How to Sew a Drawstring Maxi Dress

RasTafari Love Sistren!
I'm giving two posts today as I had both reasoning and tutorial for you to take in. This dress can be fitted or it can be loose based on how much seam allowance you add. If you want it to fix close or tight only take your hip measurement, divide by 2, add 1.5 inches or 2 inches, with a 1 inch seam allowance. If you want a loose dress for pregnancy add 4 inches after dividing by 2.  you can choose any length you want it to be, add layers for the skirt using the rasta skirt tutorial as a guide or you can make it into a top - add some extra inches for a buff and put an elastic band!

note how this dress doesn't make my bump so noticeable, it's all about the style and fabric to make the perfect piece of clothing in my opinion. one that will give you everything you need for what occassion you made it for!  ;)
This is not a "going out" dress for me persay. I dress nicely wherever I go and I dont go out on the public social scene very often - never these last few months since 2012. So this dress will be worn day or night because it's comfortable and simple just how I like it. if you haven't already figured out I am a pretty simple designer.

I love choosing multiprints because they allow you to achieve different looks for different occasions. Accessories like jackets, belts, bags, shoes and jewelry can take your look to the next level or keep it relaxed. A blazer and fancy shoes would make this dress perfect for going to a special gathering. I chose to dress it more on the casual side and I was pleased with how I could mix my accessories and designs with it - they mesh well in colour scheme. I mixed metallics with bright prints and black stone as the bold undertone instead of my usual brown.

How to Sew a Jacket or Shrug

Greetings and Blessed Love

I know it's been a long time, but have no fear I am still working on gathering information for two new video reasonings in addition to filling order and running the household. I haven't forgotten my works for rastawifeline! just trying to balance everything going on.

Today's tutorial is a much needed one, on how to make  a jacket or shrug. it is more a shrug than a jacket because it has no zip or buttons to the front. but you could always add a belt or a tie to the front. i will hopefully go another tutorial soon on how to add a closure to the front.

hope you love it!

            I've paired it here with my other designs - crochet belt, clay earrings and bangles and crochet clutch!

Ila

All Natural Dreadlocks Care how to

Blessed love!

I hope that all Sistren and families are blessed!
I myself am doing okay, taking each day at a time and doing what I can - business, house, homeschooling, the whole shebang.

Today I finally was able to wash Nile's dreads and make her look neat for dance class later - they were just looking dry and in need of a good wash! So I decided to just make a simple little tutorial on how to basically care for dreadlocks. What I do for her i also do for myself but I don't make mine neat I just let them dry. I do it for her because our kind of hair clumps together really easily and I didnt want her to have a massive bongo on her head before she was big enough to really manage such a dread. I only make it neat once a month otherwise it is free and wild when washed and she wears her headscarves when out in public anyways. So it's not that I style up her hair all the time. I just separate and oil her dreads when washed.

Note that it is good not to palm-roll or interlock the dreads at all, or more than every four to six weeks. Salon dreads or "manicured" dreads tend to be thinner than free form dreads, and when they become very heavy, like around waist length, they pop at the root. The root must be thick and tight to support the weight pulling against the scalp. Letting thin weak ones join or fuse will help, as well as tying it up or having a good regular cleaning and oiling regimen. The breakage is inevitable if your roots are not thick enough though.

 Caring for your dreads naturally or in an ital way,  is the best way to go: spring water, aloe vera gel, rosemary water, lime/lemon and natural soap are all you need for the softest cleanest healthiest strongest dreadlocks. Of course I know that most just have to make do

with what you can get readily in your neighbourhood, but it's best to go all natural and forget the commercial shampoos that have cancer causing agents in them.

I use raw Afrikan black soap for both skin and body. It's just a brown-black bar that you tear a piece off of when you are ready. it is water soluble as well.  Black soap you can get at your local rasta culture shop or an afrikan shop! But if you don't have access to buying blacksoap locally and would prefer to order a ready made product I recommend a nice all natural shampoo made by MyCoCreations - it's called Cleanie gel. You can use that for body or hair and you can choose what ingredients you want to add, and it's really affordable and works excellent for an all natural product! I've been using the last of mine of Nile's hair since I got a big chunk of blacksoap.
In trinidad you can get raw blacksoap at various spots in port of spain and at Kamara's culture shop in chaguanas. It costs $25TT per bar or for whole sale about $125 TT which is a great deal!
Same goes for the essential oils - you can get your olive and coconut oil in the grocery and you can
also get the essential oils like lavender, peppermint, tea tree and almond oil from a pharmacy in small glass bottles most times - under $20TT each! otherwise you can just order a bottle of each online and then make a blend and voila you have hair and body oil! your supplies will last by blending.

one more tip I forgot to mention in this tutorial is the aromatherapy scalp rinse - for adults of course because it can burn the eyes and kids wont like it! For a non burning rinse, steep a big bunch of fresh rosemary ( keep a plant for your dread! ) when cool, throw over scalp and dreads that have been washd.  In a big cup of water put 2 drops of rosemary, peppermint or lavender or tea tree oil - no more or it will burn and wont be a pleasant tingle! Pour over scalp, squeeze out water from dreads and wrap in towel turban style. Sit for a while doing nothing or something very quiet while the tingling works on the scalp and opens up your sinuses. I love it!

So here is my tutorial:

JAH Love
Ila

The Timeless Spiritual Sacrament

Greetings and Blessed Love in the Name of the Almighty Creator JAH

Today's post is part of a work I had started on herb and scripture, or the ancient use of herb by the Israelites and Nazirenes. this is part of my introduction which deals with the ancient use of marijuana as a spiritual food of the gods, for enlightenment and connection to the Ivine I.

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a fatted calf with hatred. 

(Solomon in Proverbs 15:17)

          

           There is no question that from the beginning of creation the cannabis plant became the medium through which humanity knew itself to exist in duality: body and spirit, seen and unseen. Whether given to the first Blacks especially by the Creator, or discovered during their quest for materials and food; it is certain that cannabis has always been acquired for its euphoric and thought-provoking powers. “Dr. Ronald K. Siegel…indicates [in his book that] the motivation to achieve altered states of consciousness or moods is [man’s] fourth drive akin to hunger, thirst and sex” (Herer, 2000, p. 73). This is also true for some animals. Henceforth, it is generally agreed that from the time of the very first farmers, ganjah was regarded as the sacred herb of the seed, a sacramental means to commune with JAH, and to gain wisdom and the overstanding of life and our beings.

           Science has discovered that such is possible because Cannabis sativa’s THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) compound binds specifically to a receptor in the brain. These receptor sites are secluded in the areas centralizing man's Higher Consciousness. Because the holy herb only binds to receptors in the brain it is obvious that the premier purpose of marijuana – exclusively the flowering clusters of hemp – is for nurturing the conscience and mind of man and woman by means of enlightenment, rest, healing, peace and euphoria. This is deduced because any and every “medicine” that man ingests must be received by a receptor of the anatomy in order for it to take effect.  Ganjah is specifically for the mind, being the “food of the gods.”

           This scientific fact supports an important Rastafari truth: the holy herb is inhaled so as to absorb and manifest its energy in one’s heavens to bring about spiritual and individual awareness. Herb is used strictly for the development and improvement of self. Rastafari moreover trace our herb usage back to our Afrikan ancestors, namely the Hebrews, making certain links between Israelite practices and the ancient use of cannabis as an enlightener, consecration; and as an internal incense because our glorified Body or holy I is the new Temple of the New Jerusalem.

Cannabis in the form of hashish[1] was employed by every major religion in the ancient world since before the dawn of history until the Dark Ages. Known by the ancients as incense from India’s Indus Valley, it was burned in the temples of Babylonia, Assyria, Phoenicia, as well as in 20,000 censors King Solomon ordered for his temple in Jerusalem…Cannabis was an essential ingredient in many sacramental drinks used by initiates of the ancient Mystery religions. This tradition was passed to alchemical adepts of the Middle Ages (Herer, 2000, p. 270).

           In order to prove the Israelite use of cannabis, we can first begin with the root etymology of the word cannabis.

…The name cannabis is generally thought to be of Scythian origin. Sula Benet in Cannabis and Culture argues that it has a much earlier origin in Semitic languages like Hebrew, occurring several times in the Old Testament. He states that in Exodus 30:23 that God commands Moses to make a holy anointing oil of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, kaneh bosm, and kassia. He continues that the word kaneh bosm is also rendered in the traditional Hebrew as kannabos or kannabus and that the root "kan" in this construction means "reed" or "hemp", while "bosm" means "aromatic". He states that in the earliest Greek translations of the old testament "kan" was rendered as "reed", leading to such erroneous English translations as "sweet calamus" (Exodus 30:23), sweet cane (Isaiah 43:24; Jeremiah 6:20) and "calamus" (Ezekiel 27:19; Song of Songs 4:14).

(The Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church: Marijuana and the Bible)

The "m" [in bosm] is a pronounced plural, and the singular kaneh-bos sounds remarkably similar to the modern cannabis. Although often mistranslated as "calamus", the word has been translated as "fragrant-cane" in most modern bibles, and specifically designates the fragrant flowering tops of cannabis (Chris Bennett: Cannabis and the Christ: Jesus used Marijuana).

The Dagga Cult of the Afrikan Bantus believed that their “Holy Cannabis” [Dagga] was brought to Earth by the Gods, in particular from the “Two Dog Star” system that we call Sirius A and B…[The word cannabis] can also be read as “cana;” “reed” and “bi,” “two,” as well as “cana” as in canine; and “bis” meaning two (bi) – “Two Dogs” (Jack Herer, 2000: The Emperor wears no clothes p. 72).

           In other words, in the Ible, where we read sweet calamus or cane, it is supposed to be cannabis. Amidst the various explanations for man’s greatest treasure what certainly stands out is that the term cannabis is thought to be at least of Hebrew Shemite origin.

           The Scythians are related to the Ashkenazim (the latter would have learned the use of the hemp plant and its euphoric flowers from the Israelite traders that moved to their region, and also as they adopted Mosaic ceremonial Laws by State). The harvesting tool called the scythe is named after the Scythians. Historians record that their use of marijuana was often during funeral rituals, as well as for its intoxicating effect during feasts or times of eatery and merriment.

           The Greeks also adopted the use of cannabis mainly from the Egyptians, who they heavily studied and plagiarized. The Greek term “cannabeizein” referred to the inhalation of marijuana smoke from incense burners filled with the most common perfume to date, balsam; as well as frankincense, myrrh and so on. Like frankincense, balsam was one the most famous and ancient perfumes of the world, as well as a preferred perfume of the Hebrews. Balsam is from the terebinth tree family which was Abraham’s favourite tree. It was produced in Judaea, Arabia Felix, and today in the West Indies.

           Therefore, it is clear that culturally the Egyptians, Ethiopians and Hebrews were all closely intertwined; that they naturally shared habits and traditions in close quarters. They were part of the Afrikan blue print that many European nations like the Khazars and  Greeks were built upon. They shared the same cultures when it came to the use of incense, make-up and perfumed oils for one’s body, home, endearment, honour and spirituality.

---

[1] Hashish is the sticky resin that coats the marijuana flowers, rolled into a ball or cake and smoked. It is said to be more potent than the flowers.

 

Rastafari guide and Itect,
Ila

My Journey to Real Ital Living: Bulgar Wheat Salad

Blessed Love

I know it's been a while but I've been either too busy or just indecisive about what to post.  pregnancy does take it's toll as all my Sistren know, so forgive me for not posting in a while.

But while I've been away I've been focusing on my health and really improving my livity - it's one thing to know what is right from wrong, and another thing to BREAK the unhealthy cycle which is simply just the easy routine of things. With this baby I find that I can't stand to eat much of the cooked food I am used to, and I find it hard to be at the stove for longer than 30 mins because the heat overwhelms me. I'm also dealing with shortness of breath and faintness due to a low pressure in my blood - even though my blood count is good. So I realized that it was time to put all my knowledge on true ital which is to say fresh uncooked eating, into practise, and let go of the old favourites - at least to some extent. it's not to say that I'm totally raw cuz I'm not, I'm just at the stage of really trying to implement more fresh foods into my meals and one cooked food meal a day.

I know I have posted youtube videos about cooking the vege stew and making soya but I really want to cut down on my intake of these foods and provide better tutorials- soya is actually not something I eat often, being pregnant made me start cooking it more, and the fact that my princess liked it - she's an extremely picky eater.  In reality Ital is fresh uncooked or lightly cooked foods, and it's important that I and I RasTafari raspect this truth and get ourselves out of this cooked food funk we all find ourselves in these days.  there are so many vegetarian foods on the market now, but the reality is that the real ital has always been fruits and veges with the occasional ground provision and pea stew. so this is my aim, that even with cooked food it will be limited to pea stew or soup and provision -hopefully. I'm not a big eater of rice, I eat instead grains like bulgar wheat and cous cous but even the grains are hard on the body and break down to sugars. like potato and wheat do as well.

and I find that smoking herb, though I've loved it for years, allows us to keep this bad habit because when the hunger hits, we want to eat something sweet and something heavy which are often not the right foods.
I've stopped smoking now as I did while carring my first baby and after learning about how it toxifies the blood when met with fire, am not sure I will start back, but may just juice it in my smoothies -yes! even though we use it as sacrament, this is not to say that it's not damaging to the nerves and brain, i want to use it beneficially not to just attain the Ites. I know I wrote about the hebrews using it and the burning fire, but the hebrews used it ceremonially as a communal fire not spliffs and they also used it in oil and rubbed it on the crown to gain the effect. though it has become tradition doesn't mean it's beneficial to the body, and the reason why some people have "gone mad" from use is not because herb is bad for you, but because burning it is bad for you in combination with a very poor deficient diet - they didn't eat enough or nutritiously, and their nerves were in the end shot because of the toxicity of the smoke to the blood and brain and lack of nutrients.


So far it's mainly been fruits I eat - though that has been difficult money and availability wise I've been managing to get a nice variety of fresh fruit: pawpaw, pineapple, apple, plums, kiwi, blueberries, strawberries and banana mostly. the berries are hardest to come by however.  obtaining fresh food or being able to afford it is about choosing it over other types of foods, which really is good budgeting and common sense lol.
In the morning I juice a smoothie with any combination of the above, and mid morning i have a bowl of any of the above because i like to just eat fruit not always drink it (plus I havent gotten a juicer yet which is a must!). I drink coconut water whenever the kingman stops and gets me some. Our tree is finally at a bearing stage but with the dry weather i saw it's first nut blossoms have dried up! I'm hoping that by next year it will be producing coconuts to my delight.

as of today I started with the raw vegetables. I made a  bulgar wheat salad and some hummus which I will share here. and in preparing my patchoy for the salad, i had a sip of the green juice and loved it, so I will be making my first green juice tomorrow.the lime really makes it nice.
the vegetable juices are best in the morning and afternoon, more for lunch, and then the meal like salad or my cooked food comes around 3 pm and after. but i still eat fruit in between, all day.

So this is the start of my journey to incorporate more fresh food into my daily livity, in hopes of not only curing a few health issues i've had for most of my life, but to really embrace ital to the fullest as it is key to having a true Iritual connection with the earth and with JAH. fresh food is cleansing and the best type of food for the body, it reduces the amount of energy the body spends in a day on digestion, allowing energy to go to the mind and creative irits. eating cooked food, dairy and all the wheat and dead animals makes the body work harder and makes it spend all day digesting, as these foods take up to 5 hrs to digest! so treating the body best with Ital allows it to really open up, and the mind to really be clear and free to do and create positive vibrations. I hope all sistren will join me in taking steps to becoming Truly Ital. I am inspired by those sistren who are already doing it, and who have already given up things I haven't. one day at a time though, with knowledge and positive power!

now onto the Bulgar Wheat Salad.

½ cup bulgar wheat
1 cup water
Saffron
Cumin
Powdered ginger
Dry basil leaves
7 leaves Green leafy vegetable – i used patchoy
1 stalk celery
15 grape tomatoes or 1-2 large Tomato
1 large Cucumber
½ Lemon/lime
1 leaf Chive
5 pieces of fresh Rosemary leaves
Onion optional


Heat the cup of water to boiling, add in 4 dashes of each of the cumin, saffron, basil and ginger.
Take off heat and add the bulgar wheat. Cover and let sit for 30 mins. Drain off excess water. Let it cool before mixing with salad.

Chop green leaves, celery, chives, rosemary, half a lime in blender. mine gave a little trouble to get all chopped but it worked out okay.

Dice tomato and cucumber into small pieces.

Mix all together with bulgar wheat and voila!

it was very tastey! I tried to make some tacos with romaine lettuce and my first attempt at hummus - was messy but I fulljoyed it lol - the leaves weren't big enough

for the hummus here's what I did - the coconut oil gives it a distinct flavour, maybe next time i will try olive. I opted for coconut because I know it's better for you than the others.



Hummus

2 large spoon full of coconut oil
Juice of 1 small lime
1 1sp cumin
2 dashes ground ginger
1 can peas with ¼ of water still
1 clove garlic


 blend it all together!

The Burning Fire of JAH

Greetings Loved ones in Krist JAH RasTafari


This post is just a short Iditation as I was going through some writing I did on herb and scripture.
I just want to share a collection of Scripture that speaks about JAH speaking to Israel through the fire, the burning fire. And I know that many RasTafari have come to their own Ites, awareness, faith,  their creativity and livity through the burning fire of sacrament. The hola sacrament really is a "tool" to hearing and overstanding the word of JAH. Israel relied on it for direction and hope. Moses believed in it and listened to it. His whole mission for Israel was founded in the voice from the burning fire. The clouds of the fire were likened to the shining glory of the Creator, it surrounded the Ark of the Covenant - the seat of truth and way of life.
This is why it is an abomination for people to use the sacrament as part of their "get high" routine where they mix it with all these unholy manmade drugs and proceed to act in a silly or disgusting manner. They demonize one of the true gifts of the Irit and add fuel to the miseducation of the world on marijuana and RasTafari. It is important that all Rastafari keep the hola use of the sacrament - keep it private and within the gates or camp grounds. Don't fall into the trap of using it in public places where there is no reasoning or intellectual or Iritual sharing. Be rasponsible with your wisdom-giver, the life-bearer.
Let those clouds raise and bring JAH glory!

JAH RasTafari!

These words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me. (Deuteronomy 5:22)

And he wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spoke unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the Lordbgave them unto me. (Deuteronomy 10:4)

For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? (Deuteronomy 5:26)

And they will tell it to the inhabitants of this land: for they have heard that You Lord are among this people, that You Lord are seen face to face, and that Your cloud stands over them, and that You go before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of fire by night. (Numbers 14:14)

And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. (Exodus 9:15)

Then he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from the altar before the Lord, with his hands full of sweet incense beaten fine, and bring it inside the veil. And he shall put the incense on the fire before the Lord, that the cloud of incense may cover the mercy seat that is on the Testimony, lest he die.

 (Leviticus 16:12-13)

And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

(Isaiah 4:5)

Blessings!

Ila

On Eating Grapes and Foods from the Vine

Blessed Love,

Any exposure any of us have to the Bobo Shanti mansion, reveals that there are quite a few taboos that have become part of the Livity through Prince Emmanuel. One of the biggest taboos that causes debate is not eating anything from the vine - not just grapes, but all other foods as well. When I was introduced to this ideal I stopped eating vine, but it was after my research into Scripture and Israelite tradition that I realized that not eating anything from the vine at all, was not an ideal based on Biblical reasoning - only the grapevine is tabooed for the Nazirite.

 Not saying that everything RasTafari do and don't do has to be found in Scripture, but for me I started back eating fruits and veggies and ground provision from the vine because I missed eating such foods, and I realized that it was not something that I could be morally wrong about or punished for.

While I do apprecilove the reasons I was given by a particular house of Bobo for not doing so, I felt that for me, it just wasn't satisfactory to abandon so much nutritional food. Furthermore, I found out that potato and soya beans come from the vine - foods that Bobo still eat. So for me it became, "why not these foods too if no vine" and I felt like there was really no real foundation for not eating vine outside of grapes.

 
 At the end of the day, I don't believe that eating vine foods outside of grapes is a sin against the law, vow of dreadlocks, ital or the Nazirite. And yet eating grapes does not mean that one is filled with sin either - it is the drinking of wine that causes the downfall into sin. I also believe it is not something that should divide I and I or be used against ones.

JAH Guide
Sis Ila