T.O.N.Y.

Truth Only Nurtures You

A Book about Truth

Healing & Purpose

By Greg X
 ©Copyright 2023 Greg X

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or

used in any manner without the prior written permission of the
© copyright owner, except for brief quotations in a book review.

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First Ebook Edition Published April 2023

Credits: Konscious Money Entertainment Group

Cover Illustration © Copyright 2023 Greg X

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DEDICATION

This Book is dedicated to Tony Nixon, Malcolm X, Kwasi

Imhotep, my mother and father, Alure and Tanai my
daughters, the faithful followers of God, and all the young
men and young women that lost their lives to police
brutality, homicide, suicide, and substance abuse.

This book is especially dedicated to all of the Youth Support

Groups, Religious Groups, and Human Rights activists in
Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City,
Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta, Detroit, St. Louis,
Cleveland, and Minneapolis.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

T.O.N.Y. Truth Only Nurture You ..................................... 1

Chapter One – Living A Lie .............................................. 6
Chapter Two – The Greco Roman Lie ............................... 18
Chapter Three – Know Thy Self ....................................... 42
Chapter Four – Find Your Purpose ................................... 67
Chapter Five – Healing ................................................... 79
Conclusion – My Last Poem ............................................ 86
 T.O.N.Y.
(Truth Only Nurtures You)

This Inspirational publication is dedicated in loving memory to Tony

Nixon, may his heart and soul rest in paradise and forever be
nurtured by TRUTH.

To all of my brothers, sisters, friends, truth seekers, enemies, and

haters, I greet you all As-Salaam-Alaikum in a sincere effort to
nurture you all with TRUTH and inspiration to become the greatest
person you can be in your lifetime.

Truth only nurtures you; truth nurtures your heart, mind, body, and
spirit with its illumination of supreme light that radiates from the
Supreme Creator of Light and Truth.

It is in truth and light that the Supreme Creator of Truth and Light
created the universe and all within and all beyond.
Truth has inspired many prophets, messengers, disciples,
civilizations, and followers that have gifted mankind with phenomenal
written, artistic, technological, and architectural achievements that
have not only stood the test of time and destruction of many
civilizations, but stand as proof that TRUTH is not only the same
today as it was yesterday, but TRUTH will always reveal itself, in the
same way that God always sends a messenger to warn mankind to
atone for their evil deeds before destruction of a civilization takes
place.

Truth is written in wisdom and knowledge that nurtures the heart,

mind, body, and spirit.
1
Many are called to seek truth and enlightenment from our forgiving
and merciful God, but truth is often rejected for temptation and lies,
because temptation and lies seem more attractive to the masses of
people that lack discipline, spirituality, wisdom, knowledge, and
faith in their every day lives.

For most people it's easier to accept a lie than to accept the truth,
because a lie can often be very flattering and easier to accept for
most people, but the moment that a person has to face the truth
about themselves or a bad situation in their lives, the truth will
often hurt first, forcing them to face reality head on, and that reality
of the truth is either going to break a person or humble them and
make them stronger.

A good example of truth is when someone tells an obese person

that they are fat and out of shape and it's affecting their health,
that obese person will either be hurt by these words of truth and
feel sorry for themselves, or they will take action to lose weight, eat
healthier, and become more health conscious.

TRUTH has been distorted with lies through out the history of
mankind, some of the more obvious truths that have been distorted
is in religion with the original Sabbath Day being on Saturday the
7th day of the week, that God ordained in the 10 Commandments,
in which it states "keep thy Sabbath Day Holy" but Constantine of
Rome changed the original Saturday Sabbath to Sunday, to honor
the Sun God, instead of honoring God the Creator of all things in
the universe and beyond.

2
Another instance of the Truth being distorted is when Europeans
presented to the world a white Jesus/Yeshua in all of their
impressions and art of the Messiah, but in reality, Jesus/Yeshua was
Hebrew, he spoke Aramaic, and many say he was an Essene living
in the eastern part of the world.

Although the Bible does not describe Jesus Christ’s physical

appearance as a human, we know that He was born in Bethlehem
and raised in the town of Nazareth in Galilee in northern Israel
(Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4–7; 4:16; John 7:42). Thus, Jesus Christ
was a Middle Eastern, Hebraic Jewish man.

In tracing Christ’s genealogy, we also discover that Jesus was a

multi-ethnic Jew. His bloodline contained traits from various races
and cultural lines, including Moabite through Ruth and Canaanite
through Rahab.

The earliest images of Jesus correctly depict Him with a dark

complexion, but by the early middle Ages, artists began painting
Him with European features such as light skin, a beard, and long,
light brown hair.

Nevertheless, as a Middle Easterner, Jesus almost certainly would

have been dark-haired, with dark olive skin and Jewish traits.
And, as the son of a carpenter, He was probably deeply tanned by
the sun.

When the Dead Sea Scroll were discovered in 1947 by a shepherd

boy in a cave at Khirbat Qumran on the northwestern shore of the
Dead Sea.

3
The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written between 150
B.C. and 70 A.D., remains the subject of scholarly debate to this
day. According to conventional theory, they are the work of a Jewish
population that inhabited Qumran until Roman troops destroyed the
settlement around 70 A.D. These Jews are thought to have
belonged to a devout, ascetic and communal sect called the
Essenes.

The Qumran scrolls actually represent the contents of libraries in

Jerusalem, hurriedly hidden shortly before the Roman siege of the
city during the First Jewish Revolt (66–73 ce), and thus reflect quite
varied Jewish origins. This is not an improbable explanation for the
concealment of the scrolls.

In 1945 the Nag Hammadi texts were discovered, which was a

major shock for Christianity.

The Roman Catholic Church had been telling everyone for hundreds
of years what they had to believe, and that it was all true.
The Roman Catholic Church must therefore have been very
concerned when texts which had been lost for centuries were
discovered in 1945.

The Nag Hammadi texts were Gnostic texts, and Gnosticism was the
chief ‘heresy’ that was ruthlessly suppressed by the Catholic Church.
These are just a few examples of people that have attempted to
suppress the TRUTH with lies or try to hide the truth; the truth can't
be hid because it will eventually come to fruition.

4
(T.O.N.Y.) Truth only nurtures you; please see Biblical verses
and verses from the Quran below:

My little children let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in

deed and in truth.
1 John 3:18

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit
and in truth.
John 4:24

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, if ye continue

in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 8:31-32

Lead me in thy truth, and teach me:

for thou art the God of my salvation;
on thee do I wait all the day.
Psalm 25:5

“‘This is the Day when the truthful will benefit from their
truthfulness.’ For them are gardens [in Paradise] beneath which
rivers flow, wherein they will abide forever, Allah being pleased with
them, and they with Him. That is the great attainment,” (Al-Ma’idah:
119).
Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W) said, “Speak the truth even when it
is bitter.”

Allah (SWT) says what can be translated as, “O you who have
believed, fear Allah and be with those who are true.”

5
 LIVING A LIE

In this life we are all guilty of doing things that we are not proud of,
and we have all lied or been less than truthful in one way or another,
many people socially gossip, spread rumors, and talk about other
people that are not in their presence, when they themselves also have
skeletons in their closet that they are ashamed to reveal.

Have you ever asked yourself why you or people you know gossip,
spread rumors, or lie to others?

One study done by the University of Massachusetts in 2002 showed

that nearly 60 percent of adults can’t go 10 minutes without lying.
Do you like people gossiping or spreading rumors about you?

Lying is a form of deceiving others verbally, it is a part of our

behavioral response in communicating with others.
Lying has long been a part of everyday life, we can't get through even
a single day without telling lies.

Lying is a consistent feature of human social behavior,

we are not aware of all the lies we tell.
People lie most of the time in their daily life, afraid of other people
finding out the truth about them.
People lie to parents, partners, friends, supervisors, strangers, and to
whomever they interact with.

People lie for many reasons, sometimes to get rid of troubles or to

escape from responsibilities.
People often think of the possible shame or threat that would occur if
the truth is revealed, so people find possible solutions in the form of
lies.
6
 Below are your typical lies:

Straight-out lying: You know, the type of lie you tell to get
yourself out of a messy situation.

Twisted-half-truth lying: You say something that’s mostly true

but then clarify it in a way as to mislead.

Exaggerating-the-truth lying: You inflate your weaknesses,

strengths, failures and successes to make yourself or your situation
look or sound better.

Not-owning-the-truth lying: You “explain” why you didn’t get

your job done at work, or why your homework wasn’t complete on
time.

Avoiding-the-truth-or-confrontation lying: Maybe you don’t tell

your employee why you’re really firing him or her. Basically, you
deny or withhold the truth to someone who has the right or need to
hear it.

When people gossip about you, spread rumors about, or lie to you,
how do you feel about the person or people that do this to you?

I'm sure that your trust in them immediately starts to deteriorate

fast if you are the target of gossip, rumors, or lies, especially if you
are the target of personal attacks or someone discloses sensitive
information about you outside of your presence for the sole purpose
of inflicting pain on you, shaming you, humiliating you, tarnishing
your reputation or embarrassing you by revealing information you
trusted them to withhold from others.

7
Overcoming the spirit of gossip is a very difficult sin to overcome,
but there is a solution: Love. When we filter our attention on
others through love instead of judgment, prayer will replace
gossip. We are social creatures and we like to contemplate the
world and the people in it. The desire to embrace others with our
thoughts can be extremely beneficial when submitted to the
leadership and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Instead of using our
words to destroy, we can replace gossip with prayer and use our
words to build up.

The tongue is literally a weapon that can be used for good or evil.
When we gossip, our tongue is used for evil. When we pray, our
tongue is used for good. Once we learn to wield this weapon for
good, we can reap the benefits.

We don’t realize it, but when we spew negative words about

others, we too become covered with negativity. However, if we
learn to transform our words of judgment to words of mercy, our
days will become good and joyful.

There are many reasons why people gossip, some the reasons are
revenge, jealousy, need to increase their social standing, gain
attention, to feel accepted, or to feel better about themselves.

When we speak words of mercy in prayer instead of gossiping, we

are surrounding ourselves and others in an atmosphere of healing.
Our bodies, minds, and hearts will all benefit from the healing
power around us.
Lying and gossiping is an abomination to God the Creator of the
Universe and all within and this is what the word of God says
about lying and gossiping:

8
Psalms 101:5 - Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I
cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I
suffer.

Proverbs 11:13 - A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a

faithful spirit concealeth the matter.

Proverbs 17:4 'An evildoer listens to wicked lips; a liar pays

attention to a destructive tongue. ' We should admonish those
engaging in gossip. We shouldn't do this with a self-righteous
attitude.

Proverbs 18:8 - The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and

they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Proverbs 19:5 - A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he

that speaketh lies shall not escape.

It is not permissible for a Muslim to spread rumors, gossip, or

engage in backbiting of another person.

“Never judge someone's character based on the words of another.

Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting
the bad judgment.

If the Creator stood before a million people with the light of a million
lamps, only a few would truly see him because truth is already alive
in their hearts. Truth can only be seen by those with truth in them.
People who do not have Truth in their heart, will always be blind to
the truth.”
9
One of the most unkindest things you can do to a person is to
tarnish their reputation in front of others just to make yourself look
good.

You are living a lie when you have skeleton in your closet that you
have not revealed, yet you gossip, spread rumors, and lie about
other people to try to fit in with a certain group of people, or you
try to gain sympathy and acceptance by putting other people
down to attempt to uplift yourself in the eyes of other people.

15 signs of a pathological liar

If you have a pattern of pathological lying, you may:
lie indiscriminately about a wide range of topics
tell untruths about minor events
feel undeterred by the fear of getting caught
experience a rush when you get away with lying
continue to lie even when confronted with the truth

“It’s a sign when someone consistently tells stories about

extreme, abnormal, or unlikely events that they were involved in,”
says Dr. Kyle Zrenchik, a therapist in Minnetonka, Minnesota.
“Like befriending celebrities, witnessing a kidnapping, winning a
major award, or losing both parents during childhood.”

You may be talking with a pathological liar if you notice:

extensive and unrequested details
colorful, fantastical, dramatic narratives
repeated changes to the story
signs of anxiety while talking
defensiveness when confronted
dodging questions or providing vague answers

10
your recollection of events is different from theirs
they “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk” (words and actions
are incongruent)

they retell a story that happened to you and pass it off as their
own your gut instinct tells you something is off with their stories
“One study reported that about 13% of people identified
themselves as pathological liars,” says Zrenchik.
Some mental health conditions may be associated with patterns of
pathological lying. These include:

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD): may tend to lie for

status, resources, or sympathy

Borderline personality disorder (BPD): may tend to lie to

avoid rejection or abandonment
factitious disorder or Munchausen syndrome by proxy: may lie to
appear sick or have someone in their care appear sick

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD): may tend to lie to get

something out of someone else, preserve a false sense of self, get
out of trouble, or bolster others’ perceptions of them.
For some, pathological lying may also be linked to childhood
trauma. It may have developed as a coping mechanism to help
someone get their needs met, says Dr. Nancy Irwin, a licensed
clinical psychologist in Los Angeles.

“Typically, they grow up in environments where they learned early

on that they are not good enough, that being a flawed human
being is unacceptable,” she says. “They more than likely were
abused, but surely were emotionally neglected and heavily
criticized.” 11
Do pathological liars believe their lies?
Yes, pathological liars often believe their own lies, according to
Zrenchik.

“It can be suggested that the belief does not exist to a delusional
level, but potentially due to the repetition and frequency of the lies. It
could feel real to the liar because it’s a story they’ve told themselves
and others countless times,” he says.

12 ways to handle a pathological liar

It can be confusing, frustrating, and traumatic to be constantly lied to,
but there are ways to cope.

Try to stay grounded in your sense of reality

When someone lies frequently and believes what they say, it can look
sincerely honest, says Zrenchik.

“You may be tempted to question what you believe to be true, giving

the other person the benefit of the doubt. Instead, hold firm to what
you know to be true and allow the other person to disagree,” he says.

Try to adjust your expectations

If possible, try to give up any expectation that you’ll make them see
the truth, or admit you’re right and they’re wrong, says Irwin. You
may be sorely disappointed.

“They may not think in the same terms as you do. The ‘truth’ may be
a foreign concept to them. The only thing that matters may be
‘winning,’ such as an argument, a lawsuit, or a disagreement,” she
says. “They may live in a world of their own reality or truth, which is
simply what they need at the moment: a partner, an accomplishment,
a deal.”
12
Try to set healthy boundaries
If you sense you’re being lied to, it’s OK to limit interactions. With
composure and calm, try to explain how you feel. “Let them know
where you stand and set a boundary for your own self-respect,” says
Irwin. “But do so with no expectation of enlightening or changing
them and encouraging them to tell the truth.”

Try to be prepared for a confrontation

If things get heated, don’t be afraid to disengage, says Irwin. Even
though this doesn’t apply to everyone, “If you try to confront them
with evidence and proof of the facts, they may be outraged, insulted,
and attack you verbally. They may even badmouth you to others and
avoid you.”

Try to encourage them to seek support

Even if they admit to lying, they may not realize how often they lie or
see it as indicative of a larger problem, says Zrenchik. It can help to
encourage pathological liars to work with a therapist, although you
may not want to suggest it as a punishment for lying, he explains.
“Instead, suggest it as a means for them to better understand who
they are and how they came to perpetuate such behavior.”

Try to learn about body language and ‘tells’

You may find it helpful to watch videos on lie detection from mentalist
and hypnotherapist Bedros “Spidey” Akkelian on “The Behavioral Arts”
YouTube channel.

The Cost of Secrets and Lies

Most people who lie worry about the risks of being honest, but give
little thought to the risks of dishonesty. Some of the ways in which lies
and secrets cause harm are:
13
1. They block real intimacy with a partner. Intimacy is based on
trust and authenticity — the ability to be vulnerable or “naked,”
not only physically, but also emotionally.

2. They lead to cover-up lies and omissions that can be hard

to remember. These mount up, and if the truth comes out, it
may be more hurtful than the original secret. The longer the
truth is hidden, the greater becomes the hurdle of revelation, for
it would bring into question every instance of cover-up and all
times the innocent partner relied upon and trusted the betrayer.

3. The secret holder feels guilty, or at least uncomfortable,

during intimate moments with the deceived person.
Closeness and certain topics tend to be avoided. Avoidance may
not even be conscious and can include things like being
preoccupied with work, friends, hobbies, or addictive behavior,
and doing activities that leave little opportunity for private
conversations. The deceiver might even provoke an argument to
create distance
.
4. Honesty is valued as a moral norm, although the context
and specifics may differ among cultures. When we violate
religious or cultural norms by hiding the truth, we experience
anxiety generated by guilt. Despite our best efforts at hiding, our
physiological reaction is the basis for electronic lie detectors.

5. This violation of our values not only leads to guilt; it also

affects our self-concept. Over a long period, deception can eat
away at our self-esteem. Ordinary guilt that could be reversed
with honesty now becomes shame and undermines our
fundamental sense of dignity and worthiness as a person. The
gap between the self we show others and how we feel inside
widens.
14
6. Our ways of managing guilt and shame create more
problems. We hide not only the secret but more of who we are. We
might build resentments to justify our actions, withdraw, or become
critical, irritable, or aggressive. We rationalize our lie or secret to
avoid the inner conflict and the danger we imagine awaits us if we
come clean. Some people become obsessed with their lie, to the
point that they have difficulty concentrating on anything else. Other
people are able to compartmentalize their feelings or rationalize their
actions to better manage dishonesty. Compartmentalization and
denying, rationalizing (“What my partner doesn’t know won’t hurt
him/her”), or minimizing (“I only did it once”) are psychological
defenses that help us deal with inner conflict and an undesirable
reality. They can be so effective that the liar is convinced that lying
supports the relationship. He or she may not want to face the hurt
or choices that the truth could precipitate.

7. Not surprisingly, beyond mental distress, research reveals

that lying leads to health complaints.
8. The victim of deception may begin to react to the
avoidant behavior by feeling confused, anxious, angry,
suspicious, abandoned, or needy. They may begin to doubt
themselves, and their self-esteem may suffer. Often, victims of
betrayal need counseling to recover from the loss of trust and to
raise their self-esteem.

Self Healing from lying to ourselves and others starts with

simple affirmations such as these below:
Truthfulness is not caustic statements of unpleasant facts
and unflattering opinions.
Such statements are usually born of pride. But truthfulness is the
effort always to see the divine truth behind appearances.
15
It is the effort to express always that aspect of truth which may
prove the most beneficial.

Truthfulness, as applied to ourselves, means not to hide behind

self-flattering justifications: to look honestly at our real motives for
doing anything, and not to flinch before unpleasant realities in
ourselves. Truthfulness means seeing things as they really are, but
then looking more deeply for ways to improve those realities.

Affirmation
Whatever is, simply is; I cannot change it by wishing. Fearlessly,
therefore, I accept the truth, knowing that, at the heart of
everything, God’s truth is always good.

Prayer
"Praised be Thou, God of Israel, God of Abraham, God of Isaac,
God of Jacob, God of the whole earth. God, give us Thy blessing.
Bless us with the blessing with which Thou didst bless Abraham.
Bless us as Thou didst bless the storehouse of Abitara [a charitable
woman]. Keep our going-out and our coming-in, Thou who art the
keeper of Israel. Keep us in peace. Praise the Lord, O ye heavens.
Let the whole earth praise Him. Amen!"

16
 THE GRECO-ROMAN LIE –TRUTH REVEALED

To know thy self is to know yourself physically, mentally,

emotionally, spiritually,and culturally.

To know thy self is truth from God and of God and truth will
always be revealed if you seek it with all of your heart and soul.
This Chapter is meant to give all Ethnic people the historical truth
of our great ethnic ancestors achievements and dispel the lies that
Europeans have used to miseducated Ethnic people.

Altering history by teaching manipulated stories, facts, and data is

a means of promoting specific ideologies and agendas. This can
be achieved by creating events that did not happen, altering
events that did happen, or omitting events altogether.
Over time, knowledge of the truth will die with those who lived or
witnessed it, and the alternate version will be universally accepted
as true.

Distorting history is an effective method of erasing events from

the minds of the population, of glorifying events and people in
support of state ideals, and vilifying events and people in conflict
with state ideals. Presenting history in a way that supports the
agenda of the state, and reinforcing it through the public
education system and the media can be used to control the
perceptions of the populace in ways that prevent dissent and
promote nationalism.

One of the ways to distort history is to deny that certain events

happened the way that history tells us they didn't, or to deny that
they happened at all.
18
History distortion can have a lot to do with distorting different
cultures to make them seem less sympathetic and more evil and
bad. So you look better; because you aren’t them.

Language that stereotypes and distorts history against the American

Indian is even written into the American Declaration of
Independence where one paragraph charges the king of England
with the following: "He has excited domestic insurrections amongst
us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers,
the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare is an
undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes, and conditions."

Invented histories are indeed quite significant. Whether true or not,

such stories affect people's perceptions of their own lives and can
constitute a major force in their decision-making processes. While
invented histories may not rest in any real way upon the facts of the
past, they can affect the course of the future when those who
subscribe to them make choices based on the false realities which
have been concocted through these fictions.

For centuries ethnic people have had the history of their African,
Middle Eastern, and Far Eastern ancestors distorted, osbscured, and
twisted by Greeks, Romans, and Europeans. These non-ethnic
people have stolen credit for many of the greatest achievements in
history that should be rightfully credited to ethnic people of Africa,
the Middle East, and Far East.

It has often been said that "A tree without roots can not stand" and
a people without knowledge of their true history will live out the
history that they have been indoctrinated with and miseducated by,
this is especially true when we look at the Willie Lynch letter.
19
Mental slavery is a subliminal tactic used to keep Africans in America
in psychological chains for generations. In 1712, Willie Lynch
prophesied this method of control that would push an inferior
mentality on the enslaved and eliminate the strength in numbers
that unity provided Africans in America. Lynch stated that the
correct use of his methods would control these Africans in America
for 300 years or more.

This Chapter is written in truth to nurture you and give you insight
into the greatness of your ethnic ancestors and how Greco-Roman
European people stole credit from our great Ethnic history out of
amazement, jealousy, and their inability to achieve any
accomplishments on a scale that Ethnic people achieved in the
Cradle of Civilization.

The inner sanctum of the ancient Temple of Luxor was inscribed

with: Man, Know Thyself, and you are going to know the
Gods. This was considered sacred knowledge, able to be seen only
inside the inner Temple, by those who have proven worthy of
further insights.

It was further adopted by the Greeks, and carved in stone in the

Temple of Apollo at Delphi: Know Thyself. Also taken on by
ancient philosophers such as Socrates: to know thyself is the
beginning of wisdom.

Truth is that which is consistent with the mind, will, character, glory,
and being of God. Even more to the point: Truth is the self-
expression of God. That is the biblical meaning of truth. Because the
definition of truth flows from God, truth is theological.

20
Truth is also ontological—which is a fancy way of saying it is the way
things really are. Reality is what it is because God declared it so and
made it so. Therefore God is the author, source, determiner,
governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth.

Jesus also said that the written Word of God is truth. It does not
merely contain nuggets of truth; it is pure, unchangeable, and
inviolable truth that (according to Jesus) “cannot be broken” (John
10:35). Praying to His heavenly Father on behalf of His disciples, He
said this: “Sanctify them by your truth. Your word is truth” (John
17:17). Moreover, the Word of God is eternal truth “which lives and
abides forever” (1 Peter 1:23).

In 500 BC, Rome was a minor city-state on the Italian peninsula. By

200 BC, the Roman Republic had conquered Italy, and over the
following two centuries it conquered Greece and Spain, the North
African coast, much of the Middle East, modern-day France, and even
the remote island of Britain. In 27 BC, the republic became an
empire, which endured for another 400 years.

The year 146 BCE thus marks the point at which the majority of
Greece was under Roman control. The Greek Diaspora of the
Diadochi, including the regions of Anatolia, Syria, and Egypt, would
be brought under their control in the following couple of centuries.
As we have seen, Greek culture was already known and admired in
Rome since its earliest days; but political control of the region greatly
intensified the process. Greek art, literature, music, theatre, and
architecture became fashionable. A Roman nobleman was considered
uneducated if he could not speak Greek.

21
About 500 years ago, Europeans started conquering the outside
world through colonization of countries throughout the world. As
the dominant force in the world, spreading knowledge (including
world history) was in their total control.

Europeans, in addition to colonizing the world, in turn colonized the

writing of world history.
World history lost its broad definition and became a rationale for
European control and a means for the glorification of European
people at the expense of other people and nations, whose
civilizations were old before Europe was born.

The history of the world has been in Europe to elevate the

Whiteman to a godly status and outside Europe to make other
races his subjects and worshipers.
White supremacy thrives in colonized minds.

The European countries that colonized the world brought back to

Europe the loot of their aggression. Their home country felt (and
still feels) that they have a monopoly on the history writing of their
colonies. The self-appointed academic Archaeologists are actually
comprised of inventory clerks, cataloging the booty from Ancient
Civilizations.

The foundations of archaeology and related sciences as we know it

presently were laid out in the mid 1800's. This was during the time
when the Europeans were perfecting their world wide "white"
supremacy paradigm.

22
In other words, settler colonizers do not merely exploit indigenous
peoples and lands for labor and economic interests; they displace
them through settlements. In his groundbreaking theory of the
“logic of elimination,” Patrick Wolfe shows that settler colonialism is
a system, not a historical event, and that as such it perpetuates the
erasure of native peoples as a precondition for settler expropriation
of lands and resources, providing the necessary conditions for
establishing the present-day ideology of multicultural neo-liberalism.

History has stripped Africa’s people of the dignity of building their

nations on their own indigenous values, institutions, and heritage.
The modern African state is the product of Europe, not Africa. To
attempt at this late date to return to ancestral identities and
resources as bases for building the modern African nation would risk
the collapse of many countries.

Ethnicity is more than skin color or physical characteristics, more

than language, song, and dance. It is the embodiment of values,
institutions, and patterns of behavior, a composite whole
representing a people’s historical experience, aspirations, and world
view. Deprive a people of their ethnicity, their culture, and you
deprive them of their sense of direction or purpose.

Traditionally, African societies and even states functioned through an

elaborate system based on the family, the lineage, the clan, the
tribe, and ultimately a confederation of groups with ethnic, cultural,
and linguistic characteristics in common. These were the units of
social, economic, and political organizations and inter-communal
relations.

23
God told the people of Israel to remember things that happened long
ago. Through his word and through the things he has done, God
reveals his sovereignty and his purpose for mankind.
Isaiah 46:9-10

9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is

none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not
yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure:

Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East are known as the Cradle of
Civilization and will always have an illustrious past that will always
keep the world in awe, simply because these areas of the world are
the most researched, most studied in the world, and have given
many birth to the world's oldest cultures and civilizations.

The history of these regions started from the earliest human

settlements and continues through several major pre- and post-
Islamic Empires to today's nation-states of the Middle East.

The Sumerians became the first people to develop complex systems

that were to be called "civilization" as far back as the 5th millennium
BC. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political
unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh.[1]
Mesopotamia was home to several powerful empires that came to
rule almost all of Middle East, particularly the Assyrian Empires of
1365–1076 BC and the Neo-Assyrian Empire of 911–609 BC.

24
From the early 7th century BC and onward, the Iranian Medes,
followed by the Achaemenid Empire and other subsequent Iranian
states and empires, dominated the region. In the 1st century BC, the
expanding Roman Republic absorbed the whole Eastern
Mediterranean, which included much of the Near East. The Eastern
Roman Empire, now commonly known as the Byzantine Empire,
ruled from the Balkans to the Euphrates, became increasingly
defined by and dogmatic about Christianity and gradually creating
religious rifts between the doctrines dictated by the establishment in
Constantinople and believers in many parts of the Middle East. From
the 3rd century to the course of the 7th century AD, the entire
Middle East was dominated by the Byzantines and the Sasanian
Empire. From the 7th century, a new power was rising in the Middle
East, that of Islam.

Throughout the centuries, historians have used these powerful

words to describe the Middle East.

In the ancient Middle East, many great civilizations rose and fell. The
religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam each trace their origins
back to this part of the world.

All of these civilizations arose in the area known as the Fertile

Crescent. The Fertile Crescent stretches from the Mediterranean Sea
in the west to the Zagros Mountains in the east. It is bordered in the
north by the Taurus Mountains and in the south by the Persian Gulf
and the Arabian Desert. Its shape resembles a crescent moon.

One area within the Fertile Crescent gave rise to the region's most
powerful empires and grandest cities. This area was Mesopotamia,
the land between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
25
The Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, and Phoenicians
all built great empires, each of which rose to glory in the Middle
East. The first writing system. The plow. The sailboat. The first
lunar calendar.

These accomplishments and more were the products of the city-

states of Sumer, which arose on the flood plains of the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers in what is now modern-day Iraq. The Sumerians
began to build their walled cities and make significant advances
beginning around 3500 B.C.E.

Their domination of this region lasted until around 2000 B.C.E,

when the Babylonians took control. Sumerian culture and
technology did not disappear but were adopted by its conquerors.
With their ingenuity, the Sumerian people developed complex
irrigation system and a written language.

They were the first people to use the plow to lift the silt-laden soil
of their crop fields and they invented the sailboat. They were the
first people to design a calendar based on the phase of the moon
and they developed a numerical system, based on the number 60
that is still used to measure seconds and minutes.

"An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." This phrase, along
with the idea of written laws, goes back to ancient Mesopotamian
culture that prospered long before the Bible was written or the
civilizations of the Greeks or Romans flowered.

"An eye for an eye ..." is a paraphrase of Hammurabi's Code, a

collection of 282 laws inscribed on an upright stone pillar. The code
was found by French archaeologists in 1901 while excavating the
ancient city of Susa, which is in modern-day Iran. 26
The Persians developed a religion based on monotheism, the belief
in one god. It was founded by the prophet Zoroaster, called
Zarathustra in old Iranian. Many of his ideas were collected in a
series of poems called the Gathas, which became part of the
religion's most sacred book, the Avesta.

Zoroaster believed that people were training for a future life. He

taught that the earthly world was torn by a constant struggle
between good and evil. Humans would have to choose between
the two in preparation for a final judgment when good would
triumph over evil.

When this happened, all earthly existence would disappear. The

Zoroastrian god, Ahura Mazda, embodied goodness and wisdom.
Some religious scholars believe that Zoroaster's ideas strongly
influenced the development of the Hebrew and Christian religions.

670 B.C. - 640 B.C. Foreigners allowed to enter Kemet (Ancient

Egypt) King Amasis of Egypt removed the restrictions against the
Greeks and permitted them to enter Egypt and settle in Naucratis
because they helped to drive away the Assyrians. The Greeks
began learning Egyptian culture.

The Ancient Egyptian materialist philosophy continued to exist after

this civilization disappeared. It was adopted by certain Jews and
kept alive within Kabbalist doctrine. On the other hand, a number
of Greek thinkers adopted the same philosophy, and reinterpreted
it and perpetuated it as the school of thought known as
"Hermeticism.“

27
The word Hermeticism comes from the name of Hermes, the Greek
counterpart for the Ancient Egyptian god "Thoth." In other words,
Hermeticism is the Ancient Greek version of Ancient Egyptian
philosophy.

In Ancient Egypt there was a religious society that bequeathed a

system of thought and belief to Hermeticism. Masonry held
something similar to this. For example, those who had come to a
certain level attended ceremonies of the society, revealed their
spiritual thoughts and feelings and trained those who were at a
lower level. Pythagoras was a Hermeticist trained among them.
Again, the organization and the philosophical systems of the
Alexandrian school and of Neo-Platonism had their origins in Ancient
Egypt and there are some significant similarities between them and
Masonic rites.

The Egyptians founded Heliopolis (the Sun City) and Memphis and
according to Masonic legend, these two cities were the source of
knowledge and science, that is, as the Masons would say "Great
Light." Pythagoras, who visited Heliopolis, had much to say about
the temple. The Memphis temple where he had been trained has
historical significance. In the city of Thebes there were advanced
schools. Pythagoras, Plato and Cicero were initiated into Masonry in
these cities.

The first schools, universities and institutions of Higher Learning

started in Khemet along the banks of the Nile River (the River of the
God Hapi).

28
Most of the prominent Greek philosophers and scholars got their
training or information studying in ancient Egyptian temples, tombs
and lodges.

These philosophers included Herodotus, the Greek Father of History,

who spent 23 years attending schools in Ancient Egypt. More
notables include Thales, Anaximander, Pythagoras and Solon.

They would slip out of Greece via Elea, near the Etruscan Peninsula
(today called Italy), enter Alkebu-Lan (today called Africa) through
modern-day Libya and pilgrim to the Nile Valley. Studying at the
temples of Wa’rit and Waset, near modern day Luxor and Karnak
Temples on the banks of the Nile River, was the greatest goal for
scholars and initiates from all over the ancient world.

The world’s first hospitals, doctors and medical schools originated

within Nile Valley Civilizations.
The 30th Dynasty was the last indigenous Black African dynasty in
Kemet and was a short period (380 B.C. - 343 B.C.) when they had
won their nation from the Black Persians (Achaemenids) who later
reconquered it again. Most people don't realize that the Greeks
never defeated Kemet itself; it was the alliance of the Macedonians,
Greeks, Anatolians, Kurds, and Aryans that defeated the Black
Persians who were in control of Kemet.

The reason the Greeks were able to take control of Kemet is

because of the great mistake of the 30th dynasty which allied with
Greeks to help oust the Persians. The trade off was for the Kemetyu
to allow the Greeks to study in their schools. As a result, the Greeks
were already stationed in Kemet (as allies mind you) as soldiers and
students in perfect position to betray them.
29
When the Black Persians retook Kemet after the 30th-dynasty, the
Greeks were already there and allied again with the Kemetyu for
removing the Black Persians, only to take the throne for themselves.
In antiquity, ancient civilizations arose around rivers: the Nile River
in Egypt, the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia, the Indus
River in India and the Yellow River in China. While later civilizations,
such as the Greeks, could learn from them, these ancient
civilizations had to invent everything for themselves.

The ancient Egyptians would come to invent mathematics,

geometry, surveying, metallurgy, astronomy, accounting, writing,
paper, medicine, the ramp, the lever, the plow, and mills for
grinding grain.

Around 3000 BC, the Egyptians discovered that by mixing a small

amount of tin ore in with copper ore, they could make bronze.
Bronze is harder and more durable than other metals of that time,
and this archeological period became known as the Bronze Age.
Bronze tools, weapons, armor, building materials, and decorative
items have been found.

The ancient Egyptians were among the first groups of people to

write and to keep records. The earliest form of Egyptian writing was
hieroglyphics, which combined logographic, syllabic and alphabetic
elements, and had a total of some 1,000 distinct characters.

Later, hieratic and demotic Egyptian scripts were derived from

hieroglyphics, as were the Greek and Aramaic scripts. This makes
Egyptian hieroglyphics the ancestor of most scripts in use today.

30
The ancient Egyptians turned the pith of the Cyperus papyrus plant,
which is found throughout the Mediterranean region, into sheets
which could be rolled into scrolls.

The earliest evidence of papyrus was unearthed in 2012 at Wadi al-

Jarf, an ancient Egyptian harbor located on the Red Sea coast, and
dates to 2560 – 2550 BC. The papyrus rolls found there describe the
last years of the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Having papyrus to write on would have been of no use without the

invention of ink. The ancient Egyptians mixed vegetable gum, soot
and bee's wax to make a black ink. Eventually, they replaced the
soot with other materials, such as red ochre, to create various colors
of ink.

The first ox-drawn plows appeared in Egypt as early as 2500 B.C.

They were made of bronze, which easily scored the earth into
furrows. Workers with hoes then broke up the clumps of soil and
sowed the rows with seed. Along the fertile banks of the Nile River,
the ancient Egyptians grew wheat and various vegetables.

The Egyptians devised their highly accurate solar calendar by

recording the yearly reappearance of the star Sirius (the Dog Star) in
the eastern sky. When Sirius rose, it coincided with the yearly
flooding of the Nile River.

The Egyptian calendar contained 365 days, divided into 12 months.

Each month had 30 days, and there were an additional five festival
days at the end of each year.

31
The Edwin Smith Papyrus, dating to 1600 BC, is the oldest known
surgical treatise. It describes 48 surgical cases of injuries, fractures,
wounds, dislocations, and tumors, and details the type of the injury,
examination of the patient, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment.

Injuries were to the head, neck, shoulders, breast, and chest.

The papyrus includes a list of the instruments used during those
surgeries, instructions for the suturing wounds, and descriptions of
using swabs, bandages, adhesive plasters, and cauterizing.

Written in black ink, with explanations written in red ink, the papyrus
even contains a section on gynecology and one on cosmetics, along
with five prescriptions. The Cairo Museum contains a collection of
surgical instruments, including scalpels, scissors, copper needles,
forceps, spoons, lancets, hooks, probes, and pincers.

The ancient Egyptians invented toothpaste, with one recipe

containing powdered of ox hooves, ashes, burnt eggshells, and
pumice. Another, probably better-tasting recipe, contained rock salt,
mint, dried iris flower and grains of pepper.

A major empire of the ancient world, the kingdom of Aksum arose in

Ethiopia during the first century C.E. This wealthy African civilization
thrived for centuries, controlling a large territorial state and access to
vast trade routes linking the Roman Empire to the Middle East and
India. Aksum, the capital city, was a metropolis with a peak
population as high as 20,000. Aksum was also noteworthy for its
elaborate monuments and written script, as well as for introducing
the Christian religion to the rest of sub-Saharan Africa.

32
The Kingdom of Aksum also known as the Kingdom of Axum or
the Aksumite Empire, was a kingdom centered in Northeast Africa
and South Arabia from Classical antiquity to the Middle Ages. Based
primarily in what is now northern Ethiopia, and spanning modern-
day Eritrea, northern Djibouti, and eastern Sudan, it extended at its
height into much of modern-day southern Arabia during the reign of
King Kaleb.

Axum served as the kingdom's capital for many centuries but

relocated to Jarma in the 9th century
The Kingdom of Aksum was considered one of the ancient world's
four great powers of the 3rd century by Persian prophet Mani,
alongside Persia, Rome, and China.

Askum Ethiopia is reportedly the home of The Ark of the Covenant

and every Ethiopian church is built according to the same tripartite
model: In the center, there is the Holy of the Holies (meqdes),
where a replica of the Ark of the Covenant is kept; only priests are
allowed into this part; then there is the Holy Place, qedest, where
communion is given; and the outer space, qene māḥelet,
“modulated poetry,” where the “scribes” acting as Levites chant
praises and worship.

As such, the structure of the church is modeled on the Jewish

Temple in Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant, whose replicas are
kept in every Ethiopian church, is said to be in Aksum, in the Head
Church of the Churches, Holy of Holies, the Virgin Mary of Zion.
There, a priest appointed for life watches over the holy receptacle.
He is not permitted to leave the precincts, and he appoints his own
deputy while still in life. No one, not even the head of the Ethiopian
church, the Abuna, “our Father,” is allowed to see the Ark.
33
Aksum was the first African country to mint its own coins—in gold,
silver, and bronze—all in the standard weight categories issued by
the Roman Empire.

Islamic contributions to Medieval Europe were numerous, affecting

such varied areas as art, architecture, medicine, agriculture, music,
language, education, law, and technology. From the 11th to the 13th
century, Europe absorbed knowledge from the Islamic civilization. Of
particular importance was the rediscovery of the ancient classic texts,
most notably the work of the Greek natural philosopher Aristotle,
through retranslations from Arabic.

Was certain Books of The Bible Copied From The Epic of

Gilgamesh?

The Epic of Gilgamesh pre-dates the bible by around a thousand

years. Meaning it was written down a thousand years before even
the first verse of the bible was ever written down. This is an
interesting coincidence that these stories in the bible were first
written down when the priestly scribes were in Babylon.

The Epic of Gilgamesh was written on a much older medium of

writing (clay tablets), as opposed to the Hebrew version in the Old
Testament which was passed on orally and then written on paper.

During the time of the Old Testament - including the ‘Mythological

Periods’ (which are the periods without any real dates or history to
them) - the great regional culture was Mesopotamian/Babylonian.
Egypt was obviously important, too,

34
but the Mesopotamians had greater influence and used a language
which was closer to Canaanite/Hebrew and they started writing it
first (Using Cuneiform Script. Which script is actually a good writing
system, and even tells us how to pronounce those ancient words).

Because it is a system of syllabary writing we are able to know that

Akkadian/Babylonian and Sumerian were two different languages -
that both used cuneiform, but in two different, unrelated language
families. And because BOTH cultures were writing about Gilgamesh
before the Israelites even become a people, it is obvious which
story is older.

the Epic of Gilgamesh and the book of Genesis are so obvious that
the authors of the Bible must have used them. The Epic of
Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is one of the
earliest known works of literature.

It dates to the 18th century BC. The first parallel is between the
story of Enkidu/Shamhat and Adam/Eve. In both stories, a man is
created from the soil by a god and lives among the animals.
He is introduced to a woman who tempts him – he accepts her
offering of food, decides to cover his nakedness, leaves paradise,
and is not allowed to return.

The flood story in Genesis 6-8 closely matches the Gilgamesh flood
myth in such a way that Genesis must have been derived from it.
The Genesis flood story follows the Gilgamesh flood story “point by
point and in the same order”.

35
In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the god Ea warns Utnapishtim of a great
flood and told Utnapishtim to build a boat in order to save all the
living things. Just like Noah, he builds the boat, puts all the living
things and his family on it, experiences a storm, and after it was
all over, he offers a sacrifice to God.

In the original flood story, the oldest written version, it was not a
global flood, but only a regional flood on the Euphrates River.
There are also similarities between Jesus and other gods,
suggesting that the authors of the Bible borrowed myths from
other religions. For example, the story of the “dying-and-
returning-god” is considered a pattern or archetype by many,
The gods Adonis, Tammuz, Osiris, and Dionysus died and were
resurrected.

It seems likely that the story of Jesus was following a pattern

found in other myths, which in turn were following a common
‘dying-and returning-god’ pattern.

Greco-Roman Europeans never established a real religion based

on God, they worshipped Pagan gods and goddesses when most
Ethnic Religions were established. The religion of Ancient Greece
was classified as polytheistic, which means that they believed in
multiple deities. In fact, the gods and goddesses that we know as
the Olympian Gods were something that many religious experts
accept as being at the core of their belief system.

Little is known about the prehistoric religion of Neolithic Europe.

Bronze and Iron Age religion in Europe as elsewhere was
predominantly polytheistic (Ancient Greek religion, Ancient Roman
religion, Basque mythology, Finnish paganism, Celtic polytheism,
Germanic paganism, etc.). 36
The Roman Empire officially adopted Christianity in AD 380. During
the Early Middle Ages, most of Europe underwent Christianization, a
process essentially complete with the Christianization of Scandinavia in
the High Middle Ages. The notion of "Europe" and the "Western
World" has been intimately connected with the concept of
"Christendom", and many even consider Christianity as the unifying
belief that created a European identity, especially since Christianity in
the Middle East was marginalized by the rise of Islam from the 8th
century. This confrontation led to the Crusades, which ultimately failed
militarily, but were an important step in the emergence of a European
identity based on religion.

The Great Schism of the 11th century and Reformation of the 16th
century tore apart Christendom into hostile factions, and following the
Age of Enlightenment of the 18th century, atheism and agnosticism
had spread across Europe.

Zoroastrianism rose circa 6,000 BCE to 4,000 BCE and remained

a dominant religious tradition until the prophet Mohammad introduced
Islam into the region; Muslims (those who practice Islam) aggressively
spread their beliefs and Zoroastrianism as a primary religion was
replaced.

2300 BCE to 1500 BCE - Hinduism

There is some debate over the exact starting point of Hinduism as a
lot of their original scriptures and traditions are not dated. However,
scholars estimate that Hinduism was founded somewhere
between the years 2300 BCE and 1500 BCE in Pakistan,
making this belief system the oldest religion still practiced today.

37
600 BCE to 500 BCE - Judaism
Judaism began in the Middle East some 4000 years ago but,
much like Hinduism, there has been much debate over the true
founding period. In the 1800s, biblical scholars settled that what we
now recognize as Jewish faith, or Judaism, was formed in the
5th century BCE.

Judaism was arguably the first monotheistic religion to surface in our

history, meaning that they were the first to worship and recognize
one God at the centre of all things.

600 BCE to 400 BCE - Buddhism

Buddhism was founded in India by a spiritual teacher known as “the
Buddha” somewhere between the fifth and fourth century
BCE, more than 2,500 years ago. His teachings formed the basis
of the philosophies, practices and traditions of the Buddhist faith.
Buddhism’s purpose is to overcome suffering caused by desire/greed
and materialism, ego, and ignorance of the true nature of reality.
Buddhism, similarly to Hinduism, teaches the importance of
reincarnation, the cycle of the death and rebirth of the soul. They
believe that this cycle will end only through transcending the self,
and it’s wants, through meditation and following Buddhist practice to
cleanse the soul.

Buddhists do not focus on worshipping gods and have many texts

and philosophies, regarded as sacred, open to interpretation. They
instead put emphasis on the journey to enlightenment, or truth, and
spiritual evolvement, meaning their philosophies and ideas are
constantly evolving along with the development of the modern world.

38
1st Century CE - Christianity
Christianity developed from Judaism, and it’s founding marks the 1st
Century of the Common Era. Christianity is formed around the life,
death and teachings of a man named Jesus Christ and his 12 disciples.

7th Century CE - Islam

Islam was founded in Mecca, modern day Saudi Arabia, in the
7th Century, built on the revelations and messages of a prophet
named Muhammad. Muslims are also monotheistic and believe
Muhammad was sent by God to spread the teachings of their faith to
mankind. It is said he was visited by an angel whilst he meditated in a
cave and was chosen to spread the sacred word of Allah (God).

The most sacred text in the Islamic faith is called the Koran
(Qur’an/Quran). The Koran is written in first person, as if Allah himself
wrote it, and is believed to have been written by scribes of Muhammad
as Muhammad himself never learned to read or write.
In Islamic faith, Muslims hold five basic principles that are essential to
their practice and way of life.

They are called the Five Pillars:

Shahada - To declare one’s faith
Salat - To pray 5 times a day
Zakat - To give to and help those in need
Sawm - To take part in Ramadan, a sacred month of fasting and
introspection which holds great reverence in the Islamic faith.
Hajj - To embark on a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in your
lifetime

39
16th Century CE - Sikhism
Around 500 years ago the Sikh faith was founded in Punjab,
South Asia, by a man called Guru Nanak. At the time, Hinduism
and Islam were the predominant faiths in Asia. Guru (meaning
teacher) Nanak began preaching something completely new.
There were nine other Gurus who followed Nanak, and developed
the faith alongside him. Together, they taught their communities
that God resides over them to guide and protect them, and
emphasized that it is important to live a good life - the way of doing
so is through your actions.

The five basic principles of this belief are:

To keep God in your mind and heart every day
To live an honest existence and work hard
To treat everyone equally
To be generous to those who are less fortunate
To live to serve others

The holy book of Sikhism is called the Guru Granth Sahib. It

comprises a collection of teachings from the ten original Gurus of
Sikhism, as well as Sikh, Hindu and Muslim saints.

This book is held so sacred in Sikh faith that it is held on a pedestal

in Sikh places of worship, and followers remove their shoes before
stepping near it.

The Sikh place of worship is called the Gurdwara, translating as

gateway to the Guru. This is where the Guru Granth Sahib is kept.
In the UK, Sikhs tend to go to the Gurdwara on Sundays to worship,
listen to scripture and chant prayers together as a community.

40
 KNOW THY SELF

Commune with your soul within, and consider how wonderfully you
are created. Meditate long upon your nature, contemplate the
powers you possess. Consider your needs and desires; thus, you
will find the proper path through life and a sure guide to direct
your footsteps. As the union of heat and tinder produces fire, so
does the union of soul and body produce life in man. Nothing is
constant in life, except wisdom, knowledge and skill.

The rich become poor, and the poor become rich.

The powerful become weak, and the weak become powerful.
Fortune smiles upon the improvident, and misfortune smites the
worthy.

Men are born handsome or ugly, rich or poor, they inherit a life of
ease or a life of struggle.

Here is wisdom, accept the nature of things as they are, for as

such they accord with the Plans of God and are under the Law. But
accept them not with resignation, as an affliction to be borne, but
as a challenge to contest. Man must rise to meet life or be
overwhelmed; this, too, is the Law.

When the road seems long and the load heavy, remember that the
stouthearted runner carries the greatest burden.

There is no constant state of life; all is movement and change.

Therefore, it is well to build the structure of your life on a
foundation of things, which are not easily removed. These are
wisdom, skill and knowledge, which once possessed cannot be
taken away. 42
Being physically, mentally, and emotionally unhealthy will create
negative blockages within the natural flow of your energy. This can
lead you to live life through these negative blockages which could
lead to feeling dissatisfied, unhappy, repeating negative outcomes,
making regretful decisions, or simply not living up to your full
potential.

Learning Self-love means unconditionally loving who you are in your

heart, mind, body, and spirit.

Your ability to create self-love is dependant on your ability to

practice self-honesty. The more honest you are with yourself, the
greater your capacity to love yourself will be. You can only love
yourself when you’re honest with yourself about who you are. Self-
love is a feeling of fullness, and being honest with yourself allows
that love to flow inside you and be filled inside you.

Stay rooted in TRUTH. One reason why people are hurting and
suffering is because they are dishonest with themselves. To become
truth, tap into your heart.

When you allow your heart to negatively become influenced by the

thoughts, emotions, ideas, opinions, beliefs, and expectations of
others, your heart no longer belongs to you. Therefore to become
closer to truth, become closer to your heart, and what is natural to
you.

The process of heart purification begins with self-awareness, clarity,

and self-refinement. Always maintain your heart’s integrity. In order
to love yourself, you will need to think about who you are in your
heart, mind, body, and spirit. How can you love what you don’t
know? 43
In order for you to have self-love, you need to know who you are
(present self), have been (past self), and will become (future). You
also need to understand the different selves you occupy at the
same time: authentic self, public self, social self, family self, etc.
Part of the reason why people don’t love themselves is because
they’re not happy with themselves and who they are. The unique
power that people hold is the power to change who they are and
the conditions of their lives. You have the ability to change the
qualities of your heart, mind, body, and spirit at any time. There is
invaluable power in knowing you can create change in yourself by
empowering yourself, right now. When you empower who you are,
you can change who you are, and improve who you are, so you can
align yourself with person you want to be, or person you are meant
to be.

When you actively create and design who you are, inside your
heart, mind, body, and spirit, you learn to love yourself more. This
is because you’re actively influencing who you are, and you’re
molding yourself with your own hands and creating the person you
want to become.

Through the practices of awareness, empowerment, and creation,

you can declare who you are, because you create who you are.
When you know who you are inside your heart, mind, body, and
spirit no one can tell you who you are.

When you master yourself, you master your life. Through the
process of self-awareness, self-empowerment, self-creation, self-
declaration, you can achieve self-mastery. Life is lived by YOU. By
being able to completely control, create, and master yourself inside
your heart, mind, body, and spirit you will master your life.
44
By mastering yourself, you take total control of the person you are.
The Words that we speak to ourselves and other have power that
many people are unaware of. The spoken word is one of the most
powerful devices in the universe. The Bible states with words that
you are created in the image and likeness of the creator. That means
you are sharing those creative properties. What you say matters
because what you speak becomes matter. You are energy and your
words are a form of this energy.

Words possess the power to create what amounts to a dimension

that far exceeds both space and time. The words and phrases that
you habitually use are imprinted on the subconscious mind. Those
words eventually become a belief. When you form beliefs miracles
happen and your reality changes.

Proverbs 15:4 – Words have the power to heal and to hurt, to lift a
hurting soul or crush the last gasp of hope in a desperate life.

Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue:
and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof."

Psalm 34:13 – “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from
speaking guile.”

Proverbs 21:23 – “Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue

keepeth his soul from troubles.”

James 3:5-6 – “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth

great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindled! And the
tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our
members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the
course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” 45
The mind is a very powerful tool, whether you use it positively or
negatively, Mind power is one of the strongest and most useful
powers you possess.

This power, together with your imagination, can create success or

failure, happiness or unhappiness, opportunities or obstacles. This
depends on your mindset.

Your thoughts are the main ingredient of this power, and when you
add to them focus and emotions, thoughts become powerful and
can affect your reality.

The thoughts that pass through your mind are responsible for
almost everything that happens in your life.
Thoughts are like seeds. They have a natural tendency to grow, get
powerful, and manifest in your life, if you feed them with your
attention and allow them to grow.

Your attention, interest and enthusiasm is what makes them

powerful. If you show lack of interest in a certain thought, it will not
gain strength or power.

My intentions are to present the powerful word of TRUTH that will

nurture your heart, mind, body, and spirit and inspire your mind to
contemplate the eternal meaning of life that God our Creator
destined for you before your birth.

46
 Scriptures on Truth from The ESSENE GOSPEL OF PEACE
Book One:

Many sick and maimed came to Jesus, asking him. "if you know all
things, tell us, why do we suffer with these grievous plagues? Why
are we not whole like other men?

Master, heal us, that we too may be made strong, and need abide
no longer in our misery. We know that you have it in your power to
heal all manner of disease. Free us from Satan and from all his great
afflictions. Master, have compassion on us.“

Jesus answered- "Happy are you that you hunger for the truth, for I
will satisfy you with the bread of wisdom. Happy are you, that you
knock, for I will open to you the door of life. Happy are you, that
you would cast off the power of Satan, for I will lead you into the
kingdom of our Mother's angels, where the power of Satan cannot
enter.“

And they asked him in amazement: "Who is our Mother and who are
her angels? And where is her kingdom?"

"Your Mother is in you, and you in her. She bore you she gives you
life. it was she who gave to you your body, and to her shall you one
day give it back again. Happy are you when you come to know her
and her kingdom; if you receive your Mother's angels and if you do
her laws.

I tell you truly, he who does these things shall never see disease.
For the power of our Mother is above all. And it destroys Satan and
his kingdom, and has rule over all your bodies and all living things.
47
"I tell you in very truth, Man is the Son of the Earthly Mother, and
from her did the Son of Man receive his whole body, even as the
body of the newborn babe is born of the womb of his mother.

I tell you truly, you are one with the Earthly Mother; she is in you,
and you in her. Of her were you born, in her do you live, and to
her shall you return again. Keep, therefore, her laws, for none
can live long, neither be happy, but he who honors his
Earthly Mother and does her laws.

For your breath is her breath; your blood her blood; your bone her
bone; your flesh her flesh; your bowels her bowels; your eyes and
your ears are her eyes and her ears.

"For I tell you truly, evils and dangers innumerable lie in wait for
the Sons of Men. Beelzebub, the prince of all devils, the source of
every evil, lies in wait in the body of all the Sons of Men.

He is death, the lord of every plague, and taking upon him a

pleasing raiment, he tempts and entices the Sons of Men. Riches
does he promise, and power, and splendid palaces, and garments
of gold and silver, and a multitude of servants, all these; he
promises renown and glory, fornication and lustfulness, gluttony
and wine-bibbing, riotous living, and slothfulness and idle days.

And he entices every one by that to which their heart is most

inclined. And in the day that the Sons of Men have already become
the slaves of all these vanities and abominations, then in payment
thereof he snatches from the Sons of Men all those things which
the Earthly Mother gave them so abundantly.

48
"For no man can serve two masters. For either he serves
Beelzebub and his devils or else he serves our Earthly Mother and
her angels. Either he serves death or he serves life. I tell you truly,
happy are those that do the laws of life and wander not upon the
paths of death. For in them the forces of life wax strong and they
escape the plagues of death.“

They sat round about Jesus and asked him: "Master, which are
these laws of life? Rest with us awhile longer and teach us. We
would listen to your teaching that we may be healed and become
righteous.“

And Jesus himself sat down in their midst and said: "I tell you
truly, none can be happy, except he do the Law."
And the others answered: "We all do the laws of Moses, our
lawgiver, even as they are written in the holy scriptures."
And Jesus answered: "Seek not the law in your scriptures, for the
law is life, whereas the scripture is dead. I tell you truly, Moses
received not his laws from God in writing, but through the living
word.

The law is living word of living God to living prophets for living
men. In everything that is life is the law written. You find it in the
grass, in the tree, in the river, in the mountain, in the birds of
heaven, in the fishes of the sea; but seek it chiefly in yourselves.

For I tell you truly, all living things are nearer to God than the
scripture which is without life. God so made life and all living things
that they might by the everlasting word teach the laws of the true
God to man.

49
God wrote not the laws in the pages of books, but in your heart and
in your spirit. They are in your breath, your blood, your bones; in
your flesh, your bowels, your eyes, your ears, and in every little part
of your body. They are present in the air, in the water, in the earth,
in the plants, in the sunbeams, in the depths and in the heights.
They all speak to you that you may understand the tongue and the
will of the living God. But you shut your eyes that you may not see,
and you shut your ears that you may not hear. I tell you truly, that
the scripture is the work of man, but life and all its hosts are the
work of our God.

FOR YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS LOVE.

FOR YOUR EARTHLY MOTHER IS LOVE.
FOR THE SON OF MAN IS LOVE.

"It is by love, that the Heavenly Father and the Earthly Mother and
the Son of Man become one. For the spirit of the Son of Man was
created from the spirit of the Heaven Father, and his body from the
body of the Earthly Mother.

Become, therefore, perfect as the spirit of your Heavenly Father and

the body of your Earthly Mother are perfect. And so love your
Heavenly Father, as he loves your spirit. And so love your Earthly
Mother, as she loves your body. And so love your true brothers, as
your Heavenly Father and your Earthly Mother love them. And then
your Heavenly Father shall give you his holy spirit, and your Earthly
Mother shall give you her holy body.

And then shall the Sons of Men like true brothers give love one to
another, the love which they received from their Heavenly Father
and from their Earthly Mother; and they shall all become comforters
one of another. 50
And then shall disappear from the earth all evil and all sorrow, and
there shall be love and joy upon earth. And then shall the earth be
like the heavens, and the kingdom of God shall come.

And then shall come the Son of Man in all his glory, to inherit the
kingdom of God. And then shall the Sons of Men divide their divine
inheritance, the kingdom of God. For the Sons of Men live in the
Heavenly Father and in the Earthly Mother, and the Heavenly
Father and the Earthly Mother live in them.

And then with the kingdom of God shall come the end of the times.
For the Heavenly Father's love gives to all life everlasting in the
kingdom of God. For love is eternal. Love is stronger than death.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have
not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal.
Though I tell what is to come, and know all secrets, and all wisdom;
and though I have faith strong as the storm which lifts mountains
from their seat, but have not love, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and give all my
fire that I have received from my Father, but have not love, I am in
no wise profited. Love is patient, love is kind. Love is not envious,
works not evil, knows not pride; is not rude, neither selfish; is slow
to anger, imagines no mischief; rejoices not in injustice, but delights
in justice. Love defends all, love believes all, love hopes all, love
bears all; never exhausts itself; but as for tongues they shall cease,
and, as for knowledge, it shall vanish away.

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For we have truth in part, and error in part, but when the fullness of
perfection is come, that which is in part shall be blotted out. When a
man was a child he spoke as a child, understood as a child, thought
as a child; but when he became a man he put away childish things.
For now we see through a glass and through dark sayings. Now we
know in part, but when we are come before the face of God, we
shall not know in part, but even as we are taught by him. And now
remain these three: faith and hope and love; but the greatest of
these is love.

"Love one another, for God is love, and so shall his angels
know that you walk in his paths. And then shall all the angels
come before your face and serve you. And Satan with all sins,
diseases and uncleanliness shall depart from your body. Go, eschew
your sins; repent yourselves; baptize yourselves; that you
may be born again and sin no more.“

BOOK OF MOSES THE TEN

FROM THE ESSENE COMMANDMENTS

And Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke because the Lord

descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the
smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the
mount: and the Lord called Moses up to the top of the mount: and
Moses went up.

And the Lord called unto Moses out of the mountain, saying, Come
unto me, for I would give thee the Law for thy people, which shall
be a covenant for the Children of Light.

52
And Moses went up unto God. And God spake all these words,
saying, I am the Law, thy God, which hath brought thee out from
the depths of the bondage of darkness.

Thou shalt have no other Laws before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any image of the Law in heaven
above or in the earth beneath. I am the invisible Law, without
beginning and without end.

Thou shalt not make unto thee false laws, for I am the Law, and
the whole Law of all laws. If thou forsake me, thou shalt be visited
by disasters for generation upon generation.

If thou keepest my commandments, thou shalt enter the Inftnite

Garden where stands the Tree of Life in the midst of the Eternal
Sea.
Thou shalt not violate the Law. The Law is thy God, who shall not
hold thee guiltless.

Honor thy Earthly Mother, that thy days may be long upon the land,
and honor thy Heavenly Father, that eternal life be thine in the
heavens, for the earth and the heavens are given unto thee by the
Law, which is thy God.

53
And Moses went up unto God. And God spake all these words,
saying, I am the Law, thy God, which hath brought thee out from
the depths of the bondage of darkness.

Thou shalt have no other Laws before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any image of the Law in heaven
above or in the earth beneath. I am the invisible Law, without
beginning and without end.

Thou shalt not make unto thee false laws, for I am the Law, and
the whole Law of all laws. If thou forsake me, thou shalt be visited
by disasters for generation upon generation.

If thou keepest my commandments, thou shalt enter the Inftnite

Garden where stands the Tree of Life in the midst of the Eternal
Sea.

Thou shalt not violate the Law. The Law is thy God, who shall not
hold thee guiltless.

Honor thy Earthly Mother, that thy days may be long upon the
land, and honor thy Heavenly Father, that eternal life be thine in
the heavens, for the earth and the heavens are given unto thee by
the Law, which is thy God.

Thou shalt greet thy Earthly Mother on the morning of the

Sabbath.
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Earth on the second morning.
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Life on the third morning.

54
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Joy on the fourth morning.
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Sun on the fifth morning.
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Water on the sixth morning.
Thou shalt greet the Angel of Air on the seventh morning.

All these Angels of the Earthly Mother shalt thou greet, and
consecrate thyself to them, that thou mayest enter the Infinite
Garden where stands the Tree of Life.

Thou shalt worship thy Heavenly Father on the evening of

the Sabbath.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Eternal Life on the
second evening.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Work on the third
evening.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Peace on the
fourth evening.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Power on the fifth
evening.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Love on the sixth
evening.
Thou shalt commune with the Angel of Wisdom on the
seventh evening.

All these Angels of the Heavenly Father shalt thou commune with,
that thy soul may bathe in the Fountain of Light, and enter into
the Sea of Eternity.
The seventh day is the Sabbath: thou shalt remember it, keep it
holy. The Sabbath is the day of the Light of the Law, thy God. In it
thou shalt not do any work, but search the Light, the Kingdom of
thy God, and all things shall be given unto thee.
55
For know ye that during six days thou shalt work with the Angels,
but the seventh day shalt thou dwell in the Light of thy Lord, who is
the holy Law.

Thou shalt not take the life from any living thing. Life comes only
from God, who giveth it and taketh it away.
Thou shalt not debase Love. It is the sacred gift of thy Heavenly
Father.

Thou Shalt not trade thy Soul, the priceless gift of the loving God,
for the riches of the world, which are as seeds sown on stony
ground, having no root in themselves, and so enduring but for a
little while.

Thou shalt not be a false witness of the Law, to use it against thy
brother: Only God knoweth the beginning and the ending of all
things, for his eye is single, and he is the holy Law.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's possessions. The Law giveth
unto thee much greater gifts, even the earth and the heavens, if
thou keep the Commandments of the Lord thy God.

The Egyptians had a deep belief in the connection between the

mundane and the sacred. Every act one committed had
metaphysical implications, not only for oneself, but for the
collective.

Ma'at was the Egyptian goddess that stood for the values of truth,
honor, justice, balance and order. She is always depicted wearing
an ostrich feather in her headdress, which symbolized truth and
justice.
56
In the Egyptian creation myth, Ma'at was often considered to be
the child of the Sun God, Ra. It's said that she was created
when he rose from the waters of chaos to create the world.

Because Ma'at brought order to chaos, she was much more than a
goddess to the ancient Egyptians. She represented the very
concept of harmony and balance, which was the most deeply
held conviction in Egyptian society. Even the pyramids are a
testament to their reverence for balance, symmetry and order,
which are said to be built on the laws of sacred geometry.

The role of the King was to uphold Ma'at, because without Ma'at
one would slip into selfishness and greed, and civilization would
be without order; a return to darkness and chaos.

The concept of Ma'at was central to their deeply held conviction

that a life of virtue is what kept society running smoothly. This
concept has been expressed throughout many cultures as "as
above, so below.“

The 42 Laws Of Ma'at

The 42 Laws Of Ma'at are sometimes referred to as "The Negative

Confessions" or "The Declaration Of Innocence.“

I have not committed sin.

I have not committed robbery with violence.
I have not stolen.
I have not slain men or women.

57
I have not stolen food.
I have not swindled offerings.
I have not stolen from God/Goddess.
I have not told lies.
I have not carried away food.
I have not cursed.
I have not closed my ears to truth.
I have not committed adultery.
I have not made anyone cry.
I have not felt sorrow without reason.
I have not assaulted anyone.
I am not deceitful.
I have not stolen anyone’s land.
I have not been an eavesdropper.
I have not falsely accused anyone.
I have not been angry without reason.
I have not seduced anyone’s wife.
I have not polluted myself.
I have not terrorized anyone.
I have not disobeyed the Law.
I have not been exclusively angry.
I have not cursed God/Goddess.
I have not behaved with violence.
I have not caused disruption of peace.
I have not acted hastily or without thought.
I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.
I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.
I have not worked evil.
I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.
I have not polluted the water.

58
I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.
I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.
I have not placed myself on a pedestal.
I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.
I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.
I have not taken food from a child.
I have not acted with insolence.
I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.

The 42 Ideals Of Ma'at

In 1995 Lady Loreon Vigne, the Arch-Priestess of Isis ,was guided to

rewrite the 42 Laws of Ma'at for modern times. These have
become known as the Ideals of Ma'at.

The concept behind the Ideals of Ma'at is that we increase the light
and banish darkness by living a life that embodies the positive
emotions of peace, gratitude and joy. The Ideals of Ma'at still
contain the original premise of "do no harm", but the focus is
more on uplifting the vibration of the collective in a way that
resonates today.
I honor virtue
I benefit with gratitude
I am peaceful
I respect the property of others
I affirm that all life is sacred
I give offerings that are genuine
I live in truth
I regard all altars with respect
I speak with sincerity

59
I consume only my fair share
I offer words of good intent
I relate in peace
I honor animals with reverence
I can be trusted
I care for the earth
I keep my own council
I speak positively of others
I remain in balance with my emotions
I am trustful in my relationships
I hold purity in high esteem
I spread joy
I do the best I can
I communicate with compassion
I listen to opposing opinions
I create harmony
I invoke laughter
I am open to love in various forms
I am forgiving
I am kind
I act respectfully
I am accepting
I follow my inner guidance
I converse with awareness
I do good
I give blessings
I keep the waters pure
I speak with good intent
I praise the Goddess and the God
I am humble
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I achieve with integrity
I advance through my own abilities
I embrace the All

7 Principles of Ma'at
The 7 Principals of Ma'at are:
1. Truth
2. Justice
3. Harmony
4. Balance
5. Order
6. Reciprocity
7. Propriety

Scripture from the Holy Quran

Provoking idolatry, hypocrisy, and ostentation are the main lines of
attack that Satan uses against human beings. In fact, every person
will fall into these sins unless they consciously renew the sincerity of
their intentions.

Allah said: Iblis [Satan] then said to Allah, ‘Because You have put
me in the wrong, I will lure mankind on earth and put them in the
wrong, all except Your devoted servants.

If we are performing religious devotions by day and transgressing

the rights of others by night, then our worship is not truly sincere.
Sincere prayers must result in good deeds towards others, or at
least a restraint on our evil impulses.
Allah said: Keep up the prayer: prayer restrains outrageous and
unacceptable behavior. Remembering Allah is greater: Allah knows
everything you are doing.
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Sincerity must come organically from within the heart of a person,
either by self-discovery or persuasion. Compulsion in religion has no
place in Islam at all.

Allah said: There is no compulsion in religion: true guidance has

become distinct from error, so whoever rejects false gods and
believes in Allah has grasped the firmest handhold, one that will
never break. Allah is All-Hearing and All-Knowing.
Allah said: Say, ‘Now the truth has come from your Lord: let those
who wish to believe in it do so, and let those who wish to reject it do
so.’

Religious difference is natural and inevitable; Allah allows it as it is

his will to test the sincerity of people. Rather than provoking conflict
from such differences, Allah tells us to “race to do good,” as if to
compete in charitable works. Even when the Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬had to
fight others to defend his community and their right to practice
Islam, he never compelled anyone to enter Islam—not once, not
ever. The prophetic method of spreading Islam is by persuasion, not
by persecution.

Ibn al-Qayyim writes: [The Prophet] never forced the religion upon
anyone, but rather he only fought those who waged war against him
and fought him first. As for those who made peace with him or
conducted a truce, then he never fought them and he never
compelled them to enter his religion, as his Lord the Almighty had
commanded him: There is no compulsion in religion, for right
guidance is distinct from error.

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Allah wants people’s hearts; he does not want servants forced into
hypocritical and empty worship. As Al-Susi, may Allah have mercy
on him, said, “Allah only desires sincerity in the deeds of his
creatures.”

Related to sincerity is the virtue of honesty and truthfulness. Like

sincerity, honesty has implications both in relation to Allah and in
relation to our behavior towards others.

Allah said: You who believe, be mindful of Allah: stand with those
who are true.

All of the prophets, peace and blessings be upon them, were

truthful and honest people whom Allah praised for their honesty.
Allah said: Mention too, in the Qur'an, the story of Abraham. He
was a man of truth, a prophet.

And Allah said: Mention too, in the Qur'an, the story of Ishmael. He
was true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet.
And Allah said: Mention too, in the Qur'an, the story of Idris. He
was a man of truth, a prophet.

Telling the truth or telling lies are habits that are learned and, if
necessary, must be unlearned. We should practice telling the truth
so often that it becomes our second nature, that we always tell the
truth without any effort, for this is the mark of a pure heart that will
be admitted into Paradise.

63
The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: You must be truthful. Verily, truthfulness
leads to righteousness and righteousness leads to Paradise. A man
continues to be truthful and encourages honesty until he is
recorded with Allah as truthful. And beware of falsehood. Verily,
falsehood leads to wickedness and wickedness leads to the Hellfire.
A man continues tell lies and encourages falsehood until he is
recorded with Allah as a liar.

To purify the heart, then, is to develop a habit of telling the truth

and being honest with all those around us, to our family, our
friends, our colleagues, and our neighbors.

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: The faith of a servant is not upright until his
heart is upright, and his heart is not upright until his tongue is
upright. A man will not enter Paradise if his neighbor is not secure
from his evil.

The vice of hypocrisy, like idolatry, is divided into two levels:

greater and lesser hypocrisy. The greater hypocrisy (al-nifaq al-
akbar) is one who pretends to have faith while concealing unbelief
in his heart. Such an act is merely a form of unbelief. On the other
hand, the lesser hypocrisy (al-nifaq al-asghar) is to have any
amount of dishonesty in our deeds.

The Prophet ‫ ﷺ‬said: There are four signs that make someone a
pure hypocrite and whoever has them has a characteristic of
hypocrisy until he abandons it: when he speaks he lies, when he
makes a covenant he is treacherous, when he makes a promise he
breaks it, and when he argues he is wicked.

64
Perhaps the most important social aspect of honesty is to be faithful
to all of our contracts (al-‘uqud), promises (al-wu’ud), covenants
(al-‘uhud), and trusts (al-amanah).

Allah said: You who believe, fulfill your obligations.

65
 FIND YOUR PURPOSE

Finding purpose in your life can fulfill some of your most desired
wishes of happiness, because purpose gives you the inspiration and
motivation to strive for something in your life that is near and dear to
your heart.

Finding purpose in your life gives your life more meaning and
satisfaction, because purpose is based on a goal that is bigger than
yourself and a real purpose goes beyond a simple goal or objective
because it’s focused on the long term and deeper meaning. A true
purpose is one that is both personally meaningful and also makes a
positive impact on the lives of other people, such as your family,
friends, neighbors, city, country, or even the whole world.

Research has linked having a strong sense of purpose with

remarkable mental and physical health benefits. Physical benefits
include better sleep, protection against heart disease, prevention of
Alzheimer’s, and even a significantly reduced risk of dying of all
causes. Mental and emotional benefits include better relationships,
higher quality of life and greater life satisfaction.

If you are unsure of your purpose and you need guidance, seek God,
and in the word of God you will find your true purpose, because God
created you, gave you a talent, and ordained a purpose for you
before you were born, and the Biblical verses below are proof of that.

67
Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is YHWH’s purpose that
prevails.
Romans 8:28
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Jeremiah 32:19
Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon
all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a
future.

To begin assessing your life’s purpose, it’s important to assess what

you love to do, what you currently do, and what needs to change to
live a more purposeful life. Some questions to consider are:
When have you been happiest in your life?
What has made you truly proud of yourself?
What qualities do you most admire in other people?
What makes you feel really alive and energized?
How happy do you feel on an everyday basis?
If you had one week to live, how would you spend that week?
What “shoulds” are overriding your “want tos”?
If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
What one change could make your life happier?

68
Create a list of your interests and passions: Write down the
things that you enjoy spending time doing.

Write down what you love: Focusing on things that you love with
your heart, including your true passions.

Find your joy: Think about the things that make you happy, thing
that make you laugh, and things you enjoy doing most in life.

Don't be influenced by anybody but yourself and God: Be

conscious of what thoughts are verses thoughts or ideas other
people have given you.

Determine your purpose and how it would help people: Think

about people that truly inspire you and they are an inspiration to
you, and determine if your values and goals are the same as some
of the people you are most inspired by. From this point determine
how you would like other people to view you and work to be that
person for them.

If you have difficulty assessing yourself, or you need a second

opinion, ask some close friends or family what they think your
strengths are.

After you have evaluated yourself, decide what you’d like your life’s
purpose to be. Remember that it’s okay if it changes in the future.
It’s important to have a goal and direction now, even if you alter it
later as you change and grow.

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List the actions that lead towards your purpose: Write a list
of actions that you can take that will lead you directly towards your
life’s purpose.

Do the things that lead you to fulfill your purpose: Once you
have determined the actions you will need to take to fulfill your
life’s purpose, take those steps. Begin with the short-term changes
and work towards long-term changes. Sometimes taking action
instead of thinking too hard can bring you greater clarity and
happiness.

Avoid activities and people that are not in agreement with your
purpose or distract from your purpose.

As you spend more time fulfilling your life's purpose, you'll notice
it's easy to make decisions in life and over time you'll spend more of
your days living out your life's purpose, which will make you feel
happier and healthier.

As you venture out on the path to find your purpose, always have
faith and pray to God for guidance if you become a little
discouraged or confused about your purpose. These inspiring verses
of God's promise should always be your inspiration.

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Hebrews 13:5
“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content
with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee.”
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Philippians 4:8
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”
Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love
God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
Goal-setting is an essential tool for self-motivation and self-drivenness
at both personal and professional levels. It gives meaning to our
actions and the purpose of achieving something higher.

Goal Setting
Goals play a dominant role in shaping the way we see ourselves and
others. A person who is focused and goal-oriented is likely to have a
more positive approach towards life and perceive failures as temporary
setbacks, rather than personal shortcomings.

Studies have shown that when we train our mind to think about what
we want in life and work towards reaching it, the brain automatically
rewires itself to acquire the ideal self-image and makes it an essential
part of our identity. If we achieve the goal, we achieve fulfillment, and
if we don’t, our brain keeps nudging us until we achieve it.

Goals bind us to reality

A practical goal plan calls for a reality check. We become aware of our
strengths and weaknesses and choose actions that are in line with our
potentials. Realizing our abilities and accepting them is a vital aspect of
goal-setting as it makes room for introspection and helps in setting
realistic expectations from ourselves.

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Setting goals gives your mind the power to imagine your ideal
future, the way you want to see yourself in years to come. By
gaining insight into your wants and needs, you become aware of
your reality and can set reasonable expectations.

The importance of writing down your goals or purpose and setting

realistic expectations cannot be stressed enough when it comes to
successful goal-setting. Perseverance and consistency will be critical
in ensuring the success of achieving your goal or purpose.

The ideal goal is one that is motivating enough to excite you without
becoming stressful, realistic enough to have you believing in your
ability to achieve it, and satisfying enough to leave you feeling
fulfilled throughout the pursuit of your goal or purpose after it has
been achieved.

People have a tendency to set goals or a purpose that aim too high,
and while this may initially excite you, it can quickly become
overwhelming. Your goals or purpose should be realistic,
manageable, and attainable.

RAS and Goal Setting

Reticular Activating System (RAS) is a part of the brain that plays a
crucial role in regulating our goal-setting actions. The RAS is a
cluster of cells located at the base of the brain that processes all the
information and sensory channels related to the things that need our
attention right now.

An exciting fact about RAS activation is that it gives us signs. For

example, a person whose goal is to start a family is likely to see
more couples and families around him.
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This happens because of RAS activation. The RAS is aware that this is
what the person is paying attention to at this very moment, and
hence he chooses to register only the information related to it.
Before deciding to start a family, the RAS would naturally have
filtered out any such information. The person may have seen so
many couples walking past him earlier, but never really paid attention
to them, until the time he decided to get married himself (Alvarez &
Emory, 2006).
The reticular activation functions in two ways when it comes to goal-
setting:

1. Writing goals
RAS gets activated by the simple act of putting our goals in pen and
paper. Seeing our aims written in clear words before us, feeling the
touch of the pen, or engaging in the thinking process of writing the
targets trigger the RAS functions and ensures that we go for it.

2. Planning goals
The art of imagination is essential when it comes to goal-setting.
Studies have shown that people who have the power to visualize their
goals before setting their actions have a higher activation at the brain
level.
Repeatedly imagining success and reminding ourselves of our targets
maintains a steady stimulation in the RAS and promotes effective
goal-setting (Berkman & Lieberman, 2009).
The RAS activation helps in focusing the mind to attend to only those
pieces of information that are related to the goals we seek to
achieve.
Neurologists working on the science of goal-setting have proved that
the brain cannot distinguish between reality and imagined reality.
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So, when we give ourselves a picture of the goal we want to
achieve, the mind starts believing it to be real.

Eventually, the brain begins driving us to take actions for making the
state and hence, the goal-setting becomes a success (Berkman,
2018).

Research has shown that the number one predictor of happiness is

high quality interpersonal relationships, new and diverse
experiences, and feeling part of something bigger than yourself,
have consistently been found to enhance happiness.

Savoring the whole process of chasing a goal or purpose is essential

for not only maintaining motivation in the long-term pursuit of a
goal, but also for feeling satisfied after the goal has been reached.

The point of setting a goal or a purpose in life is to add excitement,

connection, and more meaning to your life, so never let striving for
perfectionism become an obstacle that puts a lot of pressure on you
to achieve you goal or purpose. Always be realistic and put forth
your best effort and you will find that your best effort will always be
worthy of achievement as long as your achieved goal or purpose
gives your life more meaning and makes you happy.

The Qur’an teaches the Muslims to be strategists and planners in

their affairs. It shows this in a number of ways: through the stories
of the prophets, the law of Allah (swt) in nature, and in praising the
people of vision and foresight.

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Planning for short and long term projects is certainly a work based on
foresight. If Allah (swt) and His Prophet love and admire those with
vision and wisdom, Muslims ought to be racing one another to plan
their activities so that they would be among those of vision and
wisdom. Moreover, the Qur’an inspires the believers, in a yet different
way to design plans for their actions through observation of Allah (swt)
in His creation. Allah (swt) said in Surah Al Qamar, Ayah, 49:
The companion of the Prophet and second Caliph, Umar Ibn Al-Khattab
also said:
“For your worldly affairs, construct your plans based on the assumption
that you are going to live forever, and as for the work reserved for the
Hereafter, construct your plans based on the assumption that you are
going to die tomorrow.”

Motivation Types
Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

Intrinsic motivation refers to motivation that is driven by an interest

or enjoyment in the task itself, and exists within the individual rather
than relying on any external pressure. Intrinsic motivation is based on
taking pleasure in an activity rather than working towards an external
reward. Intrinsic motivation has been studied since the early 1970s.
Students who are intrinsically motivated are more likely to engage in
the task willingly as well as work to improve their skills, which will
increase their capabilities.

Extrinsic motivation refers to the performance of an activity in order

to attain an outcome. Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of the
individual. Common extrinsic motivations are rewards like money and
grades, and threat of punishment. Competition is in general extrinsic
because it encourages the performer to win and beat others, not
simply to enjoy the intrinsic rewards of the activity. 75
The most obvious form of motivation is coercion, where the
avoidance of pain or other negative consequences has an
immediate effect. Extreme use of coercion is considered slavery.
While coercion is considered morally reprehensible in many
philosophies, it is widely practiced on prisoners, students in
mandatory schooling, within the nuclear family unit (on children),
and in the form of conscription.

3 major components of Motivation: Activation, Persistence,

and Intensity.

Activation is the decision to initiate a behavior.

Persistence is the continued effort toward a goal even though
obstacles may exist.
Intensity is the concentration and vigor that goes into pursuing a
goal.

Reasons for lack of Motivation:

Fear of failure
Excessive self-pity
Excessive dependency
Wallowing in personal difficulties
Too little or too much self-confidence
Distractibility and lack of concentration
Spreading oneself too thin or too thick
Inability or unwillingness to see the forest for the trees
Lack of balance between critical, analytic thinking and creative,
synthetic thinking
Using the wrong abilities
Failure to initiate
Lack of motivation
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Lack of perseverance
Inability to complete tasks and to follow through
Lack of impulse control
Inability to translate thought into action
Procrastination
Lack of product orientation
Inability to delay gratification

When you’re feeling unmotivated, try one of these science-

backed strategies to get yourself back on track toward
your goal.

Put your goal or purpose on the calendar.

Make working toward your goal or purpose a habit.
Plan for imperfection.
Set small goals to build momentum.
Track your progress.
Reward yourself for the little wins as well as the big ones.
Embrace positive peer pressure.
Practice gratitude (including for yourself).
Do some mood lifting.
Change your environment.
Remember your “why.”

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 HEALING

This Chapter of healing is dedicated to all the families that have lost
loved ones to police brutality, homicide, suicide, substance abuse,
Covid-19, Cancer, and Terminal Disease.

My heart felt prayers and sympathy goes out to all of you, because I
am just like you, I have lost loved ones and the feeling can be one
of hurt, disbelief, sorrow, and grief for a long period of time if you
don't find closure and peace after losing someone you love.

You've heard the saying "let go and let God" by Giving it to God
means having entire faith in God to work things out for your benefit
and understanding that the outcome will ultimately depend on God's
will, not yours.

Losing a loved one is a reminder to those who are still alive at the
time. Understanding and embracing death is one of the best ways to
value life as one knows that their time could be up sooner than
later. Remembering death pushes people to work harder and
reevaluate the life they have lived.

Have I done enough?

What could I be doing better?

There is a saying that many might have heard to obtain more focus
during prayer: “Pray as if this is your last prayer.” When one realizes
this is their last prayer, they will immediately increase in focus.
Humans value what they have less of. When one sees their loved
one perish, take it as a blessing and use it to grow in faith!
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Although we know the experience of loss is bound to occur, it is only
human nature to grieve. For those that do not believe in an afterlife,
the experience may be even more painful.

Muslims know that this separation from their loved ones is only
temporary as they will reunite in the hereafter. That being said, even
with this knowledge it is okay to grieve as long as it follows the
prescribed way that Allah and his Prophet (pbuh) instructed us to. Let
us look into the Quran and sunnah to learn more about loss and how
to make the most of it in this world.

Verily from Allah we came and to Him is our return [2:156]

One of the most powerful deeds a Muslim can do is make dua
(supplication). One can make supplications to ask Allah to forgive our
loved ones that have passed and to ease the burdens that they could
be facing in the grave. There are many duas that Prophet
Muhammed (pbuh) made for the deceased, here is one of them:

O Allah, forgive him and have mercy on him and give him strength
and pardon him. Be generous to him and cause his entrance to be
wide and wash him with water and snow and hail. Cleanse him of his
transgressions as white cloth is cleansed of stains. Give him an abode
better than his home, and a family better than his family and a wife
better than his wife. Take him into Paradise and protect him from the
punishment of the grave [and from the punishment of Hell-fire].

Although one may have lost a loved one, that person could have
been closer with other people and surely has others that are grieving
at the same time. It is a beautiful deed to take care of those
relationships that the deceased person would have taken care of.

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Visit their relatives, pray for them, help them, and be kind to them.
When Prophet Muhammed’s (pbuh) wife died, he made sure to
visit her other loved ones and encouraged others to do the same
well after her death:

When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was given
something, he would say, “Go to such person, for they were a
friend of Khadijah. Go to the house of such person, for they were
loved by Khadijah.” [al-Adab al-Mufrad 225]

In this life, one may be faced with situations that seem hopeless or
even unfair. Feeling completely alone can allow sadness to
consume one completely. This chapter provides perspective that
Allah is readily there to be relied on.
“Your Lord has not taken leave of you, [O Muhammad], nor has He
detested [you].”
(Quran 93:3)

Since the Quran can serve as a healing, it is a beneficial tool when

dealing with life’s hardships and mental health.

“O mankind, there has to come to you instruction from your Lord

and healing for what is in the hearts and guidance and mercy for
the believers.”
(Quran 10:57)

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(T.O.N.Y.) Truth Only Nurtures You and the Quran and the Bible
have become a great healing source for many people worldwide that
have lost faith in man and have turned to Allah/YWHW/God in
prayer for healing in a time of need, because Allah/YWHW/God
created you and knows your heart and needs. Man will fail you but
Allah/YWHW/God will never fail you when you call upon his Holy
name for peace and comfort.

These are the words of God From the Bible that are meant to
comfort those of you that are in need in comfort and peace.

Matthew 5:4 - Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be
comforted.
Psalms 147:3 - He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up
their wounds.
Revelation 21:4 - And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are
passed away.
John 3:16 - For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.
John 14:27-29 - Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you:
not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Isaiah 41:10 - Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed;
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I
will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
2 Corinthians 1:4-6 - Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that
we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the
comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
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When someone close to you dies, your world can feel suddenly
different and unknown: think of grief as your adjustment to life after
loss. While certain feelings can be expected, everyone’s journey will
be unique. Some people find solace in speaking to friends, while
others don’t want to talk to anyone. Some turn to group therapy,
while others prefer one-on-one sessions with a counselor.

Common feelings after someone dies

Shock and numbness

At first you might feel like you’re in shock. You might feel numb or
carry on as if nothing has changed. This is because it can take a long
time to process what has happened. You may also feel disorientated –
as if you have lost your place in your world. It’s important to know all
of these feelings are normal.
Pain
The death of someone close to us is the most devastating experience
that will ever happen to us. It can be very painful. People describe it
as being cut in two or losing a part of themselves. These feelings can
be very frightening and upsetting.
Anger
It’s normal to feel angry when someone dies. Death can seem cruel
and unfair. Especially when you feel someone has died too young or if
you had plans for the future together. You might feel angry at the
person who died, angry at others, or even angry at yourself for things
that you did or didn’t do while they were alive.

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Guilt
Guilt is another common reaction to grief. You might feel directly or
indirectly to blame for the person’s death. Or you might feel guilty
if you had a difficult relationship with the person who has died. Try
not to be hard on yourself, it’s very unlikely you could have done
anything to prevent the death from happening.
Depression
You may feel depressed after the death of someone close. It can
feel like nothing matters. You might even feel like you don’t want
to go on living. If you start to feel you might act on suicidal feelings
please talk to someone. You can contact the Samaritans on 116
123 or contact 999 in case of an emergency. Your GP can also let
you know about mental health support in your local area.
Seeing and hearing the person
People sometimes think they can hear or see the person who has
died. You may also find that you can’t stop thinking about the
events leading up to the death. “Seeing” the person who has died
and hearing their voice can happen because our brain is trying to
process the death and accept that it’s final. It’s important to know
this is normal.
Acceptance and hope
Humans, by nature, crave contact, connection and support, and at
some stage in the grieving process will want to engage with friends
and family again. Acceptance is about realizing you can’t change
the circumstances, but that you can gain some control over how
you respond.
Physical feelings
It is common to feel physically ill after someone dies – the pain of
grief can be felt as a real pain. Every part of your health can be
affected.

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Physical symptoms of Grieving:
Lack of energy or fatigue
Headaches and upset stomach
Excessive sleeping or overworking and excessive activity
Emotional symptoms:
Memory lapses, distraction, and preoccupation
Irritability
Depression and feelings of euphoria
Extreme anger or feelings of being resigned to the situation
Spiritual symptoms:
Feelings of being closer to God or feelings of anger and outrage at
God
Strengthening of faith or questioning of faith

There are a range of options for dealing with your grief in a healthy
and conscious way. You may find that some will work for you, and
some will not. Some of the activities mentioned below may be
difficult or impossible, depending on your mental and emotional
state, but the range of options available means you can choose and
try as you see fit. Keep in mind that none of these suggestions is a
surefire solution, as not everything works for everyone. Let go of
your expectations, take your time, and find out what works for you.

Self-Care Healing Tips for Coping

With the Death of a Loved One

Recognize Grief
First understand that there is no “correct” way to grieve. Grieving is
not something you should be expected to simply “get over.” Rather,
it is a process of learning how to live in a world without your loved
one. It is quite normal to experience a variety of high and low
emotions over a long period of time. 85
Take Care of Yourself
The stress of grieving can take its toll on your mind and body, so
continuing to meet your emotional and physical needs is of the
utmost importance. Don’t neglect your health and well-being. Make
sure you continue to eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. You
may want to try holistic options to treat your grief symptoms.
Nourish your body with healthy foods
Your mind is experiencing trauma. Replenish your body and mind
with nutritious foods and plenty of water so that you can heal
properly.
Hygiene still matters
Don’t forget to care for your body. Take a shower or a hot bath.
Brush your teeth. Doing these simple things for yourself can help you
feel refreshed and can also be a win for the day. Even if you don’t do
anything else that day, you can feel like you accomplished
something.
Talk to People
Some people prefer to grieve in private, some find talking to people
immensely helpful. No one should be expected to grieve alone.
Accept assistance when it is offered to you, and let people know if
you want to talk. Be specific when expressing your needs to others.
Most people want to help, but simply don’t know how.
Share Your Memories
Sharing memories with others can help you maintain a sense of
connection to the person who died. Retelling stories and reminiscing
about days gone by can help keep your loved one an ongoing part of
your day-to-day life.

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Join Grief Support
Research support groups that meet in your area such as in
hospitals, religious groups, counseling centers, and hospice
facilities. By talking to others who are grieving, you can find a
healthy outlet for your thoughts and feelings amongst people who
may be having similar experiences. You can also seek out therapy
with a grief counselor, who is trained to assist you in working
through your intense emotions.
Keep Your Loved One’s Favorite Belongings
Give yourself time, at least a year, before making any decisions
regarding your loved one’s things. While it was once thought that
those grieving should rid themselves of old personal objects in
order to “move on,” we now know that people can connect
strongly with the person they’ve lost through their belongings.
Holding onto personal objects can help you keep cherished
memories alive, and you may gain comfort from the sensory
experience of the object. Enjoy the familiar smells, touch, and
sounds associated with your memories. It could be wearing their
favorite sweater, calling their old phone number once in a while,
or carrying a special watch in your pocket.
Write a Letter to the Person Who Died
This is an opportunity to tell your loved one how much you love
or miss them, or how angry, sorry or sad you are. Maybe you
didn’t have the chance to say goodbye or heal an old wound,
always imagining that there would be plenty of time.
Physical touch
Physical contact can be transformative for healing. A simple hug,
handholding, or arm around someone can be soothing. If this isn’t
you, it is also ok to say no to these gestures.

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Breathe
Intentional focus on your breathing can be beneficial during a time
when you feel you are losing control. Breathing mindfully and other
forms of meditation can give you a sense of control of your body
and mind.
Let light in
Don’t let yourself get too comfortable inside in a dark room. Open
the curtains. Go outside and embrace the sunlight.
Draw Comfort from Spirituality and Religion
If you are religious, you may find comfort in the mourning traditions
of your religion. Ritual has a profound effect on the human spirit
and can greatly aid the healing process. If you are spiritual, praying
or meditating can be soothing exercises and can help you find
peace under new circumstances. Take the opportunity to talk to
clergy and other spiritual leaders in your community. Understand
that it is not uncommon to question your spirituality after the shock
of a loss. Approach your beliefs at your own pace, until you find a
comfortable relationship with them.
Express Yourself Creatively
If you enjoy or thrive on creative expression, you may want to
make it part of your grieving process. Focusing on creative projects
under the duress of grief may be difficult, but this feeling generally
passes as your grief evolves. Take the time to write in a journal,
keep a blog, create a memory book, or sew a quilt out of old
clothing. Find an outlet in drawing and painting, poetry, or music.
Perhaps you’d like to get involved in a cause that was close to the
heart of the person you lost. Finding a productive way to work
through your grief and create something beautiful from the
experience can be immensely therapeutic, and your work may even
inspire others who are also grieving.
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Laugh when you can
Laughter is like medicine for the body and soul. It is shown to
release stress-reducing chemicals in the brain. Don’t feel guilty for
having times of happiness and laughter. This doesn’t mean you love
or miss the person any less.
Spend Time Practicing Favorite Hobbies
If you are ready and willing to engage in activities, try keeping
yourself busy doing the things you’ve always enjoyed. Go see a
movie, visit your library, take hikes, work in the garden, or
participate in a book club. Keep up with your favorite projects or
perhaps find something new that interests you.
Engage in Physical Activity
Get outside in the fresh air, appreciate your surroundings, and
simply meditate on new life perspectives. Join a gym or yoga class,
or try walking, which can be a peaceful place to get some calming,
meditative exercise. Not only can being outside bring you joy,
breathing fresh air provides the body with more oxygen. More
oxygen means more energy and greater clarity of mind.
Schedule something daily that brings you joy
Whether it’s baking, music, art, praying, or reading; find something
that brings you happiness and make it a priority every single day.
Seek Out Healing Art and Literature
Watch films, seek out exhibits, or read books and stories that deal
with loss. Find narratives that you relate to and gain comfort in.
Talk to a Doctor
You may feel that speaking to a trained professional will help you to
cope with the emotional and physical stress of grief. If so, or if you
are having great difficulty in performing everyday tasks, consult with
your physician about your options. Many find that properly-
prescribed drugs can lighten the burden of grief and aid in the
healing process.
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To all of you that have experience the lost of a loved one; this
is my sincere prayer of hope for you and your family.

“Oh Allah, forgive our living and our dead, those present and those
absent, our young and our old, our males and our females. O Allah,
whom among us You keep alive, then let such a life be upon Islam,
and whom among us You take unto Yourself, then let such a death be
upon faith. O Allah, do not deprive us of his reward and do not let us
stray after him.”

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 My Last Poem (Rest in Paradise Tony)

The tears that I cried-the nights I sighed

wishing it was all a lie the day my brother Tony died.

I ask God "Why didn't I get to say my last goodbye"

God replied "Greg it was Tony's time and if you need a guide
I am by your side, just follow the light
and keep your head to the sky.”

I tried to rationalize and fight the truth

but losing my brother smothered me with confusion
that was so brutal it cut through my heart like a sharp knife.
After nights of crying and fighting a mighty fight
I decided this will be the last poem I write.

Tony I recall the last time we spoke

it was all laughs and jokes.
I was hoping to see you for Thanksgiving
but now I reminisce and come to grips
with the fact that you've passed
and live in the spirit.

Tony I wish I could see your face

but fate and God's grace
have taken you to a greater place.

I'm trying to embrace the fact you won't be coming back

and I've asked God if he could save me a space
when it's my day to enter the pearly gates.
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I know it's to early to say what fate awaits me
but I pray God has mercy on me
because I try to be a good devotee.

I know bro- you would be telling me to let it go

hold on and stay in control
So Tony I'm about to go
I won't hold you any longer bro.

I once told you to stay Gold forever

until we both meet at God's Throne.
Tony I know this poem seems a little long
almost like those old songs Pops use to play
by Sam Cooke, Jerry Butler, and Otis Reading.

Tony it's been to hard living but I'm afraid to go

so I'll close for now and I'm so sorry you're gone
and this will be my last poem.
I love you Lil Bro. I am my Brother's Keeper
Your Brother
Greg X

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