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31 May 2008

Tribute to Theophilus Griffin

On May 5, 2008 my grandaddy, Theophilus Griffin, passed away at home. We believe it to be a heart attack. My granmom was there with him. By the time the paramedics arrived it was too late. He was two months shy of his 80th birthday and he died in his home with his wife of 59 years whom he had known for 67 years.

By all appearances and American standards my Grandaddy and Granmom for that matter were an amazing couple who achieved the American dream. And through all of our ups and downs I love them both very much and proud of what they represented in our American culture.

They were both college educated people. My Grandaddy graduated from Tennessee State University where he was a Q-dog Omega Psi Phi and a Jazz alto-Saxophone player. He even played jazz saxophone at Carnegie Hall. In high school he was president of his senior class. He was tall, about 6'2, very handsome and everyone loved him. Yes, he had lots of friends.

He married my GranMommy, a model and wonderfully creative woman, in 1949 and they had 4 lovely children. One daughter, my Mother, is the hippie/creative who taught me unconditional love, the middle daughter a debutant and medical student and the youngest daughter a groundbreaking beauty pageant queen, actress and Broadway dancer (42nd Street, Chicago, Cotton Club movie-only to name just a few) and the son became an electrician whose two sons will son be signed to major league baseball teams.

They played bridge often with their club. They belonged to the Epicureans. And I remember while growing up as a young child they would often host cocktail parties. They lived the quintessential upper-middle class lifestyle. For a Black American couple having been born in the late 1920's this was an achievement beyond measure.

My Grandaddy worked for Western Electric and then AT&T as a supervisor where he retired after 39 years. He was known as Mr. T. He wisely invested in land and stocks so that when he and my Grandmommy, a Registered Nurse, retired they moved to a 5 acre rural lot and enjoyed their remaining years together. They indeed lived the "good life".

My fondest memories of my Grandaddy was traveling around in his 1975 brown (his favorite colour) Lincoln Continental (his favorite luxury car which he returned to in later life even after having two Cadillacs) and watching him use his CB radio to communicate with truckers. He handle was Big T and I fancied myself as Little T.

I could go on and on about my Grandfather and Grandparents achievements in this world, they were numerous, but I will not belabor the issue. I'm proud of their accomplishments and what they represent in American society.

Thank you Grandaddy for leading your family the way you thought best. Thank you for not being afraid to be yourself. Thank you for not "selling out". Thank you for representing strength. Thank you for being you the only way you knew how. I love you.

I wish you well on your journey in the next world. I wish you well in the lessons you have learned, the love you have gained and where ever you will go to next. Yes, I too will be there after I live out my lot in this life.
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Being with my family as we prepared for my Grandaddy's funeral was a very emotional time for me. I had so many issues and thoughts that needed resolving. After returning home there has been one song that I have been unconsciously singing for the past two weeks. That song is Whitney Houston's Greatest Love of All.

As I drank my yerba mate that song came to me even stronger so I looked it up on YouTube. All I could do was cry as I watched Whitney belt out this beautiful and spiritually edifying song. The lyrics of this song are profound, they feed my soul, thank you Whitney.

I dedicate this song to my Grandaddy, Theophilus Griffin, and to myself, his granddaughter.




Learning to let go is one of the greatest lessons. Letting go of pain, of expectations, of worry and letting go of what you think is right or wrong.

Death is the greatest teacher of letting go.






26 May 2008

Yeah Right

(CNN) -- A passenger who landed at Tokyo's Narita airport over the weekend has ended up with a surprise souvenir courtesy of customs officials -- a package of cannabis.

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Sniffer dogs failed to find the cannabis after it had been slipped into a passenger's bag.

A customs official hid the package in a suitcase belonging to a passenger arriving from Hong Kong as part of an exercise for sniffer dogs on Sunday, Reuters.com reported.

However, staff then lost track of the drugs and suitcase during the exercise, a spokeswoman for Tokyo customs said.

Customs regulations specify that a training suitcase be used for such exercises, but the official had used passengers' suitcases for similar purposes in the past, domestic media reported.

Tokyo customs has asked anyone who finds the package to return it.

Sun Baked Reiki Water

Blessings Beloved,

Would love to read about your creative ways with Reiki.

What are techniques or methods you have intuited?

I'd like to share a method that came to me...

It requires the use of a large gallon sized (at least) glass jar or bottle. No plastic ones. And either filtered water, distilled water or natural spring water. Celtic sea salt...with visible minerals in tow.

Fill up the glass containers with water and put in a pinch of Celtic sea salt.

Take the containers outside and set in the grass or in a patch of dirt. The containers are touching the ground/Mother earth. Proceed to give Reiki to the water in the container. You may want to use the SHK symbol to clear the water followed by the boosting power of the CKR symbol. My method is to say a blessing over the water. What ever the blessing is that you want to use. For example of blessing that this water will be imbued with life giving/sustaining energy to help cleanse and heal our bodies. And after the blessing use the CKR symbol to boost the power of the blessing.

Leave the water out for at least 24 to 48 hours minimum so that it can also absorb the ultraviolet rays of the Sun which will cleanse and energize the water.

I believe that the Celtic salt serves to add minerals to de-mineralized water, Sun helps to purify and energize, and Reiki gives that added boost of Life giving energy and to encourage purity to the water.

Remember that when you pour the water to drink it to be mindful of what you are doing. Having the intent to intake truly life giving water. Say a blessing of thanks for the water. This blessing does not need to be said to a god...if thats not what you believe in...The blessing can be said in thanks to Spirit... the unifying Life Force that holds the Universe, the Earth and your body together.

Namaste!

P.S. My children love our "Sun Baked Reiki Water" as they call it!

19 May 2008

Full Moon of May

Full Moon of May
So much energy at play

Lessons to heal
New plans to fulfill.


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This month kicked off with amazing energy. Sadness, loss but understanding and new platform.

Energetic motions coming full force and full circle. Big changes ahead. Changes that were long over due that fear clouded the way.

But the fog is lifted. Love releases.

Courage to forge...energy to move forward.

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Great Spirit, Spiral of Life....thank you for unexpected blessings....through death there is new life.


Creative Commons License
This work by Tamu Ngina is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

18 May 2008

Poetry for The Sun






I've always written about my love for Mother Moon
and now its time to write about Father Sun because
he, The Sun, drawn from water, has recently inspired me.


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His face is liken unto the Sun

Warm and glowing

His words are like the sun's rays
that give life and edify

A touch that caresses

His Sun in My Moon

La Luna El Sol

The Sun

Come...
Let your countenance
warm my face

Your radiance caress my soul

Brilliant are your rays

Loving are your ways

My Moon a reflection of your glory

You, the Sun, drawn from the deepest of waters

Me, the Moon, encouraging your tides to wash over
cleansing the shore of Mother Earth and the consciousness
of her people.

Sister Mother Moon a reflection of your glory

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Dedicated to the one who was drawn from the deepest waters.


Creative Commons License
This work by Tamu Ngina is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

15 May 2008

Musings and What Nots....

The last several days I've spent in Georgia has been an interesting emotional and spiritual adventure.


I am here due to the passing of my Grandfather. Through this saddness I received the unexpected blessing of whatching my dear brother graduate from Nursing school and see him off to his dream of becoming a Nurse Anesthetist. One of just a handful of men in a class of 140 my brother who is a former US Marine graduated with honors. Yes, I am more than a little proud of him.


The first morning as we drove out from his home coiled right in the middle of the street was a copperhead snake. I told him to pick it up behind its head in the fashion of the late Steve Irwin but instead he just shooed it over to the side of the grass using a stick. Wise choice. Brought to mind my recent snake dreams.


I never thought I would say this but being in Georgia is so refreshing. There is nothing like a tall Georgia pine. Sure, there are Redwoods, but they are in a special category of their own.


Nestled at the feet of tall, I mean TALL pine trees reminds me of my deep love and appreciation of trees and the important function they play in our lives. Trees exude such a strong spiritual presence that beckon me to remember....All will be ok.


My biggest pleasure was when I discovered my first Gingko Biloba tree. I noticed this beautiful and unique tree standing alone and I intuitively knew there was something special about it. One of my brothers identified it as a Gingko tree. Immediately I felt this since of awe and appreciation for all that this tree can give us.


I wondered if the other people in the car really understand what trees mean. But it is ok if they shake their heads and sigh for this tree hugger-lover!


01 May 2008

Snakes in DreamTime


Last night I dreamt of snakes.

I am not particularly afraid of snakes. Actually I am more phobic regarding spiders. Just about anything that has more than 4 legs and creeps and crawls around the floor, wall or drops from the ceiling or out of trees--totally freaks me out beyond belief.

Yes, spider's petrify me. Hopefully one day I will overcome my fear of them. Come to think of it the other day as I waited for my youngest son to get out of school one or two spiders crawled up and around my leg and I did not panic. I simply brushed the first one away and then when another or the first one came back I brushed off the spider again and just go up and stood on the parking lot. I did not get the shivers, shakes or queasy stomach. What progress without even thinking of it. Yeah me!

I digress.

But, last night I dreamt of snakes, well actually it was morning when I had this dream. There were at least 8 to 10 snakes in the room in which I was standing. In the dream I did not have any fear or worry for the snakes being there, however, someone told me that one of the snakes was venomous. I began to worry about which one was venomous as I wanted to avoid getting bit.

I was very calm as I began to leave the room in order to avoid that one snake. Even as I began to make my way out of the room I still did not have any deep seated fear.

Strangely though the snakes began to follow me. It was like they really liked me and wanted to be around me. I tried to sneak out of the room and lots of little snakes followed me wanting to be near me.

I began to walk down the hallway trying to leave the snakes and thats when I woke up.

What strikes me about this dream was that I was in no way worried about the snakes...other than avoiding the venomous one. I was not fearful.

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Snakes represent death and rebirth... change. In many cultures snakes represent healing. Snakes are one of the five animals in Chinese philosophy. The Chinese power totem animals include Snake, Tigers, Dragons, Leopards and the Crane. I would guess that Snakes represent earth, Dragons represent fire, Cranes represent water.... But I could be wrong. I need to look this up.

snake image borrowed from........

Coincidentally the image of the above snake looks like several of the snakes in my dream....the oranges were tiny and looked like corn snakes. I have never heard of corn snakes until I saw this image.

And one more note...the last three nights I have slept with five decent sized crystals right above my head....sort of like a crown. 3 very clear quartz crystals and 2 optical calcite crystals and I must say I have had some very clear and vivid dreams....thus the snake dream.