Intentionali-TEA |
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Grab your glass. Take a sip. Savor the story.
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The Power of PresenceI 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!
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Very few words needed for this post.
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 | On July 3rd, the eve of my daughter’s 26th solar return, I was faced with a difficult decision - do I be “mom” or do I temporarily release “mom” and let her fly? My Lil Mama and her bestie from second grade wanted to go out to a club. Although I was invited to join them, my body needed some sleep. So, in that space, I had to ask myself, “Self, do you let them go out in Oakland and Uber home, do you go out with them, or do you make them stay home?” It is safe to assume that option two, go out with them, didn’t happen. Since she was there to celebrate, it is kinda safe to assume that option three, make them stay home, didn’t happen either. So, yep, I released my mom hold and let her fly. |
After returning to the Air BnB, I settled in for some much needed sleep and set my alarm so I could be the first one to wish her a happy solar return at 3:14am. Then, off to sleep I went. When 3:14am rolled around, I called and, of course, no answer. They were still kickin’ it. When I didn’t hear from her nearly two hours later, I sent a text… (Phone still set to Florida time)
Three minutes later, Lil Mama called back and let me know that they were just fine and decided to go out for breakfast. I was soooooo relieved. She proceeded to tell me that she was going to Uber home although it was hella expensive. I gladly offered to go get them. That’s where the story of prayer doubled down and got super real!!
To be continued on July 4.
MISCHELLE
Christal Mischelle | Clarae Mischelle |
Have you ever wondered the meaning behind your name?
I did…46 years after I was born. (Never too late, right?)
I love my middle name. Plus, the uniqueness of the spelling adds to my deep appreciation for this name. My Dad wanted this name for me in ‘74 and I wanted this name for my daughter on 7/4 of 1995. Can you begin to feel a vibration around the 7 and 4? Kinda trippy, right?
Even though I knew that I loved my name, I never knew what it meant. It wasn’t until 46-years later, Christmas 2020, when I was sitting in the living room at my Dad’s house, in Morristown, TN., when I discovered the spiritual significance of my name.
My middle name is taken from the Hebrew name Michael which means “Who is like God?” This new revelation added yet another layer of love to my name. I loooooooove the fact that my middle name leads to a conversation and requires people to dive in and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
If my Dad were to answer that question, he would say, “the Lord!” If my Mama were to answer that question, she would say, “Jesus Christ.” (After all, she did spell my name C-H-R-I-S-T-a-l to reflect this understanding.) When I answer this question, I say, “Nature is like God.” I just asked my daughter that question and she said, “I wouldn’t be able to answer that question because I’m not religious.”
Can you see how this leads to getting comfortable with the uncomfortable?
Even though I knew that I loved my name, I never knew what it meant. It wasn’t until 46-years later, Christmas 2020, when I was sitting in the living room at my Dad’s house, in Morristown, TN., when I discovered the spiritual significance of my name.
My middle name is taken from the Hebrew name Michael which means “Who is like God?” This new revelation added yet another layer of love to my name. I loooooooove the fact that my middle name leads to a conversation and requires people to dive in and get comfortable with the uncomfortable.
If my Dad were to answer that question, he would say, “the Lord!” If my Mama were to answer that question, she would say, “Jesus Christ.” (After all, she did spell my name C-H-R-I-S-T-a-l to reflect this understanding.) When I answer this question, I say, “Nature is like God.” I just asked my daughter that question and she said, “I wouldn’t be able to answer that question because I’m not religious.”
Can you see how this leads to getting comfortable with the uncomfortable?
Click here for the stone presentation - https://youtu.be/VjhxsZHN1hU
List of Lessons from Day 4
Today represented EVERYTHING that I had hoped this trip would be. The spiritual part of the spiritual sojourn was magnified exponentially.
While driving from New Mexico to Nevada, I made several stops. I didn’t stop because I was tired; I stopped because I was in complete awe! The natural sandstones, the desert conditions that still yielded green life, the patch of trees that reached for the sky and provided the landscape with heart chakra lovin’, etc. Dayyyyuuummmnnn, nature is amazingly divine.
I’m not going to bore you with the list of lessons because when it happened, I INSTANTLY knew what my carrying message was going to be…
While driving from New Mexico to Nevada, I made several stops. I didn’t stop because I was tired; I stopped because I was in complete awe! The natural sandstones, the desert conditions that still yielded green life, the patch of trees that reached for the sky and provided the landscape with heart chakra lovin’, etc. Dayyyyuuummmnnn, nature is amazingly divine.
I’m not going to bore you with the list of lessons because when it happened, I INSTANTLY knew what my carrying message was going to be…
List of Lessons from Day 3
The journey continues to reveal lessons and love!!
Before I started on this third leg of my spiritual sojourn, I said a prayer. I asked for traveling mercy and grace. I presented myself and said I was empty and open to receive. Booooyyyyy o booooyyyy, I certainly received. Look at today’s list of possibilities:
With all of these possibilities and ones not even listed, there is one that TOTALLY stood out…
Before I started on this third leg of my spiritual sojourn, I said a prayer. I asked for traveling mercy and grace. I presented myself and said I was empty and open to receive. Booooyyyyy o booooyyyy, I certainly received. Look at today’s list of possibilities:
- I started my day with the sunrise.
- The sunshine was so mesmerizing that I had to stop and capture a picture.
- Clear skies paved my way….. for a little bi t.
- Patchy fog settled in.
- Zero visibility replaced the patchy fog.
- Slow moving and temporary standstill traffic.
- The terrain changed from Texas from New Mexico.
- The cows were grazing in a completely open field… Livin’ their best lives!
- The sunshine returned.
With all of these possibilities and ones not even listed, there is one that TOTALLY stood out…
Chris Omni, MPH
Hi! My name is Christal Mischelle Omni. You can call me Chris. I am an eco-spiritualist, joy advocate, storyteller, and Black womxn’s health researcher.
Through my artistic ministry, I build upon my Master of Public Health degree and doctoral work in art education to explore nature as a site of self-restoration and healing.
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