Search results for ""author valerie mason-john""

“I could have been born and raised in Africa. But my Spirit was in too much of a rush to be reincarnated…At six weeks I was chucked out into the new year of 1965 which wasn’t prepared to welcome on African baby, abandoned on a harsh English winter’s day.” So begins Pauline’s spirited and moving story of her childhood and teenage years in and out of foster homes and back and forth to Dr. Barnardo’s Village in Essex. Her Barnardo’s family was ruled by an unlikely trio—Aunty Claire, a fervent Christian; her laconic husband, the German Jewish Uncle Boris; and Aunty Morag, the cook. And, of course, other kids orphaned or abandoned like Pauline. Woven into this account are Pauline’s angel and spirit companions—Sparky, Annabel and Snake— who by turns help and hinder her to survive in the “real world.” The Barnardo’s good times are shattered by the sudden visits of her mother, whom she calls Wunmi and with whom she goes to live in a London high-rise. Wunmi’s method of refashioning Pauline into a dutiful African child is literally to knock the English out of her. Pauline tries other ways to survive—sniffing glue and shoplifting—until the harsh realities of detention centres and juvenile courts make Pauline think again…

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Social Justice Poetry Spoken-word poet Valerie Mason-John unsettles readers with potent images of ongoing trauma from slavery and colonization. Her narratives range from the beginnings of the African Diaspora to the story of a stowaway on the Windrush, from racism and sexism in Trump’s America to the wide impact of the Me Too movement. Stories of entrapment, sexual assault, addictive behaviours, and rave culture are told and contrasted to the strengthening and forthright voice of Yaata, Supreme Being. I Am Still Your Negro is truth that needs to be told, re-told, and remembered. Foreword by George Elliott Clarke. I was your Negro Captured and sold I am still your negro Arrested and killed —from “I Am Still Your Negro”

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New material includes Foreword by Jon Kabat-Zinn, how to run Eight Step Recovery Meetings, and how to mentor. New content on the Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery (MBAR) program, including teacher's notes and handouts.Human nature has an inbuilt tendency towards addiction. All of us can struggle with this tendency, but for some it can lead to the destruction of their lives, through obsessive and compulsive behaviour. We could say therefore that in some sense we are all in recovery. It is no surprise that addiction is so widespread. We live in a world where many of us self-medicate in response to hardships, turning to food, drugs, alcohol, sex, relationships, work and so much more in an attempt to promote happiness. Fortunately, recovery is widespread too. What can the Buddha's teachings offer us in our recovery from addiction? They offer an understanding of how the mind works, tools for helping a mind that is vulnerable to addiction, and ways to overcome addictive and obsessive behaviour, cultivating a calm and clear mind without anger and resentments. The Buddha's teachings offer us a path of recovery.Whether you are struggling to stay off heroin or with an obsessive pattern of thinking that prevents you from leading a more fulfilling life, the same principles - the Eight Steps of this book - apply. These steps take you away from the trouble caused by addictive tendencies, helping you untangle these drives, to discover a richer and more fulfilling way of living.

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