Why Were You Created?

There are those who wrestle with the timeless question, WHY WAS I CREATED? They wonder what is their purpose in life. I believe I first wondered what was my purpose in life and as life began to beat me up, I wondered why was I created.

If you are of the Christian faith, it is almost DRILLED into the followers that God created humans and gave them a talent/gift and purpose. It is up to us to learn what our talent/gift is and live into it. Teachers/preachers of the Bible use the Parable of the Talents in Scripture to show it is imparative that we use the "talent" gift that God has given to us from Mathew 25:14-30. 

In the parable a master gave three men different amounts of money. One man he gave 5 talents, the second man he gave 2 talents, and the last man he gave 1 talent according to their abilities. The one he gave 5 talents went and made 5 more talents with the original 5 he was given. The man with 2 talents made 2 more talents. To the servants who DOUBLED their talents the master said, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." The man with 1 talent buried his which DISPLEASED the master. He did not double his talent. He called the man wicked and slothful and took his talent and gave it to one of the other men. The master then said, "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." In this passage the master represents God and the servants represents us. Instead of the talent maintaining its original meaning of MONEY, it is often taught to mean a person's personal talent or gift given to them by God. It is taught God expects us to use our talent or it will be taken away from us.

The switching from money (talent), to an individuals gift has caused people to search for their gift or talent for ages. Failing to find their gift/talent causes frustration and fear. Add to the mix that Christianinty frowns upon teaching predestination which is throughout the Bible, many become desparate trying to figure out what PURPOSE they were created for.

In other creation stories from around the world, the creation of man was an after thought. Humans were created out of waste material, even disgusting materials. There was no purpose for humans. There were not any special gifts or talents given to humans. Humans are always created last on the rung of creation. Everything else we see and enjoy such as the sky, sea, and animals all came before man.

The Western thought about ourselves has indoctrinated us to believe we are more important than other aspects of creation mainly because we are supposed to be the most intelligent, capable of great things. We set ourselves above the elements of nature and other creations such as the heavens, seas, nature, and animals. With such a high view of ourselves, we then believe we are supposed to acheive great things because we have gifts. 

We preesure ourselve, stress, and search trying to find that gift or purpose for being when the sun does not stress or feel pressure to be the sun. The stars, sea, trees, birds, and other animals do not stress about their gifts or purpose because their existence is their gift and purpose already. 

There is another part of Scripture which instructs us not to worry, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the feild, which is here today and tomorrow thrown into the fire, will he not mouch more clothe you - you of little faith" Matthew 6:25-34. In this passage we see everything and everyone is cared for and just need to focus on being.

We may live and never find out what our talent, gift, or purpose for being is and miss the joy of just being. We need to take the time and thnk about the other parts of creation which do not get wrapped up in trying to figure out why they exist but exist as they were intended to exist. A flower grows, blooms, and dies. As a Master Gardener, I look forward to the process each spring and enjoy the flowers their entire season until they are gone. Enjoy your process of growing and blooming and know in the end, you must end. But during your time, others enjoy your process also. They look forward to it. Remain humble, knowing their are creation stories which say, as humans, you are not as important as you have been led to believe. Elevating yourself above everything else in creation, may not be the healthiest stance to take.

Below are a few creation stories that are far from the creation ideal of humans in the Christian teachings. No matter whether you believe any of the creation stories of humans, stop stressing and worrying about whether your are not using your gift/talent or failing to reach your purpose. Be as the birds of the air and flowers of the field and realize, being is a gift in of itself. 

A long story of creation begins in Babylon where two watery tumultuous beings, one female and one male are the center of the story. Apsu, which is seen as sweet water represents the male and Tiamet, seen as salt water, represented the female. The union of Apsu and Tiamet produces a varieties of sea creatures and gods. In the chaos Tiamet the female creator tries to take control, but her descendants unite against her, choosing the god of Babylon; Marduk to lead them.

Armed with hurricanes, Marduk meets Tiamet and her evil accomplice Kingu in battle and kills Tiamet and Kingu both. Marduk splits the monstrous corpse of Tiamet into two parts. From one half of Tiamet, Marduk creates the earth and from the other half he creates the heavens, In the heavens he constructs a dwelling place for his colleagues, the gods. Marduk realized they would need servants, so he uses the blood of Kingu to create the first man. Take notice of the materials this myth uses to create man.  

In India Purusha is a primal man sacrificed by the gods as the act of creation. The sky comes from his head, the earth from his feet, the sun from his eyes, and the moon from his mind. The four castes of Hindu society are derived from his body. Birds and animals came from his fat which drips from him during the sacrifice.

The account of mankind from China teaches Pan Ku is hatched from a cosmic egg. Half of the shell is above him as the sky and the other half below him as the earth. He grows taller each day for 18,000 years gradually pushing the two parts apart until they reach their appointed places ultimately falling to pieces. His limbs become the mountains, his voice becomes the thunder, his blood the rivers, his breath becomes the wind, his two eyes become the sun and the moon, and the parasite on his body becomes mankind.

In the drawn-out origin story of the earth from Greece there are several gods vying for power. Eventually Zeus becomes the powerful leader. During all the chaos of battles somehow mankind arrives on earth but it’s not clear how. But men are certainly there because a free-thinking Titan named Prometheus, smuggles to mankind the valuable resource of fire. In one of many versions how the present-day man originated is that Zeus being mad at Prometheus, sends a great flood to drown mankind but two humans escape in an ark. When the flood subsides the Oracle of Delphi told the two to cast behind them two bones of their first ancestors who they reasoned was Gaea, the earth. The two threw stones over their shoulders and out of each stone a human being is created.

In Japan, the origin story does not lead to the first man but to the first emperor. Jimmu-Tenno was the first Japanese emperor with three items given to him by Ninigi, great grandfather of Jimmu-Tenno. He was given a jeweled necklace symbolizing benevolence, a mirror for purity, and a sword symbolizing courage. A necklace, mirror, and sword are still the Japanese Imperial symbols kept in an inner sanctuary of Shinto Shrines.

The Norse theory has the origin of man originating from German tribes who gradually moved south through Europe from the shores of the Baltic. It is in Scandinavia that the Germanic legends are eventually recorded and preserved in the stories of the Norse gods.

In the beginning there was nothing. Gradually water fills the space which freezes then partially melts. From the drops of melting water, a giant in human form emerges called Ymir. From Ymir armpit a man and a woman appear; giants like him. Meanwhile a cow licked the melting ice and revealed another giant who the god Odin descends. Odin and his brothers kill Ymir in his old age. Of Ymir’s flesh they make the earth, of his skull the heavens, out of his blood the sea, of his bone the mountains, and out of his hair trees.

The maggots in Ymir’s corpse take the form of stunted humans, dwarfs to remain in his body beneath the surface of the earth. On earth Odin and his colleagues breathe life into two tree trunks turning them into the first man and woman.

***Origin/Cration stories and topic are excerps from my manuscript, Manhood Interrupted but Never Denied.****

Dreams + Vision Board

 Want to add another tool to acheiving success? Try a vision board.

    This is my vision board for 2024.

 

    You may have heard people refer to vision boards, but do you know what a vision board is and its purpose?

    

    Simply put, a vision board is a collage of images and words representing a person's wishes or goals, intended to serve as inspiration or motivation. Nothing more or nothing less. The great thing about a vision board is that they are as unique as every individual and individual dreams and goals.

    People are given the suggestion of cutting out images from magazines which represent goals they want to acheive or dreams they want to come to fruition. Words can also be used. The finale product should be a visual of what you would like to acheive and are working to acheive.

    The concept of vision boards is relatively new. Vision boards became popular after Rhonda Byrne's self-help book, The Secret, was published in 2006. Byrne introduced her readers to the idea that they could manifest their desires through the law of attraction, which is the idea that positive thinking will bring positive experiences into a person's life. 

    The law of attraction is a philosophy suggesting that positive thoughts bring positive results into a person's life. While negative thoughts bring negative outcomes. It is based on the belief that thoughts are a form of energy and that positive energy attracts success in all areas of life, including health, finances, and relationships.

    I chose to use real photographs and skills, in word form, I need to become a succesful writer. Let's look at my vision board again.

    My board begins with the word CAREER in the center and underneath, a picture of a publishing contract waiting to be signed. I want a writing career and for my work to be published. Oprah is represented twice on my board. I want my books to be on her book club reading list and I want to be interviewed for Master Class giving tips for success. Religion is featured twice in photograph form. Once for my continued reading of the Bible and for the Trinity to always be with me. The majority of my writing is Christian themed or mentioned. The word pray is also present. A world map is pictured because I want my writing to be read worldwide and a picture of a woman motivational speaker speaking to a packed audience is part of my board. I included bookstores I would like to see my work sold in along with being interviewed on Good Morning America. 

    Words play a significant role on my board such as, have a thick skin, refuse to quit, manifest, meditate, daydream, trust my gut, subscribers, visualized, destroy negative demons, commit, plan, multitask eliminate fear, post online, read, passion as fuel, and remove limits. 

    The word BALANCE is important to avoide burnout and stress while working towards my dream It is in different colors and there is a reason behind using different colors. There are 7 chakras, each having its own indiviual color or either red, orange, gold, green, blue, dark blue, and purple. I want my chakras to be in balance and aligned. Algnment is important. One of Opra's famous qoutes state, "When my power (my mind, intellect, desire to learn, and seed plant) align with my personality and my gift I have to give, why I am here (alignment of personality and purpose), I will acheive my dreams (I added text in parentheses).

    Another part of my vision board is enjoy the process and journey and that is represented by my future tea cup puppy I plan to buy along with my convertable mini coupe. Even while we are putting in the hard work and time to acheive our dreams and goals, we must make sure we are enjoying today. Another element I wanted to add was my plans, once I have the income, is to open a fruit and vegatable market which also offers slads and seating ares to enjoy a healthy meal.

    76% of small business owners who've used vision boards and images to create their companies say their businesses are where they envisioned them. Oprah Winfrey, Jim Carrey, Will Smith, Steve Harvey, and Beyonce have used the technique of vision board to manifest their goals and have acheived great sucess in their respective fields by doing so.

    

 

What Power Does Your Name Have?

 

   There is a spiritual movement saying you can speak wealth or happiness into existence by the words you say and use. You say it and proclaim it. If you ask these people "How are you?" their response will be "I'm blessed." because they want to receive blessings. They are using words as power for manifestation.

    When raising my children, I told them to never say anything negative about themselves to people, because how you talk/speak about yourself, others will do also. Words matter.

    People (mothers) take great pain trying to select new and clever names for their newborn babies. They try to spell those names in unique ways. Looking to the Bible as an example, the names of people within the Bible all had DESTINY meanings. New mothers don't necessarily select destiny names for their babies, but names that are cute. But when you say any word it echos in the universe with power. 

    During slavery, it was understood yet not understood the power of a person's name. Slaves were never addressed as sir/maam or Mr./Mrs. because that would elevate them in stature and position. In the South many black people insist on children addressing people as sir or maam still as a show of respect. Sadly, I must say, black people address white people as sir or maam, but white people do not address black people as sir or maam. 

    Slaves were given their master's last name as in ownership. Slaves established a practice of calling nonrelatives auntie and uncle due to the fact that their blood family relatives were sold breaking family ties so substitute family members were created. This is a practice still in the black community as to claiming God mothers and such. So, the names we use and give ourselves matter. They are spoken powerful words.

     I don't know how many years it has been exactly, but there was a time when women were addressed by the name of their husband e.g. Mrs. Tom Jones and not as Mrs. Mary Jones. This also was to show ownership in that time period when women did not have any rights. 

    I began to think more about "What does a name say about us as women?" Does taking our husband's name make any dramatic statement one way or the other? I have often posted that one of the biggest signs that a man truly loves you is when he wants/does give you and your future children his last name; he is willing to proclaim to the world 'I love HER enough for her to be a complete part of me by sharing my name.' Lovely sentiment when viewed through my rose-colored glasses. I guess there are those who will hold to the old truth of the surname being a moniker of ownership and possession.

    Let's move from surnames to first names. I read the credits for movies and televisions shows and I can barely pronounce the names. The more difficult the name is to spell or say, the prouder the mother seems to be. In my family, my girls and I agreed we wanted the world to know our names and thus wanted our names to be easy to spell and pronounce. I guess vanity has its place.

WHAT DOES YOUR NAME SAY ABOUT YOU?

    I think I have said in prior posts how proud I am of my name: DOROTHY. In my youth I dreamed of the day when I would become an adult and petition the court to change my name. Somewhere along the way, I gained respect for the name I was coronated with at the day of my birth. Somewhere along the line I became DOROTHY.

    Let's look at what you speak when you say the name of person. If you are a married mother, then your name is CALLED at least a hundred times a day. So, the universe is bombarded by your name 700 times in a week at least. That's a lot of energy going out on your behalf. Let's use my name as an example.

Dorothy \d(o)-ro-thy\ as a girl's name its pronounced DOR-a-thee. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Dorothy is "gift of God". This is how the Greek phrase Δώρων Θεός meaning "Gift of God looks. Theodora is the synonym of Dorothy. Literary: the heroine of Frank Baum's "The Wonderful World of Oz", published in 1900. Writers Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Sayers; actresses Dorothy Gish, Dorothy Lamour are a few famous Dorothys.

    Dorothy has 40 variant forms: Dasha, Dasya, Dodie, Dody, Doe, Doll, Dolley, Dolli, Dollie, Dolly, Doortje, Dora, Doretta, Dori, Dorika, Dorinda, Dorit, Dorita, Doritha, Dorlisa, Doro, Doronit, Dorota, Dorotea, Dorotha, Dorothea, Dorothee, Dortha, Dorrit, Dorthea, Dorthy, Dory, Dosha, Dosya, Dot, Dottey, Dottie, Dotty, Tea and Thea.

    Dorothy is a very popular first name for women (#10 out of 4276) and also a very popular surname or last name for all people (#19719 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census) 
 
    My Greek name meaning 'Gift of God' has put some pressure on me. I asked myself "Was I born a Gift of God or am I supposed to live up to and become or do something worthy to be called a Gift of God?"
 

    If words have power, as the Bible tells us, there is power in the words we speak; we can murder with our words. While on the subject of the bible, we are given definitions of the names of key people in the Bible. Many of their destinies were in line with their names and some names were changed as their destiny/purpose changed.
 
    From 1880-1950, Dorothy was a popular name, ranking in the top 5 of names for girls. In 2000 the name bottomed out.
In Hebrew my name is spelled:  דּוֹרוֹתִּי
 
Looks pretty good in Chinese           桃乐丝
    The first section or character of my name in Chinese means peach or a surname.
The second section or character means Happy, glad, joyful, cheerful.  Enjoy, be glad to, love, find pleasure in; laugh, be amused.  Pleasure, enjoyment.  Gladly, happily, willingly, or a surname.
The third section or character of my name means Silk; a threadlike thing; a tiny bit. A unit of weight (=0.0005 grams).
 
    Even in numerology my name has meaning. Numerology is an ancient science which was developed by Pythagoras. Numerology offers an insight into the personality by assigning numeric values to the letters contained in names. The results provide the hidden meaning of the name Dorothy. Each letter contained in the name is assigned a number. Every number is associated with specific characteristics. Work out the value of each of the letters in your name using the following table: GIVE IT A TRY.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

A B C D E F G H I

J K L M N O P Q R

S T U V W X Y Z

Example: Cathy

C A T H Y       B R O W N E

3 1 2 8 7          2 9 6 5 5 5

Add together all the numbers of the name Cathy (3+1+2+8+7) = 21 and Browne (2+9+6+5+5+5) = 32

Then add together the values 21+32 = 53

Then add together 5+3 = 8
    The numerological value, or Name Number, of the example name is therefore 8. Use this method of numerology to calculate the value of your full name and find the hidden meanings and characteristics of the name Dorothy together with any middle names and your last name. ***My number is 1 when using my first, middle, and last name.

Number Meaning & Characteristics


1 Competitive - a leader, independent, strength, creative and original

2 Diplomatic - friendly, tactful, peaceful, gentle and sensitive

3 Optimistic - Easygoing, sociable, spontaneous and humorous

4 Traditionalist - Determined, reliable, conservative, activist and organized

5 Creative - Free spirited, artistic, enquiring, innovative and influential

6 Contributor - Responsible, careful, conventional and reliable

7 Inventive - Imaginative, resourceful, eccentric, quiet and thoughtful

8 Organizer - Leadership skills, planner, strong, high achiever and sound judgment

9 Humanitarian - Compassionate, caring, charitable and civilized


The numerical value of just DOROTHY is 5:
    Numerological Analysis: Represents people who are impulsive, instinctive, like changes, dynamic, need freedom and space with unconventional personality. Able to do several things at once, adaptive, charismatic and acceptable in society. Have a sense of distinction and sense of criticism. Like freedom and tend to lack a sense of time. I say that's me.

   The man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan said his first, middle, and last name added together was 666. Like I say, man (humans can take what is meant for good and make it bad). It is evident that when you say my name, a name I once hated, you are saying a mouthful. It doesn't have any unique vowel combinations and it is not a compilation of my mother's and father's name, but I think it was the perfect choice.

    So, for those manifesting desires and dreams with their usage of words I hope it works out well for you. Prayers are just that. Using choice select words to petition or thank the Creator. Many who practice Witchcraft say their chants are no different than prayers, they are using select choice words to petition the universe for desires and dreams. The difference is they petition the creation and not the Creator and people believe they only do it for bad outcomes. I hope your name is a DESTINY name or has some significant meaning where every time your name is called it echos into the universe with power, intention, and blessings. I hope you use WORDS with POWER in your everyday life.

 

Imporvement Begins With Reading

     

How important is READING to self improvement? It is so important until censoring what you read is a must. Anytime a leader wanted to control a people, they restricted their ability to read.

There are so many things in which I wish I could take credit for. I want a wise saying or philosophy to be attributed to me. There are already so many great nuggets of wisdom until I don't believe there are any new ones to come up with. I want to discover the key to success that will work quickly and efficiently. Many other people have come up with their formulas, but they include things like dedication and persistence. Sounds like a lot of work to me.

Even though I may not be known for anything earth shattering, that doesn't mean what has already been thought of and said is a waste. I have found many good self-improvement guides by several different people. There is a running theme to them all, "Improvement Begins With Self." Whether it is being a good leader, prosperous, or being a good Christian, you must begin with self. 

    Marcus Mosiah Garvey was featured in a newsletter in which I did not agree with the philosophy, but he made some good points. Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr. ONH was a Jamaican political activist. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League, through which he declared himself Provisional President of Africa.  His reasons for giving his "lessons" on bettering self are not reasons I can completely get on board with, but the lessons themselves are sound and I would like to share them with you.

Garvey has been quoted as saying, “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.” “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” “Take advantage of every opportunity; where there is none, make it for yourself.” 

As I stated earlier, many people offering advice/instruction for self improvement hold to these main points and central theme of READING.

 1. One must never stop reading. Read everything that you can read, that is of standard knowledge. Don't waste time reading trashy literature. The idea is that personal experience is not enough for a human to get all the useful knowledge of life, because the individual life is too short, so we must feed on the experiences of others.

 2. Read history incessantly until you master it. This means your own national history, the history of the world, social history, industrial history, and the history of different sciences, but primarily the history of MAN. If you do not know what went on before your birth and what is happening at the time you are alive, you will not know the world and will be ignorant of the world and mankind. 

3. Read intelligently. Be able to master the language of your country. To do this, you must be well acquainted with its grammar and the science of your language. People judge you by your writing and your speech. If you write badly and incorrectly, they become prejudiced towards your intelligence, and if you speak badly and incorrectly, those who hear you become disgusted and will not pay much attention to you, but in their hearts laugh after you.

 4. A leader who is to teach men and present any fact of truth must first be taught in his subject. 

5. Never write or speak on a subject you know nothing about, for there is always somebody who knows that particular subject who will laugh at you or to ask you embarrassing questions that may make others laugh at you.

 6. You should read four hours a day. The best time to read is in the evening after you have retired from your work and after you have rested and before sleeping hours, but do so before morning, so that during your sleep hours what you have read may become subconscious, that is to say, planted in your memory. 

7. Never keep the constant company of anybody who doesn't know as much as you or (is) who is not as educated as you, and from whom you cannot learn something from or reciprocate your learning. 

8. Continue always in the application of the things you desire educationally, culturally, or otherwise, and never give up until you reach your objective. 

9. Try never to repeat yourself in any one discourse in saying the same thing over and over again except when you are making new points, because repetition is tiresome and annoys those who hear the repetition.

 10. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. When you know a thing and can hold your ground on that thing and win over your opponents on that thing, those who hear you learn to have confidence in you and will trust your ability. 

Garvey's 11th point is directed to African Americans, about being wary of what they read because at times, it is written by particular authors with a perspective that may not be inclusive of the Black experience. It is worthy to note our country's interest in changing the history of what American children learn in the school classroom. 

We are now battling 'Critical Race Theory' being taught in American schools according to Republicans. Censorship of certain books and authors for the sake of not being 'offensive' is occuring. It is asserted our children can't handle the truth about how America became a country. Mark Twain's Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, in which he used the word 'injun' and 'nigger' was heralded as fine literature and taught to Black students without any regard to how reading the words and slavery might affect or offend them. No censorship for Black children's feelings.

The rewriting of history has always been an issue. People still argue on which translation of the Bible is correct or doctored. It is said that the winners get to decide what is recorded in history. Our education system running amuck is another post within itself. The above lessons in self improvement are lessons we should instill in our children as we teach them to read before they enter the classroom. Correct grammar and first impressions are something the parent should be deeply concerned about because it greatly impacts their child's future. Don't leave your child's future in the hands of ANYONE. Example these lessons at home so that it will be a natural part of everday life.

People often seek to improve various aspects of themselves, including physical health and fitness, mental well-being, personal relationships, career development, financial management, and personal growth. Reading credible writers is a sure for improvement in any areas of your life you want to improve.