About

 Many of us practice religion according to the doctrines in which it was written and never really acquire a real understanding or connection with God. As I reflect back to growing up in church, starting with attending Sunday school with my older sister, it was never clear to me who God really was, and the main lesson was always that Jesus was the son of God, and in some cases was God himself. I never really felt a connection with God as it was being taught in my early life. One thing that I learned, however, was that Jesus could do miraculous things, such as walk on water, heal people, and turn water into wine.

These stories intrigued me so that, later in life, I took a course in World Religions in undergraduate school, with intentions to get a better understanding of the role that religions played in the world. After graduation, I stumbled across a book written by Norman Vincent Peale titled, The Power of Positive Thinking, and that was my introduction to the science of metaphysics, and from that point on, I read every book on the subject that I could get my hands on. (Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribution, and between potentiality and actuality.) This is when my understanding about what all the religions were trying to convey became clear, and this new understanding increased my interest to learn more about metaphysics. Studying metaphysics not only opened my eyes to the true essence of what all the religions were attempting to say, but through practicing meditation and learning about the power of affirmations and prayer through my practice, I finally felt connected to the God of the Universe.

Essentially my faith in God became stronger. This new spiritual enlightenment moved me so, that I eventually pursued a master’s degree in Metaphysical Science at the University in Sedona, Arizona.

In my research while writing my thesis, I learned that acquiring and following the principles and practices of metaphysics will lead one to experience a complete life transformation that will elevate our consciousness and deepen our understanding on a spiritual level.

I also learned that by embracing the Universal Laws, practicing meditation, intentional mind treatment, and reading and reciting affirmations daily, we will shift our thinking to become more positive and optimistic about life in general. It is my belief that, by using these principles and practices with consistency, we will acquire a total positive outlook about life, and create a higher spiritual consciousness that will assure us to achieve a prosperous and faithful life. There is a saying, “change your thinking, change your life.” However, I would like to take it a bit further by saying, “change your thinking, discover the God presence within, and your life will change forever.”

A Mind Shift – How does one acquire the understanding and awareness to change a belief system of doubt, fear, and negative thinking in general? My recommendation is that we must first completely submit to God’s Will and allow Him to be your guide and source of divine energy.

We must also study and learn to obey the Laws of the Universe. In doing so, we will find that constant prayer, meditation, and daily affirmations are practices that will aid us in connecting with the Universal God Force in a real way—causing the subconscious mind to make a shift and operate on our behalf in a divine and righteous way. With patience and consistency, all of our decisions will be influenced by a new state of mind. The main objective is to cultivate the mind and spirit, ultimately connecting them to the Kingdom of God that we all have within us.

When the world began, God said, “Let there be light.” What this says to me is, we all need to be one with God, and our reward will be that we will be blessed with a (Universal) Consciousness, which is the “Light.” Where there is light, there is enlightenment. Where one’s faith is strong, there is no fear. By allowing the Light to shine within, we will experience its positive and healing effects on our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Furthermore, in divine time, we will begin to replace feelings of inner weakness and fear with feelings of power and a true connection with God. How does one do this exactly? By simply practicing positive thinking and living a God-inspired lifestyle. Meaning, allow God to “order our steps.” There is so much good and prosperity in the world, and the Universe is waiting for us to embrace and claim a part of it for ourselves. Providing we have the divine energy to pull it off, we can do whatever we will in God’s Holy name. God (Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh—whatever you know Him to be)—will be delighted to deliver to us all the things that our hearts desire.

Minister N. Saleem Hylton is the author of the book, My Spiritual Journey to Universal Consciousness: From Trauma to a Faithful and Prosperous Life. 

Over the past five years, there has been an influx of ex-offenders (returning citizens) returning into the community after spending long prison stays. and have been embraced by the government of the District of Columbia to provide them with employment opportunities to work with the violent youth population of the city. Because of the high rate of violent offences by youth in DC,, the Violent Interrupters and Credible Messengers programs were created, which are the two entities that were designed to employ the returning citizen population. to engage with the violent youth population.

The objective of the documentary is to portray how mass incarceration of Black men and women in the District of Columbia in the nineties. created a major void in the city on many levels. and these men and women today are making a concerted effort to seek redemption by using Restorative Justice practices to not only give back to the community, but to seek redemption for all of the devastation they caused which led them to long prison sentences.