The Cosmos & The Earth

🌞 COSMIC CONNECTION & THE SOLAR SYSTEM 

1. Know that African cosmologies recognized the stars, sun, and moon as divine beings.
   
   

2. Understand the solar system's structure—sun, planets, moons, and their orbits.
   
   

3. Learn how the Dogon people knew about Sirius B before modern science.
   
   

4. Study ancient Egyptian astronomy and solar calendars.
   
   

5. Recognize that the sun (Ra, Nyame, etc.) is a symbol of life, order, and guidance.
   
   

6. Learn how lunar cycles influence planting and spiritual rituals.
   
   

7. Observe solstices and equinoxes as sacred times of transition and balance.
   
   

8. Map constellations visible from your region—know their ancestral stories.
   
   

9. Study how maroons, nomads, and seafarers used stars to navigate.
   
   

10. Know that your DNA is made of stardust—literally connected to the universe.
    
    

11. Understand gravitational relationships between Earth, sun, and moon.
    
    

12. Honor the sun’s energy by rising early and observing sunrise rituals.
    
    

13. Learn about Mercury retrogrades and African understandings of celestial shifts.
    
    

14. Practice stillness under moonlight—many rites happen at full moons.
    
    

15. Know the names of planets in African languages or cosmology.
    
    

16. Build a model of the solar system as a family or group.
    
    

17. Document your feelings or spiritual insights during celestial events (eclipses, alignments).
    
    

18. Know that solar flares, magnetism, and auroras affect Earth and your energy.
    
    

19. Explore how planets impact planting, growth, and harvest rhythms.
    
    

20. Learn ancient timekeeping methods—sun dials, moon-based calendars.
    
    

21. Know that the stars hold memory, and ancestors are often said to become stars.
    
    

22. Connect astrological birth charts to self-awareness (with African-centered insights).
    
    

23. Study the relationship between agriculture and celestial tracking.
    
    

24. Honor fire (sun) as a sacred element in African spirituality.
    
    

25. Remember: You are a child of the universe with a divine assignment on Earth.
    
    

🌍 EARTH & EARTH STEWARDSHIP

26. The Earth is alive and sacred—treat her as your first Mother.
    
    

27. Learn about the layers of the Earth—core, mantle, crust.
    
    

28. Know the elements—earth, air, fire, water—and how to live in harmony with them.
    
    

29. Practice rituals of gratitude to the land you stand on.
    
    

30. Know your ecological footprint and reduce harm.
    
    

31. Understand what erosion, pollution, and climate change are doing to the Earth.
    
    

32. Learn indigenous and African eco-philosophies (Ma’at, Ubuntu, Ifa).
    
    

33. Study local ecosystems—learn the plants, animals, insects, and water systems.
    
    

34. Know the soil types in your region and what they grow best.
    
    

35. Make compost from your food scraps—return life to the land.
    
    

36. Learn how to build and care for healthy soil.
    
    

37. Know how to protect water sources and prevent contamination.
    
    

38. Participate in land clean-up and environmental justice work.
    
    

39. Learn how to filter water using natural materials.
    
    

40. Practice natural building (mud bricks, cob, etc.) where possible.
    
    

41. Walk barefoot often—practice “earthing” to connect with healing soil energy.
    
    

42. Know the trees around you—name them and learn their uses.
    
    

43. Observe weather patterns and natural signs.
    
    

44. Speak to the land with respect—it listens.
    
    

45. Learn basic permaculture design principles.
    
    

46. Study African environmental stewards (Wangari Maathai, Baba Dioum, etc.).
    
    

47. Plant pollinator gardens and native species.
    
    

48. Learn to live with less plastic and synthetic materials.
    
    

49. Teach others how to respect the Earth.
    
    

50. Remember: Earth doesn’t belong to us—we belong to Earth.
    
    

🌾 THE LAND & LAND STEWARDSHIP 

51. Land is power, memory, and freedom—know its sacredness.
    
    

52. Learn the history of land dispossession and theft in your lineage.
    
    

53. Know about the 40 Acres & a Mule promise—and how it was denied.
    
    

54. Understand the connection between land loss and wealth inequality.
    
    

55. Study African land-based traditions (ancestral farms, community land).
    
    

56. Participate in or support land back and Black land trust movements.
    
    

57. Learn how land is zoned and how to purchase/protect land.
    
    

58. Understand land titles, deeds, and inheritance laws.
    
    

59. Learn how to restore degraded land with regenerative practices.
    
    

60. Walk the land regularly—observe its needs and speak to it.
    
    

61. Know how to respectfully forage (never take more than the land gives).
    
    

62. Map your local food system and identify land access points.
    
    

63. Grow food even if you rent—use pots, shared plots, and vertical gardens.
    
    

64. Build relationships with elders and farmers who know the land.
    
    

65. Know that sacred sites (springs, trees, hills) should be honored.
    
    

66. Plant trees that will live long after you.
    
    

67. Learn how to co-steward land with others (family, friends, community).
    
    

68. Teach younger children to touch and care for the soil.
    
    

69. Practice land ceremonies during seasonal changes.
    
    

70. Know your USDA plant hardiness zone and what grows best there.
    
    

71. Learn about land tenure in African and diasporic history.
    
    

72. Host gatherings on land to build connection, memory, and ritual.
    
    

73. Support land-based healing retreats for your community.
    
    

74. Document your relationship with land in art, poems, or journals.
    
    

75. Vow to protect the land for those yet unborn.
    
    

🌱 FARMING, GARDENING & FOOD Sovereignty 

76. Know how to plant, grow, and harvest at least 10 food crops.
    
    

77. Learn the history of African crops (okra, black-eyed peas, sorghum, collards, etc.).
    
    

78. Study African-American farming traditions (Gullah Geechee, maroon gardens, Freedom Farms).
    
    

79. Save seeds and start a seed library.
    
    

80. Practice companion planting (planting crops that benefit each other).
    
    

81. Identify medicinal plants and herbs around you.
    
    

82. Cook dishes using food you’ve grown.
    
    

83. Study the lives of Black agriculturalists (George Washington Carver, Fannie Lou Hamer).
    
    

84. Build raised garden beds, containers, or rooftop gardens.
    
    

85. Harvest with gratitude—never take without thanks.
    
    

86. Learn to build irrigation systems or water catchment tools.
    
    

87. Teach others how to garden—share the knowledge.
    
    

88. Participate in or create a community garden.
    
    

89. Compost with others—turn waste into nourishment.
    
    

90. Understand the link between food and medicine.
    
    

91. Eat seasonally and locally as much as possible.
    
    

92. Know how to grow in both rural and urban spaces.
    
    

93. Understand your role in food sovereignty movements.
    
    

94. Practice food sharing as a form of resistance and care.
    
    

95. Be aware of GMO, monoculture, and corporate farming harms.
    
    

96. Celebrate harvests with cultural rituals and meals.
    
    

97. Build soil year by year—soil is living and sacred.
    
    

98. Learn farming through elders, not just books.
    
    

99. Keep a garden journal—track lessons, growth, failures, and blessings.
    
    

100. Know that to farm and grow is to reclaim your divine birthright.