Lifestyle
The Spiritual Evolution of Lama Rod Owens

Lama Rod Owens, a 44-year-old black Buddhist educated at Harvard School of Divinity, combines the teachings of Buddhism and Judeo-Christian religions to cultivate what he calls “new saints” amongst his students. Raised within the Black Baptist and Methodist tradition, Owens left with a reluctant approach to gender and sexuality, searching for personal religious autonomy and a more inclusive spiritual path.
Owens, reports say I attribute much of it to my spirituality his mother, the Reverend Wendy Owens, whose path as a United Methodist minister inspired his spiritual journey. “Like so many Black women, she embodied wisdom, resilience and vision.” Owens told the outlet: “She taught me easy methods to work. And she taught me easy methods to change because I saw her change,” he said.
After graduating from Berry College, a nondenominational Christian school, Owens redoubled his commitment to ministry, which he said was his latest religion. Owens has trained as an advocate for survivors of sexual violence and has volunteered for projects specializing in education about HIV/AIDS, homelessness, teen pregnancy and substance abuse. “Even though I was no longer doing theology, I was definitely following the path of Jesus: feeding people, sheltering people,” Owens said
Shortly after graduating from Berry College, Owens joined Haley House in Boston, where he met people of various faiths: Christianity, Buddhism, Wicca, Islam, and even monasticism. He credits a friend who gave him a replica of “Cave within the snow,” written by Vicki McKenzie, which tells the story of Tibetan Buddhist nun Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo’s seek for enlightenment, which set Owens on his spiritual path.
“When I first started exploring Buddhism, I never thought, ‘Oh, black people don’t do this because maybe it goes against my Christian upbringing,’” Owens said. “I assumed, ‘Here’s something that may help me suffer less… I used to be only serious about easy methods to reduce the damage to myself and others.’
His contact with various religions deepened only at Harvard Divinity School, where Owens met a member of the Satanic faith. According to La Carmina, creator of “The Little Book of Satanism”, despite the pseudonym, most Satanists are nontheists.
“There are many different types of Satanists, but most do not actually believe in Satan and do not worship him as either a god or a force of evil. “For the most part, Satanists are non-theists and view Satanism as personal liberation from traditional theistic beliefs.” La Carmina said: “We value nonconformity and rebellion against ideas of superstition and arbitrary power. Modern Satanists are non-violent and interested in the pursuit of reason, justice and truth.”
Owens went from “breaking up with God” in college to reconciling with God and refining his image of God, as he said: “God is not some old man sitting on a throne in the clouds who has some very temperamental attitude. God is space, emptiness and energy. God is always that experience, inviting us back through our most divine, holy souls. God is love.”
Owens continues to attract inspiration from figures as diverse as James Baldwin, Harriet Tubman, Alvin Ailey, Andre Leon Talley, Toni Morrison, Tony Kushner and Beyoncé. This wide-ranging group of influences motivates him to proceed to remain fluid, as he said “I want people to feel the same when they experience something I talk or write about.”
Owens added: “That’s part of an artist’s job — to assist us feel and never be afraid to feel. To help us dream in a different way, encourage us and shake us out of stiffness into greater fluidity.
Lifestyle
Mother’s black health crisis is not just the responsibility of black women

When Erica Chidi launched the Krosno reproductive health platform in 2017, was geared toward remedying the growing Luce in knowledge about reproductive health and strengthening the position of other knowledge.
He also arrived at a time when many were awakening to reality, which because of many system reasons, including access to healthcare and reproductive health education, black women are three to 4 times more likely than their white counterparts because of the reasons related to childbirth.
Now, almost ten years later, after organizations akin to Fund began, and more people know Dulas, Chidi sees progress, but admits that there is still loads to be done. The number of black women did not move significantly despite the general decrease in moms’ mortality.
Chidi, a health pedagogue, writer and Doula, became a strategic adviser to Perelel Health after the company acquired Krosny in 2024. One of the biggest invasions that she observed in about 15 years of being doula and work on this space is the growing awareness of black women with their resources, including douls and the middle part.
“13 years ago, no one really knew what doula was, except for a certain level of white women,” explained Doula.
She added that in the south there was also “greater awareness” because the heritage of the midwife from “Grandma Midwives” and slavery remained a bit “intact” for years.
“But generally no one really knew. So now at least everyone knows what it is. Some insurance covers it. This is a more famous amount. This is a big change,” she continued. “So I know that change is possible.”
In addition to financing birth, through which Chidi is amongst advisers, other organizations, akin to Black Matas Matter Alliance, have also joined the conversation to develop solutions regarding the crisis. However, based solely on black women, to extend your knowledge about Dulas and reproductive health typically, he maintains the weight on them as a substitute of where it really belongs.
“Black women are amazing,” said Chidi. “We are resourceful and we can simply do it in the darkest moments and with the smallest number of resources. But this will not solve the whole problem. This must exist.”
According to Chidi, more “mixed method” would must include healthcare suppliers and the general public that increases their involvement in solving the Black Mother’s crisis.
In Virginia, where some Black Mother’s mortality rates are the highest, Virginia Union University has turn out to be the first HBCU to launch the Doula certificate program. Although technically still black women come to unravel an issue for themselves, this is an example that might be followed throughout the country.
Chidi said that “more of this” response level is needed, noting that other institutions can offer their very own versions. In addition to funds that may help families find birth employees, there needs to be funds that may help people train to turn out to be birth employees.
“We must see the care that is in line with the actual situation in which we find ourselves,” she said. “Which means it is academic. It is at the level of practice, and then it is also social.”
Ultimately, the real solution to this problem would require everyone to be involved. Like many individuals, they walk with practical knowledge or knowledge of basic first aid or resuscitation, Chidi would really like to see the same level of consciousness with pregnancy and pregnant people.
Chidi sees it this fashion: regardless of whether an individual has children or intends: “your duty is to find out about pregnancy and postpartum.”
Of course, everyone can’t be an authorized dulas, but understanding what some things seem like in a pregnant person is usually a difference in a deadly complication.
She said that it might be “all about re -opening the channels and sharing.”
“My best skill is to tell stories,” she continued. “It has always been this way because it makes you a good teacher. This is what you also make you really good doula. Because you really help people tell the story of your body so that other people can hear it.”

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Lifestyle
Lil us X in the hospital says that “he lost control over the right side” of his face

This week, rapper Lil Nas X has released an update where it was. On Monday evening, the rapper published a video to Instagram revealing that he was hospitalized.
“By the way, I practice a full smile,” says laughter. “I’m just what the hell? I can’t even laugh, brother, what the hell? Oh my God, man. So … yes.”
While the rapper “Old Town Road” didn’t determine his diagnosis, he told the fans: “Sooo (I) lost control of the right side of my face.” After his post, fans began to wonder if the star developed Bella’s paralysis, a state that causes muscle weakness and paralysis on one side of the face. However, According to Johns Hopkins MedicineThe cause of the condition affecting the nerves of the face is unknown.
Despite the fans conspiracy, Lil NAS X continued to update his health about his stories on Instagram.
“Guys, I’m fine !! Stop being sad to me! Instead, shake your ass!” He wrote about his history in keeping with the variety. “IMMA looks funny like a bit, but that’s all.”
Similarly, today the rapper said: “It’s much better” in a movie published in his history on Instagram, explaining that he regained sensation into the mouth and performs chewing exercises to strengthen the muscle.

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Lifestyle
David E. Talbert sells memories for six characters

The director, author, playwright and producer David E. Talbert sold his memory “Everything I know about being a man (I learned from a woman)” for six characters to Storehouse Voices, a random Punguin Publishing House. He also develops a television program with the identical title.
According to the memories of Talbert He emerged from conversations He He had together with his son, which meant that he realized that his mother, a single mother, gave him all the teachings he learned to be a person.
According to the web site, Storehouse Voices focuses on “promoting the wealth of a black story through intentional acquisition and employment of efforts, strategic partnerships and the authentic range of the community, which it is going to achieve by publishing literary and fictitious books.
According to Storehouse, Voices was published in January 2025, Created in cooperation with the Tamira ChapmanFrom the success of the Chapman’s Women & Words program, which was launched with the support of Storehouse in a box and Penguin Random House, which was aimed toward “deisting the publishing industry and its processes” for insufficiently represented authors.
The declaration that broadcasts the imprint is: “Warehouse voices are informed by a deep understanding of the unique cultural contexts and historical black experiences in America and involved in ensuring that literary works of insufficiently represented authors are presented authentically, with respect and strongly in the entire landscape of publications and the media.”
This is thick with the final arch of Talbert’s profession, which, like Tyler Perry, began with stage arts aimed toward telling the black stories of the Black audience.
In 2024, in an interview with the Wielofenate, he said that “Jingle Jangle”, a Christmas film, who wrote and directed by which Forest Whitaker and Keegan Michael Key performed, was created due to his childhood of the sensation of excluded fantasy, because he often didn’t see black children represented within the media of his youth.
According to 2023, Talbert launched HBCU Next, a scholarship program that he founded and financed together with his wife and production partner, Lyn Sisson-Talbert, To enrich the tutorial possibilities available for beginner filmmakers in HBCUS Bringing them to the School of Cinematic Arts USC School of Cinematic Arts program.
As Talbert said on this system: “Our general goal is to support the environment for students from HBCU and the USC to get involved in cultural exchange of learning from each other, and to provide access to education conducive to providing black storytellers to the entertainment industry.”
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