The Light Within: See It... Believe It....Be It

We are so often focused on acquiring things that exist outside of ourselves, that we lose faith in the fact that everything we will ever need or desire has its beginning on the inside. We need to first acknowledge that all things exist inside of us, and then we can make a concerted effort to let whatever is present inside come out. Once that happens our realization of and contribution to the universal law of abundance will increase exponentially. There is a biblical verse which come to mind that might shed more light on what it is that I'm trying to convey, and hopefully it will perpetuate our willingness to view life from the inside out.

The verse reads like this: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Well this may seem a bit abstract because we don't literally see the light inside, and most of the time we don't even consider the fact that it exists. However; it is this very light, and our willingness to share it, that is the basis for supplying all our needs and making manifest our every desire. The first step is of course to believe that this inner light exists, and then to see how that belief has been created on the inside and can be made manifest on the outside.

There's also a book entitled 'Princess Javonne  A Story of Overcoming Obstacles',* which I feel  addresses how we can uncover the light that illuminates both our seeing and believing. In the book we find three obstacles that prevent the main character, Princess Javonne, from reaching the elusive 'Palace of Possibilities'. These obstacles are: 'The River of Fear', 'The Mountain of Doubt', and The Wall of Worry, and they are the very same obstacles that blur our dreams and desires and cause us to doubt our ability to achieve them. Now although this is a childrens' book, I recommend that all of you get a copy of it for your child or yourself. By reading it you will allow Princess Javonne to share her journey toward understanding that we can only see what we believe to be true, and that the key to our belief is becoming aware of the endless possibilities and dissolving the barriers that stand in the way of our  realizing our dreams and achieving our goals. 

                             *Go to: www.princessjavonne.com  for book copies information.

We all have a light that exists inside, and our ability and conviction to allow it to shine, both inside and out, is predicated on seeing that light and being compelled to use it to brighten the lives of others. There are many ways in which we can make that happen. We can say hello to a stranger, write a letter to a friend, or read a passage from a book to a loved one and feel the mutual joy that unfolds. We can hug our child for no reason, give a dollar to someone who asks us and not judge how they might spend it, or pick up and discard something we didn't drop, and actually feel how the universe responds with joy and thanksgiving. We can walk with a friend to a mutual destination or stop in the middle of doing something to thank God for always providing us with more than enough, and then be a witness to the brightness that ensues as a result. We can even write a movie script, choreograph a dance, or sing a song in a crowded elevator, and know that an illumination, in some form or fashion, is about to occur. Whatever creative act we can imagine we can make manifest. All we need to start is doing the simple stuff and begin realizing that what we thought was impossible is really simpler to achieve than we could have ever imagined. 

We are the light of the world ya'll. Let's see it...believe it...be it, and then prepare ourselves for the bountiful blessings to come.

I want to thank Javonne for allowing me to share her light,  I want to thank each of you for seeking the light inside, and I implore all of us to stay encouraged knowing that all good things will come to pass because of the Grace of God and because of our efforts to make it so.



To listen to the words and musical accompaniment  click here.

To comment or respond to the blog click on the word comments at the bottom of the page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com

Doing The Right Thing

It seems that too many of us here in America don't purpose in our hearts to take action, we wait until something happens and then we react. When we used to hear the so-called conspiracy theorists talk about how just a few people controlled the majority of the wealth of the entire planet, we took it all in with a grain of salt. Now that the toppling of the housing industry, the deterioration of our educational system, and the apparent racism in the political arena is being talked about by mainstream media, we're looking a little closer at what's really going on. We're starting to question where all the money associated with housing, schools, and political campaigns is actually going. We're beginning to believe that the government, as we know it, is not responding to our needs as it should; and possibly adhering to the desires of a small group of people whose names we don't even know. But then we still recognize and fear the power and control the government has over us, and we want to wait until we're sure they'll be no repercussions before we start openly complaining. We then start to wonder how these  so-called conspiracy theorists are blatantly talking about how wars, environmental problems, and food modification, are all being perpetrated by the powerful few for personal monetary gain. The stuff they're saying is believable and the powerful few must know that we're starting to accept its validity, so why aren't they doing something to prove these theorists wrong? Well, why should they? We are a crisis-oriented people and unless something happens directly to us, we just allow things to unfold as they do. We are dangerously complacent, and have become perfectly willing to allow others to fight our seemingly hopeless battles for us. The problem however, is that all negativity is being done at our expense, and at the possible disintegration of a viable future for our children and our children's children.

We need to start being less reactive and more proactive. How can we do that? While visiting my mother in Chicago this past week, I decided to empty all her garbage bags as I usually do. This time however, she was really adamant about the separation of 'garbage' and 'recyclables'. Now I pride myself on being a non-conformist to ideals that are not being carried out by their protagonist, that being the City of Chicago in this case. I for one, find it hard to believe that my beloved hometown is participating in an effort to 'save the planet', unless there's some tangible gratuity involved. I am just a firm believer that most Chicago politicians are more concerned about personal gain than the welfare of their constituents, and am thereby hesitant in supporting any of their agendas. I didn't verbalize these thoughts at the time, but my mother, who would be one of the few honest politicians if she were one, went right for the jugular in her attempt to secure my vote. She said, "You're writing that blog and always talking about the 'we' , yet you don't think it's a we thing when people are trying to do something positive? You talk about people talking the talk and not walking the walk. Are you one of those people?" Well it was getting kind of painful for me, and she was just getting started; so I succumbed and transferred all the items to their respective (proper) bag(s), and placed them all outside in their corresponding receptacles. I initially just reacted to my mother's plea; but, as an afterthought, have decided to actively adhere to the recycling procedures here in California. This is just my one small example of proactive behavior, and yet there are so many other ways in which we can demonstrate this same mindset.

We can stop eating in at least one restaurant where the food tastes good, but we know that it is not good for us.  We can buy only the eggs produced by free-roaming chickens. We can try to stop smoking and/or drinking at least one day a week. We can park our car further from the entrance of the mall, and stop emitting so many fumes trying to find a space closer to the door. Even better we can take public transportation at least once a month. We can spend some of our money in the 'mom and pop stores', rather than giving all of it to the big corporations. We are all creative beings, so just think of  something you can do to address the issues that you are aware of. Something's going on in the world that's not in everybody's best interest, and you know you don't like it. So even if you feel you can't do anything about that particular thing, do something positive in another arena, while realizing that every little bit helps. The 'we' is a very powerful entity ya'll, and if each one of us does her or his part, no matter how small it might seem, in the words of my friend Kenny Bean,.. "Righteousness shall prevail."

To listen to words and music click here.


To respond or comment click on the word comments at the bottom of this page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com.

Beginning Of The Best

I once heard that if you're in a room of  people, one of them tells a lie and you don't say anything, then you're lying as well.  I also heard a relative of mine claim, "I say what I got to say and then I leave it alone." To put these statements in perspective, let me just say that too many people get away with saying and doing too many distasteful and sometimes despicable things, and too few people make an effort to hold them accountable. There are a lot of man-made laws that promote order and decency, but somehow we allow certain individuals to remain 'above these law'. There is one Universal Law and it proclaims that we are all one. What that means is that whatever you do to me you are also doing to yourself. So by us making others aware of their errant behavior, all of us will benefit.

This past election brings the gist of this discourse into focus, because it demonstrated that we voters have let the politicians and backers know that their conduct is no longer void of  consequences. We have once again begun to, and will continue to hold them accountable for their behavior. You, Mr. Mourdock, say that pregnancy induced by rape is a gift from God? Okay, now you will have to consider if your loss in the Senate race is also a gift from God. Mr. Romney, you gave us  a general and very vague account of what you would do if elected president, and refused to give us any details in regard to how your actions would be carried out. Well, our votes have let you know that we are not going to sit idly by and allow you to continue insulting our intelligence. Politicians beware. We are tired of voting for the lesser of two evils. We have for too long, in the words of Brother Malcolm, been hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray. There is too much at stake, and as Mary J. Blige implies in her music, 'we can do bad all by ourselves'. So if you're going to bring it..it better be correct, or be prepared to pay the price for it not being that way.

What we need to do now is to bring this same mindset into our every day lives. We can no longer allow our children to talk to us any kind of way, and not let them know that the tone and content of their conversation is unacceptable. No longer will we be complacent when our educators, from the teachers in the classroom to the United States Secretary of Education, tell us that there's nothing else they can do for our child. We're going to  find out, undertake, and implement whatever's necessary to insure that our children get a better education before our military gets more weapons. Continuing to allow gas prices to fluctuate as randomly as they do is a no no. So the next time the cost of gas increases exponentially, and we get a credible online plea to boycott a specific gas distributor, we will seriously consider doing just that. And if anyone, from a menial to managerial position, whether on the phone or face to face, talks to us in a less than respectful way, then that matter will be addressed immediately so that the outcome of that and subsequent discussions is favorable to all. Everything we've spoken of thus far will of course be done tactfully and with good intent, but it must and will be done because our collective well-being is at stake.

I want to personally thank each of you for getting out to vote, and I implore you to remember and understand that our struggle is ongoing. Let's keep it real ya'll by holding all those who claim to have our best interest at heart, acccountable for acting with honesty and integrity. The message has already been sent through this election, so let's keep it moving. More than that, let's be encouraged always by keeping in mind that as long as we treat ourselves and each other as one...The Best Is Yet To Come.

To hear the audio version with musical accompaniment just click here



To comment or respond just click on comments at the bottom of the page, or email me at grace.calvin187@gmail.com