There are 8 degrees of desire to live one’s life, and illusions/perceptions can be broken free through sharing personal stories. According to theorist Ginwright (2016) we also find collective hope through storytelling. This book explains a framework of seeing life through the degrees and life structures. The framework helps to identify areas of desired transformation. How to identify which degree your desire to live your life may fall into at this present moment. It may change over time. Also, my own personal story of transformation is used as an example, a path way to explain how to increase desire using gratitude.
Our Mission: Storytelling Rituals and Community Circles, Cultural Project Building
Our Vision: Seek Higher. Reach Higher. Live Higher.
Summary: 8 Degrees of yes is dedicated to being a beacon of hope and empowerment, providing cultural testimonies to build positive environments and foster empowerment. Our mission is to collaborate with restorative justice speakers on violence prevention, storytelling, song writing, and musical performances.
We strive to state the truth about lived experiences, support economic equity, and share music, and stories to build collective hope. We plant seeds to grow community leaders and to grow individuals that will empower, innovate, and create opportunities for success through the power of VOICE!
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During my journey of transformation, I became aware of 8 degrees of desire I had lived my life from.
The 1st degree was a ‘no’ to life when I was young and had experienced trauma and tragedy. https://youtu.be/m7w_gC5XDJg
The 2nd degree was a small ‘yes’ to life when I almost lost my life.
The 3rd degree was a ‘yes’ for living life for the blessing of children.
The 4th degree was a ‘yes’ to surviving, based on my perceptions of being a African American woman in American culture, competition, and educational constructs, called ‘survival mode’.
The 5th degree was living for aspirations and goals for my family to reach higher.
The 6th degree was trying not to be a basket case to my family, because I was a jack of all trades, master of none.
The 7th degree was living life because a therapist recommended it.
Lastly, the 8th degree is realizing who I am in God as I walk a Christian life, according to the KJV and my natural inherent state given to me in the beginning from a Divine Creator and salvation through Jesus Christ, Jah, Yaweh, Wonderful, Redeemer, Truth, Son of God.
Our stories are needed for others to gain knowledge and wisdom from our experiences. Telling our story helps us let go of the past, forgive, and live for today. Through storytelling, I believe the entire world can be transformed. 1 Thes. 2:8-12 It is time to evolve, share our stories, and give the gifts of our soul.
Spiritual Practices
Meditation and prayer are necessary for transformation to take place through raising our awareness to ourselves, understanding, then knowing the truth about our journey. I am grateful for the teachings of Affirmative Prayer Treatment (APT) taught to me at Agape International Spiritual Center, University of Metaphysics, Joel Goldsmith’s spiritual interpretation of the Holy Bible, and transdenominational churches founded on God’s Laws that apply to us all.
Transformation
The fundamental elements of transformation are perception, experiences, and manifestation. Our view of life shapes our desire to live our life to the fullest. Perception shapes our degree of saying yes to life. Reflection allows us to recognize, forgive, and let go to shift our present view of life to a higher vibration. The higher vibration creates a higher degree of desire to live and let life unfold.
Life events are lessons or blessings that shape our journey. Storytelling is adding the sequence and details to our experiences to understand. Sharing those stories with others builds collective hope to change unjust conditions, or become a better person.
Transformation is seen in the the manifestation of our life structures. We see shifts in our financial, egoic, livelihood, health, spiritual beliefs, world views, community, and relationships. We grow stronger in who we are and become beneficial to the community by giving the gift that our soul came to give.
We say YES to life at a higher level and create more happiness/fulfillment in our lives. This is transformation and this is the 8 Degrees of Yes!
Life Area (Manifestation and fulfillment)+Event (Sequence and Details/Lesson or Blessing)+Degree of Yes (perception, view/intention, desire)=Transformation/Shift
Intention setting is consciously walking through the world seeking to have a higher degree of awareness and living the life one is meant to live. Setting intentions everyday leads to living an intentional life and transformation has fertile ground to take place on.
Transformation is: Life Area (Manifestation and fulfillment)+Event (Sequence and Details/Lesson or Blessing)+Degree of Yes (perception, view/intention, desire).
All these things are fundamental elements of transformation. Intentionally looking at them brings awareness to things we do subconsciously, or consciously that does not serve us in our life’s journey. Living in the present and no longer living in the past, based on past experiences, allows us to shift our lives and live them more fully than before.
We take the lesson or blessing from the experience, share our events, and let it be. We play our part in building collective hope in our community through sharing our events with others.
We become wisdom walkers on our path. We forgive, grow, transmute and evolve to a higher level of ourselves to transform and live a full life, whatever that means to our soul’s purpose.
We walk the world intentionally with a higher vibration, and a higher world view, being a leader of our own soul’s unfoldment/purpose. In this we transform the world.
Gratitude
Gratitude is vital to living life fully. I am grateful for all the people close to me on this journey, all the prayers, and my children for being so understanding during this time of my life. Thank you to all the giants, ancestors, teachers, and practitioners, whose shoulders we are standing on, in Truth, in Jesus Name, Amen.
Peace and Love, –Truth Akins
Life Structures, Perceptions, and Reflections
Perceptions based on illusions and false programming can shape a world around us that is not based on truth. Illusions are constructs the mind puts together as thought forms of reality based on past experiences.
These past experiences can come from a negative place, such as, broken relationships, grief, trauma, or based on survival situations. They come from our childhood lessons from actions of loved ones around us, culture, society, television, peers, and schooling.
This is called false programming, defined as, constructs the mind has been given from people who taught us right and wrong from birth to 8 or 9 years old based on their thoughts, fears, perceptions, or ideas. Our worldview is shaped by these external forces that shape how we walk through the world, how we view ourselves in the world, and how we view others in the world.
This makes up the physical world, but this is not the only world that we live in. There is also an invisible spiritual world that responds to our desires, actions, and intentions.
Storytelling: Our stories are needed for others to gain knowledge and wisdom from our experiences and visa versa. Telling our story helps us let go of the past, forgive, and live for today. Through storytelling, I believe the entire world can be transformed. 1 Thes. 2:8-12
Perception shapes our degree of saying yes to life. Reflection allows us to recognize, forgive, and let go to shift our present view of life to a higher vibration. The higher vibration creates a higher degree of desire to live and let life unfold.
Life events are lessons or blessings that shape our journey. Storytelling is adding the sequence and details to our experiences to understand. Sharing those stories with others builds collective hope to change unjust conditions, or become a better person.
Transformation is seen in the the manifestation of our life structures. We see shifts in our financial, egoistic, livelihood, health, spiritual beliefs, world views, community, and relationships.
We grow stronger in who we are and become beneficial to the community by giving the gift that our soul came to give.
We say YES to life at a higher level and create more happiness/fulfillment in our lives. This is transformation and this is the 8 Degrees of Yes!
