Three Ways To Improve Your Life

By Audrey Muhammad

Have you seen people who have experienced a “horrible” childhood, but were removed from an environment, gained an education and became very successful? What helped to lead them to “get fit” to be successful? In most cases, SOMEONE had love or compassion that person. In one case, a young man may have been taken out of a bad home environment where he was abused and now was given an opportunity to get an education and better himself. He or she studies and becomes successful in spite of the pain of their past. How did he do it? Did he get help? In a sense, he went through “therapy,” but not in the traditional sense. Three things are needed for a thing to grow: the right conditions, the right environment and the right food. In order to accept the truth, our heart and mind must be in an “accepting” condition, we must be placed in a better/safe environment and we must me fed the proper food, mentally and spiritually. Too often we may ATTACK a person, instead of having compassion for them. Love heals and improves us in all aspects of our lives. The teachings, which is based out of love, provides us with three ways to improve our life.

One day I had a discussion with a believer about how the teachings of The Most Honorable Elijah is almost like a "therapy" or “treatment” for the condition of Black people in America that prepares us for success. A “treatment” is “a process or manner of behaving toward or dealing with a person or thing(Oxford Dictionary.) According to the book, Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, valid forms of therapy or treatment, along with “dianetics” include: Environmental change, education, and physical treatment(183). For instance, “Physical treatment resulting in improved physical condition will bring about hope or change a man’s reactions by shifting him on his time track. It may key-out engrams"(p. 184). These treatments can actually help “key-out” or DEACTIVATE engrams which are “recordings of painful events.”

What is considered “environmental change?” For example, a child being taken out of an abusive home and placed in a safe one and then beings to flourish. Or, think of how we were taken out of a "worldly environment" and placed in a "mosque" or more secure environment.

Another example would be to take a teen out of a violent neighborhood can help improve his mental well-being and “tone scale” or mood Being in a peaceful and prayer environment can help improve your health also. We should strive to turn our homes a beautiful and peaceful “environment.” Remove harmful cleansers with chemicals and keep your home clean and beautify it with plants, pictures and fresh air. These actions will help you get your home life “fit for success.”

Education or gaining of knowledge is also considered a type of “treatment.” When we gained knowledge about God and ourselves, we are EMPOWERED to change our lives and INFLUENCE or motivate others. One of the greatest feelings a person can have is a feeling of accomplishment. Seek knowledge…it empowers you. Minister Farrakhan mentioned in Closing the Gap that the “highest form of communication is to speak on, ask questions about, argue over what God has revealed to His servant (321). A couple of months ago I was motivated to pick up "Our Saviour has Arrived" when a believer quoted something interesting from the book. I couldn't go to sleep until I found the passage because I love getting insightful and spiritual knowledge. The “truth” energizes you. The Modern Science of Mental Health Book even states that you can be so "educated into a strong faith that it helps you to "rise above your engrams" ( 184). Hmm, hasn't Islam helped to improve the condition of many brothers and sisters? No matter the religion, the knowledge of the “truth” and FAITH in God helps enhance a person. An excellent book to read to gain “knowledge of yourself,” how to pray and how to develop a business blueprint is Message to the Blackman.

The last type of “treatment” mentioned is “physical treatment” or improvement. For example, we are taught how to “eat to live” and fast (abstaining from food or drink). Eating the proper foods can not only improve your health, it also can improve your mood. Exercising is also a part of physical treatment. It rejuvenates and strengthens our mind and body. We have been given a wealth of knowledge in the teachings. Master Fard Muhammad knew what he was doing when he came for us and gave The Honorable Elijah Muhammad the teachings; we just have to work on implementing it MORE into our lives and influence others. As we expressed our tormented past with the Slave-master and his children, it was almost like having a mass “auditing” session as we shared our experiences and open us to receive the truth and further develop ourselves. (Note: to “audit” means to listen and also “to compute” according to Dianetic terms). Please Check out the book, How to Eat to Live by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad.
My point? We have been given a wonderful foundation in terms of “treatment” and how to create a righteous environment, improve our bodies with physical treatment or exercise and improve our mind with proper mental and spiritual food. Remember, the Restrictive Law of Islam is our Success at any time. Obedience to it will help prevent the need for “therapy” in the future. One KEY healing component is LOVE. When we can have enough Love and compassionate in our life for a person’s condition, our perception changes, our energy changes. Compassion and love for ourselves will help us “get fit for success!”
May (God) bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth and happiness.

(The above article is an excerpt from the current issue of Virtue Today Magazine available at http://www.virtuemag.com/. Audrey Muhammad is a certified fitness instructor and the author of the terrific book, Get Fit to Live: Be your best you! available at http://www.getfit2live.org/ and the Respect for Life Bookstore. Her audio book, Get Fit to Live is also available. To order the Book and get a FREE copy of the audiobook CD, send a $12 money order(plus $3 shipping) to Get Fit To Live, P.O. Box 61402, Raleigh, NC , 27661. Please consult a physician before beginning any new workout or dietary program).

How to Get Peace of Mind: A Look Back at the Million Man March and the Tools it Taught Us

How to Get Peace of Mind: A Look Back at the Million Man March

Bismillah (In the Name of God)

Do you know what can give you a great sense of peace? “Do unto others have you would have them do unto you.” Do you want someone to mislead you? Don’t mislead others. Do you want someone to give you unconditional love? Then try to extend that to others. This saying also sums up the Atonement process which includes the following steps.

1. Point out the wrong - the first stage is the most difficult of all because when we are wrong and we are not aware of it, someone has to point out the wrong.

2. Acknowledge the wrong - So in this context, the word acknowledge means to the truth of the fact that we have been wrong.

3. Confess fault - First you confess the fault to Allah (God), and then to the person or persons whom your fault has ill effected.

4. Repentance - means feeling contrition or self- reproach for what one has done or failed to do.

5. Atonement - means we must be willing to do something in expiation of our sins.

6. Forgiveness - means to cease to feel offense and resentment against another for the harm done by an offender. It means to wipe the slate clean.

7. Reconciliation and restoration - It mean to resolve differences and to establish or re-establish a close relationship between previously divided persons.

8. Perfect union with God - the result of completing the atonement process is achieving the perfect union with Allah (God) who is best at guiding us to freedom.

Over 16 years ago, Minister Louis Farrakhan introduced these eight steps to over 2 million men at the Million Man March. And many have been using this process, both men and women, to improve the relationships in their lives. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad said in the book, Message to the Blackman, that “The worst kind of crime has been committed against us, for we were robbed of our desire to even want to think and do for ourselves.” When Minister Farrakhan made the call for the Million Man March, it was a calling for us to atone, improve and think for ourselves. It is a call that improved not only the lives of men, but the lives of woman because the women were positively impacted with having more “maintainers” and “protectors” in their lives. In this issue, we pay tribute to The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and other men we admire.

Now is the time to atone for what we haven’t done for ourselves, our family and our community. If you haven’t been eating right, get it right. If you haven’t been saving and investing, check out www.blackelectorate.com for some guidance on investing in gold and silver etc. If you want to do more in your community, now is the time to atone and make some improvements in ALL aspects of your life.

This atonement process helps us to develop our character and our integrity. If you and I can’t be honest with ourselves and acknowledge what we have done wrong, it will be difficult for you and I to improve our lives. You have one life to live as you know it. Wouldn’t it be best to live your best life and be at peace with your God, yourself, your decisions and your desires?

I will close with this quote by James Allen, author of As a Man Thinketh. He said, “In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, an the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. “Gifts,” powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized…The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart—THIS you will build your life by, THIS you will become.”

As Minister Farrakhan has said, “There is nothing more powerful than a made up mind.” Make up your mind to improve and enhance your life TODAY. We can do it! The Million Man March is perfect evidence.

May God bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth and happiness.

Peace from your sister,

Audrey

(To read more about being true to yourself and the Million Man March, visit www.virtuemag.com. You may order Virtue Today Magazine online or send a money order for $6.99 plus $1.70(S & H) to Virtue Today Magazine, P.O. Box 61402, Raleigh, NC 27661.)

Learn for What?!

(An educational column dedicated to giving you practical steps to understand the process of learning)

Why should we learn anything? We should all “study to learn and learn to apply.”

Whenever I see something well put together, I think, “That is how to put your mathematical theology to work.” As an educator for the past 17 years, I have implemented a number of strategies in the classroom. Some worked and some did not. As an educator, I have always seen the value of the teachings of the Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Recently, Dr. Larry Muhammad, Director of Chicago’s Muhammad University gave a wonderful presentation at a local charter school. As I listened to his presentation, which was based on principles he learned from a Applied Scholastics training, I thought of how I could see the basis of what he presented in various aspects of the teachings of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad. Once again, we should all “study to learn and learn to apply.” However, some things are “barriers to learning.” According to Applied Scholastics, there are 3 main barriers to learning.

The first barrier they mentioned is “lack of mass,” or lack of a physical object or substance to help you “see” and “touch” what you are learning. The Honorable Elijah Muhammad teaches us that we should see how a subject relates to us. Children should be able to say “I am Math!, I am Science!” In order to do that, they have to see themselves in relation to subject. One of the best ways to do that is to actively have students engaged with clay, pictures or blocks. For instance, a teacher can ask a student to show the how blood flows through the heart with red and blue yarn and a large picture of an open heart.

The second barrier is “Too steep a gradient.” A gradient refers to an “incline” or angle. Have you ever tried to walk up a steep hill? It is difficult, right? Well, it is easier to walk up a hill that “gradually” inclines. It is interesting that at the root of “gradual” is the latin root “gradu” which means “step.” In the book How to Eat to Live, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad talks about value of “gradualism” when he suggested “gradually” or step by step how to reduce form three meals a day to one meal a day. He said, “If you are eating three meals, cut down to two meals and from two meals cut down to one. In Message to the Blackman, he gave us the “basic” steps to prayer. He didn’t give it to us all in Arabic. He made every step very plain so that we would “fall down the hill” of knowledge(smile).

The last barrier Applied Scholastics mentioned was “the misunderstood word.” Have you ever listened to news and heard a word you didn’t understand what it meant? Did it stop affect your understanding? Of course it did. I remember listening to some of the commentary of the Tonight Show when I was younger, but couldn’t laugh at the jokes because I didn’t understand them. One thing The Minister has always taught, along with Brother Jabril Muhammad is the value of looking up and understanding the meanings of words. Minister Farrakhan is able to touch so many people in his lectures because of his spirit of love and is wonderful, proper and CLEAR use of words. He “walks” us through a subject so that by the end of the lecture, even before then, you are on your feet.

How can you get your child to “stand up” and get excited with learning? Here is a simple exercise. Ask your child to look up the meaning of their name and another relative’s name (brother, sister, cousin, father etc.) and ask them to write down 1. The meaning of the word. 2. Where does the word come from? (Greek, Arabic, African etc.) 3. Write a paragraph discussing if he or she thinks they are “living up to” their name.

I used to give this assignment to all my high school freshmen. Why? We all want to learn about ourselves, right? We learn with words and by doing. This assignment encompasses both. Students were so excited about presenting their name or a family member’s name to the class. Even though some couldn’t find their name in a dictionary or online, it sparked a discussion at home as to why one young lady was named, “Markeysha.” Her father’s name was “Mark” and her mother’s name was “Keysha” and she found out the mother decided to put the two names together.

Let’s put our together our knowledge to learn and our ability to “do.” Get knowledge for life! May we all be blessed to find our purpose and help others along the way.

(Ms. Muhammad is an Academic Support Specialist and an Adjunct Professor in English. She has a MA in English and worked as a high school teacher for over a decade. As an educator for the past 17 years, she has learned many techniques to motivate young people. She is a former West Contra Costa Unified School District Mentor Teacher (California) and Leadership Advisor. She is available workshop presentations on developing “Positive Energy and Discipline” in a classroom and how to bring out the “little genius” in your child. She is the editor of Virtue Today Magazine, a women's magazine that is redefining women today with articles featuring sophisticated fashions, financial empowerment and spiritual healing. Visit www.virtuemag.com. Her fitness books and videos may be ordered at www.getfit2live.org.)

The Power of Our Intentions

Do you remember the poem entitled “Footprints?” The poem is about a man that is looking back over his life and he notices that there were two sets of footprints during much of his life, showing that God was walking with him. However, during the difficult parts of his life, he noticed that there was only once set of footprints and interpreted that as God having left him during that time. However, God corrected him and said, “No, during the most difficult times you only see one set of footprints because it was then that I carried you.”

For many of us, we may have experienced a rough year in 2010, but here we are in 2011! Didn’t God carry us through? Well, what do you “intend” to do this year? Write out your intentions and “resolve” to carry them out. This is an ongoing process. I have really become fascinated on how to follow through with my “intentions” after having a wonderful discussion with our Contributing Editor, Latonja Styles CEO of I AM Image who recently earned her Masters of Science in Entertainment Business. (Congratulations Sister Latonja!)

What is an Intention? An intention is described in the Oxford Dictionary as “ an aim or purpose.” An intent can be described as a desire or wish one means to carry out. What does “desire” feed? Desire feeds the will. What is the Will? According to the Study Guide, The Will of God Part I, “Will is the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action…The Will is the Real Power of Allah (God) in Man. However, the Will must be buttressed, or supported, by Faith and by Knowledge…To be able to “Will” is to have a creative force within that actually can change the conditions of our live.

Dr. Wayne Dyer described the difference between “free will,” which we all have and “intention,” in his book The Power of Intention. For instance, if I intend to lose weight or stop smoking cigarettes, I have the “free will” to go and buy cigarettes or cupcakes. However, when I partner my “free will,” that God Force within me and instead channel it toward my “intention,” or desire I wish to carry out, my free will works to my benefit and I put the cigarette or cupcake down. Good intentions help us stay connected to our creative energy and our “source,” our God.

List your intentions for this year for yourself, your family, your education, your career, your community. This issue will show you how to improve yourself on many levels. How do you intend to improve yourself and serve others better? Try to question every action you make and ask yourself, “Is this going to bring me closer to my goal or intention?” This act helps us to be “mindful” and in the moment. Remember, life is for living. Choose love and “accept your own and be yourself.”

May God bless us all with peace, love, health, wealth and happiness.

Your sister,

Audrey

Read more in this issue of Virtue Today Magazine available at www.virtuemag.com

True Wealth: The ability to give

If I wanted to take advice from a Hip Hop artist, would I lean toward rapper like 50 cent or Russell Simmons? Although both are excellent businessmen, I would bet on Russell Simmons every time! Why? His intention. The spirit behind his intention was something I could relate to AND appreciate when I met him briefly a few years ago. Back then, his book, Do You! had recently been released and quickly became a best seller. I was impressed, not just with the business advice given in the book, but the spiritual components and sincere desire to see people improve themselves and feel good about who they are. In essence, to serve more and “Do you!" I am looking forward to reading his new book, Super Rich!
In his writings, Mr. Simmons tends to focus on 5 key items, which Jet lays out in its December 27, 2010 edition. The five things he focuses on are:

• Take care of yourself(Have healthy eating and exercise habits

• Mediate to get in touch with your truth

• Try to master one thing at a time

• Change your perception (Ex. He said, “If you think you’re poor then you are.”)

• Lastly, become a better "Giver" and "Servant"

I believe this last suggestion is key. It is the key practice I see in three other people I admire: My mother Eva Flowers, Oprah Winfrey and The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. Their intention is to serve and to improve the lives of others. What is that power behind their intention? Love.
Virtue Magazine would like to follow in the footsteps of these great ones by being of service to the businesses of our brothers and sisters. Each issue, we plan to have a “V-list”, a list for Businesses and people with Valuable services and products which will be featured in every issue of Virtue, in a “yellow pages-like section,” and also featured on Virtue’s website. Do you want people to be able to order your product all year round, not just Saviours' Day or Holy Day of Atonement? Are you a barber or do you make bean pies? Wouldn't it be nice to have a listing of Businesses around the Nation? Do you want THOUSANDS to know about your business?

The V-List, at a glance, will allow people to look up The Final Call, Newell Apparel, which features designs by Mother Khadijah Muhammad, Everlasting Spring Water, Dreambean, a bean chip, soup and flour company and many more. If we don’t support and promote our own businesses, no one else will.

What do you need to do to be on the V-List?
1. Have a valuable service or product.
2. Visit www.virtuemag.com
3. Click on Online store in the upper left hand corner.
4. Click on V-list button and pay only $25 to have your Name, business, website or email and phone number listed. Easy and inexpensive!!! What a wonderful Service! Register for the on the online of V-List by Feb. 1, 2011 and you will receive a FREE virtue magazine and may win an opportunity for your business to be featured in a story in Virtue Today Magazine.

(If you don't have a business and you just want to wish someone Happy Birthday, Anniversary etc., you may pay on the site and Email the "Happy Day" wish OR mail in the payment and listing to: Virtue Magazine, P.O. Box 61402,Raleigh, NC 27661 (For more information, call (510) 815-4591 or visit http://www.virtuemag.com/. The deadline for the V-List is February 1, 2011.)
Order now for the current special, Buy One magazine, Get One FREE at www.virtuemag.com's online store.)