for the bliss of it...

some sistas have a frank talk about the good stuff...

and if the weekend rain is putting you in the mood for some hot stories, check out the updated stories at ancestral carnal rituals.

quickie!

once again, bianca's dropping jewels in her newest article: "what do we know about open relationships?"

10 things you didn't know about orgasm

...or did you?

{if you're not familiar with the TED series, i enthusiastically suggest checking it out. lots of WONDERFUL information!}

in the waiting room...

sade
"soldier of love"

I've lost the use of my heart
But I'm still alive
Still looking for the light
And the endless pool on the other si e
It's the wild wild west
I'm doing my best
I'm at the borderline of my faith
I'm at the hinterland of my devotion
I'm in the front line of this battle of mine
But i'm still alive
I'm a soldier of love
Every day and night
I'm a soldier of love
All the days of my life
I've been torn up inside
I've been left behind
Tall I ride
I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best to stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound
I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around
I am lost but i don't doubt
Tall I ride
I have the will to survive
In the wild, wild west
Trying my hardest
Doing my best to stay alive
I am love's soldier
I wait for the sound
I know that love will come
I know that love will come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier
Still wait for love to come
Turn it all around
I'm a soldier of love
I'm a soldier

quickie!

camara has this lovely blog called sistah goddess where she chronicled a 40 day period of personal renewal at the dawn of 2010.  here's her beginning, and here's the summary of her journey.

a quick skim revealed beautiful pictures and some delicious revelations, so we figured we'd share the joy!

::~:: love, bliss, & inspiration ::~::

in the waiting room...

erykah badu f. lil wayne
"jump up in the air"

[Erykah Badu - Chorus]
I know you want to
Jump up in the air and stay there
[repeated]

Jumped up out my seat
I know you want to
Something musta got in me
I know you want to
Church neva felt this good before
I know you want to
'Cept I was at the club
Oh Oh
I know you want to
Bounce Hey come on
I know you want to

I know you want to reach to the higher level
Much further from the devil
Until you feel the weather
[repeated]

[Chorus]

[Lil Wayne]
Hi – G H2O down never
My level far from the devil
Have some manners say hello to to angels
And watch out for Uranus
I go nuts like a Danish
Then vanish into thin air
And stay in there
This is D Carter better bring ya swimwear
Huh, but I’m shallow and when ya this high
Everybody else is balow, oops I meant below
Mijo, zero degreeyo, frio
Get into your soul like Neyo, weeyo
Oh I meant ohwee or is it oohwee
Truly I don’t give a fuck I am on the ceiling stuck
Like a fan full of dust
Like her hand full of bucks
I’m spending like crazy
I’m in Wayne’s World
Where the women like ladies
And you don’t need a telescope to see Weezy F baby

[Erykah Badu]
Elevate with us
We're on the ceiling stuck
Like a fan full of dust
Like a hand full of bucks
We're spending like crazy

Come fly with us
We're on the ceiling stuck
Like a fan full of dust
Like a hand full of bucks
We're spending like crazy
[repeated]

[Chorus]

well, beloveds...

if you needed a sign, this could be it.

we adore examples of holistic masculinity. if you know some, holla! could be a new sidebar in the making...

quickie!

now we can add the linger mint to the list of things that are wrong with your vagina!

you know, besides the fact that you have one of those icky things in the first place.

and, here comes a collective sigh in 3...2...1...

when sex becomes offensive

{note: slight trigger warning. no graphic content, but discussion of sex offense laws & news articles follow}

well. here's a complex issue for ya...

i think we can all agree on the need to protect folks from pedophiles and rapists. but the lack of nuance in some sex offender laws is in need of examination.

for instance, should ALL statutory rape cases be covered, or only those that are actually non-consensual and/or involve a pattern of behavior? cases like this one are popping up all over the country.

"sexting" is another problematic area. by no means are we condoning bullying or saying it's ok for teens to harm each other sexually, but facing the possibility of being labeled a lifelong "sex offender" over the 21st century version of a slambook is, at the very least, extreme.

so, what's the answer?

do we add this to the long list of reasons comprehensive sex education is sorely needed? 

are we, as usual, using a sledgehammer to hang a portrait? asking the wrong questions? 

if we dealt fully and well with the issue of childhood sexual abuse and abusive behavior in general, how many pedophiles/rapists could we avoid creating? 

the word

drawing, once again, from bell hooks' sisters of the yam:

black women are often more passionate in our rage and suffering than we are in our loving.  the energy that we bring to situations that arouse hostility or pain can easily be redirected. we can tell ourselves daily to direct our most intense feeling to those areas of our lives that bring pleasure and delight.  to achieve this end we need to write ourselves many recipes for tuning into healing erotic power and put them in a box so that when we see our energies going toward anger or suffering we can take a recipe from the box and follow it.