Wednesday, August 31, 2016

In The Night


By: Angela Mayah Solstice

Some mornings I open my eyes and I shudder inside. To wake-up in a state of anxiety is a burden I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. It’s not like this every morning, yet in still, how to predict the winds of happiness, sadness, or anxiety is something I don’t fully understand nor have mastered. Although I must admit, I’d really like to!

What I have seem to master are the evenings. They are not so monstrous because I know on most occasions, I have given the day my best efforts. I made the best decisions possible, I interacted with others with all of the kindness and understanding my heart could give. I’ve learned the evenings are a time of reflection, renewal, and feeding the soul. It is not plagued with the morning rush of problems to be solved, jobs to be done, or people to care for.

I fully embrace the idea of letting tomorrow worry about itself—at least in the evenings. During the day, I give it all my thinking power, utilize all of my intuition, and call upon my Divine support who are a phone call away. I give my best self, and seize upon the day with all of the wisdom from my yesterdays.

We are all capable of having a peaceful sleep. Like the one they say Jesus was able to do lying in a boat as the sea raged violently. I say it’s a sign of an unruined heart, a sweet soul, and a strong spirit. It is the grace bestowed upon those the most deserving of it all. I am thankful for this grace, for I remember the long sleepless nights that were inescapable when in the middle of a bloody war. Where my watchful eye and alert mind were needed until the sun came about again. Yet when all seems okay, even if for one night, although the war is still to be had in the coming days, use it to your advantage. Give your soul a rest.  

May our souls get the rest and care they need this night. May our fate await us tomorrow with us already knowing we will make it through once again. May our souls sustain us, our Earth Angels maintain us, and our God protect us always. 

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Tuesday, August 23, 2016

L to R Maisha, Angela, Courtney, Verina

By: Maisha B.

As I sat back on my couch a few mornings ago in meditation, I reflected on how blessed I am for the souls that God has connected me to. I come across a lot of people being a nail artist and singer, and have learned that with every encounter there is an opportunity to learn something we can apply to our lives. However I share a very special connection with three women that I'm very grateful for. I call them my Reiki sisters, two of them I've known since I was a child and the other I met a couple of years ago in our Reiki class. I have a bond with them that's so special and powerful. It’s truly been a healing journey with my sisters. We're learning a lot about healing and we have a lot more to learn. We took a Reiki class together and got certified to do Reiki healing for Levels I & II. It has allowed us to feel each other from miles away and we can heal each other from far away too, that's very powerful to me. I believe everyone has the ability to heal someone. Growing up I always wished I had special powers not realizing I had them all along.  

Learning to no longer be afraid and embrace the powers the Creator has given you can be an amazing experience. It’s so incredible when we can use our gifts and see them work to help people. I’m telling you life isn't about material things; I've learned life is about discovering what’s really valuable and important in life. The Creator gives to us all that we need, and it don't cost a thing. It is such a blessing to know that all things that come from God are free except water, but we know who puts a price on that in the society we live in. 

It was very interesting the other day when I came across a Facebook video about Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez from the popular singing group TLC, speaking about her journey on an island where Dr. Sebi was healing her. She expressed that the water was so healing because it was high in nutrients, and it helped her a great deal by drinking and bathing in it for 30 days straight. She stated once she returned back to the United States she could smell the chemicals in the water, and it burned her skin. Watching her video showed me the tremendous healing she was able to experience by being away from the United States. I could see it in her eyes that she was witnessing something so powerful and amazing to her that she was sharing with the world about all she was discovering. Left Eye brought so much energy and power forth as I watched her video that I came to the conclusion that being able to learn about natural healing powers are one of life's many blessings.  

All of my Reiki sisters have a powerful mission on Earth and I'm so grateful that we are connected. I envision myself exploring the world with these beautiful sisters some day to discover even more powers that lie within each of us.  

To my Reiki sisters I love you, and I thank you for being apart of my journey called L I F E. 



Left Eye Speaking on the tainted water system decades ago

  
    Facebook: Maisha Boyd
    Snap: Maishatheartist
    Email: meeshabnails@gmail.com
    
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Sunday, August 21, 2016

Love Thine Self



By: Verina Zonise

I love to fly. One of things I still get a kick out of is when the flight attendant announces, “Put your oxygen mask on 1st before assisting children and seniors”. For most women, especially mothers, that statement seems counter intuitive. Our natural response to an emergency is to save our babies first or our loved one, but then who will save us? Self -care is probably one of the most essential things a woman can do. We cannot help anyone if we’re not serving from our overflow. Can you get money out of the ATM without making deposits? If so direct me to that bank!

It’s the same for us. We give so much to others but we forget to give back to ourselves. Think about your car, it needs gas, oil changes, and other maintenance—we need all that too in a sense. If you stop and think about it you probably already have some self-care activity that you could do more often. While going through my separation I needed a routine. It kept me sane and helped me to remember that I’m an interesting person, not just a wife or mother. Every night I would run a bath, take my time cleaning my face, sing & dance naked in the mirror, and then read silently in the bath. This routine was very gratifying and freeing for me. Once I got use to my new normal and even now I keep these routines going. I also try every morning and night to talk to God, meditate, and doing some reading or journaling.

Here’s a list of some self-care things that I love and helps to keep me grounded. Try one, some or all, and let me know some of your favorites below in the comments:

  • ·      Mommy Time (I do this when I need to decompress. A sign goes up on my door for 15 minutes and the kids know to not disturb except for an emergency ONLY)
  • ·      Long baths
  • ·      Glass of wine
  • ·      Journaling
  • ·      Reading
  • ·      Dancing
  • ·      Painting
  • ·      Facials
  • ·      Massages




 
     Instagram: Verinazonise
     Web: Verinazonise.com
     Email: Consultzimage@gmail.com

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Friday, August 19, 2016

Healed with Style & Grace

Photo: Instagram.com/Jaihudson_



By: Angela Mayah Solstice


"I was healing and I didn't even know it. It was happening just by my wanting to feel different...one of the reasons why many of us don't feel balanced and headed toward our soul purpose is because we are afraid of it."
from Healed with Style & Grace


If I could of written a book that related to what I call the “Love & Hip-Hop” generation, a new book I’ve read Healed with Style and Grace would’ve been it. If I could chronicle what growing up on the South side of Chicago was like for me, what Hip-Hop culture meant to me, what being associated to the entertainment industry was like, and give the story of my family dynamics, I would of tried with all my might to make it come out as this memoir did. My biggest block has always been my lack of memory. Every time I’ve come across a person who can story tell so vividly, I always think to myself, damn why can’t I seem to remember? When you’ve had trauma in your life such as mine, you sometimes chop up memory loss to a survival mechanism; not remembering helped me to cope. So how some can recall their experiences, it is clearly a gift. Instantly as I began to read the pages of Healed with Style and Grace, it took me to another world. I went with Jai and I went with my younger self. Numerous times I began to weep and sometimes just to take a breather, but I couldn’t run away from it, it kind of takes you captive and doesn’t let you go.  

“I always thought that if I let my emotions run free I might go mentally crazy. And I somehow started to attach feelings and emotions with being weak. Which is so far from the truth.”
From Healed with Style and Grace

I had the privilege of seeing the author of the book Jai Hudson recently after being away from New York the past four years. I had come over to reconnect and visit with friends when things quickly changed. Just to make conversation I mentioned to Jai that I saw she had written a book and asked her if she had a copy on hand so I could skim through the pages while I was there. As she readied the book for me I asked why had she written it, Jai instantly stopped, sat down next to me, stared me straight in the eye and said, “ I decided to forgive my mother". I caught on pretty quickly that I wasn’t going to simply skim through the pages; I was going to go home, buy it, and read it for myself. And here we are.

So many are ready to tell their story. Many are being called to do this and let me tell you, if you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it. The world hasn’t taught others to deal with us. Us who know that things are not how they should be. That the life we endured was not how it was suppose to be. And how we choose to deal with it, which is to speak up, better ourselves in spite of, or to take the healing journey—we are thought of as outcasts. Our healing journey's looked upon as some alternative lifestyle, a hobby, an outlet—at it’s worse, someone needing mental health services.

“Unhealthy emotions I was experiencing were dimming my light big time. These emotions disabled my heart. I couldn’t be the light I was created to be because these heavy emotions I was holding on to darkened my light.”
From Healed with Style and Grace

Yet in the case of Jai’s story who came from the Brooklyn projects, had a stray bullet come through her living room window—and was in such a desolate place, wished it had hit her, had her head together more than the adults in her life. She went on to graduate high school and received a full college scholarship, and even spearheaded and successfully brought the AKA sorority back to Syracuse University. Jai traveled the world styling for some of the biggest entertainers in the industry. But that was the not the meat of the story. That was not her claim to fame, her biggest triumph that she self admitted, was healing herself. And that is what blew me away. No society conditioned messages of education being the key, or religious dogma, just straight up truth and healing. In a world where so many of us are searching for answers and feeling like outcasts because of it, I believe we are the answer we have been looking for. By sharing our stories we are healing each other and ourselves. Miss. Jai you healed with Style and Grace indeed, I thank you for answering your calling—I hope your story reaches all who are searching and needing answers right now. Job well done.

“In life no matter how many tricks you learn, or weapons you acquire, what brings you to victory is always YOU.”
From Healed with Style and Grace







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Unaware



By: Angela Mayah Solstice


“There is something beautiful about being on fire for justice”
Dr. Cornel West

I have not always done well at being aware. If it was being aware of the people around me, or the realities of the world--I spent many years so self-absorbed I couldn’t see past my own issues. It’s safe to say when I became conscious again, I say again because I believe we all started out conscious, but depending on our experiences lost our way a little or a lot—It was an overwhelming feeling. When I was able to feel compassion and love for the world and others, even while sometimes going through my own stuff, I thought I couldn’t take it. I remember being up late nights listening to Malcolm X speeches or combing over pictures of Trayvon Martin—thinking I might just pass out with feelings of sadness and anger.

Talking to a close friend recently we both realized that we instantly thought about others right after feeling our own feelings, we quickly thought, “How had others gone through this.” Thinking about others had us to feel our own affections on a deeper level. We went from crying about our own stuff, to crying for everybody! I think upon random people when I’m at my most desperate and down ridden times, I always think on how someone else had gone through it a little less self-sufficient, a little less sure of themselves, with less support, and less resources be it psychologically or financially.  

I remember a time when other people’s problems were too much of an inconvenience to take on. I had always admired good listeners, people who were able to be good friends, and feel emotions on a deeper level, but not in an overreaching or dramatic way. That through my own healing I’ve been able to come to this place again, gives me a peculiar comfort that I hadn’t expected. What I know for sure is this; I was able to do this after I finally allowed other’s to be there for me. I believe I was born with and for sometime possessed well meaning characteristics like patience, friendliness, compassion, and open heartedness—but through my own trials became lost and unaware. I thank God others showed me the way, and brought me back to a place where I could have love and compassion for myself, and others.



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