Jasmine Clemente

Jasmine Clemente, a photo by serrini on Flickr.

Found this mysterious picture of myself on flickr and I'm inspired to take some new ones... Playing with images.

SPECIAL THANKS TO CHRIS CARR FOR SHOOTING FOOTAGE FOR MY VIDEO RELEASE PARTY / "EVERYTHING YOU NEED" @ KATRA NYC!!!

Photographer & Videographer Chris Carr

Inspired Word Showcase

The Inspired Word Showcase has a golden reputation for being one of the best open mics in NYC. After hearing so much about it for over a year, I finally dressed up warm this past Monday night and headed out the door to go to ONE & ONE (The Venue) in the lower east side. Little did I know, I walked into a reality TV show that MTV was recording. Okay... so that was unexpected and kind of cool. Nevertheless, I was the 14th person to sign up on an open mic list of 25.

One of the comedians made a joke, saying, "This open mic quickly turned into an audition once they found out MTV was in the house." SO TRUE! But it was great because it meant that all the performers stepped their game up just in case they'd be featured on television. Needless to say, they only recorded the first thirty minutes of the open mic, and I didn't go on until an hour and a half later - so I missed camera time! Oh well... I still enjoyed myself!

As a side note: My favorite performance of the night was by a poet who recited a piece entitled, "Way of The Angels." Thus, that picture on the right, is me totally mesmerized by his divine message; see me smirking; I'm enchanted -------------------->

Now, when it was my turn to rock the mic, I performed my original song "Everything You Need" in acapella. And without exaggerating or trying to toot my own horn, I received the first standing ovation of the night. It was awesome! There's something special about singing without instruments or background music. Just me, my voice, the people, and the room. My message echos because my voice dominates the atmosphere due to the audiences silence. I have their attention. Their focus is on me. And that's why I make sure to write lyrics that feeds positive energy. As I mentioned before, the other performers were inspiring too - that's why it's called, The Inspired Word Showcase by Mike Geffner.

DEATH (Transformation)

I heard somewhere that it is better to ask the right questions than to seek the right answers. So here's my question:  

What is Death? 

For some, death is when a person's physical body is buried six feet underground. This proof of knowing that they will no longer function in the world, is reason enough to believe that their existence has ended. But for me, I see physical death as a spiritual transformation.

November 2nd is a Mexican holiday known as Dia De Los Muertos (A.K.A. All Saints Day or All Souls Day) with its origin tracing back to the Aztec Calendar. Honoring the deceased, families of dead relatives and friends visit cemeteries with flowers, drinks, and fruits. For some, it is a festive celebration, and yet for others, it's a day of mourning.

With respect to the belief system of several cultures, I will share my opinion of death openly and honestly.

Death is a word used to describe something that has ended, which doesn't always mean physical life. Sometimes death can describe the ending of a relationship, a career, an era, a habit, a lifestyle, a feeling. And that has nothing to do with a physical entity ending, but with a spirit that is moving on to greener pastures. So with that being said, what is life? Life is vibrant energy. Life is moving forward. Life is love. This is why when someone gets buried six feet underground, I don't necessarily believe that they are dead if they're energy field (soul) is still alive. It's true, we can't speak to them anymore than we can speak to an animal or a plant, but we can still communicate. How? OPEN UP.

Let's think about this for a second... Have you ever noticed that ghosts who haunt people's lives are those who've either lived miserably, have unfinished business, or died tragically? But the ones who lived joyously usually rush into the light after death and don't come back down unless to assist someone as an angel? If you're one of the few who never made contact with the other side, you may not be able to relate to this, but I know, there are millions who have. And with enough Hollywood movies and best selling novels based on true stories, (covering unsolved murders, possessed people, and haunted houses) how much more proof do we need that there are other forms of life beyond the human eye? Just because we haven't invented a microscope or machine advanced enough to record the picture of spirits doesn't mean we won't have this technology one day.

People, what you do in this life will not STOP once you cross over. Your transformation from the physical realm into the spiritual realm will still persist because your soul is eternal. So there's no proof of your soul, you say? Well, that depends on how deeply you remember or how much you've forgotten. I'm not here to convince you; I'm here to remind you to look inside of yourself. Do you think your birth was an accident? Do you think you didn't choose to come here? Do you think you have no purpose, rhyme or reason? There is a saying... Just because you are living, doesn't mean you are alive. If you feel stagnant, if you feel depleted, if you have a loss of energy, if you have no passion, if you feel bored, if you feel hopeless, then these are signs of death. For example, why do you think people use the phrase, Dead End Job? or Dead Beat Father? It's because there's no passion in that career and/or no real energy moving forth from the father. Now that you have a better understanding of what the word death signifies, what can you think of that's dead in your life but you're still holding onto? Are you willing to find the strength to let go of it the way trees lets go of Autumn leaves in the Fall? Can you allow yourself the space to remove clutter from your life or anything that may be causing blockage?

Death is a doorway into the new. But if you don't open that door, then you will stay locked in the past. You need to face what is dieing in your life instead of being in denial. The longer you hold onto old ideas, relationships, jobs, furniture, clothes, and anything that no longer serves you, you will eventually begin to feel lifeless, or like you're going in a continuous circle that keeps producing the same results. Before you know it, you'll be on your death bed asking, "Did I do it all wrong?" Hence, the unfinished business. So think about your own happiness for a second. For if you are unhappy, you can't contribute much to the world (or anyone you encounter) due to your foggy outlook on life. (Thus, suicide comes in many forms such as self-sabotage) All I know, is that I'm choosing life. See you in the clarity & truth of the light, whether in this life or the next!