God Is Back and She Is Black

Dear Readers,

Several years ago I worked on the possibility of a musical I wanted to create called God Is Back and She Is Black. I basically come from a very white Catholic upbringing but my own ethnic heritage is quite diverse - Native American, English, Scotch-Irish, and French. If I met someone from New Orleans they would ask if I could be Creole because my skin has a dark rose tint and my eyes are green; that Cajun mixture of Native American and French. I guess I could have said, "Yes."

The story about this mixed race as told to me is about my grandfather who lived his life and was murdered for being a "half breed"; part white and part Cherokee. The K.K.K. (klu,klux,klan) didn't like the idea of a "half breed" being a sheriff, a property holder with a store and horses for trade. So someone arranged for a dispute and his death. My mother, only ten years old, saw this tragedy with her own eyes. The coroner called it an accident! Then my grandmother lost everything because she could neither read nor write and with ten children and two stepchildren to support was left penniless.

Because of this intense family background,this whole notion about being of a mixed race is a reality I grew up with but always thought of myself as white. In college my circle of friends looked like a mini meeting of the United Nations. I loved the experience of meeting so many different people with so many different backgrounds. As life unfolded, I became engaged to a "black" person, even though he had a white father and a black mother. He looked black and that was all it took to create a constant turmoil around our relationship. There were even discussions that if you had kinky hair then you had to be black. Since he was half white and half black, why wasn't he considered white? The whole thing seemed so racist. The relationship did not last. We did not want our kids to go through so much prejudice and our families were so against the marriage - we turned away from each other.

During this time, I began to wonder if God came back as Jesus and Jesus would be a she and she would be black, what kind of a reception would the Savior receive? I recently started thinking about the race issue again now that we have a person who is a woman as a person campaigning to be the President of the United States along with a person who is half white and half black. Everyone says he is "black" - are we back to the "kinky" hair as a symbolic proof of blackness? Why do we not see him as white, or Native American, or Hispanic, or Asian? Chances are just like the rest of us, the DNA would show a very diverse ethnicity. The whole thing about someone being a certain race based on the color of his or her skin, or the make of his or her hair, or the origins of parentage still seems racist to me.

Looks like we have a long way to go before we can accept one another as the individuals that we are without the labels forced on us by what is currently popular, or in vogue, or glamorous.

If God were back and she were black - could we go to church, vote, eat, play, and work together or would we first have to rethink the whole issue of race plus gender? If we are going to choose someone because of race and/or gender, then maybe we should get a DNA breakdown just which race a person is and also how many male or female traits a person has ... it gets so complicated. And, what would happen with a gypsy like me with so many mixtures and mutations ... some predictions are that in the future the whole earth population will be coffee colored. What will we do then for labels, classify everyone as a "star buck?"

Taking all of the above into consideration, I intend to pick my president, my spiritual reflections, and my circle of friends because I think the choices are appropriate for me not because of race, gender, creed or righteousness. What do you intend?

Amber Silverstar
http://www.ambersilverstar.com

Election Elightenment - Karma Crazy

Dear Friends,
Comments seem appropriate now, considering that the election frenzy happens everyday. I watch Bill Clinton talk and I wonder what karma he is paying off while the former first lady argues her points that she is best qualified for the presidency. I see Mr. Clinton yelling at reporters, hugging Hillary, falling asleep on the podium during a Martin Luther King Day ceremony. William Jefferson Clinton, former president, walks through the crowds, shaking hands, patting people on the back. It is a confusing picture for me. I still see Monica in her black tam, smilling up at Bill. I still see Hillary Clinton on the morning TV shows trying to support her husband who said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman."

I like Hillary. I like Bill. Call me "karma crazy" but I just wonder if the Clintons are back in the White House again what and how many boomerangs will they have to catch, or drop or hold onto. It seems to me there is enough to do in being the President of the United States of America without this mired past hanging around in the shadows of the Oval Office. Maybe we should have short memories, maybe we need to forgive and forget, maybe we could realize we are just human beings with virtues, flaws and imperfect choices.

This is going to be a difficult decision for me this year. Hillary Clinton gives lots of answers I like but she has tons of political and personal history of conflict and confrontation. Edwards is gone; the person I would like to have voted for in this year's election. Mr. McCain is Republican but my husband says we don't have enough money to vote for him. Obama's track record is pretty short - so I might just have to go "karma crazy" again and vote for the Clintons. It might be this is their time to have one more chance at paying off their dues and as Hillary said, "Clean up after the Bushes" again. At least there are a few more months to think about it; in the meantime I better get enlightened and go register to vote!

Book Review - What's Your Dosha Baby?

Dear Friends,

What's Your Dosha Baby by Lissa Marie Coffey is this great little book about lots of wonderful information to help you balance your life, know love and live in harmony with your environment.

This is a large task but Ms. Coffey gives you this amazing test so you can find out your dosha. Dosha, as a part of Ayurveda, is the ancient way from India which looks at the elements in your personality and tells you what personality type you are based on the traits in your dosha. You can be either a Pitta, a Vata, or a Kapha or a combination of all three. Each type has a particular way of loving, eating, and responding to likes and dislikes. The closer you create a lifestyle true to your dosha the more harmonious, healthy, and loving your personality will be.

Ms. Coffey says: "Ayurveda is India’s 5,000 year old “Science of Life” and it is the art of living in harmony with nature. Your dosha is your Ayurveda mind & body type. There are three doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We each have all three of the doshas in our physiology, just in different proportions, so your dosha is unique and personal; it is like your fingerprint."

My husband Steven and I read What's Your Dosha Baby and took the test. We laughed so hard when we realized our doshas matched the personality models in the book like a carbon copy. With this realization, we were better able to understand our compatibilities along with our challenges. It is like looking at our lives in a very fun way even though it might require some serious insights. When I finished the book and the test, I knew I had just finished "a layered cake" of life changing knowledge that could easily be digested.

Go buy this book for yourself and your friends. It is available on http://www.amazon.com/ and on Lissa Coffey's web site, http://www.coffeytalk.com/. Ms. Coffey is a relationship expert and a lifestyle designer who appears frequently on major television shows. She also has several other books published plus another two I would recommend called Getting There with Grace and Dosha Yoga with C.D. When you read this book, let me know what you think! Write to me at
amber@ambersilverstar.com

Amber Comments On Movie Juno

Hello Everyone,
Happy New Year

This is a quick review I just posted on BlogCritics.com
The review is for the movie Juno from Fox Searchlight Pictures, written by Diablo Cody with stars Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner and directed by Jason Reitman.

I saw Juno yesterday on the recommendation of a friend who helps make movies at a major motion picture studio. She should be right about a good movie and she was right. The movie had the best dialogue I have heard in a long time - trendy, edgy, lyrical - reminded me of Janet Fitch's White Oleander. The cinemaphotograpy is sometimes dream like and collage infused.

The movie Juno deals with old, old subjects - the teenage pregnancy,coming-of-age, girl meets boy, girl looses boy, girl gets boy back, men who don't want to grow up, abandonment, step-mothers, barren women, being the odd one out, well ... there is just a lot going on in this film but in a very simple way - sort of middle class life in mundane boredom being rescued by chance, love, and making life-changing decisions.

Anyway, go see this movie; the acting is perfect, the story tightly woven, the drama interesting and magical. I loved it. The only thing I did not like is the ending - like it had been done for Hollywood where everybody gets what they want and everyone goes singing down the yellow, brick road, clicking their red heels and ending up back in Kansas.

Even so, I would see this movie again - gave me new insights into a world I am surrounded with everyday, "The poet never says anything new, just finds a new way to say it."

Juno, the movie is poetry in film and worth a very special look.

Review Of The Holidays

A SEASONAL SHIFT IN ATTITUDES

Dear Friends

I cannot think of a more appropriate time to shift attitudes about our emotions than the Holiday Seasons. I often see myself and others struggling during this awesome time trying to "come to terms" with their emotional selves. The emotional ghosts of Holidays past have a way of coming out at Halloween and staying around until after the New Year; sometime lagging on until Valentine's Day. That puts everyone into a "heap of feelings" for nearly four months.

Emotional roller coasters can often show their challenging rides just when there are demands to be so together, upbeat, generous, loving, and peaceful. This is especially difficult if the Season is also the anniversary of the death of a loved one, a breakup of a relationship or marriage, the loss of a job, or maybe memories of physical or sexual abuse which statistically increases dramatically during the Holidays.

Charles Dickens's immortal Christmas Carol (of which there are countless renditions) really shows graphically how deeply intense the emotional and spiritual expressions are while we are being pressured to grip the reality of past, present, and future scenarios of unresolved feelings.
Not wanting to sound myself like "Scrooge", I would say this is why the Holidays are a wonderful time for a shift in attitudes which then allows you and I to begin creating new emotions, new realities and new memories.

I do this by making a list of all the beautiful aspects about Christmas and New Years (it is also my birthday) that I love. For me, this includes the music, the color, the decorating, giving and receiving gifts, recognizing the traditions and the legends of the birth of Jesus Christ, the outpouring of charity, surprises from friends and family, plays and concerts, the Nutcracker ballet, lights everywhere, Christmas movies, Angels ( both heavenly and earthly), great food and treats, the Rose Bowl Parade ( a block from our home), winter flowers with pine tress and the smell of snow.

This time of year is just so full of sensory abundance and the opportunity to share, that I take my list and everyday of the season, I find one thing from this list that I can do and that I can enjoy. With this action, I create a new memory for my future Holidays. It is like this bank I now can draw on when the Holidays come again.

So this is my Holiday Review: My shift in attitude to go from regrets, loss, sadness and rejection to one of love, beauty, peace, joy, and hope for all this goodness to reach out and touch everyone in my world. I hope this helps and if you need someone to talk to, you can call me at 1-626-796-8605. I wish you all blessings of a happy heart and a Destiny Bright for the New Year of 2008.

Much love,
Amber

Great Web Site - Coffey Talk and Dosha Ready with Lissa Coffey

Dear Readers,

I like to see anything done really well - and several months ago I came across a web site, an on-line magazine, that I am so impressed with - the web site is called Coffey Talk "ancient wisdom - modern style" done by a Life Style Designer and Relationship Expert, Lissa Coffey. Ms. Coffey is also an author with several books published about the dosha and Ayurvedic experience.

Ms. Coffey says: "Ayurveda is India’s 5,000 year old “Science of Life” and it is the art of living in harmony with nature. Your dosha is your Ayurveda mind & body type. There are three doshas in Ayurveda: Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. We each have all three of the doshas in our physiology, just in different proportions, so your dosha is unique and personal; it is like your fingerprint."

The web site graciously features several choices; finding your dosha by taking certain test, consultations available with Lissa Coffey, newsletter sign ups, videos with Ms. Coffey giving relationship advice on major television networks, shopping for positive products, inspirational videos, the books and much more.

The Coffey Talk web site is very informative and very attractive. It is easy to navigate and a wonderful space to find trendy fashions for apparel and home and important information for family. Coffey Talk also connects you to a large community of like-minded and spiritually-aware people. I give this site ***** five stars. To have a "look-see" for yourself, check out Lissa Coffey and all she has to offer at http://www.coffeytalk.com/ and let me know what you think.

I plan to read her newest book, What's Your Dosha Baby? Discover the Vedic Way for Compatibility in Life and Love, in the near future and review it here. The book is available on her web site and on Amazon.com.

Coffey Talk

is also a current link on http://www.ambersilverstar.com

Love and light to everyone,
Amber Silverstar
Additional information about Amber Silverstar and Destiny Bright
http://destinybright.blogspot.com/
http://www.destinybydesigncom.com/
http://www.cafepress.com/ambersilverstar
For a free DESTINY BRIGHT CONSULTATION
email ambersilverstar11@yahoo.com with the code word destiny.

***** Coffey Talk is a registered trade mark and is used here with permission of the creator and owner, Lissa Coffey. Any further use is prohibited unless permission is again given by Lissa Coffey.

Giving: How Each Of Us Can Change The World by Bill Clinton

Dear Friends,

It has been several weeks now since I saw former President William Jefferson Clinton at a book signing and I promised to post a review of the current book, GIVING: How Each Of Us Can Save The World. Now that the Thanksgiving Holiday is so close, this is a perfect time to follow-up on the review.

I think the book is very well written and I am sure it will be used like a classroom textbook for those seeking to explore the world of philanthropy, altruistic services, and creative non-profits. What I loved about Giving is the written examples of a multitude of people, adults, teens, children of all ages developing these extraordinary ideas for saving the Universe including planet earth, animals, people, art, beauty, history, - literally whatever needs saving, healing, supporting, developing, or encouraging - someone out there somewhere has come up with a plan to do so and Bill Clinton found a way to document this amazing phenomenon.

The book is divided into several categories of giving from money, time, energy, gifts, ideas and services. The book also includes a long list in every chapter of resources with names, addresses, and contact information with the idea that the reader will also want to get involved and will do so by being inspired by the examples and the book.

One of my favorite examples is the story of the famous tennis player, Andre Agassi. Mr. Agassi founded and funds the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy which is a public chartered school with an amazing record for changing the lives of at risk students. This school is an example for how we can change the world by how we treat and educate our children.

There are hundreds of heroic stories and Mr. Clinton has had some form of connection with nearly all of them. The book is written in a way that you immediately get the picture of "Bill" all over the world everywhere doing "good deeds" with the rich, the powerful, the well intended and all of course with the blessings of Hillary Clinton.

Still, I really think this is a book worth buying, reading, and giving as a gift. For more information and to buy the book go to http://www.ClintonFoundation.org/giving. You can even tell your own story of how you see giving as a tool for changing the world around you. This is a good thing!To read about my experience attending a signing for the book and meeting Mr. Clinton, you can find the post on this blog titled Giving The Clinton Way, September 19, 2007.

FIRES OVER: RECOVERY STILL A LONG AND PAINFULL PROCESS

It has been several days now since the winds and fires finally came to their tumultuous end. I did not go out for six days while the fires raged and the winds blew. The air for everyone in the Los Angeles area filled the skies with the pollution of ash, toxins and particulates blowing in all directions and for at least three days, I could not see the sun. The clouds of smoke hung like a fog bank in skies normally California blue and clear. I kept praying for safety, protection and support to put the fires out and let people go back to their homes.

I have lots of thoughts about how the responses to the tragic blazes could have been different - I always want to believe somehow this could have been prevented. But nature has a way of reminding me just how human we are - one hundred mile an hour winds, ninety degree heat, endless acres of dry brush, water starved trees, a child with matches, crazy arson people, antiquated fire fighting equipment, a lack of an inclusive plan for regional disasters, not enough fire fighters for so many fires at one time - the "perfect fire storm" - the "imperfect human nature".

Now the recovery, for some, for many, this is life changing, day by day, a struggle to just survive: a painful process. This morning the air heats up again. The Santa Ana winds are returning. We need the rain. We need answers. I need to believe what happened just days ago, will never, never happen again. But deep down, I know differently. I live in a paradise where the price of pleasure is always a possibility of earthquakes, fire storms, mud slides, a flood,a tsunami. I ask for clairity, balance and protection as I sit here at my desk in the beautiful sun, looking at gorgeous, once-again clear blue skies, lush green trees, and the flowers, which know no season, still blooming.

Thank you to everyone, friends and family, who offered us a place to stay if needed, to those who called with their concerns and prayers, you will never know how much this show of caring helped me to cope with so many days of intensity and uncertainty.

If you have been touched by the fires and just want someone to talk to, please call me at 1-626-796-8605 or email ambersilverstar11@yahoo.com. I will listen and send you positive thoughts and love that your needs are taken care of and your life can have a new and safe future.

FIRES, WINDS AND HEAT MIXTURE DANGER IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Dear Friends,
We are surrounded by fires everywhere, lots of smoke, wind in fire areas gusting up to 90 miles per hour. The freeways are jammed with people evacuating. Temperature expected to reach 90 today. I finally went to sleep about 1:30 this morning. Steve went to work. Have to keep air conditioner on so it is 62 in here, otherwise lots of coughing and problems breathing. We would probably go to Cal Tech and stay in Steve's work place because it is in the basement and should be OK. But only if we have to. Animals and birds are trying to get out of the burn areas too. We have lots of friends in all the areas. People seem very calm and fire fighters are everywhere, exhausted and so brave. It is so emotional. Conditions to stay the same for the next couple of days. Everyone is in shock. We are praying for the best. If we have to leave we will be reachable by cell phone. I hope with the high winds, hot temperatures and fires bringing down so many transformers, that the electricity stays on. This should be a very interesting 48 hours. Will keep you posted.

Love and light,
Amber

A SCARRY TIME

Halloween - Time To Face The Demons And Become An Earth Angel

The monster disguises, the ghost energies, and the demon stories roar forward into our midst every October when Autumn sunsets bring the night skies early and the chill of cooler days remind us of a winter soon approaching. We call this event "Halloween." This all sounds fun, romantic, and adventurous. But lately not for me ... a few years ago I started not liking "All Hallows Eve" or Halloween. It seemed the greater the spiritual work I did, the scarier the pumpkin celebrations got - including: more intense horror films, more gory and dark costumes, and "trick or treat" episodes holding more danger.

This year I decided to change my attitude and see Halloween as an opportunity to face my own demons. I decided to let the ghost come forward and see what I needed to review in my own life. "Just what might be haunting me?" - I asked myself. Maybe negative emotions are coming up from the past. Or perhaps there are ghost energies I am hanging onto out of my own fear and mistrusts. I certainly know through spiritual experiences that holding onto the fears of the future or the anger from the past can really turn my well being into dreaded monsters. These monster emotions and thoughts are then empowered to intrude upon and into my life's pathway into the light.

So now I am going to use this Halloween to review what ghost I need to let go of, what monsters I need to meet with courage, and what demons I can transform into an angelic self. Then Halloween can become an opportunity for change and choice - a time for reflections into the future of the winter months to come.

If you are in need of clearing your own energy of ghostly intrusions, you can call me for more insights and information. The number for leaving a message is 1-626-796-8605. I usually return my calls within the day. You can see more information on a web card at http://www.destinybydesigncom.com.

Happy Halloween And Keep Your Destiny Bright!
With light and love,
Amber Silverstar

Posted by amber silverstar at 7:42 AM

Editor's Note: This post a year ago proved to be quite popular and I was asked to repeat it again this year.

GIVING THE CLINTON WAY

Dear Readers,

It is September 18, 2007 and I am attending a book signing for the book, Giving by (President) Bill Clinton.

The event takes place at a very old book store called Vromans. As an independent store, it began in 1893. It is located in Pasadena, California and provides a wonderful setting for an excited audience who wait outdoors and in-line for over six hours for the appearance of "Bill." Some even camp over night on the sidewalks; reminding others of the night before the famous Rose Bowl Parades.

A few hours before the book signing, the Secret Agents show up in their dark grey suits, sun glasses, and of course their ears with the white plastic hearing devises. And just like in the movies, they are all business and very exacting. They seem a little out of place in the beautiful California sun. The day has a lightness about it with slight ocean breezes and large white fluffy clouds.

The waiting lines of people share chairs, bathroom break watches, food and drinks and stories of seeing other celebrities. A woman in front of me tells about setting beside a once famous femme fatal only a month ago at a nearby movie theater. She finds the woman, young like herself, attractive and quite charming. Her name is Monica Lewinsky.

Finally the time comes for the signing, everyone has their pink bracelets attached, all their belongings safely checked or left in cars, their vouchers authenticated and their bodies carefully searched with security wands by those Secret Agents. Helicopters hover in the sky. A broken down garbage truck gets hauled away and the paramedics come to help an elderly lady who faints while waiting in line.

Then President William Jefferson Clinton arrives early. Eager people moving through shelves and shelves of books proudly experience their historical moments shaking "Bill's" hand, saying "hello" and then receiving the autograph book, Giving. The famous writer holds every one's gaze as his bigger than life persona seems somewhat self conscious and shy. Occasionally he has short conversations or says "God Bless You." He appears much better looking, younger and more energetic than television, pictures, or newspapers portray him. I wonder if to be so famous means you must constantly wonder each time you shake a stranger's hand if you are safe.

I will read Giving and when I am through I will review the book and post it a.s.a.p. The above art piece is my own interpretation of the meaning of giving which I call the FIVE STAR GIVING PROGRAM. I will explain more after I review the book.

If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail me at ambersilverstar11@yahoo.com