Contemplations is an anthology of spiritual poetry, short stories, journals, and papers written by a variety of authors expressing their experiential processes and spiritual growth. It shows the diversity of knowledge, wisdom, and development through the eyes of individuals of different age, race, gender, and cultural understanding, as they contemplate their journey through life lessons and love. Contemplations volume one kicks off a compilation of Akiyah Hawaryat's (Founder & Director of the non-profit organization Infinite Expressions) poetry, as a fundraiser to produce similar projects for youth and minority family members of the organization. All proceeds of volume one goes towards Infinite Expressions writing and cultural education programs. Volumes two and three to come, shortly.
About the Author: Akiyah Hawaryat received a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Christian Counseling; and is currently working on a Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability. In 2009, she founded Infinite Expressions, a non-profit organization focusing on writing and cultural workshops for youth and minority families, in which her overall perspective is the driving force behind its publishing ventures. Akiyah believes culture, one's ancestral blueprint, plays a detrimental role in ethnic identification and individuation, which may be the most important aspect of establishing and maintaining one's level of dignity and self-worth. Through individuation one attempts to find purpose and wholeness within themselves to feel a sense of belonging amongst various differences. Without an articulate knowledge and accessibility to practice one's true culture humanity runs a high risk of spiritual incapacitation through acculturation. Cultural sustainability is important to Akiyah because of her personal path of self-discovery and innate sense of purpose which compels her to share her experiential journey with others, so that they may also find wholeness within themselves, circumstance, and environment. Beginning in child-hood Akiyah always felt a sense of difference. Being brought up in a Catholic church and having a Muslim father was very confusing, particularly when each religion states the other is wrong. She was blessed with the ability to see the good in human nature and found no fault in her Creator, just confusion in human understanding. This only fueled her curiosity to possibly find answers to her conflicted perspective. It seemed as she continued to learn about different cultures, a part of them all had a gene in her DNA, which gradually breathed in a feeling of wholeness. Prior to this, she was born in the physical state, but hadn't been spiritually born, or at least complete. Over thirty years later she has arrived at the understanding that through assimilation, she has become more than just one culture and perspective. Similar to the We Are The World song, she is the world, and so is everyone else. Americans are a melting pot of blended differences which Akiyah finds remarkable. Knowledge of one's own culture is wonderful, but of other's is a blessing. It allows one to be confident in whom they are, while also having respect for the uniqueness in others. Tolerance is then gained, which is dearly needed in the world's collective future.