Updated Website...

in the round has been updated.
http://spokenexistence.com/intheround.html

Day 7: Congratulations...

We've made it... *doing the cabbage patch and the running man*

So, how ya feeling?

We'd like to congratulate you on making it to Day 7 of Spring Cleaning Your Body. We trust that you've learned something about yourself and your body and we look forward to seeing you on a regular basis here on in the round... Also visit the in the round pages on our website.

This has been an amazing journey and I've felt your energy as we've progressed through the 7-Days. Writing the blogs everyday has been therapeutic for me and has helped to keep me focused so yay for me! *go Moon, go Moon...doing the moonwalk...lol lol lol*

Come back tomorrow for "what's next..."

Visit our website for today's food tip on Raw Foods and Enzymes.

Love ya,

Moon

Day 6: Let's Activate...

Visit our website for today’s food tip about Coconut Oil...

Happy Wednesday and Day 6...Wow, how fast these days have been moving.

Yesterday was a demanding day at work, but I made it through and making it through this sunny day as well.

Aqua and I went to an Ella's Daughters meeting afterwork yesterday-- we were replenished by the sistas at the meeting. What's Ella's Daughters? -- cuz yahll know my mama's name is not Ella, but Ms. Lisa. (i'm silly today...) In short, Ella's Daughters is a network of artists, activists, scholars and writers working in the tradition of Ella Baker. Who is Ella Baker? Do yo herstory lesson here.

Oh yeah, I forgot to post this yesterday...sign this petition to demand that the U.S. participates in the Durban II Conference.

This Conference is the follow up to the 2001 World Congress Against Racism Conference. All I gotta say is how can this county, with it's history of racism, not participate in this conference. The U.S. needs to own up for its foulness and be at this conference!

Visit the African Americans for Justice and Peace in Palestine/Israel blog, a Chicago-based group to find out more info about the Petition and more information about why solidarity among oppressed people is so important. AquaMoon is also in solidarity with the movement that's promoting a peace and just Palestine/Israel.

Okay, this is for the brothas. Sistas, forward this to all the men you know.

Male Ally Conference at UIC: Engaging men to end violence against women.

To kick off the conference, Byron Hurt, one of the nation's most widely-known male anti-sexism activists, will be screening his award winning documentary "Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes." Immediately following the screening AquaMoon will be a part of a panel discussion to discuss masculinity in hip-hop. Friday April 24th at 7:00 pm James Stukel Towers Events Center 1235 S. Halsted StreetFree and open to the Public

Note: Friday's event is open to all (men and womyn)Saturday and Sunday is for men only. Sistas dont get mad, just like we need to go behind closed doors and discuss us and deal with us, so do the men. Parking is available for a fee at the Maxwell Street Parking structure located east of Halsted Street with entrances on Maxwell and Union streets. There is also limited street meter parking on Halsted St. and Roosevelt Ave.

The rest of the conference on Saturday and Sunday, April 25-26 is ONLY for men. The conference is free and open to male-identified persons.

Keynote speaker: Byron Hurt, director of "Beyond Beats and Rhymes" Men Against Sexual Violence is proud to announce the first annual Male Ally Conference at UIC. The Male Ally Conference is a two day event that seeks to engage men in ending transphobia, homophobia and violence against women. The conference will take place April 25th & 26th 2009, at UIC's Student Center East, The Illinois Rooms, 750 S. Halsted Chicago.

The conference features men from all communities leading workshops on race and masculinity, disability and masculinity, trans-masculinity, and unlearning homophobia. During these workshops men will have the opportunity to talk about what it means to "be a man" and how race, transgender identity, sexual orientation, and disability intersect to change this meaning from community to community. Men will also learn about what they can do in their everyday lives to stop a culture of violence.

The second day of the conference takes theory to action with exercise to encourage coalition building and networking. During day two conference participants will also have the opportunity to share ideas for further action and education on our campus and in their home communities."

The conference is free and open to all male-identified persons. If you require an accommodation in order to participate, please contact the Office of Women's Affairs at (312) 413-1025 two weeks prior to the event. If you would like more information about how to get involved or how to attend, contact Stephen Adler at masvuic@gmail.com.

As far as my food intake yesterday, I had several small meals because of my busy day:

Green morning smoothie: lecitin, flax oil, cocunut oil, green meal mix and I primarily used watermelon and added a coupla chunks of cantalopue

Sunflower sprouts, strawberries, avocado and a handful of cashew and almond salad

An apple

A snack bag (ziploc baggie) of wheat pita chips

Romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber and three olives salad

1/4 a chocolate chip cookie

2 cups of Raw spinach

Plenty of water

in progress,
Moon

Day 5: Bringing Sexy Back...

Visit our website for today’s food tip about Avocados...

My fav food is guacamole so how could we not tell you about avocados. Today is dedicated to avocados….lol lol lol lol. And avocados are SEXY too! *wink*

Speaking of sexy, our cast is bringing sexy back. Forget Timberlake, our cast is bringing being healthy sexual beings back instyle for womyn of color. Yesterday's rehearsal was awesome. Yah'll dont wanna miss, "Dont Call Me Sassy."

Yesterday's cleansing was good, great actually. I added spirulina to my green morning smoothie, for some added energy. In addition, I used a mix of watermelon, cantalopue, black and blue berries in the smoothie, it was quite tasty even with the extra greeness of the spirulina. Spirulina is nasty, but it's good for ya.

Sunday night I prepared meals to take with me on Monday and that was very helpful throughout my very demanding day.

Love,
Moon

Day 4: What am I hungry for...

Visit our website for today’s food tip about

Artificial Sweetners...

UNEDITED

Peace peoples,

This is the mid-way point. How ya doing?

THE COMMENTS/QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/SUGGESTIONS YOU’RE EMAILING, CALLING AND TEXTING US, PUT IT ON THE BLOGS INSTEAD, COMMENT ON THE BLOGS PEOPLE and we’re asking this of you because there aint "nuffin" to be ashamed of and your comments/questions/concerns/suggestions will help all of us. We are doing this together. And remember the ground rules of in the round, this is not a spectator event. This is reciprocity, give and take. Don’t take more than you need and you give something to the process as well.

A few tips and points of clarity as we proceed:

• NO meat includes no fish and shrimp.
  As far as rice and pasta. Minimize it and if you do have it, eat whole-wheat pasta or brown rice.
  FYI: Flattop Grill has brown rice, rock on wit yo bad self Flattop.
• Do NOT overdo it on the fruits, remember green is the magic word. Green vegetables.
• As we proceed from here, minimize your contact with toxins, i.e. Household cleaning products and harsh chemicals (even relaxers).
• Stop eating at 7pm. No more food intake after 7pm. This allows for better digestion.
• Sleep: For the next three days get 8-10 hours of sleep. Allow your body to rest.
  Portions are important that is why I refer to things as handful or tablespoon. I aint into weighing food but simple measurements to know my intake.
• For those of you that want to continue with the cleansing some of us are going 30-days and we’ll build up to a fast. So email us to let us know if you want to go beyond the 7-Day Cleanse. aquamoon@spokenexistence.com

I will definitely be doing the 8-10 hours of sleep effective tomorrow cuz tonight, I’ll have a late evening and I’m on deadline for a project at my full-time gig so today is my hump day.

Tonight Aqua and I are teaching our Communiversity course this evening at the Chicago Freedom School. From the (B)lack (A)rts (M)ovement to Hip-Hop. Check out the Chicago Freedom School and the amazing work that they're doing.

In addition, we have rehearsal with our cast directly after Communiversity. It’s quite settling, comfortable and refreshing to be working with members of our cast again. These sistas got these personalities that compliment each other and us. They keep us laughing, true to ourselves and making sure that we are writing and executing our craft responsibly. There is a different process for Aqua and I when we're preparing material for the two of us and when we're creating for a cast. Come to think about it, I think we're freer when we're writing works that others will perform. But we're also harder on ourselves when we're writing for a cast stage production. We get real anal...lol lol lol. We think that there should be integrity in being a writer, especially writing works for others to bring to life on the stage. Big shout out to all the actors and actresses we’ve worked with since the beginning. It’s also good to see our cast members hone their skills and have life experiences that add to their craft.

I digress to yesterday’s post about the female condoms. You have to use your fingers to insert and guide the female condom to your cervix...I was thinking yesterday that this would be a challenge for many of us because we think touching ourselves is nasty. Well, I dont think touching myself is nasty *insert smiley face here* but I am a sista so we reflect each other.

Girls and womyn, especially Black girls and womyn, get okay with looking at yourself and touching yourself. If you have never looked at your vagina make it into a ceremony— your own private ceremony. Buy a hand-held mirror at the Dollar Store and decorate it. Bedazzle it, get some paint, glitter etc and decorate it. Burn some candles, play inspirational music and sit with yourself, and when you are ready look inside of yourself. It aint nasty.

We must demystify our vagina and get away from thinking it is nasty or that we are nasty for looking at ourselves or touching ourselves. The world has told us that we are nasty, dirty and bad. NO we are NOT. Reclaim your power. It aint nasty to know what you look like ‘down there’ or how parts of yourself feel. A man or another person does not have to show you or guide you on how you feel or what makes you feel good, find out for yourself. Know you, know your body, ALL OF YOUR BODY. Know that "Divine Thang," that is your sacred seat, your core, that is priceless between your legs. Honor her, don’t be scared of her or let anyone tell you she or you are nasty.

I don’t have any cute transition here so I stand solid in my female warrior stance as I go from talking about vaginas to talking about food…lol lol lol.

Food yesterday was a bit of a challenge but I made it through. I had to get Oprah with myself. "Moon, what are you hungry for, this is not about food…" lol lol lol lol. But seriously, I had to sit still and have a moment, actually momentS, of clarity with myself. It’s simple, I was hungry for some rest, I had a full day and night on Saturday, and my body and brain needed to rest. I needed to be centered so yoga was good yesterday.

I like yoga because unlike team sports, yoga is all about me. With yoga I give myself permission to be selfish and focus on me. It’s about me reaching my level and not comparing myself to the other sistas. Me, me, me…Even with in it being about me, I do not shut myself down. I remain open to nonverbal communication and communing with the other sistas so that we can share energy and space as a part of our sacred wombon sista circle.

I am a part of a sacred wombon sista circle and we met yesterday. We’ve been practicing yoga...tho I was tired I pressed my way through but, by the end of yoga, the last coupla poses— I was done, couldn’t even concentrate just wanted to lay on the mat. lol lol lol. I had a 30-second delay all day…And when we came out of a cat cobra pose (iont know the technical name for it) to go into a downward facing dog I was like, "nope, my body is done." I lay on the mat and waited the three minutes for the ‘melt into the floor’ cool down.

It’s funny cuz we’ve gotten to know the music our instructor uses, so we know when she is going to say, "and hold in this position breathing deeply…" lol lol lol. Anyhoo, I call it ‘melt into the floor’ because that’s what you do. You lay flat on your back and let it all go, no tension complete nothingness. Feet fall to each side, arms to the side, palms down— for me, this is surrender. I give it all to the Most High. I was dragging, but I am glad I participated. I got some good deep breathing in and I did push myself on a few of the poses that normally challenge me.

Meals:

• Green Smoothie (green meal, lecithin, flax oil, coconut water, a coupla chunks of frozen cantaloupe and frozen blackberries) I freeze FRESH fruit for the smoothies, instead of using ice.
• Guacamole (yummy yummy, my favorite), lettuce, corn tortillas and refried black beans. I limited the refried black beans to two-tablespoons.
  The refried black beans were calling my name, lol lol lol, but people resist refried beans if you can during this cleansing, they are fattening.
• Since I had the refried beans, I modified my last meal of the day and increased my vegetables. Spinach and raw okra and just a tablespoon of potatoes.

People, control the starches. For many of you doing the no meat, dairy etc is pushing it, but also be cognizant of your carb/starch intake. I aint saying eliminate it, but definitely reduce it the last days of this 7-Day journey.

Before going to bed last night. I packed up food for today. I even packed up enough food for dinner so that I wont be depriving myself while at Communiversity and rehearsal. Preparation is important.

Have an inspiring day and much love,
Moon

Day 3: Female Condom Upgrade...

Visit our website for today’s food tip about the hazards of Flaming hot cheetos...

Moving right along…We are now in Day 3 of our 7-Days of Healthier Eating. Hopefully you have settled into the spring cleaning of your body.

Yesterday was cool for me, minus the mucous. Mucous was coming out of all ends...lol lol. As a part of my cleaning I take fenugreek pills and a bentonite/psyllium/water mixture to help to pull out toxins and mucous. I also do shots of wheatgrass to help with the mucous as well.

It’s all-good. I embrace all the yucky details of cleansing...lol lol lol

Aqua and I went to a Female Condom and HIV/AIDS workshop with the Chicago Women's AIDS Project yesterday. We did an opening performance at their conference last year and was so inspired by the womyn the Project supports and offers resources to. These womyn are reflections of our mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and grandmothers. It was good to see so many sistas out, especially the teen girl groups that were present. These young ladies were empowered, and vocal about sex, myths and the abstinence only education that they’ve been taught in school.

What trips me out about abstinence only education is not only is it "abstinence only," it’s abstinence only "til marriage." The til marriage part places a religious connotation on there that assumes that everyone is a christian or even religious.

What about those girls that will not marry, what about being a healthy sexual being, what about being responsible and mature, what about other options?

Abstinence only has not worked. Illinois statistics are crippling. In addition, MOST of this abstinence only rhetoric is geared towards girls. Are we the sole keepers of this thang called procreation? No we are not, tho we carry babies, it takes two (for the most part). As much attention should be placed on boys.

I am a proponent of comprehensive sex education as a human right. It was a sista from the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health at the workshop with the statistics/info that places the reality of the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only sex ed into perspective...it has NOT worked.

Concerning the female condom. The FDA has approved the FC2 (female condom 2). This one is
more affordable.

Sistas be empowered by having your own protection and brothas support us as we empower ourselves. We can make love and be safe at the same time. Oh and sistas the ring, which is flexible, can be used for clitoral stimulation, what a nice perk!

For a female condom demonstration, go here:

Ladies be patient with this. Before using the female condom (FC) with your partner, make a date with yourself and practice putting it on. Candles, incense, a glass of wine, jazz and get comfortable with putting on the condom.

After the Female Condom workshop, we headed to Logan Square for the planning meeting for Chicago’s Hip-Hop Heritage Month events. This year’s calendar of events is going to be engaging, fun, innovative and and and just downright awesome. Yes, I said awesome, I'm bringing the A-word to hip-hop....lol lol lol. Visit the Chicago Hip-Hop Iniative website to stay abreast.

A few years ago, with the Chicago Hip-Hop Initiative, we started the Bgirl Power component of the Chicago Hip-Hop Heritage Month. We are so glad that the Initiative has been holding it down every year to make sure girls and womyn are included in Hip-Hop Heritage Month. Girl Power!

This year's theme: And it don't stop...the movement continues!

As you can see, we had a full day and we maintained our No Meat. No Dairy. No Soda. No Junk Food.

What did I eat yesterday?
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (green meal, lecithin, flax oil, coconut water, a coupla chunks of frozen mangos and frozen blueberries) I freeze FRESH fruit for the smoothies.
Snacks: Apple, a strawberry and a handful of grapes
Lunch/Dinner: Foot-long veggie-patty sub from Subway (still be healthy while you’re on the go) and steamed okra/string beans. Oil and vinegar on the sub and even mustard is better than the dairy-based mayonnaise etc.

And I had plenty of water throughout the day...

Empowered,
Moon

Day 2: The magic word is "GREEN"....

Visit our website for today’s food tip about Alkaline foods…Ph Balance.

So, how was day one? Any withdrawals or was it breezy?

Day 1 was cool for me. I started the day off with a green smoothie (green meal powder, banana, lecithin, coconut oil, flax oil and coconut water). Yummy, green stuff rocks. Sidenote: I was going to put a glass of green stuff as the image on the cover of my next book. Hi-larious. Last spring/summer when I was in the belly of writing the book, I was also doing a lot of cleansing so I was inundated with green. (NO, The Green Bible is not my book...lol lol lol.)

Green is also my favorite color. My grandmother can not understand why, which I cant understand why pink is her favorite color.

For a snack, I had a slice of cantaloupe and a handful of raspberries.

For lunch I had, steamed broccoli and string beans w/multi-colored bell peppers, a puff cake with agave nectar and hummus, and some hyssop tea.

For dinner I had, a spinach salad with strawberries, cashews and avocado. And some mint tea.

Oh yeah, to help break down my food I take vegan enzymes pills with my meals.

To help keep me committed to this process, one of my goals is to get up between 4 and 6am. I use this time to write, meditate, do yoga or belly dancing, or just to day dream. This helps me to stay focused.

Lastly, as you purge, consider doing a forgiveness list...Number a piece of paper 1-20 and write I forgive______________ completely and totally. Write the names of the people that come to mind. I know, some of us hold onto thangs...but a part of this spring cleaning is to let go of those things that got us all jammed up. Not only food got us jammed up, but past hurts, emotions, 'i aint good enuf' thoughts etc. Forgiveness aint about the other person(s), it's about you. Letting yourself free from the discomfort of what was done. Let it go, let it flow...And if you need to forgive yourself, forgive you as well.

I was hipped to this exercise in an online class I did with Daily Om and I do this exercise often. Funny thing happened the first time I did the exercise, I freaked myself out because I wrote God's name down. After I wrote it down I looked all around me like God was about to come get me and beat me up...lol lol. I mean, I was really scared and a lil ashamed. Some nerve, how I'm gonna be mad at God and need to forgive her? Yeah, that was a big deal for me to realize that I needed to forgive God, and forgiving her helped in my evolution and growth.

Have an easy Day 2,

Moon