5am early rise with my Creator. 

Grateful for this breath I've been given, once again, this day. 

New moon vibrations give inspiration to my Spirit. 

I am present and mindful of my purpose here. 

I sit before my prayer alter and meditate on my beautiful gladiolus that were gifted me. 

They dance before me, stems outspread and curvaceous and regal. 

I imagine that I embody their glory. I close my eyes and say prayers for the souls of those no longer with us in flesh but forever with us in Spirit, from the beautiful daughter of my sister Kandase Khepra, Maatkara, to our community power house sister Jada Russell. 

I am full. 

My heart is both heavy and light. 

In their honor, I live. I grow. I love. 

Olodumare, Ibaiye, Ibaiye tonu; I give praise to GOD, 

the owner of existence and those who have made the sacrifices for life. 

Kosi Ku gbogbo ajogun; keep away all negativity. 

J'eki ni Alafia ati Iwa; give me peace, prosperity and good character. 

Today is the day the Lord has made, and I shall rejoice and be glad in it. 

Asé O!❤

The temple body is sacred. Any jewels I adorn my temple with serve a purpose and/or have spiritual significance in my cipher. This vintage medallion has been with me 18 years. Horses are one of Sango's sacred animals and these beautiful creatures represent transformation and freedom. Just like my horse...darkness cannot hold me...I emerge from the shadows and RISE.✨✨✨🧜🏿‍♀️

New Moon Meditation - Balancing the Emotions

It's the NEW MOON! (ready?)
There is much spiritual work to be done.
I say this repeatedly on my social media bc I know the power of repetition. A tried and true tool for instruction. I am encountering far too many humans who do not know how to quiet their minds, or meditate, or sit alone in silence for long periods of time...these are all necessary tools for real mental, spiritual and emotional growth and elevation. Without it, adults behave as children and children as adults. Just take a look around.
Centering is important and this New Moon for me is about centering the emotions and quieting the intellect. Not silencing...just quieting. The intellect is the dwelling place of the ego and loves to rival the emotions. So this new moon is about balancing the emotions that have taken a real beaten by the ego. We have all been affected by the ego in numerous ways. Emotions are meant to guide and "feel" and discern. That lil birdie on our shoulder that tells us what we know we should do speaks through our emotions. But today's lawless society teaches us to medicate the emotions so we can do what we gotta do to feed the ego. So the ego is what's driving this ship. Below is a simple meditation that I have used for years and years...so much so that it's more like a prayer to me now. Center your thoughts (mind) so that you can hear your true emotions. Dispel any lingering negative thoughts that creep into your psyche daily...it's in the air we breathe. There is much spiritual work to be done...but we have got to be in a space to hear from Spirit if we are to do the works of the Spirit. Each day we must be made NEW.
"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."
~The Scriptures

ONE LOVE!

Peace, Be Still

HEAL THYSELF.

Emotions seem to make us nuts, dont they? All over the friggin place...from happenstance to happenstance, it seems that we can go from 0 to 10 in the blink of an eye depending on the issue (and what sign you are astrologically;-)). The crazy thing is that with all of this emotion comes a myriad of physical responses. Emotions are forms of energy that run throughout our bodies like electrical currents. Each emotion has a frequency of its own and this is where things get real. The most common (and DEADLY) emotions such as Anger and fear resonate at the same frequency as the color red. The root Chakra (genitalia) also resonates at this frequency. Love, however, resonates at the same frequency as ultra-violet light.  It is the highest visible frequency; the third eye Chakra spins at this high frequency as well.
We must carefully watch these emotionally charged electrical currents because they travel along our neural pathways and trigger the release of chemical proteins called neuropeptides (Np). Each Np controls different physiological functions within our body. From Oxytocin & Adrenalin...to various hormones & endorphines, everything we think and feel has the potential to physically help or harm us. For example, joy, orgasms, happiness and laughter cause the release of endorphins, or powerful opiates that make us feel good. Such feelings are extremely helpful because they help boost our immune system, relax muscles, elevate our mood and decrease pain.
Fear, anxiety and stress, on the other hand, release adrenalin, cortisol & norepinephrine. These Nps cause the heart to race, blood vessels to dilate and muscle to tighten. When we feel these kinds of emotions, it is important to find the time to meditate and sort through them. We must positively channel these powerful electrical currents and turn the negative energy into positive energy. Focus on your energy.

 

The Beginner's Mind Meditation
(Clear Your Canvas)

"By meditation upon light and upon radiance, 

knowledge of the spirit can be reached 

and peace can be achieved."

Patanjali, 300B.C.

• Change into loose,comfy clothing so that your sitting is not restricted in any way
• Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed
• Sit comfy on the ground, with your legs outstretched or crossed
• Close your eyes and concentrate on relaxing each part of your body
• Begin at the tips of your toes and envision the blood flowing throughout your body to the top of  your head, the Crown Chakra (Sanskrit) or your Ori (Yoruba).
• Once you are focused on your blood flow, tune in to your breathing pattern.
• Breathe in through your nose (if possible) and out through your mouth, making an "Ohhh"or "Ahhh"sound as you exhale.
• Once your breathing is regulated, channel your attention towards your thoughts and feelings. Let them roam free for a while in your mind, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Next, capture your thoughts and move them to the outer space of your mind. This is called "Clear Your Canvas" meditation. 
• Expeditiously push all thoughts that race for the center of your mind to the outer edges, far left/far right,etc.
• Try to focus on your clear canvas, that is, the pure space in the center of your mind, entertaining no thoughts that try to invade that space.
• Keeping calm and still, continue this exercise for 2 to 5 minutes. 
• Once you reach your calm space, begin to envision a circle. Look through the circle and around the circle. Write the words,"I AM PEACE" inside of the circle. Focus and meditate on these words for as long as you feel led to. If the words try to fade or disappear, re-write them. Let nothing enter into your mind accept for this mantra.
• When you are done, give thanks to God, the Universe and the Ancestors and close out/seal your prayers with "Amen," "So shall it be,"  "Ase," or the equivalent.

Peace be unto you.

Prayer.
This ancient ritual seems to have lost value over time as a result of an instant gratification seeking society. When we pray it's usually because we need something to happen right away. When we pray for a blessing, we want to feel blessed immediately. When we pray for protection, we want to feel safe immediately. When we pray for deliverance, we want to be immediately delivered. If change doesn't happen at the speed in which we feel it should, then we often conclude that prayer doesn't work. This is as wrong as 2 left shoes. Prayer is key to LIFE, but we pray amiss. We as a people have lost our boldness...we've exchanged solidarity and faith for individualism and greed. We no longer believe in our ability to manifest. We lack the patience and perseverance of our predecessors and have forgotten how to make a way out of no way.
The breath (our spirit) provides the force we need to speak things into fruition. The breath of LIFE, then, is the prayer that is formed when we boldly use our breath to speak our words into the atmosphere. That is the work. But then we must have faith (believe) that what we speak has purpose and meaning. Hence the equation, Faith + Works = Manifestation. Prayer is divine magic, a gift that we all have access to. It is not cliché. Prayer is not a joke or a fairytale or something we do to show others we're deep. It's a manifestor's tool that's sharper than a double-edged sword. But what is a sword in the hand of a fool? A mess. And now we've got to clean up this mess and take it back to source. We've got to pray for one another and use our divine breath to bless, not curse. Ive had this little box since college and have been meditating on it's message for years. (Real) prayer changes things. This ancient ritual is tried and true and will be the theme of my ritual bonfire release later this month. Stay tuned... and prayed up. Happy Sunday Love!❤

October 1st Meditation verse:

Do not merely listen to wisdom, and so deceive yourselves. Do what the wisdom prescribes.

 Anyone who listens to the wisdom God has provided, but does not do what the wisdom teaches is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law of SPIRIT that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—

they will be blessed in all that they do.

I feel especially good this day about my purpose in the earth. I mean, it never leaves my mind. I am always thinking about what purpose was assigned to me at birth. I couldn't care less about popularity, inclusion, agreeability, or trend. In fact, these things give me pause. I just wanna be pleasing to God in this life and the next, and share this love with all who will listen and receive.

"God grant me the serenity 

to accept the things I cannot change; 

courage to change the things I can; 

and wisdom to know the difference...

living one day at a time; 

enjoying one moment at a time; 

accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; 

taking, as God did, this sinful world 

as it is, not as I would have it; 

trusting that God will make all things right 

if I surrender to His Will; 

so that I may be reasonably happy in this life 

and supremely happy with God

forever and ever in the next life." Asé.

The present is a gift and I am grateful.

www.pilarsplanet.com 

Thoughts on aging...
As I approach 50 (I am now a ripe 46 years Young), I find myself sitting in my mental window, peeking thru the curtains, and looking back over the morning of life. That is, the active years before 40 and 50. What a difference a day makes, so a decade of LIFE will have you daydreaming over cocktails. I am finding my stride as I witness the afternoon of my life opening up. I am no longer running to the fast pace of the morning, but am now finding time at last for more spiritual, cultural, intellectual, meaningful experiences...many of which were thrust aside in the heat of youth's race to....? The citizens of Amerika, with a terrific emphasis on staying young 'n active and material success, certainly tend to try and avoid the afternoon of life and many even pretend it never comes. We fight to push the clock back and prolong the morning, disrespecting our own mortality and purpose for being here, stressing ourselves out in the most unnatural manner. Of course one cannot succeed when fighting life itself. We are not meant to compete with our sons and daughters. To everything there is a season. Unfortunately in our breathless attempts, we often miss the flowering that awaits the afternoon of life. Midlife is a season that is often misunderstood and tragically misinterpreted. Many people never take time to smell the roses along the road from 30 to 50. I try to smell Every. Single. Rose. I am at peace and am grateful for the PROCESS of life. Over the last decade I have shed my emotional struggles, many of my frivolous worldly ambitions, the material burdens that the youthful morning of life incurs. I am free to begin fulfilling the aspects of myself that inherently take a backseat when we're raising children and running households. If we do it right, parenthood is a pretty selfless lifestyle, for the most part. For me, in this midlife experience, I am free and open for growth of mind, heart and my divine gifts. I am free at last to bask in my own spiritual growth, free of the confines of expectation. I see my history and my future when I look in the mirror. I see God's work in me, and it is priceless. I am comfy in my own skin and I actually like spending time with ME. Henceforth, I project that it only gets greater later... And I predict that I am on the path, full steam ahead, to living my BEST life. Modupé O, Baba! Modupé O, Yeye!! 50, here I come...the golden number of my Iyami Osun.       ~Pilar

7 Laws to Live By

Here are the 7 immutable laws that I live by...
They are always at work weather we believe it or not. If you do not believe, then you will always find yourself in opposition with the natural laws of life, wondering why nothing seems to ever work in your favor. Read, study and meditate on the deeper things; the interworkings of this life plane. Know nature's laws that govern the earth and incorporate this knowledge into your daily rhythm.

The Law of Divine Oneness states that everything is connected. What we think, say, do and believe will have a corresponding effect on others and the universe around us. Our actions must reflect the greater good because, whether we accept it or not, our actions directly and indirectly affect everything and everyone around us.

The Law of Vibration (Attraction) states that everything vibrates and nothing rests. Vibrations of the same frequency resonate with each other, so like attracts like energy. Everything is energy, including your thoughts. Consistently focusing on a particular thought or idea attracts its vibrational match.

The Law of Transmutation states that energy moves in and out of physical form. Your thoughts are creative energy. The more you focus your thinking on what you desire, the more you harness your creative power to move that energy into results in your life. The Universe organizes itself according to your thoughts. Put your energy and effort, your thoughts and actions into attracting what you desire, and you will surely attract the physical manifestation of that energy.

The Law of Relativity states that nothing is what it is until you relate it to something. Point of view is determined by what the observer is relating to. For instance light is only light when you relate it to darkness, positivity is such when you relate it to negativity, Power is so when you relate it to weakness, etc.

The Law of Cause and Effect states that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Every cause has an effect, and every effect has a cause. Be at cause for what you desire, and you will get the effect. All thought is creative, so be careful what you wish for… you will get it.

The Law of Rhythm states that everything has a natural cycle. The tides go in and back out, night follows day, and life regenerates itself. We all have good times and bad times, but nothing stays the same. Change is constant. Knowing that “This too shall pass” is great wisdom about life’s ebb and flow.

The Law of Gestation states that everything takes time to manifest. All things have a beginning and grow into form as more energy is added to it. Thoughts are like seeds planted in our fertile minds that bloom into our physical experience. It is important to stay focused and know that your goals will become reality when the universe conspires to make it so.

Happy First Quarter Moon!!!
Here is my FQM ritual work:
I remember when I was little, all my mamas friends that wore a ton of jewelry were always the ones that stood out in the room. They were either the loudest, the deepest, the most opinionated or the most touchy-feely-kissy face with the wet kisses on the cheek. LOL. Why? Because they are literally walking kinetic reservoirs of energy field magnets...and every piece of jewelry they wear is its own energy field. Imagine that every crystal, every stone and every metal you wear contains the energy of the last time you wore it...or even still...the last thing it touched. Were you angry? Sad? Tired? Overjoyed? or happy? The latter is not so bad, but it is important to care for everything you carry on your divine temple. Did you just take your jewelry off and toss it on the dresser? Leave it in your purse? On the bathroom counter? The kitchen table? Did you think about it or pray over it when you took it off or put it back on to release the energy from the day? hmmmm.
I am very intentional about every piece of jewelry I adorn. I think about it, speak to it and create the effect I want it to have when I adorn it. When I take it off it has a home. My pieces, whether shiny heirlooms or pieces I created or purchased, have a place specifically designated to charge and recharge. I use them a lot on my body so I treat them with love and care. I treat every piece like a sacred gift. Your physical temple is a sacred shrine.
Activity:
1. Gather allllllllllllll your jewelry, clean it with a sacred cloth.
2. Lay the pieces one by one on a sacred mat or fabric
3. Clean your space and designate places or fixtures on which to hang or store your jewelry and clean those fixtures. Let your creativity guide you. It can be one central place such as a chest or drawer or, if you're a little OCD with it like me, you can find all the things in your space that you deem sacred, bless them and hang/store a piece of jewelry there so that the entire room becomes a kind of sacred museum of your personal adornments! (Nina Simone LOVED to see her jewels hang too! #SheThroughMe) I use pictures, flower vases, plants, candles, artifacts, pretty containers and all sorts of inanimate objects in my "woman cave." Your jewelry over time will look and feel so different. Trust.
People underestimate the magnetic energy of the FQMoon, and it's ability to magnify our divine intentions on this earthly plane. The next 3 nights (including tonight) are ripe for such projects.
As you begin, click this link on my website to check out the energetic properties of some of my fav stones, many of which I'll bet are in your collection: http://kreativesoulsbypilar.com/stones
And remember the basic property of your metals:
Gold: Crown Chakra, Wisdom, Protection
Copper: Blood Circulation, Mindfulness, Consciousness
Silver: Moon Energy, Sensitivity, Clairvoyance/Discernment
Nickel: Negative Energy Detoxifier
Stainless Steel: Metaphysical protection/projection
Happy FQM!!! Enjoy...with intention...and protect your temples!!

Fire Meditation

Commune with Nature's fire...

Together, we heal...we connect...we grow.

#wrapyourbeautymovement

Peaceful Surrender

Mindfulness is a way of life. 

If you're not meditating daily, then what are you really 

plugged into and what/who is ur source of power?

In today's meditation I allowed my mind,
full of the past 3 weeks, 

to get LOST in the moment.
Take note:

"To lose yourself is a kind of surrender...to be lost in love...lost in a good book...even lost in pain or grief... totally immersed in what is present until it's surroundings fade away. To be lost is to be fully present, and to be fully present is to, at times, be comfy in a state of uncertainty and mystery. In this place we surrender to a power much higher than our own. In this kind of mindful meditation, being lost is a conscious choice, a deliberate surrender that surpasses physical geography. Today I got lost in my head...in the visual of this tree, and I swear I had about 5 revelations. This kind of humble surrender is where I find my truth...every time. Once we understand that the things not immediately visible to us (the spiritual plane) are usually the things we need to find the most in order to fulfill our purpose, THEN, in the midst of our surrender, we will find them. There is great power in letting go...even if just for a moment."

January 31st Full Moon Eclipse - Manifest!!!

I feel like the boy who cried "WOLF!" as I write this blog proclaiming the powerFULL celestial fertility of the coming moon, bc truly I declare that EVERY full moon cycle is fertile ground for manifestation. But in THIS moon cycle we have several separate events all taking place on the same day, so the block will be HOTT for manifestation over the next 3 days, and even beyond, like a giant fan blowing our work, goals and aspirations up, up, up to the heavens!! Seriously. Not only is January 31st a full moon, but it's the second full moon in a calendar month...and that second full moon just happens to be a lunar eclipse...bananas! So the key here is to spend the rest of the day and evening today clearing your mind and spirit in preparation for proper meditation tomorrow and this week, the height of the full moon cycle. (beginner's meditation here: Meditate.)  My theme for this fertile cycle is BALANCE IS KEY. Because the sun is in Aquarius and the moon is in Leo, it's a onederfull time to channel our thoughts towards balance and order...in EVERY aspect of our lives from relationships to finance. We must find the center between that which truly requires our full attention in order to fulfill our purpose, and that which we need to give less (much less) of our time to in order to make time for what truly matters. Too much folly happening. Spirit speaks now more than ever that there is way too much low-frequency energy overshadowing the necessary high-frequency love energy we need to manifest LIGHT. On Wednesday I will be journaling with the intention of making my focused intentions plain to God and the universe. I will light 7 white candles to represent light, love and purity of spirit. I will lay prostrate in humble prayer like Job did asking God for forgiveness for what I failed to do and courage to do what I must do. I will perform libation for the past (Angels/Ancestors), present (the living mother and fathers, sisters and brothers) and the future (our children and the unborn). I will release any lingering angst or resentments bc I need room for God's blessings. As I meditate on these things, I will chant and sing affirmations into the ether and record my prayers in my journal to God. For my fellow students of scripture, the scripture for this time is Philippians 8,9: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—meditate on such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
...And then...I continue the work and practice patience and allow God to do the amazing things He does on my behalf...without fail. Ase.

As we are half way through this full moon cycle, my three lil monkeys were the subject of my first meditation of the year. I found them a while ago on a road trip to Arkansas in a tiny "swap shop" way down in the cut. They traveled with me all the way to Chicago. They spoke to me all the way home. I dusted them off, washed them in florida water and gave them a new home on a shelf above my plants.. As I meditated yesterday I considered what it means to love unconditionally as it relates to the message my monkeys are conveying; "Hear no evil. See no evil. Speak no evil." What is the spiritual significance of this ancient symbol?
Well when we hear/see evil, we ingest it, and when we ingest it the evil becomes a part of us. We then need to release it from our being, which often results in our poor choices. Hearing about/seeing violence causes us to act more violently and if left to fester in our psyche, the evil wreaks havoc on our bodies and minds. Thus, the wise maxim “Hear no evil, See no evil” reminds us that when you ‘dance with the devil,’ that energy will consume you.
Speak no evil, however, refers to the outcome the first two. Hearing and seeing involve our receipt of information into the body, while speaking is our expression as a result of the information we received. Henceforth, if you see no evil and hear no evil, then you will ultimately speak no evil because your spirit will be free of the negativity you did not allow into your space. It’s simple mathematics, 1 +1=2.
Here is the deal…the evil that’s all around us…in the TV, on the radio, movies, music, etc…. is much more damaging than we can fathom. It’s having more of a negative effect than we realize. It’s creating cancer in our bodies and in our minds!! Our children are constantly exposed to tremendous evil; and because we don’t realize the damage it’s doing we are not mindful of it and fail to consciously dispel it. Moreover, we are willing participants in its consumption…not out of choice, but because it’s the new normal. Our babies are born and raised into this mind-controlled society, into this corrupt system. We don’t even realize that it has all been purposely designed to destabilize us mentally and physically; keeping we, the sheeple, under control and keeping the masses sick, depressed, fearful and violent. Being somewhat unplugged (no TV or radio), I can SEE the takeover now more than ever.  Grateful to my lil monkies for the reminder. “Hear No Evil, See No Evil, Speak No Evil.” I choose LOVE. All love. Only love. At all times.

#Ijustmightlevitatein2018

To say that there is no beauty in darkness is to believe that there is no beauty in this world.
Leave it to Yasiin Bey (Black Dante) to bring the message to me for the new year...if folks thought I was already over the top in the LOVE dept, it gets better...Taller, wider and deeper. From this moment forward I will ONLY SEE LOVE in the darkness. I choose love. At all times. Through prayer and meditation I've gotten pretty solid at deflecting negativity, even when I find myself in spaces where it dwells deep. I cannot control the actions and thoughts of the people around me and the wicked webs they weave, but I can MOS DEF control ME. Here's to Love and MORE LOVE in 2018... and beauty even in the dark. I am that light. <3

The last few days have been such a time of reflection as I envision what the future holds in my heart. My visual piece (I am fond of visual aids to assist me in my intention setting), is one of my favorite sacred images of Black Jesus and is the oldest known Coptic (Egyptian) image of Black Jesus to date, and pre-dates even the image of Black Jesus in the church of Rome from the 6th century. Spiritually, I am kindred to the Coptic Jesus-followers who originated in the city of Alexandria and believed that Black Jesus was one man who was both divine (soul) as much as He was human (ego). Following this example, I strive to be just as much divine as I am human, exemplifying the image of GOD, exuding the fruit of the Spirit, and mastering the duality of the human nature (ma-at/balance). This, according to the teachings of Coptic Christianity, is the plight of mankind.
My prayer this holiday season and beyond is that, regardless of the spiritual path, we as a people learn to bring the soul and the ego into a harmonious relationship. This life is far more spiritual than natural, and so many humans claiming anxiety and depression by Western terms are really suffering from a deep-seated misalignment between the soul and the ego. This is personal torment. The soul desires to fulfill our karmic debt/purpose while the ego seeks to enhance our human experience. Unfortunately, many popular Christian denominations seek to eradicate the ego altogether, but ironically this is not Spirit-U-Well at all. True Spirituality charges us to work consciously and with divine intention towards reducing the conflict between the soul and the ego as we travel the narrow path towards karmic fulfillment in tandem with human expression of the ego. My ego and my TRUE self (soul) have more good days than bad together as I strive each day to relax my ego-mind so that she gives way to my soul-authentic true self...because you see, the way my life purpose is set up, we're all in this thing TOGETHER and for the LONG haul. And the Church said...Ase! Amen! So shall it be!

Meditation for the Final Full Moon of 2017

It's December 2nd and the final full moon of 2017 is upon us. I get excited this time of year because we have this really powerful tool given to us by GOD called the MIND, and guess what? The mind works in tandem with the natural laws of the universe, namely (and one of my favorite), The Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy, which is a fancy title for the power we all have within us to change the conditions of our lives beginning with thought. Higher vibrations consume and transform lower ones; thus, each of us can change the energies in our lives by understanding simply that we can...then doing the WORK.

So here it is...whether you prescribe to the hugely flawed gregorian calendar or not, the fact remains that there is power in numbers...so the fact that thousands of humans are inclining their thoughts towards making real lifestyle changes around this time of year means that it's a great time to tap into the collective synergy and draw from it. Many of my peers are struggling with habitual change because, truth is, the older we get the more difficult it becomes for the mind to re-prioritize that which it desires. But we have an entire month to prepare to leave some thangs that no longer serve us in 2017...so let's begin with the breath, a vital source of human energy. Come on and join me in my full moon meditation...RAISE THOSE VIBRATIONS! I just might levitate in 2018!!! ;-)))

8 Minutes of Mindfulness

PSA: Check In With Your People

Mental illness comes in all shapes, colors and creeds. I don't know what's happening in the world exactly (although I have my many theories), but today people (young and old) are extremely distracted. I spend a great deal of my time in folks' faces just like the photo above...wondering where exactly people are in their minds. Seriously. Simple solutions become mountains of obstacles. Situations that should warrant love and compassion instead incite mockery and ridicule. Patience is replaced by instant gratification, and parents are increasingly unable to connect with their children. Man, Im gonna say it until the end of days: We need LOVE and more LOVE in this world. It pains my heart every time I hear someone say they have no one to trust or rely on. We must become more connected and NOT through social media. I love this platform but only as a means to REINFORCE the love I live, not replace it...

SMILE at people, man. Ask folk how they're doing/feeling. Give your loved ones a call and pay them a visit. Touch hands. Hug. Say I LOVE YOU whether the gesture is returned or not. I had to get out of my feelings when I would show love that was not reciprocated too. It was hard because it's a battle with the ego, but we've got to remember that its not about self every time. Often times to attain the greater good, we must meet people where they are and some of us are in very different mental spaces and thresholds. GIVE LOVE...it will always come back to you even if not from the people you gave it to. Just check in...check in with your youth and neighbors and family and friends. Many people's lives depend on it, including your own actually; the greatest gift to ourselves is the gift of giving, and the greatest thing we can give to another is time. Ase.

Love Your Enemies
Meditative thoughts for a meditative life

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons and daughters of GOD in heaven; for GOD makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you only love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers/sisters only, what do you do more than the others? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?'" ~Matthew 5:43-48

Message: Be the LOVE you want to see in the world. By loving those who spite you, you change the narrative that they seek to create. Let us remind ourselves and the world that it is African people who first brought life, light and lessons to the world, as love, and expanded the horizon of human thought, practice and possibility. Indeed, it is our making and movement thru history that serves as the sacred narrative of the everyday and extraordinary things. The teachings of Black Jesus are in direct correlation to the teachings of the Husia, the sacred Wisdom of ancient Egypt. #foodforthought #fuelforaction