​What was your mother or father's greatest advice they ever gave you?

Mine?
"Just be yourself."
 
I first heard, "People prefer the devil they know over the angel they don't." on the show "Touched By An Angel" a bunch of years ago.

That quote is designed to speak of our resistance to change even if that change would represent something beneficial to us.  This quote popped into my head this  morning in regard to this topic - Just Be Yourself. We've seen clearly in our political climate that a great deal of people would rather deal with a "flawed" human being that was clear about who they are, plain and simple than the vague and untrustworthy.

It was third grade and I was uncomfortable in my new class. My mother said: "Just be yourself."​
At such a young age, I didn't have a clue about what she meant or who I was. Decades later, it's the most brilliant advice I've ever received. 

If we desire RESPECT, LOVE, AFFINITY with others we must be TRUE to ourselves.
There can be no respect, love or real affinity without us presenting our raw, unfiltered, true selves (over time, not in one sitting). After all, respect, love and affinity are developed from TRUTH. Without truth there is no integrity, nothing to stand on. Truth doesn't mean you have to be mean or unkind, it just means that you honor who you are, what you require and desire. Even if you experience kick-back from others, they will subconsciously admire, feel safe with and desire your presence in their lives because you feel SOLID - you have integrity.

People pleasers feel warm and fuzzy serving a purpose in the hospitality industry but in real life, in real one-on-one connections TRUTH is the glue, TRUTH is the magnet, TRUTH is the flow, the rhythm, TRUTH is home. 

How can you FEEL someone or something if the truth of them/it isn't there? They are just saying and doing what they think you want to hear and do. Even though we may enjoy the experience, in the background, in our heart, something will just not resonate .  .  . because we sense something's not quite right, or true.

If you're an *sshole, be an *sshole.
If you don't like something, say so.
If you don't want to do something, you don't have to do it.
Speak with kindness, yet clear, concise and straightforward. 
We tend to feel secure when we know EXACTLY what is what, while ambiguity makes us feel uncertain and insecure. 

If you're playing nicey-nice, being a doormat, a people pleaser, a brown-noser, a politician, you're being an imposter, you're living a lie and no one is loyal, would die for or would knowingly dedicate their life to a liar.

I had some tough times in third grade and I ultimately had to neutralize some bullies that teased and taunted me. When this nice, pretty little girl showed her other side in an after-school fight, it was all smiles and respect from that moment on.  

Take the time to get to know who you are, what you like and don't like, what you require and desire. Be unapologetically you, then and only then will you find your true tribe, your true fans and it will be worth all those that took offense because you honored your truth and self first.

Yes, we may complain, protest, kick and scream all the way but we stick with the "devil" that we KNOW.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 4 of 1/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent  

Are you fascinated by heist films like: The Italian Job, The Thomas Crown Affair, Flawless, Ocean's Eleven, Entrapment, Now You See Me, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, ?

ORDER + PLANNING + STRATEGY
What makes the thief successful is their excellence in organization, planning and strategy. Perhaps the faithless leave nothing to chance so organization, planning, and strategy insure success. Perhaps the faithful leave too much up to chance expecting it all to just work out. What if the "righteous" utilized this level of science in carrying out their visions instead of leaving much to faith, hope and their very best wishes?

Ever wonder how the popularity of the mini-Cooper got it started in America? When The Italian Job film came out I started to see more people driving mini-Coopers. If you haven't watched The Italian Job (2003) check it and witness the level of flawless teamwork of talented thieves and technicians coming together to steal thirty million dollars in gold without a gun but using:  precision timing (to the second), flawless planning and strategy.

Amharic: conjo
Arabic: al' Jamal جمال
Cherokee: uwodu
Chinese (simplified): 美女
Croation: ljepota
Czech: krása
Danish: skønhed
Dutch: schoon
Estonian: ilu
Farsi (Persian): زیبایی
Finnish: kauneus
French: beauté
German: die Schönheit
Greek: ομορφιά
Hebrew: yoffi  יוֹפִי
Hindi:  sundarata​  सुंदरता
Hungarian: szépség
Icelandic: fegurð
Indonesian: kecantikan
Igbo: Mma
Italian: bellezza
​Japanese: bi, Utsukushi-sa 美しさ
Kemetic: nefer
Korean: aleumdaum 아름다움
Latvian: skatistums
Lithuanian: grožis 
Norwegian: skjønnhet
Polish: piȩkno, uroda
Portugese: beleza
Romanian: frumuseţe
Russian: kpacota
Slovak: krása
Slovenian: lepota
Spanish: belleza
Swedish: skönhet
Tagalog: ganda
Twi: fƐ
Welsh: prydferthwch

Did I miss any?
If so, ADD below.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 27 of 13/13 Moons 
Waning Crescent

For years I've said that I'm the safest woman for your husband to be around because if I know that a man is in a relationship or married I'm NOT interested. Mainly, because I need to be the priority and I'm clear that I have no desire to share a mate. I know many are involved in polygamous, open, polyamorous relationships and such but at the end of the day . . . not interested. 

True story . . .
When a man who finds you on Facebook says:

Man: "Akua you may remember me from last night. This world is so small as it appears we are connected by associations and friends. I hope you and your mom made it home safely."

Akua: "Yes. I remember you. You found me. Thank you for that . We did. Thank you for taking care of my mom."

After a bit of casual back and forth . . .

Man: xxx-xxx-xxxx best between 7-4

There are so many things I take issue with this in addition to meanwhile I've expressed no interest in him. "best between 7 to 4?"

Is that pm to am, or am to pm?
Those are odd hours. My intuition tells me it's fishy. 
So I Google him to find that he's been married for 19 years. 
Meanwhile, I'm friends with his daughter on Facebook.
So I respond . . .

Akua: "Not sure why I am calling. Aren't you married? 7 am to 4 pm? or 7 pm to 4 am? tisk tisk shame on you."

. . . BUT HE'S A SUPERSTAR
Years ago one of my dear divorced friends was being heavily pursued by a very married A-list celebrity. She was having a bit of a dilemma because this man is a very desirable superstar.  I encouraged her saying: "If you ever want to be happily married to YOUR guy, don't even think about this. There will be a price to pay." As far as I know she didn't and she has been happily married to her best friend for years now. Do until others as you would have them do unto you.

WHAT IS FOR YOU, IS FOR YOU
New-thought author and founder of Hay House, Louise Hay has a bit to say about being dishonest as well as stealing. "Whatever you give out in life comes back to you, always. And if you take from life, it will take from you. It is that simple." She says it's like saying to the Universe: "I don't really deserve the good in my life, I have to sneak around and take it." 
 
CLEAR, CLEAN, FEARLESS
Sometimes we attract these experiences to give us an opportunity to exhibit integrity and clear, fearless communication. Social media and the internet can be a beautiful place for connection as well as a place where serial creeps lurk to find a way into your life. Listen to your intuition, be fearless and clear in your communication. At the end of the day, it's our responsibility to keep things clean, honest and honorable. Sure it doesn't seem fair because it "takes two to tango" but if women will be the Maatian compass of their queendoms, then there will be integrity, order and balance in our relationships, community. And we will attract what is ours by divine consciousness. Be clear, honest and honorable and you will attract what is for you and only for you.

OPEN, POLYGAMOUS, POLYAMOROUS, ETC.
I'm aware that many people intentionally participate in open relationships, polygamy, polyamory, etc. Yet there are still honorable modes of connecting with potential mates. In everything there must be order or there will be chaos.

Most men in relationships are honest and honorable and not lurking around on social media to engage with you. More often than not, men will do the right thing even if they feel an attraction to someone other than their beloved/beloveds. It's natural and normal to feel attraction to more than one person in your lifetime. Human beings are not naturally monogamous (mating once in a lifetime), so there's that. Women are the guides of society. Being magnetic, where we go, men follow. Let's not abuse our power. If we will be a stand for keeping things clean, honest and honorable in interactions with men who are in committed relationships, there's less of an opportunity for things get to the point-of-no-return.

So today, contemplate the question:
"Are you husband/boyfriend safe?"

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 23 of 13/13 Moons 
Waning Crescent

The DEATH Train 
We can't even pretend not to notice all the death around us in the world. It's like there's a big party happening in another realm and people are quickly making their exit to get there. 

As a little girl, my relationship with death was knowing that when people died they would be buried underground in a casket. What a scary thought in my young mind. Surely nothing I'd have to deal with anytime soon.  But it created an uncomfortable feeling about dying until recently . . .

DEATH? NAH
The idea of death isn't what it used to be to me as a young girl, it's nothing to run from or be afraid of when you see life metaphysically; that we are co-creators of our experience here and "there" and that we have freewill to power that experience. I'm not leaving this physical realm until I choose to. (Yup. You did indeed hear my "black" woman sass.) When I hear that someone has "died," if they were close to me or influential in my life, it's more that I will miss their physical presence in this Earth realm. 

I don't see it as some tragic thing unless it was through tragic or painful means that they left this realm. On some level I believe that we approve the experiences that we have because perhaps the soul, the God force within desires to experience the human contrast from it's omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent being of nothingness. Make sense?

Our attachment to life kind of goes away when we discover that EVERY thing is life, there's no such thing as death just the transformation of form. We are but particles of energy and energy is not created nor destroyed it just transforms it's expression. Hmmm . . .

. . . just my theory inspired by much experience, observation and clues given by others. Abraham (the non-physical consortium channeled through Esther Hicks) offers that physical death can be one's desire to re-emerge into life freshly or to express in the non-physical realm. I've wondered if the soul that was Bob Marley has re-emerged and what he's up to. Could it be we never truly die, we just transform form, like relationships?

MY DEMON. MY ANGEL.
We come together. We part company. But our presence in that person's life and their presence in ours never goes away. They become part of our beautiful soul ecology, even if the experience or their presence brought pain or dishonored you. The gift of your co-mingling is the wisdom you gained or the contrast of what you desire to have you desire and manifest another experience. Our apparent demons become our unlikely angels. 

Like King Alobar in the novel "Jitterbug Perfume" going through extensive lengths to discover the secret of longevity or August Wilson's film character Troy in "Fences" in a duel with death, people fear it, avoid it and run away from it. Seems though the faster you run from death, aging, anything for that matter, it will chases you down until you get to see that it was all an illusion because there is only life and the transformation of it.

Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 
Luke: 17:33

GIVE ME A REASON TO LIVE
I've noticed often, but not always, partners who have been together a long, long time will pass away shortly after their departed beloved. I've also read that many die shortly after they retire from their life's work. ("Just The Way You Are" is playing now....love that song.)

Realizing this, when my mother retired from forty-seven years of being an educator in the area of Life Skills for young people, I was focused on inspiring her to create a future that she was excited to live into. 

The origins of this note was inspired by a dear si"star" who is part of our SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES Facebook community. She messaged me that she was in the hospital in a life or death situation.  Of course, I honor her choice to be here with us or to graduate to another realm, however I wanted to encourage her to focus on an exciting future that she could live into. 

A FUTURE TO LIVE INTO
While being present is the key, I'm CLEAR on the necessity of having a future to live into. Having something you look forward to, something you're excited and passionate about that has you pop out of the bed each morning. Something that becomes Your Greatest Love Affair.  "When you give up your dream, you die." says Nick, Alex's love interest in "Flashdance."  
Yeah, like that. 

Having a future to live into builds our WILL to live. That fire in our belly that keeps us in action and powering through. Every one of us, desires to feel that our existence matters and is necessary to someone or something. When that is missing, perhaps we get overly wrapped up in the propaganda and distractions of the world, believing their REAL. (shaking my head) We really believe the hype sometimes.  It's "Just An Illusion" (by Imagination.) 

SERVE + CONNECT
I'm CLEAR that when we have a purpose through service and connection to people and the beauty of this world THIS is what creates LONGEVITY or LIFE. It's not about avoiding or fearing death but to LIVE, really LIVE, with passion, with intimacy, with brazen honesty ('cuz that people pleasing, ego-stroking really doesn't attract the best that life has to offer for us).

If you're ill, focus on healing and loving on your Self as well as what will be your next adventure in expressing your purpose through service. If you haven't discovered your purpose, just serve, provide a solution to someone's problem and you'll figure it out. Don't be stingy with the goodies. And you've got a lot of goodies mama/man. 

The Death Train that soul's have been hopping on lately I feel is actually a RE-BIRTHING of humanity. "Exiting Through The Gift Shop" to enter the front door of a Golden Age in this Aquarian Age.  Perhaps by providing a mirror of death, we're being presented with an apparent contrast inspiring us to REALLY live. 

We can cheat death, because death doesn't REALLY exist. It only exist in language as everything does (a Landmark Education distinction). While we slip in and out of realms, domains and galaxies, we are eternal.

Focus on contributing to others, serving others and adding value to others on such a level that you're missed when you choose to slip out of this party into another.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate you. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 20 of 13/13 Moons 
Waning Gibbous
  

Do you know what time it is?

There's a time to be still. 
There's a time to proceed.
There's a time to retreat. 

Is your response at this time appropriate to what you desire in the depths of your heart?
Love. Money. Family. Health. Legacy.

What is the true motivation behind your lack of response at this time?
Time for Reflection?  Needed Rest?  Paralyzing Fear?  Pure Laziness?

As one who's done a great deal of work on my Self as well as in the area of leadership, I really get that many of us can't fathom how powerful our presence is when we do choose to show up. We sign-up for courses, initiate projects, pay for coaches, receive invitations, etc. 

If you have raised your hand and said, "Yes. I am down. I'm in. I desire to do this. I'm ready."
Then . . . you don't reply to the email, answer the call, respond to the text, show up to the appointment, etc. WTH?

Ok crazy, you've prayed, you've pleaded and asked for the good life, the upgrade, the breakthrough, you get it and then you  . . .
Don't respond.
You do nothing. 

I remember a very close friend once said to me, "It's easy to be successful in life because the average person just bumbles through life in mediocrity so those of us who just do the bare minimum, the basics, we tend to stand out."  What he said has stuck with me through the years. And I've seen that there is some truth to this. 

Lack of response falls into one of three mindsets:
1.  FEAR: you're afraid of saying "no," you're afraid you won't be able to . . . , etc. fear. 
2. INVISIBILITY: feeling that your presence has no consequence, they won't miss me.
3. PASSIVE: the answer is really no, so "no response" is your response

We both know that none of these behaviors REALLY work if you're playing the game of greatness. 

1.  FEAR: The best things in life occur with a bit of risk and moving beyond our comfort zone.

2. INVISIBLE: Do you know what it took for you to be conceived, survive pregnancy, child birth, your infancy, childhood, teen years and you're still standing here as an adult? You're the product of a million miracles and escaped death a billion times. There's is no one on this planet that is unnecessary or insignificant. You are a winner in the truest since of the word. You won the blessing of life, you have something profound to offer, if you would just respond and show up!

3. PASSIVE: Ok, you're just being a lazy coward. Rude. Inconsiderate. You'll get yours. Trust.

Here's a bit of metaphysical truth: At the end of the day, your interaction isn't really with the individual you're having this experience with but Universal Law itself. Every action creates an equal or greater reaction. Your fear, your playing invisible and small, lack of clarity breeds more of the same in your life and most likely from people, experiences and areas of your life you don't want to have that show up. 

Be generous, Be clear, Be courageous. 
Why? Because wealth, abundance and prosperity is created through the dance of giving and receiving. Kind of like the act of sex, the friction of polarity creates life. Your response ignites possibility and opens up worlds and adventures to you that embody the desires of your heart.
Tell me "Yes." Tell me "No." Tell me now.

Isn't it time to stop BEing stingy, cowardly & vague. We're better than our lack of response.
Commit less. Then respond.

Today share this note and declare who, what you're going to respond to today.
Yep, I'm talking to you. So . . . respond.
I'm going to leave the comments open to see who is being generous, clear and courageous today. ;o)

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 19 of 13/13 Moons 
Waning Gibbous
 



​

I'm taking a quick break from the #21insights4nights to insert another #iAmHer360 feature. The timing is right as the Obama's prepare to leave the White House after eight years of service as Commander-In-Chief and First Lady.
​
​# iAmHer360 speaks to seeing other women as yourself and the celebration of every way that any woman chooses to express herself.  If you've missed any of them click this link for the playlist: #iAmHer360.

The first time I ever heard Michelle Obama speak in an interview, something stuck with me; that she got up every morning at four am to workout and to see to HER needs first before it was time to take care of everyone else. Being someone who rises before the sunrise myself, I was impressed and sensed a next level solidity to her that I respected. She also happens to remind me of my own mother . . . so there's that too.

In this feature, I share some my favorite of the first lady's many inspirational ideas over the years.

Think, Feel & Act Like A First Lady

M  R  S .     O  B  A  M  A '  S     G  E  M   S 
​
To Young Girls About Boys: Cute, Interesting & Otherwise
"There's no boy at this age that is cute enough or
interesting enough to stop you from getting your education.
If I had worried about who liked me and who was cute when I was your age
I wouldn't be married to the President of The United States." 

. : .
"Words matter." 
. : .

On Enduring Insults & Slights
"All of this used to really get to me.
Eventually I realized that if I wanted to keep my sanity and not let others define me,
there was only one thing I could do and that was to have faith in God's plan for me.
I had to ignore all the noise and be true to myself and the rest would work itself out." 

. : .
On Modeling What You Want
"If we want maturity, we have to be mature.
If we want a nation that's hopeful, we have to speak in hopeful terms.
We have to show love and empathy,
If we want smart leaders we have to be smart voters.
We cannot vote from a place of fear, but from a place of openness.
We have to model what we want."

. : .
On Your Challenges, Disadvantages & Disappointments
"Never view your challenges as a disadvantage,
this experience of overcoming is one of your
biggest advantages. You'll be equipped to deal with
further disappointments and discouragement.
You'll have the maturity and wisdom
to keep moving forward." 

. : .
On Authenticity . . .
"There are no surprises, no tricks up our sleeve.
We are authentic, came in that way and will leave that way.
The office amplifies who you are. It doesn't change who you are, it reveals who you are.
I follow my own moral compass. That's the only thing I have to live up to."

. : .
On Being Complacent
"The work always continues. We're never done.
Never be complacent thinking you've arrived.
We've seen how quickly things can be taken away if we aren't vigilant,
if you don't know your history. What are you gonna do?
How are you going to be better?
What are you going to change in your family dynamic?
We can't afford to be ignorant or complacent. 
Continue to do the work. 
 
. : .
On Balance & Having It All
"Don't beat yourself up about not being able to have it all. 
No one gets everything. You don't always get your way all the time. 
You learn that when you're a child. It's about managing expectations.
You're living your life through phases. You're compromising for certain phases, then later you may have more of what you thought you wanted. If you're not having it all right now, you're not failing.
Take care of yourself so you'll live long enough to make it happen later. 

. : .

On Mastering Your Schedule
"If I'm going to leave my house and leave my girls
I need to know how is this going to have an impact."

. : .

A Word To The Men
"Be better.
Be better at everything. 
Fathers, who love your daughters and are providing a solid example,
that is the greatest gift the men in my life gave me. 
I've never experienced abuse by the hands of any man in my life.

Be a better husband. Be part of your family's life. 
Don't babysit your children. Be engaged.

Be a better employer. Diversify.

. : .
On Service & Happiness
"I left the practice of law and went into public service for selfish reasons.
It makes me happy and feel good every single day. 
​I wanted to wake up and be inspired to do something greater than myself. 
That's what serving and giving means to so many.
Get out of the isolation and looking down at your phones. 
That's not enough, you need people in your lives that you're connecting with and helping. 
There's nothing better than knowing you're helping to change people's lives.
The haters and the doubters?  None of that matters because
you're getting so much out of the work you're doing. 

. : .
On Bravery
"Tips on bravery? I don't know if I ever view it as bravery. 
I just viewed it as I'm not going to be taken advantage of.
I knew my value. And that goes back to knowing who you are. 
As women and young girls, we have to invest that time
into getting to understanding and liking who we are. 
But you've gotta work to get to that place and if you're going out into the world
as a professional not knowing who you are, don't know what you want and 
you don't know how much you're worth then you have to be brave.
Then you have to count on the kindness and goodness of others to bestow it upon you." 

. : .
On Living Without Apology
"I"m going work so hard that my actions speak and I don't have to say anything. 
Let me live my life outloud so people can then see and judge for themselves.
Don't dial it back, don't dilute it. Don't apologize for it, it speaks for itself." 

. : .
On Knowing Yourself & Owning Your Space. 
"Stand inside yourself and own your space.
Our first job in life as women is to get to know ourselves 
and a lot of times we spend our time pleasing, satisfying and 
looking out into the world to define who we are. 

It takes taking the time to know who you are to be able to deal 
with the negative onslaught of the messages you're bound to get. 
I came into this with a pretty clear sense of self. 
And some of this comes with age, experience, being fortunate 
enough to be raised by a loving strong, focused mother and father who loved me dearly.
So I fortunately came into this situation with a really clear sense of who I was, 
It was easy to brush that stuff off because I know who I am." 
​

 21 Insights In 4 Nights
During the Winter Solstice I got quiet for four days and four nights and emerged with twenty-one insights; some were reminders, some were epiphanies, others were ideas.
​Insight #6 . . .
It's been ten years since I received about ten boxes containing the first edition of SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES: Workin' Your Power & Magic.  I was enchanted by a vision after spending a day with porn stars, strippers, video vixens and 50 cent on a music video over a decade ago. I was crystal clear that when transformed little girls become women who choose suitable mates they will raise children in healthy, loving households and we'll experience transformation in our communities, world, planet. This book project was my love letter to my daughters and yours. My protective stand for the children of the post-gangsta rap generation, seeing the misogyny as a red flag of more degeneration to come.

WHAT IS YOUR PASSIONATE CAUSE THAT YOU WOULD FIGHT FOR?

Although, I never had a sense of urgency to hurry and get this book out, I figured I would be promoting and sharing it with people for the rest of my life, while at the same time felt that somehow one day the concepts in this book would become irrelevant. It felt like with the interest in natural hair and natural beauty becoming more and more mainstream especially in the "African-American" community I'd be singing to the choir. I really felt the day would come that women and girls would get the memo that as "The Golden Goose Of The Universe," our innate power and magic supercedes the colonized, misogynized, superficial and exploited fragments of female we had become on display for all to see. I, you, we're not quite there yet, we're getting there though.

DID YOU KNOW YOU ARE THE GOLDEN GOOSE SIS?

Although many would repeat Dicken's mantra that this is the BEST of times and the WORST of times, there are planetary influences, that will trump a great deal of the degeneration and nonsense we've witnessed in this last era. So this book is even MORE RELEVANT now than ever, but I'm not at all worried because I can see a beautiful victory ahead.

DON'T BE STINGY WITH YOUR GOODIES.
In this book, I talk about being "stingy with your goodies." Well, my blood sister teases me that I haven't really done all I can to make sure that people can easily get this book into their hands by virtue of the fact I've seen a remixed boot-leg copy in Atlanta while doing makeup on a music video with Usher and R. Kelly (Yes, I know. Dont' judge. The work of healers are needed everywhere. Jesus taught us that.) and that I've seen it sold on Amazon for over $258. She had to make me see that it wasn't as much a compliment but that there was a feeling of scarcity for the book. There are only fifteen-hundred copies on the planet. Not a good thing. This is a message, not a piece of artwork. As an artist, I had to shift my mindset and go for the masses because this is about the generations to come. So the scarcity of the book is going to change. We've been chanting #blackgirlmagic and that #blackgirlsrock for a while now so . . . in honor of the ten-year anniversary:

• I will PRINT a commemorative edition of SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES: Workin' Your Power & Magic Book One with a commentary of my views ten years later on what I wrote back in 2005.
• I will have this available on Kindle, etc.
• HOST book circle dinners, workshops, events in Chicago, LA, NYC and selected cities

• FEATURE our readers over the next year. 

I'm really looking forward to connecting with some of our readers as well as introducing this work to new readers. 

DO YOU HAVE THIS BOOK? CLICK this link to connect with me.
DO YOU DESIRE TO HAVE THIS BOOK? CLICK this link to grab one or two or three . . .

What have you created, accomplished and built that needs to be commemorated and celebrated?
commemorate.
Thanks for reading.
Looking forward to meet you soon during this year of celebrating ten years of S & G!

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

Day 13 of 13/13 Moon
Waxing Gibbous
 

Ever feel like that gold you be droppin' is going over their heads?
No shade but . . .
​​
"Do not give what is holy to dogs,
and do not throw pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet,
                 and turn and tear you to pieces."                
Matthew 7 : 6

In Love, In Work, In Financial Matters, etc. 

Speaking of pearls, did you know the most expensive i.e. valuable piece of jewelry in the world is a 55 million dollar necklace by Mouawad Jewelry. It's an "internally flawless diamond."

SPARE SOME CHANGE?
So you know that apparently homeless guy in the subway asking for change? What do you think would happen if you offered this necklace to him? Do you think he would appreciate the value of the diamond or find it useful in his predicament? Do you think he would have the knowledge to even understand how this piece of jewelry could completely alter his reality, as well as those whose lives he could touch? Most likely and sadly . . .  not.

Still hypothetically speaking, his considerations are most likely focused on survival and would question why on Earth you were offering him a necklace when all he was looking for was a sandwich, some whiskey or his next hit.

INTERNALLY FLAWLESS
So why is it, us who have done the work on ourselves, our craft, built our wealth to be flawless, extremely rare and beautiful, attempt to share our heart, work, money with individuals who have no frame of reference or appreciation for our value? 

Oftentimes, when asked "Who is your customer?" The aspiring entrepreneur will say, "women."
As of 2014, there are 3.52 billion on Planet Earth, so WHICH women? Who are they, where are they, what are their challenges, what do they dream of, what do they read, etc.? If you're a business owner, freelance maker, man or woman in an intimate relationship, when are you going to get CLEAR on who that 1% is that can truly value, appreciate and cherish what you have to offer? 
 
1000 TRUE FANS
I love when Kevin Kelley came up with the concept of "1000 True Fans." He says, if you can develop 1000 true fans who will travel to see you, buy any project you launch, product you offer, you will do well in your work. In relationship, most of us only require ONE man or ONE woman out of billions so don't you think it's okay to be super picky and desire more than a pretty girl or a man with a job? Which investments are worthy of your cash and will bring in the highest return?

Several notes ago I spoke about the Pareto Principle i.e. the 20/80 rule. Continuing with that perspective, doesn't it make sense to focus our energy, time and resources on the 1% who appreciate, value and are actually looking for what we have to offer them. 

extremely rare. beautiful. flawless.
Only the 1% top earners in this world can afford to acquire one of the most expensive jewelry pieces in the world. With 11 to 55 million dollar price tags, these highly sought after and precious pieces by Cartier, Bulgari, Garrard, Chopard, Harry Winston, etc. are perceived value. What is extremely rare, beautiful and flawless is precious, sought after and valued; only appreciated by those who understand or perceive the value.

If you're a Cartier-level woman or man/maker/entrepreneur, how could you expect a dollar-store level consumer to not only "afford," but appreciate the value of and maintain the Cartier? It makes sense to continue to cultivate a relationship with the 1% who are looking for and will be jubilant to actually find that extremely rare, beautiful and flawless gem that you are.

In relationships, enterprise, you don't require or really want everybody's attention. Keep it clean and simple.  Jill Scott said it best, "Everything ain't for everybody."

focus on the 1%
What 1% are you going to invest your focus, time, energy and resources on this year?

More on this topic in this Sunday's Workshop "Love. Beauty. Wealth. You Set The Standard."

Thanks for reading.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua
 ​
Day 8 of 13/13 Moons 
First Quarter Moon

​Source :http://www.wonderslist.com/10-most-expensive-jewellery-pieces-in-the-world/

Insight #3 . . .
Years ago me and my eldest daughter attended T. Harv Eker's paradigm shifting weekend experience "The Millionaire Mind" where he introduced what he called "the world's easiest and most effective money management system."  It's a system my girls still use to this day and they are really good with money.  The system was to have six or seven jars in which you by percentage distributed or allocated your money.

The first and MOST important jar was 10% in the FFA (Financial Freedom Account). The money in this jar was NEVER to be spent. OK, back then when I first heard this, it messed with my head. When I was a pre-teen and would get money my mother would kind of clown me about how "my money was just burnin' my pocket." I liked the experience of buying things and bringing them home. 

"DON'T KILL THE GOOSE!"
So hearing that there was money, 10% of everything you received that you put away and NEVER SPENT was something I was really uncomfortable with. He reasoned that this money was to create a "golden goose."  You were to live from the eggs that this "golden goose" created in profit, dividends, interest from placing it in an interest-bearing account. He further instructed to leave your golden goose in trust to charity, church, children, legacy as the "golden goose" that they can't spend because after all you "DON'T KILL THE GOOSE!" He explained that this money acts as a magnet for attracting more wealth.

​MAGNET FOR ATTRACTING WEALTH
When I think of women who are in their full unapologetic expression, we are magnetic and highly valuable to anyone who's life we touch. Guided by a Source greater than ourselves, it's no mistake that the most powerful men in the world have an enigmatic woman by their side. Wise men know that having a good woman in their corner, creating home (psychologically and physically), and guiding their children is his greatest asset and power that brings eternal dividends to their legacy.

I deeply believe that every masculine man is looking for a queendom or a muse to serve, protect and cultivate. This is the quality that I most appreciate about masculine men that they look to be of use and affirmed by the feminine and not quite balanced unless he is needed by his muse. You'll NEVER hear me declare that crazy mantra: "I don't need a man." Never! Yesterday as I watched two very intelligent and strong men strategize how to get a huge armoire up to my second floor, I said to them, "What on Earth would women do without men? We definitely need you."

CULTIVATE YOUR GOOSE BABY
Because of our value as women on this planet, in the home, wherever we are really is legendary, it's good to recognize that we are "his" golden goose. Even if you're not in a partnership, we are the "golden goose" of our home or wherever we have others that depend on us. As feminine women, our #1 priority needs to be in the cultivation of ourselves as "the golden goose" who produces golden eggs (empowered mates, our children, our creative works, etc. ). When we place cultivating ourselves our ability to magnetize all of things in this life that make it yummy, magic, miracles and grace in our lives will be consistent and flowing.  

More on this topic in this Sunday's Workshop "Love. Beauty. Wealth. You Set The Standard."
Details below. 

Thanks for reading.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua
 ​
Day 6 of 13/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent 

21 Insights In 4 Nights
During the Winter Solstice I got quiet for four days and four nights and emerged with twenty-one insights; some were reminders, some were epiphanies, others were ideas.

There's a song from 1977 that says,
"If it don't fit, don't force it. 
Just relax and let it go.
Just cause that's how you want it
Doesn't mean it will be so."

by Kellee Patterson
​"If It Don't Fit Don't Force It"

Insight #2 . . .
Abraham, Bruce and Maya were spot on.
Abraham (Hicks) said "Go with the flow. No resistance. No struggle."
Bruce (Lee) said: "Be Like Water My Friend."
Maya (Angelou) said: "In everything give thanks."

I take them all to mean FLOW without resistance.
Because we live in an electromagnetic Universe, which is a feminine force of attraction, I, you, we get to practice working our power and magic through MAGNETISM.

Any energy, vibe, action, attention, focus becomes a "Yes!" in this Universal law of Cause and Effect i.e. Attraction. So even your "No!" is becomes a "Yes." There is no read of what you do and don't want, do or don't like only that you are giving it energy.

So giving thanks for it all, no matter what it looks like, feels like is again to be in the energy, vibe, action of allowing, no resistance, no struggle, but complete surrender and trust in the provision of the Universe, it's laws, our Spirit Allies and all of the good seeds we've planted for better. Giving thanks, being like water and going with the flow is an acknowledgment that regardless of appearances "All is well." It will turn out. It will benefit you in the long-run, even the short-run. Just flow and trust.

go with the flow.
Thanks for reading.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua
 ​
Day 5 of 13/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent 

S a v e   T h e   D a t e  
U P C O M I N G    E V E N T S ​​

J  A  N  U  A  R  Y

21 Insights In 4 Nights
During the Winter Solstice I got quiet for four days and four nights and emerged with twenty-one insights; some were reminders, some were epiphanies, others were ideas.

One afternoon, I was having a moment where I was just daydreaming in gratitude thinking about the things I appreciated about someone and poof! I got a phone call from that person as I was daydreaming about them in gratitude.
​Insight #1 . . .
came as a reminder that whatever you desire more of, daydream in gratitude about it. Speak in appreciation about it and you will find that you experience more of the same. Many of us get into the complain game and because like Kendrick Lamar says, "Life ain't nothing but a fat vagina," we get EXACTLY what we profess. The electromagnetic Universe in it's "YES" state is always listening to our directives and then pregnant gives birth to what we've uttered from the heart, without judgment, for better or for worse. 
gratitude multiplies.
Thanks for reading.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua
 ​
Day 2 of 13/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

S a v e   T h e   D a t e  
U P C O M I N G    E V E N T S ​

Miss me?
I missed you.
Waking in the twilight hours to LISTEN, be in gratitude and then write a note here has become part of my morning ritual; my daily ministry to share the juicy magic that comes through for you, for me, for we. (Day Three Kwanzaa: UJIMA)

The Sun was in a standstill, so I (along with over 100 other people in our solstice observance community) went into a standstill for the most magical time of the year. Instead of creating shallow, ineffective New Year's resolutions, I/we put aside my/our agenda (s) and just LISTENED to "the Will of THY Will." I/we got into magi mode (crown chakra) instead of magician mode (root chakra).

Well mission-accomplished!
​I came out of four days and four nights with twenty-one insights.
Some were reminders, some were epiphanies, others were ideas and to top it off, experienced a-bit-o-magic.
 
Did you participate with us, get still and listen too?
What did you hear? What did you see?  What did you feel?
TELL US below in the comments if you feel inspired to (I don't normally have the comment section open so go for it!)

Every year I have a theme and I also got clear on what the theme of my year will be as well.
Over the next three weeks, I'm going to share the "Twenty-One Insights That Came In Four Nights."

​I'll share it right here in the notebook for you. 
Many of you have subscribed to this notebook. In about a week, I'll begin to send weekly emails so that you don't miss a single note.

The Winter Solstice begins tomorrow : Wednesday, 21 December, 2016 at 5:44 AM EST. I wrote about this in detail in the note: "Cultivating Love & Genius." CLICK TO READ
​
​In observance of this powerful time of darkness and the activation of heightened consciousness, it's best to occupy these days with nourishing and receptive activities like: reflection, clean eating, quiet, peace and order, focused on restorative, inspirational and uplifting activities/study.

Love Has Spoken is one of my favorite songs, by my friend Chicago singer & songwriter Khari Lemuel. This is a perfect song to add to your meditation playlist, while you await the insights, epiphanies and messages of this season.

INjoy this magical time where miracles abound.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 20 of 12/13 Moons 
Waning Gibbous

Love Has Spoken
by Khari Lemuel

Stop walkin' 'round here unprepared
Stop being scared
Stop doing all the crazy things you do.
That ain't you.
Stop wasting precious time you have complaining 'bout your circumstance
Believing that you're what you're going through
that ain't you.

Don't you remember who you are
Don't you remember
and even after all this time
please tell me why you don't know what you're here to do.

Did you know that when I made you are pure love
Did you know that when I made you, you were whole
Did you know that you a part of pure divinity
a true mystery to unfold.

Fill your heart with love, let go of hate.
Focus your mind and concentrate.
Create yourself and start your life anew
And I guarantee the moment that you do, you'll introduce yourself to you.

Did you know that when I made you are pure love
Did you know that when I made you, you were whole
Did you know that you a part of pure divinity
a true mystery to unfold.

Share your world and don't you hesitate
Focus your mind and meditate
Don't be afraid to let the light shine through
​and I guarantee the moment that you do,
you'll introduce yourself to you.

Written by: Khari Lemuel
Album: Morning Music
2009

In America, from California to Chicago, the temperatures have dropped and while I'm most definitely cold weather averse, the upside of this climate condition is being warmed from the inside out with delicious soul-warming soups. There's something about drinking soup that feels like mama's hug, so I'm pretty excited to fully indulge in a soup odyssey throughout this winter season.  This simple recipe that I free-styled is an original. I put it together and just hoped it would be yummy. Well, mission accomplished. 

If you're reading this note in real-time and participating in our 2016 Winter Solstice Observance community on Facebook, this is a part of our soup and salad cleanse/detox menu.

It's vegan.
It's creamy.
It's body and soul medicinal.
​It's soooooo flavorful.
Make it and let me know how it turns out for you.

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 16 of 12/13 Moons 
Waning Gibbous

Two Designers + An Energy Healer +  A Biz Coach + A Celebrity Makeup Artist + A Perfumier
​
​I hope you had a chance to delve into the precious gems and gold of these women featured in my #iAmHer360 series. If you've missed any of them click this link for the playlist: #iAmHer360.

"I take life as it's given to me and I think that
​has made me a really happy person." 
​S H A R M I L A   V A R A D A R A J A N

#iAmHer360 speaks to seeing other women as yourself and the celebration of every way that any woman chooses to express herself. Today we continue with another chat in the #iAmHer360: SuperWomen & Goddesses Series with Indian-born Sharmila Varadarajan. Across the seas from Chicago to India while she's on holiday.

After an arranged marriage by her parents in her homeland, Sharmila came to America twenty years ago with an education in Cardiac Rehabilitation & Exercise Science. Although she looks twenty-five, she's actually been happily married to her perfect man for twenty-five years.
I'm suspecting she may be a vampire. ;o)

We met at a mutual friend's women's luncheon where pretty much all the women in attendance were married . . . happily for decades.  I was inspired and excited that this was even possible in this day and age. Like-minded women who come together on a regular basis to bond.

Love . . . Indian Style

T  H  E     C  H  A  T     H  I  G  H  L  I  G  H  T  S 
​
On Life's Rough Patches
"Life is just beautiful. It's taken such a nice path...
it's given me a lot of mental strength, even though certain patches were rough I think that gave strength. 
​So I took the strength instead of the negativity from that."

No Children but . . .
"I accept that this is how my life is so I'm going to take it as it's given to me and I think that has made me a really happy person." 

On Getting Outside Your Circle
"I try to read, try to listen to people, see the world and their outlook.
This has changed me quite a bit. I see if you only stay in a circle you only know that, but if you move outside or travel and see the world, the people out there, you learn so much.
There's so much out there which we hardly know. We just know a bit of it."

Her Motto On Caring For Self First
"I take care of myself first. The "inner me" is what I think the beauty for every woman is and we need to take care of that part. If that's taken care of I think the outside beauty comes automatically and I truly believe in that. It's inside first. Working in cardiac rehabilitation, I believe in prevention. Whatever is in store for us, that will be there, whatever God has given us. But our duty is to take care of this body. We need to cherish that first and everything else will just follow.

Her Advice For Women To Be In Relationships Where They Feel Cherished & Appreciated
"First of all any marriage at the beginning needs a lot of work,
understanding, love, care - all that has to be done.

"You just have to stand up for each other's likings or give respect, space. I truly, truly believe in that. If my husband wants to do something I don't discourage him, I say "Please go for it!" 
That way, he has his space and I have my space. I believe that's truly the success of the marriage.
I have not stopped him and then we have our time. There's his time, my time and our time. It can't just be our time, all the time. It's just not possible. I think everybody needs a space where you have to think how do you evolve as a person all along and not be there in the person's face all the time.
I think that's one of the best things I've found in our relationship which has worked just magically.
I tell my husband to "go enjoy and then you can come back and we'll be together. Whatever you want to do, go for it!"  He gives me my space and I give him his space and then we do a lot of things together. We travel a lot, we talk about everything pretty much, our day-today things. That's probably what has kept our marriage going from my end, but if you ask my husband he would probably say a different thing."

On Resolving Conflicts, Confrontations, Confusion
"If there is anything that bothers us, we would talk and settle it right then and there that night and not carry it over and spoil the next day because today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow. If in this moment it didn't work, clarify it and get it over with, like today, not carry it over tomorrow and feel bad for it, argue about it, fight about it, nag about it. I just can't do that."

On The Benefits Of Arranged Marriage
"The difference about our gathering of friends is that it is a group of culturally like-minded
women coming together. The roots of it are important, that's where we all come from, where
the roots are much more stronger. That's probably where we're all coming from. We're all educated. It was an arranged marriage for us, as it was with my parents and grandparents.  
You kind of accept the person completely, there's no choice after all. You have to adjust, forgive...that's what we've been taught. It goes both ways. We all have good men in our life
and that is a blessing. It's all give and take, that's what they taught us.
We are happy with what we have and we try to make what we have  better all the time." 

On Respect, Support & Hardship
"There's a lot of closeness because we are away from home and we like to hang onto each other because it's the only family you've got. When you're away from home you kind of understand the person more because you've gone through hardship a lot more without anybody's support. Because you're away from home the only support you have is your husband, or your wife. So you start building respect for each other over a period of time is what I've found. We've encouraged each other during hardships. We've seen in and out of each other without anybody else being there so I think that creates a very strong bond." 

​Thanks for reading and listening. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 8 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Gibbous

s m e l l .
What do you love to smell?

Of all of our senses, smell is the most profound of them all.
A scent can instantly take us back to a moment in time with all of the feelings
and sensations of the experience. Scent can arouse hunger, sensuality, happiness, disdain . . . 
I have a vision of planting a jasmine and lily garden around my house so that
when the wind blows my house will be engulfed in the scent of jasmine and lilies.

As a woman with earthy astrology, scent is that much more profound for me,
so the very first aspect of my morning ritual involves scent.
I even named one of my daughters after a flower I've been enchanted
by from the first moment I smelled it - Jasmine.

MY LUXURIOUS DAILY MORNING RITUAL
I have an oil diffuser scheduled to turn on in the morning just before I normally
awake to diffuse my fragrant, uplifting plant-based oil into the air where I sleep. 
When I awake smelling such a delicious scent in my bedroom I feel
bliss and gratitude for the beauty of the moment. 

Want to integrate this ritual into your daily routine?
1. CHOOSE how you want to feel.
Here are some ideas for you: 
Citrus notes - uplifting
Floral notes- heart opening
Woodsy notes - rejuvenating
Resinous notes - sensual

2. PURCHASE essential oils above fragrance oils. 
The difference is that the fragrance oils are synthetic and man-made chemicals
(which I don't want to breathe in.) Even when the essential oils are "pure" and "natural" the processes and quality of the essential plant-based oil is far-ranging. Because I'm breathing in the molecules I will most definitely be mindful of the fact that it's natural v. synthetic but this is where I feel it's ok to use a less expensive quality oil, as long as it is plant-based.

3. PURCHASE an oil diffuser. They come electric or the ceramic tea lite powered version.
​
PLAN to integrate this ritual into your morning and/or evening.

​Over the years, I've created compositions depending on how I feel or desire to feel.
Need a morning diffuse kit, LET ME KNOW. 
I'll put one together for you.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 7 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

I was just thinking about Kanye West yesterday morning hoping that whatever he's going through that he gets better. Although I've never met the brotha, he IS my HOMEboy because he was raised in "the Chi" by an educator/teacher just like me.

America, a culture which is highly influenced by the all-powerful British monarchy carries a bit of a self-deprecating way of interacting with others. People seem to be really turned off by unapologetic braggards, so when West publicly AFFIRMS himSelf, the public is taken aback and even loathe the audacity of his expression. Not to psychoanalyze the brother, but for those of us who grew up with an engaged/involved father, we most likely received the message that as a girl "you are delightful" and for boys "you have what it takes."  In the documentary "Absent," Justin Hunt explores the effects of the "The Father Wound" which are so profound, it's effected global culture itself. So if your daddy wasn't around to affirm that you indeed have what it takes, then who else will or should other than us?

I actually ADMIRE and am entertained by Kanye's bravado, perceived arrogance and freedom to BE his innovative, creative, artistic self. The key here is "the freedom to BE."

Kanye's personality reminds me of Aries-born Jack Johson (1878-1946), an American boxer during the height of the Jim Crow-era in America who was the first African-American world heavyweight champion. A celebrity athelete, audacious, brazen and unapologetic, Johnson lived life on HIS terms without concern for other people's ideas about how he should live his life. "Johnson constantly flouted conventions regarding the social and economic "place" of blacks in American society"...while breaking taboos in his relationships with white women, sometimes on the young side.

Traveling in one of the most expensive cars of the time (early 1900s), Johnson is famously known for being "pulled over for a $50 speeding ticket, he gave the officer a $100 bill; when the officer protested that he couldn't make change for that much, Johnson told him to keep the change, as he was going to make his return trip at the same speed."

Yes. During the Jim Crow era.

Capricorn-born Muhammad Ali chanted "I am the greatest!" with plenty of the world rolling of their eyes, until now we refer to him as the G.O.A.T.  

Ali's former wife Veronica Porsche said: "He took control of his destiny by making himself accountable with things like this predictions. Where he would say what round and then pretty much live into his future and be more pressured or accountable to do what he said he would do. So he pretty much, I think mastered life in that way."

If we were each to speak of ourselves through the eyes of the Creator that gave us life, how would we speak of our Beloved Selves then?

In our SUPERWOMEN & GODDESSES Facebook community, I think I'm going to create a Jack/Ali/Kanye day or even hour of the day (High Noon) called #ShineLikeJackMoment, #ShineLikeAliMoment, #ShineLikeKanyeMoment. Hahahaha!

There's humility and then there's just playing small to make others feel comfortable or because you're afraid of being rejected. Lying about who we REALLY are and living a life other than the one where we feel free to be doesn't serve ANY. BODY. Not a one person.

So SHINE my loves like it's SUNday and if the light's too bright they can put on sunglasses.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 6 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent


Jack Johnson Historical Reference:  Wikipedia and the documentary "Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise & Fall of Jack Johnson"

You meet your Beloved. They are supportive, wealthy, adventurous and you feel as if all in the world is possible in their midst. Prior to them entering your life, you'd been solo for awhile, but started to just settle in to what was and simply appreciate everything in your life. You became quite content with the abundant blessings in your life. And then THEY showed up!

YOUR HONEY
In this new chapter of your life, your time together is simply...magic!  Your new mate is generous, attentive, and you're oh so appreciative...

until over time, you become accustomed to the magic as your new normal. So as hueman beings tend to do, we begin to take for granted not only the grand but even the simple blessings that show up in our lives. What you once experienced as magical, miraculous and amazing is now just another day in the life. You stop saying "Thank you, I appreciate you." and over time the support, generosity and adventure that once existed from your Beloved wanes. 

You both get wrapped up in your separate lives, drift apart and now you've got your eye on someone else, looking for some magic. What changed it all? Nothing changed about this person other than your feeling of appreciation, gratitude and thanksgiving for the presence of this person in your life.

YOUR MONEY
I've found that prosperity, wealth and cash flow can be like the Beloved you got bored with. Although, there is so much prosperity in our lives, sometimes we tend to overlook that abundance and begin to think, feel and speak poverty, limitation and scarcity. It is only through the neglect and care of our blessings and improper perception that our wealth wanes and poverty is on our heels like a virus. It's been said, "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer." There's a reason for that. 

THE RITUAL OF GRATITUDE
Being in the Spirit of gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving is being in the Spirit of the Divine. Being in appreciation is instantly being in the vibration, frequency or energy of God (good), the omnipotent, omnipowerful, omniscient. The first thing that I do when I open my eyes every (ok, most) morning is to give thanks for waking up and a litany of things I am grateful for...from my beating heart to my healthy mother to the cash in my purse.

As a metaphysician, I am clear that what I appreciate literally appreciates. The dictionary defines the verb "appreciate" a few ways:

1. recognize the full worth of,
2. understand fully and
3. rise in value or price.

So in essence "when we recognize the full worth of something it rises in value." 

CELEBRATE
your blessings and blissings. Everything big and small. Mama Maya [Angelou] said:
"In EVERYTHING give thanks."  


So at the top of a new week, a new day, a new hour, "What are you loving in your life? 
What is beautiful in your life? What are you saying "THANK YOU. More Please." for?  
Acknowledge it and watch it multiply.

SHARE this note and what you're thankful, grateful or appreciative of and watch the magic, adventure, miracles return to your life like a Beloved that has returned home.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 5 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

Ever experience such flow, beauty and benevolence in your life that you begin to get nervous and feel cautious, even anxious in your heart? ...like you stole something...looking over your shoulder, ready to run for cover in the moment you realize that it was all too good to be true. After all, you've been done so wrong in the past, right?

YOU TUNED OUT THO...
To be fair, your inner voice said "nah, not this one." The red flags were waving but you ignored them because in the moment it felt soooo good. So sometimes yes, that is indeed the case, "it's TOO good to be true."

. . . but you were warned.

REAPING & SOWING
But then there IS a point where you're rewarded for all of the good you've ever done. Like the moon becoming full, like the seeds you planted finally blossoming, like an enterprise that finally turns a profit. Of course, yes, we've all done our dirt and been unkind, but if ESSENTIALLY you've only meant good, intended love then the only thing keeping you from your ultimate reward is YOU. Your THINKING, MINDSET & CONSCIOUSNESS that you don't somehow deserve the good that shows up at your door will stop the flow of blessings to you. 

WHAT WILL YOU BE HAVING?
After all the Universe is an obedient waiter/waitress, standing awaiting your directive, "order"...listening to your consciousness, heart and declarations. The laws YOU create for yourself by simply declaring your view of the world and your life. If you say it's too good to be true when it really wasn't then purely by universal law it has to morph into your directive.  

Conversely if you've done your dirt but on some level still feel you deserve goodness and the beauty of life, the Universe is also listening to that "order" [directive]. That's why sometimes the most dastardly of folks seem to get away with murder. Man may create his court rooms, statutes and ordinances but the ULTIMATE COURT ROOM is Universal Law, the true law which is insoluble. When you violate the laws of nature...of the Universe, you WILL pay a price. Life may not be fair, but it is just. When you follow the laws of the Universe and nature you are rendered the spoils of that also.

HELL YEAH! I DESERVE IT
So I say YES, I DESERVE THE GOOD IN MY LIFE and it's NOT TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE because I'm listening to my inner oracle, I've planted innumerable good cosmic seeds and have handed my life over to the expression of love, power and beauty in the world and those things render only more love, power, beauty and all sort and form of miraculous magic in my life.

If you're having a tough time feeling like you deserve the good that has shown up at your door, grab some paper and pen, then muse on the beauty you've contributed to the world. Give yourself some credit. Remember George Bailey's ephiphany in the film "It's A Wonderful Life?" Imagine that if you'd never been born, how many lives and things in our world would be ENTIRELY different? Every choice each of us makes changes, molds, transforms the ALL.

Yes you ARE that powerful. You never know if your friendly greeting to a stranger passing by gave them the will to go on another day and then perhaps their existence created something in the world that also altered the paths of many others in a profound way. Just like that. One smile.

THE GOODNESS ACCOUNT
In every moment you're building up an account of goodness in the world. Fix your mind and be clear about the good and beauty you contribute to the world. Universal law says that if you are receptive and in alignment with that goodness you will be in awe of the blessings that are waiting to overwhelm you. 

Yes it is good and it IS true.

Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 3 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

 Last night I had in mind to write about an entirely different topic,
but when I awoke this morning with a little feeling of overwhelm a voice said:

"Go back to the basics."

Did you have a health regimen that worked really well for you and it somehow dropped off?
Ever discover an amazing beauty product and somehow stopped using it?
Do you have a sea of unread books in your library and continue to buy new ones?
A dish that you once loved to eat, but stopped eating?
Have you ever bought something only to realize that you already have it?
...once so ecstatic about this magical new person in your life who you now take for granted?

Why is it that we find something that works for us, love it
and somehow we look up and it's/they've fallen to the wayside?

I'll tell you why.
We're dazzled by the shiny new sh*t
(or perhaps even in some cases the old sh*t that never worked.)

We haven't yet mastered or fully explored to the deepest levels the thing that we found that worked, that we loved, that we were ecstatic about and proselitized it like a new Christian.

Any successful business man, champion athlete or artistic genius knows
to maintain their winning formula with 
F O C U S  &  C O N S I S T E N C Y.

So note what works for you, work it into your ethos,
keep doing it with focus and consistency and try not
​to be so dazzled by all the shiny new sh*t.

That's all.
Thanks for reading. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 2 of 12/13 Moons 
Waxing Crescent

In this series I ask some of my most beautiful, creative, wealthy, entrepreneur "girl crushes" how they create a life where they are cherished, appreciated and paid top dollar for their genius in their respective areas of talent and mastery. 

The #iAmHer360 series is an affirmation and celebration that the beauty, brilliance and benevolence in other women is also within us as well as having compassion for aspects of ourselves that give us the experience of various levels of pain, fear and isolation. 

At the end of the day, the health and consciousness of the planet lies in the health and consciousness of the si"star" hood, how we care for ourselves and each other. I'm committed to the idea that women set the standard to be cherished, appreciated and paid top dollar for their power and genius.

What You Deserve & Who You Are

T  H  E     C  H  A  T     H  I  G  H  L  I  G  H  T  S 
​
Little Girls ​& Women Embrace Your Insecurity
2:02 min. 
"Having a sense of self-worth is reliant on realizing that you're always going to have insecurities,
so don't focus on eradicating them but acknowledge, accept and value yourself despite them.
No need to gloss over them, sort them out or ​fix them. 

I would tell her to value herself for the right reasons and make peace with her
insecurities and to not lead with them. Create a relationship with them that's healthy. ​
When you build the right relationship with yourself, everything springs from that." 

"It is very, very important for women to be
very, very ​clear about what they deserve
​and to be very clear about who they are." 

6:10 min. 
Nourishing Rituals For Growing Self-Worth
"I stay in clear communication with myself, I check-in and clear my mind clutter."

On a practical level....
E A T I N G 
"There's a strong connection between the way that I feel and the way that I eat.
Eating nutritious and listening to your own body instead of imposing some set rules on yourself based on some philosophy. Learn what you feel most nourished by, what makes you feel good, what doesn't. I'm focused on high-quality food that I also enjoy."

H A V E   A   C R E A T I V E   P R A C T I C E 
"...that's not necessarily tied to what you do or your work. 
Sometimes when you make your living that's tied to your creative outlet it's an amazing gift in life but it can change your relationship to it when it's tied up in commerce or business or the real world.
It's nice to have a practice that's not necessarily about your work." 
​
​

Thanks for reading and listening. 
​
♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 1 of 12/13 Moons 
New Moon in Sagittarius

In this series I ask some of my most beautiful, creative, wealthy, entrepreneur "girl crushes" how they create a life where they are cherished, appreciated and paid top dollar for their genius in their respective areas of talent and mastery. 

The #iAmHer360 series is an affirmation and celebration that the beauty, brilliance and benevolence in other women is also within us as well as having compassion for aspects of ourselves that give us the experience of various levels of pain, fear and isolation. 

At the end of the day, the health and consciousness of the planet lies in the health and consciousness of the si"star" hood, how we care for ourselves and each other. I'm committed to the idea that women set the standard to be cherished, appreciated and paid top dollar for their power and genius.

Diana Ross, Aunties ​& Haters

T  H  E     C  H  A  T     H  I  G  H  L  I  G  H  T  S 
​
4:05 min. 
Working With Ms. Ross
"Larger-than-life figure who is down-to-earth, fabulous, patient and regular.
At the end of the day, people are people, it's the way others treat them that makes them seem like their different, unapproachable and untouchable." 

7:24 min.
Wisdom For My Daughter
"I'd tell my daughter to be a thinker, be your own unique person,
don't subscribe to what everyone else is doing. 
Be confident. Be educated. Be fierce. Don't be like the rest." 
 
"People judge you by the way that you look.
Always carry yourself in a way understanding that others are always
going to be looking at you and they're going form a perception of you." 

"Always dress for the job you want, not for the job you have.  
Perception . . . persona is everything . . .
it's all about what you project." 

8:31 min. 
Daily Declarations
"Make positive declarations over your life everyday.
Make a list of what you want to see change and improve in your life.
Everyday recite these declarations and soon it'll start manifesting itself." 

10:00 min. 
Who Everyone Needs In Their Life
"Everyone needs someone in their life that's going to tell them the truth. 
Align yourself with someone who's going to be authentically real with you." 

ON Haters
"Everyone has an opinion and everybody's not going to like you and
everybody's not going to hate you. It's just how life is."

"If you're down and out, first of all you've got to believe that you are not what people say you are. You've got to believe in yourself. You have to know that. When somebody tells you something that makes you feel a certain way, "consider the source."

15:50 min. 
Girl Stop Lookin' Like An Auntie
"In this day and age there's no reason for anyone to be fat and ugly.
You can look like a celebrity, on a budget. When you look better you feel better." 

"I see a whole lot of women out here lookin' like aunties.
You don't have to look like an auntie, I mean look at Diana Ross,
Diahann Carroll, Tina Turner, Sophia Loren, Sheryl Lee Ralph."

"You don't have to look like an auntie but you have to be willing to be
uncomfortable to get the change . . . most people that are mediocre,
that are average, that are not disciplined will not endure
that part that it takes, that separates you from the rest."
​

Thanks for reading and listening. 

♡ ☆ ♀
Akua

​Day 27 of 11/13 Moons 
Waning Crescent