Tag: Spirit

It’s Christmas, don’t forget The Christ

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by, Nadirah Aqueelah Shakir

Make your holiday, holy.

People are breaking the bank for gifts for loved ones and friends. It’s a nice sentiment. The night air on Christmas eve was filled with beats and lyrics of all kind. I didn’t hear gospel though. People are celebrating what’s known today as Christmas, which is symbolic of the birth of Christ. Some say it’s Jesus’s birthday. However, if you study enough, you may discover that Jesus wasn’t born in December. That’s neither here nor there. What is here, even though the physical body of Jesus is not, is the Christ.

The Christ was here before Jesus awakened to it, and it will be here until the end of what we know as time. So, what is the Christ? The Christ is the perfect idea of man in the Mind of God. The Christ is the divine pattern, unblemished and untarnished which God originally intended for man before there was what we refer to as sin of any kind. The Christ is the Mind which beholds no sin. The Christ is the perfection and purity of the highest thought.

So, on these holidays, which I wholeheartedly view as an opportunity for spiritual reflection and treat as holy days (first and foremost), it is so important to align oneself and one’s thoughts with the spiritual meaning, and the symbolic or metaphysical meaning of the day that we celebrate.

On Christmas there is often the exchange of gifts. People set up trees and decorate them with ornaments. Some people put lights on their house, and they set out cookies for Santa to eat as he comes down the chimney. But what if you don’t have a chimney? What if you are glucose intolerant or challenged with a sugar addiction? What if financially in this season you cannot afford to buy gifts, or trees, or add another hundred or two to the light bill to put up lights? What do you do then?

You celebrate your Christ by acknowledging the spiritual gifts that The Father of Lights have encoded within you from birth. Set the intention to become aware of your spiritual gifts. Spiritual giftedness goes beyond anything material that we can buy. Sharing our spiritual gifts often fulfil us in ways that no amount of cookies and milk can. Each time we connect within and acknowledge our spiritual gifts, we water the roots of our spiritual tree and grow robust and heavenly.

Every thought that we have in recognition to our spiritual gifts waters our spiritual tree. When we share our spiritual gifts, we light up our lives; but we also light up the consciousness of another human being, thereby lighting up the planet—the whole house of God. This makes The Father of lights happy. I believe Jesus smiles at this as well, as he proclaimed that we would not only do the works that he did, but greater.

So…if we are celebrating Christmas or the birth of the Christ let us remember The Christ, and the perfect ideas in which it contains. Some of my favorite spiritual gifts are Faith, Strength, Judgment, Love, Power, Imagination, Understanding, Will, Order, Zeal, Elimination, and Life. I invite you this Christmas to meditate on The Christ and these divine ideas and lean into what they mean for you. I also invite you to look at your loved ones, friends, and family, and see the prefect idea in the Mind of God in which you feel they represent. Share it with them before you give them their material gift or after, as I realize that some of us may have already opened our gifts this early morning. Celebrate, laugh, be merry, do all the things, but don’t forget The Christ. Become one with that idea. We all encoded with the Christ pattern. How are we using our spiritual gifts? Where is our consciousness? Merry Christmas, and because I am who I AM, Happy Hanukkah. Happy Kwanza, and the Happiest gifted New Year.

The Spiritual & Physical Gift of Your Running Pace

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I love running. It’s my favorite exercise. I started running when I was 16, and 170 plus pounds. If I had to go anywhere within a 10 mile radius, and I knew I could carry the things that I purchased home, I’d foot it. I found running to be some what of a “moving meditation.” It was just me talking to me, me thinking, me praying, me focusing on my breath, and me focusing on each and every step. I wasn’t fast when I first started running. I wouldn’t even call myself fast today, unless I intentionally sprint. In fact when I started my running regimen I had to work through all types of complications. If it wasn’t the wrong sneakers, it was the extra weight aggravating my joints. If it wasn’t my joints it was the scraps of my sports bra bruising my chest and shoulders because of the friction. I didn’t stop running though. I continued, and made adjustments along the way, because I had a goal. Some days I would walk instead of run. Sometimes I would walk and run. I’d trot; and on those really good days I would run like the wind.

A running regimen is reminiscent of the ebb and flow of life. We have really, really, good days. We have okay days. We have those days when all we can do is put one foot in front of the other, and on some days we may feel the need to take several breaks in between, and it may seem like we didn’t cover any ground at all. Progress is always being made just as long as we continue to move forward. I lost 40 plus pounds on a running regimen alone…and a healthy diet of course. Once I lost the weight my running pace became faster, and easier. My sports bras no longer bruise me, my joints feel fine, and my breathing is almost like song. It’s strong and steady. Praise God! Today I can afford to be flexible regarding my running pace because I know what works for me and my body. I know that 60 minutes running at my personal pace will burn 700 plus calories and I’ll maintain my weight. However, if I want to change my weight or the shape of my body I know I need to step on the gas!

If we can think of life as running regimen or a marathon then we can comprehend that although there may be other runners next to us on the treadmill, or on the street, the marathon of life is really about us. It’s about how far we can go. It’s about how many steps we can take toward our goal. It’s about finding the right fit (shoes AND sports bra) that is comfortable for us. It’s about knowing that when we decide that we want anything on our personal journery, i.e. our marathon, all we have to do is change our pace or change our path—speed it up—slow it down—keep going left—or bust a right. It’s your journey, so perfect your stride while you run the race, and stay focused on your personal pace.

As always, every runner should take time to care for themselves, and experienced runners know this!Nurture your inner spirit My memoir Before You Work Out, Exercise might help, http://bookstore.iuniverse.com/Products/SKU-000141255/Before-You-Work-Out-Exercise.aspx. Care for your physical body as well. Do you foam roll? Every runner should! For more on foam rolling follow this link:https://nadibody.wordpress.com/2013/11/16/the-benefits-of-foam-rolling/! Blessings!

Wishing you Strength with your pace and Clarity on your path, Nadirah A. Shakir

Learn To Love Your Period

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Learn To Love Your Period. It is NOT a Disease.

I was getting my eye brows waxed the other day in the nail shop when I over heard a conversation that a mother and daughter was having. “This damn pill ain’t working,” the daughter hissed at her mother. The mother looking empathetically at her daughter begin flipping through her purse in search of a STRONGER pill. “Here take two of these,” the mother said, handing the pills to her daughter. I dropped my head so low I almost messed up my wax job. The daughter swallowed the two pills and settled herself in the chair next to me waiting for the comfort of the pills to kick in as nail tech started to clip away at her cuticles. I looked at her, and she looked back at me. I smiled empathetically, and she opened—“I hate my period!” I smiled again, understanding that most women feel this way. I wanted to say so much to her, but I could tell she was frustrated. I could also tell that she had become accustomed to taking drugs to minimized her menstrual cramps and other symptoms that may be due to her monthly menses. So I held my tongue.

I remember back in high school when I used to get cramps associated with my period. On one particular day I told my physical education instructor that I would not be participating in any physical activities because I was cramping. HE told me that exercise, and foods rich in minerals especially potassium, would off-set menstrual cramps. In other words he was telling me that my cycle was not an excuse to sit out an entire class period. I listened to my instructor and I went into the locker room and got dressed and then got physical. In almost no time my cramps were gone, and I didn’t cramp at all any more that month. After I noticed the difference I began to get more active as a way of life, and must say that even today I do not have menstrual cramps, very little water retention unless my diet is completely off target, and my period is still regular. I DO, however have chocolate cravings, so I will treat myself to some dark chocolate during my cycle, but that’s about it.

All of the hormonal craziness that is believed to be associated with our period is really NOT craziness at all. Essentially this “craziness” is really womens’ intuition, and spiritual and emotional connectedness to herself and her surroundings. When a woman is on her period she is more intuned with herself, nature, and the Holy Spirit. This craziness is not really craziness at all, but is a surge of spiritual/kundalini energy that is emerging from her womb and circulating through AND out of her body, and yes I do experience this. Most women, like my sisters in the nail shop have not been taught that their period is a blessing as opposed to a curse, so they buy into and believe that they are “crazy” at this time, when in fact they are more in tune with them-selves and the world around them. In addition to that, most women have not been taught how to harness that kundalini energy around the time of their cycles so they become scattered and thrown off kilter. It is wise for women to take special care of them selves year round, but especially during their periods. Moderate exercise, prayer, meditation, deep breathing, back, hand, and feet massages are wonderful during this time, and a diet rich in minerals can do well to comfort the spirit of women on their menses, and yes, eating dark chocolate under a beautifully lit moon will do wonders for grounding your energy and calming your mind. So…the next time your period comes on rub your tummy and welcome it, and if you have a significant other have them rub your tummy, and then rub your feet and welcome it too!

Blessings, Nadirah A. Shakir

Getting Physical for Equilibrium

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Many people use exercise as a way to distress, and get or keep themselves in alignment. It’s no wonder that as soon as life takes an unexpected turn and things get off normal track, many people find their way back by revamping a schedule that incorporates some type of physical fitness. “I just feel better after a really good workout,” is the mantra that is often heard after a long run, an intense weight training session, or a grounding yoga class. Why is this so? Why do people just feel so darn good after a workout? There are many reasons why, but perhaps the most fundamental reason why people feel so good after a workout is because they have done what is absolutely natural. They have nurtured themselves on all levels—mind, body, and spirit. They have made the mind body connection by thinking about and then performing the exercise, and they have refreshed the spirit through breath. Although physical exercise may appear to be just physical or external it is not. When entered into consciously exercise/physical activity becomes a powerful avenue for healing and restoring balance. So, the next time you opt to push your workout to the bottom of your list of “things to do” remember that exercise is not only good for the body, it does wonders for clearing and aligning the mind, and rejuvenating the spirit.