Just Passing Along Wisdom

Just sharing with you - one of the worlds great spiritual guides -
 hoping you benefit from this Post in some small way.
HAVE A BLESSED DAY

Dear MaaKheper-Ast Zakiyyah, I spent a few hours in prison last month... And I learned some powerful lessons too. Don't worry, I wasn't in trouble or anything. No need to bail me out! I was on a spiritual mission with my friend and mentor, Baba Femi. He was invited to give a talk on African spirituality to a small group of inmates at Folsom State Prison, and I went along to support him. To tell you the truth... I was struck by how warmly the brothers received us. They went out of their way to make us feel comfortable. That surprised me, touched me. It made me realize how much society has conditioned us to loathe and fear our brothers and sisters who are behind bars for one reason or another. But the danger is that when you no longer see the humanity in others, you lose a bit of your humanity too. There was zero hostility during our visit to Folsom. Instead, what we experienced was an outpouring of love and respect. As you can imagine, they hardly get any visitors. So the mere fact that we showed up was a rare treat for them. They felt honored and loved. And we felt empowered... This brings me to the first point. One way to feel more empowered is to spend time trying to empower others. Just share who you are, what you've learned, or what you believe.

A few brothers spoke of their spiritual journey... How they found Ifa in prison.  And how the spirits of the ancestors would come to visit, to give them strength and support. I did a lot of reflecting at Folsom. I thought about:  How every moment counts and one shouldn't take anything for granted. Even in the darkest of circumstances one can still find glimmers of hope. The most important thing isn't what happened to you, it's all about what you're gonna do next. But what struck me the most was something the prison chaplain said. I hope I never forget it. He said words are so powerful that just one word, the right word, of course, can change someone's life forever. So there you go... You have a lot more power than you realize. We all do.   You can change lives if you know what to say and how to say it. Knowing when to say it is important too. What kind of words have been coming out of your mouth lately?  Are they helping you? Are they helping anyone? Don't abuse your power. Use it wisely.  Someone, somewhere is in need of your help. Think about it... Until our next time. Blessings! James Weeks Producer/Across The King's River