Healing and Freedom Through These Sacred Tonemasters

HEALING AND FREEDOM THROUGH THESE SACRED TONE MASTERS

JACQUELINE D. HARRIS

Smashwords edition, copyright 2013

Copyright © 2010 by Jacqueline D. Harris

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Editor: Shonell Bacon

Book Cover Designer: Chris Charboneau

Typesetting: Carla M. Dean, U Can Mark My Word

Print ISBN: 978-0-615-39000-0

Published by: Amargi Publishing

Visit the website at: http://www.sacredtonemasters.com

This book is dedicated to Octavia Estelle Butler

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THANKS

INTRODUCTION

DEDICATION

ABOUT THE BOOK

WHO WAS THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN?

MY FIRST MEETING WITH MOTHER ATHYR

THE SECOND MEETING WITH MOTHER ATHYR

THE 1999 PORTRAIT

ALICE M. WALKER

DR. FRANCES C. WELSING, M.D.

OCTAVIA ESTELLE BUTLER

DOCTOR MAYA ANGELOU

ANITA BAKER

BACK TO THE FUTURE

THE 2005 PORTRAIT

EULAULAH LALAH HATHAWAY

CASSANDRA WILSON

LIZZ WRIGHT

LEDISI YOUNG

MAYSA LEAK

DIANNE REEVES

NANCY WILSON

A NEW BEGINNING

A LITTLE ABOUT ME

THANKS

I first want to thank The Most High for whom nothing would exist and for blessing me with all of the wonderful people and spirit guides placed in my life’s journey. Without them, I am sure I would be off in a corner babbling and lost.

Thanks and so much love goes out to a pair of special gems, my mother, Diamond Juanita Harris, and my father, Jasper Harris, Jr. (R.I.P.). I love you both, but it is just something special about my mother. To my siblings Brenda, Saundra, and Christopher, I truly love you and am proud of you all; thank you for bringing all of my smart and beautiful nieces (Kimberly, Jameelah (GG), Jessica, and Nechelle) and my smart and handsome nephews (Robert, Joseph (Kingman) Jr., Jonathan (The Artist), and Christopher Jr.) into the planet.

I also want to give thanks and love to my aunt Elizabeth Liz Collins, who has always been there for me and our family. She was the family matriarch when my grandmother transitioned. I love you, Auntie, for being such a great teacher for us all.

Thanks and love goes out to my aunt Rosalind Collins (R.I.P.), who lived in Memphis and always showed me how much she loved me. I miss you so much in this physical world, Auntie.

Thanks and much love goes out to my cousins Linda Collins McKinney, Terri Collins, and Tina Smith. Linda, my mother, and my cousin Stanley Harris (R.I.P.) were the ones that I obtained a love of music from. I saw how music moved them, and I wanted to have that feeling. Terri and Tina have two of the kindest hearts I have been blessed to come across.

Much love goes out to the following:

To my college coach Sudie Davis Jr., who stepped in and became a father figure to me when I attended Chicago State University. Coach Davis made sure I graduated from college and protected me from a lot of the worldly trappings that early independence can have on a young woman. His first words to me on my initial trip to CSU were, I don’t know how good you are going to be as an athlete but you will graduate from college. That I guarantee. I didn’t realize how much he meant those words until I dropped out of college and moved to Memphis. Coach Davis came and got me and made me go back to get my degree. If I come to Chicago and don’t get a chance to see him, I am so sad. He is one of the few people in my life that can read through my barriers. I love, honor and respect you Sudie.

To Dr. Joan Hill, a former professor at Chicago State, a friend, and a pillar of wisdom, strength, inspiration, and beauty. Dr. Hill is a woman who has made a tremendous impact on my life. I didn’t listen to her in school because I was listening to my ego, but what a mistake that was. Dr. Hill was such a great teacher and person, and if I would have listened more to her, I would not have stumbled so much later in life.

To Lucia Maria Greer, Michael Lawson, and Anthony Tony Cable, my best friends forever. They know, love, and accept me as I am. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without you, and because of my relationship with you, I’ve learned to value friendship. I am a better person because of the love that we have for each other. It is hard for many to measure up to the standard of friendship that you guys have set.

To Rhonda Martin (R.I.P.), Alicia Travis Marsalis, Lisa Acey, Fernando Johnson, Marcey Greenleaf, I would not have made it in MD without your friendship. You mean the world to me, a friendship I didn’t want to run from.

To my spiritual siblings, Annette and Lavon Johnson, Woodie Hughes, Jr., and Kenneth Buford, only you guys can have me on a telephone call for hours talking about everything above and under the sun. Only to hang up the telephone and call right back five minutes later for a few more hours. I love and care for you all. The All is we are.

To Barbara Reynolds Brown. I learned so much from you and forever am grateful for the example of womanhood I was blessed to learn from you. You didn’t think I was listening to you (because on many occasions you said, Are you listening to me?), but I was. I love you always, Barbara, for who you are.

To Beulah and Willie Fleming in Milledgeville, Georgia. Thank you for allowing me to become a member of your family. I always feel at home and at peace whenever I am around The Flemings.

To Baba Kwame Ahmed Abdullah, who made his transition before I ever got a chance to meet him in the physical, but through our emails, chats, and telephone conversations, I grew to love the wisdom, humor, love, and support that this wise elder was able to give to us youngins as he would call me. Mama Ayeesha and family, Baba was/is a great elder, but I am sure you all know that. I still read the enlightening emails sent to me by this great Jegna.

To Tananarive Due, thanks so much for the advice and friendship. Octavia was right about you.

Years ago when I was sick, physically, mentally, and spiritually, I was told by this man that I needed to see a Good Doctor. Years later, I realized he was the Good Doctor I needed to see. I don’t know, nor do I ever want to know, where I would be if he did not come into my life. Peace and love to you always, Atum-Re, a true master teacher.

There are so many more aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Please know that I care, love, and thank you all.

INTRODUCTION

This is a story of how I was just going through the motions when it came to my daily living here on this planet. I was really sleepwalking my way through life. I was not happy. I lived in fear and had low self-esteem sprinkled with bits of naivety and arrogance. I didn’t trust myself, or anyone else for that matter. I didn’t have complete trust in my Creator to do what was best for me. I was living my life in a self-imposed state of isolation and detachment from others. I didn’t know how to love myself, let alone allow anyone else to love me. My heart was shut down, and daydreaming and music stepped in and became a comforting reality for me.

However, every once in a while, I would peer deep within and see the real me — that person who possessed unlimited potential and a true zest for life. Yet, I had no idea how to tap into that part of myself and allow her to shine consistently. Through my encounter with the Egyptian goddess Mother Athyr, also known as Mother Het-Heru and Mother Hathor, along with the Sacred Tone Masters that I was blessed to meet, I was able to slow down, listen, remember, and tap into that potential.

This is my story...

One day in 1999 and again in 2005, while in a dream-like state, I had a vision to have two portraits created. Both portraits were completed in those same years. I also received a directive to gift all of the women featured on the 2005 portrait, and who were still living, with reproductions of it along with a story that I had written in 2005 entitled The Torchbearer Story.

The first portrait included me; Maya Angelou; Alice Walker; Octavia Butler; Anita Baker; Dr. Frances Cress Welsing; Sumerian goddesses Mother Ninti, Mother Ninqi, Mother Areshkegal, and Mother Baalat; and Egyptian goddess Mother Isis, Mother Hawwah (Eve), and Mother Tiamat. I consider this my initiation picture, and in the portrait, you will see me standing since I felt that I hadn’t contributed anything to the planet at that time. Therefore, I didn’t feel worthy to be seated at the table with these wise women of wisdom as of yet.

The second portrait included the late musical icons Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Marian Anderson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone. Living legends Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, and Cassandra Wilson, along with Lizz Wright, Ledisi Young, Maysa Leak, and Lalah Hathaway are also included on the 2005 portrait.

My impromptu meetings with the awe-inspiring women of both pictures have been extraordinary and have added yet another dimension to my life.

Over the past ten years, I have learned a great deal about faith and my ability to let go, deal with changes, and live. Over the past three years, I have begun to practice all that I have learned. The journey I embarked upon years ago has enabled me to change negative thought patterns that led to negative habits which prevented me from moving forward and embracing the life I was destined to lead.

Today, I know who my spiritual mother is and how she has impacted my life in ways I could never begin to imagine. This journey helped me to re-learn how to love myself, free my mind, and love others. This journey taught me how to quell the desire of worldly things and Remember. You see, I was a forgetful being. I forgot who I was and why I was here. I forgot how to love myself and others. I forgot how to have faith. This journey helped me to Remember all of that. However, the most important part of this journey is I Remembered the only desire I should ever have in my life is to love serving the will of The Most High first and foremost. That is all I need. This book is my declaration of my surrender