Sistah Nu World Music ...

I had an ear for some world music from Sistahs on the continent. Here are three videos for your enjoyment...(if you get my email you will have to view on my blog. You can mute the music at the bottom of the page.)
Peace,
Sistah C

Simphiwe Dana from South Afrika



Zamajobe



One of my favorites...Zap Mama "Sweet Melodies"

Ancestors...

Last summer I as speaking to my aunt about finding some documentaries on Afrikan traditions and honoring of Ancestors. I had given her a list of films but she could not find any at her university. She did give me a film which starred a friend of hers called Maangamizi. It is an East Afrikan film written by Queenae Taylor Mulvihill.

The story is filmed in Tanzania (one of my favorite places) and tells of two women - one who was born in Tanzania and the other who was born in the rural south in America. Both are brought together by a common Ancestor called Maangamizi - the Ancient One.

The movie stars Barbara O (Yellow Mary in Daughters of the Dust) and Amandina Lihamba (a well known East African Actor/Artist). This film is soooo beautiful and powerful. It gave me a different understanding of our relationship with our Ancestors. It also speaks to the notion that we have a reciprocal relationship with the Ancestor world - the work we do here (prayers, offerings, care of shrines...) helps their world, and their work helps us in our world. I believe it is in the best interest of every Afrikan to learn how to honor and work with your Ancestors. From what I understand not everyone who dies in your family becomes an Ancestor - instead it is a position of honor in the bloodline. Certain traditions even have a process for making sure deceased relatives become Ancestors.

I recommend this film highly. I am not sure how available it is but you can order it from Gris Gris Films www.grisgrisfilms.com


My Birthday Gift To YOU!

For the month of July - my birthday month I plan to do a series of interviews with some powerful SistahGoddesses that I know...It will be my gift to my blog readers (and myself!)...I will interview traditional Priestesses, Mothers, Elders, Midwives, Artists, Writers, Musicians... I am just going to go for it! Also, I will be giving away a Medicine Doll every week in July to one of my blog readers. It is my way of celebrating my life on this planet earth...So, look out for the month of July!!

Peace,
Sistah C

Moon Salutation

Ok, the moon is finally full today...maybe it will begin to ease up on us a little. Personally, I had a huge day or two of feeling really restless. Over the weekend a classmate (in the middle of a finance lecture) said, "I feel like running around the block. I have so much energy - I need to do something..." And I keep hearing this from various folks who are effected by this moon.

I remembered last night yoga's Moon Salutation. It is real powerful to do these poses while the moon is out...Below is a video I found of the practice (she is doing it a bit faster than I would but you can get the general idea). A favorite yoga teacher of mine taught me this practice at a retreat in California.

Did you know there is an International Association of Black Yoga Teachers?? Click here for their website.

My Relationship With "God"...

*Pic: My son and I back in the day...isn't he sooo cute! Don't tell him I put this on the blog!

Did I ever mention that I was raised Baptist with a little Holiness on one side of the family? I don't think when you grow up with religion in your household it ever really leaves...I remember when I was at an all Afrikan Buddhist Meditation Retreat I saw people so free from the walls of illusion that they were getting the "holy ghost" right on the cushion! I have seen this same "upliftment" happen in traditional ceremonies as well as storefront churches...A river runs underneath us and its tides -when it hits us right, sends waves of revelation all over us - we tap into that Ancient web that connects us to Spirit -some people call it God - I think of it as the Creative Force.

I use to sing in a choir at a Religious Science Church back in the day... and when we sung a song called "Something Inside So Strong" a wave of energy would hit us and the choir director was no longer in control - we were not in control- our voices would lift up and out! The force carried on the waves of our vocal cords hit the audience like water to a thirsty crowd and the whole place was in tears.

Last night we had a SURPRISE party for my Wise Friend. Do you know his whole family came down from New York including his 94 year old father - who had not left his home for some time because he was confined to his bed! When my wise friend walked into the room and saw one brother , then another sister, another brother, another sister, his mother and then his father - I started to cry...It was so beautiful to see family connecting around such a happy occasion. I thought this is the nectar of life - THIS IS OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD...Sure, going to church is nice, going to ceremonies are uplifting even necessary AND I felt the same JOY and LOVE in my friend's home as we honored this great man...My mother said to me this morning, "You should go to church." Little did she know I went last night.

Are the Gods, the Deities, the Spirits, the Orishas, the Angels outside of us? Are they behind closed doors of Church, Mosque or Shrine? Or Do they walk with us like the skin on our bodies, the thoughts in our heads, the feelings in our hearts?
Much Peace, Light and Love,
Sistah C

*here is Labi Siffre, sing Something Inside So Strong. My Wise Friend and his daughter sang the same song last night - very beautiful!

An Article Sistahs Must Read...Metaformia

My Sistahs, I have been getting the constant message lately that WE have the power to make powerful shifts in the "reality" of this planet. I will paraphrase a quote from Cree Summer that said, "...the only way to get on this planet is between a woman's legs.." Now, we know that there has been great efforts to birth babies by c-sections and outside of the "medical" reasons we must ask ourselves why??

Sistahs, what if the very tool of our liberation is produced from our wombs every month? Why would we not use it to our benefit? Why is it never spoken of in a positive light? Why is its very presence frowned upon, referred to as dirty, unclean, taboo...?

My brotha Malcolm X would say, "you been hood winked!"

A Sistah friend who is a doctor sent me an article that shows that recent research indicates that menstrual blood contains stem cells! This means those "unused" eggs from our bodies still have life giving power even if they do not become a baby! I read this morning that some African communities believe that if menstrual blood in kept in a clay pot for 9 months it will become a baby...(I will have to research it more to give you the details...)

It is time my Sistahs to look at our bodies differently...to learn more about this life giving power we have...to not just give our power away to old worn out patriarchal philosophies that are a strange mixture of our most ancient beliefs with the beliefs of conquerors and destroyers...

I found this article and really a website that is seeking to open up the conversation around the importance, the sacredness of a woman's cycle called Metaformia...
Read it and give me your thoughts...

Menstruating Women/Menstruating Goddesses: Sites of Sacred Power in Kerala, South India, Sangam Era (100-500 CE) to the Present
by Dianne E. Jenett, Ph. D.

Peace,
Sistah C

Full Moon In Scorpio...May 19th

Wow, this coming full moon is intense and I found out why. Here are some tidbits I found around the web on different astrology sites...

Lisa Dale Miller

This year we are graced with a second Full Moon in Scorpio, which is part of a grand square with Sun/Venus in Taurus, Saturn in Virgo and Neptune in Aquarius. Accompanying this grand square is an equally demanding Yod with South Node in Leo as the focal planet inconjunct Jupiter in Capricorn and Uranus in Pisces. And you thought the last Scorpio Full Moon was intense? Get ready for the truth to come reigning down on us like a firestorm.

Neptune in Aquarius rules a deep longing for change. It also rules the delusion of change. Open your eyes, your ears and mind. See clearly all the way through to the truth. Reject false claims, plans, and wanna-be leaders who offer the same old wine in a brand new bottle.

Saturn in Virgo rules a strict adherence to tireless, selfless work for the healing of others. And Sun/Venus in Taurus is all about the individual effort each of us puts into making change happen. Jupiter in Capricorn is telling us that conservation of resources can be enlivening and life-affirming, especially if we are willing to give up the old ideas South Node in Leo ideas of instant gratification of desires, and step firmly into the Uranus in Pisces stream of pure conscious awareness. The ordinary is extraordinary if you are willing to be present fully for it.

How much longer can you say it is someone else’s responsibility or feel powerless to change the world? How much more can you blame others for your own condition? How many more times can you call yourself a victim without looking at your own ability to just let go and heal? Yes, Scorpio is tough love incarnate: see it as it is, not as you wish it to be, and then deal with it in as life-supporting a way as possible. We can each in every moment make the choice to be real and responsible for what we output to our loved ones and coworkers and community.

You are being given one more ritual chance this year to release attachment to old pain and arise like a phoenix from the ashes of burned off karma; freed from narcissistic self-obsession and ready to help others heal their own pain. You have the power to change! Visualize yourself as a snake, shedding its dead skin to reveal gleaming new colors. for more click here

From Molly Hall
The full moon in Scorpio instigates fearless soul searching. It brings into focus buried truths about reality, sometimes unsavory, that have been clogging up the psychic system. On a personal level, this might mean unraveling a mystery within yourself that upturns the old way of seeing and doing things. At the collective level, it shines a broad beam on dark fascinations, public obsessions, extremes of behavior, and the like, that have taken hold of society at large.

The gifts of this full Moon in Scorpio may only be fully revealed in solitude, since it takes time to get to those deeper interior levels. However, it also lends itself to intense encounters that resolve underlying patterns at play in relationships. It's not always comfortable or easy to see what's really going on. But when you have the courage to bring a situation out from the shadows, you're in a position to do something about it.

by Dena L. Moore

This Full Moon in Scorpio is an excellent time to make an important choice...will you allow yourself to fall into the trap of external reality and find the mundane world and the wishes of others dominating your life, or will you step forward and decide that you are driving your own chariot? Will you accept responsibility for creating your own life and step firmly onto the path of personal evolution? Taking control of our own thoughts, deeds, and actions will infuse us with inner strength and creative power that can become the driving force behind living a joyful and enriching life. Now is the perfect time to choose your path and create your destiny.

Playing and Loving Summer...

click photo for more info...Trent Chambers/Corbis

I LOVE SUMMER AND SUNSHINE!! It is a time that reminds me to lift my head up out of my work - emerge from my cave and PLAY.

I was one of those kids that was really obedient until I was a teenager and then I went wild. I tried to not let it be a burden on my mother but you know- you slip up when your a teen...I remember my friends and I had IT ALL PLANNED! We loved to go to the club, dance and smoke clove cigarettes - mind you we were only 14 but hey, we thought we were somethang. The "plan" only worked if we could spend the night over a friend's house that had a parent who didn't care what time we got home. I told my mom I was staying at my friend's place overnight and from there we went to the club. See, back in the day, you could go to the club if you were a teen but you just couldn't drink or you were out. I think the laws changed when they started finding teens in situations that were clearly for consenting adults (I won't go into it...). Anyway, we got a ride to the club with an older driving friend and at the end she left us at the club. Guess who was the only one who would answer the phone and come pick us up?? Yes, it was my mother...I must have been on punishment for a while...don't remember clubbing anymore until I was in college...either way I came out ok (I think???)

Playing is not just for kids. Adults need joy, they need to from time to time blurt out something for the heck of it, they need to laugh out loud, kiss someone by surprise (of course someone who wants a kiss from you!) and maybe even tell a joke. Today, make a stranger laugh, smile while your walking down the street, say hello to your neighbor and tell them to have a BEAUTIFUL DAY! Be in your joy with the sun shining in your eyes. Your light could lift someone's mood.
Make sure you play (even if you just skip to the bathroom).
Peace,
Sistah C
PS. I am thinking of getting a hola hoop...(see video on my blog. If you want to mute my music just go to the bottom and press the stop button)I would love to do this with some Afrikan drum beats...