Artist Spotlight: Saa'Shalom

Meet Saa'Shalom– aka 'Sim Bey', aka 'Goddess Glory', aka 'I AM'– a writer, poet, musician, vegan chef and ordained priestess of Ras Tafari. She'll begin touring with Evolutionary Soul in September'08– preview the album (The Awakening). To find out more about her scheduled performances and 'wholistic' workshops, visit Supreme Love & Light.

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What keeps you busy? Most people work a 9-5. I live on divine purpose and that keeps me busy 24-7-365. Because I live my work, my work is a living devotional discipline and those who place themselves under my tutelage are constantly in my home, on my phone, accompanying me to events and needing guidance at all times of the day and night. So I stay very busy, and when I'm not serving others directly, I'm writing books, creating medicinal jewelry, designing a line of Goddess Wear clothing, making music, and preparing for live performances.

Are you originally from Lancaster? I was raised in Lancaster by my grandparents from the age of 2. Aside from attending Chesterfield Elementary School in the 4th grade, I attended Washington, D.C. public schools where my immediate family resided and spent all of my summers up until age 15 in Lancaster with my grandparents. I consider Lancaster my true home because my grandparent's home was so peaceful and filled with love for me, while my home in D.C. was always filled with city life chaos. I'm a country girl at heart.

You're vegan.... what prompted your move to a vegetarian– and eventually raw– diet? I've always been a bit cautious about the threat of diabetes as both of grandmothers were diabetic. Most of my aunts and eventually my mother became diabetic. I knew it was diet-related, so I subconsciously (as well as consciously) decided to eat healthier and, at age 34, I simply decided that it was time to adopt a vegetarian diet. My husband at the time as well as my daughter and I all went vegetarian together, which was great help because so many folks struggle when they don't have a support system in the home. To say the confusion of life cleared up for me would be to put it lightly. Becoming a vegetarian is highly transformational to the mind, the body, spirit and emotional well-being of a person.

When we alleviate the war that goes on inside our bodies due to improper diet, we are able to have peace not only inside ourselves, but in our outer reality as well. I was introduced to "raw" or LIVE foods as I prefer to call it, in 2002 by my Live Foods Guru, Artis Hinson. I don't care to use the word "raw" because most meat eaters– as most people in America are– automatically think "raw meat." So I prefer to say Live Foods. I met Artis Hinson at a gathering in High Point, NC. He was doing a live foods demonstration much like I had been doing vegetarian demonstrations and talks, and I found myself being his assistant that evening. He invited me to visit his place of business in Greensboro, NC where I soon after offered one year of devotional service in exchange for training in live foods preparation and live medicines. By the end of my service there, I had become the Head Chef for his establishment and had quite a following who loved my food preparation style.

How often are vegan lunch plates available from your Lancaster location? Unfortunately, I am rarely in Lancaster these days, as I have been called to a work assignment in Columbia, SC. I occasionally get to Lancaster and when I do, I inform my clientele in advance so they can place orders and I come prepared to serve them.

What's your musical style? My style is what I call 'evolutionary soul music', which is why my band is called Evolutionary Soul. It is a mixture of every genre of music that has touched my life experience deeply– funk, soul, blues, pop, opera, r&b, jazz, neo-soul and hip-hop. There is nothing new under the sun, so I take the various influences that God has given me, I spit on it my own unique flavor and mold it into something uniquely different. My main instrument is my voice. There is a lot of healing power in my vocal ability. I also play an acoustic 6-string guitar, the bass guitar, xylophone, and djembe hand drums, all of which were recently stolen from my home in Lancaster (that's right– somebody broke into my home and stole my stuff, but it's okay. I'll just get it again and even better this time).

Do you perform regularly? You can check me and my band out at the Lamb's Bread Veggie-Vegan Restaurant near downtown Columbia, SC. See the Calendar of Events on my website for dates and locations. I just signed a recording contract with a label out of Greenville, SC and we expect to release the CD (The Awakening) and embark on a tour starting in September.

You're available for lectures and seminars- where have your travels taken you? Most recently, I have been from New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, DC, all throughout the Carolinas both north and south, to Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, facilitating classes and workshops on wholistic living principles, live foods preparation, meditation, as well as initiating women's emotional wellness circles. To find out where classes are being held, or to inquire about facilitating a workshop, visit the website or email tubmanxpress@yahoo.com]

In your writing, you speak of "a little town with lethargic people who complained a lot" and frowned upon your mother's ideas to uplift the community– do you think the Lancaster mindset has changed much over the years? (what are some common obstacles to personal development?) I think more than anything people, especially ages 25-40 are just tired of being sick and seeing so much death and sickness all around them. As a result, folks in Lancaster are seeking out healthier alternatives. Unfortunately, there still seems to be a strong spirit of fear and judgment against anything that is too different than what they are used to and I believe this hinders our personal growth and development. It certainly has hindered my ability to serve my community there. There is so much mis-education about what is health, what is healthy, what is proper nutrition. There is so much attachment to the traditional diet that is killing us every day. There is so much fear of anything different that the fear can become a gossipy tale of character assassination.

For example, I gave one woman who was suffering with fibroid tumors a book written by one of my mentors that explained how eating flesh foods, dairy products, processed and junk foods causes us to be unwell, and how cleansing the body with herbs and then eating a clean vegetarian diet would overcome any sickness. After reading through the book, the woman called me with a how-dare-you-tell-me-to-not-eat-meat type of attitude and asked me if I was a witchdoctor. I proceeded to ask her what a witchdoctor was since I've never met one, and she said "well... I don't know... you know- the kind you see on TV". This type of ignorance runs rampant in small southern towns, and a gossiping tongue filled with falsehoods and TV-induced myths can run like a plague through a city like Lancaster. And it does...(smile).

You're an Ordained Priestess of the Churchical Order of Ras Tafari- what similarities does Ras Tafari share with other faiths? I AM an ordained priestess in the Nyahbinghi Order of Ras Tafari. First, let me make clear that I AM not Rastafarian. I AM Ras Tafari, and there is a difference. The heart of Ras Tafari shares the same core principles of Christianity. It is like Christianity to the 10th Power of Potency. The differences would be that those who truly live Ras Tafari are strict vegetarians, because a clean temple is a clear temple. God may come and visit a dirty house, but He surely won't stay too long. A clean temple makes for a clearer mind, a purer spirit, a more balanced emotion, a more open heart, and a healthier body. These are the pre-requisites for awakening the Christ principle that dwells in us all. Unfortunately, the Christ principle stills sleeps in most of us because it is buried under a lot of mental agitation, prejudicial thinking, an abundance of negative emotion and way too much death in the colon. Those who truly live Ras Tafari no longer mourn a crucified savior, but we celebrate his resurrection by allowing His Holy Spirit to dwell in us thereby allowing ourselves to become the Christ and walk the path of Christhood. We put on his shoes and make manifest the 2nd Coming in our experience. After all, he did say that everything he did, we can do and even greater and that means becoming a Christ being ourselves, sharing the throne with Him.

Unfortunately, the traditional judgmental and dogmatic mind of Christianity (where it exists) often cannot accept this Truth, because they are still holding on the old belief of how wretched and unworthy we are, and that God is way out there looking down on our miserable souls while we're way down here separate and apart from him stewing in our sinful nature. This is the very thought process that allows "good Christians' to have an excuse to go out and do all kinds of unholy and unhealthy things against themselves and those they claim to love. And though they occasionally ask the question "what would Jesus do?", they rarely do what Jesus did. I could go on forever about it, but I won't. I teach spiritual law and the laws that govern our reality are so simple. I love watching the awakening and enlightenment of a soul who finally gets it. Call me if you want to do a class (LOL... and I'm serious).

What is the Cosmic Golden Re-Order of Melchezidek? The realm of Melchezidek is for those who have truly awakened the God potential within. They become ageless, timeless, boundless, invisible to some, invulnerable to others, and invincible in the face of daily challenges. They understand that they and God are ONE and that Love is ALL there IS. These beings are embarking on a journey of Sainthood, where living on divine purpose for the pleasure of God, the service of humanity and the fulfillment of the Soul is the only way to live. And WE create Heaven on earth for ourselves and those around us.

Anything else we should know? Just that it is my prayer that more people wake up to the reality that it is this S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) meat-based diet that is killing us, destroying our planet and getting in the way of our own personal peace and development. Until we have peace within, we cannot have peace outside ourselves. If we allow Genesis 1:29 to be our dietary law, then Psalms 103:2-5 can be the ONLY health benefit plan necessary. We'd put the medical industry out of business (LOL!!!) Eat Life and Live!

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"Nothing will benefit health or increase
chances of survival on earth as the
evolution to a vegetarian diet."

–Albert Einstein

Links: famous vegetarians, Saa'Shalom on MySpace, Evolutionary Soul, Supreme Love & Light.
FYI: Some famous vegans include: Woody Harrelson, Andre 3000 of Outkast, Alicia Silverstone, Russell Simmons, Thom Yorke (of Radiohead), and Leonardo da Vinci.

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