Credo (in momentum)

I believe the Divine is energy rather than entity. I believe said energy flows freely within every living thing. I believe we each have a moment by moment choice to honor or dishonor that living stream. I believe as conscious beings, we have an obligation to honor Spirit. I believe we must love ourselves and one another in an unconditional manner that allows room for and also encourages our exponential potential.

I believe we all have dark and light within us. Our natures are not merely human, not merely divine. The tension existing due to this constant battle of our dual nature is what the journey is all about. Each of us come blessed with strengths and challenged by weaknesses. Some lie. Some cheat. Some steal. Some murder. Some manipulate. We must not view our flaws as lesser than another. We must strive to keep our flaws from negatively affecting our fellow travelers. We must make right those wrongs that inevitably occur.

I believe that unconditional love begins with self. Seeing ourselves through an accurate lens is inherent to loving ourselves unconditionally. We must see our strengths, our weaknesses, our past, our present and the goal of our future. We must accept ourselves as we are yet remain in forward momentum toward our highest selves. When we practice self-love at this level, we are then able to turn our love outward to our fellow travelers and see people as the divine echoes through their souls, spirits, and flesh. We will begin to see the potential in every living being. We will begin to focus on the light rather than the darkness in one another and move as One toward our exponential potential as a human race.

I believe we are a work in progress that must make mistakes as part of our growth. I believe we all must be viewed with compassion. I believe truth is a vibration open to poetic interpretation. I believe we are all interconnected and have much to learn from one another. I believe segregating humanity by ethnicity, religion, sexuality, education, culture or by any other factor not only limits us as a race but also damages us as spiritual beings. I believe there is truth and fallacy in every philosophy and our future would be better served to truly sit together and learn from one another.

I believe life is a journey meant to be lived with full regard to all we see, touch, taste, feel and hear. I believe we should all endeavor to become better versions of ourselves each and every second of each and every day. I believe we are here together with purpose and should live our lives like we truly believe it. I believe life is a gift, replete with sorrow and joy, obstacles and victory, moments of weakness and moments of strength. I believe life should be lived to the fullest. Time is a scientific structure of mankind, however, our moments upon this earth are not meant to be wasted. I believe in our exponential potential.

Real-ationships

As a young woman, my parents instilled in me that honesty certainly was the best policy. Whether we are discussing friendship, marriage, family or co-workers, being honest was high on the list of any set of priorities. In this day of secrets, side-chicks and friends with benefits, I am deeply disturbed about the layers of lies that find their way into almost every connection.

Integrity, a strong moral compass and a strong work ethic were also factors people were measured against in my generation. I am far from perfect, yet I am certainly proud of the woman I am, and have much faith for the woman I am yet to become.

American culture generates strong pulses of individualism which in turn generates a need to "throw people under the bus" and "stab someone in the back" to get ahead. Often lying about our abilities is the first impulse so we can get that job we so desperately want/need. In my household, there was no shame in saying, "I don't know". What was expected however was doing the research required to find out! This is how I became so devout about attaining knowledge.

I have been told more than several times that I share too much, that I am too emotional and that I shouldn't broadcast my business. A few years ago, after hearing these things several times by those closest to me, I started practicing layering the exposure I offered to my life. It resulted in a big, fat, hairy mess! My inner circle knows me to be raw, real, and extremely honest. Beyond the frustration of deciding who should know what, and trying to remember what parts of me I exposed to which people, came another level of frustration.

No matter how honest you are, or how much you share, people are going to have their perception of you. They are going to use the filter of their life experience to "judge" you and "size you up". No One on this Earth knows me like I know me! At thirty eight I am finally ready to "stand on my square", "claim my Divinity" and remember how to be the calm in the center of the storm. I sleep with my own soul each night, and I know that I have done all that is required of me. I am a work in progress just like any other being on this planet, and I strive daily to become the best of me.

When you open yourself up to other people's opinions and advice, you have to promise yourself to listen to your Spirit overall. My soul surely knows the way. I was told recently by someone I am very close to that I am too emotional (never heard THAT before). I was told by another fellow traveler that I am not focused and I need to put more energy into myself. I was told by someone who spent a few moments looking into my life that I needed to stop focusing on only the questions in life, and I should share the answers as well. I could go on for days with advice, opinion, and criticism that has been funneled my way. I am not saying that I am not grateful for those who care for me. I am not saying that there have not been times that someone's advice was exactly what I needed to hear. I am just expressing that the old saying, "take it with a grain of salt" is highly important.

Especially as a figure in the public eye, I open myself to so many souls. I have love for them all. I see the light in them all. However, not everyone has a clear view of me. Not everyone is coming from the foundation of honest intentions. Not everyone even know themselves like they proclaim to know me! I am a very sensitive heart. I have a gift of seeing the best in people. I try to build people up and lift them up to the light. That by no means negates the fact that I also see the darkness in people. I have my own demons to face.

It is because of the things I have done wrong that I do my best NOT to judge my fellow travelers. I forgive easily because I wish to be treated with the same respect. Just because I forgive you, does not mean you can continue to perform the same errant behaviors and still be good with me. I do have lines that may not be crossed. Apologies may soothe a situation. They may even be genuine, however, if someone continues to do the same thing over and over and over, they will have to be removed from my circles. If I am slapped every time I come in to kiss you, will I expect kisses?

Like Saturn, I have innermost and outermost rings with levels of intimacy in between. My inner circle has no doubt who I am or what they mean to me. They are my council. They are my fire. They are the ones I turn to when I need to be reminded who I am and what purpose I serve on this fiery planet. The truth may be uncomfortable. What you believe to be the truth may have been based on a false premise. Assumptions...well, you know what they say.

All I would love to see come from this post, is everyone who reads it taking a moment to reflect on their level of commitment to the truth. Research, listen, reflect, and grow. Speak honestly to the best of your ability. Let your intentions be to seek out the truth and may the integrity in your chest hold you to your moral compass. First and foremost, be honest with yourself. The truth shall set you free!

With all the layers of lies this society has come to accept, it is hard to trust anyone. People are skeptical about love, truth, trust, honor, and so many other things that once were standard in most people. We have grown in technology, but our technology has begun to separate us, and tear us from the moral fiber we once so proudly stood for.

I love the best in you. I see the worst in you. I love the best in me. I see the worst in me. Daily, I work to become closer to the mark. Daily, I work to reach my maximum potential. From the outside, you may not see the work I am doing. I hope something I said inspired you to be true, especially to you!

Much love,

Lady RAin.

Unfolding Orgiami

I am not who I once was
Nor am I who I shall be
And yes, I realize this concept
Is quite elementary
Rudimentary
These life fundamentals
Every breath that I take
Is purely elemental
Supplemental my intelligence
With beauty accidental
Owe that part to genetics babe
It was simply parental
Push it down
These emotions I feel
Like every thought I possess
Rolls out on reel to reel
He said my name
Should never have been in your mouth
Now, hard as I try
I cannot seem to spit it out
These Queens say I am "ride or die"
But whose death am I riding to?
I pump the brakes, hold his hand
And fight to hold the truth
But what if this story is
His business and mine?
How do I decide
Where to draw the lines?
Sign over symptom
My song ever carries
And I am struggling to
Limit my bearings
Setting nauticals to
Keep me closer to home
Close to the bone
Ready to hone in
Cuz I only dive to save people
Ready to swim
If you ain't in it to win it
Then sit the fuck down
Tell yourself can't one more time
And count yourself out
If you walkin with me
Then we walkin devout
Penetrate the promenade
Of the average full of doubt
Armies of angels
Ready to rise
Baby boy, just remember
You opened more than my thighs
Goddess on the rise
Wings to the skies
Perfecting my pieces
this puzzle born life

Catharsis

There's a place
where darkness rises to the surface
Like the scum on a good soup
And you may find yourself surprised
to find it came up out of you
Yet there's a place
Where darkness rises to the surface
Like that scum on a good soup
And in that place,
You will find the way
To get it all out of you

She Lay It Down

(She lay the pencil down, down
She lay the pencil down) 3x's

She prolific, honorific, you're gonna have to get with this
Or we're goin our separate ways
You say I'm play checkers
You're playin chess tho
I follow my Spirit
Can't you hear it?
You know I go with the flow
You don't want a label
It's a fable
You're unstable
But I really like watching you grow
I'll be all right, B
With or without you
Although I like you
That somethin you just don't seem to know
I'm self sufficient
Independent; I'm stupendous
I know everything my soul needs to know

She lay it down, down
She lay it down, down, down
Can you hear the sound now?
She lay it down, down, down

Black Lives Matter/All Lives Matter

When someone says that Black Lives Matter, the correct response is not All Lives Matter. Yes, of course, All Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter is a movement that was created in 2012 after the murder of Trayvon Martin. "Black Lives Matter is working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise." Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi, and Alicia Garza founded this organization with passion for Black Lives, and intend to "build connections between Black people and ... allies to fight anti-Black racism, to spark dialogue among Black people, and to facilitate the types of connections necessary to encourage social action and engagement." (blacklivesmatter.com).

After the murder of Alton Sterling, I attended a rally here in Rochester, New York. The Democrat & Chronicle estimated our number at 400, and 74 of us were arrested. In Atlanta, there was an estimated 10,000 protesters and only 2 were arrested. A lot of people connected to me, and some quite close to my heart, have given me a lot of harsh criticism for my involvement in the movement. I have even had family members tell me I was, "acting black", that I "should be proud to be a 'white girl'", and that rallies will not solve anything.

I explained to one of my young family members why I wrote my latest piece "Not Me" in which I state, "I am NOT a white girl!" I explained to her that had Rosa Parks not sat in the front of that bus, it may still be illegal for black people to sit anywhere other than the back of the bus. I explained to her that Dr. King was arrested for civil disobedience more than twice and rallies do have the power to draw attention and change things. I explained that while the paper said we threw rocks at the police, we did no such thing. I explained that we were sitting on our behinds eating pizza when the police came in riot gear.

In my opinion, if Black Lives Mattered and our voices had a right to be heard, a liaison from the City would have come out to speak to us rather than sending over 100 officers in riot gear to clear the street in military formation. I feel many actions have both positive and negative ramifications, and I understand that knowledge is the key element missing here.

There are problems on every front, but the main point that needs to be heard and digested is that those of us who are fighting for equality are not going to stop fighting until all lives are treated equally in this country. I stand for what I believe in and I am sure along the way, I will learn, augment and grow with every new obstacle, every new truth I encounter.

Rallies are by no means the only action I am taking either. We must be reading, listening, learning, remain active in our communities.

The system is corrupt, and we cannot change what we do not discuss. There are officers who fight for right and put their lives on the line for us every day. There are also racist cops who hunt down and murder Black people. There are good and bad people in every segregated category. I may not get to see the Promised Land, but I fight for a day when sexual preference, religious affiliation, ethnic background, income level, education level, no longer keep us in segregated categories. We are one human race. I have friends from every type of classification. I judge people by their integrity, work ethic, honesty, loyalty, thirst for knowledge, etc. "You may call me a dreamer, but I am not the only one"... (John Lennon)

So for all of you arguing with one another, judging one another, can we try something new? Can we listen, learn, and grow together. The powers that be love to keep us separated, keep us segregate from one another. Imagine the world of possibility if we unified forces. We all have good and bad qualities within us. We all have joy and pain. We all have dreams and fears. This country has good and bad qualities too. However, you cannot sit back blind and idle pretending that everything is all right while people are being targeted and murdered, and the media lies to cover up what is actually going on. This is the country we were born in, that we live in, and we have a right to democratically mold it into the country of our dreams. You can stare at a screen till the day you die and do nothing with your life, but if that is your choice, please stop complaining about what is going on around you. Please stop judging those that are standing up for what they believe in.

Would it kill you just once to say, "Black Lives Matter"...can we not work together to realize a day in this country when All Lives really do Matter! They should. And if I have anything to do with it, they will!

Be the best you, you can possibly be. Stand up for what you believe. Unify, and rise. It is our time to shine.

Authentic

It is not always easy to be your authentic self in today's Western society. The general population judge one another based on Appearance, Income, Fashion, Intelligence, Ethnicity, Gender, Sex Appeal, Sexual Preference, Religion, etc. Wouldn't it be nice to be viewed instead by our integrity, honesty, loyalty, work ethic, compassion, passion, focus, and evolution? During young adulthood, I feel it was easy to get lost in viewing myself through the lens of others opinions of me instead of my own intrinsic worth. It is important to take in account our negative traits, focus intently on them long enough to come up with a plan of action to evolve in the necessary areas. However, it is extremely necessary to pay proper attention on what is right with us! Becoming the best of one self is a moment by moment decision to strive in the direction of perfection. We all have areas that need growth. I often find myself condescending in an area that I excel at. WRONG IDEA! There are lines I cross that others would never even entertain. My mother once reminded me of the old saying to measure oneself against the yardstick the Christ. If we measure ourselves by others, it is Ego rather than Spirit that is involved. My main objective in life is to become the best of me. I will take others opinions into account, measure myself by what they see and be honest if there is an area that needs attention. Overall, I sleep with my own Soul at night. I commune with Spirit daily. I walk in the light as often as possible. I work hard to right my wrongs. Every day, I grow a little more. I wish the same for us all.

Thank you for your constant love and support.

~lady RAin