MJ Bhengu's Intellectual Space

THE SECRETS OF ANCIENT AFRICA: BONAABAKHULU

BASEKHEM BROTHERHOOD OF THE HIGHER ONES
MJ Bhengu

7 years ago
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By
Mfuniselwa J. Bhengu

Abstract
This paper seeks to trace the origin, nature and content
of Bonaabakhulu baseKhem Brotherhood and how Mankanyezi, an African sage, who was
an initiate of this organization, was trained in African wisdom. Again the paper will try to
establish the connection between this organization and ancient Zulus

Introduction
In this great continent over which the sphinx still gazes, guarding the eternal mystery of life,
may the flame within the hearts of its varied peoples be lit, so that once again from African
soil may resound the old message ‘Thou art the light, let that light shine.’” (Harvest).

The story of the human race in Africa dates back to more than 50 000 years before the
mythical creation of Adam in 4 240 BC. This story was written by Lord Khem (or Ham)
popularly known as ThauThau-Harama(the Greek Thoth-Hermes) who was the scribe of the
African builder Gods called Bonabakhulu baseKhemu(i.e. the ancient ones of Khem).

The land of Khem (or Ta Shema), writes Bowen (1927), came to be known as ancient
Ethiopia (African Atpu) to the Greeks. The names Ethiopia and Egypt (the
African Hakaptah i.e. land of God Ptah) were named after the ancient African God Tapa
(or Pata). His shrine is in the Sudan (i.e. land of the Blacks).

Long before the rise of ancient Egypt, Africa South of the Sahara had known two major
civilizations in Punt or Tanutra (i.e. central and Southern Africa) and Ethiopia or Khem,
which covered Southern Egypt, Eritrea, Abyssinia, the Sudan and surrounding territories.

It was the Ethiopian Prince Mena who established Egypt by uniting lower and Upper Egypt
in 5 619 B.C. Thus ancient Egypt is not the oldest state in Africa.

The earliest civilization was established by the gods of the First Time (Zep Tepi) from Punt
or Tanutra who came to be known as Shamsu Hara (Greek Shemsu Hor i.e. followers of
Horus). The relics of the civilization established by the followers of Horus are still found
at Maphungubwe, Zimbabwe, the Sudan, Yemen, modern Ethiopia, Egypt and Benin and
the Area of the Great Lakes.

Lord Khem brought the religion of light (Karaism), which taught that the light (Kara),
which was God, dwelt in the heart of every human being.

To the sacred (or divine) rulers, he taught them to “Look for the light” (i.e. the divine spark)
or the “God within” every individual. To the people he taught the motto that: “Thou art the
Light, let the Light shine”.

The teachings of Lord Khem attracted students like Thales, Solon, Pythagoras and Plato –
the Hermetic teachings – and passed them to the world as Greek philosophy or more
specifically Pythagoreanism. The African religious philosophy of Light (Karaism) came to
be known as Hermeticism and passed as Greek philosophy.

However, Hermeticism did not disappear from the face of traditional Africa. In his book
entitled: “The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland,” Bent observed that the African founders of
the Zimbabwe Temple practiced the religion of Light (Karaism) and this God of Light was
also called Umbe, Nyambe or Zambe (i.e. the word of God).

Indeed, our African continent is not a dark continent. Western scholars made the world to
believe that, before colonization, Africa was a Dark Continent without a literary tradition.
They also excised ancient Ethiopia and Egypt from Africa and made them part of the so-
called near East to obliterate the African origins of ancient Ethiopian and Egyptian
civilization.

As Harvest puts it: If we wish to penetrate into the mighty secrets of Africa of its peoples,
of its meaning in god’s plan, we must make ourselves part of it, and seek the underlying
unity….Let us look once more for the light so splendidly revealed in the teachings
of Tehuti, also called Hermes.

The Secrets of Africa

In an article that appeared in The Theosophist magazine, on August 1927, entitled ‘The
Ancient Religion in Africa’, written by Patrick Bowen, tells us that the ancient Africans
were a profoundly spiritual people and extremely psychic. To them, like to traditional
Africans today, the world of higher being was a reality. Bowen is better known for his work
‘Saying of the Ancient One’ which he published.

Mr. Bowen wrote:

Many years ago, when I, a boy of ten or twelve years of age, I followed my father’s
wagon through the wild Bushlands of the Northern Transvaal…I met and gained the
friendship of many natives–principally Zulus–of the class known as Isanusi, a term
popularly but improperly interpreted as “Witch-Doctor.
Outside of the records of the ancient wisdom in Egypt, little is known of its diffusion in the
rest of Africa. Some evidence of the continent-wide existence of the ancient doctrines and
movement can be found from the following narrative.

The most interesting of African mystery teachings came to us from Bowen through his book
entitled: “The Saying of the Ancient One”. The fragments in this book are translations of
chapters from the mystic writings of the African sage, Mehlo Moya (i.e. the spiritual eyes).

The Saying of the Ancient One was written in an archaic Bantu

language called Isinzu. According to MehloMoya, this Isinzu manuscript is a translation of
some very ancient records found in a subterranean chamber in one of the ruined cities of
Southern Africa, belonging to the Maphungubwe-Zimbabwe cultural complex. The original
records were written in veiled symbols, akin to the Sabean script, on tablets of ivory or
stone.

The African Sage, Mankanyezi, also told Patrick Bowen of a secret society to which he
belonged: “Whose members are the guardian of the wisdom-which-comes-from-of-old; they
are of many ranks, from learner to master, and Higher Ones whose names may not be
spoken; and there is one member at least in every tribe and nation throughout this great
land of Africa“.

The Brotherhood is called, in the ancient Bantu speech, Bonabakhulu abaseKhem, that is,
the Brotherhood of the Higher Ones of Egypt. (Khem, hence chemistry, was an ancient
name of Egypt). It was founded by a Priest of Isis in the reign of Pharaoh Cheops, to spread
The Wisdom which comes from of old among all races and tribes of Africa….

The grades of the Brotherhood are:

(1) the Pupil,
(2) the Disciple,
(3) the Brother,
(4) the Elder,
(5) the Master,
(6) the Sangoma,
(7) Abakhulu-Bantu, i.e. perfect men, for whom rebirth has ceased, who dwell on earth in
physical form by their own will, and can retain will and can retain or relinquish that form as
they choose.

Mr. Bowen seems to have been recognized early in life for some special qualities by
members of those who were among Initiates of the Ancient Brotherhood of Wisdom living
among the Zulus and the descendants of the old Bantu race of South and South East of
Africa.

Who was Mankanyezi?

He further explains his African experience: Many years ago, when I, a boy of ten or twelve
years of age, followed my father’s wagon through the wild Bushlands of the Northern
Transvaal, Portuguese East Africa and Mashonaland, I met and gained the friendship of
many Natives—principally Zulus—of the class known as Isanusi, a term, popularly but
improperly interpreted as “Witch Doctor”. Why those men, who with Europeans and even
with their own people are always intensely reserved, should have favoured me with their
confidence is something I do not, even now, clearly understand, yet they certainly did so. I
recall a conversation with one of their number, by name, Mankanyezi (The Starry One),
with whom I was particularly intimate, which impressed me deeply; so much so that I have
never forgotten it. My father had declared his intention of placing me in care of a
Missionary, in order that I might receive some education, and learn white men’s ways. I
repeated his words to Mankanyezi, who shook his head doubtfully on hearing them and
said:
“Your teachers are doubtless learned men. But why do they strive to force their beliefs
on us without first learning what our beliefs are? Not one of them, not
even Sobantu, knows anything of our real belief. They think that we worship the spirits
of our ancestors; that we believe our spirits, when we die, enter the bodies of animals.
They, without proof or without enquiry, condemn us, the Isanusi, as deluders of our
more ignorant brethren; or else they declare us to be wicked wizards having dealings
with evil spirits. To show how ignorant they are, I shall tell you what we teach the
Common Man (ordinary Native). We teach that he has a body; that within that body is
a soul; and within the soul is a spark or portion of something we call Itongo, which
the Common Man interprets as the Universal Spirit of the Tribe. We teach that after
death the soul (Idhlozi) after hovering for a space near the body departs to a place
called Esilweni (Place of Beasts). This is a very different thing, as you can see, from
entering the body of a beast. In Esilweni, the soul assumes a shape, part beast and
part human. This is its true shape, for man’s nature is very like that of the beast, save
for that spark of something higher, of which Common Man knows but little. For
a period which is long or short, according to the strength of the animal nature, the
soul remains in Esilweni, but at last it throws aside its beast-like shape and moves
onward to a place of rest. There it sleeps till a time comes when it dreams that
something to do or to learn awaits it on earth, then it awakes and returns, through the
Place of Beasts, to earth and is born again as a child. Again and again-does the soul
travel through the body, through the Place of Beasts, to its rest, dreams its dream and
returns to the body; till at last the Man becomes true Man, and his soul when he dies
goes straight to its rest, and thence, after a space, having ceased to dream of earth,
moves on and becomes one with that from which it came—the Itongo. Then does the
Man know that instead of being but himself, apart, he is truly all the tribe and the tribe
is he. This is what we teach, I say, for this is the utmost the Common Man is capable
of comprehending; indeed many have only a vague comprehension, even of this much.
But the belief of us, Wiser Ones, is something far wider and greater, though similar. It
is far too wide and great for Common Man’s comprehension—or for yours, at present.
But I may say this much, that we know that the Itongo is not the mere Spirit of the
Tribe, but is the Spirit within and above all men—even all things; and that at the end,
all men being one in Spirit, all are brothers in the flesh”.

Mankanyezi, continues Bowen, was a pure Zulu, of the royal blood. What his age might
have been, it is not known, ‘but certainly he was at least seventy’. ‘He was a tall, lean man,
light chocolate in colour, of a distinctly Jewish cast of countenance, without a trace of the
Negroid, with the exception of his snow-white hair which was frizzled. Both by the natives
and by the few white hunters who knew him he was regarded as a powerful magician, but
only once did I get a glimpse of this side of his character’.

A year or two subsequent to the talk above quoted, (writes Bowen) in company with a
famous Boer hunter named Sarel Du Pont, I met Mankanyezi near the Limpopo River, and
he gave us a direction to the Great Lakes of the North, and said: “Much farther, I think. You
will ere you again see this river visit the Great Lake of the North (Lake Nyassa). To the
eastward of that lake, you will visit the springs of another river, and there you will meet one
of my elder brothers”.

“Indeed”, said Du Pont, “if it should happen that we go so far, which is not our intention,
how are we to know this brother of yours? I suppose he is not your brother in reality, but
merely one in the Spirit, as you say all men are?”. Mankanyezi replied:

He is, as you say, not my brother in the flesh. I call him my elder brother because he is
an Elder in the Family (Society) to which I belong, whose members are the guardians
of the Wisdom-which-comes-from-of-old. There are many of us—one at least in every
tribe and nation—throughout this great land. We are of many ranks, from the learner
to the Master, and to those Higher Ones whose names may not be spoken, I am a
common Brother; he of whom I speak is my Elder.

Sarel Du Pont: “But”, I asked in some surprise, “how can you know this man, seeing you
have often told me you have never travelled beyond the Zambezi?“. Mankanyezi: “I know
him, because I have often seen him, though not in the flesh. Often have we
spoken together. Do you think the mind of Man can travel only in the flesh? Do you think
thought is limited by the power of the body? See this, and try to understand”.

As he spoke he pointed to a lizard which basked in the sun, near by. Fixing his eyes upon it,
he extended his hand, palm upward, towards it, and began to breathe slowly and regularly.
In a few seconds, the beady eyes of the little reptile turned towards him. It took a little run
forward, then stopped, its sides expanding and contracting, rhythmically. After a few
seconds’ further pause, it again darted forward and settled itself upon the old man’s open
palm. He let it rest for a minute, then slid it gently among the leaves where it quickly
concealed itself. He looked at us and smiled gently. “That is witchcraft perhaps you will
say”, he said, “perhaps I sent an evil spirit to call the lizard to me. Or perhaps it is itself an
evil spirit which serves me. If I tell you that my mind went out and entered its brain and our
two minds became one, you will not believe. Some day, perhaps, you will understand”.

Over a year later, near the source of the Rovuma River, to the east of Lake Nyassa, we put
up at a Native village, and there met an old man (a Masai—not a Zulu) who greeted us as
friends of his brother, Mankanyezi. From careful enquiries made by my companion, it
became certain that this man and Mankanyezi could never have met. The one had certainly
never been south of the Zambezi, and equally certainly the other had never been north of the
river. Yet there was no question of their intimate knowledge of each other, a knowledge
which could not have been gained second hand, for a thousand miles separated their
dwelling places, and the tribes had no point of contact whatsoever.

Continues Bowen: About the time of Dr. Jameson’s Raid on the Transvaal, I entered the
service of the B.S.A. Co. (Chartered Company), and since then down to 1924, I was almost
continually employed by one or other of the Colonial Administrations from the Equator to
the Cape, always in some capacity which brought me in intimate contact with the Natives.
Of the existence of the Society, mentioned by Mankanyezi, I received constant assurances,
and once came in close touch with certain of its higher ranks. Some years after the Boer
War, I was engaged in work on behalf of the Natal Government, in a certain large Native
Reserve, in the course of which I was astonished to find occupying a remote, inaccessible
valley, a small community of people—perhaps less than a hundred of all ages and both
sexes—who were certainly not Zulus, nor, in fact, of an African Race I had ever seen. Had
it not been for the fact that they lived the life of the Natives, and identified themselves in all
respects with their Bantu neighbours, I should have said that they were members of some
Southern European Race. In colour they varied a good deal, from the brown of a high caste
Hindu to pure white. Their features were of pure European type, more uniformly classical
indeed than is usual among Europeans.

Who was Mandhlalanga?

Continues Bowen: The chief of this little community bore the Zulu name of Mandhla-
langa (Strength of the Sun). He was a man of striking appearance, well over six feet in
height, slight of figure, with wavy, snow-white hair, olive complexion and features which,
with the exception of the cheek bones which were rather prominent, were almost pure
Greek in type. Among the Zulus, he bore the reputation of being a supernatural being.

Mandhlalanga, continues Bowen, is a master, or teacher in the Brotherhood mentioned

by Mankanyezi. He has travelled in Europe, Asia and America. He speaks English and other
European languages perfectly, but his talks with me were conducted in the secret Bantu
tongue, which to the ordinary Native has been dead for ages, and of the continued existence
of which few Europeans are aware. In the following quotations, the reader must realize that
many obscurities are probably due to the difficulty of rendering in English the exact shades
of meaning.

From the first, Mandhlalanga was extremely friendly towards me, and showed a desire to
win my confidence. He gave me invaluable aid in the work upon which I was engaged, and
that, eventually, I completed it successfully was largely owing to him. As regards himself,
he remained for a time rather reserved, however. He and his people, he gave me to
understand were Berbers, or rather Khabyles (he pronounced the name Kha-beel-ya, the
“Kh” he pronounced as a guttural), from North Africa. But what they were doing five
thousand miles from their native habitat, or why they chose to identify themselves with the
Zulus, he did not explain. [Berbers were the original black Africans of North Africa].
Time, however, brought about a change in his attitude. One day I was speaking of the
inexplicable manner in which news of distant happenings spreads among the Natives, when
suddenly he said:
Thought is speedier than the electric spark and needs no wires for its conveyance. All
it requires is a brain to despatch it and another to receive it. Would you believe if I
told you that I and others of the Brotherhood to which I belong can transmit our
thoughts one to the other, no matter how far apart our bodies may be? [This still
remains a mystery to the author]

Continues Bowen: This was a rather startling statement, but I recalled what I had learned
from Mankanyezi. I replied, “Yes, I think I might believe that, but I should be more sure if
you explained how it is done”.

Mandhlalanga’s response: “To attempt to explain our science to you”, he said, smiling,
“would be rather like trying to explain the differential calculus to a child who is ignorant of
simple addition. However, I am satisfied that you have a mind unclouded by the average
European’s prejudices and preconceptions, so, if you will, I will take you as a pupil and
teach you the simple addition of our lore. Whether you ever reach knowledge of the
differential calculus, will depend entirely on yourself. I can teach, but I cannot guarantee
that you can learn”.

Bowen: After some consideration I agreed to become Mandhlalanga’s pupil, and for a year
continued under his instruction. Then circumstances arose which led to my abandoning my
studies and quitting this portion of the country. I never again encountered my teacher, nor
for some considerable time afterwards did I ever receive a communication from him. With
another of his fellows, however, whom I met at that period, I have several times been in
contact, and have received from him communications at infrequent, though regular
intervals. The sum of the information I gained from Mandhlalanga, during that year, is not
very large, and I am so far from clear concerning its exact significance that I shall make no
attempt at explaining it. I shall content myself here with certain extracts from the copious
notes I made of his discourses at the time they were delivered and allow the reader to
interpret them as he sees fit.

Ithongo and its Explanations

Mandhlalanga explains the concept of Itongo as follows:

The Itongo (Universal Spirit) is ALL that ever was, is, or ever shall be, conceivable or
inconceivable. The Itongo is ALL things, all things are of IT; but the sum of all things is not
the Itongo. The Itongo is ALL the power there is, all power is of it; but all power,
perceivable or conceivable, is not the Itongo. The Itongo is ALL the wisdom there is, all
wisdom is of IT; but all wisdom conceivable is not the Itongo. ALL substance, ALL power,
ALL wisdom is of IT, and IT is in them and manifest through them, but IT is also above
them and beyond them, eternally unmanifest.

Man who is of the Itongo can never know the Itongo while he is man. All he can know of IT
are certain manifestations which come within the range of his perceptions.
The pupil is generally taught that the manifestations are three in number. Namely:
1. Universal Mind.
2. Universal Force.
3. Universal Substance or Matter.

[The pupil would be like a student at a university institution level]

What is Force?: What we call Force is not a separate manifestation. It is simply certain of
the lowest, or grosser grades of Mind. Force is simply that portion of Mind which endows
Matter with Form. It is that portion of mind which transmits the idea of Form to the higher
grades where Consciousness dwells. Let the pupil think and he must see that this is
so. Colour, size, shape, what are they? Simply light vibrations which when passed on to the
Consciousness give the idea of Form. And what is vibration? It is Force. Heat, cold,
hardness, softness, varieties of taste and smell are all vibrations, and therefore also Force. If
you make Force a separate manifestation, then also must you make those planes of Mind
which transfer the ideas of passion or emotion separate manifestations.

In the beginning of a Cosmic Cycle the Itongo first manifested in all the many grades of
mind, downward into all the grades of Matter. But at first both Mind and Matter
were unindividualized. When, how, or why, only the Itongo can know. Individuality began
in the highest planes of Mind—those planes which touch on pure Spirit. Understanding of
what occurred is best gained by the following conception. Think of the Cosmos, just before
individuality began, as a vast, amorphous ocean of Mind and Matter, its surface ripples and
upper reaches, those planes of Mind which touch on Spirit; growing denser and denser,
downward till matter, in Etheric form, is reached: downward till Ether becomes Gas, which
may be likened to the mineral-charged lower strata of the ocean; downward till gases
become liquids (muddy water); finally into solids (thick mud).

The beginning of individuality in this Cosmic Ocean may be likened to the starting of
myriads of tiny “whirlpools” among the ripples of the surface (the Spiritualized Mind).
These “whirlpools” under the force of a growing flood-tide, extended deeper and deeper, till
at last all strata were involved in the swirl. Thus we have Individuality set up, extending
from Spiritual Mind to the Physical Plane. The “whirlpool” on the surface represents the
birth of the Soul. Its extension to the muddy depths represents the Soul’s descent into
matter. In matter the Soul has reached the aphelion of its cycle, and now it begins its long,
slow return journey. By the process of evolution it climbs slowly upward, from mineral to
plant, from plant to animal, from animal to man; through all grades and states of human
development, shaking off, slowly and painfully as it climbs, the gross accretions gathered
during its descent; up through the lower mind to the higher, it climbs, till at last, its cycle
complete, it merges with its source, the Itongo, and ceases to be Individual, being one with
the ALL, explains Mandhalanga.

On Man and his Destiny

Mandhlalanga discoursed thus:
Man is an individual, having in him, as has everything on the physical plane, all the
attributes of the Cosmic Ocean of which he is an individualized portion. He has reached on
his upward journey the stage of personal consciousness. I speak of Man in general. There
are undeveloped men whose personal consciousness is but rudimentary as there are others
who have transcended personality and know their real Selves—that immortal portion first
individualized from the lofty planes of the Spiritual Mind.

Man is on a journey, the goal of which is union with the source of his being—the Itongo. To
reach that goal he must first pass through all experience the Cosmos affords, and must
shake off all accretions accumulated on his descent from individualized Spiritual Mind into
grossest Matter. To do this, he is born and born again, for his physical body dies, as do his
lower mental principles; only his higher mental principles which are akin with
the Itongo survive individuality bestowed upon them at its opening.

The Principles of Man

(1) The Physical

body (Umzimba).
This is merely the etheric counterpart of the physical body, and not
really a separate principle, normally. But in certain abnormal states it
is partially separable from the physical body. It is the medium through
which the Lower Mind (or Force) functions.

(2) The Etheric That portion of the Mind which shows as Life-force and other forms of
Body (Isitunzi). what we call Energy.

(4) The Animal The planes of Mind which manifest as passions, emotions, and
Mind (Utiwesilo). instincts.

(5) Human The planes of Mind which manifest as human consciousness, Intellect,
Mind (Utiwomuntu). higher emotions, etc.

(6) Spiritual The higher planes manifesting Spiritual Consciousness.

Mind (Utiwetongo).
(7) Itongo The Ray, or spark of Universal Spirit which informs all lower
manifestations.

My teacher (referring to Mandhlalanga) gave the following account of the Brotherhood in

which he holds the rank of Master:
We call our Brotherhood, Bonaabakulu abaseKhemu, using the ancient Bantu speech
which is the mother-tongue of the most widespread group of languages in the Continent.
The name may be tendered in English as The Brotherhood of the Higher Ones of Egypt.

The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in the reign of the Pharaoh Cheops; its founder
being a priest of Isis. It has as its objects the spreading of the Wisdom which comes from of
Old among all races and tribes in Africa, and the study and practice by its members of what
we call Ukwazikwesithabango, which means that science which depends on the power of
thought. It is the only true science there is.

The following are the grades of the Brotherhood and some of the powers and functions they
exercise.
(1) The Pupil. The Pupil is one under probation which lasts from one to three years. During
this time he is under instruction by a Master and subjects himself to certain
disciplines. If found worthy he enters the Brotherhood as a Disciple, at the end
of his period of probation. If unworthy he is dismissed back to the world.

(2) The The Disciple is an avowed member of the Brotherhood and subject to its
Disciple. disciplines. Under instruction he develops certain powers. That which in
English is called “Mesmerism”, is usually one of the earliest to develop.

(3) The Brother. A full member of the Order with many developed powers, of which I may
mention, only, power of communication by thought with those of equal or
higher development, and what European occultists term astral consciousness.

(4) The Elder. An advanced Brother.

(5) The Master. The teacher of all lower grades. The Master has many developed powers
(clairvoyance and clairaudience on the Etheric Plane, and control in a certain
degree of Master, among many others). Mastership can be attained only by
one who in a past life has reached Elder brotherhood.

(6) Those who Of these it is not permitted to speak save to say they have attained
know consciousness on the Plane of the Real Self. Only one who has reached
(Isangoma). Mastership in a previous life can gain Isangomanship.

Besides the above, we have lay Disciples and lay Brothers. They are men who are prevented
by circumstances from becoming vowed to the Brotherhood. They are subject only to self-
imposed disciplines and receive but such teaching as can be given from afar. We have many
lay Disciples, not merely in Africa but in Asia, Europe and America. Lay Brothers,
however, are but few, for without direct instruction from a Master few can reach this grade
without incurring grave dangers. We constantly warn all unavowedDisciples against the
danger of attempting to attain a brother’s powers, unaided by the direct instruction of a
Master.

Let it not be thought that our Isangoma, elevated though they be, represent the supreme
development possible to Man on the Physical Plane. It is not so. There are others, not of any
Brotherhood, save the Brotherhood of All. We call them Abakhulubantu (that is, Supreme
Ones, or Perfect Men). These are men for whom the necessity for rebirth has ceased. They
dwell on earth in physical form by their own will, and can retain or relinquish that form as
they choose. I speak of them but to assure the Pupil of their existence. Few, below the
Grade of Master, have ever seen one in the flesh, though all, from Disciple upward, may
meet them in the spirit.”

Of the occult powers wielded by Mandhlalanga and his fellow Master, I saw several
examples, but of these I do not feel at liberty to speak here. The reader has had, already,
sufficient food for thought. I shall conclude with a rather cryptic quotation
from Mandhlalanga on The Source of the Brothers’ Power. Mandhlalanga had this to say:
Of the source of the power we wield, the Pupil can learn but little until he attains
Discipleship. But let him ponder this much. I have likened Individuality to whirlpools
in the Cosmic Ocean. But all that Ocean has not been cast into individuality. Between
the “whirlpools”, myriad though they be, stretch wide, smooth spaces, identical with
them in composition. Now it can well be conceived that a “whirlpool” by setting up
minor vibrations within itself may send out ripples through the smooth spaces
which will strike upon and affect in some degree other “whirlpools”. All the
“whirlpools” are constantly doing this. Now suppose a “whirlpool” to have gained
power to control its internal vibrations and to send them pulsating through the Ocean
towards whatever objective it desires, can you not see that it may produce upon that
objective whatever effect it desires? Now think of the “whirlpool” as being a Man. Is
it not clear that by getting full control of the vibrations of his higher planes, he
may despatch through the Cosmic Ocean of which he is a part, ripples of various
kinds and intensities, which, according to their nature and strength, will produce
effects on all strata, from the highest, which is of course the most sensitive, even down
to the “slime” and “mud” of the depths.

There is abundant evidence that The Saying of the Ancient One came from ancient African
wisdom tradition embodied in the Great Sphinx – the Mighty Altar that guards the Holy
Land where the Nahar (Greek Nile) River meets the Mediterranean sea. Records still exist
of great antiquity, preserved and partly disclosed, which contain ancient African wisdom.

Connection Between Bonaabakhulu BaseKhemu Brotherhood and AmaZulu

‘Bonaabakhulu basekhemu Brotherhood’ actually refers to the Zulu ancestors who were
born and bred, lived and some died in ancient Egypt and some were dispersed throughout
the whole world. They lived under and the reign of King Khufu of ancient Egypt. They
served King Khufu.

It is clear from the writings that the AmaZulu are the descendants of Horus Kings, and
acquired their Khemetic and Gnostic philosophy from God Ptah (Hermes), through ancient
Egyptian Mystery schools. That is why the ancient Zulu priests would conduct their affairs
and always acknowledge their source of knowledge to ‘Bonaabakhulu basekhemu’,
meaning the Khemetic Mystery school priests of ancient Egypt, who were of Zulu/Bantu
extraction.

The African brotherhood (Bonaabakhulu Abasekhemu) is considered the oldest and

predate any treaceablelineage of every other religious tradition on earth today. It goes back
to approximately 3900 BCE. The next closest tradition in terms of age would be Vedic
tradition, which based on the Rig Veda, could be traced back to about 1500 BCE, and even
the Vedic tradition would appear also to owe some of its spiritual science
to Kamit or Nsemi. The earliest written parts of the Bible would have been written 1000
BCE, based on a tradition dating back to about 2000 BCE. Moses lived about 1300 BCE
during AKHENATEN time. The Bonaabakhulu Abasekhemu Brotherhood of AmaZulu,
South Africa trace their origin to a priest of Isis during the reign of Pharaoh Khufu of the
3rd dynasty (3900 BCE) and builder of the Great Pyramids.

The genes of the South African Bonaabakhulu Abasekhemu Brotherhood are found in every
tribe and nation throughout the great African continent, and indeed beyond.
The Bonaabakhulu Abasekhemu Brotherhood are of the oldest group with traceable origin,
and the fact that the name can be easily re-written in Kikongoas “Children of our ancestors,
our father Creator” means that they strongly related not only to the KongoBantu people but
also to the original man, Adam.

Southern African records, which were destroyed by the Portuguese and others, revealed that
the forebears of the builders of Maphungubwe and Great Zimbabwe, simply called The
Builders, left behind them a family of Wise Ones who acted as teachers and priests.

The universalism of African culture and religion was highlighted by Theodore Besterman in
his collected “Papers on the Paranormal” (New York: Garrett 1968 p.
103). Besterman provides abundant evidence of the philosophy of reincarnation and the
transmigration of souls in Africa.

Ancient African wisdom survived the Roman, Arab and European plunder, slave trade and
colonialism and remained to inform medieval African civilizations in Western, Central and
Southern Africa.

The greatest exponent of the African doctrine of Divine Light (Kara) was the African Sage,
Plotinus (204-270 AD). Plotinus, whose philosophy was misrepresented as neoplatonism,
described the Divine Light (Kara) as the One Good or the Beauty and represented the spirit
or word (Khem) of God (Ptah) upon the Chaos (Nun) created the universes and all animate
and inanimate things.

In other words, the motive force of all living and non-living things is the Word or Spirit of
the Unknown and Unknowable God.

The Teachings of Bonaabakhulu baseKhem Brotherhod

The following were taught at mystery schools of ancient Egypt:
1. The interaction of the negative (Nut/Ntu) and positive (Ra) produced the triune
principle ThauThaumaatkara (gr. Thaumturge) which created twelve macrocosmic gods
through a process of transformations and adaptations. These celestial bodies constitute the
macrocosmic universe. The macrocosmos replicated itself and produced
the microcosmos which is structurally and substantially the same. This relationship is
embodied in the law of analogy which says “As Above, so Below”. According to this
law, the macro-microcosmic order and all animate and inanimate things within it evolved
from the One or the Good, and the mother thereof is the moon (Ma/Maia) and the father
thereof is the sun (Ra), in short, Mara or Maria.

2. The ancient pillar (Zindj-ka-Fura) contains the totality of being which we must unpack in
order to understand the nature of reality.

The Ancient Pillar consists of the following:

= Kabachat/Mundu (ether)
= Manu (water)
= Aakhet (fire)
= Rastau (earth)
= Amenti (air)

3. Both the Cube (Kaba) and ancient pillar (Zindj-ka-Fura) consists of four elements (water,
fire, earth and air) and the fifth element (ether or quintessence)
called Mundu or Kabachat. The fifth element comprises:
Ka+ba+ chat = Kabachat
M + u + ndu = Mundu
M + u + ntu = Muntu
M + u + nhu = Munhu
M + o + tho = Motho
Mind + thought + word = Higher Self
Spirit + soul+ reason = Higher Self

4. The quintessential quality of the human personality is called

Ubuntu, Ubundu, Botho etc. This ethereal (or quintessential) quality of the human
personality is also shared by the word, or intelligence of the Unknown and Unknowable
God ThauThaumaatkara or Usarmaatra: Usara + maat + ra = Usarmaatra
Mena + maat + ra = Menmaatra
Nuba + maat + ra = Nubmaatra
ThauThau + maat + kara = ThauThaumaatkara
Ka + ba + chat = Kabachat
M + u + ndu = Mundu
M + u + ntu = Muntu
M + u + nhu = Munhu
M + u + thu = Muthu
M + o + tho =M

5. The inner human personality (i.e. divine spark, God within or indwelling spirit) is
consubstantial with the universal word or intelligence of the Unknown and Unknowable
God.

Hence, the African Sage, ThauThau-Harama (Greek: Thoth-Hermes), said that the deceased
are immortal gods and the living are mortal gods.
He proclaimed that the human being is the greatest miracle
(magnum miraculum Homo Est). The adage was the foundational principle of
African humanism which was adopted, adapted and distorted by European renascent
philosophers.

6. Both theology and science are based on time, space and matter. Time flows from, and it
is linked to, being, becoming and passing away. Time, not being is recorded in calendars
which relates to physical rather than the spiritual reality which inform them.

7. All the western calendars are adaptations of the ancient African zodiac of Dandura (the
Greek Dendera)which is substantially the same with the zodiac of Matendere which was
found near Great Zimbabwe and taken to Cape Town Museum.

The Danduran Zodiac comprises:

• The Great Mother (Hathara)
• The Great Bull (Hara)
• The four cardinal gods or points (Kheru)
• The seven cows (Het-heru)
• The twelve divisions of heaven (Bemben) called zodiac (Bakare)
• The twenty four divisions of heaven (24 hours) of the day
• The thirty-six deacons divided into three ten days months (10 X 3 = 30)
• The twelve divisions of heaven multiplied by 12 months of 30 days each (12 X 30 =
360 days)
• The number 360 represents a circle or revolution called IAO (or Jah i.e. the beginning
and the end) which reproduces five elements on five successive days. These five days are
called the birth days of the gods.

These gods are:

1. Usara (gr. Osiris)
2. Sethe (gr. Set/Sutech/Satanuka)
3. Usasi (gr. Isis)
4. Naphta (gr. Nephtys).

Thus, the zodiacs of Dandura and Matendere give us a year of 365 days.

The IAO (or Jah) Abaraka or Abakara (Greek Abraxas) manifested itself as the lion or Leo
(pard) known as the king (Fura or Kapha) of Ethiopia (African Atpu). The
King Kapha (Greek Caephus) became the prototype sacred (or divine) king of Ancient
Africa (both Ethiopia and Egypt). The concept Kara(or Raka) found expression in
the Charaoh (Greek Chirho) monogram.

8. The Karaite theology is embodied in the Sphinx (or Iynx) symbol also known as
the Bemben (Latin. Bambino) stone, which represents the primal god’s child. The Sphinx is
the only earthly symbol of the African Mystery God (IHVH) popularly known as Jah(u) or
Jehovah.
Al-Karibuyan) which comprise:
• P = God (Cube or ancient pillar)
• Four Beasts before the throne of God which symbolize:
o The four winds
o The four cardinal points
o The four rudders of heaven
o The four gods which preside over the four quarters of the world

The Book of the African Sage ThauThau-Harama (Greek: Thoth-Hermes) which deals with
God and celestial matters was adapted by the Essenes (a branch of the Great
Kara Brotherhood) and renamed the Ethiopian Book of Enoch.

9. The Bull of Heaven (IAO or Jah) divided itself into fourteen parts corresponding to the
seven Pleiades stars and the seven outer planets which culminated into the universal word of
intelligence called ThauThau-Harama (Greek Thoth-Hermes) who created the cube (Kaba)
or ancient pillar (Zindj-ka-Fura) which reproduces all earthly life.

10. The fourteen parts of the One or the Good, plus the universal word or intelligence,
constitute the fifteen descending lunar gods and their fifteen ascending lunar counterparts.
Together these gods (15 + 15 = 30) constitute thirty (30) days of the lunar months. In other
words the thirty (30) lunar days determine the relationship of God, time and the human
being.

The thirty (30) days of the lunar months correspond to the twelve divisions of heaven and
add up to (30 x 12 = 360) days of the year. This annual cycle generated five gods on five
successive days bringing the total number of a year to three hundred and sixty five. The
number 360 represents evolution and involution (i.e. the beginning and the end). The
number 5 (five) represents five constitutive principles of the ultimate reality.

The Ultimate Reality

We have said God is unknown and unknowable. The first manifestation of God took the
form of ten primal principles of being which culminated in the Great Mother (Hathara).

The Great Mother (Hathara) generated the son (Hara or Kara) who came to be known as
Karana (or Harana).

The son (Karana or Harana) is symbolized by the three stars of the Orion (Urhana) belt also
known as Usarmaatra, Nedemba (or Nedomba), Makolobeng, Luonde (i.e. the place of the
pigs).

The son was the triune principle which became the foundation of the law of generation
which says in a right-angled triangle, the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the
squares on the other two sides.

The Law of Squares

Usara2
Horus2
Osiris2
Ra2
Maat2
a2 + b2 = c2
Usara2 + maat2 = Ra2
Nuba2 + maat2 = Ra2
Mena2 + maat2 = Ra2
Usara2 + Usasi2 = Hara2
Osiris2 + Isis2 = Horus2
Harana2 + Mara2 = Kara2
Mind2 + soul2 = word2
Spirit2 + soul2 = reason2
32 + 42 = 52
9 + 16 = 25
25 s25 = s25
5 = 5

In this law of squares, the number 25 represents the 25 divisions of heaven and the number
5 represents the five constitutive principles of being.

The number five (5) represents the ether or quintessence and the four elements. Therefore,
we talk about five elements. But the fifth element is a triune element comprising mind,
thought and word or spirit, soul and reason. It therefore follows from this that the numbers 5
and 7 are substantially the same and are both vehicles of primal life.

Perhaps one needs to explain who was Hermes since he features quite a lot in this paper.

Who was Hermes?

The ancient Ethiopian founders of ancient Egypt introduced a theosophy (i.e. Divine
wisdom) and sciences, which came to be attributed to the ancient Ethiopian (or black
African) sage – Harama or (Thoth-Hemes). In other words the Hermetic philosophy and
sciences, which were taught in dynastic Egypt came from Khem or ancient Ethiopia’.
He was an Ethiopian (black African) sage. Hermes Trismegistus, who the Greeks
called Hermenubis or Thoth-Hermes, and was known to the Romans as Mercurius, while
the Arabs and Jews called him Idris and Enoch who is the “Father of World Religions”
wrote thousands of books, which are found in his collected work called
“Corpus Hermeticum” which was found in his tomb by archaeologists. Forty (42) of these
books later became a compulsory study for all those who entered the Order for priesthood.
That was in the year 10 490 BC. Hermes developed what is now called the Hermetic
Philosophy and Science.

There is much confusion in ancient and modern learned circles about who Hermes actually
was. Scholars of mythology said he was just a myth, as was Mercury, his equivalent to the
Romans. His Egyptian equivalent, say some scholars, was the Egyptian god “Thoth.” The
god Thoth or Hermes, was the moon god, who was the god of time and of its divisions. He
was the measurer and the god of measurements. He was also the conductor of the dead, and
god of human Intelligence, to whom are attributed all the productions of human Art. To the
pagan Egyptians, all the literature of Egypt is attributed to Hermes. All the writings that
relate to the different sciences, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and music of the
Egyptians were called by the Greeks “The Hermetic Books.” In Greek mythology,
Hermes was known as the son of Zeus and Maia. He was the god who invented dice, music,
geometry, the interpretation of dreams, measures and weights, the arts, letters, etc. He was
also regarded as the patron of public treaties, as the guardian of roads and writing. Thoth to
the Egyptians was considered a great king, a teacher of mankind, who had left books of
magic and mystery behind him. Numerous books of such a sort once existed in Egypt.
Clement of Alexandria claimed he knew of 42 so-called Hermetic fragments which could be
found in the works of Stobaeus, Cyrillus, Suides and Lactantus. The Hermetic Books fall
into two groups: The first deals with Astrology, Alchemy, etc.; while the others are
dialogues describing the soul’s regeneration in terms like the Cabala. This is the
blasphemous doctrine that man can reach perfection through his own efforts by journeying
through the higher spheres of knowledge, then after death, become God. Tradition says the
Egyptian mysteries were a key to a complete knowledge of the Universe and man. And this
so-called knowledge was preserved in these Hermetic books which were believed for
centuries to be written by Hermes Trismegistus. These books were universally accepted
among the doctors of occultism as authentic books of Hermes until the early 17th century,
when they were proven to be a fraud. They had actually been written as late as the second
and third centuries AD, by a succession of anonymous Greeks living in Egypt. However,
even though these Hermetic Books were not directly from Hermes, as the occultists said,
there are still some interesting facts to learn about who Hermes was, this legendary god of
wisdom. To start, we need to take a deeper look at the other gods of the Orient who were
the Eastern equivalent to the Western god Hermes. They were known in history as Nebo
(Nabu) and Eel. Alexander Hislop, who spent years tracing down ancient gods to
Babylonian origin, has some very interesting facts compiled from the ancient past in his
book The Two Babylons. In this book Hislop states the following:

If Ninus was Nimrod, who was the historical Eel? He must have been Cush; for
Cush begetNimrod (Gen. 10:8), and Cush is generally represented as having been a
ringleader in the great apostacy. But again, Cush, as the son of Ham was Hermes or
Mercury; for Hermes is just an Egyptian synonym for the “son of Ham.” Now, Hermes
was the great original prophet of idolatry; for he was recognized by the ancient
Egyptians as the author of their religious rites, and theinterpreter of the gods.” To the
occultist, tradition says the Egyptian Mysteries were a key to a complete knowledge of
the Universe and of man. But the truth is, Egypt received its knowledge of the ancient
Mysteries from Babylonia. In the traditions of the ancient writers, Ninus is said to be the
son of Eel who Gesenius the ancient scribe identifies as Nebo, the Babylonian prophetic
god. And Hyginus, another ancient scribe, shows that Nebo was Mercury.
And, Hyginus tells how a similar legend was written about the confusion of tongues as
stated in the Bible. Hyginus is quoted by Hislop: “For many ages men lived under the
government of Jove (evidently not the Roman Jupiter, but Jehovah of the Hebrews),
without cities and without laws, and all speaking one language. But, after that Mercury
interpreted the speeches of men (whence an interpreter is called Hermeneutes), the same
 individual distributed the nations, then discord began.” Now the ancient
Egyptians often named places, cities, and towns after their chief gods. A mount called
Nebo east of Jordan over against Jericho, in Moab, part of the Abarim range, with a top
called Pisgah, is where our Lord told Moses to view the land which he couldn’t enter
because of his transgression. The word “Nebo” means height. The word “Baal”
means Lord, but the name “Eel” means “The Confounder”. The ancients often got the
two names Baal and Eel mixed up as do modern scholars today. The Scriptures
themselves show that Baal and Eel were two distinct gods with two distinct names. In
Jeremiah 50:2; 51:44 we read: “Declare ye among the nations, and publish, and set up
a standard; publish and conceal not; say, Babylon is taken, Eel is
confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces, her idols are confounded, her images are
broken in pieces.” “And I will punish Eel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his
mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more
unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.” Now, Eel the Confounder or, in other
words, the god of confusion, was himself to be confounded by the destruction of Babylon,
the origin of all pagan religions. Today, the city of Babylon is just as it was predicted to
be, and now is a symbol of religious confusion throughout the world which will, in these
last closing days, unite under one banner. To the Romans the god Eel, who actually
was Nimrod’s father Cush, was worshipped as Janus, the two faced god, the god of gods.

Ancient Egypt was founded by Hermes (of Ancient Ethiopia)

The name of Cush is also ‘Khus‘ for ‘sh‘ frequently passes in into s; and Khus. Nebo and
Eel are synonymous. And the symbol of this god (the club) is called the hammer in Scripture.

The word Her is synonymous with Ham, or Khem – the burnt one. This name formed a
foundation for covertly identifying Ham with the Sun, and so deifying the Patriarch after whose
name the land of Egypt was called. The Scriptures themselves state that Egypt was founded by
Ham. “Israel also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the Land of Ham.” “Her is the name
of Horus, who is identified with the Sun, which shows the real etymology of the name to be
from the verb to which I have traced it.

Then, secondly, ‘Mes‘ is from Mesheh for, without the last radical, which is
omissible. Mesh, ‘to draw forth.’ What all this means is “Mes” was used by the ancient
Egyptians to show the genealogy of the name applied. This will explain the Egyptian names of
Kings of Egypt such as Rameses, which means “The Son of Ra,” who was the Egyptian Sun-
god, whose incarnation was “Osiris.” Hence, “Hermes” or “Her-Mes” means “The Son of Her,”
or Ham, who was Cush. “And the sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, and Phut, and
Canaan.” Now it was really Cush who was worshipped as Hermes, Eel, Nebo, Mercury,
etc., that was generally represented by the ancients as their god who was the author of
Astrology, Magic, Spiritualism, etc.

“Hermes”. In all the old manuscripts and records which contain the legend of the craft,
mention is made of Hermes as one of the founders of masonry”. There are two persons of the
name of Hermes mentioned in sacred history. The first is the divine Hermes called by the
Romans Mercury. Among the Egyptians he was known as Thoth. Diodorus Siculus describes
him as the secretary of Osiris; he is commonly supposed to have been the son of Mizaim,
and some say he was the same as Osiris. The second was Hermes Trismegistus or Thrice
Great, who was a celebrated Egyptian legislator, priest, and philosopher, who lived in the reign
of Ninus, about the year 2670 (BC). He is said to have written thirty six books on theology and
philosophy, and six upon medicine, all of which are lost. There are many traditions of him; one
of which, related by Eusebius, is that he introduced hieroglyphics into Egypt. This
Hermes Trismegistus, although the reality of his existence is doubtful, was claimed by the
alchemists as the founder of their art, whence it is called the Hermetic science, and whence we
get in masonry, Hermetic degrees. And whence we get in Masonry, Hermetic rites and
Hermetic degrees. The legend of the craft in the old constitutions refer to Nimrod who was first
to teach the arts of masonry! Now here lies a key to understanding the mysterious rituals of
Freemasonry. Just as the women who worshipped Thammuz were led to weep for the god
because in the myth all the images wept for him, so does the Freemason mimic the myths of
the Sun-godsduring their Hermetic Rituals. Just as the Roman Catholic is taught to mimic the
death of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, so does Freemasonry imitate most of the myths of
Baal worship. Here from their own publications we will learn the real purposes and goals of the
leaders of Freemasonry.

Conclusion
It is clear from this that the history and nature
of Bonaabakhulu baseKhem Brotherhood originated from ancient Egypt, and that it
trained those carefully selected few to become Izangoma. You start as a Ithwasa and
graduate into becoming a Sangoma. A Sangoma should be fully possessed
with Itongo spirit. In Zulu we say: Ungenwe yithongo or idhlozi.

Secondly, clearly there is a connection amongst the ancient Zulus, ancient Ethiopians
(Nubians) ofancient Sudan or Nubia, Hermes, Pharaoh Khufu, etc (see my article
‘Beyond UMnguni – Our PrimvalFather’, 2015 by Bhengu).

If we are to believe what Bowen says about Mankanyezi’s origin and race, then we are,
logically speaking, influenced to believe the argument that says
the AbeNguni/Zulus originate from ancient Egypt, and they actively participated in the
civilization of ancient Egypt.

REFERENCES

Books and Articles

Besterman, T., 1968, Papers on the Paranormal, New York

Bhengu M.J., 2014., AmaZulu: Ancient Egyptian Origin, second

edition, Mepho Publishers, Durban.

See also Bhengu’s article ‘Beyond UMnguni – Our Primeval Father (2015), published
in Bhengu’sblog ([email protected])
 Bowen P.G., (n.d.) The Sayings of the Ancient One, Rider & Co, Paternoster House,
Paternoster Row, London EC4).

Joseph H. and Cranston S.L., 1977., Reincarnation – The Phoenix Fire Mystery Julian
Press/ Crown Publishers Inc. New York 1977 p. 190-191).

Mutwa. V. C. (2003) Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies and Mysteries, Destiny

Books, Rochester, New York

National Geographic: Culture Record, The Zulu Nation in South Africa

Record. Ethnologue Language Family Tree Record National Geographic: Culture
Record, The Zulu Nation in South Africa Record. Ethnologue Language Family Tree
Record

Nabudere N., 2008: Towards an Afrikology of Knowledge Production and African

Regeneration. The Marcus-Garvey Pan-Afrikan Institute, Uganda.

Ngubane J.K. 1979. The Conflicts of Mind, Book in Focus, USA, New York

The Quantum Vision of Simon Kimbangu, 1921.

Internet
http://www.studiesincomparativereligion.com,

http://www.kara.co.za/home.htm

http://www.z2a.co.za/iks/programme.htm

Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 3, No. 2. (Spring 1969) © World Wisdom,

Inc.

The Bible
Psalms 105:23, 27

Isaiah 46:1,

Jeremiah 50:23.

Romans 1:23, 24
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