The Violet Flame

The Violet Flame

If you have read Achieving Success, you know that overcoming blocks and obstacles is the first part of my 3-Step Success Formula.

In order to move towards success, and move towards achieving our goals, we first need to start removing some of our blocks – removing some of what is getting in our way.

I recently completed a Reiki Master training with Suzanne Zacharia. Suzanne is a great trainer, whom I trust. I have been working with her for many years as she is also an EFT practitioner.

As part of Reiki Master training, Suzanne gave me a violet flame attunement. I didn't know anything about the violet flame – this is all new to me.

Since then, I have been reading about the violet flame. The best book I have found is called Transform Your Life with the Violet Flame.

The violet flame helps us to transmute negative energy into positive energy – which is Step One in my 3-Step Success Formula!

Transform Your Life with the Violet Flame explains how we can connect with the violet flame and use it to eliminate negativity, to transform difficult situations into more positive ones. We can use the violet flame in work situations, with relationships, and to clear spaces. There are many more ways to use the violet flame. I strongly recommend this book, it can help you in many different areas of your life.

Transform Your Life with the Violet Flame is very easy to read, understand and apply. It is very practical, which is one of the reasons why I like it.

It is available from Amazon.co.uk here.

Or from Amazon.com here.

Click here to contact me for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Here's to your success!

Black Success: How to Get the Results You Want

Listen below for How to Get the Results You Want.  

How much do you want your life to improve? How much do you really want it? Want more money? Want more customers? Want to build your business? More time? More freedom?

How much do you really want it? Do you really want to bring about positive change in your life? If so, contact me for a FREE consultation with no obligation.

Click here for Success Strategies for Black People.

Click here for more Black Success audios with Zhana.

Kwanzaa 2015 Celebrations

It's that tme of year again!  I am listing Kwanzaa celebrations on my site.  These include Kwanzaa events across the United States and in Canada, Britain and Johannesburg, South Africa. 

I also have background information on the origins and meaning of Kwanzaa.  Enjoy! 

Please share this with your networks. 

Happy Kwanzaa! 

The Real “Ferguson Effect”

Laquan McDonald

As we know, institutional racism is still a problem in many police forces across Britain and the U.S.A.  

Many young Black people believe they will die before they reach the age of 21.  

We need to equip our young people - and adults - with the skills to be able to transform violent situations.  NVC (Nonviolent Communication) is transformative.  We need to be focusing on solutions.  

For more about NVC, click here for my interview with Ike Lasater, author of From Conflict to Connection.  

And this article about NVC. 


Plus click here for books about NVC.  

Check out the original article: This is the real “Ferguson effect”: Black death, white “safety” & the growing hopelessness among young people of color.  

The Argument-Free Marriage

Greetings, all.  I just saw this great article, The Argument-Free Marriage.  It links to the above video with Fawn Weaver. 

What she is saying is very similar to what we do with NVC, but in NVC we would say, first connect with your own feelings and needs, then connect with the other person's and only then express your feelings and needs. 

If you connect with the other person's feelings and needs, they are much more likely to be open to yours.  This works in all different kinds of relationships, not just marriages. 

Anyway, this is a great video. Enjoy! 

Please share this with your networks and please leave a comment below.

Click here for more about NVC. 

African History: Invasion 1897

My blog post, a review of the film Invasion 1897, was published on Africa on the Blog some time ago.  Click here to read it.   

You have probably heard of the Benin bronzes - artefacts which were stolen from Africa and added to collections around the world.  Some of the Benin bronzes are on display in the British Museum.   

The Benin bronzes contain the record of a people and its history and culture.  

Invasion 1897 portrays the invasion and colonisation of Benin in West Africa in 1897.  Benin was known for being a very advanced civilisation with its own unique culture.  It is now part of Nigeria.  

Click here to read my blog post.  Please leave a comment on my blog, and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

For more about the devastating long-term effects of European colonisation on African countries, see: Black People in the First World War.

8 Ways To Get POSITIVE Results

Derrick Hayes

 By Encouragement Speaker Derrick Hayes

This blog post is part of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2015.  

With all the negativity that is surrounding us each day, we need more positive outlets to plug into. Through the word POSITIVE I give you 8 Ways To Get POSITIVE Results.

(P) is for Pause. When you see something that is not right or in your best interests, stop before you proceed. Take a break and collect your thoughts so you can take the right actions. Always remember to pause for the cause.

(O) is for Own. When you own your own business. As an entrepreneur, it gives you more of an incentive to go to work. As an employee, you get taxed without having the benefits of being a sole proprietor where you can receive takes breaks .As a homeowner,  you get takes breaks that you don’t get as a renter.

(S) is for Stay. One way to stay positive is to stay who you are. If you are already positive, remember to stay humble. Stay alert so that you will stay out of trouble.

(I) is for Include. When you plan an activity, invite other positive people to be a part of your event. The group can feed off each other. When one is in doubt another can help them out.

(T) is for Think. Keep grinning and winning by thinking like a winner and not a beginner. When situations come up again, think about how you made it through the last time.

(I) is for Improve. Analyze your life before others do. Take a class or even ask someone how you can get better. Seeing growth is a great way to look forward to a bright future.

(V) is for View. When others look for the worst in others, look for the best things that they bring to the table. See how you can turn negative into positive instead of keeping negative situations negative.

(E) is for Expect. Expect things to be positive in your life. When you hope for the best, things work out better for you. Keep expecting and protecting your dream to come true.

Each day, strive to be POSITIVE where you Pause, Own, Stay, Include, Think, Improve, View and Expect great results.

For more about Derrick, see:  DerrickHayes.com. 

One Heart, One Cry

By Skywalker Payne

This blog post is part of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.

Do not cry out for vengeance or justice.
Neither exist in this world of appearance.

Listen and understand
we are all nothing and everything
we are all one pulsing breathing heart.

Our blood flows like rivers to a
sea of violence we’ve created
with our thoughts, words
and actions strike like
axes destroying ancient trees.

Do not think yours is the only heart broken.
Do not think yours are the only eyes
blinded by tears that cannot stop
watching the life light fade from your child’s body.

No monopoly on grief exists.
No black privilege on pain
or Gazan Syrian or Israeli.

Who wrote a poem for the Nigerian girls
kidnapped and forced to be suicide bombers
for a shadow entity
given free reign by African and Western
governments.

I hear the sound of oil rigs and blasting of mines
Africa continues to be raped
and Gazans remain expendable pawns in
the ongoing power struggle between the West and
the Arabs who failed to achieve unity
an English man named Lawrence
fought for 100 years ago.

And here in the USA have we forgotten
the history of the police, always the servants
of the wealthy status quo?

Remember, police beat the heads of white
union organizers and imprison white people
seeking equality, justice, and peace.
Even theatre was called Communist when
ignorant elected “public servants” so decreed.

Police violence is inflicted with
hateful malice on black, brown,
red, and yellow people.

Know your history to create a new path.
We have an obligation to transform the world.
Time to create new stories.

We must unite with everyone’s
heart broken by grief from violence.

Our hearts are huge enough to forgive and to comfort.

Our minds vast potential holds solutions
to end bigotry, hatred, envy, greed,
pride, and ignorance.

This is a 21st century non-violent battle cry.

Let it begin now with our light
of courageous, caring consciousness.

 

Copyright © 2015 Skywalker Payne 

Please share this with your networks.  Thanks.   

For more poetry by Skywalker, see: http://skywalkerstorytellerworks.com 

For more about her work, see:  http://skywalkerpayne.com

8 Books about NVC

As you may know, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is one of the methods I feature in my book Success Strategies for Black People.

For more about Success Strategies, check out my Black Success audios.

See also:  War on the Black Community?

Click here for more books about NVC.  Many of these are featured in the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.

If you have not read these, you need to add them to your reading list.  Learn how you can connect with your own feelings and needs - and those of others - to bring about positive change. 

Enjoy!

Please share this post with your networks.

Black Lives Matter - Is There an Age Gap?

Rev. Barbara Reynolds

I had the pleasure of speaking with veteran Civil Rights activist Rev. Barbara Reynolds, and Latara Jones of Black Women for Positive Change.  Listen below.

This blog is part of the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2015.  

As I am sure you know, the Black Lives Matter Movement was born as a response to the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and other Black people for whose deaths no one has been convicted. Some older African Americans, such as Rev. Barbara Reynolds, question their methods.  Latara Jones talks about the need for us to communicate across generations, and respect each other's experience and wisdom.

How can older and younger activists work together?  How can we take responsibiity for the violence in our homes and families?  Listen below.

Please share this with your networks, and please leave your comments below. 



Click here for practical ways to move from conflict to connection.

Click here for more blogs from the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence.

Conversation with Karen Carrington and Reverend Sauls

Pastor Kelvin Sauls

Listen below for my conversation with Karen Carrington and Rev. Sauls. 

Can nonviolence offer us real solutions?  

I recently spoke with Karen Carrington of Black Women for Positive Change, and Rev. Kelvin Sauls, Pastor of Holman United Methodist Church, Los Angeles, CA about the Week for Nonviolence 2015.  You can hear our conversation below. 

Rev. Sauls is originally from South Africa, where he experienced life under apartheid.  

The Week for Nonviolence 2015 will be held October 17th-23rd.  Please join us to help  change the culture of violence worldwide.  

Click here to listen to it.   

Click here for the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence. 

War on the Black Community?

Militarised Police - Does This Reassure You? 

Listen below to this blog post.  Please also check out the links below.

I believe the Black community, and Black communities around the world, are under attack and have been for many years. That is my opinion. And I want to know what you think. So please add your comments below after you have listened to this post. 

When our Black communities are thriving and prospering, every community will thrive and prosper.  Everyone will benefit.  Listen below for more.  Please leave your comments below and please share this with your networks. 

We need to use PRACTICAL solutions to bring about positive change and transformation.  

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Success Strategies for Black People 

What They Don't Want Us to Know 

More about What They Don't Want Us to Know

Why We Need to Heal 

590 Black Deaths in Police Custody 

Cancer Journals  

The Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence  

Anonymous Says Sandra Bland Was Murdered. 

 

The Sowetan – Jumping the Border for Water

The Sowetan - Jumping the Border for Water

The Sowetan newspaper reports Botswanan women routinely jump the border with South Africa in order to collect water for their families.  You may be able to access it here at The Sowetan e-edition: http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

This is an artificial border first erected in 1933, which divided a community called Mabule in Botswana .  Now half of Mabule is in South Africa, but the other half is still in Botswana. And they need water. They cross the barbed wire border every day to get it. 

I don't remember hearing about this in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.   

As you may know, during the European colonisation of Africa, many artificial borders were set up and they often divided communities. There are people in Mabule in Botswana who are now living in a different country from their relatives – all because of an artificial border.

Similar things have happened all over Africa. And this is still affecting people to this day.

Think about the devastation that is being wrought by Boko Haram in Northern Nigeria and reflect on how much of this can be traced to the fact that areas which are now banded together nationally as Nigeria were once separate territories, with their own poitical and economic systems. These existing systems were either eroded or destroyed in order to facilitiate the agendas of the European colonisers. For more about this, check out my blog post:  Invasion 1897.  

For more about the devastating long-term effects of the European colonisation of Africa, see: Black People in the First World War. 

Please share this with your networks.  Thanks.   

Global Networking for Black Business Owners

This is a re-purposing of this blog post. 

Click here to download More Black Success Volume 10, which includes interviews and articles by Black entrepreneurs and business experts on both sides of the pond including Melinda Emerson, Twitter's SmallBizLady.  .  

I am an African American woman based in London, and I meet people from all over the world. Many of us are facing similar difficulties and challenges. We have a shared history as African people and we have a great deal we can learn from each other.  

In my More Black Success free ebooks and the What U Need to Know radio show which I used to  co-present, our emphasis is on networking internationally as people of African heritage. 

Click here for some of my Black Success audios, to help you build your business. 

Historically, Black people have been taught to hate and mistrust each other as a way of controlling us. We need to overcome these barriers. We are all African people.

We are much stronger and more effective when we work together, for our common interests as African people.  

Click here for a great way to grow your business globally.

Click here to listen to a short audio recap on African Networking.

Harriet: A Choreopoem

 Check out this the short film based on an excerpt from my choreopoem, "Harriet", which depicts an imaginary meeting between Harriet Jacobs and Harriet Tubman.  You can watch it above. 

Plus "Harriet" is now available from the British Library.  This is the audio recording of the full-length choreopoem; above is a video directed by Keely Augustus, based on a short clip. 

Plus check out Soul Survivors:  Slave Narratives by Women.  

Please leave your comments below, and please share this with your networks.  Thanks.  

Cancer Journals Part 2

Gratitude - Cancer Journals

In case you missed them, here are my most recent Cancer Journals.  And just to be clear, my healing meditation is on its way.  See below for the previous Cancer Journals. 

Cancer Journal 6:  What Are Angels? - I've been doing a lot of work with angels and I am finding this highly beneficial - even though I'm not sure what angels even are. 

Cancer Journal 7:  EFT for Releasing Fear - In addition to anger, I've been experiencing a lot of fear.  Enormous, overwhelming fear.  I am sure this is natural under the circumstances. And I have effective ways of dealing with it.  

Cancer Journal 8:  A Healing Process - I am an Angry Black Woman.  What effect does this have on my health? 

Cancer Journal 9:  Managing the Pain - Or Not - I had a complete hysterectomy at the end of May.  I just could not believe the amount of pain I was in afterwards. 

Cancer Journal 10:  Gratitude, Our Healing - Gratitude can be an incredibly strong experience. 

Click here for more Cancer Journals.  

 

 

 

590 Black Deaths in Police Custody

Marcia Rigg Protest about the Death of Sean Rigg, London

Check out my previous blog posts:  Protecting Our Communities

We Need Solutions That Work. 

According to this article, 590 Black people in the UK have died in police custody.

This article fails to mention that some of the 500 people killed by the police, with impunity, were women. Some were disabled. Some were probably both. 

Call their names:  Cynthia Jarrett, Joy Gardner.   

Also, Cherry Groce was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life after being shot by the police in London.

This post appears to be pitting disadvantaged groups against each other. We need to stand together. I am Black, a woman and disabled. I have a problem with the way this site has posed the question, “If it was 590 women or 590 wheelchair users, would there be a national outcry?”.

All deaths in police custody need to be highlighted, awareness needs to be raised, but racism is something that affects Black people in every area of our lives, whether or not we are women or disabled. We need to keep highlighting this. 

These are just some of the many reasons why I am hosting the Blogging Carnival for Nonviolence 2015.   

Plus check out this blog from Naturally Moi:  The Woman Who Filmed the Eric Garner Killing Is Suing the NYPD.   

Please leave your comments below.  And please share this with your networks.  Thanks. 

Protecting Our Communities

Injustice Film on Deaths in Police Custody

Click here for a review of What They Don't Want Us to Know.
Listen below to my blog on Protecting Our Communities. 
One of the challenges we are facing at present is the killing of Black people by the police and the authorities.
This is just one of the reasons why I wrote What They Don't Want Us to Know along with some of my other books. We need to find effective methods to address these problems.  

Protecting Our Communities 



See also:  We Need Solutions that Work.  

Check Out Books Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Zhana21 on BlogTalkRadio

Click here to download Why We Need to Heal. 

Check out The Root on deaths in police custody: Ronald Singleton

Your Silence Will Not Protect You

Alice Walker

This lady said it:  "No person is your friend who demands your silence or denies your right to grow".  

And remember what Audre Lorde said:  "Your silence will not protect you.  My silence will not protect me".  

Our stories have been buried, distorted and misrepresented for too long.  We need to know our history and we need to share it.  It's time to tell the truth. 

If you haven't done so yet, click here to download Why We Need to Heal now.  Make sure your share this with your networks.  And please leave your comments below.  

First Day of Wimbledon

Serena Williams, Wimbledon Champion

On the first day of Wimbledon fortnight, I am collecting images of Venus and Serena Williams here.

Let's celebrate these two amazing, powerful, strong and beautiful sistas who have broken so many boundaries and will ALWAYS be champions!