Particles of God

As mouthy and opinionated as I am about the wrongs of the world, I’m actually a student of non-duality. Non-duality is a belief in the oneness of all life. I believe, as many teachers have said, that we are each drops from the same ocean (which is God). I believe it’s impossible to be separated from God, because we are made of God. Just like u can’t separate yourself from the DNA of your parents, regardless of distance, or how you feel about them; neither can we separate ourselves from God. Additionally, I believe souls are immortal and continue on after death in new experiences. Who was that smart guy who said, “energy can be neither created or destroyed”? That’s the truth. So if we can’t be separated from God, and your soul will never die…There’s actually nothing to be afraid of, nothing to fight for and everything is profoundly OK in every moment.

I believe in the divine play. In other words, because God is infinite, he replicates himself through all of his creation in order to have infinite combinations of experiences. Therefore, our apparent separateness is actually just an experience, just like a dream. I think when we “die”, we wake up in another realm and go, “Wow, that was intense, I was a child slave in Bangalore, that time”, or “Cool, I was a mountain climber that time” or “That’s sucked, I was afraid the whole time, put me back in so I can learn to be more brave next time” etc.  All of our experiences are God doing his God thing. The experiences are not limited to what we would call good or bad because those are dualistic and relative terms.

When you become conscious of this divine play you can engage with it to the degree that you wish. Some people choose to check out of it completely and sit around in solitude (just another experience). Some people (like me) decide to keep playing, cuz hey, once you know the rules you can have fun with it. Some people are not conscious of the divine play at all (mainstream folks) but even that is part of the play; some teachers call that the “game of forgetting”. Every human has a well of peace that passes all understanding at ALL times, and deep down we know it, but we play around with feelings of fear, hatred, sadness because they are yet another experience in the mind of God.

Right now, I’m having the experience of being a black woman in the midst of a very uncomfortable racial climate and a very unjust world. I rant and rave about it, but at the end of the day it’s just one experience. Somewhere else someone is having the experience of being a white cop who, feels like they have a thankless, dangerous job, they have a right to protect themselves and all their actions are justified (just another experience). But know this, I believe we’ll BOTH wake up together on the other side and go, “FUCK!! That was a crazy ride! You, wanna go again? Alright man let’s switch this time!”. I don’t say that to negate anyone’s pain or suffering but I truly believe this. At the same time, I believe it worthwhile to fully experience, your “character” or role in this divine play; we’re here so we might as well (hence my ranting and educating about justice). So FYI to anyone who reads my very opinionated rantings about the condition of the world: Don’t ever feel like I’m against anyone in particular. I believe we come from one source which is God, and as such, we are not “particulars”, but rather we’re  all PARTICLES…of God.

 

Peace, Loves!  Go Play!

Jewel D.

 

 

 

 

You’re Welcome

You’re Welcome:    

A Black Sheep’s Contribution to the Family

Every family has the proverbial black sheep. This person embodies the energy that the rest of the family generally denies in themselves.  Because energy can be neither created nor destroyed, it can only expressed or transformed. Positive and negative energy always dwells together and in fact need each other. So in a family where certain qualities are idealized and valued, while other qualities are denied or rejected; someone inevitably has to deal with the energy that the group has decided not to. The black sheep is actually doing a very important job; they’re battling with darkness (transforming it) while the rest of the rest of the family runs and hides. The black sheep is the warrior. In a family where passivity is idealized, you will have an assertive black sheep. In a faithful family you will get a skeptic. In a sexually repressed family someone will be sexually liberated. Not only is the black sheep helping balance the family; the family has actually manifested the black sheep to do the dirty work that doesn’t fit into its idealized ego identity.

The universe is all about balance. The forces of light and darkness are meant to keep a check on one another. If one becomes too powerful and starts overrunning the other, that balance will be upset. For the tyranny of virtue is as unbearable as the stranglehold of vice.”

― Shatrujeet Nath, The Guardians of the Halahala

 Even the term “black sheep” has good qualities that are often overlooked. A sheep that is black has more protection from the sun, has more camouflage from a wolf, can hide in the dark etc. As the saying goes, “The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice”. Constant examination of a broader range of ideas and experiences, creates a depth and authenticity in the person who is a black sheep. It takes strength and bravery to walk a different path and not seek the approval of the group. This is evident in the allure that generally follows black sheep. The black sheep is a constant topic of conversation and is secretly admired from afar by those who wish they weren’t afraid to be so bold. The black sheep also develops compassion, understanding and wisdom in a way that only comes from first-hand experience, and would not have been possible if they had remained on the beaten path.

If you’re a called a black sheep, or you’re a self-proclaimed black sheep, be proud. Somebody’s gotta do it, and most of us a have a pretty good time in the process.

 

Jewel D.

Trump

 

Jewel D.

Lose the Training Wheels

I consider myself a spiritual person. I was very religious for a large part of my life, visited many kinds of churches, studied various faiths, and my mind is regularly plagued with philosophical thought. Because of these interests, some people are surprised by other aspects of my personality, like my irreverent humor or use of profanity. This relates to a bigger issue of how we idealize spirituality, but that’s not my subject today. To describe spiritual life vs. secular behavior, I use the analogy of learning your multiplication tables vs. using a calculator. In school we all had to memorize our multiplication tables and work out our math problems by hand (show your work!). The teacher would always say you have to learn to do it the long way before you can use a calculator. Once you understood and mastered the concept and had practice, you were free to use a calculator to save your effort for difficult parts of problems that required more thought.  Similarly, there is often a very prescribed way that we learn to express spirituality. We dress and behave in ways that are associated with our particular tradition. The do and don’ts of any particular faith are like multiplication tables in the analogy. These guidelines are your preliminary foundation to interacting with the world, and teach you good character, in theory. However, once you’ve mastered the concepts and you know what you’re doing, your conscience becomes your calculator. You decide when to apply a rule or disregard it, according to the situation.

I hate to see grown adults wincing at a swear word or agonizing over the extra ten cents the cashier gave them by accident. But that same person might say things that hurt his wife’s feeling or cheat someone out of a promotion at work; but that’s ok because those things aren’t prohibited by his prescribed list of spirituality. The whole point of learning spiritual guidelines is to stimulate your conscience to eventually feel what’s right and wrong, understand what causes harm and what doesn’t, and be guided by that. Rules are like training wheels and spirituality is the bike. Once you understand how the bike works and you can balance on your own, you don’t need the training wheels anymore. When you focus too much on the letter of the law you never get to the next step of understanding the spirit of the law.

When people ask why I do the things I do, my answer is, “I got my training wheels off”. I know that telling someone I hate them is wrong because it causes damage and division; but saying, “son of a bitch!” when I spill my wine, doesn’t cause harm to anyone. I don’t follow check-lists of do’s and don’ts; I am not trying to fit a spiritual image.  I ditched my training wheels years ago. I try not to cause harm to myself or others, and just enjoy the ride.

 

Jewel D.

Grandma Always Said…

My grandma had a wise saying, that I try to live by everyday: “Fuck the dumb shit”. This jewel of wisdom is a condensation of the teaching of every great spiritual leader. Gandhi: colonialism is dumb. Mother Teresa: poverty and suffering are dumb. MLK: racism is dumb. This goes for us as individuals as well; we all have dumb things in our lives that don’t help us and need to be let go. Limiting beliefs are dumb, self criticism is dumb, looking for acceptance and approval outside of yourself  is dumb and giving up your power is definitely dumb. So, fuck the dumb shit. Be free.

 

Jewel D.

Midol

 

Jewel D.

As(s)inine: The Booty Trend

 

As(s)inine: The Booty Trend

I hate to be a shit stirrer, but the current trend of ass worship is truly absurd. It grieves me to see over-sized, misshapen, fake butts all over the media and hear men talking about women’s asses as if they’re the foundation of a relationship. I don’t know why we let the whims of the media and pop-culture, take away our common sense and mutilate our bodies. There’s even been an increased trend and acceptance of anallingus (anal oral sex), which has become a feature in rap lyrics from Nicki Minaj to Kevin Gates. But aren’t humans, are supposed to have a natural aversion to feces? Your butt is an exit for feces. I don’t know of any culture that worships anuses; are we sinking to a new low? Everybody, male or female, has an ass; it’s weird that guys now make such a big deal over something they actually have themselves… asses are unisex. You can listen to Kevin Gates and “Eat the booty like groceries” if you want to; you’re free to do as u like, but you’re also free to get Hepatitis A (caused by fecal bacteria). Typhoid Mary killed half of Europe just from not washing her hands after using the bathroom, while working as a cook. I can’t wait to see what fun plagues will pop up now that rimming is on everyone’s menu.

Ultimately it’s your business what you do in the privacy of your own home and everyone likes something different. I just think it’s important that people think for themselves and don’t let pop-culture trends make you think something is sexy, that you would have found gross a couple of years ago. Be true to yourself and your common sense. For those of you afflicted with the booty trend, just remember every time you see a good looking ass, what’s actually between those cheeks. The mental image will be gross you out, but that’s the point; to shake you out of pop-culture stupidity and remind you of your human aversion to shit. So, look women in the eyes and quit worrying about their crapper!

 

Jewel D.

Sing it, Fatty!

Sing it, Fatty!

Have you ever wondered why it seems that a lot of big people can sing? I know I have. From churches, to opera houses you can find a lot of super talented, hefty singers. Well, the other day an astrologer friend of mine shed some light on the situation:

Each sign in the zodiac rules a part of the body. The sign Taurus rules the throat. Ah, Taurus the mighty bull… Anyway, because of Taurus’ ruler-ship of the throat, Taurus people often have vocal talent.  Another quality of Taurus is that it can give a person in it’s sign a bulky sturdy frame just like it’s symbol, the bull. Adele and Luther Van Dross both Taurus’ come to mind.

Taurus also is associated with beauty, love of food (no kidding!), stubbornness, luxury and money, to name a few. Ruled by Venus, Taurus people love the good life; they like good food, beautiful homes and sex, in that order.

As a woman of some substance who likes to sing myself, and because my rising sign is Taurus, this information was very interesting to me. Apparently, Taurus ruling the throat also makes it a bit vulnerable (Oh, is THAT why I’ve had strep a million times?).

So, next time you think you spot those bull-like qualities in a singer, it’d be interesting to find out if they’re a Taurus or have Taurus somewhere prominent in their birth chart.

 

Jewel D.

Interracial Relationships: Yes.

 

It’s not what you think. I’m not about to encourage any group to start dating another group, per say. When it comes to the old debate of should one date within their own race or be free to love whomever, I’m reminded of something a teacher used to say. He taught that some things are not matters of “right or wrong”, but rather of, “for whom, and when”. So sometimes we would ask him an “either/or” scenario question and he’d say, “Yes!”. The class would laugh but we knew when he said that, he was telling us the answer to that question was, both.

I think this method is a perfect approach for the issue of interracial relationships. The common question is, “Should individuals date within their race to strengthen their communities and preserve their culture? Or, should people just marry for love and be colorblind?”. Both experiences have value. To have the experience of deciding out of love for your culture, that you want to build a family of that same culture, is a beautiful choice. And you also, can’t deny the beauty the comes from mixing with other cultures and blending different worlds. So, if you ask me the question which is right, interracial relationships or dating within your own community? My answer is, “Yes.”

Open Letter to “Conscious” Community

 

When you begin to fully understand the depths of the problems in the Black community, a frustration and anger often builds. Unfortunately, this anger tends to get erroneously re-directed at our own people.  We want them to see as we see, change their behavior, and “pull up”, so that we can rise as a group. This anger eventually becomes contempt, with “conscious” people constantly ranting about “hood mentality”, weave/relaxers, single parenthood, promiscuity, poor eating habits, mindless entertainment, crime etc. Internet memes circulate shaming young black men and women, “Hoteps” run around alienating their families with hostile, judgmental, tirades; young health conscious people start disrespecting their grandma about her bacon and sweets, natural hair women shame women with straightened or weaved hair, etc. While the things we say may be true, they are often doing more harm than good because of the wrong spirit behind it and the wrong approach.

We all claim to know that bulk of the patterns you see in our communities are a product of and reaction to a system of oppression; but we turn our frustration and anger at that system, on each other.  This isn’t helping us, it creates more division and gives people who hate us more ammunition, especially when done publicly. There is a way to educate and be an example with love and understanding of the situation instead of disdain. It is futile to be angry with victims; it makes you unlikable and unapproachable, which in turn limits the people that you can reach and help.

Realize that the goal of oppression is to DESTROY by way of DIVIDE and CONQUER. If you are causing division, you are inadvertently a part of that system no matter how big your “Fro” is. Also, examine the leftover self-hatred you have, which is triggered every time you see things you or your family did before you learned better.

Know this:

IF YOU ARE PUBLICLY SHAMING OUR PEOPLE, OR ALIENATING YOUR BLACK FAMILY AND FRIENDS, YOU ARE NOT CONSCIOUS. PERIOD.