Four Ways to Celebrate Christmas Day If You Are Forced to Self-Isolate

I have spent Christmas Day on my own a number of times over the years.  Sometimes, I hated it and felt sad, depressed and lonely.  Other years, I had a great time.  The fact that I am a Buddhist and don't celebrate Christmas doesn't seem to make a lot of difference - I still sometimes feel a desire to spend the holiday with friends and loved ones, and am haunted with the ghosts of Christmases past.  And anyway, this holiday is primarily an ancient celebration of the Winter Solstice, so I celebrate it in that context.  

 

This Christmas day, as in 2020, many people are still forced to self-isolate.  If you are one of the people self-isolating at Christmas (or any other time), missing friends, family and good cheer, check out my Coronavirus Resources for music, quizzes, relaxation, humour and more.  

 

Plus go here for an excellent article in the Guardian on four ways to make Christmas on your own more fun, relaxed and enjoyable.  Number four is by far my favourite.  

 

Follow Candace Bond-Theriault's lead and make a list of your favourite Black films, or whatever films you like. 

 

And there's this one from Oprah Daily:   How to Spend Christmas Alone and Still Make It Merry Without Family.  

 

And this excellent piece from Very Well Mind:  Here's How to Cope with holiday loneliness.

 

So there's a wealth of advice out there.  Plan, or don't.  Keep in touch, or take some time and space for yourself.  Prepare a feast for yourself if you want to.  Do what feels best to you and for you.  Place the emphasis on self-care.  The most important thing to remember is:  you are NOT alone.    

Happy holidays!  

What's your best suggestion for spending Christmas Day alone?  Please comment below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks!  

£189,000 in Student Debt

That's right, it's official, the largest student debt accrued by a student in the UK is £189,000.  Go here to read about it.  

 

Shoulda bought my book, that's all I can say about this.  

I feel terrible about the fact that so many students are left with huge amounts of debt - and this is happening on both sides of the Atlantic.  See also:  Millennials Will Die in Debt - a prediction from Dr. Boyce Watkins of the Black Financial Channel.  

 

I believe young people of today (of all racial and cultural backgrounds) are being robbed of their futures.  That is the main reason why I wrote Shaking the Money Tree.  

Ever since the maximum universities in the UK can charge was raised to £9,000 per year, students have been acquiring mountains of student debt, some of which will never be paid off.  Of course, this has long been the case in the U.S., where there is NO maximum tuition fee.    

 

Those who graduated in 2020 took out an average of £45,060 in student loans, but many of them ended up six figures in debt when you add in interest payments.  One student said that poorer students accrue the most debt.  Student debt has been called a "graduate tax".  

My ebook, Shaking the Money Tree, explains how you can raise money for your tuition.  Go here to download it now, If you are a student, or you have a student in your life, you need to download it now before the price goes up.  

See also:  FREE download, Avoid Student Debt.  

 

Did you avoid student debt?  If so, how did you do so?  Please comment below and please share. 

Review of Twin Flames Exposed

I usually review books about which I am wildly enthusiastic.  This one, not so much.

If you are suffering or struggling in a twin flames relationship, Twin Flames Exposed is NOT going to help you to get together with your twin flame, or help you to sort out your twin flames relationship. 

 

 

This book seeks to debunk some of the myths surrounding twin flames and twin flames relationships. 

 

Some common myths are, for example,

• in twin flames relationships, there is always a “runner” and a “chaser”;  
• you and your twin flame have to heal, or clear your karma in order to be together; and 
• you will recognise your twin flame as soon as you meet for the first time.

 

I have not bought into most of these myths, so they I did not need to have them debunked. The only one I was really interested in was the one about healing. Apparently, you don’t have to in order to unite with your twin flame.

 

One thing I found slightly confusing was that she puts one version of the myth in the table of contents and a different, opposite version when you get to the chapter. So, for example: 

 

Table of Contents: You Might Not Know When You Meet Your Twin Flame

Chapter heading: You will know without a doubt when you meet your twin flame 

 

Table of Contents: Twin Flames and Soul Mates Are Not the Same Thing

Chapter heading: Twin Flames and Soul Mates are different words for the same thing 

 

The chapters listed in the Table of Contents are stating the truth, according to the author. The chapter headings are called “limiting beliefs”, which actually helps. 

 

The book is printed in really big type and has just a few chapters, so it is a quick read. The final chapter is called “The Process”. However, she does not describe or reveal the process of uniting with your twin flame – you have to buy the next book, apparently called The Process, to get the information. Unfortunately, The Process does not appear to be available anywhere other than directly from the author – at a cost of hundreds of pounds.  

 

And anyway, you cannot unite with your twin flame, as you are already one - i.e., two halves of the same soul. I think that’s what she is saying. 

 

If you believe one or more of the myths about twin flame relationships, maybe you will find this book useful. 

 

Altogether, a very disappointing read. 

 

Faces of the Bereft

Hilary Thomas

Today, we have this powerfully emotive poem from Hilary Thomas.  

 

Faces of the Bereft

 

They shot her in her home as she opened the door

then went and shot her nephew who slept in his bed. 

I was transfixed to this story in the news today,

No words could convey the depth of the pain I saw

in those faces, photos of an aftermath.

The aftermath of a shooting

Where mothers and sisters and daughters are left,

Bereft

Women, dressed in amber hues and royal blue African print

Protrude against a backdrop of black and white, ink.

Between the pages of stale adverts, the headlines

And bylines of stories that pop, and then

Die as the day progresses, but this,

This one will surely stain

The faces of mothers and daughters and sisters left,

Bereft

A crime scene of a story to freshly unfold.

Outside on the grass, where shoeless women

Who’s bodies contort with unimaginable pain, remain.

The lives of their loved ones taken by hate

The faces of mothers and sisters and daughters left,

Bereft

So many photographs, taken by a journalist

Determined, I guess, to do their bit.

The windows of an Estate; the building, now barred,

A solid line of police, their vans and yellow tape.

Their cold faces and straight backs, give nothing away.

The crime scene of a double murder, a serious case.

And the women are begging, perhaps, to see, to touch;

Just one last embrace.

The faces of mothers and daughters and sisters left,

Bereft

There’s a face that stands out, repeats in my mind.

I imagine her elegance and grace. Yet, it’s deep lines

I trace as I look at her face; shrivelled by loss,

I see her strong shoulders sink low, towards her buckled knees.

I trace her puffed up eyes and mascara stained tears, then

I surmise; hands in tight fists and arms around her belly pain

Her belly pain, a mother’s worst nightmare

A double blow for the sister of the auntie

She is drenched in death

Drowning in her innocence

The faces of mothers and daughters and sisters left,

Bereft

A crippling affliction has engulfed her today

Like a hell fire that burns and burns

It burns, and burns, no mercy no mercy

It burns into the chill, of the night.

Suffer the living, the ones that are left

For they are the ones that are left

bereft

© Hilary Thomas 2021

Hilary Thomas is a teacher and writer. She is a student at The City Literary Institute in London and has contributed her flash fiction to Late Lines, their monthly spoken word night. She has also written poetry for UK musician, Alfa Mist’s highly successful 2021 jazz/hip hop album, BringBacks. She is currently working on two debuts: a poetry anthology and her debut YA fiction novel.

Go here for readings from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.  

Go here for NVC resources.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021.  

 

When Will the Killing End?

Gloria Clark

Following her real-life tragedy, Gloria Clark's poem describes what happens in the aftermath of the killing of a chld. 

 

Another night of violence; another young life ends.

Another family crying; another vigil to attend.

Our sons are quickly dying, taken from us way to soon.

Their bodies being littered under twilight of the moon.

I hear a mother crying; sounds like thunder in my ears.

Oh how I wish I could comfort, and wipe away her tears.

Though her face I cannot see and her name remains unknown,

I find the need to let her know that she is not alone.

I feel a deep connection from the bottom of my soul,

For the pain she feels I also feel; my heart still bears the hole.

Our families have been broken, our spirits even more.

For we have lost our loved ones; the ones we so adored.

Can we ever find that happy place where we used to be?

Before young boys with guns and drugs attacked our city streets?

Do the colors that he’s wearing make you want to take his life?

Or are you simply angry and cannot deal with family strife?

Do you have a burning desire to feel the love our loved ones knew?

Where are your family values? Guess that’s missing in your life too!

Is the gang you’re in your haven? Does it take away your pain?

Does it make you feel significant? Is it your personal domain?

What can be done to end this war? When will the killing end?

We’re in a quandary, what can we do? All rational thoughts transcend.

It’s time to stop the violence; the shootings have to cease.

We have to learn to love one another and try to live in Peace.

Young men out there who find the need for a weapon to conceal,

Before you pull that trigger remember that body may never heal.

Life is a precious gift, given from the Lord above,

He gave us life to show us of his unfailing, undying love.

He died for us upon the cross and gave his only son,

That we will have the tree of life; He died and said, “It’s done”.

So stop the drugs and the killing and put the guns away,

Be smart learn to walk away to live another day.

 

            “This is the day that the lord has made;

                   Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

                              Psalm 118: 23-25

My youngest son was shot and killed in 2000 which prompted me to write a short story of the struggles I faced in trying to deal with his untimely death. The title of my short book is entitled When Half of Your Heart Dies. 

I am a retired bookkeeper from Buffalo, NY and I lived a happy, fruitful life being the mother of two sons and the grandmother of two granddaughters until the summer of 2000 when my youngest son Darian was shot and killed as he and friends were leaving a Social Club in our city. This is when my entire life changed and it will never be the same again.  

Go here for readings from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.  

Go here for NVC resources.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021.  

 

 

“It’s so important for white folx to transgress these rules around anger”

Check out this blog post from Ceri Buckmaster:  “It’s so important for white folx to transgress these rules around anger”.  

She says:  "It really struck me the importance of white people accessing anger and rage at the injustices that are happening and have happened.
​
"When white people aren’t accessing anger, it’s left to Black and Indigenous people and people of colour to do this work, which then leaves BIPOC labelled and judged as angry and reactive as a means of control and avoiding the issues".

What do you think?  Do white people need to access their anger about injustice?   Please comment below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

Go here for readings from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.  

Go here for NVC resources.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021.

Lamentation 212, Verse 718 by Carla M. Cherry

Carla M. Cherry

I love this poem.  The more I read it, the more I love it.  It is heartbreaking, scary and beautiful.  

Lamentation 212, Verse 718 by Carla M. Cherry

 

Are you still moving to Texas after you retire, I asked.
“Nope,” my friend replied.
“I’m staying right here in NYC. At most, I’d go upstate. It’s the best place to be. Politically.
The weather isn’t too crazy, we don’t get hit with a lot of storms.”

Three weeks later, on Wednesday, September 1, 2021,
Ida whelmed Northeastern skies, sent rivers surging,
flooded our subway stations and streets, stranded more than 600 cars,
left a sinkhole in Morris Park and drowned eleven of us
in mostly illegal basement apartments.  

 

Friday.  My locs freshly done at the salon.
After lunch at Maxwell’s, I walked from 111th and Fifth Avenue
to my BXM7 stop on 120th and Third,
nodding to the hip-hop and salsa music from passing cars,
past congregations on stoops, schools,
La Marqueta and shoppers along 116th,
politely declining and wishing God’s blessings
on two hawkers of $2 Metrocards
as I deposited $60 on mine
with my pretax-earnings-funded Commuter Benefits Mastercard,
failing in Spanish to explain to the woman who stopped me
that the 6 train was not coming.  

 

Shook my head at the single-use plastic bags from bodegas and
plastic containers from fast food joints littering the streets,
and dodged secondhand cigarette smoke.
Hotstepped six feet away from
the stiffened carcass of a gray rat
on East 119th between Second and Third.  

I wrote two notes to myself in my cell phone:   
one to write to my councilman and the Mayor to demand more funds for the Sanitation Department so that every street is as clean as Park Avenue below 96th,
and the resuscitation of Grow NYC and the Zero Waste Initiative.
The other, to buy bamboo toilet paper and paper towels and Tru Earth laundry strips.  

It just can’t be too late for us to slow the Gulf Stream and sea level rise
with laws curtailing corporate carbon emissions.
To restore the marshlands.
Build flood walls and permeable pavement.
Convert empty office buildings into eco-friendly apartments with terraced and rooftop gardens, first for the unhoused and people living in substandard conditions.
Transform those silent lobbies into ground-floor food markets selling locally grown produce
and sustainably produced home goods.
To ride state-of-the-art public transit and bicycles.
Replace our gasoline fueled cars with hybrid vehicles.

Should managed retreat become necessary, my heart
may dissolve like soil in a mudslide
without the sidewalks where I skipped hopscotch and double-dutch.
The honey locust trees and lampposts that were bases for tag,
my thirteenth floor view of Goose Island, gulls skimming the surface of the bay
that shimmers in sunlight and moonlight, and Pelham Bay Park.
My walks across the bridge to the soft sands of Orchard Beach
and views of Long Island Sound on City Island.

How far would I have to go
for Atlantic waves that knock me off my feet 

Go here for readings from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence, including another poem by Carla M. Cherry. 

Go here for details of more poetry by Carla M. Cherry.  

Go here for NVC resources.  

Go here for more from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021. 

Geniuses of Transformation: Wisdom from Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman has always been an inspiration for me since I was a young child. Having escaped from slavery, she risked her life over and over again to help emancipate others. They called her Moses and sang “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” whenever she arrived intent on helping more to escape.

Tubman returned to the South 19 times to help others escape from the plantation. 

Two of my favourite inspiring quotes from Harriet Tubman are: 

• Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.  

• Don’t ever stop. Keep going. If you want a taste of freedom, keep going.

For more Harriet Tubman quotes, go here to download Treasures of the Geniuses of Transformation.  

Go here for more from the Geniuses of Transformation.  

Go here for more Black history blogs. 

Plus go here for my short film, Harriet, which depicts an imaginary meeting between Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Tubman.   

Whos your favourite Black hero or shero?  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

 

Geniuses of Transformation: Wisdom from Nelson Mandela

Today, I am celebrating the great activist and first elected President of South Africa Nelson Mandela.  

Nelson Mandela spent over 27 years in prison as a result of his opposition to apartheid in South Africa.  The apartheid regime hoped the world would forget Mandela, but his wife, Winnie Mandela, along with other anti-apartheid activists, kept his memory alive as a global symbol of anti-apartheid. 

At a time when white extremists were threatening to blow up South Africa rather than put an end to apartheid, Mandela managed to win their respect while maintaining his commitment to democracy and equality.  He even won the respect of his jailers.  

And although it looked as though apartheid would only end in armed struggle, with blood flowing in the streets, Mandela managed a smooth and bloodless transition to democracy, inspiring people all over the world.  

Here are two of my favourite quotes from Nelson Mandela:  

• It always seems impossible until it's done. 

• No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.

For more inspiring quotations by Mandela and other great leaders, go here to download Treasures of the Geniuses of Transformation.  

Go here for more from the Geniuses of Transformation. 

Go here for more African history blogs.  

Go here for African history quizzes and more.  

Who is your favourite Black/African hero?  Please post below and please share.  Thanks.  

 

How Does Covid-19 Affect the Brain?

People who have had only mild infections can find themselves affected ongoingly.  People have experienced brain disorders, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, cognitive problems and more.  And  we don't know how long these will last, or how many people will be affected. 

 

This is indeed a troubling picture.  Check it out:  How Does Covid-19 Affect the Brain?

 

Plus, hearing loss is associated with increased risk of dementia, depression and more. 

 

(Remember, Spiritual Response Therapy (SRT) has an excellent track record at treating and eliminating dementia and Alzheimer's.)  

 

And vision loss can also affect brain health.  

 

If you need some cheering up after all of this, check out these Coronavirus Resources.  

 

Has Covid-19 affected your brain health?  Please post below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

 

 

Why Are Our Children Killing Each Other?

Why Are Our Children Killing Each Other? 

We have discussed this several times on my show and we discussed it again this month.  What do you think?  Please respond with your thoughts and positve suggestions.  I am looking for practical solutions.  And if you are a blogger, please submit your post.  Details of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence are below.  

Go here for my most recent show:  How to Deal with Troubled Teens. 

Go here for the previous show:  How Can We Improve Young People's Mental Health? 

How Can We Create a Peaceful World?  This is a question we continue to ask on my monthly Success Strategies radio show on The Female Solution Worldwide TV and Radio Networ.  I have listed some of the broadcasts below, along with links to The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence and the Global Peace Summit.  

Go here for The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2021.  We look forward to receiving your blog posts!  

Nonviolent Communication with Zelda Speaks 

Readings from The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence

The Global Peace Summit December 2020 

 

Review of How to Read the Akashic Records

How to Read the Akashic Records

 

Many years ago, I learned a form of energy healing called Spiritual Response Therapy (SRT). SRT is incredibly powerful. Like all energy healing, SRT involves removing energy blocks, and can be applied to any area of life – relationships, money, career, etc. 

 

SRT involves working with the High Self to remove these energy blocks, called “programmes”. The programmes usually relate to previous lifetimes, and a programme, once it appears in one lifetime, will just continue to repeat itself throughout every lifetime until it is removed (or “cleared”). Working with the High Self, we use the Akashic Records to research and clear, or remove, programmes. 

 

Imagine you could enter a vast library containing everything you have ever seen, done, witnessed and experienced, throughout all of your lifetimes – that library can be called the Akashic Records. The Akashic Records can help us to grow and develop spiritually if you enter them with the right mindset, which is a desire to help others and to learn and grow. 

 

Although I understood how to use SRT, I was never any good at it. I practiced for many years, but just could not make it work, apart from one two-week retreat I attended during which my work with SRT flowed. I must have been in the right mental, emotional and spiritual state to be able to perform this work. Fortunately, I had an excellent SRT practitioner who repeatedly cleared me when I experienced programmes which needed to be cleared. 

 

How to Read the Akashic Records sets out a methodology for entering the Akashic Records through prayer and a series of meditations, and with the help of spiritual guides called Masters, Teachers and Loved Ones. Personally, I also include Ancestors, and we can also obtain help in reading the Akashic Records from angels and spirit guides. 

 

The author states that the fact that you are drawn to this book, and are interested in the subject matter, indicates that you are ready to enter and explore the Akashic Records. 

 

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com 

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk

  

How to Read the Akashic Records explores:

• how to prepare to enter the Akashic Records;

• how to enter them;

• how to read them;

• what kind of information we can access;

• how to use the Akashic Records for energy healing;

and much more.

 

I am currently completing an online course on reading the Akashic Records, and this book is a useful guide alongside the course. However, even without the course, this book offers practical means to enter, and read, the Akashic Records. If, like me, you tend to prefer practice over theory, I think you will enjoy this book. 

 

Have you ever wanted to discover what you experienced during previous lifetimes, and/or remove current problems or challenges? If so, this book can help you. Through the Akashic Records, you can discover the causes of any problems or issues, and remove them.  

Go here to buy it on Amazon.com 

Go here to buy it on Amazon.co.uk 

 

Are you curious and wanting to explore the origins of problems – yours and other people’s, and even those of animals – and remove them?  If so, I recommend this book.  

 

Have you worked with the Akashic Records?  If so, what has your experience been?  Please comment below and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

 

 

Attacks on Uighur Muslims and Rohingya Muslims

Systematic Attacks on Uighur Muslim Women

Please note:  This blog post contains adult themes and is NOT suitable for children.  

News has been coming out of China about attacks on Uighur Muslims in China.  First, the mainstream news outlets reported that Uighur Muslims were sent to "re-education camps" within China.  

 

Now, we are receiving news of Uighur Muslim women being attacked, sexually assaulted,  gang-raped and tortured in the "re-education camps".  Other Muslim women may also be experiencing these attacks.  I am very disturbed by this, and I am sure you are as well.  

 

If you have followed my blogs and the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence, you will be aware that I am passionate about Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and that I frequently blog about attacks on Black people, particularly those involved in police officer-related incidents.  These are happening with alarming frequency, and Black people in the UK are 50% more likely to die in officer-related incidents than any other group.  

 

I am always saying that each of these incidents is another reason to practice Nonviolent Communication (NVC), and, of course, they all are.  

 

However, there is so much suffering in the world - all different countries, all different cultural backgrounds, experience violence.  Many of them experience extreme violence.  

 

In conflict situations, rape is commonplace - it is used as a method of subduing the population.  

 

One woman, Tursunay Ziawudun, has broken the silence on systematic rape and torture of Uighur Muslim women. 

Go here for more from the BBC.  

Go here for more from Daily Sabah.  

Go here for more from The Guardian.  

 

You will also recall the reports of genocide being committed against Rohingya Muslims in Burma/Myanmar.  

 

We must do all we can to stop these atrocities being committed against Muslims, and to end violence in our own communities.  This is one more reason to practice NVC.  

 

Sibling Rivalry in These Troubled Times

In these coronavirus covid-19 lockdown days, many parents and children are struggling.  Nobody knows when the schools will reopen, or whether parents should send their children back to school.  Not being able to go outside or interact with their friends is creating stress for children and families.  Conflicts between children are occurring more frequently as everyone is on edge.  And outside of the watchful gaze of teachers and educators, some children are more at risk of violence or abuse.  

 

According to this article from the New York Times, in the past, families that had several children who were close in age had a higher infant mortality rate than other families.  I wonder whether this is still true today in cultures and/or countries that have unusually large families.  

 

Sibling rivalry is something those of us who have siblings have all probably experienced.  Again, I wonder whether rivalry in families and in societies, such as China, where single children are the norm, is expressed outside the home.  

Sibling rivalry can help children to learn to navigate relationships.  It can also have the opposite effect, and can be vicious.  

 

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) can be an effective way to address and resolve conflict between and among siblings.  Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of Nonviolent Communication, has witnessed children as young as four using NVC effectively.  NVC is based on empathy, which is defined within NVC as honouring feelings and needs - both ours and other people's.  

 

For more about NVC, go here for six short films with Marshall Rosenberg, in which he explains the basics of NVC.  

 

For more about how to use NVC with children, go here for my ebook, Affirmations for Parents.  

 

What are your methods of resolving conflicts between siblings and/or other children?  Please comment below and please share this post with your networks.  Thanks.