The Personalization of Spiritual Development…

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Each, and every day, individuals are bombarded with advertisements for services that are geared towards assisting them with their spiritual development. Whether it be as subtle as a number that corresponds with a biblical passage printed on the bottom of a fast-food cup, a bumper sticker referencing the religion the driver subscribes to, a billboard that hoovers over them as they wait in traffic, or an infomercial on the importance of religion; “guides” are vying for the attention of each, and every individual that passes. 

Through correspondence with individuals representing a wide range of demographics, ethnicities, and socioeconomic conditions, I have come to question the effectiveness in spiritual development caused by the abundance of availability presented by spiritual services. I have arrived at this thought because my experience has shown me that many of the services available seek to inspire the individual to conform to their school of thought. The end result is not spiritual development but rather spiritual mimicking. Individuals are not encouraged to grow in their understanding of spirituality and become experts in how it manifests in their world. Rather, they are encouraged – and in many cases, expected – to become experts in complacency. 

I stand strong with the conviction that the “cookie-cutting” approach to spiritual practice and religious worship are detrimental to the individual’s connection with all that guides them spiritually and the ability for them to be comforted by said guides.

Do not allow anyone to simply usher you into a procession of congregates. Instead remember that you are the gate keeper of your path and you determine who you allow on it, the role they will play, and the length of their stay. Both Spirit and the Universe will provide opportunities, instances, and occasions; but your essence, your consciousness, your Ori, will determine how those opportunities, instances, and occasions are realized and utilized.

Luz, Amor, y Àsę.

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

#asheintl #oseifa #spiritualgrowthanddevelopment #personalizationofspirituality

Maternal Energy 2017…

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Luz, Amor, y Àsę.

 

Today, on behalf of Ashé International, Incorporated, I would like to not only recognize the Mothers of the world for the love that they give, the sacrifices that they make, and the victories that they ensure; I would also like to recognize and celebrate the maternal energy that permeates through our society and fills so many regardless of gender, sexual orientation, or family composition. Today, I invite you all to join me in recognizing the fact that no one model can house the depth of this maternal energy that so many are celebrating today.

 

Delving into the embrace of Orisha Yemaya, She reminds me that as the depths of the ocean will never fully be known, nor will her reach ever be limited. She reminds me that she is present in our communal mothers, the mother who has lost her children, the mother who cannot give birth, the individual who sacrifices for others as if they were of their own blood…. She reminds me that She does not need to provide me with every example of how Her nurturing nature fills the needs of all who accept Her cleansing potency. She reminds me that the shore does not seek to understand how the ocean’s embrace will come to fruition, it simply accepts the waves.

 

Delving into the embrace of Orisha Yemaya, She reminds me that the greatest way to honor this, and every other energy, that guides, protects, nurtures, encourages, and repairs us, is to ensure that we never allow ourselves to be convinced that one day is all that is needed to say “thank you”. Instead, our thanks should be daily for the source of all this energy never limits us to one day.

 

To the mothers who have been courted by exhaustion as they sacrifice to ensure the needs of their family are met… 

 

To the mothers who find themselves behind the wall….

 

To the mothers who struggle with the examples of motherhood that raised them but now serve as positive and powerful examples of how to raise our future…

 

To the mothers of each, and every, revolution…

 

To the mothers who embrace us through the winds because their love was too big to be limited by mortality….

 

To all mothers: We see you. We thank you. We celebrate you.

 

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

 

#asheintl #happymothersday #maternalenergy #yemaya #mama #mom #maferefunyemaya

 

Puerto Rican Day Parade 2017

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On Sunday, June 11, a young Puerto Rican child will stand on Fifth Avenue in New York City dressed from head to toe in Puerto Rican paraphernalia. Even their face will be painted with a Puerto Rican flag as their small hands feverishly wave the flag that on that day, possibly more than any other day of the year, is a symbol of pride and a commander of emotion.

As the child looks to the adults around them screaming and shouting, a profound emotion will fill their very essence. This unprecedented occurrence will be coupled with images of scantily clad women and rambunctious men. Somehow, at some point, the flag of Puerto Rico will become a bandana, a bikini top, and several other unfathomable items. The child will continue to bask in the warmth created by this emotion that will fill every inch of their body. Their adrenaline will soar as it is fueled by the screams and shouts of the crowd.

“Boricua!!” the child will shout, “Wepa!!”

The beauty that is this child growing with pride in who he/she is, is truly inspiring… but there is a catch.

When the fever of this day is over, how will the pride be nourished? Will it be with the truth and history of our culture and traditions? Will it be with explanations of our Indigenous, African, and Spanish roots? Will it be with the installation of values and morals that have their foundation in the preservation of family and respect? Will the remaining 364 days be filled with as much pride as today?

When the fever of the day is over, will it be nourished in such a way that the child grows to be a strong Boricua who contributes in a positive way to society? Or will the child grow with only the aspirations of being a thug who feels that if he waves his flag on Fifth Avenue once a year and screams out “Boricua”, showing his communal sisters that he respects them by invading their personal space, he will be not only displaying but also living up to Puerto Rican Pride?

On June 11, 2017, the aesthetics of our existence will display their commercial potency. However, this potency does not translate into the progress of the people whose backs have been beaten for the financial well-being of those who define wealth in only dollars and cents.

On June 11, 2017, the Puerto Rican community will either come together and reiterate the fact that we will no longer be taken advantage of, or we will come together to show that we happily accept distractions rooted in the celebration of our culture, but which have evolved to exploitations of our existence.

On June 11, 2017, we will either dance to the tune of complacency or rally around the remix of our revolution.

Luz, Amor, y Àsę.

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

The Affair….

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Next week, many will choose to express amorous feelings towards each other. Couples will exchange gifts as what can be argued as mandated prerequisites for passionate kisses and loving embraces. The history of St. Valentine will not hold as much importance as the tradition of exchanging flowers and devouring chocolate.

On the day that society encourages romantic exchanges between couples, and unfortunately on many days outside of that (dare I say everyday), there is an affair occurring.

This affair that I reference is the one that takes place when two individuals have committed themselves to one another while one of them is knowingly in another relationship. This relationship supersedes all others and is void of passion, positivity, and progress, while being affluent in abuse, negativity, and stagnation. This relationship is between the individual and their own personal demons. Now, it is no secret that we are all living with personal demons. However, there is a difference between living a life where you work towards containing them and living a life where you concede to their influence and celebrate them.

In this triangle that prevents true love to flourish and mortal completion to come into fruition, secrets surround the individuals and moments of distance expand to rival mountain ranges.

There is only one way to truly be faithful to another and to ensure that your relationship comes from a place where the land is laced with love, the air is affluent with advancement, and all is rooted in respect. The one way for this utopia to be set free from imagination and allowed to thrive in reality, is to acknowledge that you must first break the amorous ties to the demons that desire nothing more than to define you through detrimental behavior. You may not complete their caging alone, but don’t doubt that celebrating them will lead to anything other than your solitude. Allow love to be the lasso that ties them and begins the process. Otherwise, admit that anytime you allow another to think that they are close to you; you are simply having an affair.

Luz, Amor, y Àşę.

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

World Cancer Day 2017…

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Today is recognized as World Cancer Day by millions who seek to raise awareness and education about this disease. Established by the Paris Charter adopted at the World Summit Against Cancer for the New Millenium in Paris on February 4 2000, the tagline for 2016-2018 is: “We Can. I Can.” In essence, these four simple words seek to serve as an alarm to us all. An alarm that wakens us from the sleep of thinking that there is nothing that we can do.

Today, I come to you all asking that you look into your resources as well as your network and identify the ways that you can contribute to the raising of awareness, the increase on preventative and early detection measures, and the provision of support for all who are battling this disease on one front or another.

I would also like to make a call to those who find themselves in roles that are rooted in spiritual guidance. I ask that you rise to the occasion and embrace the responsibility that comes with offering yourself as a messenger for the spiritual entities that surround us throughout this mortal existence we call life. Rise to the occasion and understand that mortal ailments such as this horrid disease present extreme challenges to one’s faith because of their ability to overwhelm and weaken. It is because of this that we must remind all who have allowed us a voice in their life, that unfortunately pain and death are ever-present entities in our mortality. They are, however, not the only entities. Remind all who have allowed us a voice in their life, that though the shell we occupy will eventually succumb to a date of expiration, the soul lives on and is not limited to the mortal experience. Remind all who have allowed us a voice in their life that consciousness cannot be compartmentalized and therefor while we seek to feed the soul, there are countless steps that we can also take to maximize the potential of our shell.

Remind all who have allowed us a voice in their life, that ashé is present in all moments…. Even the ones that hurt.

Luz, Amor, y Àşę.

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

#asheintl #worldcancerday #wecanican

Maferefun Orisha Oya….

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Luz, Amor, y Àşę.

Today, February 2, the winds of change blow. Countless practitioners of Orisha worship come together to celebrate Orisha Oya and embrace the manifestation of Her energy in their lives. Candles flicker, drums play, and bodies move to the rhythms of resistance that have protected a faith with such vehemence that it must be recognized as nothing less than a lifestyle.

Colors flow in abundance so profound that the depth of the spectrum itself is awe inspiring.

The alluring sound of Aña has now captured the leaves as they too are dancing. They are announcing Her arrival.

Orisha Oya’s entrance is externally announced while internally manifested. She is the energy that we draw from to make the changes necessary in our life as we seek to gain and maintain balance and grow closer to our Ori. We must not seek to ignore the storms felt by our soul when Orisha Oya sends Her messages to us. Instead we should understand that, at times, it is only after we accept that all has purposely been removed from our often restricted perspective that we are able to see that which we should truly be focusing on.

Marefefun Orisha Oya!!

©Dr William Q Ross 2017

Year of My Ori….

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Coconut water drips down my face and cools more than my flesh…. it cools my mind.
I am immersed in the fragrance of the land made fertile by the blood, sweat, and tears of my ancestors.
I inhale but am not simply breathing….
Rather, I am ingesting the energy that surrounds me.
I am not merely exhaling….
Rather, I am releasing the tension that has accumulated over the last year and scraping the walls of my mortality as to ensure that no residue is afforded the opportunity to build up and grow.
I will not allow the arteries of my soul to be clogged by the cholesterol of my mortality.
I will not allow the plaque of temporal drama to hinder the smile of my spirituality.
The music seduces my shell and reaffirms the fact that my physical presence is not the authority of my existence… rather it is a servant of it.
As the old year kisses my cheek before passing, the new one embraces me with its presentation.
I ask its name and it smiles.
“My name is your name”, it states.
Confused, I ask for clarification.
“My name is your name”, it repeats.
I take a moment to think about what I am being told and decide that it is not a simple misunderstanding that I am having. Rather, I must be missing something deeper.
I excuse myself and prepare to walk to my sacred space where communication with spirit thrives, but I am stopped by the new year who now stands before me again.
Suddenly this new year transforms into my reflection and repeats: “My name is your name”.
I beg for an explanation as tension attempts to seize the opportunity and creep back in.
With a flick of its finger, this new year brushes tension off my shoulder and moves closer to me.
Assuming that another embrace was to follow, I extend my arms. However, an embrace is not what I receive. Instead, this new year enters me.
My entire surrounding has become a mirror and my reflection makes itself known in every living thing I can lay my eyes on.
My lips begin to move and I realize that I am smiling.
I get it now….
The new year is named after me because the time has come for me to be all that I have worked on being. While growth and development are eternal processes, they are not without checkpoints of tangible accomplishments.
“So you get it now?”, the new year asks through my own mouth.
“Yes”, I say. “I get it. Your name is my name because this is the year of my Ori”

© Dr William Q Ross 2017