I wanted the introduction of this brand to be a gentle invitation to start thinking critically about the texts, ideas, etc…that people hold the most sacred. If you start with that as a foundation, there are a lot of places you can go.
Why Genesis?
I decided the name of the first collection would be Genesis for a number of reasons. On the surface and most obviously, this is the beginning of something that I hope to be very impactful. People recognize Genesis and “In the Beginning” from nearly every walk of life.
But, there’s are a few more subtle reasons. First, like the actual book, this project is something that developed over time with a continual polishing of it’s purpose. It took ideas and experiences and formed them into a cohesive finished idea similar to the text.
In my blog about how the brand started, I detail diving into many different religious texts and the complexity of the dynamic of how I interacted with religion. At a macro level, it was easy for me to have a strong distaste for religion as each application has taken a belief system originated in the African continent and flipped it to damage, dominate and control its descendants.
“The religions began to decline when outsiders, foreigners: took over those elements, organized them for their own political purpose, gave them a name and began to project them to the world for their political purpose. Then the outsider created a religion, but he forgot the African substance, and the African substance was spirituality. B/c if you have spirituality you can use anyone of them or none of them. B/c the african spirituality, encompassed the essence of all of them. ” – Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Taking a strong position against Christianity is a right of passage for most newly “conscious” folks” . However, in my view this approach among them (which clearly doesn’t refer to Dr. Clarke), of which I was certainly guilty, lacks sophistication. Some of the best people I know subscribe to a Christian ideology. Further, it is a core tenet of what makes them good people in their view. Instead of shunning that or starting at a place where its difficult to find common ground, I believe spirituality leaves room for commonality and provides the foundation for a bridge rather than destroying a potential one.
Bet, I’ll hear you out…tell me more
The idea of Mosaic authorship (that Moses wrote the Torah) pretty much died in the 17th century among academics. Since then, there are three main theories about it’s creation:
Documentary Hypothesis: 4 independent sources that were each a separate text were joined together at various points in time by different editors into a single text (The Torah).
Y: “Yahwist” is responsible for the: creation myth, Cain and Abel and their descendants, and most of the stuff about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Joseph, features and refers to God (in human form) as Yahweh.
E: “Elohist” refers to a non human God as Elohim and begins after Abram for the more detailed version of the Exodus. Thought to be a variation of the Y source at this point.
D: “Deuteronomist” which deals with Deuteronomy and the deal between God and doesn’t appear in Genesis.
P:”Priestly” source is seen as basically a series of revisions and editing to the Y source.
This theory explains unity of the Torah and it’s diversity. This theory is strongly weakened by the way too convenient feel of the editors. Basically, the sky opens up and the editors appear to tie the theory together.
Fragmentary Hypothesis: A collection of a large number small fragments that were combined over time.
This theory accounts for the diversity, but falls short in explaining the consistency of the timeline displayed in the Torah (Genesis, especially).
Supplementary Hypothesis: Single core group of texts that is supplemented by fragments taken from many sources over time.
This theory, the one to which I subscribe, best explains the structural consistency of the Torah, but also explains the variation in styles and use of language.
It also supports the most logical explanation of why it was written, in my opinion. Basically, the Persians who had conquered the area at the time agreed to give Jerusalem a lot of room to manage themselves, but wanted a single code of law. The two sides making up the community were priests and landowners who were beefing over a gang of issues. But, the idea that they wouldn’t have the Persians foot on their neck provided real motivation for them to work it out, hence the book of Genesis.
So What You Saying?
Basically, the most logical explanation is that the book was created to manage the masses and keep peace, like most institutions. I wanted the introduction of this brand to be a gentle invitation to start thinking critically about the texts, ideas, etc…that people hold the most sacred. If you start with that as a foundation, there are a lot of places you can go.
I’ll think about it…(or FVCK all that just tell me about the collection).
Above the Noise
The cornerstone of the brand is the idea of transitioning to consciousness through fact based understanding. For me, meditation was a huge part in helping to do that. I wanted an image that truly represented me and depicted that journey. I commissioned an image from the beautiful and talented Marian Mekhail. I came up with the concept and she used her incredible classical skillset to bring the visual concept to life. The result is something that I think came out really dope and of which I’m extremely proud.
Spiritual Savage
A lot of this brand is about juxtaposition b/c consciousness doesn’t usually accept a lot of our old selves. It feels like it asks you to completely reject certain aspects of yourself. I think that’s unnecessary. You can be a better version. Spiritual and a Savage.
Conscious Capitalist
Again, this is seemingly another juxtaposition. I think you can be conscious and practice capitalism in a way to minimize damage and empower rather than to inflict damage and destroy. I was always a capitalist. I just brought it with me.
