A guide to a wholesome life

Book Review
Title:  The Way of the Light
Author:  Lutanga Shaba (Mbuya Muhera)
Published: 2013
Pages : 80

If ever there are people who were born to thrive because, rather than in spite, of controversy, then Lutanga Shaba is certainly one of them. From writing a book detailing some “shameful” personal secrets that many would never want revealed even when they are long dead, to challenging societal set-up that always seems to favour men ahead of women; from speaking openly about her HIV status, to setting up a dating agency for HIV positive people, the lawyer who also holds a Masters degree in Policy Studies has been everywhere and has seen it all. As if that is not enough, after a brief hibernation, she is back with a bang… with a manual on how to endear ourselves to God, having graduated as a spirit medium.
Now rechristened Nzinga, Muhera WevaNguni (Mbuya Muhera), in her latest book The Way of the Light, Shaba insists that despite differences in religion, praying to God is the same, what differs is how the people — who God purposefully made different — do it, but the ultimate goal is the same.
The book, which she said she wrote on instructions from God through ancestral spirits, is the first of a series of manuals for “tapping into our roots for solutions to living in oneness with God.”
“There are some of us who think there is something inherently wrong with being black, African and speaking a local language. Those who think spiritual practice within the African context is necessarily evil. There are those who think that our way of life as Africans is inferior to that of other races. This is an insult not just to ourselves, our brothers and sisters, our ancestors, but also to the Creator.
“Were we not created in the holy image too? We know that the creator only creates perfection. God loves diversity, for how else can the divine creativity be expressed if not through the staggering range of the different species of life form, including the species of the human race?”
She adds: “If we think as Africans we are inferior, and that what we do in tradition, custom, dress, language, and prayer is all wrong, where does it leave us as a people? Does it mean God should just exterminate us, for we serve no purpose on earth and are just like weeds in a garden? Salvation does not lie in rejecting who we are.”
The book says the problem with many people was that they were looking for wrong solutions to their problems. “Many of you have soul hunger. Do not look to the things of the earth to satisfy this craving. Soul craving can only be fed from the waters of the river of life. You can have the best car, house, clothes and food, the most sought after spouse, but these will not satisfy a soul that craves nourishment from Spirit.”
Mbuya Muhera says for people to embark on a journey to self-discovery, it is important that they change the way they think and live, starting with loving and forgiving themselves.
“You must forgive yourself for all that you have done to demean the glorious person that you are. You do not need to cover up to anyone because you know what you have done. It is not about impressing anyone. Face up to yourself. Alone.
“Have you lived your life like the vessel of the Divine, or have you alienated yourself from joy? Remember, this is not about judgement. It is about recognising that which is blocking your good from coming to you.
“Start with the small things and as you feel the guilt lift through the grace of God, move on to the heavier things; the petty theft when you took someone’s nice pen, buying that fancy cell phone that was obviously stolen, backstabbing a colleague at work, sleeping with your friend’s partner, lying and covering up for a mistake that  you made, stealing, in whatever form, giving and or accepting bribes, cheating on an exam or competition, being abusive and hurting another through hitting or words that wound, killing directly or indirectly, inciting violence, being hateful, thinking bad thoughts about someone who has what you wish you had, knowingly selling defective goods, cheating on your partner, be it your boy or girlfriend, husband or wife; contributing to the destruction of someone’s marriage, sabotaging a competitor’s business,     letting an innocent person suffer when you know the culprit, destroying other people’s property, forcing sex   on an unwilling partner, sexually abusing a child or workmate, gossiping and slandering others, being spiteful in actions that harm others, usually based on fear, envy or jealousy …the list is long.”
The book also lists some of the behavior that it says alienates people from the light:
– It is not natural to amass immense wealth and hoard it for yourself when others are extremely poor. Those whose wealth comes from God know it is a gift to share and be of service to others.
– It is not natural to be obese and suffer from diseases of eating too much when others are starving and go without food for days.
– It is not natural to have ten houses from a source that is meant to benefit all when others have no roof over their heads or a place to call home.
– Do not use genetic modifications to change how you look or to live longer life spans. It is an insult to God and it will create whole generations of old people. Life must be allowed to renew itself. Accept aging gracefully and die with dignity. It is only those who do not know their true nature that fear death. Death is something to look forward to and the preparation for it is living your life in spirit and in oneness.
– Material wealth on its own is good. It is the mindless pursuit of it that is creating problems for humanity. You have been convinced that you are not enough, you are not adequate, you are not successful if you do not have the latest car, a big house and fancy clothes. So why do we pursue them with such single mindedness, when all they do is cause so much misery, and lure us from our true purpose on earth.
Always good at lurching from one controversial subject to another, Shaba (popularly known simply as Luta Shaba) also consultant, policy analyst, executive director and founder of Women Trust in Zimbabwe, is the author of an infectious novel, Secrets of a Woman’s Soul (2005), which she says is based on her own life story. In the reverting book, she in which she portrays the life of a mother who fights to shape a better future for her child and does so at her own expense where she becomes a commercial sex worker and contracts the HIV virus.
Her other work, Power Stepping, is a handbook of life skills on teenage-hood, peer pressure, sexuality and how girls should be in full control of their own bodies.
Away from her writing and her new duties as a spirit medium, Shaba — a gender activist and a politician in her own right — is also involved in Hapana, a dateline she set up exclusively for HIV positive people.