Say It Isn't So!

Picture from: Kwe Ceja Neji artist is Jurema

I am not an economist, really I barely keep my account balanced but I do see trends. I guess I started to realize something was a little funny when the Savings & Loan scandal happened (was that the 80's or 90's??). I then noticed the whole ".com" scenerio of having literal fantasy like companies ran by teens that were worth millions of dollars (are any of those still around??). Then came the whole housing scene. Everybody who was anybody wanted to own property and funny there was almost anyone out there who was willing to give you a loan (that you would never be able to pay back...). Now my friends we have reached that the most edgy frontier of Amerikan capitalist survivor maneuvers -FOOD. This one is a little scary because many of us are ADDICTED TO FOOD.

Yes, we are...and if we sense any kind of shortage we would do ANYTHING - I mean ANYTHING to get some food.
Yes, all the years of MSG, orange #5, natural flavors, artificial flavors, trans fats, and hydrogenated oils have finally come to collect on all the "goodness" they have been giving us. Very similar to drug dealers who give you the "stuff" for free at first and then when you are hooked then it is time to pay. I don't want to contribute to the scare but it is time to wise up while we can...if we can...

My wise friend says,"We have been trying to suckle at dry tit for too long" - to put it bluntly. Time to live wisely, time to see that there is no area in which capitalism won't try to touch. I am not a conspiracy theorist (even though I find it all interesting) - the word is that the investors of failed mortgage scams are now dumping what they can into hedge funds which somehow translates to food markets. COME ON THEY KNOW WE ARE GOING TO BUY FOOD! We may end up riding some bikes but we are going to have some food!

Knowing that CHANGE IS GOOD and we are going to have to ride this out...so we can see a world we really want to see...Sistah C is going to suggest her plan (it isn't the only plan). Here is my thinking and the thinking of some folks I have spoken with lately...

* Take your circle of friends, families and neighbors and start your own gardens. Doesn't matter if you don't have a lot of land - use planter pots or barrels. There is a good book called Square Foot Gardening Plan out who will grow what and form food exchanges with each other. It is pretty easy to grow stuff. I know if you live in the Bay Area there is an Oakland organization (I forget the name, sorry) that will come into your yard and help you build/start a small garden for this very purpose.

*Starting buying in bulk with friends and family. Bulk prices are better and you can stretch you dollar more this way. Take some planning. Research forming food buying clubs or food co-ops.

*Wean yourself and your family off of addictive junk foods. Food really should be functional not for entertainment. Marketing of food has us all use to using food as a reward. Time to get real. If there is an upcoming food shortage that $7 per meal you spent at Micky D's would be better used buying rice, beans, etc... We need to find other ways to celebrate, entertain and console.

*Queen Afua is one of my Sistah Mama Teachers from way back and she would tell you - you don't need flour, rice and all these starchy foods anyway to be healthy. A food shortage is a perfect time to re-evaluate your eating habits and be more sustainable. Lets not go and kill someone over a $40 dollar bag of rice (you know someone will try it), instead of falling for the hooky-doke and giving them the $$ - eat simple. Learn to do this early and it won't be much of a chore and you will have a strange sense of sanity when everyone else is crying over a $50 pizza. Meditate, do yoga, take a walk - make love not hamburgers...

*Ok, you can do this but what about your kids?? I raised my son on veggies and as a teen he eats whatever he wants but if I fix him a salad he eats it. You see it is NATURAL to like fruits and vegetables. If a child doesn't like them it is simply because they are a victim of dull taste buds and tv marketing. Just work it in slowly. Instead of chips for a snack, take some celery sticks, nut butter and raisins - remember "ants on a log". My son and I was just eating this like crazy a week ago. Instead of going to the fast food place buy a blender and make smoothies at home -children love smoothies and they can help too. Lastly, teach them more about helping the planet by not buying GMO foods and contributing to manufactured food shortages.

In my mind there is enough food in the world to feed everyone! When you see people starving in so called "developing nations" it has more to do with the fact that the country has to pay off debts to the IMF by exporting food rather than feeding their own people. I think India said this week they weren't going to play that game! In Haiti, folks are fed up with it, too. People starve and often there is a warehouse full of grain spoiling - this is the way capitalism works - starve your babies but we are going to get paid. Lives are taken over this worthless pieces of paper...Watch the movie Life and Debt and Mens With Guns.

Now is time to start empowering ourselves to take back our lives - to find more meaning - to not be continuous victims of marketing schemes and stock market woes...It is a time to really re-remember what truly matters to us and begin to live that way...Your thoughts on this are appreciated...
Peace,
Sistah C

Falling In Love Again...

Picture: Selina Fenech
A few mornings ago I woke up feeling sensual - feeling sensations that I would have recalled in the past as sexual...
I am not about to get "freaky" on you but I am trying to describe this feeling. I have not had this feeling before although it felt familiar... It reminded me of an love from a distant past but still it was different. The more I tried to link this feeling to him the more it was not him.
All that day I found this energy that I woke up with made me smile all day...it was very ecstatic. Now I will be honest - I kept wondering if was just me wanting to experience love again. Then it was as if the Ancestors spoke to me in a flash - I heard, "Its is you. This "feeling" is what it is like to be in love with yourself." WOW!!! After hearing for so long that before you can love, you have to love yourself- and INTELLECTUALLY understanding it, I finally knew how it felt. It is not just sexual but it is that feeling of butterflies, satisfaction, excitement, peace and ecstasy all wrapped up in one. The feeling of deep knowingness- of love that is complete. I use to think that this was something I could get from someone else. When that hit came from the Ancestors I knew that I had found TRUE LOVE. It does not have to do with how I look or something superficial - it was more about my final realization of self acceptance....of connection with my cosmic flow...the tapping into the heart energy that is connected to the core light of this earth. It feels beautiful, safe and pure.
Peace,
Sistah C

Prophecies: Afrikans In Africa...

Picture: Credo Mutwa Village, Soweto

I have to admit that I am highly curious about all types of prophecies. When I was a kid living in California I would always hear things about it falling into the water some day...Back then I had this image of hearing some loud cracking and boom!! off into the water! Now, I think that the rising tides from iceberg meltdowns may actually swallow up the coast of California, little by little...Don't panic - not like I have any evidence to confirm this other than just what is happening to a tiny island in the Pacific called Tuvalu and the melting icebergs up north -not much evidence at all... really...
In a conversation with a friend she brought up that three times (things happen in threes)she has heard that the continent of Africa is expecting an influx of Afrikans from America in the near future. It reminds me of a prophecy I heard filmed of a conversation with Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa, a South African Priest/Shaman. The prophecy said that in the year 2012 all of Afrika's lost children will return to her. Now the Mayan calendar says something significant will happen in 2012 as well.
If this prophecy is true, I wonder what it would be that would FINALLY make us Afrikans in America decide to leave? I wonder if WE will decide to leave or will We be forced to leave? I mean a lot of horrible things have happened to us here and we are still here...Maybe something will occur that will be like the last straw - you know the one that broke the camel's back. Perhaps it will just be a natural disaster... Who knows...to be honest I have thought about leaving here because I want to experience living on the continent. The only reason I haven't left yet is I don't want to go there without a way to contribute (you know a job/useful skill, some savings, etc...) BUT you never know...opportunities arise at any moment.
I am just curious to see if anyone else has heard anything...

"My grandfather taught me that there are many ways by which one can reach the ultimate truth that is at the full extent of one’s mental powers. He told me that I could either do it painfully by depriving myself of food and drink and by causing my body to suffer as much as possible, or I could do it through the medium of joy, of happiness and ecstasy. I chose to experiment with both these two ways. Sometimes I fasted and tortured my body until I felt like a prisoner undergoing savage interrogation. Sometimes I used the joyous way, as it is called, in which I sat down and thought only beautiful thoughts and ate pure food sparingly and drank only pure cool water and that also very sparingly.
Strange vistas opened in my mind. I no longer was afraid of the fearsome visions that I saw; rather I worked with them, and saw them as useful guides which greatly strengthened and broadened my perception, not only of the world in which I lived, but also of the entire cosmos.
My grandfather told me that a sangoma must be able to draw knowledge from what he called “the Hidden Lake.” There is, he said, a huge unseen lake somewhere in the spirit world where all the knowledge of the universe ”past, present, and future” is to be found.
“Knowledge lives in that lake in the form of little silver fishes,” my grandfather said. “You must never never again say that you do not know something. You must just ask the lake, the unseen lake, to provide you with the knowledge that you seek. You are a Child of God, you were created by God. Even the Christians tell you, ‘All things are possible.’ Because you are a tiny tiny fragment of God Almighty, all things are possible to you also.” This is what my grandfather taught me."
--Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa

More Sistah Alchemy: Visioning

Picture: a portion of my vision board...

Often it is easy to focus on what you don't want... In the past I would sit around all day thinking about what I didn't want and I got really clear but all of my energy - my whole focus was on what I didn't want. I then got that it was not enough to know what I didn't want - in order to out picture a different reality I needed to define and focus on WHAT I DID WANT.

I was taught some time ago that it is a good idea to vision your goals. If you have a habit of continuously seeing yourself doing what you wanted to do or manifesting the opportunities you want to manifest, you would eventually accept it as a reality. A simple way to do this is to create a vision board. I recently go together with some friends and we all spent a day creating our vision boards. In the end we touched on the common themes and really got a chance to witness the powerful world we each dream of...

My vision board is above my altar in my room. It is in a place that I wake up and see every morning. I would suggest you do this with your vision board. Put it in a place where you see it every day - a place where you can make visual and mental contact. You will begin to notice that this board is awakening inside of you the portal of possibilities - it is re-reminding you of your goals, dreams and desires. Eventually, you will start to see that your reality is shaping itself to the reality you have visioned. Its really quite fascinating.

Materials Needed:
a poster board (pretty large)
glue stick
old magazines of all types
old calendars with images you like
old coffee table books from the second hand shop
images printed from the web
paint
sharpe pen

Instructions:

Sit in quiet meditation and take some deep breaths. As you breathe in slowly and out slowly, imagine your breath like the waves of a ocean rolling in and rolling out. See the calm ocean waters move in and move out. Starting at the top of your head consciously relax each muscle in your body. Relax your jaw, relax your eyelids, relax the space between your eyebrows, relax your mouth, your tongue - feel how the body gets heavy as you physically relax your whole body. Once you have scanned and relaxed your body from head to toes, connect with this feeling of peace. What does peace look like in your life? What does peace feel like? With this feeling of complete peace visualize the kind of life you would desire with this peace. Where would you be? Who would be with you? How do you feel? What do you have in your possession? What words describe this blissful state? What images come to mind? Sit with this for a moment - take in your desires, your visions.

Holding this sacred space you have created, begin to look through your magazines, books, calendars or photo albums for images that speak to this future vision. After collecting a good amount of images, words and raw materials (ie shells, cloth, etc...) glue your items on your poster board. If you are using raw materials, then use a glue gun or fabric glue. Collage using images and words to create a theme or a message. In blank spaces use paints or glitter or whatever to add color and dimension. This board needs to catch your eye every morning so that it can communicate with you this vision you have created.

When you are finished. Take a moment to reflect on your vision. Are you surprised by some of the images you selected? Do you feel that there is anything missing? Is there a theme to what you want? Study each element of your board and connect with what it is you really desire. Now place this board in a place where you will see it everyday, like the wall next to your bed or in the bathroom or in the kitchen, maybe your office... Each morning affirm that today is a new day and that you have all that you need to do anything that needs to be done. Give thanks for what you do have and open yourself to receiving your divine abundance. Overtime, you will begin to see your visions manifest. Remember to give thanks when it does happen.

Peace,
Sistah C

Live Food Recipe: Nut Pate'

Image: not my recipe but click on it to go the site with this recipe.

Slammin' Nut Pate'
If you are like me there are times when you need a little something heavier than veggies and fruit (not while fasting or cleansing). I use to always make this nut pate' when I needed just a little more protein and wanted something savory. Nut pate' is very easy to make, in fact I think this took me 10 minutes tops! I am not including a soaking time, but if you just soak your nuts overnight or in the morning, it all works out. You can use a variety of nuts for pates. I find sunflower seeds and walnuts tend to be less expensive than almonds and other nuts. Always USE RAW UNCOOKED NUTS not cooked or roasted. The MUST DO is SOAKING YOUR NUTS. Imagine the nut is a seed and in order for it to take sprout it must first be activated - this were soaking comes in. If you don't soak your nuts then it simply is not awake and consider a "raw food" but not a "living food". Some people have nut and tree nut allergies so it is best to ask people before you introduce them to this delicious treat. I eat nut pate with my salad (like others would eat a scoop of chicken salad or tuna). You can also eat it with flax seed crackers or wrap it in a huge green cabbage leaf and top with sprouts, ketchup, mustard and you have a raw living veggie burger! There are so many options...from wraps to burgers.

PLEASE NOTE: The big rule for fixing living raw food is hygiene - you must wash your hands well before and during meal prep because you not cooking away any bacteria that is picked up along the way. I would not use a cutting board you have used to prep meat to prep raw veggies - it is best to keep those things separate.

ingredients
Soak a half cup of sunflower seeds for a couple of hours or overnight.
1/2 cup of walnut (do not soak)
1/4 cup of fine minced purple onion
1/4 cup of fine shredded carrot
1/4 cup celery
pinch of garlic powder
Eden Shake (from Whole Foods - Japanese food section)
pinch of sea salt or noma shoyu
1 teaspoon of lemon juice or more...
sprinkle of paprika
sprinkle of creole seasoning
sprinkle of basil and any other spice you like ie. cayenne, oregano, etc..

Take soaked nuts and walnuts and add them to a food processor. Add spices, noma shoyu or salt and lemon juice. Process on high until you have a nut mixture that has the consistency of pate (or tuna salad look). Place the nut base in a big mixing bowl with enough room to add additional ingredients. Next, take your onion, carrot, and celery and chop them finely. You can use your food processor or use a knife for more larger chopped veggies. The raw onion can be strong so you may want to chop them finely or use less. Add your chopped veggies to the nut base. With your clean hands knead the veggies into the nut base.
You will see this turns into a salad quickly. Take a spoon and taste it. Add more spices to get the taste you want. You can add Eden shake and some dulse flakes (a seaweed) to make it taste more like a veggie tuna or you could add other seasoning the type of taste you want. I have added liquid smoke (just a dash) to make it taste like burgers. You could also add sun dried tomatoes and olives with italian spices for another take on the recipe. Be creative.
Your done! This pate will last a week maybe more in a closed container in the fridge.

Energizing and Uplifting Green Smoothie

I made the most wonderful green smoothie this morning! It was bursting with flavor and energy. I think on of the major things that needs to be changed about the S.A.D. or Standard American Diet is breakfast. I remember being told Wheaties was the breakfast of champions but really you need fuel to start your day.
Did you know you can add kale (my favorite) to a smoothie and get a great deal of your daily greens -fiber, iron and protein in this delicious shake? I have friends in California who swear by this smoothie. There are various recipes but today I just used what I had in the frig. I am not too sure about using spinach or collards - try it out and let me know. I know it is GREEN but so is the beautiful grass, the velvet-like mountains and money. There must be something good in store for you if you drink green!

3 to 4 leafs of fresh kale-washed
unsweetened coconut flakes (about a tablespoon or more if you want more)
agave nectar (optional - just a dash for extra sweetness.)
1 banana (frozen is nice but not necessary)
half a pear
1/3 cup of juice ( I used orange juice but apple is good, too)

1. Take the leafs off the stem and place them in the blender.
2. add the rest of the ingredients and blend really well.
3. Once blended add a cup of ice and blend again.

Drink up! I know it is good because my son (the fast food lovin' teen drank half of mine, the rest in the blender and asked me to make another one!)
Try this instead of coffee at work and see if your co-workers don't get blinded by your light and energy. My camera is on the blink so I am borrowing picture for now but I will start taking some of my own soon. If you are in need of re-evaluating your way of eating - incorporating natural foods into what you do is a good start. I think the more fresh and natural you go the more you crave the good stuff. Lastly, what helps me to eat healthy is to ask myself each time before I eat "Is this Goddess food? Is this food a proud product of Mama Sistah Earth? Is this food from her womb?
Peace,
Sistah C

SISTAH GODDESS FOOD WEEK: YUMMY KALE SALAD

Hey Yall,
You know that little pep talk in my last post was really for me. I made a commitment to eat better and well eating better (especially in the South) can be challenging but not at all impossible. When I was in Zanzibar I literally ate avocado all day - breakfast, lunch and even with dinner. Zanzibar had these big- huge avocados that had a wonderful flavor - a completely different taste than the Haas avocados. That with nice long walks on the beach and some salt water therapy gave this Sistah Goddess her yummy figure back. I also got this really nice chocolate brown "tan" that I am trying to hold on to but Atlanta looks like San Francisco lately...
Ok, I am going to reveal that I was vegan for about seven years, vegetarian for longer and now I am just doing whatever I want to do!! (That's my theme lately and I am lovin' it) Did I mention I was a strict raw foodist for about a year and a half??!! Its all good - one goes through extremes sometimes to find balance - although I see nothing wrong really with eating fresh food all day if you live in a nice hot place. For me, cold winters are a challenge as a raw foodist.
Anyway, I usually fast and cleanse every season change or if I am moving through a major life change. It is a good idea after eating whatever you have been eating to began a fast or cleanse by eating really light - so I am on this Kale Salad. I use to eat this everyday! It is so delicious and versatile. A few weeks of eating this will have your light ON!! People will ask what you are doing? You don't have to cleanse to eat this, in fact just have it with your meal. I even made it for my Southern relatives and they loved it, even asked for the recipe. So, I am sharing it with you...

Ingredients:
1 bunch of kale
some purple onion (chopped thin and fine)
some minced garlic (fresh is better than the jar stuff or use garlic powder)
some chopped red bellpepper
sesame seed oil
Eden shake (get at Whole Pay Check - I mean Whole Foods)
Japanese Mirin (cooking wine, adds a sweet flavor)
Noma Shoyu or Tamari Sauce (Noma Shoyu is the raw version of tamari, also at the "paycheck")

1. Wash your kale, well.
2. Strip the leaves from the stem and discard the stem.
3. In a big size bowl - take the kale and massage it with your hands until tender.
4. Add your onion, garlic, red bellpepper (use the amount you like).
5. Toss in a light amount of mirin (1 tablespoon or more) and sesame seed oil (about 1 to 2 tablespoons just enough to lightly coat the leaves. Add noma shoyu as well (it is salty so keep that in mind)
6. Spice with cayenne pepper or creole seasoning (remember you have nomo shoyu on there already...)
7. Optional: you can add some sprouts, fresh tomatoes, avocado, lemon juice instead of nomo shoyu, corn, roasted peppers, chipotle powder, tahini, etc... Be creative.

Here is the nutrition:
Kale has more protein that a steak. Kale has the more iron than a steak. Kale is full of fiber - it is no mistake you are seeing all these commercials for drugs to get yah regular!! All that fiberless food from the fastfood can take a toll. Kale is definitely on my list of top 10 Sistah Goddess foods!! Give it a whirl and let me know what you think.
Peace,
Sistah C

Self Determination

Lately, I have been planting seeds. I have just been spreading them around in my garden and like most "farmers" I am have an expectation to see those seeds sprout and produce. That is very much like life. Throughout our days we plant seeds into the fertile ground of our lives. If we are conscious of it then we give all of our energy to nourishing those seeds. We water them, add nutrients to their soil and make sure they get plenty of sunlight. I believe we are farmers of consciousness - what ever we plant today we will see sprout tomorrow.
Imagine we are the seed. We have been planted by a Great Farmer who plowed the earth and placed us into the soil. We were given the Sun and the Moon light as energy, we were given oceans as our water source and food for our nourishment. Having everything necessary the Great Farmer knows that we will sprout - that we will grow and develop. Although I think much of this process is innate there are some seeds that do not sprout. Why is this? They have all of the nourishment the others have had...I think it is the sprout's act of Self-Determination. It is that part of each seedling that continues to push through the soil regardless of its heaviness. Everyday it pushes upward because something inside of it says "this is the way - this way we grow to our fullest potential." Trusting its coding or trusting our own inner instructions, we push through this dark place to light. From there we grow even taller and we produce.
A friend who is a midwife said, "Being born is a person's first act of Self-Determination". Outside of a planned c-section, a baby decides at which moment it will emerge from the womb. Of course, nature will say it has nine months but it does not dictate the actual day - that is because the baby must choose this time - it must push through its dark, warm and comforting environment into another world. To be healthy we must go through cycles of Self-Determination. We must continue to be born again into new experiences - new worlds. This is how we grew and expand. We must be careful of processes that do not allow us to grow - that don't allow us to seek sunlight. Inside us we know when our flower is dying...our lives seem mundane and hollow... we seem like we are on a continuous treadmill going nowhere. The trap is to believe something is wrong with you - its not that. Its simply your soul pointing it that this way is not working. That "this way" is not pushing you through the soil.
Self-Determination can appear to be a lot of work. It can appear as if nothing is really happening - especially when we try and we still have not broken through - but each time we try we are making a way. Don't give up. Don't surrender.
Peace,
Sistah C

Our Friend The Moon...

Artist: Thalia Took, Ix Chel Mayan Moon Goddess

Ever since my meeting with the circle of midwives, healers and teachers a memory of my wombyn-self has been awakening. I remember that I once followed the cycles of the moon and every year I would get these moon phase cards to chart my cycle. In western society (and some other societies as well) many of us have been taught that our cycles are a curse, a hindrance, an embarrassment but in reality it is the most powerful time of our lives. It is said that a woman's cycle follows the phases of the moon. Imagine we are interconnected with the Moon just like the waves of our Mother Ocean. In many societies it is known that a Sistah is most powerful during her cycle so she is excused from certain ceremonies and duties during this time because nothing is more spiritually important during this time. She is given time away from the everyday mundane to sit with herself, reflect, made plans, divine, create art and commune with other women on their cycles. In some other societies this practice was twisted and women were shunned, banned and considered cursed during this time. Really it all boils down to the fact that WE ARE MOST POWERFUL DURING THIS TIME. The first part in being healthy is self acceptance and self love. You can't love anyone else properly if you believe any part of yourself is unworthy and unlovable - so Sistahs we got to learn to LOVE our Cycles. What if we changed our relationship to our cycles? I think we would see a change in our lives. Here's some Moon Time knowledge I am passing along for your further investigation.

Phases of the Moon:
Yesterday, I got a message from one of the midwives that Saturday (yesterday) was the Dark of the moon and with it comes a time for rest, inner reflections and introspection. Ten-and-a-half to fourteen days after the full moon. The dark moon is a time for ridding oneself of bad habits, for exploring our darkest recesses and understanding our angers and passions. Also a time bringing justice to bear.

Next is the New Moon (today) it is a time for starting new ventures, new beginnings. Also love and romance, health or job hunting.

Seven to fourteen days after the New Moon is the Waxing Moon. A waxing moon is good for growth and development. A time to learn something new, take a class work on relationships, work on yourself.

The next phase is the Full Moon. From fourteen to seventeen-and-a-half days after the new moon. A full moon emphasizes maturity,fertility, and abundance, "full fillment". It is a time to bring forth those things that you want in your life, to manifest.

The Waning Moon is from three-and-a-half to ten-and-a-half days after the full moon. It is a time to rid yourself of unwanted characteristics, a time to weed out what is not working.

More on our Moon Time

You can keep record of your cycle using Lunar phase cards. You can order one from Snake and Snake Productions or get a calendar from Luna Press

Do you know that many conventional products for your cycle are filled with chemicals and are an environmental disaster for the planet? Here are several natural alternatives you may want to consider...

The Diva Cup

Want to use a natural tampon? Try sea sponge.

What about natural washable cloth pads? Check out Luna Pads

Do you know switching to a washable, re-usable product you could save $$$200. to $1000 a year, you also could eliminate the possibility of toxic shock or exposing your sacred womb to chemicals and foreign substances that may effect your fertility. You also save the earth! A cotton pad is said to last anywhere from 3 to 9 years...

Lastly, if you have a girl that is ready to become a woman consider making her first day on her cycle a day of celebration. In some African traditions the new woman's mother would make her waistbeads. The women of the community would spend time with her and tell her about womanhood, teach her ways of women and pass on their wisdom. Today, some mothers (and fathers, too) take time off and spend the day with their daughter, give her jewelry and/or take her out for a special meal. What ever you do, it is a time to celebrate your young Sistah Goddess. Set her on the path of positive self image so that she can grow up loving herself.

Much Peace and Light,
Sistah C

"Time To Stand Up and Get Off Our Bended Knees": SistahGoddess Kelly "LOVE" Jones

Hey Yall, I have been a little buzzay but here is another SistahGoddess Songstress that I just love to listen to...Kelly Love Jones. When I first moved to Atlanta, I saw her open for Fertile Ground. She has this natural, organic vibration with true inspiration. Unafraid to carry a message in her music and that is really what we need from each other -INSIGHT, not assistance with pulling the wool over our eyes. She is from NO (New Orleans) and now resides in Atlanta. Check her out - buy her cd - you will luv it. Check her mySpace website You can listen to a few of her songs on that site as well. Below is a video of a clip from Kelly "Where Do We Go From Here?"

Black Is So Beautiful: Sistah Navasha Daya

About four or maybe even 5 years ago I had a friend turn me on to this music group from DC called Fertile Ground. Now, I was living in Oakland and everybody who lives in California knows that we get the "word" last. I saw Fertile Ground in this tiny little bar that shared its space with a BBQ joint. Man, it was like having them in your living room! I loved the music and the vibe. Talk about POSITIVE - it infused everyone with a sense of joy. If you don't know Fertile Ground it is time to get a cd! I am really into Seasons Change-right now! The song MORE TO LIFE really defines it all. The singer is Sistah Goddess Navasha Daya - talk about EARTH MAMA GODDESS!!! She commands the stage with her flowing robes, feathers adoring her locs and Warrior Wombyn make up! Her voice is well...hear it for yourself...I have attached two links to my favorite songs
More to Life
Black is...

Check out their MySpace page
http://www.myspace.com/fertilegroundmusic
What I am talking about is Musical Healing! Buy all of their cds - you will not regret it!! AND if they come to your spot - go check them out. They are about the music so you are most likely NOT going to hear them on your regular radio station - and we know why...
Peace,
Sistah C