ZIONOLOGY

The Silver Lining...

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 10:02:51 PST

By Chris Assaad

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”– Albert Einstein

It has often been said that just before our greatest successes in life, we will face our biggest failures. It has also been said that our most significant breakthroughs will commonly be preceded by major breakdowns and that when one door closes, another opens. There is an endless list of elegant quotes and sayings that capture the simple idea that when life gets tough, there may be more to it than initially meets the eye, but that doesn’t change our reality when times of struggle hit. Unless you’ve experienced it for yourself, the most beautifully articulated words will be of no use to you.

That’s what happened to me and now I know what Albert Einstein and all the others were talking about. When I was in third-year university I picked up a guitar for the first time along with a few friends to learn some of our favourite songs and play music around the campfire. In a short time, it became obvious to me that I wasn’t getting the hang of it as quickly as my friends and before long, I discovered the cause…I was losing my hearing.

Here I was a young man in my social prime, without a care in the world and out of nowhere, this disaster strikes. I soon found out that the hearing loss was due to a hereditary condition that in my case, set in early and rapidly. In a matter of a few months, my hearing significantly and steadily declined making it more and more challenging for me to hear my professors in class, to hear people clearly and easily, and to hear the music. I was initially told that the surgery to correct the condition involved a 10% chance of complete loss of hearing in the ear operated on and that my best option was to wear a hearing aid until my hearing worsened further, which was inevitable. This was without a doubt, the single most difficult experience and time of my entire life. I was lost, I felt completely alone and I was terrified. I began to think about what life would be like without sound, I became very alienated in social situations and I had all but given up on the hope of ever playing music.

So what happened next?

A miracle. Yup, that’s the only way I can describe it. I did some more searching and through a family friend, I found a doctor who did a lot of the surgeries. He was cool, confident and he encouraged me to go ahead with the procedure.

Fast forward one year: I’d just had surgery on my second ear. The first procedure happened a few months prior and as the healing process unfolded, my hearing began climbing back up to normal. I can still perfectly remember leaving the surgeon’s office after my post-op appointment and getting into my car. I sat there for a moment and thanked The Uni-verse for everything that had happened. Bursting at the seams with anticipation, I finally reached for the radio and sat in awe, tears rolling down my cheeks as the music made its way to my eardrums, my heart and my soul for the first time since the beginning of this difficult ordeal. I was beyond elated, full of gratitude and humbled by the experience.

In the months that followed, I lived in wonderment enjoying the miracle of hearing the way a newborn baby explores its five senses. Most of all, I played music tirelessly. I stayed up til all hours of the night learning to sing and play my first songs. Before long, my family members began leaving the door open when I played music and would soon come to remark in amazement: “You sound good!”

Fueled by the gift of a second chance, the fire of passion for music had been lit inside me and has continued to burn strong to this day. So much so that a few years ago, I left behind a promising career in law to follow my dream of a career in music but that’s a story for another blog.

The moral of this story is that my discovery of my true calling in life came in the form of the greatest crisis I have ever faced. I truly believe that if it hadn’t happened that way, that if playing music had come too easily, I might have gotten bored or restless and moved on and missed out. So in my case, though it wasn’t immediately apparent, the disaster was actually a blessing in disguise.

Sometimes, the positive is easier to see like the possibility of a new job or relationship when our current one comes to an end. Regardless of the situation, there is always, at the very least, a chance to grow and build character in the way that we respond to the challenge at hand. Whether it’s obvious or not, opportunity often does present itself in the guise of difficulty and it’s our job to remain open, to have faith and to rise to the occasion.

So no matter how bad the storm overhead and regardless of what it is that you’re dealing with, stay calm, take a closer look and you’ll see for yourself, there is a silver lining.

Pupils..

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:31:35 PST

By Tyler Knott Gregson

What if the black in our eyes

is the center of another galaxy

and the color that explodes out from

the heart of it is only the start

of a new world with new life and

millions of years from now a new

you and a new me will start over

fresh and find each other sooner and

fall in love faster and look up

to the perfect black of the night

sky and marvel at the uncountable

stars and the way we will wish upon

them. I wonder sometimes, if the

we’s that found each other in

the dark center of the dark

universe that lives inside our eyes

were different from us, were they

more? Did they stumble upon each

other and in the blackness that they

thought would never fall away, worship

each other like gods and carve

their faces out of the stone walls

that bounced back the heat as they

slowly discovered fire? Were they

silent when they met, did they not understand

that their lips moved and their jaws hinged

and their tongues knew the choreography

for speech and song and even the most

delicate whisper? What would they say

with only tiny movements of dim eyes

across those first fires when their voices

had not yet realized themselves? I

believe, as naive as it may be, that

the very first words they found were

I Love You because they knew without a

shadow of a doubt, a lingering hesitancy

that without each other the dark would

be darker and the cold colder and

they would run out of answers to all

of the questions the silence planted

in them. To be there on that first

discovery, to watch those lips form

the words. Would they, would we say them like a

prayer? Would we close our eyes

in reverence as we uttered them, and

if we did would the universe living

inside those very eyes go dark

forever? If each set of eyes

holds its own galaxy, I am staggered

to think of how many yous, are being

loved intensely, by how many mes

at this exact and present moment.

I can only hope and believe and

offer my I Love Yous as a prayer

to you, that the eyes that are holding

all we know and cherish, will never

close, and stare out into their own

darkness, forever.

Art...Christopher Haines

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:14:13 PST

Christopher Haines is a talented 22 year old digital artist from Perth, Australia. He loves designing complex shapes in 3D and then mixing them in Photoshop, Cinema 4D and Poser to achieve amazing digital master pieces. He gets his inspiration from ancient civilization designs and traditional graphic designers. He is no stranger to the online art community. Since the age of 13 he has been making rounds from one online art community to another, finding inspiration and learning new skills along the way.

"I studied graphic design for a few years in high school, and after I left I studied for two years in a diploma course. I also taught myself a lot of the programs I used and constantly made images in my spare time, so I would consider myself self taught as well. If you are dedicated and willing to work hard, there is no reason why you can’t be a self-taught professional designer. The advantage of going to design school is the years of experience your teachers bring to the table, and they can really help you get a solid design base, learning the theory as well as practical knowledge.

If you want to succeed in design, you have to make it your passion and your focus. There are going to be people who don’t like your work and want you to change, but there are also those who will want to give you the advice to make you a better artist. The trick is learning to tell the difference, and having a clear vision of where you want to go." - Christopher Haines

New Music: Yuna Zarai - "Live Your Life"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:12:57 PST

Malaysian singer-songwriter Yuna Zarai has just released her first single titled "Live Your Life" from her forthcoming self-titled studio album ,which is due out this Spring. The track was produced by Pharrell Williams, it`s is a soothing, borderline jazzy track yet funky morsel that begs to be put on repeated listens.

New Music: Ladyhawke – "Black, White & Blue"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:47:15 PST

New Zealand songstress Ladyhawke has premiered her new track titled "Black, White & Blue",the first single taken from her forthcoming sophomore album "Anxiety" slated for a March 19th release via Modular People and Casablanca Records. She recently gave NME the description of the album : "It’s lot more rocky. The tone of it is definitely darker. It’s still poppy and fun, but I listened to a lot of guitar rock when I was writing it, stuff like Pixies, Blur, Nirvana and I’ve always wanted to make a guitar record. There’s no synth, but there’s some organ. It’s more of a straight-up rock record". "Black, White & Blue" is a very catchy electro track with plenty of echoed, distorted bass, guitar and tumbling drums. I love it.

New Music: Sandie Black – "Gotta Get Free"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:00:14 PST

The Toronto duo Sandie Black has just released their first track titled "Gotta Get Free", the track is a mashup of various music styles -soul, rock, hip-hop,alternative to create something futuristically funky. Tempo-changes, guitar riffs, sharp lyrical flows, dreamy decadence...just real aural goodness that must be shared. Think the quirkiness of Janelle Monae with the edge of J*DaVeY but in their own lane entirely.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://sandieblack.bandcamp.com/track/gotta-get-free"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Gotta Get Free by Sandie Black&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Listen: Kissey Asplund Covers Radiohead's "Creep"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:46:10 PST

Swedish electro-soul singer Kissey Asplund recently did a cover of Radiohead’s seminal hit "Creep", this is what she had to say about the cover "… So today I didn’t know really what to do in the studio…i didn’t feel like writing, singing…but not my music… I’ve been listening to Radiohead a lot lately so i decided to record a quick unplugged-nonmixed- cover of ‘Creep‘. The song is just soooooooo damn good and Tom Yorke does it soooo brilliant… I want you to have that in mind, this is just me doing something else and not me going for the Creep-trofé." In my opinion her rendition is simply beautiful, her voice gracefully flowed over the keys. The recording is so raw and uncut, that her voice even cracked a little as she sang, but it still sounded awesome .

Kissey - Creep (Radiohead cover)

New Music: John Legend Feat. Ludacris - "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 11:19:00 PST

John Legend has premiered his new single titled "Tonight (Best You Ever Had)" featuring Ludacris , the smooth track boasts production from Phatboi Productions and will be featured on the 'Think Like A Man' soundtrack, and will also serve as the first single from his forthcoming album, unless people hate it. Honestly, I don't think this will be the first single. It's a nice song, but not first single worthy. I want him to go back to that "Ordinary People" sound. That sound was amazing, this ain't it.

New Music: Stacy Barthe – "Keep It Like It Is"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:23:04 PST

Singer-songwriter Stacy Barthe is preparing to release for her forthcoming 5-track EP titled "In the InBetween" which is due out on February 6th. She has released the first single titled "Keep It Like It Is", produced by The Supa Dups . The track is an R&B/Reggae mid-tempo featuring honeyed vocals as she tells a no-good lover that things are better when they're apart.

New Music: Elle Varner Releases "Conversational Lush" Mixtape

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:17:55 PST

MBK/RCA recording artist and R&B sensation Elle Varner has released her highly anticipated mixtape titled "Conversational Lush", as a treat to fans as she finishes up her upcoming debut album "Perfectly Imperfect" due out sometime this year.

Listen/Download the mixtape below.

New Video: Emeli Sande – "Next To Me"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:28:27 PST

Scottish singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé recently premiered her music video for her third single titled "Next To Me", taken from her debut album "Our Version Of Events" that will be released in the UK on February 13 and in the US on June 5. Though the music video is rather simplistic, it feels much bigger than the overly produced music videos you’ve probably seen lately.

New Video: Santigold - "Big Mouth"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:34:00 PST

New York electro-indie songstress Santigold has premiered a new single titled "Big Mouth", the second single off her highly anticipated sophomore album titled "Master Of My Make-Believe"."My record is called Master of My Make-Believe because I want it to be about creating your own reality. I have a song called ‘The Keepers’: we’re the keepers, while we sleep in America our house is burning down." "Big Mouth" is a sassy dance track, full of tribal beats, produced by Switch & Buraka Som Sistema. The song’s eye-popping, low-tech animated video is pretty cool and worth taking several views.

Fashion Bish: Gisele Bundchen And Ryan Barrett For Versace

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:06:32 PST

Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen and male model Ryan Barrett are the stars of Versace's spring/summer 2012 campaign photographed by Mert & Marcus. Styling by Joe McKenna and David Bradshaw, with creative direction by Giovanni Bianco.

Fashion Bish: Made In Brazil Magazine Issue #4

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 04:29:08 PST

The latest issue of "Made in Brazil" has been released and here are some exclusive pictures from Models.com.

"Can you handle the heat? Made in Brazil is back and better than ever, with a brand new line up of beautiful boys for you to experience. Number 4 comes in two volumes, one shot in NYC by Stewart Shining and a full supplement shot in Brazil by Cristiano Madureira, Fabio Bartelt, Hugo Toni, and Paulo Martinez. With Bruce Weber penning the intro and double the beauty for you to feast your eyes on who can resist?

Inside you’ll find Alexandre Verga, Anderson Weisheimer, Bruce Machado, Caio César, Diego Miguel, Evandro Soldati, Fabrício Bach, Francisco Lachowski, Leonardo Windlin, twins Marcio and Marcos Patriota, Marlon Teixeira, Mateus Lages, Rafael Lazzini, and Rodrigo Calazans. The supplement features Alexandre Cunha, Anderson Weisheimer, Bruno Gassen, Celso Carvalho, David Chaloub, Diego Miguel, Douglas Venhold, Evandro Soldati, Igor Monteiro, Leonardo Alberici, Lucas Bernardini, Miro Moreira, Raphael Lacchine, Ricardo Figueiredo, Ronaldo Martins, Thomaz Oliveira, and Yuri Bex all in clothing optional situations. You know you love it".

Limited edition of 1,000 numbered copies.Order your own copy of Made In Brazil No.4 here. All orders are shipped from Brazil available now. Estimated delivery for US is about 15 days. $40, US (here).

Fashion Bish: The Queen of Hip-Hop – V Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:33:36 PST

Models Anais Mali, Cora Emmanuel, Rob Evans, Travone Hill & Chrishell Stubbs take a trip back to the late 199o’s, early 200o’s, bringing the vibrancy and flamboyance of the Hip Hop fashion movement into the now in "The Queen of Hip Hop" for V Magazine Spring 2012 . Photographed by Sebastian Faena and styling by Carlyne Cerf De Dudzeele, known for mixing street style with high fashion, outfits the crew in over the top looks, bold colors, baggy pants, shiny jackets, fanny packs and an excess of gold jewelry. The stylist shares: "I love girls that men want to follow in the street—glamorous, sexy, powerful. You’re born with it, it’s not something you learn. I have always been obsessed by hip-hop. L’attitude is always right."

Fashion Bish: Santigold For V Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 03:32:01 PST

Santigold is featured in "Black and Gold" for the new issue of V Magazine, photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin. In the article, she talks her upcoming album, taking control of her music and more.

Cody Critcheloe: Who did you work with on the record?

Santigold: It was a very lonely process. I worked with Greg Kurstin on three songs, Switch on several songs, and Dave Sitek [of TV on the Radio] on one song. I worked with Nick Zinner [of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs] a bunch on writing and he played too.

How do you go about songwriting?

I write to the music. The lyrics came slowly on this record.

Why do you think that was?

It was about learning to trust myself. I also had expectations. Never have those! Everyone I worked with before was in a different headspace. I had to get past that. That’s why I started writing with Nick, and it started being cool and fun.

So was that the turning point?

That was when it was like, I just want to work with who I want. We recorded in Jamaica for a little while and finally some lyrics started to come to me. I think that time really colored the record.

Do you meticulously oversee every aspect?

Yeah, I’m really hands-on with everything. It’s the difference between an artist and a plain pop star, right?

Don’t you compete within that realm on some level?

Do you really want to know how I compete on that level? I think I am looked at by people as a peer but in reality I’m like a stepchild. I’m trying to be like that on my own terms and everyone respects it, but it doesn’t make the money. You’ve always got to come harder than everybody, but with less.

But that’s what makes it cool. It’s easy to hire a stylist with a ton of clothes, and say “Let’s use all of it!”

I once interviewed Debbie Harry and she said, “Every artist is influenced by something.” The trick is to filter it through yourself so it has your personal stamp. The difference is when someone takes something and it has nothing to do with them at all, but they copy it. Why are people so short-sighted right now?

Probably because it’s easy and it’s encouraged.

No one wants to be real anymore. Wikipedia is always wrong. No one fact checks and it’s not even a priority. Reality TV is more popular than ever, and it’s the fakest thing ever. Where is there place for truth in all of that? My record is called Master of My Make-Believe because I want it to be about creating your own reality. I have a song called “The Keepers”: “we’re the keepers, while we sleep in America our house is burning down.” It’s about how if we accept this then that’s what it is. We’ve got to fix it.

Is that, in your opinion, the overall feeling of the record?

I connect with music that makes me feel alive, or a sense of possibility. Music is powerful. If I go out and I’m watching a show and it’s really good, all I want to do is go home and work on music. It’s a backhanded motivation when something is really good. I want my music to be that for people. I want it to be an initiator of something compelling, to set something in motion.

Fashion Flashback: Chad White For Dorian Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 06:27:32 PST

Male supermodel Chad White was featured in the 9th issue of Dorian magazine in the Summer of 2010, photographed by Joseph Sinclair with styling by Graham Cruz and grooming by Lauren Baker. Chad White was Superman for a day, donning garments from KTZ, Gemma Slack, Asger Juel Larsen, Qasimi and others.

Interview: Marsha Ambrosius

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 02:01:31 PST

Grey Goose’s "Rising Icons" recently caught up with Grammy nominated songstress Marsha Ambrosius, during the interview she opened up about her career. Starting with being nurtured by her parents to moving to Philadelphia, and then working with Michael Jackson all in the span of several years, Marsha's story is rather remarkable and a testament to hard work. Watch the in-depth interview below.

New Video: Lianne La Havas - "Forget"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:33:54 PST

In December last year, the BBC announced it`s list of artists to watch out for in 2012 and British singer-songwriter,multi-instrumentalist Lianne La Havas is one of them, she was born into a family of musicians and lovers of soul music, Lianne has grown into a cradle with toy instruments purposely placed to draw your attention. Today, aged 22, she is preparing to release her yet untitled debut album sometime this year via Warner Bros. The beautiful songstress has just premiered her music video for her new single titled "Forget", taken from her recently released EP with the same name. The track is a fantastic up-tempo track featuring stunning vocals, singing about love. Loving the new pop arrangement on this one. The playfully and beautiful video was directed by Danny Sangra,which allows us to focus on her.

Beyonce And Christina Aguilera Pay Tribute To Etta James

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 07:30:52 PST

Christina Aguilera and Beyonce are the latest in a long line of celebrities paying tribute to Etta James. They took to their websites to offer their condolences and adoration for the late singer.

"This is a huge loss. Etta James was one of the greatest vocalists of our time. I am so fortunate to have met such a queen. Her musical contributions will last a lifetime. Playing Etta James taught me so much about myself, and singing her music inspired me to be a stronger artist. When she effortlessly opened her mouth, you could hear her pain and triumph. Her deeply emotional way of delivering a song told her story with no filter. She was fearless, and had guts. She will be missed."-Beyonce

"Etta James was a force to be reckoned with. A true gift to music and a woman of great spirit and courage. Her raw tone and the passion she put forth on a record spoke to me at a very young age and has continued to influence and inspire me throughout my career. She will NEVER be forgotten, her voice will forever live on and she will inspire talent for generations to come."- Christina

Music Gem: Solange Featuring Bilal -"Cosmic Journey"

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:25:22 PST

Back in 2008 singer-songwriter Solange Knowles released her sophomore album titled"Sol-Angel And The Hadley St. Dreams" and it became one of my favorite albums released that year. The album featured a distinct sonic quality that mixed 60s and 70s classic soul with techno and electric-synth pop of the 80s. One of the standout tracks from the set is Solange's soulful opus with Bilal titled "Cosmic Journey."

R.I.P Etta James , 1938 - 2012

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:25:34 PST

Legendary soul singer Etta James has sadly died at at 73 after a long battle with leukemia. With dozens of hits beginning with the 1950's James became one of the most revered vocalists of her generation. James will be remembered for timeless songs such as "At Last", "All I Could Do Was Cry","I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Tell Mama". During her career she received awards that demonstrated the breadth of her impact, including six Grammys, 17 Blues Music Awards and inductions into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Blues Hall of Fame and the Grammy Hall of Fame. James will remain an essential figure in 20th century popular music and will be missed.

"This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world. She was a true original who could sing it all — her music defied category. I worked with Etta for over 30 years. She was my friend and I will miss her always."-Her friend and manager Lupe De Leon.

You Are Your Own Masterpiece!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:01:23 PST

By Chris Assaad

The path of personal and spiritual development is a continual process. Though many of us believe that when we get to this goal or that achievement, we will be fully satisfied, there is no real defined end to the journey. There is no point at which we will look around at all we have accomplished or who we have become and say: “Ok, that’s good. I’m done now.”

In light of this, it’s very easy to get tunnel vision and to get caught up in the constant push towards some future-based destination. Having goals and a vision is a great thing and it helps to keep us focused, motivated and on track. At the same time, it’s important to take a step back every now and then to acknowledge our victories, to look at how far we’ve come and appreciate all that we are and have in this moment. That’s the fuel that keeps the engine going and without it, our whole lives can become an endless pursuit of something that we will never even get to enjoy when we’ve attained it.

For the past couple of months, I’ve been fully immersed in the process of recording my second album. I’ve poured my heart and soul into it and have had to make a number of sacrifices along the way to stay on track in meeting a fairly tight deadline. In the final stretch, the process has involved very critical listening to ensure that everything was sounding as awesome as possible. As I was driving to the final recording session, I was listening to a working version of one of the songs and it hit me like a ton of bricks! For the first time in months, I actually heard the music that I’d been working on so hard with appreciative ears and an open heart and it almost moved me to tears.

Now you might be thinking that only some kind of ego maniac could be so emotionally affected by their own music! The truth is that what really got to me in that moment was the realization that I’d been so busy trying to get it perfect and get it done that I forgot to take a step back and just let it in, to really appreciate the fruits of my labor, to stop and smell the roses as the saying goes. We can live our whole lives this way and forget to stop every once in a while to take it all in, to acknowledge our efforts, to honor all that we have become and achieved, to say thank you.

So maybe you’re working your butt off to lose twenty pounds. That’s great but don’t forget to acknowledge and thank yourself for the five that you’ve already shed. Or maybe you’re working on your own masterpiece and are knee deep in the process. Don’t forget to put the pen, the brush or the instrument down every once in a while and allow yourself to look and listen with kind eyes and ears on what you’ve done so far.

We are all our own masterpieces in progress and it helps to remember that we will never be perfect, that the process never ends and that it’s important to find the balance between striving and thriving, between doing and being, between improving and appreciating.

In that spirit, take a moment to step back and have a look at what you’ve accomplished, how far you’ve come and who you’ve become through all of your efforts and experiences. Give yourself the gift of acknowledgement by leaving a comment and sharing with the rest of us. It might be something as simple as a positive attribute you’ve worked on, a good deed you did or a bad habit you’ve kicked. Whatever it is, big or small, let’s celebrate our victories together and encourage one another as we walk the path towards our greatness and our dreams.

THIS Is The Most Powerful Human Quality!!!

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:21:51 PST

By Mastin Kipp

I'm paraphrasing, but one of my favorite authors (Caroline Myss) in one of my favorite books ("Sacred Contracts") said that the most powerful human quality is choice. She says that choice is actually more powerful than Love because we get to CHOOSE to BE LOVE. Love is not a state of happiness all the time. Love is a dedication to see and Love the light and the dark. Not just be on a chemical high in the early stages of romance. Love is a verb and we get to choose TO Love.

This brings me to the topic of today, which is choice.

Many mystical teachings will tell you that you are 100% responsible for your circumstances. Now - I'm not sure I am totally on board with that assessment because it's hard to think about starving children and believe that they chose that, or that someone would "choose" to be violated or taken advantage of or worse. I think life is a combination of events, outside of our control, happening, plus our taking independent action to change the events, or the meaning of the events, to empower us.

So, I'm not going to say that we are 100% responsible for the events of our lives. But I will say that we are at least 80% responsible for the circumstances of our lives, and that boils down to choice. Sure, crazy things happen, sometimes even "evil" things happen; but once they happen, how WE deal with them will determine the outcome. And every moment we are choosing our way into the next moment, and in every moment, as things happen we are giving those events a meaning. And when we become aware of the fact that we are choosing ourselves into every moment and that our minds are the meaning makers of our lives, we get to see the MAJOR role we play in how our lives turn out.

Sure, tragedies happen. But some people thrive afterwards and some don't. Why? It's because each person gave the event a different meaning. Some people have abusive parents and then become abusive parents. Some people have abusive parents and then never abuse their children because they don't want them to go through the same torment.

Throughout our lives, many of us will face circumstances that seem unfair, painful and traumatic. And, in the moment, that is true. But as we grow and evolve, we get to see that once we accept what happened, we now have the power of choice to be able to redefine the meaning of the event. Was it GRACE or was it a disaster? Was is the worst thing that happened to you or was it an amazing lesson? Was it a tragedy or an opportunity for you to be able to see how Loving you can be? Was it a dark chapter in your life or was it that the events had to happen in order for you to discover your Light?

When we realize we are the meaning makers of our lives, it doesn't mean that everything was/is or will be honky dory. But it does mean that we can accept and eventually rise above our circumstances because we realize at our essence we are a Soul that is unlimited and that we have the power to CHOOSE how we are going to respond, interpret and live our lives.

Remember, I said, gnarly sh*t happens and until the human race evolves collectively to a point where we see how INSANE some of our actions are, those of us who are on The Path can rise above this insanity and start being the presence of Love on the planet that we were born to be.

Black And Blue...

noreply@blogger.com (ZION`OLOGY) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 06:23:35 PST

By Alysia Harris And Jasmine Mans

I know a group of women who eulogize ex-lovers in tattoos

Their pain paints it in hues

Saying when you loved me, you left a bad taste in my skin

Bruises on my chin

Bitter kiss,bloody lips.

So I don’t speak much anymore

He has a way of playing tug of war with the woman in her.

As his knuckles stutter down her spine

I wanna tell the girl sitting next to her boyfriend

Praying for invisibility.

That the reflection she sees of herself is the god in him

I wanna tell her

Your boyfriend has fumbling palms

And he loves like he was born with his umbilical cord tied around his neck

And giving him your heart to stand on will never make a man of him.

Just a taller boy

Later when she cleans up the mess he’s made of her

And climbs into bed in heartbreak

She will shiver

Violent as a teacup in an earthquake.

Asking God, why do you make boys that like to unmake girls in the small of a backroom romance?

Boys that like to tinker, like to beat her

Like an inconsistent Mr-Fix-it-man

She used to call them Edward Scissor-hands.

Because when she finally tied herself together with the ribbon of self-respect she had left

He’d always come around and cut the strings

She stopped searching for monsters in her closet.

When she realized they are brave enough to lie next to you

Sweaty with the stench of another woman’s perfume

We are always taught to watch our feet near broken glass

But she has been chasing pavements.

Bloody and barefoot for as long as she can remember

I wanna tell the boy sitting next to his girlfriend

Who wants nothing more than to shrink like a city from the shadow of an ascending airplane

I wanna tell him

Do not build up her sandcastles

Knowing the wave in you.

She is a battered beach

You a floodplain lover

Decisive only in your breach

Those sandbags under her eyes

Are from all the times you kissed her too hard.

After years of erosions.

Will her face still be her own?

You have a way making sunsets of her eyelids when the nighttime holds you captive

Broken turns “I love yous” into firebombs.

Resurrections into sleepy hollows

Boy sitting sure and pompous of your force

Like a sleeper volcano.

Why collapse already islands?

Your eruptions, they only rock the ones who

Worship at your feet.

The price she pays to stand hand in hand with a natural disaster.

He is a suicide bomber with no God to run to,

All he has is destruction

And a handicapped heartbeat.

He plays little drummer boy with her broken bones

And he always likes the crescendos best

He is an Icarus of a boy.

Who has sacrificed his soul to a world

That only knew how to collapse on him

But she is not an ocean meant to break his fall

Candlestick legs and a face made of wax.

He fancies himself a match

So he only finds the joy in watching her melt

Just look at her welts.

And I know you’ve kept silent for so long

But it’s time to let the bruises speak for themselves.