Invisible Two Strand Twist

Soulwork of Clay

Let go of your pretensions—squeeze, shape, knead & play your way to spiritual growth. "I am being formed by the clay. I am reconnecting with the earth, and with the other basic elements, too—air, water, fire—and life itself. Every gesture leaves its trail in the clay. Every fingerprint, a message. My breath fills the cavity. My touch curves the wall of a bowl. And inwardly, I am being formed by the outward practice. I am learning to trust the process, to lean into the possibilities rather than striving for some predetermined goal. I am being hollowed out, stretched and constricted, trimmed and sometimes reworked entirely." —from the Prologue Drawing from her first-hand experience of working with clay, Marjory Zoet Bankson takes you through the seven-step process of making clay into a pot, drawing parallels at each stage to the process of spiritual growth: Grounding—Connecting with our core elements Kneading—Awakening to the inner realm Centering—Gathering everything together Shaping—Focusing inner and outer pressures Finishing—Trimming away the excess Decorating—Adding a playful touch Firing—Committing to transformation This simple connection with the earth has the potential to put you in touch with the whole of creation and, at the same time, your soul's longing to participate as an artist, creating something new and unique. Through reflective questions in each chapter—along with a wealth of unique clay projects that even beginners can do—Bankson invites you on a journey of spiritual discovery, a path of reconnecting with your body and spirit, and with the earth itself.

Black is Beautiful

Stacy created this book in response to the many African-American women that approach her on a daily basis. These women ask her questions about her hair and express that they would like to do something similar to their hair. “It's impossible to give a stranger on the street the knowledge and experience you have gained for years.” Stacy decided to put it in writing. Initially it was going to be a website but that didn't work out. She is now glad that it didn't. The book is a self help, inspirational book designed to hopefully change the negative thinking African-Americans have about their God given hair. The book contains some poetry written by the author. It also shares many of the author's ups and downs when she transitioned from CROP (Chemically Relaxed Or Pressed) hair to an African inspired hairstyle. The book presents four aspects that African-American women will likely have to go through. She hopes that African-American women will realize how beautiful their hair truly is without it being straightened. The four aspects the book presents are listed below in brief summaries. Spiritual Transformation: A good start to begin the transformation from CROP hair to natural is to get quiet before God and simply ask Him for direction regarding your hair. It will be difficult hearing from God if you're not in a quiet place or if your mind is not quiet (full of stress and worries). Take deep breaths and close your eyes. Meditate on the scripture found in Genesis 1:31. God did not make a mistake with your hair. He purposely made our hair different from all of the other races. I don't know any other race of people whose hair is as unique as ours. And yet we will bend over backwards to straighten it. Remember, every thing that God made was good. Every thing. Mental Transformation: Become cognizant of your own language when describing your hair or someone else's hair texture. Control the atmosphere in your home by surrounding yourself with pictures of beautiful women with African inspired hairstyles. I have seen some beautiful natural hairstyles on packages of hair products. Instead of throwing the package away, hold on to it for inspiration. Look at these pictures everyday. Physical Transformation: You may have to take baby steps if you have worn your hair straight for most of your life. A baby step could be to give your weave a break. If you don't wear weaves then start letting your relaxer grow out. When you finally transition your hair, celebrate it. If you wear make-up put it on with your new hairstyle. Put your accessories on and your favorite outfit. Stand in front of the mirror alone with no distractions. Ask yourself what do you see? Don't ask anyone else until you have decided what you think about it. If you do ask someone, ask a close loved one. Say a simple prayer before you leave your house. Ask God to give you a boost in your security level with your new look. You will come to a point when you will not need to pray for confidence regarding your appearance. Emotional Transformation: Surround yourself with people who are more concerned with the inner you. Superficial people make superficial friends. Remember, people do no like change. People will not accept change or won't be able to see your beauty if you can't see it for yourself. If you ever come to the point where you feel the need to backslide because of what “they say”, look at the person that is being negative. Do you admire their personal style? Do they have a personal style or are they wearing the same styles as everybody else? I can honestly say that every negative comment, look or snare always, always came from someone whose style (clothes, hair, etc.) I did not personally think much of. Although this book is written for African-American women the book has a universal message. The message is to be yourself.

Truth and Dare