Music Mondays: Faith Evans - O Come All The Faithful

Feliz Navidad! Ha, Happy Holiday season to you. Yes, I know we just finished celebrating Thanksgiving; I bet you probably are still finding how many ways you can eat turkey left over’s. You know: turkey salad, turkey soap, turkey sandwich, turkey, turkey, turkey! I have moved on from Thanksgiving wanting to create my own Christmas spirit. Like some of you I live alone, far away from close family. Being away from home can be tough during the holiday season making it that much harder to be in the Holiday spirit. So my mission this year is to create the joy of Christmas by posting a Christmas song every week until the week of Christmas. Please feel free to add a song for me to add to the blog. Is Christmas your favorite holiday too? What special holidays do you celebrate in your home?

Sexuality

Capacity for sexual feelings or sexual activity is one of many definitions to describe sexuality. What better way to end Scorpio Season (Happy Birthday fellow Scorps) then to talk about sexuality? To me sexuality simply means being fully aware of our sensual selves. Sexuality is having an innate sense of sexual energy that is natural as breathing. Sexual activity speaks for itself. When having sex our sexuality is heightened in the act making us feel connected to our erotic natures. What I want to highlight is that there is a misconception that having sex makes you a vixen and in touch with your sexuality. Far from the truth! While being sexually active heightens one’s sexuality, the act itself does not give you automatic sex appeal. You have to feel connected to your sexual self before having sex. For those who have had sexual intercourse at an uncertain time in their lives spoke of having “bad” sex. “Bad” sex is a matter of perspective, but not enjoying exchange of being with your partner due to insecurities and fears is not sexy! Many people take their insecurities with them into the bedroom. Releasing our fears, body image concerns, guilt, and shame frees up inner tension and inhibitions that we have making sex that much greater.

I remember the day I began to feel connected to my sexual energy. Being a virgin people are still taken aback by this; my simple answer is sexuality is within. See, I am a Scorpio woman. Sex is like breathing to me and a sacred act, hence why I am waiting for my divine mate to join me before having sex. Connecting to our sexual energy is different for each of us, for me it meant being soft and feminine. I take long bubble baths with candles, music and afterwards I put on scented lotion and perfume. That makes me feel in touch with my goddess energy. Not by having sex, but seduction, setting the mood. Knowing this I am ready for sex because I am no longer afraid to admit to taboos or express my sexual nature.

Sex is a choice. When we are emotionally mature enough to handle the good, bad, and ugly of sex, I believe we are ready to engage in the act. The pressure to have sex is not just among teenagers, but adults too! We have to embrace our lives on this journey called life and know it will not look like anyone else’s. If your life looks like someone else you may not be on your chosen path! Sexuality is creativity in pure form. Raw energy not tainted by imagery, our own opinions or the opinions of others, but unleashing whatever you feel inside! Getting past our own misconceptions about sexuality helps us to create a better reality for ourselves. We do not have to live within the limitations that are placed on us from society or what we place on ourselves. Accept those whose sexual expression is different from yours. Go deep, release hidden fears, and live life responsibly as the sexual human being you are!

*PS Emotional trauma due to sexual abuse is a serious issue. If you have been a victim of sexual abuse and it is holding you back from your best self get professional help.

Gratitude

First of all I want to give honor and glory to God from where all my blessings flow. I am in the best space I’ve ever been in. For that alone, I say thank you Lord. A message of gratitude is what inspired my blog post. To say thank you for the support you show me when you view my blog. I want to say thank you to those who stop by and leave a message of encouragement. When we express gratitude we tell the universe we are ready for the next level. We are saying we are ready for abundance by showing gratitude for what we have in the present. The Bible says “when praises go up, blessings come down”. Being aware of our blessings allows us to vibrate at a higher level attracting what it is our heart desires. As apostle Paul has said “No matter where I am, I will praise the Lord”. No matter my condition, I will express gratitude.

This Friday is my last day at my current employer. Back in 2007, I would lay in bed and day dream about the day I could leave Oklahoma City for good. My plan was to be gone by Aug 2007 and I made goals that supported my plan. Through prayer, intention, and hard work I received a phone call to teach in July 2007 at a Head Start program in the Washington DC area. Less than a month later I packed and moved to the DC area in August of 2007! Five years later I am humble by being able to live my dream. Reflecting on my past, I am grateful for my present. Ready for the next challenge, I prayed to move on and start anew. I asked God for a new job, and change of location. Finally a breakthrough, I will begin working for my new employer this November and I will move to DC or Maryland shortly after. God is moving in my life and for that I say thank you!

Turning 35 on Tuesday, I reflected on my life. I am honored to be where I am and grateful to see another year. My cup runneth over and I want to share that over flow with the world. My heart is open and ready to give and receive love. That is where my energy will go. My intention will be set on making space for love to come in my life. I am grateful to be the reflection of the love I want to attract. When we set our intentions we live with meaning. You will then find gratitude in the smallest things. A meaningful life to me is being grateful on the journey, not just setting your eyes on the destination. In the season of thanksgiving show gratitude, express praise to our most high God and the Universe. Join me in allowing the law of abundance to work by showing gratitude.

Image Is Everything

Imagery is a very powerful influence on how we view ourselves and others. Being judged by our bodies, as unfair as it is, it happens. My peace comes from not trying to control the views of others, but having peace with the view I have of myself. What I come to understand that the opinions of others do not hold weight, unless we believe them to be true. It cannot be said enough about who we allow in our lives, what we watch on TV or images in magazines. Negative energy can damage the soul! I was reaffirmed by someone I admire recently who told me, “fly is fly, being chubby does not matter”. Well let me tell you, for years I believed that being thin was in. I felt UNLOVABLE; I did not want to be intimate with a man because of it. I was disconnected and ashamed of what I saw when I looked in the mirror. How many of you can relate? The LOVE hate relationship I had with myself is a reflection of what I thought was acceptable in society. Reading magazines, watching TV, most of the images I see are not a reflection of what I look like physically. The images in the media, not many of us look like them. Today it is about who is perfect. It’s the curvy women with no stretch marks. Also, we see the man who is tall and physically fit with muscles and bronze skin. Images of perfection range from teeth, to breast, to large butts and it can make us fixated on our own imperfections. This can make anyone who does not fit society’s image of beauty struggle with who they are.

That is why I began a challenge. I started taking media in with douses, including social media. I began personal inventory of what I thought was beauty and not what society seen as beauty. On this long journey I learned self acceptance and that being a size 14 is not so bad after all. This became especially true after visiting the art gallery in D.C. this past spring. Pablo Picasso, a fellow Scorpio like me, had an exhibition of his famous art. What I learned is Picasso had quite an appetite for women. Whenever he had a new LOVER, he painted pictures of her, like an obsession. One of his LOVERS was a full figured woman whom became his inspiration for several paintings. I was in awe of how beautiful the paintings were that I began to appreciate myself that much more.

In the exhibition I saw beauty like I never have before. The art inspired me to LOVE myself deeply, to allow my sensual nature to come alive like the women on the walls of the Galleria. Throughout the gallery I saw pictures and paintings of full figured women. Most of the images were nude and the women were soft and sensual. Looking at the art work, I envisioned myself. I saw my body as a work of art. Scanning the room, I appreciated all beauties as I embraced my own! From size 2 to 20 we have LOVE who we are with courage. Being honest with our own short comings is how we heal. LOVING ourselves as we are is how we find peace on our path to LOVE. Image is everything. Depending on who is looking, the perception varies. What is most important is the perception you have of yourself!

Fashion Fridays: High Bun

Unless you live on Mars, you have seen everyone rocking the high bun. When I say everyone, I mean everyone. From celebrities, to round the way fly chicks, so many people have fell in LOVE with the high bun. My twin sis and I joked the other day about how long we have worn the high bun. We guessed going back to high school, which was the mid 90’s! What I LOVE about this classy hair style, is that you can wear it with anything. If you want to dress up or down, this classic hair style will always make a statement.

There are several ways to create the bun. You can use you natural hair that you have grown out or add hair weave. In high school I wore the goddess braid bun. That was simply synthetic braiding hair; I would braid it in a tight long braid, and then wrap it around my pony tail. In 03’ students in my afterschool program taught me the sock trick! Recently I bought a bun holder at the beauty supply store to create a large bun using hair weave. Anyway you choose do what feels natural to you. What I enjoy about fashion that what is great never really goes out of style! Enjoy.

Fashion Fridays: Color Block

I am a trendy chick. Simply put, I adore fashion! The new trends give me a chance to express more of my personality and show my youthful and fun side of who I am. Colors have a way of bringing the fun out of anyone. My clothes collection at one point was super serious all the time. Black, brown, tan, grey, off white, white, basically any neutral color! My grandmother taught me as a teen, if I wanted to boost my mood I needed to add color to my wardrobe. After looking at many fashion blogs, Instyle Magazine, and TLC’s What Not To Wear I noticed color was a must have! I slowly added color to my collection, but color blocking on the other hand? That was going to take some time. With the support of my fashionista twin sis, I now am on a color blocking frenzy!! And you can be on a color block frenzy too.

It does not matter what your budget is, you can be fly! Be bold this Fall season and add color to your closet. Brighten your mood and look good while you’re doing it!

Feel The LOVE

Doing the 21-day Mediation with Deepak Chopra, my life changed. I began doing heart mediations using the mantra “I am LOVEABLE”. Mantras mean speaking what it is that we want into existence. Through doing mantras my goal is to become the words I speak, also to allow the meaning of the phrases to touch my heart. Through the 21- day meditation I have centered myself and set an intention of showing and practicing giving LOVE daily. While taking on this challenge I realized giving LOVE is not a problem for me, but feeling worthy of receiving LOVE is a different story!

I will be 35 in October. Being 35 is a blessing because I feel I’m at an age I can finally look within and say I know who I am. I AM all things, with a soul as deep as the Pacific Ocean! This season in my life I crave close connections in all relationships. I long for kisses, intimate conversations, and confessions of hopes and dreams with my soul mate. I can’t wait to get on my iPad and do facetime with my cousin. As soon as I hit the parking lot leaving work, I am calling my twin sister on the phone to talk about our day. When I get to work I am greeted by parents and my colleagues with smiles and hellos. Often I stop on my way to my class giving out hugs to most in passing. As I enter my classroom my students erupt with “Good morning Ms. Natasha” as they are eating breakfast. I then greet them and say hello. I can barely put my purse away before I hear different voices screaming at me saying, “I have new shoes”, “Ms. Natasha you look cute”, “I went to the park yesterday”, and “Can you sit by me?" Gleefully I answer everyone, feeling LOVED and connected.

Since mediating, I have a whole new outlook on life. I draw and create LOVING experiences to my life by seeking LOVE in all things. Wanting to maximize my experience on earth, I now LOVE with intention. I have meaningful connections daily, making an effort to feel the LOVE of everything around me. I challenge you to make this simple shift in your life. In every moment you can, feel the LOVE. We make it our mission to give LOVE, what happens often is we do not allow ourselves to be on the receiving end.

Going forward, allow something such as a fresh breeze to create a LOVING moment. Take a moment out of your busy day to reflect on everyone in your life who LOVES you as you are! LOVE is around us every day. LOVE is in the stranger saying hello. LOVE is in the random text from a LOVER or friend. LOVE is the sun shining bright or a beautiful rain shower in the middle of the night. LOVE is the laughter of kids playing. LOVE is in a gentle touch. LOVE is in an unexpected compliment. LOVE is in forgiving yourself and knowing its okay to be you! LOVE is everywhere we go and deep inside of us all. Connect to the divine LOVE energy inside you. Feel the LOVE!