The Wise Sage Amenemope

Throughout my life experience, Divine clairvoyance has activated my spiritual molecules in that, I have an infinitely deep understanding of the dynamic variables that constitute this present day/time and each precious moment. Essentially, I am finally beginning to understand that though many may like to reiterate that the language, culture, tradition, and other facets of African persons, have been stripped, stolen, warped, diminished, etc, that no one and nothing can eradicate attributes of the soul that are intrinsically Divine and immortal. Thus, asking for guidance to tune in to the true intent upon reading the translations of ancient texts—both that of the Instructions of Amenemope and Biblical Proverbs—will unlock that Divine meaning and convey not what one wishes to hear, nor that of autosuggestion, but maakheru (true of voice)…the voice of the Supreme, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient Creator. Therefore, it is also not surprising nor ironic to realize that Maakheru is one of the foremost mentions Baba Amenemope references in his instructions. Lastly, in this comparative analysis of two pertinent texts, Amenemope written during the Rammeside Era 1300-1075 BC and Biblical Proverbs written 931 BC which asserts that Proverbs was written after The Instructions of Amenemope, I will juxtapose content from both texts and offer commentary to stimulate further exploration and discussion into the meanings of these wisdom teachings.

In the Introductory phrases of the Instructions of Amenemope, wisdom says “Hoermmaakheru is his true name.” Proverbs “1:1. The parables of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel…1:2. To know wisdom, and instruction” Implication of Solomon as the wisest and maakheru—true of voice Hoerm where Heru or Horus is derived even Horem from Horemakhet. Instructions of Amenemope: “The beginning of the instruction about life…The guide for well-being…All the principles of official procedure.” When once the pricinciples are grasped, i.e. the principles of ma’at, the doctrine to live accordingly is but a consequent manifestation, is related to “ Proverbs 1:3. To understand the words of prudence: and to receive the instruction of doctrine, justice, and judgment, and equity”

Baba Amenemope “To know how to refute the accusation of one who made it… And to send back a reply to the one who wrote” addressing the origin of the malaise, deviation and the proliferation thereof in order to ascend from regressing in infantile states of retaliation, eye for an eye, egoistical approaches of reacting to resolve situations of wrongdoing… Related to

“Proverbs 1:4. To give subtilty to little ones, to the young man knowledge and understanding.” As stated in the instructions of Amenemope, to “reply to the one who wrote” the “accusation” is to address his lack of understanding, your wisdom offers poise, compassion and humility in the way in which you address the matter of another’s deviation as it states in Proverbs “1:5. A wise man shall hear, and shall be wiser: and he that understandeth shall possess governments.” Possessing governments imply law and order, balance, reflecting back to the priciples subtly asserted in the Instructions of Amenemope “To set one straight on the paths of life…And make him prosper on earth…To let his heart settle down in its chapel.” A “steer” is really a seer in that the instructions of Amenemope, “As one who steers him clear of evil…To save him from the talk of others…As one who is respected in the speech of men” and Proverbs “1:6. “He shall understand a parable and the interpretation, the words of the wise, and their mysterious sayings” essentially says that the wise advisement of the seer, the intuitively sound mind of the guide teaches the aspirant, inundated by the external/environment vices around him, to harmonize with the vibration of Righteous action, to know real from unreal, right from wrong. This behavior, practiced first in thought, cannot be refuted by the observance of others because the authenticity of truth is perceived by action and not superficial postures and projections.

The author of Proverbs made a very grave misstep in the interpretation of Amenemope’s instructions, misconstruing for their own benefit to dominate and control the people with fear, inciting them to pursue acts of revenge and mockery, taking it upon themselves with arrogant and incompassioned acts of judgment when as Amenempome says, that we should leave our criticisms behind and surrender to the Divine conveyence of the the Most High when he stated
“1:7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Amenemope actually states: “If you spend your life with these things in your heart…Your children shall behold them.” Whether your heart is as light as the feather of Ma’at or your heart is bogged down with sentiments of resentment, wrath, infuriation, etc because of the wrongdoings of others, that energy will manifest itself in the reproductive structures of our parents, the womb and almost certainly express itself as an aspect of that offspring. That offspring, with the intuitive guidance of Divinity must then heed the instructions and practices of Wisdom, “Sharpen her/his eyes and tune her/his ears so that she/he will know what they see and understand what they hear”—as stated by scholars such as Chike Akua, Anthony Browder and Jabari Osaze. This Very one prolific statement in The Instructions of Amenemope clearly defines the nature of the African mind versus that of the European mind. To twist information such that the message conforms to egoistical principlse is far from what Amenemope and other wise counselors have ascertained.

Before Proverbs asserts “1:33. But he that shall hear me, shall rest without terror, and shall enjoy abundance, without fear of evils” which is very similar to the most recent quote included from Amenemope’s instructions. This immense difference must be addressed because it sets the tone, since these differences appear at the very introduction of each book. Several verses in Proverbs institute underlying gestures of a Supreme Deity that expresses such intense disappointment in the unrighteous, God purports his disapproval with the following statements: “ 1:24. Because I called, and you refused: I stretched out my hand, and there was none that regarded…1:25. You have despised all my counsel, and have neglected my reprehensions….1:26. I also will laugh in your destruction, and will mock when that shall come to you which you feared…1:27. When sudden calamity shall fall on you, and destruction, as a tempest, shall be at hand: when tribulation and distress shall come upon you:…1:28. Then shall they call upon me, and I will not hear: they shall rise in the morning, and shall not find me…1:29. Because they have hated instruction, and received not the fear of the Lord…1:30. Nor consented to my counsel, but despised all my reproof….

These statements in Proverbs is quite appalling because say he, the messenger of the Lord, these quotes are akin to that of a spoiled child engaged fervently in a tantrum because she/he has not gotten their way. The Instructions of Amenemope advises that when the Righteous teacheth and speaketh, she/he need not await a favorable outcome from the aspirant because, even in the teachings of Martial Arts—the ways of the Warrior/Spiritual Initiate, temperance is the art of detaching from those things that create tumultuous bouts of fluctuations in the heart and Spirit of Seekers of the Way. Ayi Kwei Armah, the pre-eminent author of Two Thousand Seasons, The Healers and others has also attributed attributes of the wise as those who neutralize the enticing antics of impulsivity, haughtiness, thirst-quenching endeavors of the ego, etc. So, though Proverbs speak of beholding sentiments of fear of, to and for the Most High God, Proverbs speak of honoring the principles of Righteousness, of Ma’at—the feminine principle who sailed within the Solar Boat of Ra as Ptah created the Neteru…the principle of Truth, Righteousness, Reciprocity, Balance, Harmony, Order, and Justice. Thus, this aforementioned dis-similarity between Proverbs and The Instructions of Amenemope is obvious in Chapter 4 Amenemope’s advocacy that “the truly temperate man sets himself apart…He is like a tree grown in a sunlit field…But it flourishes, it doubles its yield…It stands before its owner…Its fruit is…something sweet, its shade is pleasant…And it reaches its end as a statue.” Whereas, “The hot-headed man in the temple… Is like a tree grown indoors…Only for a moment does it put forth roots… It reaches its end in the carpentry shop…It is floated…away far from its place…Or fire is its funeral pyre.”

Proverbs also states “ 1:31. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and shall be filled with their own devices….1:32. The turning away of little ones shall kill them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.” While the true wisdom of Amenemope’s Instructions actually warns us that “The evildoer, throw him the canal… And he will bring back its slime.” Sadly, the Proverbian translators were so sequestered with feelings of ‘let me show them what will happen if…’ that they missed one of the most vital insights of Amenemopes’s instructions. That, one cannot extract goodness from evil if one is so adamantly fixated on constantly magnifying, criticizing, and punishing those befallen with the desire to gratify their animalistic indulgences. Sadly enough, this Biblical interpretation is not only symbolically implemented in our contemporary ‘courts of justice’, the notion of punishment versus that of rehabilitation for those who have committed some of the most agregious crimes, (perdition, purgatory) are sentenced to imprisonment and further immersed into lethal acts of violence. So, the question is, is a person, upon their release back into society from serving time, better or exponentially worse than before they were locked up? Well, the statistics most certainly reports that many times, criminals of this society and system tend to be second third and even fourth degree offenders—each time, the heinousness of the crime increases. Is that what Amenemope advised that we refrain from…is that what Biblical Proverbs advise that we entertain? In which society do inhabitants exist in non-calimitous versus hellish conditions—African or European societies?

Furthermore, chapter 2 of Amenemope’s Instructions states:” Lift him up, give him your hand…And leave him the hands of god…Fill his gut with your own food…That he may be sated and ashamed…Something else of value in the heart of God… Is to stop and think before speaking.” Which progresses as these teachings are found in the context of other wise practitioners who have stated “Give yourself to the one most high and keep thyself for the Divine.” It is quite obvious that Amenemope does not have to insinuate that the righteous attune their thoughts and behaviors to the thoughts and behaviors of the Supreme, Omnicient Creator. Which is to shortly conclude that as Highly Pigmented Melinated People whose pinenal glands are not calcified, our Udjats (Third Eye) is Clairvoyant, so much so, that we know that the Defining characteristic of Wisdom and the wise is knowledge and understanding that s/he who is great, the Divine, pervades as the subatomic structure of all things and thus beholds the mechanism, though seemingly unfathomable, to correct the missteps and deviation of all entities. Hence, why in Chapter 3 Anemope further constitutes righteousness and Divinity as the capability to refrain from these behaviors: “Do not get into a quarrel with the argumentative man…Nor incite him with words…Proceed cautiously before an opponent…And give way to an adversary…Sleep on it before speaking…For a storm come forth like fire in hay is…The hot-headed man in his appointed time…May you be restrained before him…Leave him to himself…And God will know how to answer him.”

Baba Amenenope also states is chapter 6: “Desire, then, to make yourself prosper…And take care for the Lord of All…Do not trample on the furrow of someone else…Their good order will be profitable for you.” Gluttony, crabs in a barrel, higher leverage of CEO’s with billion dollar bonuses while ‘minute’ workers are defamed with the loss of their employment, employability, and worst, their violation of their promissory notes—their pensions… These entities have not “Take care not to topple over the boundary marks of the arable land…Not fearing that you will be brought to court…Man propitiates God by the might of the Lord…When he sets straight the boundaries of the arable land”

Chapter 7: “Do not set your heart upon seeking riches…For there is no one who can ignore Destiny and Fortune…Do not set your thoughts on external matters…For every man there is his appointed time.” Strenuous straining of the mine for attainment—whether that attainment is perceived in the form of material wealth or spiritual refinement. This prophetic passage communicates the cunning impact of extremism on either side of the spectrum. Such that, hyperstimulation can reverse the process of enlightenment and lead one into the chambers of fanaticism, while complete indulgence in extroversion can also create fanatical deviants. Thus, in chapter 6: “Better is bread when the mind is at ease…Than riches with anxiety” and in chapter 7: “Do not exert yourself to seek out excess…And your wealth will prosper for you.”