The famous symbol of Gye Nyame (meaning Only the Supreme Being) is a reference to the fact that Nyame (the Akan-Ghanaian Supreme Being) is the only being in existence. Ra Un Nefer Amen teaches that when Afrakans say we believe in the Supreme Being, we are not referring to a being that is above other beings, we are referring to the fact that it is the only Being in existence; all beings exist within this One Being. This One Being is the Universe.
This is the meaning of Gye Nyame and the reason it is shaped like a cyclic pattern, much like the galaxy. It does not mean “only God” in the sense of fear only “God.” Nowhere in the akan phrase “Gye Nyame” is the word fear. That is a new meaning that the Christians gave it to align with the biblical obsession with fearing “God.”
This Afrakan concept of the Supreme Being is not limited to the Akan of Ghana, but found in every Afrakan culture. This is why most Afrakan names for the Supreme Being mean “The Universe is Lord” (and not Lord of the Universe as Europeans try to mistranslate).
For example, the name Nebrtjr was a name for the Supreme Being in Kemet, meaning “the All (universe) is Lord.” The Yoruba also have the same exact meaning for Olodumare. Both are mistranslated as “Lord of All” when in fact they mean “the All is Lord.” This is a reminder that nothing is above the All, that everything we do should be in consideration of the all, not just ourselves, but of the effect our behavior has on the whole universe.
Because Europeans have no concept of “the All is Lord,” their behavior shows a lack of perspective about how they effect all the Earth, which is why their shortsighted culture naturally produces resource depletion and chronic pollution.
Prosperity is assured if in our every action we remember the symbol of Gye Ny-Amen (Nyame), of Nebrtjr Olodumare, the “All is Lord.”
-Khonsu N
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