pupil is generally taught that the manifestations are three
in number. Namely:
1. Universal Mind.
2. Universal Force.
3. Universal Substance or Matter.
But really there are but two manifestations, Mind and Matter.
What we call Force is not a separate manifestation. It is simply
certain of the lowest, or grosser grades of Mind. Force is sim-
ply that portion of Mind which endows Matter with Form. It is
that portion of mind which transmits the idea of Form to the
higher grades where Consciousness dwells. Let the pupil think
and he must see that this is so. Colour, size, shape, what are
they? Simply light vibrations which when passed on to the Con-
sciousness give the idea of Form. And what is vibration? It is
Force. Heat, cold, hardness,softness, varieties of taste and
smell are all vibrations, and therefore also Force. If you make
Force a separate manifestation, then also you must make those
planes of Mind which transfer the ideas of passion or emotion,
separate manifestations.
In the beginning of a Cosmic Cycle the Itongo first manifested in
all the many grades of mind, downwards into all the grades of
Matter. But at first both mind and matter were individualised.
When, how, or why only the Itongo can know. Individuality began
in the higher planes of Mind--those planes which touch on pure
Spirit. Understanding of what occurred is best gained by the
following conception. Think of the Cosmos, just before individu-
ality began, as a vast, amorphous ocean of Mind and Matter, its
surface ripples and upper reaches those planes of Mind which
touch on Spirit; growing denser and denser, downward, till mat-
ter, in Etheric form, is reached; downward till Ether becomes
Gas, which may be likened to the mineral-charged lower strata of
the ocean; downward till gases become liquids (muddy water); fi-
nally into solids (thick mud).
The beginning of individuality, in this Cosmic Ocean may be
likened to the starting of myriads of tiny `whirlpools' among the
ripples of the surface (the Spiritualised Mind). These
`whirlpools' under the force of a growing flood tide, extended
deeper and deeper, till at last all strata were involved in the
swirl. Thus we have Individuality set up, extending from Spiri-
tual Mind to the Physical Plane. The `whirlpool' on the surface
represents the birth of the Soul. Its extension to the muddy
depths represents the Soul's descent into matter. In matter, the
Soul has reached the aphelion of its cycle, and now it begins its
long, slow, return journey. By the process of evolution it
climbs slowly upward, from mineral to plant, from plant to ani-
mal, from animal to man; through all grades and states of human
development, shaking off, slowly and painfully as it climbs, the
gross accretions gathered during its descent; up through the low-
er mind to the higher, it climbs, till at last, its cycle com-
plete, it merges with its source, the Itongo, and ceases to be
Individual, being one with the ALL."
On MAN AND HIS DESTINY, Mandhlalanga discoursed thus:
Man is an individual, having in him, as has everything on the
physical plane, all the attributes of the Cosmic Ocean of which
he is an individualised portion. He has reached on his upward
journey the stage of personal consciousness. I speak of Man in
general. There are undeveloped men whose personal consciousness
is but rudimentary as there are others who have transcended per-
sonality and know their real Selves--that immortal portion first
individualised from the lofty planes of the Spiritual Mind.
Man is on a journey, the goal of which is union with the source
of his being--the Itongo. To reach that goal he must first pass
through all experiences the Cosmos affords, and must shake off
all accretions accumulated on his descent from individualised
Spiritual Mind into grossest Matter. To do this, he is born and
born again, for his physical body dies, as do his lower mental
principles; only his higher mental principles which are akin with
the Itongo survive individuality bestowed upon them at its open-
ing.
These are the PRINCIPLES OF MAN:
1. The Physical Body (Umzimba).
2. The Etheric Body (Isltunzi): This is merely the etheric
counterpart of the physical body, and not really a sepa-
rate principle, normally. But in certain abnormal states
it is partially separable from the physical body. It is
the medium through which the Lower Mind (or Force) func-
tions.
3. Lower Mind (Amandhla): That portion of the Mind which shows
as Life-Force and other forms of what we call Energy.
4. The Animal Mind (Utiwesilo): The planes of mind which mani-
fest as passions, emotions, and instincts.
5. Human Mind (Utiwomuntu): The planes of Mind which manifest
as human consciousness, Intellect, higher emotions, etc.
6. Spiritual Mind (Utiwetongo): The higher planes manifesting
Spiritual Consciousness.
7. Itongo: The Ray, or spark of Universal Spirit which informs
all lower manifestations.
My teacher gave the following ACCOUNT OF THE BROTHERHOOD in which
he holds the rank of Master:
"We call our Brotherhood, Bonaabakulu abasekhemu, using the an-
cient Bantu speech which is the mother-tongue of the most wide-
spread group of languages in the Continent. The name may be ten-
dered in English as The Brotherhood of Higher Ones of Egypt.
The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the reign of the Pharaoh
Cheops; its founder being a priest of Isis. It has as its ob-
jects the spreading of the Wisdom which comes from of Old among
all races and tribes in Africa, and the study and practice by its
members of what we call Ukwazikwesithabango, which means that
science which depends on the power of thought. It is the only
true science there is.
These are the grades of the Brotherhood and some of the powers
and functions they exercise.
1. The Pupil: The pupil is one under probation which lasts
from one to three years. During this time he is under in-
struction by a Master and subjects himself to certain dis-
ciplines. If found worthy he enters the Brotherhood as a
Disciple, at the end of this period of probation. If un-
worthy he is dismissed back to the world.
2. The Disciple: The Disciple is an avowed member of the
Brotherhood and subject to its disciplines. Under in-
struction he develops certain powers/ That which in En-
glish is called "Mesmerism," is usually one of the earli-
est to develop.
3. The Brother: A full member of the Order with many developed
powers, of which I may mention, only, power of communica-
tion by thought with those of equal or higher development,
and what European occultists term astral consciousness.
4. The Elder: An advanced Brother.
5. The Master: The teacher of all lower grades. The Master
has many developed powers (clairvoyance and clairaudience
on the Etheric Plane, and control in a certain degree of
Master, among many others.) Mastership can be attained
only by one who in a past life attained Elderbrotherhood.
6. Those who know (Isangoma): Of these it is not permitted to
speak save to say that they have attained consciousness on
the Plane of the Real Self. Only onw who has reached Mas-
tership in a previous life can gain Insangomaship.
Besides the above, we have lay Disciples and Brothers. They are
men who are prevented by circumstances from becoming vowed to the
Brotherhood. They are subject only to self-imposed disciplines
and receive but such teaching as can be given from afar. We have
many lay Disciples, not merely in Africa but in Asia, Europe and
America. Lay Brothers, however, are but few, for without direct
instruction from a Master few can reach this grade without incur-
ring grave dangers. We constantly warn all unavowed Disciples
against the danger of attempting to attain a Brother's powersm
unaided by the direct instruction of a Master.
Let it not be thought that our Isangoma, elevated though they be,
represent the supreme development possible to Man on the Physical
Plane. It is not so. There are others, not of any Brotherhood,
save the Brotherhood of All. We call them Abakulubantu (that is,
Supreme Ones, or Perfect Men). These are men for whom the neces-
sity of rebirth has ceased. They dwell on earth in physical form
by their own will, and can retain or relinquish that form as they
choose. I speak of them but to assure the Pupil of their exis-
tence. Few, below the Grade of Master, have ever seen one in the
flesh, though all, from Disciple upward, may meet them in the
spirit."
Of the occult powers wielded by Mandhlalanga and his fellow Mas-
ter, I saw several examples, but of these I do not feel at liber-
ty to speak here. The reader has had already, sufficient food
for thought. I shall conclude with a rather cryptic quotation
from Mandhlalanga on The Source of the Brothers' Power.
"Of the source of the power we wield, the Pupil can learn but
little until he attains Discipleship. But let him ponder this
much. I have likened Individuality to whirlpools in the Cosmic
Ocean, But all that Ocean has not been cast into individuality.
Between the `whirlpools,' myriad though they be, stretch wide,
smooth spaces, identical with them in composition. Now it can
well be conceived that a `whirlpool' by setting up minor vibra-
tions within itself may send out ripples through the smooth
spaces which will strike upon and affect in some degree other
`whirlpools.' All the `whirlpools' are constantly doing this. Now
suppose a `whirlpool' to have gained power to control its inter-
nal vibrations and to send them pulsating through the Ocean to-
wards whatever objective it desires, can you not see that it may
produce upon that objective whatever effect it desires? Now
think of the `whirlpool' as being a Man. Is it not clear that by
getting full control of the vibrations of his higher planes, he
may despatch through the Cosmic Ocean of which he is a part, rip-
ples of various kinds and intensities, which, according to their
nature and strength, will produce effects on all strata, from the
highest, which is of course the most sensitive, even down to the
"slime" and "mud" of the depths. I give you this as food for
thought and bid you digest it well."
FOOTNOTES
____________________
1. Sobantu, Bishop Colenso--a great authority on Native
Tongues.
2. The confidential nature of the work upon which I was
engaged and other circumstances make it necessary for me
to be vague concerning dates and places.
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