In between doing The Self Love Retreat, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some lovely people who have been living in the Gambia for years, who have set up businesses and homes here. I’ve also found some ‘ancestral land’ which I’ve now claimed as my birthright as a returnee, to build a Retreat Home on (for The Self Love Retreat), and also to build a VILLAGE (on the land behind the seafront). I had the idea to build a village 3 years ago, when I received the premonition that in 5 years time (2020), my people will have to FLEE the UK and USA for their lives, and they will need somewhere to run TO. Do you have a ‘Get Out’ plan? Also, the next generation of children need somewhere to be raised that is conducive to their mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health, away from Western ideologies. My personal intention for building a village is so that when my grandchildren start coming, they will be raised in the village!
I have yet to see the Black Panther movie, but I hear that my people have spent millions of pounds going to watch it, and there’s now a rave about ‘WAKANDA’. When I showed the video of the land (see previous post) and shared my vision for building a village, people told me they loved the idea, but didn’t have the money. My thought was that the amount of money we have spent watching the film could have built at least 3 villages! Of course, we love to be entertained so there’s no comparison, but why not turn Wakanda into reality?
I will be building my own little ‘heaven on earth’, and would love you to join me! The land is currently labelled as ‘TDA’ land (Tourist Development Agency), but every time I go there, I feel a pull in my gut that lets me know it’s OUR ancestral land, ready for us to claim! Are you in? I’m looking for 50 people to get involved in the Kai Ci Kurbi Village project (Kai Ci Kurbi means ‘Come Home’ in Wollof, one of the main languages spoken in the Gambia), where we will lobby the government for some of the land. On the beachfront will be the Retreat Home, the village will be behind on the mainland, and behind the village will be farmland for us to grow our own food – you’ve got to see it to believe it! Why not join me in the Gambia in May to come and see for yourself? I’ve already started putting things in motion for my part of the land, and if you’ve been thinking about leaving the UK or USA (or Caribbean), you can do the same!
I return to the UK next week, and will be organizing a meeting to share more about the Village project, and how you can get involved; if you’d like to know more, send me a message below.
Make a contribution to The Self Love Retreat Fund, which will go towards buying the land and building the Retreat Home – everyone who makes a donation will be put on the list to receive subsidized places when the Retreat Home is built! Plant a seed TODAY for the future you want to see BLOSSOM!
According to the Law of Nature, ‘you reap what you sow’. You can’t plant an apple seed and expect to harvest an orange.
If you want more LOVE, plant Seeds of Love; start by filling your Self with Love, so you will radiate love and become a LOVE MAGNET. Then spread the love you feel inside to others.
If you’re suffering from a Self Love Deficit (like I was) spend time alone, look at yourself in the mirror (make eye contact with yourself) and say “I LOVE YOU”. Do this a few times. Secondly, Pour water in a glass and speak into it “I LOVE YOU”, then drink it. We do this on The Self Love Retreat, you can also do it as a 30 Day Self Love Challenge and see what happens! (Let me know!)
If you want better/stronger RELATIONSHIPS do kind things for others; practice the principles ‘do unto others as you would have them to unto you’, and ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself‘. This includes:
Not gossiping about others behind their back
Helping others when you can
Giving/receiving freely
If you want better HEALTH, plant a health seed today; write a PLAN of how you intend to get fitter/healthier. This might include:
Eating healthier meals/eliminating junk food
Adding more fruits, veg, seeds and food provided by Mother Nature to your diet
Drinking at least a litre of water a day
Eliminating white sugar, flour and dairy products
Exercising more, e.g. doing stretches when you wake up in the morning, or walking for at least 20 minutes a day.
Getting adequate sleep
If you want more MONEY, then plant a money seed, and make sure you plant it in FERTILE SOIL!
Save 10% of your income (give to yourself first)
Give to good causes
Help others in need when you can
These are all good seeds to plant, which will blossom in the future. Again, the Law of Nature shows us that when you plant a seed today, it has to go through various stages of germination, budding, and growing before it reaches full bloom, or harvest. The Laws of Nature never fail! If you want more MONEY, today I’m giving you the opportunity to plant a money seed into FERTILE SOIL: Make a contribution to The Self Love Retreat Fund so I can offer subsidized places on my Retreats! This week, I teamed up with Dawn Mbaatay (Organization) to build a VILLAGE; they are building Phase One, Numbi Village, and we will be building Phase Two, which will include a Retreat Home for those needing to come for Self-healing, read my Vision Statement for > Kai Ci Kurbi Healing Village < (Kai Ci Kurbi means ‘Come Home‘).
As we were on our way to the beach from purchasing the land for Numbi Village, we came across this deserted government-owned land.
If you know me at all, I’m a visionary, and I make things happen! I’ve had this photo on my Vision Board for the past couple of years:
This is my vision of the view from our Retreat Home!
The man in blue, Ousman, says he owns the land, but it is ‘TDA’ which means the government has said it cannot be developed. However, if we build a water-hole, and approach the government with plans for how we plan to develop the land, they will give some to us. We are going to approach the government based on the fact that we are repatriates, and we need the land to build our village. But we need to pool our resources together to buy the land, and develop it!
My Vision Statement is being drawn up into a professional Proposal to be submitted to the Gambian government, for how we plan to develop the land. I live by the motto “Whatever the MIND can CONCEIVE, it can ACHIEVE – I can CREATE whatever I can IMAGINE!”
Are you part of my tribe?
I’m seeking just 50 people who align with my vision, to build Phase 2, Kai Ci Kurbi Village; this will involve investing to purchase the land (initially £150,000), and building the village. At the moment, the land is reserved by the government, but we were told by Ousman that if we build a waterhole and show the government that we can build, they will give us some of the land. If you would like to be part of this, send me a message: cezanne@journeyofasister.com
In the meantime, I’m planning on renting a Villa in the Gambia for two years to run the Retreats from, which will enable me to offer subsidized places on my retreats. People will also be able to rent it for their own holidays, which will go towards the building project. Make a contribution to The Self Love Retreat Fund – if you prefer to contribute using Paypal, use the email: cezanne121@gmail.com
“Every day is a SEED to your future Happiness, Success, and Well-being; plant the seeds TODAY for the FUTURE you want to see BLOSSOM!” ~ Cezanne
Watch my video-poem:
The Laws of Nature never fail! Depending on the seed you plant, will determine the harvest you receive – are you planting a FLOWER or a TREE?
I’m seeking to ‘build my tribe‘, if you align with my vision, Let’s Build a Village! Read my Vision Statement, and make a contribution to the Fund – don’t miss out! The names of all those who have contributed to the Fund will go on a list, to be able to receive subsidized rates for future Retreats.
Now that you’ve planted your seeds, expect a harvest – and remember, there’s a PROCESS! Read my ARTicle ‘Use Your Subconscious Mind to Create the Life YOU Choose!‘ and join me on this wonderful journey of Self-actualization!
If you’ve read my ARTicle ‘Use Your Subconscious Mind to Create the Life YOU Choose!‘ you would know that you can CREATE whatever you can IMAGINE, and that there’s a PROCESS.
For years, I’ve cultivated the idea of being able to work anywhere in the world, and now I’m doing it; I’ve been in the Gambia since November, facilitating The Self Love Retreat, writing, and also doing book editing jobs.
“Whatever the MIND can CONCEIVE, it can ACHIEVE – you can CREATE whatever you can IMAGINE!”
For years, I’ve also cultivated the idea (seed) of building a VILLAGE – I didn’t know HOW, I just put it out there. My thinking was that for our commUNITY to truly heal, we need to get back to the way our ancestors lived, in real communities. We grew and shared food with each other, helped each other raise our children (it takes a village to raise a child), the women were the backbone of the commUNITY, and our elders were given high status, as they had the wisdom and experience to pass down to the next generation. Children spent time with their grandparents, and benefited from their wisdom. Men and women knew their roles, and stayed within them; this created HARMONY.
During January I spent a lot of time on my own, in the Silence, tuning IN (it was during this time that I wrote my speech ‘Use Your Subconscious Mind to Create the Life YOU Choose!). Shortly after, I met brother Musa, who, with his wife Nailah and their commUNITY, are already in the process of building NumbiHealing Village in the Gambia. From speaking with him, I realized that our visions line up, and so I have now aligned myself with what they are doing, to build Phase 2. Last week, we had a monumental gathering of Gambians, African-Americans, and African-Caribbeans to see how we could work TOGETHER to build a VILLAGE! In attendance was a professional builder, surveyor, electrician and an architect, as well as locals, and people ready to invest, such as myself.
Brother Ra, an African-American who lived in Ghana for 10 years, has been in the Gambia for 7 months; his background is in hospitality, tourism and education. Having been involved in setting up similar projects in Ghana, and learning from their mistakes, he’s now looking to do something similar in the Gambia. He is a great asset to our project, be a part of it too!
Numbi Village is already fully funded and patronized. I’m looking for 50 like-minded people to work with me in building Phase 2, Kai Ci Kurbi Village (Kai Ci Kurbi means ‘come home’ in Wollof, one of the main languages spoken in the Gambia). Read my >> Vision Statement for Kai Ci Kurbi Healing Village <<
Those who were left on the continent did not escape the evils of colonialism, and in my opinion, have suffered just as much as we have psychologically, spiritually, and financially, while others benefit from the wealth of our Motherland. By pooling our resources TOGETHER, we can rebuild our infrastructures, and develop a do-for-self attitude, instead of thinking that we need to rely on others to help us heal and rebuild.
Those of us who are the descendants of enslaved Africans, who were stripped of our culture, names, language and spirituality, are slowly finding our way ‘back home’, which I now realize is a state of being. To facilitate this return to our roots, being in the sun, spending time in nature, eating food provided by Mother Nature, and spending time ‘going within’ is vital. This is why I’ve organised another Retreat for this November, this time for both women and men, where you’ll be able to see for yourself what we’re doing here, learn more about the vision, and get involved in Phase 2 of the ‘Build a Village’ project, ‘Kai Ci Kurbi’. It’s time to COME HOME! I predicted around 3 years ago that in 5 years time, our people are going to have to flee from the UK and USA, and that they’re going to need somewhere to go. This was the basis upon which I wanted to build a village, so that my people had somewhere to run TO.
Are you ‘coming home’?
Mixed Retreat
Join me in the Gambia November 21-30 for a 10-day Retreat where you will be able to see the first building project, and get involved in Phase 2! The pilot project, Numbi Village is patronized by around 25 people. We are looking for 50 people to patronize Phase 2, Kai Ci Kurbi Village (more about this in my next post), to invest in the building project and be ready to move into the Village, (or to provide accommodation for renting.) The Retreat in November costs just £899 which includes transfers to/from the airport, 9 nights accommodation with breakfast, a visit to Numbi Village building project, a gathering to plan Phase 2 including locals, 3 Self-nurturing workshops with my Self (in place of The Self Love Retreat, optional). Khensu I-Em Hotep, author of the forthcoming book ‘Spirit-Osis (Spiritual Disorder), the ROOT CAUSE of All Modern Dis-eases‘, and founder of The Melanin Clinic will also be attending the Retreat, sharing important information to help you Self-heal. We will also have an Evening of Reasoning to discuss the topics raised in my Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister‘ which you’ll get FREE when you book to join us on the Retreat! (It will help you ‘innerstand’ my thinking behind rebuilding our commUNITY). An overnight trip to Senegal on safari, and a day trip to Kunta Kinte Island are optional extras. If you’re seriously thinking about getting involved in Phase 2, book your place early, as there are only 10 places on this trip; easy monthly payment plans available – pay a £100 deposit to secure your place, singles and couples welcome:
While we are in the building process, I plan to rent a Retreat home, which will be used to run the Retreats from, this would mean that you only have to pay for your flights and spending money! We can rent a 5 bedroom house for around £5,000 per year; make a contribution to The Self Love Retreat Fund to enable me to offer subsidized places on each Retreat; The Law of Nature states that if want to reap a harvest, you must sow a seed of that kind, so I’m giving you the opportunity to sow your money seed into fertile soil!
I’m back in London temporarily between March and May…
Ok, let’s use another metaphor; think of your subconscious mind as a computer; a computer runs on a PROGRAM, or on various programs. Until it’s programmed, it can do nothing. A young child’s mind is like an un-programmed computer.
While I was going through the process of figuring out my mind in order to get it to work properly, I discovered that children go through what’s known as the ‘imprint period’, between the ages of 0-7. Whatever they’re told repeatedly during this period becomes their subconscious programming. This subconscious programming is very difficult to change after the imprint period. That’s why Frederick Douglas said “It’s much easier to raise strong children, than to mend broken adults”, and why the bible says “Train up a child in the way it should go, and when it is old, it will not depart from it”. These are two examples of how deep this programming goes.
Now what if you were programmed for failure, like I was?
My programming at home was ‘You’re ugly, you’re worthless, you’re good-for-nothing, you don’t deserve it (whatever I wanted), and ‘not good enough’ (anything that I did)’. Then on top of that I went to church every week where I was programmed to beLIEve I was born in sin, was a was a poor, wretched sinner, was unworthy, and that I needed to be washed white as snow by a white savior in order to feel good about myself. I’m not saying this to name or shame anyone, I’m simply sharing what I found when I dug deep into my subconscious mind, to get to the ROOT CAUSE of my issues. So by the time I was in my early twenties, I had low self-esteem, didn’t believe in myself or my God-given talents, was a blocked writer and artist, suffered from severe bouts of depression, had mental breakdowns, and was even suicidal; I didn’t think my life was worth living. Obviously I didn’t kill myself, but I thought about it enough times!
After the birth of my second sun, I knew I had to fix up; it wasn’t just my life at stake anymore, I had two little people to think about as well. So I started the process of Self-healing. This was back in the 90’s. At the time, Anthony Robbins was all the rage on the Self-development scene; I read his books, listened to his CD’s, and even attended one of his seminars. I also read lots of other Self-development books like ‘The Magic of Thinking Big’ by David J. Schwartz, ‘As a Man Thinketh’ by James Allen, ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers, and ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron. They all began to show me the creative power of my mind. But it was in 2007 when ‘The Secret‘ had exploded on the scene, that I really began to take control of my thoughts. At the time I was homeless; I’d sent my 3 suns to live with their fathers, and was at my lowest point ever. Yet this was my biggest opportunity to change my life for GOOD. I started learning how to meditate, and as a result, I unblocked as a writer and artist, painted 11 paintings, published three books, and wrote and recorded over 30 poems, all of which were creative expressions of what I was learning at the time – the creative power of my mind. But something else extraordinary began to happen; I began to access my super-conscious mind.
What is your super-conscious mind, and how do you access it?
I would say that your super-conscious mind is the part of you that’s connected to your Source. You can only access your super-conscious mind through your sub-conscious mind. Think of it like this:
Your conscious mind is on ground level, your sub-conscious mind is underground, and your super-conscious mind is way up in the skies…. What does this remind you of? You’re right, a tick! (Maybe Nike knows something we don’t – well, we do now!) I didn’t learn this from anywhere, it came to me while I was writing this ARTicle, I was like, WOW! But where did this idea come from? My super-conscious mind. I have a tendency to auto-write, which means, I’m not really thinking about what I’m writing – I’m not consciously making it up, I simply allow it to come through me; much like how this ARTicle was written (It was originally meant to be a speech). I also wrote 46,000 words of my Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister’ that way, and they formed the most beautiful story-line! I didn’t sit down and construct the beginning, middle and end, like they teach you to do in Creative Writing classes, I let the story unfold by itself. These are examples of how I use my super-conscious mind. So in order to access your super-conscious mind, you need to go down into your sub-conscious mind, which means your conscious mind needs to be put to rest. This is the purpose of meditation, or relaxation. If your mind is constantly on the go, you won’t be able to access your super-conscious mind. If you allow yourself to be distracted by the tv, radio, phone calls, internet etc, you won’t be able to access your super-conscious mind. Let me give you another example: One day I was lying on the sofa in a state of deep relaxation. I wasn’t meditating, I was listening to one of my favourite indie groups, Fertile Ground. As I listened to their track (also called ‘Fertile Ground’) with my eyes closed, I was drifting in between sleep and consciousness – when all of a sudden this image just flashed in my mind:
It was only for a split second, but it was as if it left an impression on my mind, because I was able to get up and draw all the details. Now, I know this image didn’t come from ME, because I wasn’t even able to relate to it at first! It took around 3 months for me to get around to painting it, because I found her big belly a bit off-putting; I certainly wasn’t feeling broody, and I’m not keen on the idea of a ‘white wedding’ either. Yet ‘Love Bump‘ now illustrates Year 11 of ‘Journey of a Sister‘!
I didn’t think up the whole composition, so where did it come from? I had accessed the Universal Mind (where all ideas reside) through my super-conscious mind, because my conscious mind was laid to rest. I was drifting in and out of sleep, so my sub-conscious mind was dominant, and somehow, I had connected with my super-conscious (probably with the aid of the music I was listening to).
Now the title of this blog series is ‘Use Your Subconscious Mind to Create the Life YOU Choose’. I had set an intention long before doing my paintings, writing my books, or recording my poetry, to buy my house with cash. Once I set the intention, I began to be in-spired and to attract everything I needed to help me reach my goal. It didn’t happen overnight…I’ve been at this for over 15 years.
Yes, there’s a process.
So let’s get back to the metaphor of the mind being a garden; there are different types of seeds you can plant, some take longer to blossom and bloom than others – the process doesn’t happen overnight – sometimes I wondered if it even really worked at all! But each time I questioned the process, I was reminded that I didn’t plant a flower, I’d planted a TREE.
Most people would have given up by now, but what else could I do? Go and get a 9-5 job? That would never help me reach my goal! Go back to uni and get a degree in creative writing or art? I’ve always dropped out of classes because they stifled my free-spirited way of creating.
I just had to trust the process….
In the last part of this series, I’m going to share with you how I re-program my subconscious mind for success, and how you can more easily do the same, click here to read it!
Continue the journey!
I’ve shared everything I’ve discovered about the power of our mind in my Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister‘, order yours today! (or get one for a friend, they make great gifts!)
Journey of a Sister Limited Edition paperback
Featuring Cezanne's artwork (in colour) and poetry
FREE postage (UK only)
£14.99
Outside the UK? Order your paperback from >>LULU << (ships worldwide)
Plant your MONEY Seed – I Am Fertile Soil!
The Law of Nature says you reap what you sow! You can’t plant an apple seed and expect oranges! If you want more money, you have to plant a money seed, this is your opportunity to plant in FERTILE SOIL, your contribution will help me be able to offer subsidized places on The Self Love Retreat, plant your seed into The Self Love Retreat Fund – happy blossoming!
Join me on The Self Love Retreat (women only) or the Nurture Your Inner Child Retreat (mixed) in November 2018 where I’ll be taking you through some of the process I used to develop confidence and self-esteem, to unlock my creative potential, and to discover my destiny! Go here for details
This is why it’s so important that you guard your subconscious mind, in fact the job of your conscious mind is to guard your subconscious mind. See, your subconscious mind is like a young child; it doesn’t think or reason for itself, it simply accepts any information given to it from your conscious mind, the (adult) gardener as facts. You can either plant your own seeds, or you can allow other people to plant seeds in your mind for you (this is generally what most people do). Your conscious mind takes IN-formation through what you see and what you hear, which determine the seeds that you plant. If this IN-formation is good, you’re going to feel good and plant positive thought-seeds. If the IN-formation’s not so good, you’re going to feel bad and plant negative thought-weeds in your subconscious mind. Now your emotions are the water which causes your thought-seeds to grow at a much faster rate. This is the easiest way I can explain this process, so let me repeat it again; your emotions water your thought-seeds and make them grow that much quicker. So for instance, if you allow your mind to be manipulated by the media, the news, and social media, your emotions will be all over the place. One minute you’ll be reading a meme that makes you think “Oh, that’s so beautiful, life is wonderful, the universe is for me, I can do anything!” and you feel positive, optimistic, and loving. Then the next minute you read or watch something that makes you think “Oh my god, how can this be happening in the world? That’s so wrong! Life is against me, I’m going to march to change it!” and you feel angry, frustrated, even depressed. So there you go; you’ve just planted two different thought-seeds in your subconscious mind; one positive, and one negative – just like your own garden; you plant a flower, and a weed will spring up right alongside it. That’s what I love about Mother Nature, she’s the greatest teacher; if you want to know anything about life, just look at nature! So as I was saying, you can plant seeds in your own mind, or you can allow others to plant the seeds for you. That’s why I stopped watching the news over 15 years ago – it just made me feel depressed! I spend very little time on social media because I just don’t know what’s going to pop up! I’m very careful about what I allow into my subconscious mind.
I can’t wait to get onto the role of the super-conscious mind, but first I want to make sure you understand – or innerstand – the roles of the conscious and sub-conscious minds.
So let me explain it again; your mind is the GARDEN, and your thoughts are the SEEDS. Your conscious mind is the gardener, and your subconscious mind is the FERTILE SOIL into which the seeds are planted. I first learnt this metaphor from the book ‘Think and Grow Rich’ by Napoleon Hill. I’ve been thinking about being rich for a very long time – I had to, in order to change my religious programming of being a poor, wretched sinner. Why do I want to be rich? So I can reach my full potential, and help others reach their full potential too; I want to be able to travel the world, and see all the beauty of Mother Nature; I want my three ‘suns’ to be able to travel too, so they can realize that there’s more to life than working a 9-5 job to pay bills. I want to be able to buy my house with cash, and I want to be able to inspire others to live their dreams too. So what seeds are you planting in your subconscious mind? All thoughts are either rooted in LOVE or FEAR. Those are the only two places that they can come from. The root of all hateful thoughts is fear, so fear is the opposite of love, not hate.
If you look at my painting ‘Self Love‘, you’ll see that her thoughts are rooted in LOVE:
Her mind is the garden, and it’s growing beautiful flowers – not a weed in sight! You can’t see the root of her thoughts, because they’re buried underground, in her subconscious. But you can see the results of her subconscious thoughts, the beautiful flowers.
So how do you know what your subconscious thoughts are? Now this is where it begins to get interesting (if it wasn’t already!)…
In Part 3, I’ll show you how to get to the ROOT CAUSE of any issues you may be facing, and how you can begin the process of transforming your life for GOOD! Click here to read it!
If you haven’t already, ‘follow’ this blog to join me on this wonder-full journey, and share it on social media using the buttons below!
My Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister‘ features my artwork and poetry, get your Limited Edition paperback here (with my artwork in colour):
Journey of a Sister Limited Edition paperback
Featuring Cezanne's artwork (in colour) and poetry
FREE postage (UK only)
£14.99
If you’re outside the UK, order your book from >> LULU << (ships worldwide)
Retreats with Cezanne (Gambia)
Join me on The Self Love Retreat (women only) or the Nurture Your Inner Child Retreat (mixed) in November 2018! Go here for details
If you would like me to host a Book Signing & Discussion Event at your book club, singles group, church, or any commUNITY event, or would like to interview me, send me a message:
Have you ever heard the saying that we only use 5% or 10% maximum of our brain power? Do you believe it? Well it’s not true, it’s that consciously we only use up to 10% – the rest is the domain of our sub-conscious mind.
So how did I, Cezanne, a simple Artist, Poetess and Author come to learn about the power of our subconscious mind?
I stumbled upon this information because I had to figure out what was going on in my OWN mind. I mean, I was multi-talented, but was failing at everything I put my hands to; I just seemed to keep sabotaging my success in my career, relationships, family, money – my whole life was a mess! So I needed to study the mind in order to fix mine, and I had no idea that it would take me on such a beautiful journey, which I’m going to take YOU on now…
So let me start by explaining what the sub-conscious mind is, and how it relates to the conscious mind, and the super-conscious mind. Are you ready? Okay, use your imagination to picture an iceberg…there are two parts to this iceberg; the smaller part is above sea level; however the majority of the iceberg is underwater. The part you can see above water represents your conscious mind, and the majority of the iceberg which is underwater represents your sub-conscious mind. The word sub relates to being ‘under’, like submerged, submarine and sub-conscious. Therefore your sub-conscious is the part of your mind that is ‘under’ – it’s unseen. Your conscious mind is on the surface, that’s the part of your mind that you and everyone else relates to. But your subconscious mind is the bigger part of the iceberg – the other 90%. See?
Another metaphor I like to use when referring to the subconscious mind is of it being underground; your thoughts are the seeds, your conscious mind is the gardener planting the seeds, and your subconscious mind is the fertile soil that the seeds are planted into. My painting ‘Black Orchid’ illustrates this perfectly:
The black background represents the dark soil of the subconscious mind. Her thought-seeds are being planted into the fertile soil, which then goes through various stages of germination and budding, until eventually it reaches full bloom. She looks happy, so she must be planting positive thought-seeds in the garden of her mind. The affirmation for this painting is “I am blossoming!” which also means “I am prospering!”
Now here’s the catch; whether your thoughts are POSITIVE or NEGATIVE, they still go through this same process. So are you planting positive thought-seeds, or negative thought-weeds in the garden of your mind?
You can choose whether to grow flowers, or to grow weeds, or like most gardens, they can both grow side by side. Your job as the gardener is to consciously uproot negative thought-weeds and replace them with positive thought-seeds, in order to keep the garden of your mind well cultivated. Because whatever’s growing in your subconscious mind is going to blossom at some point, for all around you to see…
Watch my video-poem ‘Fertile Soil‘ to get a better ‘inner-standing’ of this process, which I wrote and recorded in 2009 when I was learning how to uproot my negative thought-weeds and replace them with positive thought-seeds:
In Part Two, I’ll explain why it’s important to guard your subconscious mind, and how to guard your subconscious mind, click here to read it!
Before you go, if you’ve in-joyed this ARTicle, share it on social media using the buttons below,
My first Self Love Retreat ended last Saturday, and I’m now thinking about how I can make it even better! Firstly, the three ladies who joined me commented that it went far too quickly; I personally arrived two weeks ahead of the Retreat in order to unwind and de-stress, and while I had intended for us to have plenty of time to do that, we were trying to cram so much into the week!
We started off with a Pamper Day at the Kairaba Hotel in Kotu, where we had a full body massage, facial, manicure and pedicure.
I purposefully kept the numbers for the first Retreat small because The Healthy Ways Guest House (where we were staying with Mama Naasira and Dr Joe Bledsoe) only holds up to 6 people. Their Spicy Tasty Vegan Cuisine meals played a big part in the healing aspect of the Retreat.
The aim of The Self Love Retreat is to nurture your Self from the INSIDE, OUT. The Pamper Day was for our outer self, while the Self-nurturing workshops were for our inner Self. The first workshop was entitled “Who Am I?” which questioned whether we are the things we do, what we have, or what we project to the outside world. By the end of the workshop, we had developed personalized Positive Affirmations to help re-define ourselves, and speak it into being. In Part Two, ‘Who I AM!’ (the following day), we recorded the affirmations to music. This is now a tool we can use to play just before we go to sleep, to help re-program our subconscious mind. (It’s our subconscious programming that we’re running on most of the time, not our conscious thoughts).
“The Loving Me workshop gave me a lot of food for thought for reflection” ~ Deanne
I’ve been working with Positive Affirmations for about 15 years, which has brought me from having a ‘Self Love Deficit’ with very low self-esteem, lacking self-confidence, and being a blocked writer and artist for over 20 years, to writing and performing poetry, writing books, painting, and now organizing the The Self Love Retreat. I’m simply sharing some of the techniques that have helped me raised my levels of confidence and Self-esteem, helped me unblock as a writer and artist, and to push myself out of my comfort zone to achieve more. The day before the Retreat has due to start I was writing my journal and the first thing I wrote was “Who am I to organize The Self Love Retreat? What do I know about Self Love?” This was my critical voice talking, and my old programming of not being ‘good enough’ was trying to creep back in! I had to silence it with Positive Affirmations about Who I Am. In the past, I would have succumbed to those voices, and crawled back into the dark cavity in the corner of my mind. But no, I’m here to make a difference, and in doing so, help others to transform their own lives too!
In another workshop, I shared some research conducted by Dr Masaru Emoto, about the effect our thoughts and words have on water, and because we are made up of 70% water, how pow-HER-full our words really are:
We then stuck “I LOVE YOU” onto a glass of water, and focused our thoughts and intentions into the water, before drinking it – try it! We also looked into a mirror and said “I LOVE YOU” to ourselves. This can feel awkward at first, but the more you do it, the easier it will feel.
We also wrote Love Letters (or poems) to our Self based on the Affirmations we developed, and used them to make our Self a card, which we can now refer back to whenever we need a pick-me-up:
When you fill your Self with Love, you can then give of your overflow, and radiate the love you feel for your Self – you will then attract that love back to your Self!
Self Love 30 Day Challenge!
Do these daily rituals to develop Self Love, and see what happens:
Close your eyes and go deep within (or look in the mirror) and say repeatedly “I love You!”
Pour water in a cup, and say “I love you” into the water before drinking it
If you did the 30 Day Challenge, email me your results: cezanne@journeyofasister.com
Aside from the 5 Self-nurturing workshops, we also enjoyed some Gambian nightlife, and went clubbing two of the nights! I’m not a clubbing person, but I loved the vibe and the Afrobeats!
I had these dresses made especially for the Colour Therapy workshop, which was also meant to incorporate dance, but we ran out of time! I explained how different colours affect the mood and emotions, and how wearing colourful clothes can make you (and others) FEEL. Try it! Incorporating more colour in your life especially during the dark, winter months will help lift your mood and emotions. (For more information on how I healed myself from Seasonal Affective Disorder using Colour Therapy, visit my Artpage).
We didn’t spend enough time on the beach, but we enjoyed early-morning yoga:
I also organized a Day Trip to Kunta Kinte Island, which took us about 3 hours to get to, including two river crossings! We were taken to the original place Kunta Kinte lived (not where they take tourists). On the long journey there, we had to take a ferry and a small boat. Someone had sent me a photo of a boat owned by a sister named Aminatta, encouraging us to use her (in the yellow skirt), but when we got to the island and I found her, the boat was out of action because it needed repairs to the value of around £150:
I told her I would help raise the money and get it to her as quickly as possible, you can send her a gift towards her boat repair using my Gofundme (put ‘BOAT’ as a reference) and I’ll make sure she gets it ( we’ve raised £45 so far).
“I had an amazing time on The Self Love Retreat – I recommend to everyone! I feel enlightened, refreshed, healthier and positive. I’ve learned many techniques to benefit me going forward. Met so many great people who I intend to keep in contact with. We made so many memories, I really wanted to stay longer! So glad I went and Cezanne is the hostess with the mostest, so inspirational, love her! I will defo do another retreat with you. I loved Gambia too, will go back”
Based on the feedback I received, I’ve decided to extend The Self Love Retreat in November to 10Days so you can relax and unwind for the first 3 days before the workshops start! The cost for the The Self Love Retreat is just £899 (Flights must be booked separately). If you can only come for 7 days, the price of accommodation will be deducted.
We will be staying at Ocean Villa Heights, a lovely hotel in Bufurt with swimming pool, internet, restaurant, and spa facilities, and it’s just a few minutes walk to the beach! To book, go HERE (or send me an email to cezanne@journeyofasister.com pay by bank transfer)
Support a Sista!
I set up a Gofundmecampaign in order to be able to offer subsidized places on the Retreat, if you’re unable to attend yourself, but would like to help your sisters on their Self-healing journey, please make a contribution to the Fund!
If you would like to be considered for a place, 1) make a donation to the fund, 2) email me: cezanne@journeyofasister.com explaining why you need it.
More Retreat dates will be added when destinations have been chosen (I’m also looking at Grenada, Jamaica, or Dominica)
Singles & Couples Welcome!
Whether you’re single, or would like to come with your partner, The Self Love Retreatis for YOU! The techniques will help you in your own personal development, which will no doubt impact your relationship. If you have any questions, or would like to book, email me: cezanne@journeyofasister.com
Easy Payment Plans for November Retreats
I’d like to make it as easy as possible for you to join me, so I’m offering monthly payment plan options for the Retreats in November 2018 < click on the link to find out more. If you’re coming from the UK, you don’t need a visa, just book your flight, and pay for your Retreat!
Nurture Your Inner Child Retreat 16-23 Nov
I’ve also organized the Nurture Your Inner Child Retreat in November, where I will take you through the same processes I went through to unblock as a writer and artist, all materials will be provided! If you’re interested in joining me on any of these Retreats, email me: cezanne@journeyofasister.com
To keep up-to-date with me daily acivities, and for more pics and videos follow me on instagram!
Join me for the Art Exhibition Launch and Taster Workshop @ Katakata!
The last 3 paintings from my collection ‘Nature’s Art’ will be in a joint exhibition at Katakata, a lovely vegan restaurant and art space on Brixton Hill! ‘Self Love’, ‘Blue Lotus’ and ‘Black Orchid’ will be on sale, and you’ll also be able to get a set of 9 Prints from the collection! (Framed prints can also be ordered)
‘Self Love’ 24″ x 30″ oil on canvas £350
(the butterfly was stuck on and is not included)
‘Blue Lotus’ 48″ x 38″ oil on canvas £750
Black Orchid 48″ x 38″ oil on canvas £450
Join us for the Open Evening on Thursday 2nd November 6-10pm, tickets are FREE with drinks and canapes, but booking is essential, book your free ticket here!
Self Love Retreat Taster Workshop @ Katakata!
On Sunday 5th November, join me at Katakata from 2-5pm in a Taster Workshop for The Self Love Retreat! (Gambia) I’ll be giving you tasters of some of the workshops we’ll be doing on the Retreat, including Colour Therapy, where I explain how I healed myself from Seasonal Affective Disorder (a form of depression caused by lack of natural sunlight) using the colours in my paintings, and showing you how you can use colours to lift your mood and emotions! It’s also my birthday that day, so come and celebrate with me! Tickets are just £15 which includes a delicious vegan lunch, and signed copy of my novel ‘Journey of a Sister’! (<< read the reviews) Click on the flyer below for more info about The Self Love Retreat:
BONUS!
Get a FREE personally signed copy of my Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister‘ when you book your ticket for The Self Love Retreat Taster Workshop! It features my artwork in full colour, so you’ll be healing yourself in more ways than one as you read! If you’re unable to attend you can still order my book below:
Journey of a Sister Limited Edition paperback
Journey of a Sister features Cezanne’s artwork & poetry with FREE postage (UK only)
£14.99
I look forward to seeing you at one or both of them!
If you missed the Big Launch of the Kings & Queens Book Tour, you really missed out!
I explained why I had invited TC Carrier, author of ‘The Secret Science of Black Male & Female Sex‘ and King Kevin Dorival, author of ‘7 Types of Queens, Kings Desire‘ over from the USA to join me on this tour, and how our books compliment each other’s.
In the first session (1-3pm) myself, TC Carrier and Kevin Dorival answered questions from the audience; not many people had read our books yet, so it was more of an introduction about what we do, why we’ve organised the Kings & Queens Book Tour, and to purchase the books to read ahead of the following events.
Some people enjoyed the first session so much, that they purchased tickets for the second session (4-7pm) organised by Lady Tamar of Kings & Queens United.
King Kevin Dorival talked about the 7 Queen Types, and TC Carrier did a very engaging presentation called ‘Law of Gender‘ where he explained the roles of the Masculine and Feminine Energies. Watch this short clip where TC answers his question “What is most important, the Masculine or Feminine inner-g?” during ‘the battle of the sexes’:
The men reasoning what it means to be a King:
I was so honored to have the great historian Robin Walker join us at the Launch – he even bought my book! I did a course with him about 5 years ago, which really helped to build Self and Racial Esteem – we had a rich history BEFORE slavery! His book ‘When We Ruled’ fitted in nice with the theme of the tour, and I was so chuffed that he took time out of his busy schedule to attend. He runs Black History classes every Sunday afternoon, which are funded by his organization, if you’re interested in attending email him at historicalwalker@yahoo.com
Afterwards, Richie from BlackIceTV7 interviewed some of the attendees to get their feedback on the event which will be included in their footage:
DJ Supreme from Conscious radio also interviewed some of the attendees:
Join us TOMORROWWednesday 4th October from 5-7.30pm at Marcus Garvey Library, 1 Philip Lane N15 4JA for a session aimed at both youth and adults, based upon TC Carrier’s other book ‘Black Son Rising; Re-awakening the Warrior DNA in Black Men‘ (Marcus Garvey Library is situated inside Tottenham Green Leisure Centre) This is a FREE event, just turn up!
You’ll get a FREE signed copy of my Self-help novel ‘Journey of a Sister‘ when you book your ticket for the last day of the tour at Brixton Libraryon Sunday 8th Oct 4-7pm! This is the culmination of the whole tour, where we will recap on everything we’ve learned during the week,how we can move forward to building empires together, and building sustainable Black relationships! Come and join in the discussion “How do we reclaim our thrones?” (our rightful position in society) NOT TO BE MISSED! Tickets are £8 in advance (£10 on the door)
I’d like to say a big THANK YOU to all the people who have helped and are helping to make this vision a reality, and especially to Mr Terry Riggs of Nu Beginnings, Richie of BlackIceTV7, Debrose of Natural November, Tamar of Kings & Queens United, Andrew of Blacklinks Global, bro Dougie of SLR Radio, Clive Hewitt (photographer) and to all who attended and plan to attend the rest of the tour!
There are still a few places left on the December Retreats (3-9 and 17-23), if you’re looking for a holiday break that will nurture your INNER and OUTER Self, click on the image above for details!
The Kings and Queens Book Tour starts next week! Come and learn the secret science to Black Male & Female Relationships! Have you got your tickets? They’re going fast!
I’ve invited TC Carrier, author of ‘The Secret Science of Black Male & Female Sex‘ and King Kevin Dorival, author of ‘7 Types of Queens, Kings Desire‘ to join me from the USA, to share some important information that will help us elevate ourselves as a commUNITY, and regain our rightful positions in society! This is no joke…
As I was writing the First Edition of my Self-help novel (then titled ‘Single, Spiritual…AND Sexual!) I woke up in the middle of the night and ‘auto-wrote’ the scene where Suzanne and Charles performed their first sex ritual. By the following year they went on to build a multi-million pound business! 46,000 words of my novel were ‘channelled’, which meant I didn’t have to think about what I was writing, it came through me rather than from me. When I published the e-book on Amazon, I did a search for it (as you do when you’re a new author!) and TC’s book ‘The Secret Science of Black Male & Female Sex‘ came up beside it as ‘recommended reading’.
I was curious so I ordered it, and lo and behold, his book explained the whole science behind what I thought I’d made up! It took me a few years to get in contact with TC, and I was ecstatic when he agreed to come to London to share this knowledge with our commUNITY!
King Kevin Dorival contacted me last year and asked me to write the Foreword for his book ‘7 Types of Queens, Kings Desire‘.
I was happy to, as the King/Queen theme run heavily through my books, art and poetry!
King Kevin had also referenced TC’s book in his, so I invited them both together, to join me in getting this important information into our commUNITY, is this is the key to us elevating our relationships and re-building our empires! Our ancestors built great civilizations by harnessing their sexual energy and using it to create. In order to regain our rightful positions in this world, me must get back to practicing these ancient rituals!
I now truly believe that this is the reason why there’s a covert operation to keep the Black Man and Woman apart – because we’re powerful together, when we’re operating on a high level of consciousness! (this relates to the crown chakra, hence the title of the tour).
If you have a religious mindset, the very word ‘ritual’ might seem off-putting, but as I explained in my novel, the word ritual is found in spiritual!
In today’s society, the sexual act has been degraded, and we’ve been taught to dissipate our sexual energy instead of harnessing it. Most people only operate from their lower, animalistic nature when having sex. But did you know that there’s ‘another level’ you can reach in your sex and spirituality? This is what you will learn when you join us on the Kings and Queens Book Tour. On Thursday 5th October from 6-9pm TC Carrier will be doing a Lecture on ‘The Secret Science of Black Male & Female Sex‘ – don’t miss it!
On the same day from 2-5pm, King Kevin Dorival will be running a workshop to help you identify what type of Queen you are, so you can attract the right type of King. Each of these workshops are only £15, attend both for just £25.00 (use the same link to book individual workshops).
Join us at the Launch on Sunday 1st October!
Meet the Authors at the Launch of the Kings & Queens Book Tour on Sunday 1st October, 1-3pm at 146 Queen Victoria Street, Blackfriars. I will be interviewing TC and King Kevin, and this will also be your opportunity to ask us any questions! The topic will be “What does it mean to be a King or a Queen?” reserve your ticket now – limited seating, all we ask for is a donation towards the tour to cover travel, accommodation, and meals etc. Myself, TC and Kevin have so far used our own resources to put this tour together, any amount whether small or large will be greatly appreciated! From 4-7pm both authors will be on the Panel at the Kings & Queens United event (same venue), your ticket price includes a meal, to book yours >> click on this link<<
TC and King Kevin will sign your books at the Launch, order them online if possible so you can read them ahead of the tour. You can order your signed paperback of ‘Journey of a Sister’ below, with FREE postage in the UK:
Journey of a Sister Limited Edition paperback
Journey of a Sister features Cezanne’s artwork & poetry with FREE postage (UK only)
£14.99
For full details of the whole tour, and for tickets to all events (some are by donation only) go >> HERE <<
Are you a King looking for your Queen? These will be the perfect place to find one! Are you a couple? Come and learn how to take your relationship to the next level!
There are still a few places left on the December Retreats, if you’re looking for a holiday break that will nurture your INNER and OUTER Self, click on the image above for details!
Promoting LOVE through Creativity!
(My painting ‘My King’ features in Year Five of my Revised book, now titled ‘Journey of a Sister’)
