Blog Archives

Day 16: Florida (Intention Stone #10)

7/13/2021

0 Comments

Day 15: Tennessee to Florida

7/12/2021

0 Comments

I Love My Dad!!!

0 Comments

The first public declaration of my four,
cardinal commitments before the rising of the sun. These commitments were inspired by the reading of
Soul Vows by Janet Conner.

0 Comments

The Power of Presence

I arrived in Lisle, IL. on the night of Thursday, July 8, 2021. THIS stop was definitely a divine addition to the cross-country, spiritual sojourn because of the Human + Nature exhibit that I would have the honor of witnessing the next day.

I was sooooo excited to visit the Morton Arboretum, the next morning, that I didn't realize that my time was still set to Eastern Standard Time. So, when I woke up at 6:00am to start my day, I really woke up at 5:00am. WOW!!! What to do?

Since I was too excited to go back to bed, I decided to stay up and watch the sunrise near my hotel and then go have breakfast. While sitting in my car, I was able to bear witness to a gorgeous sunrise over the water tower and listen to a morning performance provided by the songbirds in the nearby tree. After absorbing that space, I headed to the restaurant.

After arriving at Quincy's, I soon realized that I was too early for breakfast. Hahahaha! So, once again, I decided to witness the sunrise from this new position. The golden hue warmed my spirit and assured me that this was going to be an amazing day!! Since I had about thirty minutes to spare, I decided to drive back to the hotel and continue watching the sunrise over the water tower. But, something caught my eye and I made a quick U-turn. I saw a rainbow!!

Typically, a rainbow appears after it just rained.Not this time. This rainbow proceeded the rain and I was able to stand in that in-between space of what was and what was to come. Liminality is what we call it in the academic space.

The liminal space provided by this experience allowed me to witness the fullness of the rainbow, the arching power of its presence, and the majestic forces of Mother Earth. When I go back and look at the photos, I am reminded that we all have that same "rainbow" presence within us. That we have a fullness that others can witness. That we have an arch of power that serves as a bridge between two spaces. And, that we are majestic forces within the universal body of Mother Earth.

With this knowing, I invite you to look within and begin a personal journey of presence. Be present before the storm so you can better prepare to ride it out. You never know who is seeing YOUR 'rainbow' within. Shine one!

0 Comments

Day 12: Illinois (Part 2)

7/9/2021

1 Comment

Very few words needed for this post.
Enjoy all ten videos from the Morton Arboretum
in Lisle, IL.

1 Comment

Day 10: Nebraska

7/7/2021

0 Comments

Day 9: Wyoming

7/6/2021

0 Comments

Click here for intention stone video - https://youtu.be/WHuJYjtv9k4

Accountability

I have two special men in my life - my Dad and my husband. My cross-country, spiritual sojourn wasn’t easy for either one of them because they were concerned for my safety as a single womxn on these roads. To help ease the concern, I text every morning before I left, every time I stopped to stretch, and when I arrived. To tell the truth, I LOOOOOOVED the extra layer of accountability. It was as if they were right there with me every step of the way. I’m kinda spoiled like that. :)

The trek to Wyoming from Nevada was going to be a long stretch and it also meant having to leave my daughter to continue on my solo route. Please note that Wyoming was not part of the original plan. It was added when I discovered the Human Nature exhibit in Lisle, IL. (more about that on Day 9). But, as you can see in the text thread above, I felt like I would soon discover the “why” in Wyoming and was ready to empty and open myself to the lessons to come. The Universe did not disappoint; lessons were truly revealed.

0 Comments

Day 8: From California back to Nevada.

7/5/2021

0 Comments

To conclude this part of my spiritual sojourn, I joyfully combined my love of motherhood with the love of spatial re-design to create a new living space for my Lil Mama. In retrospect, I should have captured some before and after photos of her space. Instead, you get more pictures of us. :)

I rearranged her furniture to allow for an open flow of energy. The sofa sat in the east facing the west to channel the energy of a setting sun. The sign of completion. And the loveseat sat in the north facing south to witness the rays of the sun. The sign of presencing. At the intersection of these two spaces, the sun’s light will penetrate Lil Mama’s space and provide her with the daily energy of complete presence.

As my grandma once wrote…

Sun is true witness!

Just as the sun witnessed the first half of my spiritual sojourn, I leave Nevada knowing that the sun will continue to witness the growth and development of my Lil Mama. That the sun will shine on her and through her. That the sun will be the gateway to her walk with the Divine. Ase.

0 Comments

Day 7: California

7/4/2021

0 Comments

Release & Pray Part 2

In order to pick up my babies from the breakfast spot, I needed to get some gas. There was absolutely no way I could make it to them without running out; plus, playing the ‘gas game’ in California would not be a good idea!!

As I pulled up to the first station, I noticed that all the lights were out. No worries, right? WRONG! No lights also meant no gas. Time to find the next location. The second gas station had lights on. Great, right? WRONG! Lights were on but the gas pumps were turned off. So, what did I do?

I pressed my luck and took to the highway to get my babies.

The entire time I was driving, I was praying that I wouldn’t run out of gas. I should have been praying that I wouldn’t get lost. Hahaha. Sadly, I got lost and added more time to my travel. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. I was certain that soon enough I would be stranded on the side of the road and my babies would be stranded at the breakfast spot.

How do eco-spiritualist pray?

Google map to gas station

To answer that question, let me first say what it looked like before eco-spirituality:

The way I was taught to pray always started with “Dear Heavenly Father” and ended with “In the Name of Jesus.” Since my walk has changed so has my prayer approach. Now, I alternate my prayers between names like “Creator,” “Universe,” or “Ancestors.”

On the morning of the 4th, I was praying hard! I mean REAL HARD!!! I used all three names, Creator, Universe, AND Ancestors, and I followed that with, “…please guide me and protect me. Please don’t let me run out of gas. Please keep me safe.” As I prayed, the gas light continued to blink and I continued to look for a gas station.

When I looked down at my phone, I couldn’t believe what I saw. I saw my Mama’s name on the map. My Mama, Clara Simmons, earned her wings from a 26-year battle with cancer on March 31, 2016. On this day, I started developing a relationship with her as my ancestor.

When I saw Mama’s name on the map, my anxiety lifted. I released my fear of running out of gas, and I knew that my prayer to the Ancestors was answered. It was answered by a very specific ancestor that wouldn’t let anything happen to her daughter or granddaughter.

So, there it is! Yes, I still pray and I know that prayer works. If you choose to walk a path that is opposite your inherited religion, you have complete permission to modify and/or cancel practices that support who you are and who you are becoming. Ase..

PS
There was an Intention Stone #7 but it wasn’t placed at a gas station. I handed it directly to a Sistah Queen at the day party in Oakland. We struck up a conversation about both of us being in our 40s and having kids that were in their 20s. She said, “us 40 somethings need to stick together.” I soooo loved her energy. I offered her the 7th stone.

0 Comments

<<Previous

Intentionali-TEA

Day 16: Florida (Intention Stone #10)

Day 15: Tennessee to Florida

Day 14: Tennessee

Day 13: Indiana to Tennessee

The first public declaration of my four,
cardinal commitments before the rising of the sun. These commitments were inspired by the reading of
Soul Vows by Janet Conner.

Days 11 & 12: Illinois

The Power of Presence

Day 12: Illinois (Part 2)

Very few words needed for this post.
Enjoy all ten videos from the Morton Arboretum
in Lisle, IL.

Day 10: Nebraska

Day 9: Wyoming

Accountability

Day 8: From California back to Nevada.

Sun is true witness!

Day 7: California

Release & Pray Part 2

How do eco-spiritualist pray?

Chris Omni, MPH

Archives

Categories

Intentionali-TEA

The first public declaration of my four,cardinal commitments before the rising of the sun. These commitments were inspired by the reading ofSoul Vows by Janet Conner.

The Power of Presence

Very few words needed for this post. Enjoy all ten videos from the Morton Arboretum ​in Lisle, IL.

Accountability

Sun is true witness!

Release & Pray Part 2

​​How do eco-spiritualist pray?

Chris Omni, MPH

Archives

Categories

The first public declaration of my four,
cardinal commitments before the rising of the sun. These commitments were inspired by the reading of
Soul Vows by Janet Conner.

Very few words needed for this post.
Enjoy all ten videos from the Morton Arboretum
in Lisle, IL.

How do eco-spiritualist pray?