Hi,
My name is Vimala Sara,
Aka Valerie Mason-John.
Let's call in the ancestors and step into our intergenerational wisdom,
Our epigenetic wisdom.
First,
Calling in the directions.
Calling in the East,
The direction of the sunrise,
Representing the birth of new things,
The birth of spring,
The fire of life.
Calling in the South,
Representing sweetness,
The water element,
Youth,
Which is associated with our emotions and the season of summer.
Calling in the West,
The direction of the sunset,
Representing adulthood,
Reaping the harvest of all our hard work,
The earth,
And entering the dark cave of hibernation and creativity.
This is the season of autumn.
Calling in the direction of the North,
Our ancestors,
Our intergenerational wisdom,
Our epigenetic wisdom.
May we stand on the shoulders of our elders.
And this is the season of winter.
Calling in some of our elders.
Mary Seacole,
Martin Luther King,
Maya Angelou,
Malcolm X,
Toni Morrison,
Nelson Mandela,
Viola Desmond,
Rosa Parks,
Harriet Tubman,
Audre Lorde,
Pat Parker.
And you may want to call in some of your ancestors.
I call in my grandmother,
And my grandmother,
Grandmother,
And my grandmother's grandmother's grandmother's,
And I call in my grandfather,
And my grandfather's grandfather,
And my grandfather's grandfather's grandfather.
May we stand on the shoulders of our ancestors and breathe.
Give thanks for many,
Many I haven't even named.
The many who paved the way so that we could have freedom.
Freedom from the plantation fields.
And yes,
We want more freedom.
But let's give thanks for the freedom.
For the slaves like Thomas Peters,
Who founded Free Town,
A free town in West Africa,
Sierra Leone.
Sierra Leone,
So that we,
Our ancestors,
Could be repatriated back in our homeland.
Call in your ancestors and give thanks.
Call in your ancestors and give thanks.
And let's hear some of the wise words from some of our ancestors.
Maya Angelou says,
You may not control all the events that happen to you,
But you can decide not to be reduced by them.
I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart,
I usually make the right decision.
You can only become truly accomplished at something you love.
If you don't like something,
Change it.
If you can't change it,
Change it.
If you can't change it,
Change your attitude.
We need much less than we think we need.
If I am not good to myself,
How can I expect anyone else to be good to me?
I've learned that even when I have pains,
I don't have to be one.
Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.
If you're always trying to be normal,
You will never know how amazing you can be.
Seek patience and passion in equal amounts.
Patience alone will not build the temple.
Passion alone will destroy its walls.
A wise person wishes to be no one's enemy.
A wise person refuses to be anyone's victim.
Hate has caused a lot of problems in the world,
But has not solved one yet.
Success is liking yourself,
Liking what you do and liking how you do it.
Thank you so much for your wise words,
Maya Angelou.
And let's turn to some of the wise words from Martin Luther King.
True peace is not merely the absence of tension,
It is the presence of justice.
Let no person pull you so low as to hate them.
If you can't fly,
Then run.
If you can't run,
Then walk.
If you can't walk,
Then crawl.
But whatever you do,
You have to keep moving forward.
The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in moments of convenience and comfort,
But where they stand at times of challenge and controversy.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness,
Only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate,
Only love can do that.
One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right when the head is totally wrong.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin,
But by the content of their character.
Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
We must use time creatively in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.
This is why right,
Temporarily defeated,
Is stronger than evil triumphant.
Give him thanks and gratitude to Martin Luther King.
Let's absorb the wisdom of our ancestors,
The courage of our ancestors.
And may each and every one of us stand tall and strong on the shoulders of our ancestors.
Again,
Call in your ancestors.
Connect to the breath.
The one thing we share with our ancestors is the breath.
Stand tall,
Stand strong,
Be courageous,
Give thanks,
Give gratitude.
Ashe,
Aho,
Ashe,
Aho,
Ashe,
Aho,
Ashe,
Aho.
Thank you.
