​Be careful and clear about what you ask for. I declared 2017 as a year of M & Ms. That is Magic & Miracles. No matter how often I experience magic and miracles I don't think it will ever get old or lose it's "wow" value.

Today I'm going to share a story about a rose quartz crystal and intention and how my irregular heartbeat became regular.



ISRAEL
​In the founding story of Israel, the author of the book of Exodus in the "Holy" Bible writes about the precise and mindful construction of priestly garments using "precious stones." I like to call "the precious stones" crystals.

INDIGENOUS AMERICA
My Cherokee ancestors honored the power and energy of the "Stone People," knowing the wisdom, knowing and gifts of these ancient formations. In the ritual of Sweat Lodge, stones are placed on fire and heated for hours. At the proper time the "Stone People" are introduced and honored within the Sweat Lodge then doused with water. In partnership with "The Stone People, the steam rises and encompasses the enclosed "lodge." We energetically release and cleanse ourselves. 

EARTH'S TREASURES
Minerals, stones and meteorites that have formed over time inside the Earth embody gifts, talents and abilities like people. These are products of stardust that formed our Solar System billions of years ago. Imagine that the intelligence of these ancient "precious stones" have a story to tell, wisdom to share, metaphysical and healing powers to deliver.

ROSE QUARTZ
About thirty years ago, I designed a wedding dress for a friend of mine who was marrying a Native American man. I used rose quartz as part of the Aztec design knowing that the energy of the the beads carried the energy of love. Rose quartz has been part of my life for awhile so the other night when I was over-exposed to the EMFs from my computer, tablet, cell phone, I was feeling a bit loopy, high-strung and noticed a bit of heart palpitation as I laid my body down to rest. 

Years ago when I first acquired my stethoscope I listened to my heartbeat and detected a slight irregular beat and grew accustomed to it just being that way. I just figured it illustrated that I truly walk to beat of my own drum.

Well a couple evenings ago, the heart palpitations were a bit worrisome so I closed my eyes, relaxed my body and began deep-controlled breathing. My inner oracle said, "listen to your heart." So I grabbed my stethoscope and began to listen to my heartbeat. Then she said, "hold the rose quartz to your heart." I did and as I held this crystal in my left hand (feminine and receptive) giving thanks for it's gifts that it was sharing with me. For about five minutes I just breathed, held the crystal  and listened to my heartbeat until it began to beat regularly. I was amazed that it not only happened, but in such a short amount of time.  Something told me to Google "rose quartz, irregular heartbeat." Low and behold it was revealed that rose quartz is actually used for regulating an irregular heartbeat. This was just confirmation again to LISTEN. Listen to your inner oracle. Like these precious stones, our relation, there are eons of wisdom within us, if we'd only LISTEN

It's been five days, this morning I checked and my heartbeat is still beating "regular." 

Do you have rose quartz in your crystal collection?
This is one of the essential crystals to have in your beauty medicine bag.
To order a rose quartz CLICK HERE.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 3 of 2/12 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

. :  s u p e r w o m a n g o d d e s s    s t y l e  : .
​
Speak your genius superwomangoddess, because what you
have to say is important. When they listen closely, watching
every word come out of those beautiful lips make sure:

1. You stay HYDRATED so your lips remain smooth and supple.

2. EXFOLIATE the ridges of your lips so lip color doesn't feather.

3. To use a LIP BRUSH when wearing high-contrast hues for a perfectly shaped pucker, 

4. To BUILD up color layer by layer.

5. To make an "O" with your lips, then take your index finger
and twist inside the "O" to capture color on the inner
lips so you don't end up with lip color on your teeth.

6. Say a PRAYER: "May my lips speak words that heal and inspire."

7. Leave your love "MARK" on your favorite sweetheart.

On Bianca's Lips: Untitled Red by A U S E T : B E A U T Y
edible. lead-free. pristine.

#ausetbeauty
#iAmHer360

How many relationships have been destroyed or never initiated by the lack of communication?
Parents? Sisters? Brothers? Children? Girlfriends? Boyfriends? Mates? Mentors? Bosses? Employees? Business Partners?

Communication is the gateway to all of the most beautiful things in life. We occupy our time on enhancing our looks, our homes, our education, our financial picture but if you don't know how to communicate with people one-on-one, all those things are pretty meaningless because nobody will want to be around ["yo' *ss"]. LOL. (I literally laughed out loud.)

LOVE DORSEY
Which brings me to my next statement: LOVE DORSEY.
She's everything I never wanted to be: loud, hood, potty mouth.
Well? I kinda love her because she speaks the truth and I respect that. 

Being someone who is from Kentucky, raised on the southside of Chicago as well as the suburbs and lived all over Los Angeles as an adult, I have a bit of a love affair with the "hood." Some of my favorite aunties have the heart of "Cookie," brotha friends that have the enterprising spirit of Jay-Z and then some are actual real-life superstars. The thing I love the most about the "hood" is the REALNESS: unrefined, unvarnished, RAW.  
Yup! I like a little hood with my boujee boho. 

I discovered this young woman on Facebook. Someone posted a video about leveling up your friendships which when I first watched it had about a 200K views and at the time of writing this it's over a million views. So apparently the si"star" resonates with many of us. 

Last night I listened to an hour-long "rant" about COMMUNICATION entitled "Majority of conflicts are caused by . . ." [I'm not able to link the original video so search for her on Facebook]. She has a Youtube channel but this one isn't there.]

She goes on to talk about key elements in conflicts caused by poor communication with friends, mates, children and at work.

Key Points:

• Don't ASSume someone knows what you're saying, thinking, doing, etc. 
• ASSuming someone already knows what you want, who you are, etc.
• Be PRESENT and LISTEN instead of waiting to say what you have to say
• LISTEN for understanding
• SPEAK to be understood
• Don't ASSume people know when you're upset
• Don't ASSume people are thinking about what you have to do
• "Open Your Brain. Slow Your Thoughts. Then Communicate."
• ASK QUESTIONS and Seek to understand before things pile up
• DISCUSS things in private, one-on-one.
• DEAL with children at their age level
• PAY ATTENTION to your children. They are communicating even if they don't speak.
• Don't offend people you need in your life. 
• Be blunt and get to the bottom of it. 
• LEARN about your self and get in touch with your feelings.

Brilliant. Right?

A closed mouth doesn't get fed.
Very few people can actually read your mind.
Just learn yourself, speak your truth with your heart, seek to be understood while you seek to understand.

My friend Nadia Khalil and one of our master teachers on the 2012: Love & Beauty Journey reminds us that Love is Truth. When you speak and live in truth love is present and possible. Yes that can be scary when you are attached to people, situations, etc. That brings us to another topic: VULNERABILITY. The freedom to be, express, live with "Zero Fs." Very much like the freedom of children.

Communicating what's truth for you with vulnerability is what creates intimacy and connection. There's no way around it. It just resonates. 

So stop being fake. Stop ASSuming. Because assuming makes an ASS out of U and ME. 
Just Ask. Tell. Request.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 27 of 1/12 Moons 
Waning Crescent

I don't know about you but I don't like to cook in a dirty kitchen or create art in a messy studio. There's something about an environment of order and simplicity that elevates and invites in creative expression. I'm going to share with you how I invite my genius, muse, whisper of the Divine in for a rendezvous.

This morning I awoke with the voice again. My creative genius within. 
My genie.
My muse.

It had been quiet for awhile . . .
Oprah describes them as whispers. It's true. It feels like that. It's like you're hearing a voice from a headset while you're on stage performing.  A great deal of creative people like painters and musicians rely on drugs to tap in to this other world. It's not the only way to rendezvous with The Muse. Earth, Wind & Fire proved this by living a clean eating, holistic lifestyle. I often say if people breathed, did yoga and ate properly why on Earth would you need to do drugs to get that feeling of ascension?

During the Winter Solstice I was rendezvousing with my creative genius throughout the day. The whispers were rampant. About a month ago or more, a knee injury kept me from moving my body and training for a dance competition that's been in the works for awhile. And for whatever reason, lately I've been eating junk food; granted mixed in with my high-vibe foods but eating garbage none-the-less. I've noticed the rendezvous with the whispers have been scarce ever since.

I'm very sensitive so I can tell when a food is high vibe quality or toxic and insane.  I feel it's effects in my body, in my head. Unfortunately, some of my favorite foods are not beneficial but toxic to my body, like an allergy. Depending on what's happening in my life I'll eat those "offensive-to-my-body" food, or shall I say "Lola Yum Yum" eats them anyway. That's why I have no judgment of alcoholics or any other substance abuser because if I eat a donut knowing what it's going to do to me what's the difference really?

So Sunday evening I stopped this road to nowhere in its tracks. I got tired of feeling sluggish, emotional in ways that was unproductive and just not good in my body. It's been three days of clearing out while feeling bad, but this morning I could tell that my genie is back. Maybe it didn't go anywhere, perhaps the voice was just muffled by all the nonsense inhabiting space. Yup, The Voice was just drowned out by uncouth visitors.

Everything is energy. Never created nor destroyed just transferred, transformed and transmuted. The spirit, intention and vibe that our food is created with accompanies it's flavor, texture, and nutrition. Ever wonder the essence of a Cheeto?

Cheetos? I know, I know better but then what we eat isn't always logical is it? 
Sometimes in this big world the little girl who grew up without a daddy within feels vulnerable and foods from her childhood make her feel comforted. 

Turns out genies don't like dirty kitchens. If you desire that muse, genius, whisper of the Divine to speak clearly, concisely and with resonance to you: clean out, clear out, and vibe up!

The New Moon is in a few days and Spring is coming this way within the month.
I have an intimate community of women who are preparing for a Spring Beauty Detox & Cleaning kick-off this weekend. I'll be showing you how to discover your personal holy hour of creativity. Would you like to join us?

​CLICK TO EMAIL ME

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 26 of 1/12 Moons 
Waning Crescent

F R E E D O M  •  P E R S P E C T I V E  •  P O W E R  •  D E S T I N Y  •  M O V E M E N T 

Have you ever had a dream where you're trying to run but
your legs felt so heavy you couldn't move?

Have you been feeling sluggish lately?
Do you feel disorganized, overwhelmed in confusion?
Has discouragement replaced your passion and motivation
for something you once were excited about?

Are you feeling like you desire more but there's so
much stuff preventing you from moving forward?
Where to start?

What if the plane you boarded had no weight restriction?
Would you feel comfortable flying across the country at thirty thousand feet in the air?

How can you soar like an eagle when you're weighed down with unnecessary stuff?
If you're ready to soar and live, it's time to lighten your load. 
If it's not contributing to the quality of your flight, get rid of it.
NOW.

This is the most beneficial time to do a bit of releasing as we're in the Last Quarter of the Moon (18 Feb to 25 Feb.). Let go and cleanse what is no longer contributing quality to your life. 

In the midst of feeling sluggish, disorganized, overwhelmed . . . where to begin?
Begin with the basics. Look at what is no longer contributing to you
spiritually, mentally, emotionally, physically?

Scour your life and look to release, let go and cleanse
what is weighing you down unnecessarily.

Look at every relationship, your body and it's organ systems
(digestive, lymphatic, liver, blood, etc. ),  your physical environment
(home [bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, etc.] , office, car),
your clients, work projects, organizations, debts, etc. 

The second New Moon of 2017 will be 26 February and the perfect time to create anew.
If it's not contributing quality to your life, give thanks for what
​it's provided in the past and let that "shite" go. NOW.

How else will you get unstock, feel light as a feather and be able to soar at the speed of light?
You've got to clean it up, clear it out, let that "shite" go!

IN THE WOMB
​As hueman beings, we developed and formed in our mother's "waters" so returning to the waters daily to cleanse and restore is a powerful ritual that leaves you feeling reborn every time. There's an actual scientific process that occurs when you immerse yourself in water. During the day being exposed to positive ions through contact with EMFs (electromagnetic frequency) like computers, wi-fi, electronics we build up positive ions and once immersed in water those ions are neutralized. 

BATHED IN LOVE
You can take the restorative practice of bathing a step further by imbuing your bathing water with intention. You can keep it as simple as you'd like or go full board. The New Moon and Full Moon phase of the moon makes this ritual even more effective.

​BASIC LOVE BATH RITUAL
You'll need:

A BATHTUB
SAGE WAND or DRAGON'S BLOOD RESIN

​BODY SCRUB 
sugar, salt, or pre-made

WATER 
warm and filtered (get a shower filter and fill your tub with the shower head.
It's softening to the skin.)
​
SALT
coarse sea salt (also softening to the skin)
be careful if you have open wounds or irritated skin, it will burn
​
CRYSTALS: ROSE QUARTZ, RHODONITE, QUARTZ
(one or all)

ESSENTIAL OILS
Rose, Geranium, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine
(one or all)

BODY OIL, BUTTER, BALM, LOTION
Holy Butter™

S O C I A L   M E D I A   C O M M E N T A R Y

"Oshun. Bey. I got my life."
•
                        "Everyone can go home now​ because Beyoncé just slayed the 2017 Grammys."
•
"Divine Beyoncé performing while expecting twins, beautiful tribute to women/mothers!"
•
"WTF? Although I didn't expect anything less from the high priestess of the illuminati!"
•
"Beyoncé is a woman in touch with her African ancestry. I love how she channeled the orishas Osun and Ibeji in her performance. There is nothing satanic, demonic or illuminati about this."
•
"As if she couldn't be more annoying  . . . making profit out of her pregnancy.
Next a video with her umbilical cord?"
•
"So..am I the only Lucumi/Ifa practitioner that is not impressed by Beyoncé's recent Oshun
representations? I feel that her displays support the simplification of Oshun and disregard her many beautiful and complex layers."
•

E M O T I O N
We are emotional beings.
Even with being presented rock-solid facts, clear-cut logic, our emotions will often be the final word on a choice to be made. So what touches our emotions? 

Images, Music, Words, Scents, Touch, Taste. 
Experiences through our senses activate our emotions. 
I spoke about messages and programming being slipped in through our trance state in SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES: Workin' Your Power & Magic Book One. That's why it's important that we always stand guard of our minds and the things we consume. 

In 2002, when I began production of the yet-released documentary film "Searchin' For M'Sistahz" there was no mantra or hashtag of #blackgirlmagic.

When I set pen to paper to write SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES: Workin' Your Power & Magic Book One in 2005 beginning with the piece "Can A Sista Get At Least 50 Cent?" the talk about goddess or superwoman anything was so underground that I couldn't even find the word in my dictionary at the time.

Fifteen years later, #magic, #goddess, #superwomen and all things #feminine, #powerful and #magical are bristling with a resurrected effervescence. It's like the Spirit of our grandmothers have returned to get this thing right for us.  

Enter Beyoncé's Lemonade album.

I don't own a TV, so I missed the Grammy's last night but thank goodness to Mr. Zuckerberg and friends, with social media we won't skip a beat. So within moments of opening up my Facebook feed I see a picture of Tina Beyincé-Lawson, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy that read: "Oshun. Bey. I got my life."

Ok. So I typed in the Facebook search box: Beyonce Grammys 2017 and found a nine-minute video entitled "Snatched." [VIDEO BELOW] and watched it. 

Deep breath.
As a woman of color, strongly aligned with my West African and Indigenous American heritage folded into a consciousness that I am/you are/we are embodiments of divinity, the pre-show images of the trio: daughter, mother and grandmother then the performance left me . . .

Inspired.
Proud.
Moved.
Relieved.

Inspired.
In fact, inspired and tingling.
With the name of the most ancient goddess in recorded history [AUSET] and a Venus in Leo, love, beauty and magic are full-time preoccupations for me and Beyoncé's Grammy performance was dripping with divine beauty and symbolism that I my consciousness effortlessly decoded. Looking like an Ethiopian painting, every woman in this on-stage drama wore a halo indicating illuminated consciousness (Heru = hero).

The imagery was ÜBER-feminine and deliciously maternal as Bey moved her pregnant with twins body in a tribe of diaphanous sistren. What a breath of fresh air.

Behind closed doors I've mentioned to my family members (because I don't believe in disparaging another's creative work. When you create, you "under"stand what it takes to materialize your visions so there's a level of respect I don't violate.) an element I found lacking in the Black Girl's Rock awards from year-to-year. Although we look soooo beautiful and put together, the celebration is mainly of women achieving in their masculine energy outside of the home with very little emphasis on the maternal aspect (nurturer/protector and not completely in the feminine domain but a balance of the both like the hemispheres of our brain working together) of who we are. The very essence of femininity expresses itself inside, within, the hidden. This was something I really respected and appreciate Martha Stewart for and that was bringing a spotlight and encouraging the art of creating home. If you are a female you embody three hundred and sixty degrees of femininity (#superwomenandgoddesses) so why be limited?

We are at a time in history where we're finding our footing within a shifting patriarchal to matriarchal reality in America. Growing pains if you will. So finding our balance and footing may take awhile but we WILL get there. It's the Age of Aquarius after all.  Sometimes it takes a moment to balance and find a happy medium while at the same time there should be no question about the CIVIL RIGHT to choose our experiences and destiny in this life while being compensated equally. 
 ​
Proud.
First aware of Beyoncé through Destiny's Child in '98, it's been interesting to witness Beyoncé's very human-in-front-of-the-world growth and evolution as an artist, woman, daughter and mother.

Those close to me know that although I was jammin' to Destiny's Child like everyone else ("Bills, Bills, Bills", "Bugaboo," "Say My Name"). I began to wince a bit at Destiny's Child's proclamation of being "independent women" with a "F you, I don't need you because I got my own." message because by this time (2001) my commitment to the partnership, alliance and union of men and women was taking a deep root within. In the meantime, I saw a rise in the conversation of "black" women not able to find mates of their same culture, while many men were opting to couple with women outside of their own culture (which is fine but then leaves a bit of a void for the women who desire men of their same culture).

Union of man and woman as interdependent and complementary was a concept I was cultivating in myself in my own process of chipping away at the adverse American European/Christian mindset I was raised in for an exploration of who I was indigenously. I had an Ifa priest who taught me about the orishas and a Sioux shaman that provided an authentic Native American sweat lodge experience complete with making tobacco ties.

War and division of the sexes is not part of most of our pre-colonial heritage. Our most ancient African i.e. pre-colonized mindset was always matriarchal (the Jews/Hyksos/Shepherd Kings adopted this part of ancient African culture in their occupation of Egypt), which to be clear was not the opposite of patriarchy but the idea that where there is a god there is also a goddess. Matriarchy is the recognition of balance, yin and yang, male and female, masculine and feminine, husband and wife, heaven and earth, etc. Patriarchy and matriarchy were never in competition. I go more into this in the book. So at that time I didn't feel preaching about independence (a European concept of "rugged individualism" or "me") was the answer but interdependence (which is about "we" which is distinctly pre-colonial African worldview, as well as many cultures who live close to the earth and in sync with Nature.)

We never know what's happening in someone's household but to hear Beyoncé's message of letting the circle be unbroken between, daughters and mothers, grandmothers and grand-daughters, sisters, husband and wife is refreshing and inspiring. 

Moved.
In 2002, I declared that BET was one of the banes of my existence. As the law of attraction would have it, I later became friends with the head of programming and his wife at the time. I hated BET's misogynistic music videos back in the 90s because I felt it was ruining our already delicate relationship with our men as well as how "black" women we're viewed globally.

My passion for the elevation of the divine black feminine was deepened after working alongside Madonna's makeup artist on a string of 50 Cent music videos. I was inspired to DO something because I personally didn't feel represented in this media, nor any of the magical women I knew. My daughters were watching this culture unfold so I set out to change the perception of "black women" in America so began production of "Searchin' For M'Sistahz" a documentary highlighting the beauty, power and magic of "black" women. Pretty much, my own PR campaign for us, to save our families. 

I realized this weekend that the images, music and media that I dreamt of creating and viewing for myself and daughters I was now watching, I now see in social media, in TV commercials, in films, yes there's still a great deal of nonsense and insanity offered on the buffet, but all I ever desired was to have a choice. Ghandi has been quoted often to "Be The Change You Wish To See In The World."  I have begun to see that writing, publishing and creating a life's work around superwomen, goddesses, who work power, magic, holistic beauty has manifested in the culture that I live, participate and can now consume. I feel fed and represented somewhere out there.  

Relieved.
My chant has been that I'd like to see women: all of us, of all hues, cultures, etc. get back in touch with the most powerful aspect of ourselves and that is the mysterious, internal, still, magnetic aspect of the multi-faceted spectrum of what it is to be female. If Queen Bey, the biggest entertainer in the world at this time is at the 2017 Grammy's inspiring and moving people with images of family, lineage, motherhood, sisterhood, femininity, love, beauty and magic I don't care of she's illuminati (LOL.), or if it's all a marketing gimmick or anything else. The mission is accomplished. The images have been embedded, the culture, the girls, the boys have been elevated and the possibility of the balance of masculine/feminine within/without manifest in our families is alive.

I saw the film "Daughters of the Dust" decades ago and it changed my life. Media IS POWERFUL. So similar to what I feel about President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, if they did NOTHING in eight years politically: quite simply the image of them as an elegant, intelligent, bonded family​ is an image that taps into our emotion/aspiration that is more powerful than any speech will ever have. 

Although I don't see myself as joining your beehive anytime soon because I have my own, thank you Mrs. Beyonce Knowles Carter for properly representing the three hundred and sixty degrees of what it is to be female for all the superwomen and goddesses before, here and after who work power and whirl magic. As Marimba Ani has written: Let the circle be unbroken.

Respect from your Virgo si"star": Daughter of Obatala and Priestess of Auset.
​Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 17 of 1/12 Moons 
Waxing Gibbous in Virgo

After spending a refreshing and expansive weekend in DC with my family . . . 
​

I was left with this question that I posted on my Facebook post yesterday. 

Over the New Moon/Chinese New Year weekend I had some of my superhero friends over for dinner. Mastermind vegan Chef Tsadakeeyah of Majani Catering and his partner Naysa not only brought soulful black-eye pea fritters and hummus but a vat of gorgeous purple hibiscus tea. Yummm...

So as I write this, I'm sipping on a glass of purple hibiscus like wine this morning. I haven't had a cup of sorrel in a while and am reminded of the laundry list of über-beauty and health benefits (gorgeous skin, hair growth, weight release, boosted energy) of this powerful plant used in various ways: tea, paste, dried herb, blossoms in salads. Check it.

Great Source of Potassium + Great For The Heart
Potassium is an essential mineral as a vasodilator.

A Diuretic + Beneficial For The Kidneys 
a bit of a kidney flush as your urine takes toxins, fats, salts, water with it.

Soothes Dry Itchy Skin
Perfect during the cold winter months.

Vitamin C-Rich Immune System & Collagen-Building
Vitamin C is a vital molecule for skin health.

High Iron i.e. Energy + Hair Grower
If you suffer from anemia, iron's been known to resuscitate the oxygen in your blood as well as boost your energy and hair growth.

High Antioxidant + Anti-Cancer Properties
Skin protecting and regenerating while known to kick the butt of those cancerous mutant cells.

Rich in The Beauty Vitamin: A
A godsend for keeping the eyes healthy and the skin beautiful. 

Calcium-Rich and Bone-Fortifying
Strong bones, teeth and joint health anyone?

Weight-Release Inspiring & Fiberous
If you know me, I always speak of keeping that colon clean for beautiful skin. This fiber-rich flower will keep it movin'.

DON'T OVER-DO-IT WARNING: Consume in moderation, sorrel/hibiscus contains the toxin, oxalic acid. I would use in conjunction with a cleanse every now and then. 

How To Prepare Jamaican Sorrel Tea

• Bring water to a boil.
• Place sorrel, ginger and cloves into boiled water.
• Boil for 2 minutes, turn heat off.
• Cover and allow to steep for 12 to 24 hours.
• Strain and sweeten to taste.
• Add rum or wine if desired.
• Serve cold, on ice.

​
There's so much to learn and so many recipes to be had. Enjoy researching yourself. Here are a few links to get started with:
Loop Jamaica
Organic Facts
Wikipedia

Thanks for reading. Here's to our über-beauty and health! 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 5 of 1/12 Moons 
Waxing Crescent