I am begining on my Rasta journey. Do any other rastas have any advice for me? Also are their any fellow Rastas in North Carolina? Peace
The way of a Rasta according to ME: Respect the earth Love the earth Respect other people Love every person Grow your precepts Live and Laugh. I find laughter and happiness to be an integral part of my philosophy (my interpretation of Rastafari). Grow in every way. Grow in faith, love, kindness, spirit, unity (InIty). Think with loving kindness and give from your heart. Love and heal others. Do so out of the kindness of your soul, not for want of an eternal reward. Live as the birds do; Jesus pointed out the importance of having faith in your god, whether it's Jah or whoever you worship. Put your life in Jah hands and let (him/her/whatever) take care of you. Eat Ital always. Smoke ganj if you want, but don't confuse reasoning with smoking dope. Smoking some dope is smoking dope. A true Rasta respects the herb and doesn't abuse it or the wisdom it can provide (if used correctly). One of the most important things: Fight Babylon with everything you've got. Fight Babylon with your words, with your actions, with your feet, and with your money. Love your enemies just as much as your friends Smile. Always smile. Rasta isn't about reggae or Bob Marley or dreads or ganja or anything like that. It's about being conscious in a world corrupted by the human heart. Jah can't black or white. I find that western judeo-christians think of their 'god' as having a personality or some sort of human-like shape. Or that 'he' is some sort of judgemental god with his finger pointed at us, watching our every move. I think of Jah in the same way that a hindu may think of Brahman. Jah is Love. Jah is everything, it's the energy that flows through us and the power that sparks life; the power of creation; the eternal balance-keeper, and the hand of karma. There's no real set of rules to being a Rasta. I consider myslef a Rasta, but I don't worship or even recognize the divinity of Haille Selassie I, the Rasta mastead diety. Do some research. You'll find there are many schools of thought when it comes to this 'religion'. Some, like the Leonard Howell/Marcus Garvey/Peter Tosh will find the African race to be superior to all others and will tell you that a white person cannot be a Rasta because Rastafari was a black god for the black race. Some influential Rastas like Bob Marley will tell you to love all people no matter race. No two Rastas believe exactly the same. There's no doctrine or dogma to it, just follow your heart. But all of this is just my opinion on the matter. Feel free to PM me if you ever want to discuss RastafarI any time.
And check out the book 'Rasta Heart: A Journey into One Love' by Robert Roskind. You can find it pretty cheap on ebay. It's like a bible to me. I have one pesonal copy and another for lending to anybody who wants to learn. I recommend it to anybody interested in Rasta.
