Dear Africana Woman,
How are you? I want the genuine answer though. We answer fine in a very robotic way because we think no one really cares to hear the truth. But I want to know, how are you really? It is okay to say "I had a shitty week (apologies to all those who do not use excrement in your daily vocabulary) because of .... " I can take it and validate your experiences whatever they may be. How are you my Darling?
I am filled with angst because my life is at a crossroads and I am at that point where I am waiting for revelation of which direction to actually take. Funny thing is that each direction is quite scary. That does not take away from the fact that this week was AMAZING! On a Taste of Culture our guest Africana Woman was Khanya Sosibo from the rainbow nation. She was dropping gems like it is candy. You can find the playback on Instagram. We will continue to have candid conversations with different African Queens every Tuesday at 4pm CAT. Hope you can join us.
This week we are looking at Nourishment, the second letter of the acronym KNOW. Depending on your beliefs you tend to have an understanding that a human being is comprised of a combination of a body, soul, spirit and mind. The body is the flesh that we all can see. The soul is the mind and emotions of a being. And the spirit is that which connects (or refuses to connect) with a higher being. Nourishment by definition is the sustenance necessary for growth, health and good condition.
''When you stop growing, you start dying" William S. Burroughs
Traditionally we have been taught that only the body should be nourished and looked after. However, our Soul, Spirit and Mind also need to grow therefore also need to be fed. They are not fed with foods and juices but utilise all other senses to consume sustenance, that is sight, sound, touch and scent. Unlike eating these other forms of nourishment happen all the time, one would say almost involuntarily. The things you see includes what you watch on TV, what you see or follow on social media, and what you read. Where as sound includes what type of music do you listen to, what or how much news do you consume, who do you go to for advice, and who is your spiritual guide. Touch and scent can also affect you as certain scents and physical touches can trigger emotions and different states of being.
As humans we obsess over our physical bodies and yet neglect the other parts of ourselves. That is why you can be physically healthy yet spiritually malnourished. You thought that when you reached the ideal weight or physical appearance you would feel happy. Instead you found yourself still feeling empty or not quite satisfied. That is because you were not intentional about nourishing your whole being.
How does this relate to culture? As I mentioned before your soul and spirit consume automatically, therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that you are intentional about what you allow into your WHOLE being. In our analogy of the Culture Tree, we said that the roots produce the fruits of the tree. In this analogy the soil represents Nourishment. I am actually reminded of the Parable of the Soil in the Bible, where a farmer scattered seed. Some fell on a hard path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some on good soil. As you can imagine the seeds that were thrown in harsh conditions did not thrive, but the seeds in the good soil produced a crop multiple times more than was planted. Think about how the seed is the same in every place but the condition of the soil was different.
Moving forward I encourage all of us to be highly selective about the the soil our Culture Tree sits in. We should constantly be verifying whether whatever you are consuming intellectually and spiritually is information that can grow you. We need to be disciplined about what we expose our spirit and soul to. I will give you an example, I love podcasts and my selection of podcasts are faith based or self development. I curate what types of information comes up on my social media feed because I select which accounts to follow. If I see content that is not in line with my values I immediately unfollow the account. I am very careful to curate the selection of music on my phone. I rarely listen to music that has cuss words or is degrading to females. I read a lot of thought provoking books, self development books and faith based books. However, an important step in my whole process of selecting content to consume is that I test the spirit to see whether it is from God (1 John 4:1-6). Simply put God's standard is Love, if content steps outside of these boundaries, then it is not worthy of my consumption and will not be on my buffet.
A more popular quote is 'You are what you eat.' What is your soul eating? What is your spirit eating? Who are you? Chew on that this week. Hun I gotta run. You know my desire for you is that you fall in love with yourself, flaws n all, and you attract the life that you deserve. Please share this with a friend. Do subscribe and let me know what you thought about the principle of Nourishment in the acronym KNOW your Roots, Grow your Purpose. Have a fantastic week,
Love you Babes
Chulu
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