The Core Beliefs the Livity

Jah, Babylon, and Zion

At the center of Rastafari is the living presence of Jah. But understanding Jah requires understanding the world the Rastafari were forced to navigate. They created a powerful language to describe their reality, dividing the world into two forces: Babylon and Zion.

Babylon was the oppressive machinery of the West. It was the colonial government, the police batons, the corrupt churches, and the economic systems that kept Black people at the bottom. Zion was the counter-weight. It was Africa, specifically Ethiopia. But Zion was more than a place on a map; it was a spiritual homeland, a state of freedom and justice.

The Power of I-and-I

To survive in Babylon, the Rastafari had to reshape the language that was forced upon them. English was the language of the master and the servant, full of divisions like "you" and "me." Rastafari rejected this. They created Dread Talk or Iyaric, and at its heart is the concept of "I-and-I."

Saying "I-and-I" instead of "we" is a profound theological statement. It means that Jah is present within every person. It erases the separation between the individual and the community. It is a daily, spoken reminder that the same sacred life-force breathes through all of us, and that no man is naturally above another.

Ital and the Body

This resistance extends to the physical body through the concept of livity—living in harmony with nature and Jah. This is expressed through Ital living. Ital is commonly understood as deriving fromco the word "vital." It means eating food that is natural, clean, and drawn directly from the earth.

By avoiding processed foods, artificial chemicals, and often meat, the Rastafari were not just following a diet; they were actively rejecting the artificiality and corruption of Babylon. To eat Ital is to protect the temple of the body from the system.

Dreadlocks and the Sacrament

Perhaps the most visible and misunderstood element of the livity is the growing of dreadlocks. Locks are not a fashion statement. They are a sacred vow, drawing on the biblical story of Samson and the Nazarite tradition.

In the 1950s, as the movement grew in Kingston, locks became a powerful symbol of defiance. In a colonial society obsessed with British respectability and 'normal' grooming standards, a Black man walking down the street with free-growing hair was terrifying to the elite. Locks were heavily policed, mocked, and violently shorn by the state. They were the ultimate rejection of the colonial comb.

Alongside locks is the sacramental use of ganja. While not used by all Rastafari, for many it is the "holy herb." It is not smoked for recreation or escape. It is an incense used during gatherings to heighten spiritual consciousness, quiet the noise of Babylon, and deepen communal reasoning.