Rastaverse is a Rasta resource Hub. Naturally, we focus on the Rasta Religion and movement. Given that, if you want to learn more about the Rasta culture then Rastaverse.com is your best resource. Most importantly, we serve those that are fans of the Faith, especially Rasta believers.

We are proud that our Rasta Resource Hub can provide a digital center and forum for Rasta voices, issues, history, and discussions.

Our Quest

At Rastaverse,  our quest is  maintaining our Rasta Resource Hub, providing a virtual space for Rastas to learn, worship, and grow.

At Rastaverse, we want visitors to use our Rasta Resource Hub to learn more about the Rasta religion. We hope assisting current followers to share their Faith will guide younger believers.

What Our Rasta Resource Hub Offers

At Rastaverse, we have everything to fuel your Rasta Passion. We have content that covers vital Rasta figures, like Haile Selassi I, Marcus Garvey, Leonard Howell and Bob Marley. Our tools also include , Ital recipes, Reggae music, movies and more. By checking out our Blog, you can explore a wide mixture of Nyabinghi, Reggae, and Reggae sub-genre music. There's also a Patois dictionary, prayers, quotes, articles, a forum and a marketplace and more!

Therefore, why don't you explore Our Rasta Resource Hub, Learn More about Rastaverse, and the Rasta movement behind it all!

What We Do Makes Us An "Awesome" Rasta Resource Hub

If you ended up at Rastaverse, you were probably researching Ras Tafari or seeking more information about the Faith. Maybe you wish to become a Rasta. As a result, you probably noticed that the web is lacking resources for this special faith.  

Sadly, there isn't much information about the Rastafari Movement on the web.

The main reason for Rastaverse existing is filling that void, by providing a virtual home for this modern religion. We extensively cover every major category related to the Rastafari religion, movement and lifestyle.

This is why what we do makes us a great Rasta Resource Hub. Happily, you can find more than just a few scattered articles from the Web about aspects of Rastafari history and tradition here. In addtion, believers cannot trust articles written by "Babylonian" sources, like in Western media and academic journals. They mislabel the faith "Rastafarianism". This is why Rastaverse is devoted to the Rastafari religion and won't disrespect the Faith.

Rasta Shop

We have tons of authentic Rasta gear in our Rasta Shop. Visitors can discover reggae festivals and other events around the world in our Events section, and gain inside knowledge of Rasta slang with our online Patios Dictionary. Our guests also enjoy entertaining and informative clips, performances and even films in our Video section. They explore Ital food in our Recipes section, and even Subscribe for updates and communicate with Rastaverse's developers to make suggestions, add words to the Dictionary, or recommend improvements to the site. Just Contact Us anytime.

Rasta Support

In creating Rastaverse, we wanted to provide a resource and web home for believers. We have great respect for the Rastafari ways of peace, brotherhood and righteous living in a fallen world. It is our hope that you find the content informative, enlightening and inspiring. We pray we aid in living a more full life, in spite of the illusions that Babylon imposes upon us.

Remember to support our work by subscribing, shopping, sharing our pages, and following us on social media. If you have any questions or feedback, please get in touch with us at hellorasta@rastaverse.com. 

Rastafari History Begins ....

...in the 1870's with the colonization of Africa. European nations took many Africans as slaves for centuries before. With colonization, Europe divided Africa up and abused and enslaved the people and the lands in a brutal manner. The areas of colonial control became known as Babylon. Among Rastafari today, Babylon refers to the (white) slave drivers that oppressed the black race for centuries, and the system that controls us today. They used real thralldom in colonial times, and switched to economic means after slavery ended. For that reason, the Rastafari movement was formed, to oppose Babylon. They wanted an end to the control of blacks so that they could return to Zion (Africa), their Promised Land.

Inspiration For The Rasta Movement

The Rastafari movement is a religion that began in Jamaica during the 1930s. Mainly, it started among the poor and oppressed in Jamaica, suffering in Babylon. (Rastas view western culture as "Babylon", an entirely corrupt part of the world.) They also think that Africa is the center of the world. Rastas think paradise on Earth returns to Africa in the End Times. They strongly reject the immoral society of materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, their Babylon.

Marcus Garvey Prophecy 

Moreover, a black political leader known as Marcus Garvey made a prophecy that kick-started the Rasta Movement. Followers today call Marcus Garvey a prophet of the Rasta faith. He was the second John the Baptist for the Second Coming of Christ in Ras Tafari. Marcus Garvey believed in Black unity, Black identity, and Black empowerment. In addition, Garvey led an organization known as the Universal Negro Improvement Association. The UNIA wanted blacks returned to their land of origin. Above all, Garvey preached, "look to Africa, where a black king shall be crowned. He shall be your Redeemer." In fact, this statement became the foundation of the Ras Tafari movement.

Ras Tafari Was Crowned

Surprisingly, the Marcus Garvey prophecy was quickly fulfilled, following the crowning of Ras Tafari as Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia. Many saw this as proof that Garvey was a prophet.

Leonard P. Howell Starts The First branch of Rastafari

Leonard P. Howell started the first Rasta congregation in Jamaica in 1935. He preached the divinity of Haile Selassie I. Even more, he preached that all blacks would gain prestige over whites, which was always promised for them. His actions encouraged others to help develop and spread the tenants of Rastafari theology.

Haile Selassie Names The Religion

The Rasta religion takes its name from Haile Selassie's I original name. Haile Selassie's birth name was Tafari Makonnen before his coronation.

The name Ras Tafari comes from Ras, which is the title for Prince, and Tafari, his name at birth. Hence the name Rastafari.

Who Was Haile Selassie

In brief, Prince Tafari was crowned emperor in 1930. His lineage is traced back to the biblical King Solomon. As a result, Jamaicans and Rastas alike started praising him after his crowning. Even more, to Rastas, Haile Selassie I is God. Believers call him the Black Messiah, Jah, Jah Rastafari, and The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Followers believe, as promised in the Bible, that He will redeem them from cruelty, send them back to Africa.

At that time, leaders in Europe respected the new Emperor greatly. This was because Ethiopia in the 1930s was free of colonial oppression.

In 1966, Haile Selassie I visited Jamaica. He was greated by throngs of passionate Rastafari followers.  When the Emperor died in 1975, many Rastas did not believe it and thought it was a hoax. But for most believers He still remains their God and King.

So What is a Rasta?

Consequently, a Rastafari (often called a Rasta) is a member of the Rasta movement and faith. Most Rastas live in the Caribbean, most notably Jamaica, although believers live around the world.

Followers of The Faith

Rasta followers worship Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia. They think of Him as the Second Coming of Jesus Christ on Earth.

Reggae Music helped Spread the Movement

Reggae is a music genre that developed in Jamaica during the 1960s. This music brought Rastafari beliefs to an international audience.

Bob Marley was the most notable figure in Rastafari culture. Backed by Island Records, he helped spread his religion across the globe. Reggae reached much further than the working-class Jamaican culture from which it sprang. Even today, many reggae artist are a part of the Rasta movement.

Some classic Rastas were disturbed by the fame of reggae. They feared that their faith would be taken up as a cultural fad. They worried it wouldn't be treated as a solemn religion.

Views That  Fuel The Rasta Movement

The Rasta Movement offers a vision of unity. The great division in society is not race, but class. Blacks and whites can work with each other and break up systems of global 'downpression'.

Rastafari is More Than a Religion. It's A Movement and Way of Life!

The Rasta Way of Life

The Rasta lifestyle is one of peace, or at least it seeks to be one of peace. That is to say, Rasta are harassed and oppressed throughout the world. Sometimes, Rastafari turn to violence for survival.

Uniquely, the Rastafari faith has no set book of rules. They honor the Judeo-Christian traditon, and believe in the Bible. They see modern Western culture as "The Whore of Babylon". These times are "The Thousand Year Reign of Satan" as mentioned in Revelations. However, not all Rasta’s follow the same customs, either.

The Rasta Flag

Green, gold and red are important colors in the Rastafari movement. These colors come from the Ethiopian flag and show loyalty for Emperor Haile Selassie.

Red is symbolic of the blood shed by blacks, enslaved and killed throughout history.

Green represents Ethiopia’s beauty and vegetation and Gold symbolizes the natural wealth of Ethiopia.

Rasta Traits

There are several things that define a Rasta.

In short, Rastafari do not drink alcohol, cut their hair or believe in an afterlife. However, they do spiritually smoke marijuana.

Rastas have a strict all-natural vegan diet called Ital. Most Rastas are vegetarians, or vegans. They eat raw food (mostly fruit and vegetables). They avoid eating meat and drinking alcohol, coffee and milk. Rasta's consider their food as I-tal (vital) which means pure and clean.

Rasta Beliefs

Rastas believe in Jah and Zion. Dreadlocks are a common hair style of Rastas. Dreadlocks are an expression of spirituality. The term "dread" refers to a "fear of the Lord". Dreadlocks are the most noticed sign of a Rasta follower. They view it as something divine because the Bible forbids cutting your hair. Dreadlocks also stand for a lion’s mane. The animal embody strength and power to Rastas.

Naturality is a vital part of the Rasta life. They practice meditation, having faith, that their way of life improves through the practice. Most Rasta's hope they will sooner or later live in Africa.

Rastas worship a single god, called Jah, who lives inside the human being. Therefore, they often refer to themselves as “I and I”, marking the presence of the Holy Spirit within the person. "I and I" is a central concept in Rasta beliefs. It reflects a radical ID of Man in God, God in Man, and the wholeness of all Beings: "One Love".  They also often use “I and I” instead of “us”, “them” or “you”. It is a sign of equality and oneness of all people. This practice can sometimes be a bit confusing.

The Movement Today 

To repeat, most Rasta's don't think of their movement as a religion but as a way of life. However, others see it more as a faith. Today, the Rasta movement has over one million fans worldwide, and tens of thousands are mindful of Rasta's beliefs. Are you one too? Let us know!

With Rasta's, there is a wide array of divine and moral change within the faith. They have no formal arranged leadership. To point out,  no Pope, priest or parish, and no real place to go (outside of Rastaverse) to gather and worship.  For this purpose, they believe God lives in them so their bodies are their Temples. On our Rasta Resource Hub you have a great place to start and find JAH and Rasta knowledge.