8 Weeks to Optimum Health: WEEK 2

"The eight-week program consists of small steps that build on each other until, by the time you complete it, you have laid the foundation for healthy living. You can then decide how much of the program you want to maintain on a permanent basis. It's all about changing behavior. You are probably not addicted to drugs, but you may have other habits that are keeping you from experiencing optimum health." -Andrew Weil, author of 8 Weeks To Optimum Health

I found this book on my mothers bookshelf... or it found me. - M-Z

WEEK TWO. (of Andrew Weil's Eight-Week program)
Congratulations! You are about to embark on an exciting and healthy adventure of restyling your life in order to attain optimum health.

Projects: 

-Find out where your drinking water comes from. In the meantime, buy bottled water. (drinking water is one of the major sources of environmental toxins that can harm your healing system; fortunately, it is the one that you can do something about.) Dr. Weil go in depth about this topic. I recommend reading up on the chemicals found in our water and how drinking water in U.S. is increasingly become a health risk. He also offers suggestions how to purify your water.

Diet:


-Again eat fish at least once this week and broccoli twice.
-Increase consumption of whole grains (excellent source of fiber, which is generally deficient in our diets) The best way to get more fiber is to eat more veggies & fruits & food containing whole grain.
-Try a soy bean product from a natural food store (For centuries the Chinese and Japanese have cultivated soy as a dietary staple, an excellent source of protein that can be turned into multi udinous edibles.) Soy beans are better than animal foods in several way (look up the benefits of soy)
-Try Japanese or Chinese Green tea instead of usual black tea or coffee

Supplements:
-Start taking one capsule a day of mixed carotene's with breakfast. (Should contain 25,000 IU of betacarontene along with lycopene. (Great cancer-protective value)

Exercise:
-Increase your daily walk to fifteen minutes. (Try to make your walks brisk enough to increase you breathing and heart rate) Remember, this is the best all around conditioning treatment you can give your body.


Mental/Spiritual:
-Visit your favorite place in nature. Spend as much time as there, doing nothing in particular, just feeling the energy. (Walking or sitting quietly in a natural setting is a simple form of meditation, an antidote for being too much in our heads, too focused on our thoughts and emotions)
-Try a one-day "news fast". Do not read, watch, or listen to any news for a day. (I do not want you to become uninformed about the state of the world, but I note paying attention to news commonly results in anxiety, rage, and other emotional states that probably impede the healing system.)
-Continue with breath observation for five minutes a day and add a second breathing exercise.
("If you could only tell people to do one thing that would give them greater access to spontaneous healing, what would it be?" I never hesitate in answering. "Work with your breathe!" -Dr.Weil)

*Recommendations that fall under this heading are most important.



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Good luck, have fun, see ya on Sunday !

Love,

Maryam

8 Weeks To Optimum Health: Week One Concluded

"The eight-week program consists of small steps that build on each other until, by the time you complete it, you have laid the foundation for healthy living. You can then decide how much of the program you want to maintain on a permanent basis. It's all about changing behavior. You are probably not addicted to drugs, but you may have other habits that are keeping you from experiencing optimum health." -Andrew Weil,  author of 8 Weeks To Optimum Health

WEEK ONE: CONCLUDED (of Andrew Weil's Eight-Week program)

Congratulations! You have completed week one.

I apologize for the delay and inconsistency. Every Sunday, from here on out, I will post weekly summaries (for the following week) of challenges/project/exercises until we have completed the 8 week program.

Projects:
-throw out all oils other than olive oil

NOTES:
Simple task.
I have always known that olive oil is the best to use.
Olive oil, of course, is the most expensive of all oils. However, if you are avoiding using large amounts of oil, price won't really be issue because you are not buying it in abundance. 
My mother uses vegetable oil... I grew up using vegetable oil...I cook with vegetable oil.  
Vegetable oil, in comparison, seems to be a step down from olive oil, yet, a step up from the rest.

-get rid of any margarine, solid vegetable shortenings, and products made with them
Umm yea, this was hard, at first thought.
Turned out to be pretty simple.
I was just conditioned to eat butter with my pancakes... not necessary.

-throw out any artificial sweeteners, any products w/ artificial coloring
I never drank diet soda or used artificial sweeteners.
Now, the artificial coloring challenge?? ... I was shocked at a lot of things once I became conscious of reading labels.
A lot... A lot of food is made with artificial coloring. Had to avoid a lot of my old favorites trying to apply this rule.

-start reading food labels! Do not buy products whose labels list more chemicals than recognizable ingredients.
Forward consciousness at its finest !!
READ LABELS !!!! What in the HELL are they putting in our food???????

Diet: 
-Have fresh broccoli twice this week.
This was easy. Broccoli is one of my favorite foods.

-Eat salmon at least once this week.
Another simple task for me. I became a pescatarian in July of 2012. Fish is all I eat.


Supplements:
Start taking vitamin C. 1,000-2,000 milligrams with breakfast, dinner, and at bedtime.
I had been taking vitamin C. I wasn't taking the recommended dosage and I wasn't taking it daily.
I did not know humans have lost the ability to make vitamin C and need it every day from a dietary source.

Exercise:
Try to walk ten minutes a day five days this week.

Simple. I walk/jog two miles everyday to the beach.

Mental/Spiritual:





Think about your own experiences of healing. Make a list of illnesses or injuries or problems you have recovered from in the past two years. Note down anything you did to speed the healing process.

*The mental/spiritual challenges are by far my favorite part of the eight-week program.

Illnesses:
Heartbreak: Nothing but patience & positivity
Breast Cyst/Tumor: A change in diet... specifically caffeine.

Begin to practice observing your breathing for five minutes every day.
This changed my life. I can't begin to explain how. Observing your breathing is therapeutic...its nothing short of meditation.

Buy some flowers to keep in your home, where you can enjoy them.
I did one better.... I picked some flowers. :)

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*Week one went extremely well for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I had already been practicing a lot of the week one recommendations/projects/challenges in my day to day life.

See ya next week !

Maryam-Z

bonne anne

Holiday 2012.

New years eve... such a magical night. The streets: cold and wet. The holiday lights decorating the downtown buildings reflect on the pavement as the last of the Christmas snow melts on the ground. The cold wind blows right through your sheer cranberry colored tights making you clutch tighter to your faux fur coat... a coat only to be worn on such a magical night. Drunk patrons pass by you in their party best,  little black dresses, long elegant gowns, red lipstick, party hats, blazers, and high heels. Salute ! Oh, New Years Eve! Bubbly champagne in tall flutes.
A night so magical that any mistakes, any hurt, any burdens... are erased at the stroke of midnight. When you wake tomorrow... or "later this morning" in last nights make-up, last nights party dress, and next to the one(s) you love...you get a brand new start... a brand new year. bonne anne.

SHOP elusive for your holiday and every day vintage threads ! 

Happy Sunday !

Positive vibes this morning.

God In The Trees

     You are fortunate if you love trees, and especially the wild ones growing where the Great Creative Force placed them, and independent of man's care. For all things we call "wild" or "natural" are nearer the Infinite Mind than those which have been enslaved, artificialized and hampered by man. Being nearer the Infinite they have in them the more perfect Infinite Force and Thought. That is why when you are in the midst of what is wild and natural--in the forest or mountains, where every trace of man's works is left behind you feel an indescribable exhilaration and freedom that you do not realize elsewhere.

      You are fortunate when you grow to a live, tender, earnest love for the wild trees, animals and birds, and recognize them all as coming from and built of the same mind and spirit as your own, and able also to give you something very valuable in return for the love you give them. It is felt by the spirit of the tree. You represent a part and belonging of the Infinite Mind. The tree represents another part and belonging of the Infinite Mind. It has its share of life, thought and intelligence. The tree has an organization like your own in many respects. It has for blood its sap. It has a circulation. It has for skin its bark. It has for lungs its leaves. It must have its food. It draws nourishment from soil, air and sun. It adapts itself to circumstances. The oak growing in exposed situations roots itself more firmly in the soil to withstand the tempest. The pines growing thickly together take little root, for they depend on numbers to break the wind's force. 

     The tree is then literally one of God's thoughts. That thought is worth our study. It contains some wisdom we have not yet got hold of. We want that wisdom. We want to make it a part of ourselves. We want it, because real wisdom or truth brings us power. We want power to give us better bodies, sounder bodies, healthier bodies. We want entire freedom from sickness. We want lighter hearts and happier minds. We want a new life and a new pleasure in living for each day. We want our bodies to grow lighter, not heavier with advancing years. We want a religion which will give us certainty instead of hopes and theories. We want a Deity it is simply impossible to doubt. We want to feel the Infinite Mind in every atom of our beings. We want with each day to feel a new pleasure in living and, commencing where we left off yesterday, to find something new in what we might have thought to be "old" and worn out yesterday. When we come into the domain of the Infinite Mind and are ever drawing more of that mind to us and making it a part of us, nothing can seem "flat, stale and unprofitable."

     If you can look on trees as fit only for lumber and firewood you get very little life from them. They feel then toward you as you would feel towards a person who regarded you as a thing without mind or sense and fit only to he sawed into lumber or firewood.

-Prentice Mulford, author of Thoughts Are Things

8 Weeks to Optimum Health: Week One

"The eight-week program consists of small steps that build on each other until, by the time you complete it, you have laid the foundation for healthy living. You can then decide how much of the program you want to maintain on a permanent basis. It's all about changing behavior. You are probably not addicted to drugs, but you may have other habits that are keeping you from experiencing optimum health." -Andrew Weil,  author of 8 Weeks To Optimum Health

I found this book on my mothers bookshelf... or it found me.  - M-Z

WEEK ONE. (of Andrew Weil's Eight-Week program)
Congratulations! You are about to embark on an exciting and healthy adventure of restyling your life in order to attain optimum health.

Projects:

The Pantry & Refrigerator Make-Over

-throw out all oils other than olive oil (The best all around oil to use is olive oil. Olive oil contains mostly monounsaturated fat, which is much better for our bodies than either polyunsaturated or saturated fat.)

-get rid of any margarine, solid vegetable shortenings, and products made with them (the process of hardening vegetable oils to create solid spreads increases the advantage over butter in the realm of cardiovascular friendliness. If it comes to choice between butter and margarine, always take butter.)

-throw out any artificial sweeteners, any products w/ artificial coloring (there is not a shred of evidence that the availability of artificial, noncaloric sweeteners has helped anyone lose weight. You are much better off eating moderate amounts of sugar than any of these unnatural products.)

-start reading food labels! Do not buy products whose labels list more chemicals than recognizable ingredients.

Diet: 
-Have fresh broccoli twice this week. (one of the most healthiest members of the cabbage family.)
-Eat salmon at least once this week. (excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, special fats that have beneficial effects on many body functions.)

*the dietary changes recommended in the eight-week program are intended to move you in the direction of eating less fat.

Supplements:
Start taking vitamin C. 1,000-2,000 milligrams with breakfast, dinner, and at bedtime.

*Only human beings , other primates, and a few other species have lost this ability and need to get the vitamin every day from dietary sources, principally fresh fruits and vegetables.

Exercise:

Try to walk ten minutes a day five days this week. (Walking is the best exercise. It will satisfy all your exercise requirements throughout your life, even into old age.)

*Exercise is the key component of a healthy lifestyle. 

Mental/Spiritual:

Think about your own experiences of healing. Make a list of illnesses or injuries or problems you have recovered from in the past two years. Note down anything you did to speed the healing process. (Illness in the physical body is often the result of imbalance in the mind or spiritual realm.)

Begin to practice observing your breathing for five minutes every day. (The very simplest technique of breath work is simply to observe it, to do nothing other than follow the breath cycle with your observing mind, without trying to influence it in any way.)

Buy some flowers to keep in your home, where you can enjoy them. (Flowers manifest the beauty and wonder of nature and delight the senses. It feels good to be around them. They raise our spirits.)

*Recommendations that fall under this heading are most important. 

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Good luck, have fun, see ya on Sunday !

Love,

Maryam

Where Do Wild Horses Roam?

Do you see her posing for me? - M-Z

2012 Dacula, Georgia

High tide

The tides may have changed

However, my feelings are the ocean

My love... the moon.

March 7th, 2012

Song: Here Comes The Bride
Written & Performed by: Maryam "Alexandria." Zee
Beats by Genysis

Tell me why lately all we do is fight? If my intentions were clear and what i'd tried to do was right. You might as well look in me in my eyes and tell me my love was a lie. And if its here tonight --Well its wrapped in white. I paid the price. Its me or your prize. Here comes the bride. All dressed in a lie. I think its time to let you go, I think its time I let you go. I think its time to let you know, I think its time I let you know. I think its best if you go, I think its best if you'd go.
I think its time to let you go.
I think its time I let you go. I think its best if you leave. While I fought to make it right. You up and just would leave. Go ahead and roll your trees. You'll be back boy please next week. But we done for it and you sowed it. You love me boy and you know it. Sad that you cant show it. So I vow to give you good moments.  I'll teach you about romance. Sip slow this heres a slow dance. You drunk now off that champagne, and that purple, and that yurple.  His world moves and hers does too. In that same room where the bride glooms. Quick spin as the party grooves cause they're coming back to earth soon.
Here comes your bride.


LISTEN TO THE TRACK http://soundcloud.com/itsalexandria/here-comes-the-bride
WATCH THE VIDEO http://youtu.be/Un2t2OGlBrY

R.I.P. Byrdie

"I did not begin when I was born, nor when I was conceived. I have been growing, developing, through incalculable myriads of millenniums. All my previous selves have their voices, echoes, promptings in me. Oh, incalculable times again shall I be born." —Jack London, The Star Rover

I was here ...

"I Was Here"

Written by: Diane Warren

Performed by: Beyonce Knowles

I wanna leave my footprints on the sands of time
Know there was something that, meant something that I left behind
When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets
Leave something to remember, so they won't forget

I was here
I lived, I loved
I was here
I did, I've done everything that I wanted
And it was more than I thought it would be
I will leave my mark so everyone will know
I was here

An adaptation "FootPrints" by M. Alexandria Zee
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkwX0u2IKBo&feature=plcp

On the road to healthier skin.

"Your skin tells your life story"

TIPS FOR HEALTHY, GLOWING SKIN:

-All the beauty products in the world  cannot make your skin glow if you are: Stressed, eating junk food, sleep-deprived and sedentary. First of all. 

-Second of all,  hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Your body craves water, which removes toxins, hydrates your cells and gets rid of impurities.

-Third of all, start within ! Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Salmon and foods rich in omega 3’s make a positive impact. When it concerns your skin, you are what you eat. Note: Sugar is inflammatory.

-Keep your skin clean and moisturize dry skin; dermatologists recommend moisturizing dry skin twice a day and overnight.

- Green tea is anti-inflammatory and in the lab has been shown to heal skin.

-Exercise to shed stress hormones and improve circulation.

-Get your beauty sleep; skin regenerates and hormones balance.

- Make sure you're washing your pillowcase often, so you're not putting your face in the same oils every night.

-Aim for good health. When you are healthy, you look more youthful and act that way. Illness weighs you down and saps your energy.

-Smile.

-Don’t force your beauty. Enhance it. Avoid harsh chemicals and treatments. Avoid drastic changes and a lot of makeup. Simplify with a more natural approach. Express who you are — not some artificial ideal. Don’t mask the real you. Living the truth of who you are is gorgeous!

-Find a facial cleanser that matches your skin type. 

-Exfoliate. Your face doesn't need anything harsh or to be exfoliated too often -- it just strips the skin of moisture and will leave you red and flaky.

**"Before you reach for the bounty of cleansers, moisturizers, and toners in your bathroom, add the following seven foods to your diet to clear the way for a beautiful complexion." - Sue Moores, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. According to Moores, glowing skin starts at the supermarket.

CHECK THESE WEBSITES OUT FOR LISTS OF SKIN-FRIENDLY FOOD:

http://www.lhj.com/style/beauty/skin/7-miracle-foods-for-healthy-skin/

http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-living/food-for-beautiful-skin.aspx

http://www.livestrong.com/article/290658-foods-to-eat-for-healthy-skin-hair/

A Girl - Poem by Ezra Pound

A Girl by Ezra Pound

The tree has entered my hands,
The sap has ascended my arms,
The tree has grown in my breast-
Downward,
The branches grow out of me, like arms.

Tree you are,
Moss you are,
You are violets with wind above them.
A child - so high - you are,
And all this is folly to the world.

The Road Not Taken -Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Hermetic Teachings

"Conciousness never goes backward... it always goes forward!" - @rawfoodbliss

THE SEVEN UNIVERSAL LAWS: 

There are seven Universal Laws or Principles by which everything in the Universe is governed. The Universe exists in perfect harmony by virtue of these Laws.  Once you understand, apply and align yourself with these Universal Laws, you will experience transformation in every area of your life beyond that which you have ever dared to imagine. - mind-your-reality.com 

1. The Principle of SPIRIT ( MIND)

Everything is Spiritual. The Source of LIFE is CREATIVE SPIRIT, without bounds and limitations. The Universe is mental. Spirit / Mind stands above matter - rules matter.
The Consciousness determines the BEING. Thoughts are creative and changing powers; they are the means of CREATION. The IMAGINATION creates in Visualization. The intensity of the inner wishing and longing is an important factor of CREATION. And just like HIS WORD, MAN's WORD creates, too - as the action of his mind. So every MAN is able to leave his state of ignorance and consciously enter the STATE OF KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE at any time, thus accepting the Heritage of MAN's PERFECTION and of CREATION. He thus changes his world and creates it new.
Be aware of your thoughts - they can create and destroy! Be conscious of your responsibility! Which thoughts and words come from you? What do you CREATE with them? Are they worlds of LOVE - creatures of LOVE? 



2. The Principle of Cause and Effect = KARMA

Each cause has an effect - each effect has its cause. Each action has a certain energy which requires that the like energy returns to its source, to its creator. 
The effect equals the cause in quality and quantity. 'Equal creates equal'. Action = Reaction.
The cause can be on many different planes. Everything happens in accordance to the LAW. Each MAN is CREATOR, carrier and surmounter of his fate.
Every thought, every feeling, every action is a cause which has an effect. So there is no blame, no guilt or fault, no sin, no 'chance' and no luck - only cause and effect. Between the cause and its effect many centuries and incarnations could extend - as TIME does not exist.
"Luck" and "chance" are expressions of a LAW not yet acknowledged.
Why do you have certain traits? Where do your patterns of behaviour derive from? Be aware of the effect of all your thoughts, feelings and actions! Let go of hatred, aggressiveness and fear and open yourself to Unconditional TRUST and LOVE. You alone are responsible for yourself!



3. The Principle of Correspondence or Analogy

As above - so below, as below - so above. As within - so without, as without - so within. As in great - so in small, as in small, so in great. 
For everthing there is in this world, there exists an analogy on every plane of BEING.
So you can realize the great in the small, and the smallest in the greatest. The way you are yourself determines the way you experience the ouside world. Vice versa, the outside world is your mirror. When Du change, everything around you will change. 



4. The Principle of Resonance or Attraction

Like attracts like and will be enforced by like. Unlike repels each other.
Your personal behaviour determines your personal conditions and the total conditions of your life.
Negativity attracts more negativity, darkness attracts more darkness, aggression attracts aggression, hate attracts hate, sorrow attracts sorrow, addiction attracts addiction, so if you do not stop, reconsider and reverse your path, your negativity will increase, leading into a downward spiral that - at a certain point - cannot be stopped and leads into depression, desperation, desaster and death.


5. The Principle of Harmony and  Balance

Harmony is the flow of life. Everything strives for harmony, for balance. The stronger determines the weaker and makes it equal to itself.
Life is harmonious togetherness, the GIVING and TAKING of elements and powers being active in CREATION. By grasping and holding on we create a blockage which in turn is leading to sickness and death as a result of ERROR: LIFE supports only what furthers LIFE, and anything causing a blockage weakens and must go, because it is a hindrance to LIFE itself. LIFE is mutual balance or compensation, eternal movement. Different effects are finding to a balance, so that as soon as possible harmony is restored. Life is continuous GIVING and TAKING. The universe lives by dynamic balance in EASINESS, HARMONY and LOVE. GIVING and TAKING are different aspects of the Cosmic Energy Stream.
While giving freely what we are seeking, we are letting PLENTY into our lives. While giving HARMONY, PEACE and LOVE, we are creating HARMONY, PEACE and LOVE, opening us for LUCK, SUCCESS and PLENTY.  
We will get as much from the PLENTY of LIFE, as we are able to open ourselves to it. To open yourself, you should let go of all your conscious and unconscious thoughts of need and limitations within yourself and dare the NEW, THE UNBOUNDED. He who does not live PLENTY, will not find it.
Open yourself to the PLENTY. Do not enrichen yourself at the cost of others. You have to pay everything you get (unless it is GIVEN to you). GIVE in order to RECEIVE!
Above this LAW - above EACH LAW - is the GRACE of GOD!


6. The Principle of Rhythm or Vibration

Everything flows in and flows out again. Everything has its tides. Everything rises and falls. Everything is vibration.  
Nothing is static - everything is moving. The even movement of the pendulum is evident in everything. The swing of the pendulum to the one side equals the swing of the pendulum to the other side. Rhythm equalizes.
Overcome rigidity and live flexibility. Whatever is rigid must break apart.


7. The Principle of Polarity and Sexuality

Everything has a pair of poles. Everything has a pair of contrasting aspects. Like and unlike are the same. 
Contrasts are the same by their nature. GOD'S TRUTH IS ONE.
Only in the low-vibrating worlds, like in the 3. dimension, the aspects have different signs marking them as "contrasts", and thus have different vibrational frequencies. The human brain is three-dimensionally oriented; for that reason the ONE-NESS or SAME-NESS appears PARADOX to the polaric mind. But each PARADOXON should be brought together - in the middle - , only this way we can approach TRUTH. Or else our truths are only half truths. We cannot understand TRUTH - only grasp it with the HEART!
In the 3rd dimension we should learn to recognize the ONE-NESS OF ALL - by LEARNING UNCONDITIONAL LOVE and LIVING this LOVE = THAT is our GOAL IN LIVE-on-Earth! When we are living in UNCONDITIONAL LOVE, we are living in NON-POLARITY. 

Do not judge or evaluate others. Do not raise yourself above others. Accept the other opinion. Everyone is right. Everything is justified. Everything is well.

Sexuality is in everything. Both sexual aspects is ONENESS at the same time.
Sexuality manifests itself in everything. Everything has male and female elements. Everything is male and female in ONE. Sexuality strives for ONE-NESS. But actually sexuality IS ONE-NESS or UNITY, as you can see with TAO. The NON-POLARIC UNITY consists of the male and the female aspect. you also cannot divide SEA and WAVES - both is ONE - and ONE is not without the other. 
You yourself are male and female at the same time. Live your male and your female aspect equally. Be balanced - be in your middle - BE ONE.

ZEN MOMENTS ...

BROOKLYN,  NEW YORK

Your Invited ...

YOUR INVITED !

Who: EVERYONE INVITED

What: A LOVE & POSITIVITY PARTY

When: ALL DAY EVERYDAY

Where: IN YOUR MIND & IN YOUR HEART

R.S.V.P: WITH YOURSELF

SEE YA THERE !

Zen Moments.

SIMPLE MATHEMATICS

The Final Core Number ... The Heart's Desire. (Numerology, cont-)

Your Heart's Desire number

"What are the reasons behind your actions? What do you really want in life and love? This is where your Heart's Desire comes in to play, and it signifies the reasons behind the choices you make in all aspects of your life, from your career to your relationships -- the burning fire within.

Your Heart's Desire number comes from just the vowels in your name -- those soft sounds shed light on the inner workings of your more subconscious desires." -numerology.com

My heart's desire number: 3

You love a good time. You are generally happy, friendly, and outgoing. You have a gift for gab. You are very witty, creative, and playful. You inspire and entertain people. You are considered by many a great companion. Many outstanding comedians have this Heart's Desire. You have a good mental and emotional balance and there is little that gets you down. You have a gift for self expression and are drawn to the verbal arts - writing, acting, singing, and poetry. You may have a great talent in one of these areas. If your creativity is blocked or suppressed, you tend to daydream and fantasize. Your imagination needs a constructive outlet; otherwise, it may run away with you.

At the same time, you may have great difficulty expressing your deeper feelings and important personal thoughts. You prefer to stay on the surface, entertaining people with your wit. If you fail to deal honestly with your inner nature, you may succumb to compulsive talking. Such behavior may be merely a way of siphoning off emotional energy that is building beneath your surface. Your deeply felt emotional life cannot be avoided or suppressed. But you possess the talent to channel these feelings into highly creative and artistic form. Art and self-expression are your outlets.

You need discipline to make full use of your abilities. Too often, you may scatter your energies in many directions, beginning projects that are never finished and never really succeeding in anything. You success depends on your ability to commit to your work and to see it through to completion. You have so much creativity and inspiring upward energy that you are in desperate need of an anchor. Hard work and discipline serve this purpose and bring out the best in you. Because you are gifted with such a sparkling personality, you are tempted to stay on the surface and play with life. You are confident and love the attention others give you, but these characteristics can lead to vanity and self-absorption.

You have the potential to live a very full and successful life thanks to your talent for artistic self expression. The key to your success is a balance between the creative forces and self-disclose.

Calculate your heart's desire number at http://www.decoz.com/Do_reading_numerology-02_HeartDes.htm

My Personality ... (Numerology, Cont-)

"Your Personality number

Your Personality number is the first impression people get of you. It represents the parts of yourself that you are most ready and willing to reveal, and helps you determine just how much you reveal, and to whom. This number acts as a buffer, screening out some people and situations you don't want to deal with while welcoming the things in life that relate to your inner nature.

Your Personality number is derived from only the consonants in your name." -numerology.com

My Personality Number: 5

You are a stimulating person. You brighten social gatherings with your fresh and original ideas. Your conversation tends to be sprinkled with novelty and wit. You have a quick tongue and charisma. You are probably an excellent salesman. There is a lot of nervous energy within you looking for an outlet. You love your freedom and you see this life as an ongoing adventure. You are upbeat and optimistic. This is infectious for those you meet. As a result, you inspire others. You have a strong and attractive body, with good muscle tone. Your movements are supple, graceful, and athletic.

Your bane is that you love to indulge your senses with food and drink and can easily gain weight. You have an appetite for anything that stimulates the senses - sex, food, alcohol, and drugs. Discipline is a necessity for you. The negative side of a 5 Personality Number can give rise to an addictive personality. You like to dress fashionably and can get away with more colorful clothes. However, you should be aware of the value of quality and the power of modesty.

You are a little irresponsible and quick in satisfying your sensual urges. You are attractive and that, coupled with your innate ability to promote yourself, makes it easy for you to satisfy your desire for new and exciting relationships. You have a kind of swashbuckling personality. People see you as the adventurer that you are. They expect the unexpected from you, and when they don't you often surprise them.

You have a quick and eclectic mind. You attract information from all directions, but you can be a bit superficial, skimming over the surface of a wide diversity of subjects. This may cause you to be a bit of a dilettante. You can get away with it much of the time, but for your own success and happiness, you should try to ground knowledge and deepen your understanding. Your versatility and adaptability make you capable of getting the most out of virtually every opportunity in life. You decide quickly on a course of action and your timing is usually good. You radiate with the potential for success, which attracts others who can further you along your path.

Calculate your personality number at http://www.decoz.com/Do_reading_numerology-02_Personality.htm

Maryam-Zahra Amira Ali (Numerology, Cont-)

"While your Life Path number plots your life's lessons and how you handle them, your Expression number is all about your natural strengths and weaknesses given to you at your time of birth. Often referred to as the Destiny number, as it aims for your goal in life, this number is the foundation on which your Life Path can flourish.

Your Expression number is based off of the numbers that correspond to the letters in your full name, and it reveals the talents and abilities instilled in you at birth." -numerology.com

My Expression Number: 7

You are gifted with an analytical mind and an enormous appetite for the answers to life's hidden questions. You have a strong interest in exploring scientific matters, philosophy, and even mysticism. You possess clarity and persistence in your search for truth. You can be a great researcher, educator, and philosopher.

You are driven by a desire for knowledge and truth. You must learn to discriminate between illusion and reality, but you are well equipped for this task. Your fine mind offers you insight into the veiled mysteries of life. You also possess a considerable amount of perspective. Somewhere inside you, you are aware of a peaceful place that you call upon during difficult times. You need time to be by yourself. Too much social interaction causes you stress. You need your privacy and a place that can be shut off from the hustle and bustle of life. You tend to keep your thoughts to yourself and are secretive. Unless your 7 expression is balanced by extravert characteristics (usually revealed by the numbers 1, 3, 5, and 8), your introversion may pull you deeply within yourself, even cutting you off from others.

You have a strong dislike of the superficial and mundane. You are often surprised by the lack of understanding or depth of knowledge of others, many of whom do not take the search for knowledge as seriously as you do. This can cause you to be critical of others, and even cynical about life in general. The more cut off from others you become, the more hidden are your motives. Once you develop understanding of people and life, your advice and counsel will be sought by those around you who need your wisdom. You love to specialize your knowledge and develop great depth within your field. You are a perfectionist. You should complete your studies early in life and not be driven too hard by a desire to be successful. Let things come at there own pace, be open to opportunity, but remember your rewards, satisfaction, and contentment come from a higher source.

Sevens can be distant and aloof. When dominated by their darker characteristics, they can be unfaithful, dishonest, and cruel. Contemplation, meditation, and the softer, finer vibrations of life can restore your sense of harmony and keep you on the path to peace and balance. You have a logical mind. Your analytical skills cause you to approach a problem in a detached, surgical kind of way. Researchers, analysts, investigators, inventors, technicians, scholars, lawyers, bankers, watchmakers, priests, philosophers, theologians, and administrators in some scientific or technical field are among the vocations 7s are drawn to.

Calculate your expression number at http://www.decoz.com/Do_reading_numerology-02.htm

Upon Further Curiousity.... (Numerology cont-)

"In the science of Numerology, all numbers are significant, and your personal Numerology chart is full of them! Still, there are four numbers within Numerology that especially make up the Numerology of you, having a deep impact on who you are today -- these are the Core numbers of Numerology, including your Life Path number, Expression number, Heart's Desire number and your Birth Day number." -numerology.com

(Your Life Path number is based off of the numbers in your full birth date. It encaptures your entire being and will never change, and for those reasons, it's very special.)

My life path number: 20 (2+0=2)

The Life Path 2 suggests that you entered this plane with a spiritual quality in your makeup allowing you to be one of the peacemakers in society. Your strengths come from an ability to listen and absorb. You are a fixer, a mediator, and a very diplomatic type of person using persuasive skills rather than forcefulness to make your way in the world. When you embrace and exhibit the strenghth of your spiritual side, you are intuitive, avant-garde, idealistic, and visionary. These extremes make you interesting with much to offer society. You have the potential to be a deep-thinker, and no doubt interested in understanding many of life's mysteries and more intriguing facets.

If you are living with the positive attributes of the number 2 Life Path, you are apt to have the most delicate ability to be balanced and fair.  You are the master of compromise and of maintaining harmony in your environment. As the ultimate team member, you never demand praise or recognition.

In many ways, you are a creature of habit and routine, and you like your path and pattern well worn and familiar. Your ability to analyze and render accurate judgments is a wonderful natural trait you bring to the business world. You strive for complete accuracy and even perfection in your work. Perhaps you are not a leader, but you are a visionary and a very talented idea person.

On the negative side of the 2, nervous energy is a trait often observed in the 2. Because of this, you may be seen as an extremist who is sometimes the zealot in expressing likes and dislikes. Nervous tension can bring the normally easygoing 2 into a state of emotional outrage, which to those around you, may seem so out of character. Indeed, the 2 can sometimes become oversensitive. In some instances, the strength of the 2 can also become its weakness. You may find it hard to decide what to do at times. Twos often struggle against indecisiveness. Making decisions and getting your life in gear, so to speak, may be a challenge. There is a tendency for the many 2s to harbor feelings of uneasiness, and dissatisfaction with accomplishments and personal progress in life. The biggest obstacle and difficulty you may face is that of passivity and a state of apathy and lethargy. The negative 2 can be very pessimistic. When this sets in to any degree, you are able to accomplishes very little. If living on the negative side of the 2, you may lack common sense, and you are quite often unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Even the more positive individuals with the 2 Life Path will prefer a more amiable and less competitive environment, often shunning the business world. You can best serve society in endeavors utilizing your skills of counseling and guidance. Much of your idealism is people oriented and quite humanitarian in nature. You expect a great deal of yourself.

Visit www.numerology.com to calculate your life path number.

The 16th (according to numerology) ...

"Your Birth Day number is just that -- the day on which you were born -- and it reveals a certain talent that will eventually find its place on your Life Path.

While it's the most insignificant of the core numbers, the Birth Day number puts a timestamp on the person you are today according to one single aspect that will ultimately impact your life in a big way. Just as you were destined to be born on this specific day, you have been given a certain special gift as a result." numerology.com

Numerology defined.
The western form of Numerology, the Pythagorian system, is among the most enduring and popular of all self-help methods ever created. The Chinese, Japanese, Greek, Hebrews, Egyptians, Phoenicians, early Christians, Mayans and Incas all employed number systems to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the universe.

Pythagorian Numerology was organized by Greek philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras, who combined the mathematical disciplines of the Arabic, Druid, Phoenician, Egyptian and Essene sciences. Since then, it has continued to evolve. It formed the spiritual basis for many secret societies, such as the Rosicrusians, Masons, Anthroposophists and others.

* Excerpted from www.numerology.com

Out of curiousity (at first) I calculated one of my "core" numbers (my birthday number) and well .... it was right on the money.

My birth day number: 16
My Strengths:
Your over-powering orientation is toward the philosophical and spiritual aspects of life. You are driven to understand the unseen world. On some level, you feel like a foreigner on planet Earth. Your realm is the world of spirit. Your challenge is to find a way to ground that desire and understanding in practical terms so that it can be effectively shared with others.

You have a fine analytical mind that is capable of penetrating beneath the surface of the subject at hand. You also have the capacity for excellent concentration. You must use that mind to your greatest advantage. Investigate the subjects you love and gain the depth of knowledge in these fields. Specialize. Become an expert in a given area. This will give you a means of earning a living and personal power to share your wisdom.

You have excellent intuition and may even possess psychic ability. Trust your intuition and use it as a guide in life. But at all times, be practical in your application of your insights. Find concrete means of expressing yourself. Pick a field that suits you -- science, metaphysics, philosophy, psychology, teaching, for example -- and deepen yourself in its understanding. But beware of becoming overly dogmatic and shutting off from the truths of others.

Your challenges
The great pitfall you face is the choice of becoming aloof, mental and critical. This will result in alienation and even bitterness. You can also easily lift off the ground, becoming impractical and dreamy. If you indulge too much in flights of fancy, you may drift from reality and give up the possibility of earning an adequate living. You prefer to work alone, rather than in a group. You can easily lose interest in your projects, however, and must work hard to finish what you start. You have to have faith and let opportunities come your way -- you may miss out if you reach and seek.

You are very sensitive and feel deeply, but you don't share your feelings easily, nor do you communicate them well. The realm of the heart troubles you for its shifting, nebulous qualities. You must work hard to understand this area of life. You like to spend time alone to contemplate and meditate, but have to be careful not to withdraw too much. Long-term relationships are not easily established nor maintained.

Check out what your birthday number says about you .... http://www.numerology.com/about-numerology/birth-day-number

Little did she know ...

It's scary opening a business ... or putting yourself...your work ... your passion ... out there for the world to judge.

The what if's:
What if I fail?
What if nothing sells?
What if they don't like it?
What if...
What if...
What if...

But WHAT I have is amazing friends.

I just wanted to take 5 minutes out to thank one of my best friends Tiannah Bruce and my boyfriend Randy Bundy for being such amazing supporters. Tiannah you have no idea the positive reinforcement and joy I felt in my heart when I received your order confirmation. You were MY VERY FIRST client/customer and I will never forget what it felt like getting that email. You made me proud of me. You made me a boss. A business owner. Proud. Simply... for saying I wanted to do something .... and getting out there and doing it. I toast to that success today. I love you both. Thank You.

Love,
Maryam

"My Dear Aunt Margaret"

Margaret Washington-Clifford, the granddaughter of Booker T. Washington

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

October through December was candy-making time at Margaret Clifford’s home.

Fall provided the ideal temperature for chocolate to settle just so. Sweets from Washington Candy Co. were shipped worldwide during the holidays.

Mrs. Clifford’s late mother founded the business in Tuskegee, Ala., in 1922.

Among many things, Margaret was also an entrepreneur. In 1981 she reopened the Washington Candy Company, keeping a promise to carry on. 

For Mrs. Clifford, fulfilling that pledge reflected traits she considered the pillar of any community. They also were the ideals her grandfather — Booker T. Washington Jr. — promoted a century ago as the most influential black leader in America.

And they were the cornerstone of numerous presentations Mrs. Clifford made to local schools and organizations about the founder of Tuskegee University. Her message, said daughter, Robin Banks of Atlanta, complemented her grandfather’s — will your way to greatness.“Honesty, thrift, character — those are the kinds of things he so strongly believed in,” she said at the time. -end

Margaret Washington Clifford...my dear great aunt Margaret, the second daughter of Booker T. Washington and Edith Washington Shehee, born in Chicago in 1921. Educated, Spiritual, and beyond fashionable. She served as a teacher, counselor and vice president in California schools before returning to Atlanta University in 1976 to teach. An active member of Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta where she served on the Usher’s Board, Daughters of the King and the Church Newsletter Board. Margaret was a life member of the Phi Delta Kappa international organization. She also held membership in Delta Kappa Gamma International Honor Society for women teachers, the American Association for Counseling and Development, the American Association of University Women, the National Council of Negro Women, the Southeastern Psychological Association and other organizations.


Clifford was the widow of the late Dr. Paul I. Clifford, himself the grandchild of a civil rights pioneer — J.R. Clifford — who had been aligned with Booker T. Washington Jr.’s critics and had, with W.E.B. DuBois, founded the Niagara Movement, forerunner of the NAACP, mother of the late Luke Cabiness and sister of the late Louise Washington O’Neal and Edith Washington Johnson. She is survived by her children, Marshal Abuwi and Robin C. Banks (who I thank for this amazing jewelry collection I am able to share with you all), and her sister Gloria Jackson Baskin (my grandmother) of Los Angeles; five grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. My dear Aunt Margaret (1920-2009).

---------------------------

Recently, after hearing I had opened a vintage boutique, I was invited to visit my great aunt’s home in Atlanta (per Robin Banks, cousin) to rummage through her old jewelry, clothes, and accessories. Aside from family heirlooms, and sentimental pieces the family and I have kept for personal keepsakes, I was encouraged to take these timeless pieces and share them with my clients at Boutique e-lu-sive. I want to invite you into a world of Washington’s... history, legacy, and classic taste. I am so grateful and appreciative to have come from such a prestigious and gracious background. I thank you Robin for allowing and trusting me to give your mother’s jewelry collection a 2nd life. 

I'm very excited to introduce you to...

“My Great Aunt Margaret’s” vintage jewelry collection now available at www.elusiveboutique.com 

(Im)perfect(ly) me

Just me...

Daughter

An Auntie....

A Friend...

A girlfriend.

A Business owner...

A Screenwriter...

HAPPY ...

With him.

chao!

Monday, February 18, 2008

"We never think we can get over something until we do"

I went on my Myspace today- it had been centuries. I was breezing over my page... looking at old pictures, and messages. I came across this one and only blog entry I wrote in 2008. I thought I would share.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Title: Its written on your forehead

Current mood: optimistic

Category: Life

You can control the mind but not the heart. My life seems to be straight Black and white....no shades of gray. But yesterday... yesterday I was in the gray, this morning, bright blood red....  When I looked in mirror the words "get over it" were stamped on my forehead. Eyes looked like I had been crying for years, body like I havent ate in months. I tried to take some soap and water and wash the words off....I scrubbed my forehead so hard it started to burn. After scrubbing and rinsing and washing and scrubbing again the words were finally gone...finally! Even though the words were gone, the pain from trying to erase them was still visible.  I cried through the night, and when I woke the next morning the words had reappeared. Same process, scrub scrub scrub, rinse, scrub, rinse. Play the victim all day. "My head hurts" "Leave me alone" "Can't you see that i'm hurting?" "Why aren't you babying me?" I realized that even though I got the words off my forehead....in the morning the words would be right back there. I needed a new... more permanent solution. After months of scrubbing the words off each and every day just so I could pretend at school and at work that they were never there...scars started to appear. When the scars started to visibly appear I started waking up angry....waking up sad...hiding from myself and the truth. Covered the words on my head with a bang, make-up, hats. I needed something permanent...or these words, these feelings, would be with me forever. So I started to ignore the words in the morning.  In the mirror in the morning....I would pretend....like the words weren't even there...that the words didn't bother me. Soon enough I said "enough with the scrubbing". I accepted what was written on my forehead, I owned it, but I didn't let it get to me. I would walk around like thoe words weren't even there.  When I finally stopped scrubbing, stopped focusing on the negative, the pain, the words started fading on their own. Each morning I woke up and a letter was gone. I started forgetting that the words were ever there. Then one day, days, weeks, months later, I woke up, looked in the mirror, and the words were all gone, and so were the scars. I felt beautiful again. I felt needed again, I felt loved again, I felt like myself again....for the first time since those words appeared on my forhead ever since we split. So I brushed my hair off my face, When I walked outside today I ran into my neighbor and he said to me " There's something different about you today...is it your hair?...you're wearing it off your face these days...I havent seen your face in so long, your look prettier than ever. Don't ever cover up that beautiful fore head again."
 And we lived happily ever after....