Culture Connects Us: Dont Make Any Assumptions

The day was bright and sunny when I sadly boarded a Muni bus in San Francisco. I was upset about a relationship I had been in and I knew not what to do about it. I sat down beside an elderly white woman, small in frame, wearing a hat with her hair sticking out of it, who began to talk to me. As I looked her in the face, she had lost a couple of front teeth and the way she was dressed I thought she was homeless. 

Eventhough her appearance set off alarms within me, I decided to converse with her. She was quite lovely as she could detect my sadness and began to give me valuable advice. She told me about a workshop I should take that would benefit me and my mental wellbeing. I thought to myself, " Who is this woman?"

As I unboarded the bus, I noticed that she got off at the same stop. She told me that it was great talking with me and proceeded to hand me a business card. The card read her name, Peggy Lyn and her occupation as a Spiritual Coach with her contact information. For some reason, I was impressed by her and followed up with calling her.

We became friends as I would meet and eat with her at her favorite restaurant, Cheesestake Sandwich Shop. She continued to tell me about a workshop I should take called Lifeforce. She explained the workshop and it sounded like Lifesprings or EST, but it was unaffordable to me. She told me not to think about the money and through my intention the universe would conspire to work with me to be able to attend. Well she was right because several months later I conjured up enough money to attend along with a scholarship offer.

The Lifeforce workshop was one of the most transformative experiences in my life. It was the first time I became aware of the God within everyone. 

Peggy finally got her teeth fixed and she didn't look homeless anymore. We remained friends and when she lost her apartment, she stayed with me for a short period of time. Once we went to a salon to get pedicures and as she waited for me to get mine, the pedicurist asked me was she my mother. Laughing inside, I thought, here is a white woman and me, a dark brown skin black woman, how did she determine that I was her daughter? It must have been the unconditional love we had for each other that made race and color undistiguishable. One of the greatest lessons I learned from this experience is, "Don't make any assumptions." 

Peggy is lo longer alive today, but her heart and wisdom she bestowed is with me everyday.

                       Peggy Lyn

Reflections On COVID-19 and the Big Changeover

History has a habit of repeating itself. It has been reported by media that pandemics occur nearly every 100 years. In 1720-1722 it was the plague; 1817, Cholera, 1918-1919, the Spanish flu; and 2019-2020, the coronavirus. One of our ancestors most likely experienced being a victim of a pandemic and living during a time of tremendous fear. According to epigenetics, because of this, the current environment may be triggering the same feeling of anxiety as our ancestors as they tried to maneuver their lives or, perhaps, during one of our past lives, we were a medic or an essential worker who perished from an infectious disease.  

In life, we repeat emotional patterns in our relationships whether we continue to attract the abusive partner, or feelings of disregard, disloyalty, disrespect, jealousy, abandonment and others.  Most often without realizing it, these challenges are our gifts and depending upon our response they can hamper us or open us up for growth and evolvement...moving us from victimhood to empowerment.

My solution to COVID-19 is three-fold involving the body, mind and Spirit. It starts with the body and self-care, health care. Until we understand our physical body and how it works, we will continue to solely depend upon a medical system invested more in pharmaceuticals rather than the healing power of the human bio system and natural medicine. We must become a master of our minds by changing our limiting thoughts and letting go of emotions that cause disease in the body. (When was the last time you visited a physician and were told this?) And lastly, in this time of unprecedented uncertainty, we must let go of our egos, know who we really are, and align with our higher selves, our Spirit. Our egos may be afraid of change, but when we change, we become a new version of ourselves and we trust that something radically new is about to be born.

As we experience the response to COVID-19, we must keep some things in mind. If I were to analyze the current state of anxiety, we must first, unplug from the collective and reset. Turn off the phone and the TV, breathe in and breathe out. Stop worshipping things outside of us including the money, sports figures, movie stars, cars, instagram influencers, television personalities, politicians and ministers. When we shift our consciousness by going inside and listening to our higher selves for the answers, we cultivate positive lasting change. 

The famous author and psychiatrist Viktor Frankel once quoted...

In between stimulus and response there is space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lie our growth and our freedom. 

That space is inside of us. In this inner sanctuary, a revelation is coming through from a higher order while providing a space for us to review and reset our values and lives in ways that are more fulfilling and purposeful.

At the end of the day, it is our responsibility to adjust and transform to a “new normal” of spiritual awareness, personal vitality, collective power and community wholeness.

Wanda K. Whitaker

Anchored In Spirit

Exploring Creativity Through Advocacy: Make a Poster and Sip

The one thing I’ve learned from the #MeToo and Women’s Movements is that women have a very visually artistic and creative side ready to be unleashed! For so many years, my female friends have uttered that they were artistically deficient, but I’ve watched them gather together for the Women’s Marches and come up with all types of catchy slogans and phrases with imagery that one would have thought came from an advertising agency. Given the chance to explore their creativity with a purpose through making protest signs has opened up a new channel to self-discovery. Somehow the activity obliterates self-judgment and disapproval of their innate abilities and they find their creative genius.

An alternative to the popular Paint and Sip event is Make a Poster and Sip. The difference between the two is that there is a purpose and passion behind the Make a Poster and Sip activity. Paint and Sips generally offers a painted image with a pre-outlined canvas template that you paint within the lines as instructed to look like the painted image. Make a Poster and Sip, generally refers to a political or advocacy sign and requires you to think about what you want to express and how you want to display it. It requires you to use your imagination and creative skills.

During these times of taking political action, Make a Poster and Sip events offer women and supportive men the opportunity to share ideas and unleash their creative minds in ways they haven’t ever before providing confidence and self-esteem. Participants are able to demonstrate by picture their deepest concerns about a particular topic allowing the words and images on the poster to speak for them in a supportive environment.

@Blend's Wine Bar, Belton, Texas

@A Grape in the Fog Wine Bar, Pacifica, California

Want to Host a “Make a Sign and Sip Wine” Event?

Here’s how…

Secure a room or have the event in a home with space to create signs.

Make a list of friends, neighbors, colleagues and family members to invite.

Create your flyer to send out electronically.

Post event on fb or social media.

Purchase materials and supplies for those that don’t bring their own.

List of materials:

• Magic markers
• Foam boards - different colors
• Acrylic paint and paint brushes
• Paint stirring sticks

Create a script for introduction and welcoming

Facilitate Storytelling

Materials

Poster boards are thin, but are purposeful and affordable. They come in different colors and can be rolled up if taking public transportation.

Foam boards are probably the best because of their firmness. They also come in different colors and thickness.

Cardboard can be used as well.

Size matters so choose a size that is standard poster board size 28” H x 22” W

Use thick dark colored permanent markers. Block markers cover more area.

Content

Make sure your content is not too wordy. Short catchy brief sentences are best.

Words should be easy to see from a distance.

First, pencil in the message you’d like to say on your board.

Use a ruler to make sure wording is straight and write down what you want to say first. Space it out so that words are centered with a pencil. Leave a margin around the top and bottom edges.

Stencils can help keep letters the right size

Big bold black letters to use on white, pastel or neon colored boards and white letters on black boards or dark colors stand out the most.

You can place photos or glue objects to boards to make them look 3-D.

Challenge yourself to come up with positive creative phrases instead of negative ones.

Colors

Use of color is important. Make sure that there is enough contrast between the color of your board and the color of the lettering. You want people to be able to see your sign from far away.

Enlightenment Through Conscious Art

"Free to be Me" Art by Wanda K. Whitaker

If you are an art lover and believe that art is the canvas of society in which we paint our stories on, you’ll appreciate Conscious Art and the visionary artist.  What makes art conscious is that its purpose is to awaken you to a higher part of self for healing to take place or deep contemplation relative to existentialism. Conscious Art transforms the viewer and it depends upon the viewer what resonates and what doesn’t. An abstract can strike a chord with some, while other art forms such as realism and modernism resonates more with others.  In a silent form of communication, the image transmits vibrations that are translated by you at a subconscious level and an association is made into meaning beyond the obvious.

In his famous painting, The Persistence of Memory, visionary artist Salvador Dali went beyond the canvas and through symbolism tapped into the subconscious mind about the meaning of time. In the book, Physics and Art, Leonard Shlain recognizes visionary artists as the first ones in a culture to perceive the world in a new way. Visionary artists such as the late William Blake, Frida Kahlo, and Alex Grey, see beyond the physical world to create images that captivate the mind and travel to the depths of the soul offering a different version of reality. Today Grey and his wife, Allyson, hold healing sessions and workshops in his New York studio around his art and other visionary artists.

The Persistence of Memory

Sacred art is an expression of conscious art. Step into any church, synagogue, or spiritual institution and you’ll encounter artistic representations of sacred images designed to keep one’s mind focused on sanctuary. From sculptures and stained glass figures to geometric and floral patterns, these artistic images displayed in the physical world trigger something in us that allow us to stay within the mental confounds of inner peace and comfort.

We are constantly growing and evolving in the human experience and “conscious art” takes you to a higher realm, reminding us of our divinity.  Placing a statue or painting of a Buddha image, an image of Jesus, Shakti, the Virgin Mary or Yemaya in one’s home often brings a feeling of protection, inner contemplation and reflection. Today yoga studios display images from Hinduism and Buddhism as a way to neutralize negative energy and express devotion to deities and religious practices such as meditation.

           

Wanda K. Whitaker Conscious Art Collection

                             Title: In Flow                                   Title: The Spirit of Jazz

           

The Wanda K. Whitaker Conscious Art collection of acrylic paintings is a blend of realism and conceptualism. Each work of art tells a story of transcendence, truth and enlightenment. Her collection of original Buddha paintings are designed to communicate self-awareness and inner peace. For Whitaker, who is also a certified hypnotherapist, Buddhism is not a religion, but a practice - the practice of awakening to one’s higher self and learning the dharma (teachings of the Buddha).  Design your home or office with a Buddha painting or statue and attract positive chi energy, reduce the pressure of stress on the physical body while promoting meditation and overall wellbeing. 

   

 

 Knowing the meanings of the color of Buddha images will help you determine your preference.

• ·      Blue Buddha - healing yourself and others.
• ·      Red Buddha - Lifeforce, sacredness, fire and protection
• ·      Green Buddha – youth, harmony and balance
• ·      White Buddha – purity, knowledge, longevity
• ·      Yellow (Saffron) Buddha – stability, groundedness, humility, separation from the physical world

Whitaker's Desktop Dharma series allows you to stay enlightened while working at your desk or meditating at your altar.  The small Buddha paintings (8" x 10" and 11" x 14") can be painted in your own likeness or a Buddha image in the color of your choice. Additionally, the paintings come with an optional stand and a downloadable meditation.

   

 

  

To see more of Wanda K. Whitaker's art work, visit www.wandawhitaker.weebly.com.

 Email: wkw1111@gmail.com

ALT–HIGH: 6 Keys to Being at Peace in the Middle of Mental and Physical Unrest During a Trump Presidency

Alt-right (alternative right) is the new ideology born out of a changing presidential administration that promotes the swing to a more far right conservative way of thinking towards white supremacy. Whether done advertently or inadvertently, the climate of the president-elect Trump is turning back the clock on America’s progress of racial and gender equality. For those who are threatened by the transiting of a homogeneous white majority in the US to a more diverse populous, voting for Trump and the alt-right movement is the only way for them to resist what has been predicted to be the end of a ruling class of elites whose prominence pre-dates the discovery of America. Today, the same sentiment regarding immigrants, elite dominance and controversy is occurring in nations across the globe such as England, Brazil and the Philippines.

Interestingly, when we strive to be supreme we want to dominate. It is in-born within our society. Many want to be supreme, on top, the best and the only, in whatever they do and look down on others who are below them that are lacking in goods or qualifications. It makes one feel special attracting heightened attention and a certain privilege treatment. We watch sports games and want our teams to be champions forever and we pay a pretty penny for it, even though, we know that no one is a champion forever. In sports, as in life, no one or nothing reigns supreme forever. Whether it was the Pittsburg Steelers, the LA Lakers or New York Yankees, each team had long consecutive championships, but failed to last forever. Quite, frankly, our world was not set-up that way as there has always been a time when the energy of power sweeps from one end of the spectrum to the other like the law of conservation and momentum. Throughout history, every empire has fallen, the Persian Empire, the Roman Empire, the Mongol Empire, the Byzantine Empire and others have fallen and new empires emerged. Every race has been slaves including white people who were slaves for 1500 years in Europe.

As a baby-boomer, who grew up in the era of the Civil Rights movement, the current spike in a climate of overt hate and racial discord is nothing new, but a simple reminder that even though the masses have somewhat moved in a more positive direction, there are those who don’t feel good about this shift in population because it means a shift in power. They are threatened and feel that they will not be treated the same by others in an exchange of power predicated on a hierarchical system based upon racial discretion. Trump is their “trump card,” the joker, who spoiled what progress is certain to obtain.

  

        

I recall the time of former Alabama Governor, George Wallace, and how outspoken he was regarding his support of racial segregation, often times speaking without censorship and condemnation. Backed by the Ku Klux Klan, he won the governorship in 1962 running on a platform of racial separatism. He is best remembered for standing in the door to prevent two black students, James Hood and Vivian Malone, from entering the University of Alabama with the assistance of the National Guard. As a very young girl, I remember watching the scene on television and thinking how can someone be so mean? Just as today, kids across the nation are watching history repeat itself through the antics and disingenuous behavior of some of those backing Donald Trump’s presidency. After serving four terms as governor, Wallace unsuccessfully ran for the presidency of the United States in 1976 losing to Jimmy Carter.

Yet, through the hailstorm of bigotry, negative television news programming of killings, water spraying and dog biting of black protestors, African Americans still found solace and happiness. How we did this is equally as important to many today as yesterday. Below are some old and new things one can do to eliminate a state of depression:

1.)  Stay connected to love through the family unit and your local community of friends that resonate with love and compassion.

2.)   Maintain a belief in God or whoever your higher power is because that’s where your inner strength and power is coming from. Your faith will provide the mental calmness and patience necessary to sustain you through these times.

3.)  Change your perspective about today’s crisis. The current election is a reflection of how some of the masses were really thinking. The truth has emerged and that’s a good thing. We live in a democratic society and many, swept under the carpet, are letting their discontent be known because they now feel safe to do so. Additionally, it shows us how we are being triggered by their discontent and it allows us to become very clear about what we are really wanting for our nation while paving the way for future solutions that are inclusive of all.

4.)  Keep your eyes on the prize. What we really want is to feel good, live in peace and harmony and experience love. In your mind’s eye, imagine a world that is peaceful and loving, where everyone is happy, getting along and living side-by-side.

5.)  Pray or meditate and use your intuition as your guiding light. Things that are being reported to us by the media are not always true.  The more you pray or meditate, the more you become aware of your intuitive faculties and see through the illusion.

6.)  Use this time to become more self-aware to discover our eternal being as having the same qualities as God.

Finding the space between anger and fear in a chaotic society can be a daunting task, however, if we choose to “alt-high,” we will find the peace we’ve been wanting, sitting there waiting for us. Alt-high is alternative to the more high. It is striving to act your highest at all times even when things don’t seem to be going your way. Alt-high does not mean being complacent, but it means asking the question, “What would God do?” You’ll know by the way you feel, if you’re going in the direction God would take. Positive change may not come over night, but when it happens, it does so magically.  One day, we will look back on these times and see how many pieces of the puzzle had to fit perfectly for a shift to a society rid of a fear consciousness.

At the end of the day, love really does conquer hate. Although his legacy of racial scorn is in the history books, Governor George Wallace became a different man later in life and was voted Governor of Alabama in 1971 with overwhelmingly black support in building a new image that courted blacks. After a shooting that left him in a wheelchair, he asked for forgiveness from Civil Rights leaders for his earlier actions promoting white supremacy and racial divisiveness. He became self-realized with a new awareness of self that could have precluded his mistreatment of other human beings, but was necessary for his own evolvement.