Oh, Jesse...

Left or Right?

Left brain: I am the left brain. I am a scientist. A mathematician. I love the familiar. I categorize. I am accurate. Linear. Analytical. Strategic. I am practical. Always in control. A master of words and language. Realistic. I calculate equations and play with numbers. I am order. I am logic. I know exactly who I am.

Right brain: I am the right brain. I am creativity. A free spirit. I am passion. Yearning. Sensuality. I am the sound of roaring laughter. I am taste. The feeling of sand beneath bare feat. I am movement. Vivid colors. I am the urge to paint on an empty canvas. I am boundless imagination. Art. Poetry. I sense. I feel. I am everything I wanted to be.

//I'm GOOD.

And I'm back on my grind/ A psychic read my lifeline/ Told me in my lifetime/ My name would help light up the Chicago skyline/ And that's what I'm/ Seven o'clock, that's primetime/ Heaven'll watch, God calling from the hot lines/ Why he keep giving me hot lines/ I'm a star, how could I/ not shine/ How many ladies in the house/ How many ladies in the house without a spouse/ Something in your blouse got me feeling so aroused/ What you about/ On that independent shit/ Trade it all// for a husband and some kids/ You ever wonder what it all really mean/ You ever wonder if you'll find your dreams?

//Kiss.

One of my favorite songs, "Kiss yourself for me," by Darnell Levine, came to mind tonight. After spending the last few nights in solitude-- studying my own heart & what my Creator has planted in me, I am delighted in the effort I've made so far to LIVE, not just exist. This love-work is more of a spiritual practice, a lifestyle...essentially, a beautiful thing...

Tonight, I heard a faint whisper...telling me to "put your lips out like this, put your hand up to those lips, kiss yourself for me..." Smiles in reverence, is what he once said of me. I understood it today and in spirit, gave thanks for the manifestation of light-- perfect & pure.

//Update

//On REPEAT: Joya Mooi

Joya Mooi's Hard Melk is a breath of fresh air on a Spring morning and a rainy evening  (try it).

Mornin, my love/ let's repeat what we did before/ what was so good to me/ and good to you/ let's   just   play/ all day.

10 Things

A LIST:10 THINGS

1/ I am reading "The Way of the Lover- Rumi & the Spiritual Art of Love," by Ross Heaven and it is heaven.
2/ I registered to attend an open house and workshop for massage therapy school in Asheville, NC!
3/I really want to try Tisano Cacao tea-- chocolate tea. Who doesn't love chocolate?
4/ Jesse Boykins III is a gem-- no, he really is. His voice is like....velvet.
5/ I want to try neem oil (for hair & nails) and peppermint oil (for hair wash)
6/ I'm working on changing my prayers...how I say them is just as important as what I say.
7/ Avoidance is intolerable. Speaking my mind might bruise a few egos, but the truth is better than a lie.
8/ I am drinking almond (soy) milk instead of cow milk.  The natural hormones in cow milk boosts
sebum production and as a result, causes acne.
9/ I'm itching to paint again...but I need paint $$$ so until then, sketching in my pad will have to do.
10/ I can't keep my fingers out of my hair!!!! Could this be love? I think so.

Never eva too late

My mind is late night creepin, cheating on sleep, well aware of the danger in the lack 8 hours rest. But rest is an blasphemous idea when my soul yearns to know more truth & reach to other divine souls Peace can only come through constant production of a true love (for self & Most High) manifested.

Awaken. Inhale your blessings. Exhale, giving. Do not go through life half-sleep. Bless all those you meet.

CHOP

For those who do not know, my natural hair "journey" started years ago and due to modeling (boredom and frustration), I've had my hair cut, colored, permed, and gone natural several times. Back in 2009, I started to transition again and did a BC that December.  From that point, up until last summer, I was extremely intolerant of my once beloved tresses. My hair was pathetically dry, unresponsive to every natural & unnatural product, and would barely hold a curl without using gel. I knew something was wrong from the very beginning because my hair is VERY curly, under normal circumstances. So, last Saturday, I let the barber cut my hair very low (as you can see above).

Verdict: I love it.

My hair is no longer dry and as you can see, the curls are back. Having really tight curls require more moisture, so I always use honey, sweet almond oil, glycerin, and of course-- water. I also take vitamins/supplements daily: multivitamin, biotin, msm, and iron.

MY ROUTINE

I mixed honey, sweet almond oil, olive oil, and massaged my scalp. I left it on overnight.

After rinsing, I put a little bit of sweet almond oil & glycerin on it.

Done!

I've learned from prior experience that keeping it simple works best, at least, for me. I have tons of shampoos & conditioners left over from the beginning of my natural hair journey and I don't intend to purchase anything else. However, I really want to try mixing peppermint oil into my wash/conditioner mix...:)

Peace, love, and light.

Can you see the string?

I dig this...Summer can't get here fast enough.
Check out Teresa & her jewelry line Anatego

Up Late

Me, back in the day

I find it so much easier to be creatively free at night. Daytime is for sleeping. Nighttime is the best time
 for making art. The later at night it gets the further into another world you go.
—Mark Ryden

This is especially true for me...

Morning Joe: Rainbow Arabia

Rainbow Arabia- Holiday in Congo

excuse me while I open up the blinds and dance around the house...
...listening to this...I feel like I should be drinking coconut or pineapple juice...
hmmm....

GOOD morning queens and kings...give thanks & walk in your light.

Caution, by Jill Scott

It's been nice

Yes

Laughing times

Early morning love

Walks

Meaningful kissing

But I've been hurt before

The kind that can change a life

The kind that makes a body wary

And I must say that I am taking special care

Not to care so hard

While I am mostly open to love you

I prepare to let you go

So I will ask upfront

Before my stomach is knotted

Can I take my shoes off now?

Can I put them next to yours in the upstairs closet?

Can I relax my soles?

Hang up my winter coat?

Unpack my bag for more than the night?

Because

I like you

I really like you

Reflecting on God

Like the phoenix, I will rise & rebuild again.

March 12/13th marks Uranus in Aries, the beginning of positive evolution. I must take time reflect
and come to terms with that which has come before me & what is ahead of me. I seek awareness
on a daily basis, reflecting light on those I talk to and meet. This is a journey worth taking...I will resume
to posting whenever I am at true peace & progress.

I love RANGS (rings)

ROSSMORE
Click here for more

The TWA.

Source: Quazimotto.On.Wax

My Twa...is a cutie, so I've decided to name her just that: Cutie. Sweet, right?

My usual hair style consists of a colorful headwrap, but for the past few weeks, I've been wearing my hair
in twists (using afro hair)...pulled into a little bun on top of my head. Simple & effective. However, I am starting to miss my teenie weenie afro. Before I surrender to the urge to remove my braids, I want to formulate a better hair regimen, that consists of vitamins/supplements, organic mixes, and protective styles.

Food
#1. Take a multivitamin daily, plus Omega 3 Fish Oil, MSM, and Silica supplements.
#2. Always incorporate flaxseed or wheat germ into foods, preferably for breakfast.
#3. Drink at least 8 glasses of water.

Hair Routine (and mixes)
#1. Pre-poo by mixing jojoba, coconut, honey, and olive oil. Cover hair with a plastic cap and sit under the dryer for 30 minutes to an hour. Do not rinse.
#2. With the pre-poo mix still in my hair, apply Shea Moisture shampoo. This is by far, the best shampoo
I have ever used (runner up is Creme of Nature).
#3. After rinsing my hair, apply a leave-in mix: sweet almond oil, castor oil, and rosemary extract. Rub into
scalp and make sure my ends soaked with mixture.

Protective Styles

I will forever be a lover of scarves, but this year, I plan to do a little bit more with my hair when it comes to
styling. Bantu knots are next on the list. Maybe at some point, I will twist it, but even then, I will probably go
to a salon or let a friend do it for me. I just don't have the patience.

Feedback is welcomed and appreciated. XOXO & many thanks. Bless.

Certain thoughts. A special kind of love.

3.6.2011
Today, I freed myself. I revealed myself. I cried.
I am FIRE. I ignite trails, but sometimes I feel overpowered.
I need water. I need balance. I need you and you need me.
I be the innovator, I be the movement. You be the in between.

“And I figured out that the reason I couldn’t get through the day as 

well as I can now is because I had too many things on my mind, on 

my plate, you know, for one person to have. So I started to eliminate 

some of the things that were too heavy to carry and unnecessary.”

-Erykah Badu

"If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I."

Michel De Montaigne

My mind passed back through time, when life was a blossoming flower and you were the bee to my honey.

I inhaled you daily, so much that I smell you now. Nag Champa. Trails of smoke travel from your mouth, a

stench recognizable. Darkness encloses us into a space for two, though I find light in your eyes. Your stare,

I did love. Black love, we were. Touch me there, yes, my mind is pleased. Tease me, but do not leave. Take

me on a ride, to that cafe, that street, that park, lover's hill. Immersing ourselves without fear. We did that.

M first soulmate.

The Intermission

Michael Jackson- I Can't Help it

Dwele- Kick Out of You

Erykah Badu- Otherside of the Game


I am resting from a long weekend...vibing to sounds and writing. Enjoy.
Peep my poem "Love Reminder," by clicking here.
And here is a little link love (Trinidad Carnival mixtape), click here.

Andrea Donnelly

Click here for more

Collina Strada

▲

I must say...

I absolutely love these bags...really...

every last one.

Click here.

Mind & Soul Connect.

Aries: Fire Sign. Water cools me down.

In my opinion, meditation is purely subjective. I've grown to understand the spirit that
resides within me--peaceful, vibrant, and curious. I call her "she."

Thoughts for today:

Remain unresponsive to nonsense/bs.
It isn't enough to know my own worth, I must act as if I do too.
God is ever present, speak to him truthfully and He will bring peace.
A career & work are two different entities. I choose to have a career.
Friends bring so much laughter & joy into my world. Pray & build always.

As if I needed more confirmation, my horoscope states:

"If you've been feeling tired or sick lately, this will probably turn around for you, Aries. You may 
often experience moodiness, and this can be a real drain. Your emotional state can affect how your 
body feels. Be sure to take care of your feelings as well as your body. If there are things that need 
to be worked out, take care of them today. The two really do go together."


...off to take care of myself.

Poem

♥

I wrote this while listening to The Roots "You got Me," inspired by beautiful "in your face,
in love" couples who have a strong hold on their individual selves. They are friends first and
always, lovers to the end.


Love Reminder

I had once forgotten
that love was not a hello and a goodbye
or a you versus me or constant sound
of your please baby
baby don't leave.


I had once forgotten
that it was much greater than lust
till you came
brushing away blues from under
momma's old rug
and under my thick-soled shoes.


And when Motown came through
brothas with funky fros bumpin hips
and lips with sistas 
in unison
singing "ain't no mountain high enough"
"ain't no valley low enough"
I asked my God to take me
to a valley
where you be.


where we breathe
talk deep heavenly thangs,
in harmony.


I had once forgotten
that love is a big wig meeting
between two heavy weight champs
that walked away holding hands.


that's real.


-Copyrighted 2011. Candace Bailey.