“I never took it off,since you put it on me”
The Healing Benefits of Wearing Copper
By Ebrima SaidyBa
Most people will lift up their fist, and show me their copper bracelet
I am thankful for my first God-given tools — my hands. With my hands I can create, cultivate and construct, thanks to all the teachers who have shown me how to use them.
Ever since I learned how to make copper bangles it has been a life-changing experience for me. I no longer have to depend on outside work — I can now depend on copper bangles that my hands produce, and when I don’t have enough, I am not doing enough with my hands.
This is what’s been said about copper. Copper is an essential trace mineral, necessary for survival. Most of the copper in the body is found in the liver, brain, heart, kidneys and skeletal muscle. Copper plays a role in energy production. Copper is a versatile and useful metal for both metaphysical and physical healing purposes; it resonates with the earth elements and teaches the ancient ways of walking in balance with the planet and all the beings upon it. The affirmation for copper is, “I call upon the forces of the higher world to manifest on Earth through me.
More and more people are learning about this metal, especially shoppers in Little Five Points. So people are always looking for some copper from me. After I share some of the benefits of copper with my customers, I also let them know that the copper bangles they purchase are helping to fund a film project about homelessness in Atlanta, so there is meaning, purpose, and a cause behind Ebrima’s copper bangles. We all want something with meaning and a little purpose behind it.
Right before I put your bangle on you, I always say “Bismillah, in the name of your Maker may this metal help you!” Let me share with you some genuine stories people have told me about their experiences with this miraculous metal.
I woke up in my tent this morning at the Rootz of Change farm on the east side of town. After watering the plants I took a shower, dressed and got ready to head out for my meeting with my Rootz of Change farm co-workers in Little Five Points. While riding my bike on Redan Rd., heading to the train station, I heard someone honk at me. When I turned around to look, it was a woman driving. She asked me if I had any copper bangles on me! I replied, “Yes,” and she pulled over to the gas station on the corner. It was a little shocking that someone would ask me for copper way on the other side of town from where I usually sell them, but right then she bought all six bangles I had it make nice jewelry for her to wear and an the healing benefit of copper.
From there I continued to the Indian Creek station and got on the train to Inman Park. I am always early for meetings, so I decided to ride to the bookstore close by. While riding on Moreland Ave. I heard another car honk, this time in the neighborhood where I work. Again it was a beautiful woman asking if I had any copper bangles on me. I said “No, but here is my number. I am about to make more after my meeting. Just call, I will be on the street making them.” The young lady called two hours later and came by. We talked while she watched me make her copper bangles. She felt happy about her copper bangles and said she would be back for more. I told her, “Now that you have my number, you don’t have to find me. Just call whenever you or a loved one needs copper.”
The health food store in Little Five Points is where I’ve met some of these wonderful people before I owned a stall in another store nearby. For some time the parking lot attendant never bothered me for selling copper bangles there. One day the attendant told me that there was a woman looking for me. This woman had told him she had met me there on the lot when she was in pain and had bought a copper bangle from me. Soon after she put the copper on, her pain had ceased, so she came back the next day to get more! When I heard those words I humbled myself, remembering that the healing of copper only comes “in the name of your Maker.”
An old man told me that six months after he got his bangle he is almost ready to throw away his cane and go find him a nice woman. A young woman in my neighborhood Melany, told me that on her travels out of state in a store somewhere she had seen another woman wearing the bangle, and they both knew the bangles came from Atlanta. People will go into stores and see others with bangles, and show theirs by putting their fist up.
I remember the day I was first taught how to measure and cut the metal to make a bangle out on the old train tracks by a brother named Quinn from Virginia. I am grateful for his insights. He told me to measure 6 inches and cut. He also showed me how to use a hammer to flatten the ends. A few days later I was making and selling copper bangles and hoping to perfect them through time.
Within few months after learning the basics I met another brother, Abdoul, from Mali, West Africa. Abdoul is an incredible jeweler who mainly works with gold. It was fascinating to watch him melt the gold. He shared with me that he had learned to make jewelry from his father, who was taught by Abdoul’s grandfather — jewelry-making was obviously a legacy in his family! From Abdoul I learned to perfect the bangles. He told me it was good that I already knew the basics, but he would not let me go out selling bangles unless they were made according to his family standard.
I had the chance to live and work with Abdoul for about a year before he moved back to New York. After he left, I felt responsible to make neat and clean bangles the way Abdoul would like to see them. You can see now why people are looking for me for copper — not only because of the usefulness of the metal, but also the workmanship that goes into it. After a while, people in the neighborhood were talking about the fine bangles I made. May you also be recognized by your work!
The copper bangles I make are really simple, nothing fancy — a bangle you can sleep and shower with. You can wear it every day if you like, it works for you even while you are asleep. You don’t ever have to take it off! I make them for man, woman and child. The only thing fancy about the bangles is the three lines engraved in the copper, which are a reminder for you: in all your worldly affairs, remember knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. There will come a time in Atlanta when we will all need to have these three to be able to coexist.
I have talked about the genuine experiences people have had in response to the copper. Here is mine. For few years I had poor blood circulation in both of my feet, along with corns and thick, hardened layers of skin. Sometimes I felt so much pressure on my legs that it exhausted me and walking became a problem. Thank goodness for my bike! For about a year the people I sold the bangles to would tell me what the metal did for them, but I never tried it myself. Maybe I was thinking I was superman or something. But when the pain grew worse on the bottom of my feet, I finally tried putting on a copper anklet.
It took a week to get used to the feel of the metal on my ankle. One week after that, I was moving around much faster with less pain and pressure on my legs. A year later I am now thinking about jogging for physical exercise, which I wasn’t able to do for few years. Consider me now a first-hand witness to what copper metal can do for the body, along with the natural supplements I have been using, such as moringa, sea musk, and a few others.
Part of my giving back with the copper is teaching. I have worked with nonprofit organizations in town such as Habesha, a pan-African organization that helps to cultivate leadership in youth through practical experiences in cultural education, sustainable agriculture, entrepreneurship, holistic health and technology. I had a chance to join them on a weekend camping trip in the woods of Georgia with about 30 students. My job was to share the knowledge that was shared with me about copper. They brought their own copper metal and I brought my tools along. It was an honor to show the students how to make a bangle in case they may have a project to fund in the future. They learned to use a hammer, pliers and other basic jewelry tools. Some of the young brothers who are regulars at the Rootz of Change farm also got lessons from me.
I hope that one day when everyone has their copper bangle, the current we will generate together will help us all walk in balance on this planet and connect us like the circle of the copper spiral.
