Breathe Balance Energize Reiki House

VOR Morning Mindfulness

Awake your child to begin the day by breathing consciously and stretching. Recite affirmations such as "I am whole" or "I am intelligent". Engage in brief dialogue to help your child set their intentions for the day such as "I will comprehend, retain and apply all new information acquired". Something a little simpler is "I will focus".

VISIONS OF RAINY, INC. 

PRESENTS

SUPPORT = CHANGE ART EXHIBIT

An evening celebrating youth advocacy and 
the arts showcasing live music from 
Guitarist Larry Hudson and Vocalist Horace E. Smith III 

RECEPTION

Fulton County Central Library Gallery

One Margaret Mitchell Square

Atlanta, GA 30303

June 14, 2012

6 PM - 8 PM

VOR featured Artist & Photographers

Visions of Rainy, Inc.

Featured Artist and Photographers

@ the

Support = Change Art Exhibit

Assata Calhoun

Aiyanna Ali

Ariston Jacks

Carla Anderson

Che’ Sealy

Fenton Thompson

Jordan Gash

Karen Turner

Terrell Clark

Laverne Neal

Lorraine McCall

Mercedes Lewis

Safiya Neal

Samuel Guilford

Shirley Lester

Saidi

Sandy Rodgers

Brian Herbert

Jeremiah Alston III

Visions of Rainy, Inc.

Celebrating 10 years of Community Service to Youth

Support = Change Art Exhibit

Fulton County Central Library Gallery 

One Margaret Mitchell Square
1st Floor

Atlanta, GA 30303

June 11 - July14

Reception

June 14, 2012

 6 PM - 8 PM

VOR supporting Photographers in Atlanta

Visions of Rainy (VOR) had the opportunity to check out Photographer Terrell Clark latest photography exhibit 3ft Above Sea Level. The photographs were his normal and consistently brilliant play with B/W contrast. Your eyes follow along the lines to see where they lead you. Other times there is more light only to find life lurking in the midst of it. We got a brief moment to chat with Terrell Clark about his study of New Orleans.... 

"After visiting the quarter for a wedding assignment I immediately was drawn to the cultural, architectural, and historical flavor of this part of New Oreans. 3 feet above sea level makes reference to the fact of the French Quarter's elevation above sea level, which, in part, is due to its favorable standing during and after hurricane Katrina. This place is so unique and different from any other place I've visited in the US. For me personally, I am drawn to the daily happenings in and around the Quarter. People are really interested in the arts of New Orleans and the french quarter really embraces the love of the arts via the myriad of venues that host art culture. This particular study, hopefully, gives viewers a slightly different perspective on this area by use of the camera used and ground level shooting."

Next door to the 3ft Above Sea Level Exhibit was the colorful photography exhibit of Ross Oscar Knight. Mr. Knight has the awesome ability to speak to all 7 chakras while encouraging you to focus on the light color that resonates with you the most. His attention to detail helps the viewer to take a mental note not only of the physical dimensions of his subjects' but also the beauty that lies at their core. 

Artist of all kinds are the world's everyday historians that happily record a collection of moments that are defined as the future, right now or the valued past. 

However we decide to describe it, it's always nice to view the world from the windows of Terrell Clark and Ross Oscar Knight.

VOR Support = Change Neighborhood Clean-Up Project

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Project Update

Visions of Rainy promoting the oratorical skills of participants in The Crayons Girls Draw With Self-Development program. Participants have been working on broadcasting script while building vocabulary. Check out Zariah's final product.

The Change I Wanna See Youth Documentary

VOR Supports Photographer Terrell Clark

Terrell Clark hails from Meridian, Mississippi which is the landmark to his introduction of photography. Mr. Clark's objective is to capture the intimate moments we call living, loving, celebrating... Join VOR in supporting the change Mr. Clark seizes through unique angles that play with symmetry and light. Read more @ Support = Change www.visionsofrainy.org.

Support = Change Campaign

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Consider Her Disposition

Charity: Water

charity: water 2010 September Campaign: Clean Water for the Bayaka from charity: water on Vimeo.

I just donated to charity: water and you should too. Scott Harrison realization of his non-profit mission is really a mentor for me. As I continue map out how to do alot more giving to my community full time while loving, living and laughing fearlessly and fiercely, I realize I can not do it alone. None of us can. Crunk feminist, Erika aka eeshap states we have to put our money where our mouth is.

I'm black when I sing I'm blue when I don't

Dance: Our Rites of Passage...

My first love was dance. Dance permitted me to speak without ever having to utter a word while being the first exercise of how to master my 'Self'. The beauty of dance and the music we dance to is the covenant we naturally abide to maintain our connection to our ancestors and the traditions we humbly stand upon. The impeccable Rashida Abdullah graced the Crayons Girls Draw With classroom teaching the students the African dance form Sinte and the culture of which it is rooted. In the footage, please witness the loving instruction that guides the students into understanding the simplicity found in the intricate simultaneous movement of limbs.

Moma Konta | The Mother Braid

Moma Konta graced The Crayons Girls Draw With classroom to present her African research presentation entitled The Mother Braid'. With one word at a time Moma Konta took each daughter by the hand and led them back across the Atlantic ocean to bridge their origin, to confirm tradition was not lost and the secret of Mother Africa is still carried here in America within each daughter descendant of her womb. The students silently marveled at the fact that our choice of braid patterns were actual Egyptian hieroglyphics that conveyed all of the folliwing information about a woman:

• Name of her family
• Number of children
• Industry of labor used to provided for (i.e. farming, herding, etc.)
• Married or single
• Status of treatment by her husband
• Age
• Economic Status

For those interested in Moma Konta conducting The Mother Braid presentation, please contact her at mkonta93@yahoo.com.

A Black Girl Networking

On March 24, 2009, my friends and I along with hundreds of other women of all ages, backgrounds and ethnicities had the pleasure to hear Angela Davis speak at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. As we walked to our designated vehicles we discussed how, why, what, when and who as it pertained to state of our youth, acts of destructive behavior and rehabilitation redefined. As I playback this moment, I revisit my passion for the advocacy of our children where my primary focus has always been our daughters. I having the honor to be reared in a strong diverse village of women and be sustained by one as an adult, I can speak on how imperative it is to have one in place. For it is hard to fathom who I would have become if their unconditional and consistent reinvestment of love energy was not available to me.

In the efforts of being in perfect alignment with my highest good and purpose, I am making a recommitment of advocacy to the women and daughters of my village, community and the world at large. Please join me in building a network of women and daughters that actively encourage, support, promote and assist in the actualizing of our individual potentials and manifesting our collective dreams. Become a member of the Black Girl Network.

Children Bearing No Imagination

As children develop and grow we as proud parents and members of their immediate family mark the days of their first step or first word. We find ourselves thoroughly entertained by their antics and unintentional impersonations of the people around them. We give praise to how articulate they are at such a young age, as they proclaim “No” or “ “Give me”. We marvel at their clarity to discover, understand, and apply the information gathered from there surroundings so quickly.

From one moment to the next they have evolved unconsciously, to be young minds that have been taught to follow directions; not act on their intuition of honoring them selves; not to be different; and not to challenge someone / something that doesn’t feel right. All those cute little antics as a toddler are now discouraged because they are irritating and we have no tolerance for such behavior because they know now what we expect of them.

Before we know it, we have a teenage clone living within our home demanding the latest gear because they require the validation of others in order to feel personal worth. While it is imperative to be liked and not picked on by others, they have no idea of what it means to like self.

In my experience with mentoring or teaching children from elementary to high school asking any of the following questions or giving any of these instructions, I’m answered with a shrug, I don’t know, and/or I don’t know how: Who do you want to become?´ What do you want to do in your lifetime? ´ Write me a short story using your imagination about something that does not exist in real life. ´ List 5 things about yourself that does not include a physical activity or attribute.

Recently, I taught a fourth grade class requesting them to write me a short story using their imagination about something that does not exist in real life. The majority had not a clue of where to begin. Others wanted to tell what they liked to do or inquired if they could write about an episode of Sponge Bob. Out of a class of 12 students, there were only 2 students that barely stepped out of the box to use creativity and critical thinking. One was about death and how everyone died except the child who still was running for his life at the end of the 9-sentence story. The other was about Barbie dolls that came to life without the use of batteries. The only thing all the words were misspelled and jumbled together without the use of any punctuation.

We have to give credit to a time when mothers locked the screen door to leave us with our imagination to fill backyards of summer time to keep ourselves entertained. Some value must be found in the creation mud pies and tracking the patterns of bees and butterflies from the pedestal of flowers. Versus a world that now imagines for our children to only to one day think for them too. Everywhere we turn as the presidential election draws closer, we hear celebrities under the disguise of caring send the message of vote and be heard. Instead of informing our children, to listen for their own voice about all matters that prevail in their life and encourage them to be brave enough to honor their voice via action.

If our children are the future of tomorrow and they are lacking in imagination in reference to themselves and the world they live within, our tomorrows will be void of the life, energy, and vision that is required.

Written by Lorraine K. McCall on 11/1/04 All rights reserved to Lorraine K. McCall. Copyrights © 2004

Not Lost In Translation Nor In Prospective

In my initial arrival to Japan, I concluded that man had been consistent to his God, culture, and evolution. This conclusion was gained by my observation of daily pilgrimages to shrines for prayer; the glaring neon city lights as cars change lanes and men ride bikes with umbrellas to protect them from the rain; the fields and seas give way to life...gohan, lavender, crab, and eel.

After teaching 3 drama classes to Japanese students of Tanabu Senior High School, I encountered no difference in response when investing positive energy and making the learning process fun. I had the opportunity to be a student in a yoga class with elders that were women. They were more than willing to talk about the double standards of men and how women were now equal. Their opinions varied in the issue of being submissive to men. Some women would not have it any other way while others waved bye-bye very animatedly to their imaginary husbands with smiles on their faces. They discussed the importance of balance in a marriage and I agreed as they teased my friend for not being married yet.

The difference in me was hearing my thoughts loud and clear without my mind battling external stimuli and subliminal messages. Not speaking the language of Japan provided me a mental time out. I found myself in translation as I walked unknown sectors being guided by more than maps with instruction. I found myself actively listening and waiting for messengers that bestowed the information for my next move. In my return to my native land, I wondered whom I would return as knowing that I was different from the person who had left.

It has been 4 days since my return, I find myself rather agitated by the persistent noise when in the city and appreciative for the quiet in the suburbs. I reflect on an American complaining about somewhere in Japan traffic was backed up because 6 men were directing traffic even though traffic light was working. I called employment, he called it B.S. Also, since my departure from the country of the rising sun, I have learned about a Black colony of Japanese called Buraku people who have been discriminated against for centuries. The bases for the discrimination were some people were regarded as impure because of their occupations such as butchers and tanners, and entertainment and crafts. Some of those who were engaged in occupations in relation to the dead were targets of discrimination. This public belief was based on the main three Japanese religions such as Shintoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

To my disappointment man has been consistent in all things. As much as I felt celebrated by watching the induction of Black music, dance, and appearance be inducted into the Japanese culture with such discipline. All I could do is be baffled by the irony of this information about the Buraka People and what I witnessed while I was there.

Prospective...by my definition is the assigning of meaning based on an individual's experience. We as the human race have done so much good and harm to others and ourselves. Where words such as Nigga, Red Neck, Slanted Eyes, Big Lips, Kokuchin, Buraka, Black, Japanese may have the same meaning or no meaning at all depending on the prospective of the person you ask.

In my travel and as I sit here typing, I realize the goal is to... despite words, actions, attitudes, facts, or opinions...despite the physical, material or monetary... to retain the identity of our spiritual selves and our connection to God. With that knowing we can vibrate higher and beyond the pain, emotional/physical wounds, discrimination, teasing, racism, oppression, and injustices that clearly have raged war on all civilizations of man. For I was not lost in translation nor in prospective, I knew exactly who I was at all times.

Telling Our Stories From Within

I recently watched the Oprah series on the number of women imprisoned in the United States. This particular group of women in maximum-security prison wrote the play, What I Want My Words To Do To You. This writing project was being lead by playwright, Eva Ensler, known for the play, Vagina Monologues.

I believed it was an ingenious idea and immediately thought of the young ladies at the Atlanta Metro Juvenile Detention Center. More importantly, I saw how this could be a great opportunity to release, heal, redefine, and visualize the new life they wanted for themselves.

We were working collectively on writing a story whose target audience is girls' ages 12 to 17 years old. The goal in mind was to create a text for pre-teens and teens to learn from the choices made by these young ladies who had been detained. The instruction given was to write in third person to develop a character. I hoping they would be courageous enough to tell their stories with the guise of another name. Some used an alias and others used their real names.

Their words were not crafty as their attention turned inward to discuss their prospective of how things came to happen. Their words spoke of pimps blamed for missing mommies and love not defined properly again as affection sought on the street. They told of felt ups leading to intentional yet unsuccessful miscarriages where all involved were irresponsible, doubting God, and the miracles they have heard of. To hear 14 year olds speak of their lack of addiction for education while fathers' get high to the point of death. Cause he too felt like he couldn't talk to anybody and his option was the great escape of life not applied was heart breaking.

For some to write their truths caused contractions of pain that gave birth to the reality of neglect. One challenged oxygen to reach her lungs and mind as she constantly questioned why after reliving her past sitting before us in her seat. Others were clear about buying into the trap of money, sex, and drugs knowing in this moment where they went wrong.

The beauty outside the constructive outlet of their feelings was the moment they received the mission and purpose to make a difference. The excitement in their eyes about writing a text that would be valuable to someone else other than themselves was sincere. I believe it was Eva or maybe Oprah who stated that the act of their crime is not who they are. Furthermore, these young ladies are just like us all. Trying to learn from our stories from within.