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The Church of the Cosmic Mother: Metaphysics For the African American Seeker


Guest Deborah Turner-Bey

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey

Greetings!

 

I would like to introduce my book, The Church of the Cosmic Mother: Metaphysics For the African American Seeker, to be considered for a book review. ISBN13: 978-1980973461, originally published March 9, 2015. 

 

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The Church of the Cosmic Mother is a guide to African American spirituality for the 21st century. Combining metaphysics, science, philosophy and a strong dose of Black Nationalism, it is an antidote to the dogma implied in monotheistic traditions that black is evil. Rather, it introduces the concept of the Divine Feminine as the lost connection between our blackness and our holiness.

As a metaphysics book, it is primarily concerned with how, without exception, all creation on the physical place takes place in consciousness first. Where integration and legislation have failed to eliminate or even assuage racism in America, the practice of metaphysics will succeed. By purposefully creating our own businesses, education systems, helping organizations and institutions, African Americans can render the effects of racism utterly impotent. When we are no longer compelled to seek education, goods and services from White American institutions, racism ceases to be relevant.

The Church of the Cosmic Mother is a call to action for us to take responsibility to create for ourselves and our descendants an environment in which we can thrive. The book lays out a three-fold approach to creating our desires with an extensive section on methods for practice of metaphysical principles. The goal is to prove for ourselves that when we dare to reclaim our connection to the Cosmic Mother, we take our rightful places as co-creators with Her not when we die, but right here on Earth.

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What if the oppressive white supremacist system steals this grand idea, like it has been known to do, and the movers and shakers in this country, who are secretly conspiring against black people, also embrace metaphysical concepts and do a better job of making thoughts things, thus sustaining the status quo? 

Seems to me this plan calls for re-location, a black exodus to someplace where the diaspora could fall back and re-group.  There's also the possibility that diversity within the ranks would replace racism as a problem.

 

I am a amenable to metaphysical concepts, but i think that becoming all you can be is an individual undertaking.  

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15 hours ago, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

The Church of the Cosmic Mother is a guide to African American spirituality for the 21st century. Combining metaphysics, science, philosophy and a strong dose of Black Nationalism, it is an antidote to the dogma implied in monotheistic traditions that black is evil.

 

This is interesting idea. I lack knowledge on what metaphysics actually means, but I like the theme of your book. I am still searching to understand how mataphysics correlates to the other topics you pose, science and philosophy. 

 

15 hours ago, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

Rather, it introduces the concept of the Divine Feminine as the lost connection between our blackness and our holiness.

 

I am also curious about how your concept deals with Blackness as a whole concept. Anyway, sounds very interesting! 

 

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Hello Deborah Turner-Bey

I have a couple questions

1. Your last name is Bey, are you part of or were you born into the Moorish Science Temple?

2. And do you have atleast 3 first hand experiences of whom you call the Cosmic Mother actually protecting you from White Supremacy that you can share with us?

These aren't challenges, but sincere questions.

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey

My name is Turner-Bey because I married a man who was a member of the Moorish Science Temple. Although we are no longer together, I kept the last name.

 

Whom I am calling the Cosmic Mother is the Cosmic Consciousness that is the Creator, Mother, and Substance of everything that exists. She is all there is so She is also personified as each one of us. I see salvation and protection from White Supremacy as a Do-It-Yourself job because we are empowered to take our destiny in our own hands if we know we have that power and exercise it. So, according to metaphysics, there is no God or Goddess other than ourselves. The specific instances you're asking about then would not be anyone or anything saving me, but my knowledge of the physical universe and how it is organized. That means that my victories, whatever they are, are achieved my me, on purpose with a purpose.

 

I thank you for asking your questions. If there is anything else you would like to know I would be happy to answer. You might also enjoy visiting the Afro Metaphysics website for more information.

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
On 12/14/2018 at 8:22 AM, Troy said:

Deborah Turner-Bey please share an excerpt from your book.  If you have a website please share a link to it.

Thank you Troy. The following is an excerpt from the Introduction:

 

The Church of the Cosmic Mother isn’t an edifice made of bricks and mortar but it does do what a conventional church does. It brings together a community of believers. It is a place to pray, give thanks, sing, shout and praise. But this church is also a place to engage in self-reflection and to grieve and rage over the legacy of chattel slavery in the United States.

 

The African American experience is unique and uniquely ours. Others can sympathize but can never directly experience what it means to be born Black in America. Even though our individual experiences run the gamut from dirt poor to sumptuously wealthy, incarcerated to celebrated, we all are the walking wounded with respect to racism in America. Unbelievably, this remains true even into the 21st century. Far from qualitatively improving the African American experience, the election of Barack Obama only served to embolden closet racists to step audaciously into the light to meet the perceived threat to white supremacy his presidency provoked. No, conditions have not improved for us, nor will they, so long as we accept a spirituality that tells us it’s okay to suffer in this life because our reward for doing so awaits us in the next.

 

Our approach to spirituality should be no different from anyone else’s—Black people need to practice a spirituality born out of our particular history, experiences, and circumstances. Some of us are ready to do that. Some are ready and don’t yet know we’re ready. Some of us will never be ready for this information and that’s okay. But for those of us who are ready to embrace an alternative approach to spirituality the rewards can be incalculably great.

 

afrometaphysics.org

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
On 12/13/2018 at 6:10 PM, Cynique said:

What if the oppressive white supremacist system steals this grand idea, like it has been known to do, and the movers and shakers in this country, who are secretly conspiring against black people, also embrace metaphysical concepts and do a better job of making thoughts things, thus sustaining the status quo? 

Seems to me this plan calls for re-location, a black exodus to someplace where the diaspora could fall back and re-group.  There's also the possibility that diversity within the ranks would replace racism as a problem.

 

I am a amenable to metaphysical concepts, but i think that becoming all you can be is an individual undertaking.  

The oppressor already uses metaphysics, as all successful people do. It is expedient, however, and wildly effective, to keep Black people waiting on the capricious good graces of some all-powerful entity outside ourselves, or a leader from our ranks to save us. There is no savior but ourselves and in that respect, yes, being all you can be is an individual undertaking. Each one of us has to get our own mind right before we can reach out to uplift others.

 

I have no objection to a Black exodus, but realistically, so few Black folks are really in a position to do that. And, because I know our ancestors built this country, and we have suffered mightily as a people since our forced arrival here, I feel we are entitled to all that United States citizenship has to offer. The only thing is that we have to pull away from the existing system to set up and utilize systems of our own. That means educating our own children, creating and supporting our own businesses and institutions, policing our own neighborhoods, volunteering and financially supporting our own community programs and creating a cohesive Black cultural, political, social, and economic identity separate from the status quo. It's a tall order I know, but again, the manifestation of it starts with each of us as individuals taking responsibility for our own futures.

 

afrometaphysics.org

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The DIVINE FEMININE?

The COSMIC MOTHER-- METAPHYSICS

 

 

23 hours ago, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

The oppressor already uses metaphysics, as all successful people do.

23 hours ago, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

There is no savior but ourselves

 

I don't know if you are contradicting or not. In one sense you say there are no saviors/leaders but then, your book is about 'a leader', the Cosmic Mother who is our beginning creator? Sounds confusing. 

 

So, after I read the comments, as of now, I still don’t have a good  understanding of ‘Metaphysics’ so therefore, I decided to do a brief google and try to understand. Well, after doing this, I now wonder what was the intended purpose for this subject and also, the ‘goddess aspect’ of this book. I know some people do not like Wikipedia, but I confirmed their statements from other links as well so this is a quick description of what I have gotten. The first part of the definition says this:

 

 

Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, …. [1]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

But after reading much farther into this topic and searching other links, I did not see anything in reference to “MATTER” and this supposed aspect of Metaphysics. Am I missing something? So it seems to me that Metaphysics is simply ‘A BRANCH OF PHILOSOPHY’ and therefore is about some form of thought on how things have come to exist and interact with the material world and, in this I have a problem with Metaphysics being a primary focus. It’s as if this subject is all about understanding ‘how we exist’ but does not even attempt to address ‘how we have come to exist’ and ‘how matter has come to exist’. It’s like being a slave, a smart educated slave, arguing on philosophy during a break from working in the cotton field, meanwhile the master is forcing the slaves get back to work to pick his cotton and clean his mansion and drive his carriage…’ Then I read this:

 

The word “metaphysics” comes from two Greek words that, together, literally mean “after or behind or among the [study of] the natural”. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

Uh oh. So is this a Greek invention or creation or whatever? It seems after reading much further that this subject became important at the time of the White Civilizations—which is the Greeks of the Classical Age—and they formed this based upon other ancient foreign ideals that they coined during their rise. In other words, After the material world was well developed in the ancient Black civilizations thousands of years prior, the Classical Greeks formed this Metaphysical philosophy of thought; or am I wrong? They used ancient ideas such as the ‘Ka’ and ‘Ba’ and formulated ancient ideas into their philosophy of thought. But none of this has anything to do with the wider spectrum of how the material world came to be.

 

Topics of metaphysical investigation include existence, objects and their properties, space and, time, cause and effect, and possibility.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

Again, it seems that Metaphysics deals with ‘existence’ as it is and their properties but does not address how things came to be.

 

Mind and matter [edit]

Accounting for the existence of mind in a world otherwise composed of matter is a metaphysical problem which is so large and important as to have become a specialized subject of study in its own right, philosophy of mind. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

Uh uh, it is a problem, a real big problem that as of yet has not been explained.

 

Rejections of metaphysics [edit]

A number of individuals have suggested that much or all of metaphysics should be rejected…. In the eighteenth century, David Hume took a strong position, arguing that all genuine knowledge involves either mathematics or matters of fact and that metaphysics, which goes beyond these, is worthless. ….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

 

So then, another link at the end of this article lead me to perceive that there maybe something else I need to look at in order to understand this thread: IDENTITY AND CHANGE and also FEMINIST METAPHYSICS.

 

 Where metaphysics tries to explain what is the universe and what it is like, feminist metaphysics questions how metaphysical answers have supported sexism. [1] Are ideas we have about fundamental subjects like: the self, mind and body, nature, essence, and identity formed with gendered bias? …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_metaphysics

 

 

 

Immediately, I see the flaw in this paragraph in that ‘Metaphysics does not try to explain what is the universe’ from what I have gathered so far. But more importantly, I immediately answer the question about gender biasness as – YES!—IMO, The initial gender should be FEMALE or rather BOTH, but that is not what this Metaphysics seems to point at but it seems to take a defensive approach to address a present world whereby MALE gender is primary but also incorrect. And after reading further, it seems to me that there is a gender purpose for this thread that may be based upon this earlier coined subject matter of ‘FEMINIST METAPHYSICS’.

 

 You say: "So, according to metaphysics, there is no God or Goddess other than ourselves."

 image.gif.a79c4d8a8a2a031e6ee189204c3c18e5.gif

On 3/10/2019 at 2:22 PM, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

So, according to metaphysics, there is no God or Goddess

 

But again, why address philosophy without establishing a basis, a material world basis? Why address White Supremacy (White Male Supremacy) and knock down the Black male presence by saying that ‘at some point in a distant time, there were no male or female, god or goddess, but only the COSMIC MOTHER or EARTH MOTHER?—from which we come’ Why focus on ‘being free’ in a White dominant world whereby the master owns the cotton field, his mansion, your house and your place of business where you hope to have your ‘own’ business that will also be taxed for the benefit of this White dominant government? How does Metaphysics benefit Black freedom in that regard? Free the mind for a moment while we on break then… back to the cotton field? Am I missing something? So lets wipe out the presence of the Black Male by saying that there are no gods and goddesses only White Supremacy and then expect to get free without Black Male Power!? Am I missing something?

 

In order for this BLACK FEMINIST IDEAL to catch on, all Black males will have to be effeminized and I don’t think that is ever going to be a completely successful endeavor because of the historical GODHEAD! LOL. So then, I read on:

 

  

Identity and change [edit] …

Identity is a fundamental metaphysical issue. Metaphysicians investigating identity are tasked with the question of what, exactly, it means for something to be identical to itself, or – more controversially – to something else. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

 

Ah ah! Now I am getting it! Now, I think I am beginning to understand why the Classical Greeks came up with Metaphysics. Now I think this is all about continuing to keep down the conquered Black material world! OMG! Mind over Body… how to stop the powerful Black man from conquering them…

 

The metaphysical positions one takes on identity have far-reaching implications on issues such as the mind-body problem, personal identity, ethics, and law.

 

The ancient Greeks took extreme positions on the nature of change. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

LOL! Now I am getting it! OMG! This may be the feminist aspect of it of ancient times, in how Black women were used to assist the White world in conquering the Black man! Stop! Wait! Is this what Metaphysics is all about!? Again, for this idea to be accepted as valid, IMO, it would have to be based on a ‘MATERIAL WORLD’, meaning at the very least, THE BODY. So if there is a ‘oneness’ and therefore, no gods or goddesses then, what was ‘the body’ defined as way back when? Will the body be anatomically male, female, intersexed, or parthenogenic-based in the future or what? Since today many people are anatomically male or female, therefore, should we adjust our minds to being female, male, or intersexed and erase gender altogether and then after the BLACK AFRICAN WOMAN gives birth, make a law that allows anatomical BLACK AFRICAN MALES to be STAY-AT-HOME-BEINGS and keep house while the BLACK AFRICAN FEMALE gets back in shape and then goes out to work under the White Supremacist system and bring home the bucks and pay taxes? Or, do we plan to go back to Africa and then think that the African leaders over there will step back and allow us to set up this gender-free society where we all pray to the Cosmic Mother as the godhead or the godhead consciousness that exist but only in our consciousness? How can we ignore the physical body structure of Black African men today? If we effeminize every Black African man under the American citizenship or on this planet, then will the White Supremacist world reward us Conscious Cosmic Mothers? With What? Taxed free businesses that we will be allowed to own? Will we Black women be free from being attacked and enslaved again? But then, if all Black men allow this to happen, in the total effeminization of Black African men, then, they deserve what they get.

 

Identity, sometimes called Numerical Identity, is the relation that a “thing” bears to itself, and which no “thing” bears to anything other than itself (cf. sameness).

 

A modern philosopher who made a lasting impact on the philosophy of identity was Leibniz, whose Law of the Indiscernibility of Identicalsis still in wide use today. It states that if some object x is identical to some object y, then any property that x has, y will have as well. …

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysics

 

LOL! ‘They’ hate Jesus. ‘They’ are so afraid of Jesus! The Anti-Christ. Yes, this seems to be the fanaticism behind metaphysics; PARTHENOGENESIS. I absolutely believe in this mathematical aspect in that ‘any property that x has y also has but for now, a male physical body, in general, is unique, and a woman, in general cannot overpower a man without firepower or etc. In one aspect especially in terms of spirituality and ‘the mind’, all beings are the same, but today, we still have to consider other aspects. Men don’t have wombs. And women do Not have a penis. If Black men have organized to protect your presence as a Black woman, then you should show some respect. Dang. And, if Black women respect you and nurture up your sons and daughters and teach them about your culture and honor you as a man in this mode, then you should show respect and not disrespect them and elevate women of another culture as being better. Geez. In the future, things may change, but for now, to effeminize a malefactor just because he is of African descent with African traits is sad. It is not good for anybody.

 

800px-Feminist_philosophy.svg.png

By weegaweek - File:Feminist philosophy.png, CC0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72704008

female symbol merged with a question mark

 

800px-Womanpower_logo.svg.png

 

One of the symbols of German Women's movement (from the 1970s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist_metaphysics

 

 

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
22 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Deborah

Thank you for responding!

Do you have 3 SPECIFIC incidents where your knowledge of the phyical universe saved you from and made you victorious over racial hostility from Caucasian aggressors?

I guess I would have to say no because the question doesn't really have meaning for me. Now, if you ask me for 3 specific incidents where my knowledge of the physical universe allowed me to create significant things or circumstances in my life that I otherwise would not have attempted, then I can answer you. But I'm not sure that's what you want to know.

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3 hours ago, Delano said:

Metaphysics also means beyond the physical. And some use it interchangeably with the esoteric 

 

I love this! So, when I think about 'beyond the physical' then I am wondering if this can have something to do with 'deep visions'. But now, I am going to have to look into what the term 'esoteric' means. 

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Esoteric means something that is Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. 

 

the occult

Mystical, supernatural, or magical powers, practices, or phenomena.

 

‘a secret society to study alchemy and the occult’

 

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
8 hours ago, Delano said:

Metaphysics also means beyond the physical. And some use it interchangeably with the esoteric 

I would like to add that in my opinion, metaphysics refers to the esoteric, the magical, the mystical, the "supernatural", and includes the physical, because there is only One Thing and from that One Thing springs everything in existence and everything in potential. So what may appear to be magical, mystical or supernatural is actually the ability to transcend the 3 spatial dimensions plus time we ordinarily live in to experience additional dimensions. We humans are innately capable of doing this.

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On ‎3‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 4:21 PM, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

I guess I would have to say no because the question doesn't really have meaning for me. Now, if you ask me for 3 specific incidents where my knowledge of the physical universe allowed me to create significant things or circumstances in my life that I otherwise would not have attempted, then I can answer you. But I'm not sure that's what you want to know.


Ok.
Well then I'd like to hear some examples of your knowledge of the physical universe manifested things and circumstances in your life!

I'll take what I can get, lol.
 

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
18 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:


Ok.
Well then I'd like to hear some examples of your knowledge of the physical universe manifested things and circumstances in your life!

I'll take what I can get, lol.
 

Great! I can give you a couple of the many examples that stand out in my life. I was awarded a summer internship at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics as a 46-year old African American undergraduate student. I was competing against hundreds of young students so it would appear on the surface that I had little chance of succeeding. However, I created the means of its completion by crafting a vision myself opening a letter telling me I had indeed been accepted. I repeated this vision in my mind every time I thought about it, and when I spoke about it to other people, I did so in terms of what I would do in Boston that summer. I made repeating that scene a part of my daily meditation/prayer time. Although the notification came by phone rather than letter, I did achieve my goal because I would not consider any other outcome. I held fast to the vision until it came to pass.

 

Another important one is that I was living in my home town in the Midwest when a good friend invited me to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her in Florida. We were freezing our butts off with snow up to our knees when I left. In Florida it was sunny and 80+ degrees every day! I vowed then and there that I was moving to Florida with no idea how I was going to do that on a part time salary. It only took six months for it to happen. My daughter and I came down to meet my son and his family at Disney World. I only had one business day, a Monday, to try to find a place to live and look for a job. In the only appointment I had set up, I ended up getting a place to live and, because they happened to be looking for an office admin, a job too! So all I could do was go back home, pack my stuff and move. I’ve been here ever since. Now that may look like coincidence to someone else, but I know I created it!

 

I realize that an approach to spirituality, faith, based on physics is an anomaly for most Black folks. But why should that be? We are physical beings, living in a physical multiverse, made out of the same stuff as the stars and nature. Why should we not make ourselves aware of how the universe works and the role of the mind in creating reality? Why should we not put our faith in our ability to create our own destinies?

 

If you read my book, you will see that although brief, I get very specific about the process of creation. Having the understanding of how creation takes place, that it is the product of a mind of spiritual origin operating in physical space and time, has allowed me to do many things. Religious people do the same thing by placing their faith in a God outside themselves if, in their mind, the person refuses to accept any other outcome as the final outcome. They are using the same universal principles whether they are aware of it or not. The difference is that putting faith in something other than one’s self leaves the final outcome in someone else’s hands. What if God doesn't want you to have, do, or be that? 

 

 

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On 3/14/2019 at 8:08 AM, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

I would like to add that in my opinion, metaphysics refers to the esoteric, the magical, the mystical, the "supernatural", and includes the physical,

 

Awesome.

 

On 3/14/2019 at 8:08 AM, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

because there is only One Thing and from that One Thing springs everything in existence and everything in potential

 

Awesome.

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Deborah

Thank you for providing those two examples.
I also believe in the power of intention.
I've heard many people across many backgrounds describe it in many different ways but it all seems to involve some of the same basic and key concepts of visualization and intention.

BTW......
This is off the subject but I also live in the upper Midwest (Michigan) and keep telling Black people over and over again to STOP running away and moving down South...lol.

Whether it's for the weather, job oppotunities, or family.....it's not good for too many of us to just pile up down South and abandon the rest of America with her vast living space.
We need to make the Midwest and the Westcoast our home as well as the South.

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
42 minutes ago, Pioneer1 said:

I also believe in the power of intention.
I've heard many people across many backgrounds describe it in many different ways but it all seems to involve some of the same basic and key concepts of visualization and intention.

Yes. This is absolutely true because we approach knowledge of the Truth in many, many ways. 

 

Sorry about the moving South thing. I can't do cold weather anymore 😁And let me assure you, even though I will never live in a cold climate again, living in the deep South has its obvious drawbacks. Wherever we are though, we can still commune, organize, strategize and build because we are never further away from each other than the nearest internet connection.

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Everything Ms Bey wrote is familiar to me. Not because of something i have previously read.  But something i have always known because it was inherent in my psyche, - a 6th sense just waiting to be realized, interpreted and applied.  As a "star child", the "as above, so below" principle has also been an appoach taken by me when it came to  my aspirations  🤩

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
20 hours ago, Cynique said:

Everything Ms Bey wrote is familiar to me. Not because of something i have previously read.  But something i have always known because it was inherent in my psyche, - a 6th sense just waiting to be realized, interpreted and applied.  As a "star child", the "as above, so below" principle has also been an appoach taken by me when it came to  my aspirations  🤩

Yes! I am curious though. Are you able to talk with very many other people about what you know?

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I should've also said that i think this "old wisdom" is stored in everybody's brain; it just has to awakened.  No, i don't talk with other people about this or try to advise them. i let them find their own path.   i don't even like to verbalize it.  I prefer to just go with the flow and look with a third eye and hear with another ear.   

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Guest Deborah Turner-Bey
1 hour ago, Cynique said:

I should've also said that i think this "old wisdom" is stored in everybody's brain; it just has to awakened.  No, i don't talk with other people about this or try to advise them. i let them find their own path.   i don't even like to verbalize it.  I prefer to just go with the flow and look with a third eye and hear with another ear.   

I understand completely. However, for my part, I feel specifically called to teach metaphysics, as I understand it, to Black people. We continue to suffer under the yoke of institutional racism around the globe. Knowing our true nature, I am convinced, is how Black people will break the psychological shackles that bind us, in the 21st century and beyond. Maybe for some, what I teach is their path.

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9 hours ago, Guest Deborah Turner-Bey said:

understand completely. However, for my part, I feel specifically called to teach metaphysics, as I understand it, to Black people. We continue to suffer under the yoke of institutional racism around the globe. Knowing our true nature, I am convinced, is how Black people will break the psychological shackles that bind us, in the 21st century and beyond. Maybe for some, what I teach is their pat

Yes, that's your calling.  Your quest stands a good chance of resonating with black folk because we are a spiritual people with  well developed instincts  who should probably liberate ourselves from religion and focus more on a pantheistic mental discipline.  I wish you well.

 

5 hours ago, Delano said:

That right there. 

You know.   

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Greetings! I was still hoping that I could get a book review if anyone participating in the AALBC forum has read my book. I have spent so much time in the nonprofit sector that I am not experienced in marketing and promotion of my own work. As you see, my book has a very, very specific audience: Black people! So I can't get myself to use many of the more generic communities like Goodreads. I don't care if any Whites ever read the COCM. It is not meant for them. It is Black people's business! 

 

I could really use some help, some advice and some guidance in how to get the word out about the book in the only community that matters and that is Black readers. Can anyone advise me?

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On 3/26/2019 at 8:59 AM, E.equals.dtb said:

As you see, my book has a very, very specific audience: Black people!

 

@E.equals.dtb  I wrote a response to your post the other day but for some reason  - it's not here. 😞

Anyway, "black people" is not your audience. Some black people might be in your audience but we're not a monolith. Therefore, some of us may hurt your sales more than help. 

A lot of new writers make the same mistake  especially those who think they don't understand 'marketing (promotion)'...But I believe you do understand how to promote your book because you worked in nonprofit!

Just like a nonprofit doesn't serve everyone -neither will your book. BUT you do have a very specific audience. It's the audience that is most receptive and will benefit from your message.  Find that group first and start speaking with them...and they will help you sell your book.  Also join us over at #readingblack.com - it's another discussion forum on aalbc.com (this website) that helps authors with strategies for selling.    


MERGED
Also,  I should be more specific about what I mean when I say find that "group." 

This group may be those who identify as "black" but remember there 's a  lot of "black" people in the world. 

Further some "black" people may be women, men, or other?  Some black people are christians with a big giant E in front of the "c".  Some black people are buddhist and that's a huge undertaking in itself.  I have a friend who is the most militant black man I've met but he almost had me thinking about following buddhism because he made it seem perfect for me ...

You see where I'm going with this right? 

When I first wrote my book  - I thought it was for every black woman in the world - but what I found out is Black  men and women who were into STEM and men who read comic books loved my book. I would have never guessed but that's what my audience looked like. 

In an effort to narrow down your group to get honest reviews and cut down on your frustration - determine the characteristics of the group who is willing to listen and learn and that's where you start.

 

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Hello Mel. Thank you for responding to my appeal for help. It is excellent advice!

 

I do apologize if I give the impression that I think all Black people are my intended audience. I am putting this work out there knowing that only a subset of the whole set of Black people is going to be drawn to the message. Within that larger set might be the set of Black people who are open to other approaches to spirituality from the traditional monotheistic traditions. Or people who have strong Black Nationalist leanings. Or a set of Black people who, like me, are interested in the science behind how the universe works. Or a set of people who are just sick and tired of being sick and tired of racism and are willing to consider new approaches to relieving suffering among our people. The point is that I throw the doors open for discussion to all Black people knowing that those who become my readers will come from there.

 

I actually did start with the smallest subset I could identify. I started by speaking at Unity churches, the only metaphysical denomination I'm aware of in which Black people participate in significant numbers. At least I know that metaphysical principles are guiding principles of Unity as a religion. I also contacted Unity ministers at predominantly Black Unity churches all over the country. The response has been negligible. I am a Licensed Unity Teacher myself and I understand that although Unity teachings are metaphysical, the stumbling blocks are the implications of the Divine Feminine for Jesus and the male God of Christianity. 

 

I honestly don't know who my eventual audience may turn out to be. But I am ready to learn how to make my living as an author. I want to learn how to market myself and my work, and I am taking my first tentative steps into the larger community of Black readers. Again, thank you for your help. I certainly will get over to #readingblack.com as well. 

 

I do want to just add that what I write is only intended for Black consumption. "Black" simply meaning "having been treated some kinda way in these United States based on your African heritage and your skin color." We know who we are.

 

 

 

 

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47 minutes ago, E.equals.dtb said:

But I am ready to learn how to make my living as an author.

 

@E.equals.dtb  👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽  Yes! You are already on your way! See what you did there - you identified your audience and started with speaking engagements! I hope you sold your books afterwards. Every “free” lecture I’ve given always offered exhibit space.  

 

See you on #readingblack.com - please share your strategies too! Even the ones that you think failed. Maybe someone can help you get a win! 

 

 

  

 

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  • 2 years later...

I'd completely forgotten about this conversation -- it is a pretty good one. 🙂

 

I just received a copy of the book in the mail this week. I searched the site looking for previous mentions of it and discovered this conversation which I will use to share information about the book. 

 

 

@E.equals.dtb Thanks for the book. At this instant it will be a challenge to review the books. I'm actually behind on commissioned reviews and all of my reviewers have books assigned.

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