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SUNRISES: THE GIFT OF THE EAST - Onyeji Nnaji

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    The secret of the unique feature which the east, everywhere around the globe, has maintained lies deeply on the contribution of the sun as the first born among everything created. The existence and presence of the sun directly defines and mark for inspirational cartographers the pointer to the direction where life began in the time of creation. Because of the presence of the sun in the east, creation had to begin in the east since that was the only place life could survive. For these reasons, the sun became the highest mystic source for man. Among all the nations of antiquity, altars, mounds, and temples were dedicated to the worship of the orb of day. The ruins of these sacred places yet remain, notable among them being the pyramids of Yucatan and Egypt, the snake mounds of the American Indians, the Zikkurats of Babylon and Chaldea, the round towers of Ireland, and the massive rings of uncut stone in Britain and Normandy. The Tower of Babel, which, according to the Scri

THE SUN AND THE COSMIC POWERS - by Onyeji Nnaji

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     A quintessential analysis of the religious systems of pagandom uncovers much evidence of the fact that its priests served the solar energy and that their Supreme Deity was in every case this Divine Light personified. Godfrey Higgins, after thirty years of inquiry into the origin of religious beliefs, is of the opinion that “All the Gods of antiquity resolved themselves into the solar fire, sometimes itself as God, or sometimes an emblem or shekinah of that higher principle, known by the name of the creative Being or God.” Proper knowledge of the mystic strength of the sun is gained via careful consideration of the idea of the sun as a concept in the east. The knowledge of what the sun is to the aboriginal inhabitants of the eastern horizon exposes any researcher to the mystery behind the solar power. The Igbo of the east call the sun Anyanwu. The syntactic composition of the word gives room for two references which is natural and supernatural in nature. The first morphem

THE RISE AND FALL OF IKENGA by Onyeji Nnaji

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THE IGBO LEGEND OF THE COSMOS The Igbo solemnly believe in the interpolated relationship amidst the cosmic entity and the human being on earth. Igbo cosmology speaks more of the descendancy at the initial time and letter, the ascendancy of the Igbo fathers. Ikenga prominently has occupied this mythology. Therefore, to the Igbo he becomes the legend of the cosmos. Ike-Ani, popularly known as Ikenga was rated as the celestial hero and architect of the cosmos in the Igbo cosmology. Osuagwu (2010) has rightly articulated that: The Igbo composite personality is Ikenga, where Ike = Force, Nga = Motif;  Ikenga = Force Motif; Driving Force). The chi supplies the vision; the onwe(self) supplies "will", but only righteousness can sustain the union and guarantee success. Igbo ethics is anchored on the need to avoid unrighteousness that could divorce the "onwe" from the "chi" and dissolve the Ikenga; the chi as a spark of God avoids the possibility of polluti

MYTHS AND THE NKALAHA WORLD - Onyeji Nnaji

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Various symbolic narratives - usually of unknown origin and at times partly traditional - that ostensibly relate actual events and that which is especially associated with religious belief are prominent in Nkalaha history. These symbolic narratives are however distinguished from some symbolic behaviour or practices typified by cult activities, ritual processes and symbolic places or objects, such as temples or icons. These might be represented by specific accounts of gods or the acts of some superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience. Prominent among these is seen in the life of Onojah who was challenged by a human-bird and he conquered it (Nnaji 2003). The concept mythology therefore, denotes both the study of myth and the body of myths belonging to a particular religious tradition. As was the case with all religious belief, there are several ways and ob