RIP Gil Scott Heron: Poet and Musician
The revolution will not be televised
The revolution will be live
May 27, 2011
Embracing My Inner Escape Artist
Escapology (n) : the practice of escaping from restraints or other confinement
Shackles. That’s what I’ve known in life. Not the physical ones made of metal, but the emotional and psychological ones that silently cripple you. I was born into a life that didn’t even give you standing room before you hit the glass ceiling. Your sole purpose in life was to be a wife and bear children. Without these two achievements, your life was not complete. You could have every degree in the world, every award under the sun, and all the money in the world; none of it would matter. You are nothing more than your marital status. I rejected this so, by definition, I was a rebel.
As a precocious child, I realized I had to spend my life energy trying to lift this glass ceiling. I had dreams of college. I was poised for UC Berkeley and Stanford. God had other plans for me and my 6 other siblings though, and, at the age of 14, my parents decided to relocate to Amman, Jordan. My dreams shattered into a thousand little pieces before my eyes over the course of the next few years. By the time I was of college age, two of my sisters had already been married off, one older and one younger, both by the age of 17. Because of a language barrier, my choice of studies was limited. I enrolled in a local Jordanian university and chose my major as Computer Engineering, unfortunately to the chagrin of my father. “Women do not study engineering,” he said, “Women study Pharmacology or English Lit?” A fight ensued yet I stuck to my guns.
I can't say I didn't try to fit in. Two failed arranged betrothals later, the pressure to marry and the ridicule for my single status was even greater. I was 23 and I was holding up the production line; there were still two younger sisters to be married. “What are you going to do with this Engineering degree, engineer the kitchen?”, my uncle would say, “Get yourself a husband.” Education for women was considered a luxury and what a woman does to pass the time until she finds a suitable husband.
Amidst all this, I managed to graduate top of my class. Neither of my parents were there to attend the graduation, unfortunately but I had achieved my dream of a college degree. I was the first woman in the family to get a college education. The only engineer in the entire extended family, including the men. I set out into the corporate world with a vengeance. Within a year, I had a very successful career in the the booming internet and software business, hobnobbing in the elite social circles of Amman. This would have all been great, had I not been living a lie.
The glass ceiling was crushing me. The day came when my dad went to my work and asked my CEO to give him my paychecks so they could keep an eye on my earnings. I could see now how the shackles would get tighter and tighter. I knew I could not last. True to form, on March 3, 2002, after a series of unfortunate events, I ceased to call Amman my home. I had managed to save enough for a one way ticket to the United States with $500 left over. Quite an amazing feat considering Jordan's annual average per capita income is $1,525.17. With nothing but my small suitcase of meager belongings and my college degree, I arrived in California to start over.
Operation: Escape Betrothal…. SUCCESS
Yoga: My Saving Grace
Seven years later, after starting off in the aftermath of the dotcom bubble, I found myself shackled again only this time as a Vice President of Marketing. The glass ceiling was back to haunt me. This time even though I managed to get all 6 feet of me underneath it, my health had began to fail. I suffered from chronic fatigue, debilitating anxiety attacks, and agoraphobia. After countless doctors and specialists and a drastic 47 lb weight lost, I was told my symptoms were psychosomatic, diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and offered a plethora of prescriptions. I felt a very strong urge to avoid any meds for as long as I could and decided to take matters of my health into my own hands. My entire focus became about healing my mind-body-spirit imbalance.
Through a series of fortunate events, I found myself in a Kundalini Yoga class. I dove into my spiritual practice as I believed it would save my life. It did, however I had lost the motivation to save my career. My yoga and meditation practice had opened me up to life and all the creative expression bottled up inside me. I had started making jewelry on the side. I soon found just how disposable I was at my job and, after attempting to salvage the remains of my career briefly, I walked away with what was left of my dignity and a mountain of debt to lick my wounds.
Operation: Escape Corporate Life …. SUCCESS
Shakti, The Great Divine Mother, opened her doors to me. I was filled with creative feminine power and it gave me purpose.
Shackles be damned. I embraced the Escape Artist in me and built the House of Shakti from the ground up.
Operation: Heal Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
….
IN PROGRESS
What is an Escape Artist to me?
One who starts off life with a Rebel Yell and hopes to end with a ‘Namaste’.
Namaste,
Lubna
May 4, 2011
Lubna Salah: Jewelry With a Purpose
From Arab News, May 4, 2011:
The healing properties of gems and crystals have been known since ancient times. Incidentally, Thomas Edison thought that his success was due to a pocketful of quartz crystals he always carried with him. He felt that the stones enhanced his energy and creativity. Closer to us, celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, Robert Downey Jr., David and Victoria Beckham, Heidi Klum, and even the late Princess Diana, believe in the power of crystal and gemstone therapy.
“I am delighted to have seen a rising interest in the healing arts such as crystal healing and Reiki in the Arab world,” said Lubna Salah who set up “House of Shakti,” a brand of jewelry that promotes healing of the mind, body and spirit.
Arab News, available on newsstands throughout the Middle East. You can see the actual article as it appears in the newspaper here as a PDF:
April 28, 2011
A Gay Girl in Damascus
A blog posting by a gay woman in Syria about her father's bravery standing up for her sexuality in spite of certain imprisonment or death.
You can't make this stuff up and it is happening now...in the Middle East.
God bless you both for standing up for your human rights in the face of such adversity.
April 16, 2011
Time for Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
The sign of Taurus is upon us. As an earth sign myself, I have a special affinity for Taureans. Signifiying a bull, Taurus is the sign of strength, stamina, perseverance, and potency. Taureans prefer to live a stable life, free of sudden changes. Those born under this sign are reliable and sensitive. Great as friends and as lovers as they believe in loyalty once committed (ONCE being the keyword here) and they care a lot about those close to them. Although generally quiet and serene, Taureans are better left alone and not bothered as a strong, quick temper may reveal itself with them. Taureans can also be quite moody at times and, as such, should usually be immersed in work or other endeavors so as not to become restless.
Qualities that make Taureans lucky are realistic, reliable, openhanded, and arty. Qualities that may hinder their success are possessiveness, stubbornness, lethargy, and self-indulgence.
Taurus Birthstones
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis is a stone of awareness and insight. It opens the Third-Eye and balances the Throat chakra. This stone possesses enormous serenity, something that Taureans cherish. Lapis is also a protective stone, long used in talismans to protect against psychic attack. This stone promotes honesty, compassion, and uprightness which help combat some of the more difficult sides of Taurus.
Rhodonite
Rhodonite stimulates, clears, and activates the Heart chakra. Rhodonite is all about unselfish self-love and forgiveness. It helps clear away emotional hurts of the past, allowing one to let go of any feelings of past of abuse, betrayals, and abandonments. As such, this stone is great for sensitive Taureans that tend to carry a lot of feelings of anger and resentment when they feel their heart has suffered an injustice.
Red Jasper
Red Jasper is a stone of health, strengthening and detoxifying that activates the Root chakra. It is great for Taureans as they are known for their stamina. Red Jasper helps to rectify unjust situations, the types of situations where Taureans are likely to lose their temper. It will calm an uneven temper and provide insight into the most difficult of situations.
Carnelian
Carnelian is a stone of stability that activates and stabilizes the Root, Sacral, and Solar Plexus chakras. It gives courage and motivates for success in business matters. Perfect for stable, business-minded Taureans. Carnelian also helps with that bad temper by protecting against your own anger, rage, and resentment.
Jade
Jade is associated with the Heart chakra, increasing love and nurturing. It promotes stability of the personality and helps promote self-sufficiency. Once again, great for stable business minded Taureans. Jade is known to attract good luck and fortune. It also stimulates ideas and gives one the ability to conquer many tasks with ease.
Chrysoprase
Chrysoprase promotes love of truth. It also encourages fidelity in love and business relationships. Something that Taureans need at times when they are still in the wandering phase of their lives. Energizing the Heart and Sacral chakra, Chrysoprase helps Taureans overcome any compulsive behaviors that may lead to over-indulgence.
Green Garnet
Green Garnet is a stone of prosperity. Wearing it increases feelings of abundance and decreases feelings of scarcity caused by self-limiting beliefs. This stone helps Taureans overcome any of their nagging self-doubts that get in the way of being successful.
Happy Birthday to all the Taureans out there. 2011 is a big year for you to shine with your business savvy. Hopefully you reap the benefits towards the end of the year.
Palestinian Woman Launches Jewelry Collection to Help Heal Others
From SF Chronicle:
PALESTINIAN WOMAN LAUNCHES JEWELRY COLLECTION TO HELP HEAL OTHERS
Even as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, a woman who left the region uses her knowledge and experience to create healing in the lives of other people around the globe through her new Goddess Collection.
- Lubna Salah
Beverly Hills, CA , April 13, 2011: When Lubna Salah left to the United States 9 years ago, it was to find freedom and a new life. Instead, she suffered for years with major unexplainable health issues that robbed her of her joy and peace. Now, she runs a company that makes crystal jewelry that has been known for its healing, energetic powers. Her goal is to help people heal their minds and bodies through the power of these crystals. Her most recent collection, called Goddess, aims to harness energy to help others.
“When my health was failing, it was either take prescriptions for an undiagnosed illness or take my healing into my own hands. I chose the latter,” says Salah who runs House of Shakti in Beverly Hills, California. She says crystals are pure energy.
Salah recently released her Goddess collection of jewelry. She says she has always been attracted by the goddess energy, so she was inspired to create a collection that brought forth that energy from the stones.
“To me, goddess energy is very powerful and lives in the psyche of every woman. Connecting with a particular goddess helps expand and improve on that energy associated with it in the woman's psyche,” says Salah.
Shakti is the creative force of the universe and the divine feminine power that Hindus refer to as “The Great Divine Mother”. Her jewelry is designed to create positive changes in a person's energy field with a specific focus on chakras.
Salah has a very special connection and concern for women in the Middle East. Although she was born in the U.S., Salah moved to the Middle East at the age of 14 and lived there for 10 years. She recently went back to visit family and says that many women there feel trapped and unable to express themselves. She wants to help as many women as possible allowing them to use their creative self expression as a way of healing.
After years of panic attacks, extreme fatigue and unexplained weight loss, Salah is now feeling better than she ever has in her life. She is a yoga instructor as well as a Reiki practitioner. She uses several methods to create her healing jewelry including astrology, numerology and color therapy.
Her customers are very appreciative for her jewelry. One customer, Liisa Priyanka Lugus, had this to say about her jewelry: “I have been unable to walk or stand for several years, leaving me quite literally cut off from the Earth and all her energies. Lubna's gifts from the Earth, offered in the form of jewelry, have helped me to re-connect to these life-giving energies in their myriad forms. She uses great skill, intuition and divine guidance to create truly beautiful pieces, using the medium of the gems to deliver strength, truth, joy and healing to my soul.”
House of Shakti creates jewelry that promotes healing of the mind, body and spirit using gemstones that have long been revered for their mystical, healing powers. The website can be found at www.HouseofShakti.com.
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Mother Earth Needs Us
Celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd
It's been some time since I reached out to you. A lot has been going on in 2011. I was truly blessed to have been able to spend 2 months in India and 2 weeks in Jordan, both incredibly different experiences. It would be impossible to condense my travels to just one blog post , so I will try to share a brief photo journal of some highlights. I spent a month in the Andaman Islands. Although technically part of India, these islands are closer to the coast of Thailand. Stayed in an eco-hut on Havelock Island with very easy access to Beaches No 5 and 7, voted best beaches in Asia by Time. My camera simply could not do it justice....
What better place to attempt overcome my lifelong fear of the ocean than in the crystal blue waters of the Indian Ocean. Here is a photo of a Reef Octopus taken while snorkeling. Although I still needed the help of the life preserver, this was my first time swimming out in the middle of the ocean and it was so worth it....
Spent almost a month at the Amritapuri Ashram in Kerala, India, home to Amma, the hugging saint. Amritapuri is known as a "householder" ashram revolving around family. I saw families with young children living there and met people passing through from all over the world. There I learned a bit about Ayurveda, Jyotish, nutrition and the benefits of turmeric and garlic, and enjoyed satsang. I received darshan from Amma who whispered "My darling" to me before she blessed my mala and replaced it on my neck. Amma's presence is divine. Photography is not permitted at the ashram but I couldn't help but sneak this picture of the sunet view from my room window....
Unfortunately while I was in India, my father suffered a massive heart attack which took me almost overnight from a cliff overlooking Papanasam Beach in Varkala to Amman, Jordan. Thankfully my father is on the road to a full recovery now but I found myself unable to relax. After being away from Jordan for 9 years and spending the prior two months in India, I had forgotten how aggressive the Middle East could be sometimes. There was a feeling of general unease I felt upon arriving. Perhaps it was just the smell of revolution wafting in from neighboring countries or that the cost of living was high and incomes were low. Either way, I found myself wanting to get back to the comfort and safety of my home in Los Angeles sooner than later. I made sure to visit Petra for the first time though. I understand now why it is one of the seven wonders of the world.....
My travels reminded me how beautiful our earth can be and also changed my view of the world. Meanwhile, the rest of the world was changing at an even faster pace. The year 2011 has already given us many reasons to stop and think.
- Queensland, Australia Floods
- Rio De Janeiro Floods
- New Zealand Earthquake
- Japanese Tsunami and ensuing Nuclear Disaster
- Revolution in the Middle East: Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain
- War in Libya
From Mother Nature to the people's revolution, these events all serve as a reminder that things can and will change faster than the blink of an eye sometimes. Change is how we advance as a species. The sad thing is, all these natural disasters have affected so many people all over the world and created lasting changes to our earth. We will be celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd. Take a moment to think of how you can make a positive impact on the earth.
In honor of Earth Day you could....
- Switch to energy efficient lightbulbs
- Reduce bottled water consumption and carry a reusable bottle
- Recycle and buy recycled items
- Lower your home thermostat
- Drive slower and don't let your car idle for more than 30 seconds
- Switch to a low-flow shower head
- Start composting
- Grow an organic garden
- And much more....
Find your way to help on Earth Day. Mother Earth needs us now more than ever and remember....
"The earth is what we all have in common." - Wendell Berry
Blogger Tags: india, jordan, travel, kerala, ashram, amma, amritapuri, middle east, revolution, father, earth day, conservation, mother earth, jyotish, ayurveda, satsang, darshan, mala, reef octopus, andaman islands, havelock, beaches, snorkeling
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