LISTEN TO REV. LOVING RECITE “WONDER WOMAN”
BY CLICKING HERE
Also giving honor to Yemi Alade’s song “Wonder Woman”
excerpted here from her 2017 Album Black Magic which
can be purchased on i-Tunes
With a crown of wisdom, she is a weaver of dreams, a welder of opportunities, a molder, a shaper, a creator of endless possibilities.
Her eyes see beyond messiness, beyond confusion, beyond hatred to the pure potential of a future without judgment – with a vision clear enough to appreciate our differences of color, race, age, gender, expression, orientation, culture, lineage, thought, history, pain, blame, and shame.
Her mouth tastes the sweetness of prophecy, refraining only from the profanity of doubt, fear, disbelief, and despair.
Oh Wonder Woman, whose tongue speaks in the sound of oneness that all embryos know as soon as they are born, whose lips part with the truth that makes the world a better place, whose ears listen deeply to innovate ideas – like music making change, like jazz/gospel/blues/rap/be-bopping the sound of success, whose arms carry the persecuted, the sick, the possessed, the demonized, the blind, the traumatized.
You whose hands fold nothing but answered prayers. Your fingers touch the hem of every miracle. Your fists fight as warriors against every injustice, every poverty, every discrimination, every disease. You whose shoulders are broad enough to carry generations, whose heart is as great as every religion, every faith, every creed.
Oh Wonder Woman, Oh Hannah, Sarah, Hagar, Esther, Rachel, Ilana, Dianne, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Alysa, Oh Mary, Martha, Oh Sojourner, Harriet, Oh Maya, Oh Revital, Oh Perri, Oh, Aixa,
Oh Shanell, Oh Stephanie, Oh Sheri, Oh Mignon, Oh Lanesha, Oh Victoria, Oh Tamaya, Oh Miriam, Oh Malou, Oh Tara, Oh Gina, Oh Diana, Oh Mara, Oh Melinda, Oh Tamar, Oh Tal, Oh Myrtle, Oh Leslie, Oh Cassia, Oh Ruby, Oh Tali,
Oh nameless woman at the well, who gave birth to prophets and leaders and doctors and geniuses and gods and queens and kings, you who carry worlds in your loins.
Oh Wonder Woman, you who communicate across bandwidths and airwaves. You who heal lives. You who unite professionals. You who enact laws. You who build bridges. You who restore properties. You who develop lands.
You who serve as Council. You who serve on the Senate. You whose age does not matter. You who close the wounds of trauma. You who break the mold.
You who shift the shape. You who preserve truth. You who lead colleges. You who manifest King’s Dream and then some.
You who do the greater things that we are all called to do.
You who will not be touched or groped or violated anymore. You who are not limited to a hash tag because your magnificence makes the “me” – us.
Us Wonder Woman of glorious hope, us days are not our own, they are for greater purpose and realms of pure potential, dancing with the amazing grace that we have been summoned to restore, washing away inequity,
cleaning the disparity, dispensing with the terror, righting the wrong, healing the anger,
baptizing the anointed, holding the light for peace for generations to come.
We are Wonder Women because we are strong enough to know that one day, there will be peace, and we are bold enough and brilliant enough to behold its magnificence, find its forgiveness, bury its fault, and teach it, nurse it, and feed it from the same bosom that breathes every single soul that ever was and ever will be.
As my Mother would say, may our Circle be unbroken.
(“Wonder Women Poem,” presented in Jerusalem, Israel on May 31, 2018 at the MASHAV International Women’s Conference)
I’m glad to be in 2017, meditating, dancing, creating, establishing, loving, laughing, eating, exercising, giving, and growing into 2018.
I feel blessed to have an opportunity to resolve yet again that I’m going to do something to make my life and the lives of others better. I choose to use the energy of this season to recognize the infinite power in me to demonstrate the awesome presence, wisdom and grace of love.
This is my dance: one of absolute good, expressing itself as the most loving person I can be. In this infinite light of love, I resolve to be worry-free, debt-free, guilt-free, shame-free, blame-free, doubt-free – living a life of moments rather than mere days, but moments that are mindful about breathing in nothing but the pure power of possibility. Like Joseph in the ancient, sacred text (Genesis 50:20), I like that even what somebody else intends for evil, God simply blesses me with, without ceasing. I, like Jesus Christ, can call it all good (John 7:24): the appearances bless me, bless us, restore us.
Here and now, I am liberated to love the power of Spirit like nothing else: to love it morning, noon and night and in that well-spring of love to be the best that I am called to be. I am liberated from any requirement as to what form or shape my “best” will take. The blessing is in the divine idea of simply being.
How liberating it is to walk into the New Year unencumbered by mistakes or regret. How great it is to know that the truth that sets us free is being one with now. The truth is that we are one with absolute good right now – good that is always expressing in, as and through us. The truth is that the pure consciousness of God radiates through every cell of our body, awareness of our mind and expansion of our soul. The truth is that God really does do the work that we are appointed to do. The truth is that Spirit opens new doors, creates new circumstances, and gives us what we need before we even ask. In this consciousness of grace, we can release needing, wanting or desiring and instead accept the infinite blessings that the universe is breathing through each one of us.
I resolve to forgive myself for everything I started to do but didn’t, wanted to do but forgot, or did do but failed to appreciate. If I can’t do it, I won’t. If I must do it, I’ll try. If I don’t do it – well, there’s always next time. The good thing about forgiveness is that we can do it right now, and it’s done. I release all obligations, all debts and all concerns of myself and others. Yes, I forgive seventy times seven, and in the energy of the seven of completion, I let go and move forward to do the greater things that I must do, can do, and will do.
I leap into the awareness that I am free in the fluid stream of absolute good and marvelous in the manifestation that my goals are accomplished the moment that I claim them: the rest of the time is merely the process that I must grow through to accept their completion. Here is to perfect health, wholeness and mindful acceptance of beauty, movement, lifting, energy and grace.
I resolve to laugh. We can’t take ourselves too seriously. Otherwise, we will stop the endless flow of God’s good due to our own rigidity. When we take ourselves too seriously, we do not keep our consciousness open to receive the blessings that are always calling us. We place boundaries before blessings. But with laughter, we are blessed to not hold grudges, to wear the world as a lose garment, to refuse to worry about what others think of us.
I resolve to dream. Dreaming of endless possibilities and inexhaustible supply is the gift of being alive. This is another resolution that is not confined by 365 days; we can dream right now and be done with it. Or we can continue to be anointed by the grace of God’s favor dreaming through us. It’s our choice: to be given the gift of dreaming Spirit’s divine call whenever we desire. I resolve to dream as often as I desire, stepping well beyond the conventionality of the box in which I thought I was limited. Spirit gives shape to divine intention through our dreams.
I resolve to give. This is the answer to the question that is always asked: what is my purpose in life? The truth is that I am here to give. When we are consciously aware that we are here to bless, we stop holding back our good and instead give. Give smiles. Give hellos. Give thank yous and you’re welcomes. Give encouragement, handwritten notes, high fives, subway fare, spare change. Give secretly, for nothing in return – not even the right to say, “I gave.” We don’t even have to keep track of when we have to give. Giving feels so good that the universe will provide so many opportunities that we don’t even have to be aware of them.
I resolve to listen. We are all one with the pure consciousness of God speaking everywhere present. We just haven’t taken the time to listen. Listening hears the whole being of God emanating as us. We listen every day to 
I resolve to create. The truth is the “I” that creates is the “I AM” of God energizing, igniting and enjoying life in endless shapes, forms and dimensions. No need to worry about the old ideas; the universe is filled with new ones. By resolving to create, we open our consciousness to allow Spirit to co-create through us. No need to judge our creations. Creativity is bigger than us. Whether we witness it or not, God’s good is always using us to bless others. In the power of this resolution, we allow ourselves – here and now – to be the conduit of change and transformation.
I resolve to heal. This resolution only requires the acceptance of grace. In grace, we are whole. In grace, we are lifted from our mats of affliction and realize that there is no sickness, illness, frailty or infirmity in the kingdom of God. Right here and now, we accomplish the wholeness of Spirit and know that we are well. We can look in the mirror of Christ consciousness and see ourselves as we really are.
I resolve to grow. The humility of not knowing is a constant blessing. I study the truth that sets me free. The teachers that I need reveal themselves to me. The books that I must read fall from wisdom’s shelves and open without prodding. My eyes fall on the perfect words. The students who bless me with guidance appear. The journeys that I must take provide new paths. The questions that I must raise ask themselves. The epiphany of realization always blesses us.
I resolve to harvest. We take advantage of so much that we have not worked for. This is the season – right where we are – to reap what we have not sown. We are enjoying so much for little that we take it for granted. This season, I will open my eyes and experience each blessing: the beautiful apples, the smell of butternut squash soup, the rising of the sun, the solitude of the darkness, the tapestry of autumn leaves, the sound of waves at the shore. Every day of the year, we can celebrate the harvest of the kingdom in whatever form or shape it takes.
I resolve to praise. In fact, I praise and give thanks right now. I give praise and thanks for health of mind, body and soul. I give praise and thanks for my family – my marital, biological, spiritual, and work family and friends. I give praise and thanks for the daily manna that God gives me to take care of every need. I give praise and thanks for this country and this world and for the ability to keep everyone in the universe raised in perfect success.
I resolve to enjoy. This is not going to be a month where I look back with regret or criticism because I enjoyed life a little too much. I saved a little less, spent a bit more or just chilled out. I resolve here and now that I will enjoy life – every tree, every manger, every carol, every taste of pleasure created for our benefit. This, too, will I resolve to do each month and at every opportunity. I will visit, celebrate, cook, dance, sing, swim, hike, run, drive, write, draw, paint, participate, preach, lift, work, walk, shop, and play by enjoying life.
In 2015, I declared that no-fault resolutions can’t go wrong because we are relieved from the responsibility of doing any more than what we will. This re-mix recognizes that nothing is required except to lift up the awareness of Spirit moving through our lives each and every moment except to be still, and know. In this awareness: I resolve to be one with each moment, and I let go of everyone and everything.
The call to spiritual transformation is the call to freedom.
Malidoma Patrice Some teaches us that “ancestors have an intimate and absolutely vital connection with the world of the living. They are always available to guide, to teach, and to nurture. They represent one of the pathways between the knowledge of this world and the next. . . . [T]hey embody the guidelines for . . .all that is most valuable about life.” (Of Water and Spirit (Putnam: New York, 1994) at p. 9)
If I am still, I can hear them distinctly – not downtrodden as they were in the physical world, but holy and divine. Their call is one of deliverance. It is a call heard in the midnight hour, in the rustling of the leaves, in the sip of the living water: a call to Spirit and to Truth.
God is big indeed–a power too awesome and all- encompassing to even conceptualize. God fills our hearts; embraces our bodies, blesses our souls, lights the sky above our heads, strengthens the earth under our feet. God is the sun and the stars and the moon.
God moved Sojourner Truth to sojourn for Truth in a manner that would liberate not only herself but other captured Africans. She remains a master teacher of the principle that God is much larger than any beliefs or concepts we might have – larger even than existence as we know it. Her life and the lives of other Africans in this country are a critical example, rarely acknowledged, of how the recognition of God pushes us far beyond even our greatest expectations.
This is from a previous class on the teachings of Joel Goldsmith.
This was taken from the 7th Section of Joel’s book
In his book, DNA USA, geneticist Bryan Sykes writes that since it was “in Africa about two hundred thousand years ago that our species Homo Sapiens first emerged,” Africa is the “cradle of humanity and the ancestors of every man, woman and child on the planet began their journey under an African sun.” Just as scientists have concluded we are all African, metaphysicians have concluded we are all one. 
So when Rachel Dolezal, former president of the Spokane NAACP, said she is African American, the question to her critics is how can she lie about being who she really is?
Whether Rachel lied about who she really is presents an interesting legal issue. If DNA determines who she is, geneticists would likely find that she does have the requisite “drop” of black blood. Rachel alluded to this when she said “We’re all from the African continent.” Her parents disagreed. 
Her mom and dad from Montana said, no, she’s white like us. Or perhaps they were really saying, no we do not associate with our African roots so we would like our daughter to shut up and stop embarrassing us before people begin to think that we’re black too.
Many believe Rachel is just taking advantage of being black, reaping tons of benefits, while being able to turn white whenever convenient. This refers to her potential to put a check in the box of one extra “protected class” under the law, which black folks know rarely results in any tangible benefits. Perhaps before she chose to be black, Rachel thought black folks got an advantage. 
She sued Howard University, claiming that the artwork of black students was favored over hers. Her case was dismissed. David Smedley, an associate professor of sculpture and coordinator of Howard’s sculpture program, who was Rachel’s thesis adviser, 
confirmed that no one questioned whether she was white because she was a blue-eyed, blond woman. But Smedley said he hoped people would judge Rachel on the good she has done and that everyone doesn’t get caught up in vilifying Rachel. Perhaps, he says, Rachel is a catalyst to a conversation that we need to have.
Rachel is credited with breathing new life into the Spokane NAACP chapter, raising its visibility and membership in a white region. The NAACP, a group that is supposed to “ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination,” issued a statement saying, “[o]ne’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for N.A.A.C.P. leadership.”
Many say that Rachel is in black face – just a superficial expression of being black. But being black is multi-dimensional, multi-layered and multi-faceted. There is no single black experience. Black people are as racially diverse, socially-varied and politically complex as fingerprints. None of us have a monopoly on being black. We each are the pure expression of Spirit being us – in all shades of beige, brown and beautiful – from all traditions, cultures and ethnic backgrounds.
Rachel is not the first beige person, who decided they were black. Mezz Mezzrow, a jazz musician, preferred his African roots, which he gave expression to through the clarinet and saxophone, the folks that he chose to be with, and his determination to immerse himself in the music, life 
and culture of black musicians. Most African Americans will tell you that they have met some white folks who are blacker than black folks and some black folks who are whiter than white folks. Like Thich Nhat Hanh says, there are some Christians who are more Buddhist than Buddhists, and some Buddhists who are more Christian than Christians.
value in wanting to be black. No one says that those who pass for white have a disease or are a joke. To take a stand for those who are disenfranchised by not only fighting for them but by embracing every aspect of who they are requires boldness, tenacity, creativity, and courage. To be courageous enough to be who we choose to be out of love, faith and commitment is a powerful statement, especially in a society that forbids it.
Racism is partly the result of economic, cultural and social constructs used to separate, marginalize and denigrate based on superficial differences. Thank you Rachel, for defying society’s racist constructs and for lifting yourself above its barriers, and for stepping out of its confines – boxes that you will not allow to contain you. You are greater than your birth certificate, greater than your biological parents, greater than a world that tells you not to be who you truly are. Thank you for reminding the world that we are all God’s image and likeness. We are one.
Some say if you tell a lie, you are more prone to tell another. But we are all proponents of the biggest lie, which is that we are separate as opposed to being one. I recently had my DNA checked and discovered I am African and East Asian and Middle Eastern and Native American and British. Like Rachel, I know that “one of the reasons I love D.C. the most . . . is because I was at Howard University. As a school that exists to promote Black values … it is definitely an oasis.” 
I look forward to the day when we can all celebrate those aspects of ourselves to the extent that we want to – without judgment or condemnation. As someone wrote, “maybe it’s time we all thought of ourselves as Black.”
A commentator in the New York Times also sums it up by saying, “I’m in social situations or on the street where I’m the only white person (actually kind of a beigey/pinky color) and the others are black (actually 
different shades of chocolate color). There’s discomfort in the air. Then I say I’m actually a black lesbian trapped in a white man’s body. That seems to break the ice.” The truth is that we can be whoever we want to be. We are only “passing” to the extent someone else takes issue. But we have the fundamental right and the awesome liberty to surpass the boundaries and limitations set by others: the 
truth is that when it comes to being who we truly are – the opinions and beliefs of others are none of our business.
time of removing our outer skin of coats and jackets and scarves to face what’s underneath. It’s time to sigh when we open wide our closets and really focus for the first time on everything that we’ve accumulated over the last nine months or last nine years: stuff that needs to be sorted, fixed, healed, or discarded. Springtime is the gift that Spirit gives us to tidy up loose ends so we can go on about our business. It’s the grace that God blesses us with – to move out of tomorrow’s way.
We realize even more that we are here for a reason when we have to pay tribute to those who did not make it to new seasons. Two close friends, Mark Fant and William Blakely, not much older than 45, finished their work and made their transition two weeks ago – never to see springtime again in the way that they used to. We mourn the fact that we will not see them anymore and try to wrap our arms around the precious things that life teaches us. “Live life to the fullest,” the March winds whisper. “You never know when your time is up. Have you loved enough?
Have you given your best? Have you listened to the Holy Spirit?” We’re in this habit of ignoring God, but when Spirit carries someone’s breath to other realms – we are forced to pay attention. Now is the time to listen.
Spirit called me to write my third book and have it ready by springtime. 
of God’s way so that absolute good can be expressed through us. We are foolish enough to believe that we are here to serve our own will, but we are actually here to bless countless people – those we could never even imagine. The book and its accompanying 
to plant the seeds of unlimited success and witness their growth.
is present in all things. 
happens in springtime. A seed is organized potential – the spiritual movement from the invisible to the visible. It is that dream, that desire, that longing, that vision that is buried but merges into the subconscious and continues to move and grow until it manifests itself. This middle ground is the perfect, divine order – the process, the divine mystery, the darkness between every beginning and every ending that we simply have to trust. 
Namaste,
I believe that this seventh grade wisdom is applicable to your life, regardless of whether you are twelve or ninety-two – or any age in the “middle.” We are all in the “middle” of something, and we can make it the best time of our life or the worst. So I was interested in sharing Christa’s perspective, who wrote that even though she was “new to Pikesville, [she does] know a little bit about how to survive middle school.”
Be Yourself: Be your “crazy, original, happy, and loving self.” This rings true for all of us. We have to listen to the inner voice of Spirit and be receptive to whatever makes us uniquely us. We were all called to do something phenomenal. As Jeremiah taught us, God said “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart” (Jeremiah 5:1).
Don’t Let Anyone or Anything ‘Slow Your Roll’: You can use being bullied and being picked on to “become stronger” and no matter what, “do not let people get [you] down.” Nothing and no one can prevent us from receiving the absolute good that the universe has in store for us. As Paul says in Romans 8:31, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Don’t Think You Know Everything: There’s always an opportunity to “learn new things, so don’t waltz into 6th grade acting like you know EVERYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING.” It’s important to
ake Advantage of What You Don’t Know to Make New Friends: Asking questions like “where is this class” or “can you help me with my locker” are perfect ways to make friends. “[B]e open to meeting new people: don’t stay stuck in a little cult.” You have to “be bold and walk up to people” and “hang out with as many people as possible.” Jesus said it another way, he said “love one another” (John 13:34). When we love one another, we are compassionate about their feelings; we get to know them; we make time for them; we celebrate them; we help them push through the rough spots; we hold their hand when they need companionship; we praise them when they need uplifting; we forgive them when they’ve made a mistake.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions: Don’t worry about being made fun of for asking questions. You are probably asking the question that several other people want to ask. Jesus said “ask and you will receive” (John 16:24). When we open up our minds and are receptive to the universe, we receive certain questions because they are necessary to push us farther along the path. Our questions themselves are blessings, and if we fail to follow up on them, we don’t open the door to that channel of good.
t’s Cool to be Smart: “Bad grades are not cool! Try to be the smartest. So what if people say ‘you’re some kind of smarty pants.’ Take that as a compliment. You’ll be the one who becomes that millionaire everyone dreams of being. If people say you’re a nerd, those people will end up working for you most likely.” In 2 Chronicles 1:11-12, God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honor, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” Wisdom is the greatest wealth we can have. The best wisdom we get is from God, and when we seek first God’s Kingdom, all else will be given – including wealth, leadership and divine ideas.
Keep Your Cool: Peer pressure is not good. You have to be an independent thinker. At one extreme, peer pressure may cause you to “do something dangerous”; at the other extreme, it can also make you do something like “skipping class” or “hitting someone.” Regardless, “it’s not good. It can get you into serious trouble if you mess with the wrong person. So always keep your cool.” Jesus said “Peace, be still!” (Mark 4:39). Being cool requires us to realize that God is the only leader that we need to follow, in a peaceful, graceful, loving mood.
Namaste,
God is a Brown Girl Too 