Reviews for Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life!

My friends! I am thrilled at the reviews now coming in! Please go to www.bikerlady.com/chromecowgirl.htm and scroll down and check it out! What an honor indeed!

Thanks to everyone who is kindly supports my art. My heart is just bursting with gladness.

With love!
Sasha

tags: chrome cowgirl, bikerlady, sasha mullins, MBI publishing.

Keep the faith.

Even when you feel like everything in your life has crumbled, remember that you are precious. Keep the faith. Keep the light burning within.

Exercise of the day: go to the library and rent a pilates workout dvd and strengthen your core.

Spiritual dish of the day: At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. - Albert Schweitzer. He received the 1952 Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for his philosophy of "Reverence for Life"


tags: chrome cowgirl, bikerlady, sasha mullins

Good good good vibrations

The vibrations of the whole world have been lifted to a point of incredibly hopeful and healing energy thanks to the election of President Elect Barack Obama. NO matter who you voted for, the history of America has been altered and we are now seen as a country who desires positive change. Mr. Obama has a huge job ahead of him. And we share in his challenge. He is not alone in this clean-up and redemption. Our beloved America has renewed hope.

For a man who walks a mile in our shoes...evident in the shabby shoes he wore throughout his campaign that revealed his grounded, solid nature and comfort in his stance -- the nation feels like one-of-us has been selected. We're all in this together...no matter who won.

The first person that I thought of when Barack Obama was presented as President-Elect, was Maya Angelou. I had tears of joy just thinking what she must be feeling after all she has stood for and has experienced in her long, illustrious life as an advocate for peace and healing.

Now, we as a world can cheer for change and all work hard together to be that change under the leadership of a man who understands...and is one of us.

Today's exercise is to walk a mile in your shoes and give thanks to your breath and life, and know that you are powerful and beautiful and whatever your situation -- you can be all that you are and weather the storm and embrace the sunlight of hope beyond the clouds.

Spiritual Dish of the Day: The Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz

Peace, love and healing,

Sasha

Author of Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life: a look at freedom and being.

http://www.bikerlady.com/

The Art of Life

Marianne Williamson is a joyful Spiritual teacher. I just picked up her "Age of Miracles" -- I try to read everything she authors. There is so much to learn in this book at whatever age/stage.

To know your truth is the art of life. There are so many colors and styles of application to show on your canvas we just have to show our true colors. Show our true styles...whatever that may be.

Start with a vision of your most heartfelt truth about your beautiful authentic self. The real you that may be buried, or hidden, or forgotten.

Remember what it was like to be that carefree child and the feeling of being lost in imagination...there were so many colors and brush styles and things upon the canvas back then. The sky was the canvas and that sky was inside of us. The awe and wonder of everything was how it felt to explore our talents, and likes and dislikes.

The have to dos and honey dos and opinions and mindsets and character flaws of others leaving imprints on our canvas inspired different colors and different styles that may not necessarily have been ours to begin with! We abandoned the vision because of outside ourselves influences and poor life choices. And the journey to return to love and truth begins the moment when we separate ourselves from the art of our truth! I say, art, because it is a work of art to truthfully be ourselves. It's so fantastic and moving. And it takes alot of imagination and application to get there.

From Marianne Williamson's The Age of Miracles:

"But whatever it is you choose to think, your subconscious mind takes it very seriously and your experience will reflect your thinking. Our very cells respond to the thoughts we think--with every word, silent or spoken, we participate in the body's functioning. We participate in the functioning of the universe itself. If our consciousness grows lighter, then so does everything within and around us. This means, of course, that with every thought, you can start to re-create your life"

Now, isn't that stunning to read. We are master artists and the creative within, is the Divine, our Lord, and those who you follow to be your Source inspiration.

Time is so precious and our canvases await the true visions to be imprinted upon them by the very imagination that dreamt us into creation. We are soul and our souls have a mission, a purpose and our souls have gifts manifested through our physical (body/mind). Treasure the notion of YOU. And discover your ART of LIFE and begin painting your truth once again.

xoS

Exercise of the day: Jump Rope...with a high knee lift skipping action. Do this with the imagination of a child, lost in the moment, as if showing friends and family just how many times you can skip rope without stopping, and then if you trip up, keep on going.

Spiritual Dish of the Day: "This is not the time to stop working on ourselves; it's the time when we've finally accumulated enough clues to help crack the case and solve the mystery of why and how we've kept ourselves bound for so long. It's not the time to give up and say, 'This is just how I am. It's too late to change.' Quite the opposite --it's time to take a stand, once and for all, for your own potential." -- Marianne Williamson, The Age of Miracles.

Photo: Central Park; The Flags. "Surrounded by Creative Energy."

tags: The Chrome Cowgirl Guide to the Motorcycle Life, Bikerlady, Sasha Mullins, Female Motorcycle Rider, Biker Chick, Motorcycles, Marianne Williamson

Be Your Own Truth.

I'm reading Maya Angelou: A Glorious Celebration. That we all are: a Glorious Celebration. The book speaks about being your own truth. Maya Angelou is the example of owning and sharing her full human experience on this earth plain. She is full of life. Full of herself which she shares generously with the world. Maya Angelou is a river of divine energy, a body of water ever flowing with knowledge and life experience. Her mentors, strong family, were also rich with life and immersed themselves completely in the river of truth.

There was no grandeur upbringing for this Matriarch of Divine Feminine here on Earth. The deep soul that she presents was crafted through a myriad of heartache and joy. She is the true definition of a survivor that not only struggled to protect her existence on earth, but also fought to protect her essence, her truth by simply owning her truth. Every bit of it.

When you own your own truth you can BEcome. Be. Come. You invite the wellspring of your truth to live and evolve. It's always there. Ready to flow and pulse and lead you to great experience, ready to carve through any obstacle. You don't have to go find it. You just have to let it flow through your every cell and stop damning it up. To own your own truth is to immediately release your river of divine purpose and allow your human curiosity a place to roam and explore.
Imagine what it's like to walk across a dam and on one side it is empty and on the other side is this pulsing, magnificence of energy, cool and refreshing truth, complex minerals, a strong reserve to nurture all you need for your body, mind and soul. . . a complete source of inspiration to live more fully. If you open the locks that keep the living waters from flowing, a rush of YOU, your truth will begin to fill your temple.

Access the tools of wisdom, nurture the deep seed of adventure, free the wheel that wishes to roll full circle in this life. This is not something you have to "get in the right mind set" or "go find where the truth might be." It's there like the blood pulsing through your veins. It's there like the sight you are using to read this. It's there like the breath you just exhaled.

It's called YOU. And to know your truth is LOVE. To embrace your gifts is LIFE. To allow your GIFTS a place to BE. This is TRUTH. Share it. In the sharing is the BE coming, forth.

Be the Glorious Celebration of You.

xoSasha

EXERCISE OF THE DAY: 50 slow jumping jacks. Open wide and sparkle like a star, close and reach high, the tips of your fingers like the flame of a candle. Breath deep and appreciate.

SPIRITUAL DISH OF THE DAY: From Maya Angelou - A Glorious Celebration
"Throughout her life, as in her work, Maya Angelo has affirmed and celebrated the threads that bind us one to another. She believes in us, the human family, with our rainbow of emotions, our complex imaginations. She believes in the boundless capacity of our spirits and the hope and possibility in each and every breath that we take. She wants the best from us and from herself, the best for us and for herself, knowing that we struggle, sometimes falter, stumble, lose our way."

tags: female motorcyclist, bikerlady, chrome cowgirl, biker chick, female motorcycle rider.

Modern Bride Mag writes about me.

In the Dec/Jan edition of Modern Bride Magazine there is a small feature about me referring the to contest I entered. I enter wedding contests to win free stuff like dresses, flowers, invitations, shoes, you know. Every bit counts. Well this was a really fun contest about being a Modern Bride. I thought, I'm really Modern because I ride and I have a unique story to tell. Well, out of thousands and thousands of applicants, they selected the winner and four runner ups. I didn't make that cut. But I was given an honorable mention because the magazine received so many cool chicks that wrote in they did a special two page spread. My little feature is called Shattering Stereotypes. And it's so awesome. I'm really honored.

Take a look at it! Click jpg to enlarge.

xoS

tags: female motorcycle rider, chrome cowgirl, chrome cowgirl's guide to the motorcycle life, bikerlady, biker chick

Turning to face the Shepard.

So the Shepard yanked me back to Nashville. Read the post before if you're just stopping in, because this is part 2.

Here I rode home, obeying, turning, and facing the Shepard. I was spooked the whole ride back home. Questioning and going over the episode at the Love's truck stop over and over again until literally, my head hurt...throbbed. I don't get headaches often, very rare, and I felt like I could hardly hold my head up. My Patrick was surprised that I turned around because ever the road gypsy, he just thought I'd keep right on going wide open throttle singing at the top of my lungs like I do when I ride. A funny sight to passers-by.

When I got home I laid down after taking care of the poodles and kitties. The little animals were leaping at me as if I were absent two years. What, I was gone, 18 hours maybe? Their unconditional love was really brimming. My cup runneth over with puppy and kitty love.

Yeah after stripping off the layers of riding leathers and my mexican blanket turned poncho that I wear when it's damp cold, I fell asleep for a few solid hours with my throbbing headache. Maybe I didn't have enough water, I don't know. I drank some and the headache didn't go away. I also had a dull pinch in the stomach like I could barf if not careful what I ate. Weird. I felt fine, awesome, in fact up until the turn around.

Patrick left for rehearsal, he had some ICMA television show to play that evening. I had told him to invite a friend. I wasn't going to go no matter what and I had planned to be in Daytona anyway, plus...you see, I'm totally bashful at these celebrity things because I just don't feel comfortable at them. Even when all the other wives and girlfriends go arm and arm with their performer spouses, I opt to do my own thing. That's kinda selfish. Because I didn't realize that Patrick really wants me to go to these things. It's his job to perform...so why would I want to go to his job? You know? ICMA stands for Inspirational Country Music Awards. Gospel Country, in other words. He wanted me to go, since I was home. I didn't want to go because my head was throbbing and I was feeling weird. But it meant alot to him that I go...so I frowned at the selection of outfits I had...mostly yard sale pickins that I worked over into pieces of odd art...and so I chose a pair of way baggie pants and a long sleeve glitter shirt with cowgirl boots. Sort of like dressy pajamas...and off I went with Pat.

Little did I know, the Lord had some plans that evening. He had me captive in the audience to watch the players and listen to the music that was inspired because God is good. While some acts were not well rehearsed obviously, there were acts there that were stunning. Angelic. Pure. And chilling to hear...especially the Word swirling with the music notes. My favorite act was The Issacs. They sang Mama's in Heaven Teaching Angels to Sing. Chillingly beautiful. My breath truly was taken away. Another song that I loved was simply called Daddy's Girl, which of course made me sob dollar size tears. Now that I think about it, the two titles that I liked best had to do with Mother and Father. Ah, Christ.

My Patrick's boss won Best Inspirational Music Video of the Year for his song 'Til I was a Daddy, too. That evening they performed The Book You Never Read, of course referring to the Bible. His boss is coming out with his very first country rock gospel album, alternate to his usual country genre -- 18 number one hits, not bad. And this new album is quite beautiful and rockin' at that.

Yes, the messages that came from that concert had to do with opening heart and allowing the divine to move through using the gifts of song and words. I must admit, time and again over this past year I would receive the small still nudge of the Lord saying, focus on your music. And sometimes just the words, write it down, would press upon my intuition.

While Patrick and I were in the audience he kept studying me with this adoring look and then he said, "I'm so glad you're here with me. I like when you come to support what I do." He glowed and I learned something. Yeah, I'm a freewheelin, freespirit -- but I have someone who really adores me. I felt stunning sitting there in my fancy baggie wear.

Early the next morning, Friday, way early, like around 3ish am -- I awoke startled and in tears. A heavy heart plagued me. Reality set in that I've been running and that I've been so very heavy hearted feeling like I just can't quite deal with things like I used to. Too much loss in my life this year and my spiritual foundation was totally rocked and fragmented at that. The earthquaked and I faltered, or faultered. Was this some kind of reckoning?

Once again, my motorcycle, Miss Tigerlily, rode me into the wind to have a visit with the divine. That's where the big spiritual epiphanies seem to occur -- when it's just me out there on my motorcycle and I'm totally focused on the road, and God is totally in control because it is life or death to ride and it's live or death to live, too. The wind whispers. The calling, the turning around, why this is just the beginning of the restoration on my soul. I need to let Will happen according to my divine purpose. It's time to let The Plan according to My Gifts in alignment with God's Will be revealed.

I curled up with a morning coffee and Emmet Fox's The Sermon on the Mount...the Key to Success in Life, based upon the Beatitudes. "Behold I make all things new." This statement suddenly was huge when I read it. It made me want to go on a juice fast and cleanse my stinkin' thinkin' any toxins in the bod, and restore the living waters of my soul to be crystal clean and pure again.

Then I went for a walk with my neighbor, Deb, who is a spiritual counselor. She has been a terrific resource of soulful nourishment the last few months. Even in my tangled web of where do I belong, and what am I here for, she comforts me and gently loosens the tangle, as if working a knot out of my hair, carefully and lovingly. And then things are soft and smooth again. During the walk I told her how utterly insane the whole turn around seemed, and that there was big part of me that was aching for Daytona and my buddies. We spoke about how I was so spooked by it and how I knew I couldn't prove it wrong. It was time. Time to take my life purpose to the next level. Time to trust and heed the call. Goin On Up To The Spirit In The Sky!

On Saturday evening my other neighbor, George, who is just as factual a person that you'd want to know, an engineer by education and skill, and who is the senior something or other at the church came by just to hang out with Patrick. Pat invited him over for dinner while his wife was tending to family matters. George gave me terrific scientific insight from a spiritual perspective about what happened that night. Seeds were being planted. And further, I thought that those seeds that were dormant were now being encouraged to re-bloom. Wow... shed a little light on me. Go 'head and SHINE!

It wasn't time for me to go to Daytona this October. This was evident. While I'd like to know the full answer to the turn around at THAT particular time, I can only guess that it was a true test if I would LISTEN, especially because the alternative to go to sunny skies to be with my friends was so wonderfully alluring and important. And God knows that it is, which is why He asked me to travel "my way" as explained in my previous post. I obeyed, the sacrifice being my good friends and a good time in Daytona...a sacrifice that He knows was a tough one for me to make because my motorcycle, my art, and my lifestyle are very deep seeded passions in my heart. Here I was perhaps being asked to make the DIVINE and even deeper seed and furthermore to be the fertile soil, because I have not been nurturing that blossom as I should have.

And then today, Sunday, I sat by the river early this morning. The river pulsing and streaming along --like the way I imagine the divine would pulse and stream if I were not to damn it.

Dig this extraordinary reading that came to me exactly after coming back from the river this morning. This was totally a sign. I just randomly pulled a book off my shelf that I hadn't finished reading in ages: "There is a river of creativity running through all things, all relationships, all beings, all corners and centers of this universe. We are here to join it, to get wet, to jump in, to ride these rapids, wild and sacred as they be." -- from the book Creativity by Matthew Fox. And this too from his book as he also quotes Meister Eckart: "'The Spirit flows just as completely into the soul as the soul empties itself in humility and expands itself to receive him.' The Spirit flows and flows, fills and fills, and 'cannot keep from flowing into every space where it finds space and flows just as extensively as the space if finds there.' What is required to respond to this flowing river of the Spirit of Creativity in addition to emptying ourselves to be ready? A focusing is required---and a uniting of all our powers."

Now, folks, after being stunned by such a sign...I decided, you know what? I am going to take George up on his offer and go to church this morning. I'm just way too curious now. So I got all dressed up and decided to leave Tigerlily home so I wouldn't draw attention to myself roarring up the driveway rattling the church windows because surely I was going to be late getting there. I was indeed tardy by twenty minutes, quite alot in the world of sermon, but just in time for the bishop to speak. You see, it was his annual visit to St. Marks. He wore the big tall gold hat, too. I thought how cool it would be to wear one of those down Main Street, Daytona on the bike.

Anyway, as God would have it for me, it was also the day of Baptismal for new church members so the whole church recites the Baptismal Covenant. And here, another sign, was I reciting and reconfirming my commitment to the Saviour, to the Father/Mother, to all things divine and awesome. All things that are powerful and true about myself as I am connected to the ONE SOURCE...to the LAW OF ATTRACTION. I want to be completely honest with myself you know what I mean? I want to attract exactly what I need to attract in order to be the highest form of my earth/spirit form and do the greatest works according to my gifts. I want to return to truth so that I can serve well, mankind and the environment. I want to expand upon the gifts and be blessed with ultimate wisdom and discernment so that I have clarity to fulfill my dreams and goals to serve my purpose... with that I delightfully walked to the alter and took the body, the bread of life, and the wine the fruit of the vine, blood of the new covenant, and bounced back to my seat. Okay, Lord, work me, restore me, shake me up, and build me up, then let's hit the road.

And then as I turned to leave the church after the sermon and after the gathering with the other parishioners having snacks in the recreation room, I saw this sign that read:

Are you ready to hear the truth about yourself, no matter how beautiful it is?

How the Shepard yanked me back.

As you know I was on my WAY to Daytona, but 50 miles south of Atlanta I turned around and came back to Nashville.

Amazing how the inner guide will surely guide you if you let it. I angst about my decision to go. Wanting to leave Monday, then Tuesday, but having so much to do and lots of things that needed my attention, finally, I departed at 3:15pm on Wednesday wanting to ride all night in the moonlight...I just love to do that. It's magical and sweet to roll through the evening.

Well, my bike shut down south of Atlanta around 9:30pm. After quickly glancing over the bike with the sheriffs, we just couldn't figure out why she lost power because it was quite dark to see. The sheriff felt it best to get a wrecker to pull me to the next truck stop to diagnose the ailment especially since I was on the left side of the three lane highway having just passed someone only to lose power and have to guide my bike to the shoulder. Otherwise I would have paddle-walked her to the next exit which wasn't too far away.

When the shut down occurred, my thought was, here we go! Road adventure...it's part of the journey. A new chapter opens during the journey southbound. I love an adventure and will always thank GOD that safely my bike experienced a mechanical problem and that I was not hurt.

During the years of riding I have had my share of mechanical challenges with Tigerlily ranging from a fuel line disconnecting, to a battery going bad in the middle of the night and I pop started her for as long as I could and then that was it, to coil(s) going bad, to broken ring in the primary causing lots of oil to dump out of the bike (note I'm not exactly sure how to explain that one, but you've got the picture). I always managed to limp along my journey or get it fixed somehow and continue on.

There was a generous amount of oil on the under carriage, so I thought it must have been an oil loss related problem, (which Tigerlily is always peeing oil!) but it wasn't. Believe it or not, it turned out to be simply a wire to the coil fell off, that Mike, the wrecker owner, discovered as together we went over the bike under a street lamp at the Love's Truck Stop. Great. I was back on the road and we laughed about it all. It was a pleasure to meet a new highway hero, Mike from Mike's Tires, who also was a die-hard rider. The adventure was on...and the bike was FINE. Praise God!

I called my friends, laughed about the silliness of the wire, and told them I'm on my way and that I was going to have a coffee and continue south. IT would be awesome, too. We had a great campsite at a friend's home all set up and my beloved friends would all be there. I was so excited. Also, the beach, how I missed it since moving to Nashville. I used to be such a beach girl.

Anyway, I sat in the truck stop phone lounge charging my phone. I gulped down the coffee and was ready to go. But then something wouldn't let me continue. My gut. WHAT! ? I'm nearly half way there...of course I'm going to continue, plus I TOLD my darling peeps I'd be there. No question. . .

And then again,

"NO. Do not go. Wait."

So, I thought, okay. Maybe I'm supposed to just wait a while so I did. Wait a while. Contemplating why the feeling of YAHOO! for Daytona was fading.

"Pray." Came the words from my heart.

Eerrie but okay, I thought. About what? So, I went about asking the Holy Spirit, the Universe, the sweet Divine, am I supposed to go on this trip?

Nothing. I waited. Nothing. And it seemed like the joy for the sunny destination bubbled up again, and so, THERE was my answer. Go.....

I got up to leave, my attention was diverted. Then this really spooky feeling came over me again. "Stop." And I felt almost frozen. Folks, this back and forth crap is now taking up alot of good riding time, you know what I mean? Now, I'm super frustrated. My word, I've got to honor! I told my friends I was going to be there. So I'm going. That's it. I had to challenge this spookiness.

And then plain as day, referring to an article that caught my eye as I rose to leave and get on the bike, that if I continued down the highway this will happen to you: death.

WHAT? Now, I'm weirding out big time, -- my mind is thinking this this strangeness or is it really the small still voice of the burning bush! ??? My bike is FINE. So, what does this all mean? I don't get spooked out here on the wide open. It's where I learn trust and where I meet the divine, as I always testify. But now this new "sign" has made me stop in my track. Then the sweet divine kept on at my gut instinct...to turn around. Go back home.

Folks, this is really getting frustrating now. I'm having an inner spar with my intuition. Nearly half way to my destination and I'm supposed to turn around and go home? Let's weight this out, I'm thinking:

1. My amazing "family" is awaiting me, I need them, I long for them, I adore them all and I want to have fun and see everyone.

2. Daytona is warm and sunny and I want to run around in the ocean.

3. I want to take care of my friend Jasmine because I promised her I'd do some work for her.

4. I got another amazing opportunity to help out Cyril. Which was a big bonus for me because I totally admire his work.

and I could go on and on. I even brought my tiara and I would put my plastic glitterati on my head upon arrival all road dirty and run to my friends and jump in their arms, as a celebration the queen of the highway has arrived safely.

okay, so if I go back to Nashville:

1. It's crappy weather

2. I'm alone there without my friends and "family" because they are all in Daytona

3. I want to take a break from Nashville because I'm really not liking it these days.

4. I miss New York City so desperately and dearly, that I need a break from feeling THAT home sickness.

5. I've been in a funk because the holidays are fast approaching and there will be no physical presence of Daddy Poppi at the festivities. And last year, we spent all of December in the Oncology unit with our beloved Poppi. So, this feeling was kicking my A**.

and I could go on.

But then a series of divine movement happened that night at the Love's Truck Stop while I was so terribly torn. The LORD began a dialogue with me while I sat on my bike and collected dew from the evening now sliding into the next day, Thursday. The "voice" if you will, was gentle, kind loving. It was the small stillness. Suddenly, referring to the sticker on my bike that is right on the tank, friends, "I live life my way" - I was asked:

"What is MY WAY?" Now, talk about getting the chills, the spooks. There were many details to this, and to spare you all the little details, that, should you not be much of a spiritual person, would make you think I may be a little crazy, I will tell you this:

I had to face some things. Deep things. This was no joke. I had to trust my intuition, my gut. And I'll tell you, I was also offered this opportunity from the divine:

"If you'd like to prove your gut wrong, go ahead." Because I have free will. We all do. What highway and MY WAY do we travel? Holy cow this was getting intense, and like a child fighting to continue playing on the playground, I was beginning to feel a confirmation. "It's not time. Head North."

With that, folks, I turned around from my bike to go back into the truck stop and stopped as I gazed at the dozen or some illuminated words that said: "LOVE'S" Suddenly, the word was no longer referring to the truck stop. Here I was perfectly parked so that these words would be from left to right blazing at me. No, I wasn't parked in front of the doors to the store, I was parked away from the main area, in a spot that was for one hour only and now I had been there THREE HOURS dealing with this spooky stuff, and parked in a position that perfectly lit up the "sky" with the word "LOVE's".

Right then I just had to speak with Betsy, my dear road sister, and explain all this to her. She, also very much in touch with the road angels and divine, thought that indeed, Jesus was speaking to me.

I need to tell you all, too, that I've had my spiritual challenges since moving to Nashville. There's been a great need to work on my soul which being so heavy hearted this year, was difficult for me.

You see, my entire spiritual community that I so adored, the folks at Central Baptist on the Upper West Side, a very modest church, that was much more a spiritual warrior gathering of artists and folk, than anything else, was no longer in my life having moved to Nashville. And having dealt with two enormous tragedies this year that has rocked my foundation, I have to confess that I hadn't tended to my daily spirit journals or readings like I used to, because I know there is so much work I must do, to align myself again with that tremendous spiritual place I had been in for so long.

In fact, I felt I was hiding from HIM/HER, the Father, the Mother, the Son, the Daughter (me).

This was a serious calling at the truck stop. A test. A trust that I needed to allow my intuition (the divine guidance) to call the shots here and now. Let me say that it was a really tough decision. But, I wasn't going to prove it wrong.

Yes, for several days leading up to my departure I felt that something wasn't right. But as my Jasmine girl will tell you, I had been shying away from things when I ought to be there. She will attest to the fact that I have been struggling pretty hard this year on many levels and had been wanting to hide from the world. In fact, this is one of the hardest years that I've had to face. Promising that I'd be there with the "family" was a good strong way for me to be there because it would just kill me to not honor my word. And I hemmed and hawed about it, believe me, but I knew in my heart that I was not going to disappoint my precious Jasmine sister.

But I couldn't discount what I was feeling that night. It was a really huge feeling. Overwhelming. And indeed, I tried to discount it as all in my mind weird but there were so many signs already. To my ego, too, the ever giant ego we all have that Eckart Tolle is so lovingly trying to quiet through his teachings: to not continue south would be defeat and not cool. And I would not get to wear my tiara and I would not get to boast of riding to Daytona as a die-hard biker chick. I would not get to dress up in a gown and attend a party. I would not get to show my work ethic to Cyril.

I felt I had an obligation to my word because I told my friend's I would be there and was bound and determined to go! However, the WORD I had an obligation to was more than just my own. There was alot more going on and spirit was challenging me. Challenging me in a way that was highly annoying.

Yes, the incredibly spooky feelings I was having as I attempted to travel south had nothing to do with my bike's performance, so I couldn't blame it on that. Instead of proving my intuition/gut wrong -- finally after sitting at the truck stop contemplating this foreboding feeling for nearly 3 hours around 3:30am I decided to turn my packed up bike around and go back to Nashville even though it was cold and raining up ahead and southbound were sunny skies. I teared up as I saw the signs directing south and north. Tigerlily and I headed north.

Maybe my daddy Poppi, God rest his soul, popped that wire so that I would have to stop and contemplate. I don't know. What I do know is that it's important to heed the signs of the road angels. So here I am back home in Nashville. My beautiful friends in Daytona, I'm sorry that I could not be there with you. I treasure you all with every bit of my soul.

Since coming home there has been a giant spiritual movement happening within and without. There are people of spirit coming into my life to guide me. I mean, folks like my neighbors, one who is a spiritual counselor, and the other is a senior exec at this awesome church. The conversations have been intense. Yesterday I just wrapped my being inside the Beatitudes... Emmet Fox's Sermon on the Mount...it felt good and warm. Like a spa bath. I felt like a child in my father's arms...safe as I read the words.

My mission is to blend the beautiful world of riding motorcycles, with the divine spirit. I had been drifting from my path...yes I had. So herein I take a chance and share with you this very personal experience of being yanked back by the Shepard.

. . .I had to honor another Word and heed the Call.

-S

Vibrational Harmony and the Vibration of a Motorcycle.

Riding a motorcycle is music to my soul, ears, eyes, heart, mind. The motorcycle is a source of powerful inspiration. Hopping on that two wheeled freedom machine is to align oneself with the greater good that is called divine.

The great DIVINE is a vibrational harmony. Everything vibrates with energy...everything is a song...a melody and one can hope that the the song is in harmony with the highest evolution of oneself - completely aligned to divine purpose and talent.

The vibration of a motorcycle is more than just a chuga-chugga, it is to live out loud. Yet, the core of the rider enters into a divine stillness -- a silence, a oneness with the wind. With divine vibration.

The rider will tingle with the sensation of adventure, of unpredictable moments strung together like notes on a music staff. Riding is like composing a symphony in tandem with the ever changing landscape one rides through that so affects the very CORE of one's nature. That we are all one.

So the vibration of the prairie: still, stark and vast -- opens up our soul to the same wide open truth: that we are exposed to the elements of life and it teaches us how to weather the storms without maybe physical shelter, but divine shelter. The desert: hot, dry, demanding and usually in control of those who enter her. You must honor the desert because she's not going to adjust anything for your comfort. You need to dig deep within yourself to find the tools to survive in her element. Discomfort as a means of perserverence and moving forward through extreme challenge. The urban jungle: Learning to get along with the driving personalities of others, staying focused on your own lane, lest someone or yourself will drift to the right or left and find yourself on the shoulder for awhile tending to a collision. This is the wild Interstellar John Coltrane rhythm, yes, where it seems like no one is on the same musical path or harmony, but indeed we are, we just need to learn to ride the rhythm at our own intensity.

The vibration of the engine as it rumbles through the canyons echoing off the stoic rocks that have been there as long as your soul has been created to remind you of your strength and your power of your force of your solid divinity. And then you vibrate with a bass tone with those rocks because those rocks are like the paternal representation of the divine; while the lovely scented forests of Yosemite reveal the perfume of Mother Earth....soft and everlasting...yet fragile and able to become ash and return to the divine without the physical.

Eventually, during a trip, we begin to hum, like OHM. And so we connect with the OHM of the engine....the tires rolling along the pavement OHM, the wind whipping through our helmets, OHM, the whoosh of life all around us breathing and expanding and contracting and leading us along. The vibration of all the senses in tune with the vibration of the divine....because the motorcycle allows us to travel through the stillness and be silent, and be still and know...that we
are one vibration on our freedom machines, with the freedom of the divine: the single purpose, to know thyself, to be gentle to thyself and to simply BE and allow the journey to unfold, moment by moment, note by note, movement by movement to be:

A symphony of vibrational unity: Divine, RIDER, Motorcycle.

with love and divine song,
Sasha
www.bikerlady.com
Author of the new book Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life by MBI Publishing.

Nashville Center Stage in Debate.

It's a blustry day after several perfect fall days with temps around 75 degrees. The winds of truth, I hope, are the winds breathing down the river that laces through Davidson County where Nashville is the front and center attention around the globe of the presidential debates.

All I can say, is everyone, take heart. Truly investigate which political candidate truly has your values at interest. This is a personal choice, but it needs to be a choice, too, for the nation. Don't select a candidate just because he's white, or because you think it's time a female get into the second-in-command office, or because you think it's time for a dark-skinned person. The point is, it's time for radical change and change that is going to be long term.

I have voted republican and I have voted democrat. I choose the candidate that seems best with all the info I have gathered. I am a registered democrat, and I want to vote democrat -- seeking all the information I possibly can and still gathering info.

There are folks I know who will not vote at all. That's their contribution. There is no lesser of the evils, they see evil on both sides of the political fence. They don't want to be responsible for choosing a candidate that sucks so bad and takes our country down even further. Misinformed? I don't know. I think FEAR for the first time in it's immense intensity has gripped the nation over choosing a candidate. FEAR of the wrong choice. FEAR of believing the wrong information. IN addition to political fear, there is overwhelming FEAR in America over basic loss of living necessities. Look around. The FEAR is permeating the energy airwaves.

How can we EASE FEAR over making the wrong selection? By being informed. Truly being informed. Becoming our OWN investigative journalists and seeking the truth. Keeping notes about what each candidate is promising and to understand really how the government works. How does it operate?

http://www.house.gov/house/Tying_it_all.shtml - House of Representatives.

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/common/briefing/Senate_legislative_process.htm - Senate

Also, you can read lots more at both sites about the roles of our VP and President. I offer up this information, because alot of people have no idea and it's important to learn about it. I'll remind myself by revisiting so that I can understand what's going on in the legislative process.

Best wishes on your investigative goals to learn about the candidates which are best aligned to your personal goals, and the wellbeing of our fine country and with that the unity of the world.

Check out: www.votesmart.org for additional information on all candidates.

xoS

Palin: Hometown Girl or Seductress???

http://beta.intent.com/blog/2008/10/06/is-she-a-hometown-girl-or-a-seductress

Very interesting blog from the shadow master: Debbie Ford.

Life Isn't Fair...

"Life isn't fair," moaned John McCain, when asked why Obama has been rising as the Wall Street crisis has dominated attention on FoxNews, according to the Boston Globe article today. How dare he say such a thing when I'm watching a blue collar working mother with little kids bouncing in the backseat of a beatup car that barely passed state inspection on emissions, as she pumps exactly two dollars of gas in her car.

"Life Isn't fair," I tell you, John McCain.

How dare McCain proclaim the statement in selfpity when the unemployment rate is soaring and people are losing their homes or can't even pay rent and are being kicked out of their homes now with horrible credit so that they cannot even secure a place! Living in the basement of a friend's home, or taking up residence in a spare bedroom at the in-laws with their three kids, and some families are in shelters.

"Life isn't fair..." Dude, how do you whine while indulging delicious eggs benedict, wiping your pouting face with fancy table linens, while the family down the street from me is trying to ration a friggin' box of Cheerios for their three kids. Or how about the single, struggling waitress trying to better herself taking classes at the local community college, while working 60 hour shifts in a restaurant, still unable to afford health care because so many business don't offer it anymore! What about the beautiful lady who lost her job from the company downsizing and now her health benefits because she can't afford COBRA anymore and is now diagnosed with ovarian cancer?

The American dream for many hardworking, goodhearted people is CRUSHED these days because of inept government and corporations screwing over the American citizen. Credit card companies are loan sharking borrowers to the death of their financial wellbeing. No regulations, eh? Most people have to live on credit cards these days. Do you really think a minimum wage of LESS than eight lousy bucks is enough to live on? So what is that, like two gallons of gas? You have to work an hour to afford two gallons of gas. So if you wanted to fill up your gas tank on minimum wage, you'd have to work at least an eight hour shift?

Energy costs are skyrocketing. What the heck is going to happen this year to families already painfully struggling to make ends meet. How will they heat their homes? "Life Isn't FAIR!"

I think it's time for the Stop Crushing the American Dream rally on Washington. It's time to rise up and have our voices be heard during election time before it's too late.

Oh, here's an interesting tidbit I'll share:

"Ya'll ready for a negro for president?" - yeah, that's what I was asked the other day by a McCain supporter whose leading reason to support McCain is because he's white. My blood boiled. Frightening to think that there are people here in the South who refuse to vote for a man because of his skin color.

"Life isn't fair..." read more:

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/10/mccain_life_isn.html

get ready for Sarah Palin. Read more about her qualifications here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/01/AR2008100103437.html?sid=ST2008100103651&s_pos=

Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life!

Hello!

The Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life! hit bookstores 9/24/08. My friends, I am so happy that this book is finally birthed and into the world.

Sort of Zen, sort of bad ass with class, and definately all girl power, this book was written to encourage folks to follow their dreams in Chrome Cowgirl style. Grab life by the handlebars and charge after your destiny, live the life you KNOW in your heart you're meant to live. Abandon what doesn't fit in the saddle bags of your journey, and, yes embrace your saddle bags....hahaha!

What does it mean to be a Chrome Cowgirl? Well, it's to be the pioneer and forge your own path. It's saddle up and be true to yourself. It's to weather the storm and be exposed to the elements of change. It's to prance to your own rodeo. It's to have fun and lots of it.

Take a look at the first chapter here: www.bikerlady.com/chromecowgirl.htm

XO

Sasha!!!!

Remembering our last dance.

Rest in Peace, dear man.

May you be sweetly cherished in the arms of Jesus, completely whole and restored.

"Not one will be lost."
A loving and artistic soul, Mark "Papa" Guardado, may your spirit soar embraced by the light.
I shall always treasure our friendship and our dances. I'm sorry this terrible tragedy stole your life on earth. You had so much life to live and to give and you certainly did give and live while on earth. May you continue to shine and give in great spirit and strength.
I love you always. 

Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything...

I just had to share this with you. This was the calendar comment for September 19th and of course it applies to everyday:

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank him for the answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand." - from a daily faith calendar This Too Shall Pass: Keeping Faith During Tough Times (by new seasons(tm) publishing.)

in other words:

Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version)
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Bean're

Bean’re and me.

Bean're is a dear friend of mine. He is brilliant and kind. A talented carpenter and contractor, Bean're is a master of several trades. This year, he also added bartending at the Broken Spoke Saloon to his long list of fabulous credentials. Bean're lives life to the fullest...I'm talkin' about high-octane, high spirited, high on life energy that is contagious. The other day, he came for a visit to my river homestead here in Nashville. Why we just laughed and he lifted my spirits way way heaven bound. Our conversations are filled with wonderful purpose. Enlightening and contemplative.

Bean're is the mayor of everywhere he goes. He is the host of the moment and loves to usher folks into a memorial experience, even if it's as small as grabbing a coffee at the deli. He would make sure you had a great life moment. Bean're is about the moment. I recommend that when you see that bright smile and crazy fun Charlie One Horse top hat you introduce yourself to the one and only Bean're. He doesn't know a stranger.

LIBERTY LET'S ROLL!

What a vision...pure freedom...pure Liberty. My ICON...the Statue of Liberty in a KICKSTART YOUR LIFE! stand. Tigerlily, the symbol of RIDE FREE, BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

Me, happy and enlightened surrounded by angelic energy whilst making merry, merrily rolling along South Dakota's spiritual vortex: The Black Hills and its prairie lands.

Here in the photo BELOW is the lovely Irene Deeley, artist of the Liberty Let's Roll statue! Please visit: http://libertyletsroll.com to learn more about this fantastic Goddess Artist.

Kidnapped by a rock band to Sturgis.

Kidnapped to Sturgis by the Jasmine Cain Band

As you all know, I always ride my motorcycle, Tigerlily, a chopped out 1999 Harley-Davidson Sportster, to Sturgis, South Dakota for my annual wild west cruise.

This year, whilst preparing for the journey from Nashville, up drove rocker Jasmine Cain and her guitar player Jeffro who sequestered Tigerlily, threw her into their gear trailer and then hijacked my ass into the Ford Explorer, and west ward ho we were bound.

It was a straight drive-through, all of us pumped up no sleep with huge amounts of Pilot Travel Center's undeniably and steamy intense energy coffee. We were no doubt wired. My kidnappers wanted to see just how much coffee I could drink because they were placing bets about how fast each one could make my heart race!

Because they stole me so unexpectedly, you will see me in my hippy moo-moo dress, without makeup and with my eyeglasses on....unshowered. Yes, I was kidnapped right before I was to get all bada$$ primped and therefore ready to mount my chrome steed and gallop west.

(Besides being kidnapped by a rock n roll band and forced to sit in the passenger seat of an SUV enroute to the world's largest motorcycle rally with my motorcycle locked away in a trailer PURE TORTURE!!!! OMG, these videos are a rare glimpse into the unkept, schlep at home look -- however, I did wear fabulous shoes.)

THE FACTS: The captors

Jasmine Cain Beeeech. A notorious head-banging rocker chick and NO patience aka Pixie with an Axe

Jeffro Bo Dean a guitar slashin fool aka SLASHER

The captured Sasha aka Chrome Cowgirl.

Miss Tigerlily, Sasha's beloved Harley-Davidson hidden in the captor's gear trailer.

So without delay, let me share with you below some random video secretly captured about our journey to Sturgis.

VIDEO 1 - about the kidnappers. see me delirious from too much coffee. I'm forced to speak about the good time I'm having... what do they want from me? !!!

VIDEO 2 more about the kidnappers. . .she's the diva kidnapper. oh, and they made me wear 7" stilletto heels so that I couldn't run fast.

VIDEO 3 trying to catch some wind! i can't take it anymore as we speed down interstate 90, past the Badlands, without my trusty motorcycle roaring between my legs! I try to escape but they pumped me with so much caffine and Jeffro keeps threatening cruel tickle sessions; just the anticipation of another tickle attack makes me convulse in laughter! Those who are feverishly tickelish know what I'm talking about!

VIDEO 4 the kidnappers owning the road by scaring drive-by folks. An example of "owning the road," by Jasmine Cain - beeeeatch.

VIDEO 5 skillful kiddie carousel riders at Wall Drug. Or maybe not. I try to make light of an insane situation....this is just how bad I need to ride...you see how I'll ride anything at this point so I hop on a kiddy ride with the two kidnappers. Jeffro had to get off of it tho, 'cause the ride wouldn't move bein he's such a strappin' lad.

VIDEO 6 the kidnappers testing my skill at water spout trials. I know I won this...but I had to let the kidnapping diva Jasmine win or else who knows what she'd do with sweet Tigerlily!

VIDEO 7 the kidnappers try their hands at some games. they ain't so lucky as they think! I withheld my lucky charms. Then, a little babe barters and diva kidnapper girl gets what she wants in the end while Jeffro Bo Dean tries to prove his might.

uploading....please return later on to check it out...

VIDEO 8 JC breaks a boy's charm just because she can, and then wraps him up in pink...hear the tale he has to tell to avoid being kidnapped and turned into a rock n roll stage slave.

uploading....please return later on to check it out...

VIDEO 9 Victory as the rock star kidnappers are tortured with shockingly out of tune instruments and left utterly confused. I flee whilst their ears melt. And away I go!

uploading...please return later on to check it out...

See below the ransom photo: FOLKS, I NEVER DID FIND OUT WHAT THE RANSOM WAS! Jeffro had a hard sharp object pointed in my lower back. I never did find out if that thang was loaded or not. He said to me while we took the photo, "Look happy, don't move, or else it'll be a double banger!"

Click the ransom photo to enlarge.

photo captions

1. the "look happy" photo by order of Jeffro . . .

2. i think about how to run, while the kidnappers decide what to do with me . . .

3. here I am making a MAD dash out the photo booth curtain . . .

4. then i'm yanked back and forced into a sing-along led by Jeffro Bo Dean crooning "I Am IRON MAN". . .

http://picasaweb.google.com/chromecowgirl/Sturgis08# - see a pictorial about STURGIS 2008!!!

Sturgis Rally Kicks it into High Gear!

The bikes are pouring into town. The sound is that of coming home to me. I'm here with my Sturgis family. There are probably about 40 of us. Maybe more. Folks keep showing up in the backyard that I haven't seen in awhile.

I don't see where the gas prices have affected anyone because there are huge RVs with trailers in tow sailing through town. Maybe everyone cut back all year on all the cool things they usually would do to afford to be "home" at Sturgis.

There are so many more girls on bikes. The Rat's Hole crew told me this year at one of their events more women got trophies then men. Wow. This is the year for women in motorcycles. We're finally being recognized as the fastest growing marketplace. The vendors have tons more product for girl riders. I remember when there was only a handful of fun things available for the girl rider. And that was only a short time ago.

It's exciting, that's for sure. The last few days I've been preparing for filming which begins Monday. Today I'm going to do a few hours of riding before it's time to launch the film project. There has been some extraordinary spiritual things that happened since last Tuesday when I arrived. More on that in another post. Right now, I need to get a coffee at the Sturgis coffee shop.

Peace, love and rock that throttle!
-S

Freespirit unleashed....

Yes, it's that time of the year to unleash my freespirit on the road to Sturgis. This year is going to be some real fun. I'm filming for TWO projects. More on this later.

It'll be great to see my "family" out there. The freespirit unleashed is able to make deep friendships with folks that share a common bond: an insatiable love for the open road and all things two or three wheeled. Yes, this deep bond makes for everlasting family-style friendships.

I will be blogging about my experience along the way, and making my own little Flip video film footage for your entertainment.

Tomorrow Jasmine Cain, Jeffro, and me are caravaning up to South Dakota. Jasmine hails from cattle ranch land up there. She and I are going to ride horses on her family property, too. I don't think I'll get much time for music fun because filming is going to be fairly demanding on my time, but no matter...it'll be great.

I'm going to bring along my CD with the latest single Ridelicious which is being mixed and mastered over the next two weeks. Finally! It will then be debuted to the world after the book is released which is now on August 18th, not the 15th. Maybe Jasmine will play Ridelicious as her call to stage song....wink!

The last month has been tough. I've been grieving my daddy Poppi so hard core...it's been really a deeply moving experience. I don't care how spiritual one is, how quiet and centered you can make your soul, when a parent who you adore departs in physical form and then you finally realize it, holy cow. Tsunami of emotions and tears. Poppi departed in April...and all this time I had been stoic, not wanting to experience that huge wave that lay waiting behind my eyeballs. A nice pastor said that as soon as I felt it was time, to let it go. My Godmother also encouraged me to feel everything, go through it and don't fear.

So it took all this time. I wasn't ready. Couldn't face it and wanted to deal with it by not dealing with it. And then finally, last week, BANG! In the middle of the book store, the freespirit was unleashed and I began sobbing my soul to the point of turning inside out. I fled the store came home and collapsed into a heap. This lasted a long long long time. Then I fueled the flames more by looking at photos, reading Poppi's writing, all those kinds of soulful things...dang! Then these feelings led to me missing my family on supersonic levels. I pine to go back home to New York to be with every family member, be with my everlasting NYC friends who always have a comforting word accompanied by good food and dessert. You see, to reach out to the family meant to deal with the deep-seated grief that lay waiting to be released. Too much!

Until now.

I feel more peaceful than before, indeed. But there's always another wave to wash over me hanging in the background. Especially whilst trying to plan some sort of wedding. No Poppi in physical form to walk me across the patio in my backyard. No Poppi to physically waltz me around the patio to some sort of daddy's girl country ballad. Yes, he'll be there in spirit.... sigh, okay. There's no date set as of this time. Maybe soon.

This ride to Sturgis will be good. Contemplative and fun. Wall Drug hilarity. Badlands intensity. Black Hills spirituality. The freespirit unleashed to BE.

Having finally faced the initial tsunami of grief that had slowly risen over the last few months was a measure of letting go so Poppi's freespirit can equally be unleashed.

Don't ask why. Just Ride.

Don't ask why. Just ride. You don't have to have a reason to ride. You just get on the bike and wander around. Sink deep into your saddle and chillax.

Riding doesn't require a reason. It's a passion. It's a yearning...a longing in the soul to be out there. To connect with the adventure. The moment that has no "have to do" attached to it.

You don't need a reason to ride. You do it because you just must. It's a craving that is pulsing in your blood stream. Beats your heart.

Movement is part of the life of a rider. To move through....to experience.

Sturgis is around the corner. Bear Butte is standing tall and proud sweeping and swirling the clouds. Riders will be arriving soon.

Feel the spirit of the ride. Don't ask why. Enjoy the mystery.

August 15th Book Release

Hello beautiful readers.

The launch date for my second book is August 15th. Chrome Cowgirl's Guide to the Motorcycle Life. It is not at all what you expect. This is not an instruction guide. It is not a how-to guide. It is an inspirational, quirky, fun, humorous look at the motorcycle life as it applies to living a wide open, full throttle, premium fuel life.

When I get the press release and new cover, I'll post it here. There will be an accompanying website for the book and the vision of the entire Chrome Cowgirl concept, which you will find highly entertaining, indeed! It will bring you lots of laughs and take you down the road of deep contemplation. Always good to trot that path.

Love and s'miles,
Sasha

Jasmine Cain Band featured in Easyriders Magazine!

According to the article in this month's Easyriders, Jasmine Cain is known as the Pixie with an Axe. I agree. She plays killer bass and is a powerful singer and songwriter. Commanding the stage with sweet ferocity, she's been playing the major motorcycle rallies for years performing for several tens of thousands of people at any one rally and is finally getting tremendous recognition! I met her years ago and seeing her evolve into a superstar level artist is so exciting.

She has dearly earned this, putting her heart and soul into everything she does for her music. The road has been extremely long and filled with challenges that would make even the most accomplished musician want to hang it all up. Not Jasmine. She toughs it out because music is the oil that runs in her veins and she loves performing for any type of gear head audience, especially for the bikers.

Performing her stunning originals in a manner of stadium quality-showstopping entertainment, she's a walking library of great rock cover songs including country. High energy! She can play for four hours straight with only a quick 15 minute pee break, and this is NO easy task. Her stamina definitely comes from being a rancher's daughter and keeping up with the demands of tending to the farm, so, yes, she is areal cowgirl from the Wild West. She rides horses and dirt bikes.

You can't take your eyes off of this marvelous and eccentric-looking band. Jasmine Cain is an artist who has truly honed her craft on the road playing every style, with all kinds of bands, until she formed her own group. Jasmine Cain Band has also opened for a few national headliners. Her music is along the lines of Nickleback meets Evanescence.... if I was working in the record business again, I would sign her on the spot. She's one of the hardest working artists I've ever met and a TOUGH business woman too. A record label's DREAM artist.

Her second release is "Locks & Keys" which she co-everything'd and with pockets turned inside-out - foot the bill. A powerhouse collection of ballads and high octane rock, the album draws you in and you just can't let go of the listening experience, because her captivating style won't let you! Her first release "The Inside"received amazing reviews and she sold plenty at her shows and online.

Though Jasmine lives in Nashville, she's a native South Dakota girl born in Sturgis! When she's home here in Tennessee, you just might see her rollerskating down the honky tonkin streets of Lower Broadway, carrying her Warwick bass, her long purple, blonde and black locks blowing in the breeze. Yeah, she'll perform in rollerskates, too, when the mood strikes. Jasmine laughs all the time and loves to make an entrance. We have a super time together because we both love music and we're silly about everything having to do with the motorcycle lifestyle.

Oh, and another thing, here's a girl who, on her own, last minute booked The Whiskey and The Viper Room in L.A. all in one night and so impressed the booking folks that they told her she can come back anytime! That's a rockin' feat! She revs up the wildchild freespirit in everyone so life feels like a good time and an easyride! Biker chicks ROCK!

Go get the June Easyrider magazine and read the fabulous article about her. Oh, and it's the 420 issue, that is, the 420th issue. A must!We roarrred over that! However neither one of us partakes in the herbalessence. You can also read the article in the PG version V-Twin magazine. Yes, the article is written in such poetic language and in ol skool rockin' roll voice that it would make a great cover piece in Rolling Stone mag, too! Beautiful feature. It'll take you higher.

www.myspace.com/jasminecain - listen and watch some videos. Don't expect inflated myspace numbers. She doesn't "mine" for myspace fans. She doesn't hard sell anybody, she only wins everybody's attention. Haha! And she loves to make friends so stop by her myspace or at a concert and reach out.

Wide Open 'Til You See God Then Break.

I found a helmet sticker that reads: Wide Open 'Til You See God Then Break.

It applies to life in so many ways.

I like to live my life wide open which I do here on this blog. It's gotten me into trouble over the last few months. People don't like to hear the truth. They expect you to be quiet and say nothing. If you speak up, it's uncomfortable for others to take. So, they tune you out. They don't listen. And you feel unheard.

So you decide to contemplate aloud some things. Which is why writers are an unusual breed. We write what we feel, what we think. Some people love it; some do not like it at all.

Truth is knowing. That's all it is. Expressing oneself is about being bold. When you see something in writing it's vivid, alive, intense....undeniable. It can be read and re-read; it can be misinterpreted like anything can because we all live with colored filters over our eyes, our minds, our hearts. We live through the lense of judgement. We live through the lense of ego.

I do, so do you. I work to not live that way, to examine the way in which I live and breathe. But one thing for sure is. I like to speak up. If I hit a nerve, good or bad -- that's an opportunity for growth in you

and in me.

When will I break here on earth, while living wide open? I'll get my break when I die or when I need to take another direction in life.

Riding a motorcycle is about living wide open. I got nothing to hide. I wear my heart on my sleeve. And YOU?

Sure there are some things that are utterly personal, you don't share. They belong between YOU and GOD; and then there are things that belong outward....to be shared as lessons, longing, and contemplation.

Think about all those put to death for speaking, for thinking, for contemplating. Especially those that speak about injustices, or heartache, all those who communicate aloud for all the world to know....

Many have been silenced.

But the written word....is testimony. Oh you can burn the written word so it'll never exist again. But it did exist. Just like the words spoken.

We say things we didn't mean, or we say things in a manner which was communicated through a pain-body like the way Eckart Tolle will describes; we communicate things through a pivotal emotional point or while in a life transformation. We are a people. Human beings....being in life.

Compassion has gone out the window in many situations which leads to such disharmony. Compassion...to love, to be concerned, to understand, to take the time to go deeper. Are you too deep for shallow waters?

Shallow waters. This was a sermon I heard at Mt. Zion church in Nashville. My Poppi was way too deep for shallow waters. He was a man of little words. When he spoke, however, it was important and moving. Thought provoking. Oh we didn't see eye to eye on everything, no, of course not. But his words moved me. Poppi wasn't a bold speaker, he didn't have to be opinionated. He didn't much care what other people thought anyway, therefore, he didn't care to have the last word. To be right.

Deep waters is searching. Some of us, though, like to contemplate aloud. Like to share thoughts and be bold and vulnerable -- living wide open, 'till God says SHUT UP. Then you brake, and consider things.

But, maybe when it's time to BREAK...it means to take a break. Be quiet. Go into the shell of healing. Go into the shell of letting go. Go into the peace of mind zone. Go into the place where you abandon all you know and you say, go ahead God, do what you will with this wild child....this one who lives wide open, wondering and contemplating, and all for it gets into trouble for speaking aloud.

I enjoy sharing with you in my blog, but my friends, I've had some rough situations occur because of me being so forward herein. I want you to know. There are people that do not like when I speak aloud about things of injustice; about life experiences that are hurtful and thus I expose the healing journey of Sasha.

I can only say that, I'm living my life, and these are my experiences with my life. That's what Down the Road a Peace is about. Going down my road....albiet with PEACE in mind and heart; but things are not always PEACEFUL. Sometimes, it feels like PIECEFILLED. Or PIECEMEAL. And rather have it be PEACEMEAL.

I'm wondering aloud about my life and experiences here for all the world to read because I seek answers, I seek your stories and experiences to be shared with me.

Because I want to share with you. There's tremendous love out there. We're all connected. We're all one. I care about you so very much.

Sometimes, I've spoken up about things to particular people of subject, and have not been heard. So, I speak from the rooftop and then I'm heard.

Whispering does no good sometimes. There's no secrets, really. At the same time something is hidden it's revealed too. It exists because it happened.

I can't apologize for my blog. It is what it is. Just me speaking. Just my thoughts, and you don't have to care. If anything I've written offends you, or reveals something that you've been involved with that wasn't particularily agreeable with me, or you have an entirely different opinion of it, well, I can have my opinion of it, too. After all, it is my opinion and you can just tune me out.

So, why do I have to post certain things in my blog?

Because I want to. Sure there are issues that are confidential and I find it a wonderful beauty that folks have taken me into confidence to discuss their lives. It's an honor to keep those words and thoughts between you, me and GOD. Because that is where it belongs. It doesn't get posted here and never will. But there are some things that are my own personal experiences with living my life that I post here that directly affect my wellbeing. And I contemplate aloud about it...because I want to and maybe because I need to...

Yes, there are the things that I want to contemplate outloud. Wonder about. Those things I've touched upon here, well, right now many of those things have to do with losing my father to Leukemia. This tragedy has totally altered my life right now. It's only been four weeks. In those four weeks I can count on my one hand how many times I bawled about it. I should have used up all my fingers and toes about a dozen times over counting. I should have lost count by now. But, the enormity of this reality is so overwhelming, so frightening to me, that I cannot go there. I cannot think him too much. I can't look at his photos too much. I'll collapse in grief and be a total hermit for months. I know this about me. So, I am aggresively fighting the grieving process. Without my Poppi, my colorful crayon world feels like it has melted into a puddle of hard wax, and I'm left with charcol to draw my world. This is my spiritual journey at maximum overdrive. I need to go for grief counseling now. In fact, I should make that call today.

With regards to the artists of the world. Well, the victim thing happens all the time to artists and this is something I feel strongly about, so I therefore write about it from time to time. I want to help other artists feel strong and powerful. I've been through all the phases of being an artist. It hasn't been pretty. And at other times it's been the greatest high ever.

Most artists have tragic stories to tell because their passions run deep; their passions to create incredible works of art is how they breathe. We live so painfully wide open in life because we are creators of works of arts that move YOU. Your soul is inspired and understood through art. So, us artists have to have thick skin to heal from the bruises of being kicked as puppies by big corporate dogs who lord over our art taking enormous percentages of our income, for the bittersweet opportunity of getting our art heard and respected. We put up with so much that most people know nothing about. And we don't want you to know most times because we want you to enjoy our art work and not get tangled in the bully web that we had to endure to get our work out to the world.

Talk about warrior souls, sit with an artist from any discipline of art and listen to their stories. Especially the stories of the artist with no family support whatsoever who have had to painfully carve an existence out of nothing at such young ages and under insanely challenging emotional circumstances. And that my friend, is the subject of some of the most moving pieces of art in all disciplines the world over... The artist can find the beauty in the pain.

At the same time, I've written about very enlightening topics, very inspiring and moving words I have shared with you here. How in the world do I know these things and can communicate them in a way that receives extraordinary response to a particular blog? It's the higher self. These words come from a higher power and so I share them....like in a writing trance. At the same time, I'm moved to share the human experiences and how I might be struggling with dealing with something as a human, from the spiritual perspective, because I'm not entirely aligned with the super higher self -- so therefore, I'm at a loss, say, and lack wisdom, so I wonder aloud to receive the pretty grace of being filled up by receiving the insight from YOU who may be an angel in disguise. Oh, the fragility of the human experience can surely, no doubt, shadow the lovely divine presence at times.

The last two months, I have been extremely fragile.

And that is how we learn. That is how we love, by moving through things. I move through things on this blog. I expose my vulnerability as merely a little spirit having this human experience.

Sometimes I get it right; sometimes I don't in the eyes of the world and their limited perspectives.

My motive is certainly not to offend anyone...but simply to share my human feelings, my thoughts...and any divine movement in my life. And pray, that I can also share a perfect balance of body, mind and soul in total perfect alignment with all things divine.

But, you know what?

Like YOU. . .

I sometimes just don't get it right, according to being more spiritual, more intellectual, mo' better than the lower registers of existence.

And so, like YOU. . .

I try again.

And again.

So, my moment right now, because, of course, the goal is to totally live in the moment and not in the past or in the future....but in the perfection of just being in the moment -- therefore, my moment right now is to tell you all that: I hear you. And I want to hear from you. I want to know you about you. I care about your voice and your thoughts and how you live. You're awesome. Every single one of you. We are all ONE. And you are Precious. See me as Precious and a child of GOD who wonders, too.

You can be wide open with me. Maybe you will see God. And take a break in life, thereby changing direction or rejuvenating and moving forward again.

I see God in you, and therefore I break so that I can be perfectly still with YOU.

With love and sympathy, in symphony with all that is living.

Unexpected Blessings

Unexpected blessings happen.

They appear. Most unexpectedly.

They can appear when your heart is so broken, into bits. You feel lost. You're empty.

And then, like a rose appearing in the desert...there is a bloom. A blessing.

You look around like, Holy cow, how did this get here? You may get suspicious. Impossible, you think.

But it is possible. Unexpected blessings are highly probably, too.

Lord, bless me with the blessings you have in store for me and remove from me the nonblessings that'll curb me from living maximum overdrive for YOUR WILL. All things are abundant in YOU.

There are unexpected blessings coming because that's our divine birthright and let's pray for the reduction of ego and the gift of awareness to welcome the opportunities.

Good news: My book cover is changing - thanks to GOD working through my mighty editor and my kevetching - and the cover will now be far better than I could have imagined, too....

xoS

Brenda Fox...

Hey check out this foxy windsister: http://www.womenmotorcyclist.com/



She's an icon in the industry and she's had some health challenges, folks. She's a true example of an EPIC biker chick she is rising above the challenges, though, needs love from the 'hood.



Please show her some love and support because she's given LOADS of love and support to the industry and culture at large. Her medical bills are mounting and of course the way this country treats those with intense medical needs, finances are extremely stressed for her. http://www.brendafox.net/



Send her love letters at her website and if you can a donation maybe.



Send her mail letters, donations are graciously accepted as well at: http://www.cyrilhuzeblog.com/2008/04/28/please-help-brenda-fox/ - read about it there.



We are a big family filled with big heart and love for one another! Check this cool chick out and ALL that she's done for the industry and culture.


Love to all!

Sasha

Biker Chicks Kick A$$ xo

I'm encouraged. Yes, I was reminded that biker chicks are strong and we kick butt. We ride the sky of strength. We are stardust. We are golden.

So, wait 'til you hear my new song Ridelicious. Last night I stayed up 'til wee early am hours mixing and doing percussion work and loops. My goal is to make a 7 minute club version of the tune next. There will be two versions.

The brotherhood and sisterhood is pumping me with loving energy. I'm aglow with ONE love from all of you. I hope I do the same for you....I know that is my purpose in life, to inspire, to encourage, to be.

We biker chicks kick a$$. Let us rise above and lift our wings and ride, as the chicks from Detroit say.

Thank you, my loving motorcycle family - for your words of encouragement and for your loving light. You have uplifted this sister's heart and made merry with my soul.

Peace, Love, and ROAMance,
Sasha

Making Peace....a lesson in crocheting love.

Now, I am making peace with this odd moment in my life. This bazaar month of April.

Making way for some deep soul work and healing now while I grieve my daddy.

I have written a long, personal journal about this month of April. It is now a short story that I will publish maybe next year.

Last night I had a deep conversation with my beautiful Godmother, Yeshoda, who owns a spiritual growth school in Florida. It was a breakthrough. You see, she and I really do not know one another that well. But we do on a soulful level as it turns out.

Last night, I just freakin' sobbed my eyes out over the enormous emotions I was feeling at the loss of my daddy; I had to forgive myself for being so blind with desire, at the stupid loss of income and money and time spent trying to do something awesome for my beloved motorcycle life through a contest that just wasn't worth it; I just have to be and feel all the emotions that are all tangled up right now instead of being stoic and holding back.

Yes, so last night I screamed on the river bank here in Nashville into my hands I let flow all the loss, the craving for my daddi Poppi, the anger I feel at myself, all of it...but there is more...there is more to this grieving process than I could ever imagine.

Grieving is the art of everything you feel in your little painbody rushing at you at once, all tangled up in the spirit of the loved one who is watching from the otherside encouraging you to be a better person, sit tall in the saddle of your life, abandon all the things that tear you from your center, your truth. They become your guardians to encourage you to evolve, bust through the membrane of fear, falsehood, and away from those dark characters and situations that do nothing but tear you down and keep you from your evolution and betterment.

I'm on a mission now. Today, I'm working on my book edits which are just so overwhelming, but I'm approaching it slowly and purposefully, like an artist may correct a canvas. This book is so important to me even though it may be just a git-er-done product to the publisher. It's my works, a legacy that I leave behind for all the world to enjoy...through which to be inspired.

Today, I'm working on my music...because it's the place where I can be wild and free like on my motorcycle...jam out and be a rock star and dream.

Today, I'm back on my cleanse program, cleansing all the toxins out of my body and fasting. Releasing the toxins from bitter foods and bitter experience -- freeing my body to experience deep JOY once again through good vibrations.

Yes, my friends, I take you with me on the healing journey -- but you be on your journey too. I will be your example that you too can barrel through the adversity to evolve as a higher spirit and wilder human.

Love,
Sasha

All in Good Time.

I think "All in Good Time" is going to be the name of my next song. This is what was blessed upon my heart this morning. What does it mean?


Let's take the word ALL - it suggests the sum or total, entirety


IN - inside of something, within


GOOD - positive, right, uplifting


TIME - the moment where preparation meets opportunity.


Our moments if we stick to our goals, to our purpose are fulfilled no matter where we are in our journey. As long as we are on OUR roads. The roads we own. OUR own paths.


These past few weeks I feel ripped from my center. Totally shaken up. Losing my Father is something I just can't seem to grasp no matter how much spiritual perspective I wash over this reality. It's my daddy and he's no longer on Earth. It's my daddy and he won't be walking me down the aisle for my hitch day. I know, I know, he'll be there in spirit. But, it's not the same as seeing my smiling Daddy Poppi standing there with his white hair all slicked back and beard and mustache meticulously groomed proudly in arm with his wildest child in the white, stripper-look meets flower-child, bridal gown, with all the family and friends surrounding me.


This I cannot seem to process. I cannot have a first dance with my Poppi, to the song that I would write for the occassion. God, my heart. It's just breaking and I need to be very strong and whole. It's like there's this gigantic ocean of emotions hanging out just behind my eyeballs and if I think too long about it, or look at photos of Poppi, I'll burst. So, for now, I cannot do either. It's overwhelming indeed. It looks like, I'm not grieving very well. Your probably right. My neighbor, Iva, printed out some how-to information because I was beginning to feel like a crack addict with no crack -- nervous, jumpy, combing my hand over my head, feeling my face, pacing, mood swingin' - a mess. Because I'm holding back this wave. I can't bear it, therefore I can't write too much about my Pa. "Pa" was the name I called him for a spell when I was little, because that's what Laura Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie called her daddy. I even made this ridiculous bonnet for myself on my mother's sewing machine and would follow my "Pa" around and do "chores."

Anyway, my beautiful friends and family, I'll take you all along for the planning of this biker/musician wedding affair that will be like a Renaissance festival meets Billy Idol white wedding. I don't know when I shall start the planning. I'd like the wedding for September. It will be in the backyard here at the Lassiter ROCKS homestead. Yes, All in Good Time.

[stuff about my book challenges removed. it all worked out excellent. the publisher is honey to my soul - he understands respect for the artist.]

Another event I must overcome is the super oddity of this creepy Miss Sturgis contest that I put so much time and effort into. It proved to be just another commerical act in our precious motorcycle lifestyle that chips away at authenticity. This time it was a slap in the face to female riders and rally go-ers, especially me who invested time and knowledge to benefit the contest committee, encouraging them with new ideas, answering their questions, helping to establish a platform to make their contest an authentic avenue for the motorcycle industry sponsors seeking outlets through which to promote their product to the vast Sturgis audience. The contest would be a viable contender in the business, and it would be a marvelous example of truth in beauty = beauty in motion: the female motorcycle enthusiast and rider who is a Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendee.


Amazing that the female motorcycle rider population is the FASTEST growing market in the industry and we are totally underserviced in the advertising arena. I mean, WE ride, we attend rallies, WE purchase motorcycles, parts, accessories. More and more women are customizing, learning to build, pick up a welding torch, it's a burgeoning and exciting market! We LOVE riding as much as our windbrother!


The female motorcycle rider has very little opportunity in the mass advertising, mass visual, to promote the sisterhood, afterall it's only recently that we began getting cool riding attire specifically suited for female riders, made by women who know what to design. It's only recent that these garments are being so heavily promoted, and thus purchased by the female ridership at large. How strange. Women have been riding since motorcycle were invented, and still, it we are considered newcomers to the lifestyle in the eyes of corporate giants. We are considered fringe minorities, which is so ridiculous. We are ignored and not considered sexy enough, sassy enough, hot enough; so the corporate giants recruit booty call girls to pose or random celebrities and teach 'em to ride in order to represent the femme fatale prowess roarrring. There is NOTHING more sexier than a real female motorcycle rider blasting along the road or the race track on her own motorcycle, truly living and breathing the lifestyle as an extension of her femininity. Rock that! Steady as she rolls! You can't manufacture HER truth, HER reality in a POSER who doesn't CARE except for HOW the IMAGE will promote her personal endeavors that have nothing to do with enjoying the ride and being a member of the 'hood!


However, it's time, high time, that the female motorcycle rider be able to receive opportunities that are usually reserved for the booty call girls who adopt the image of the rider but have no affinity to the sisterhood. It's time for sexy female motorcycle riders, who truly walk the walk and talk the talk to have a chance at opportunity and avenues to promote their works of art, their businesses, their presentations through speaking engagements -- at major motorcycle rallies and events.


It'd be interesting if the situation were changed. Sexy, Chippendale dudes as the voice of the motorcycle world, posing on the bikes, but they really didn't ride and had never been to rally. Sort of like a fake Marlboro Man, a fake sexy cowboy who pretends to ride and rope...but all he can do is sit in the saddle, clutch the rope, and hope to GOD the horse doesn't decide to run free.


Yeah, these poser dudes would get all the opportunity that the real Chrome Cowboys should be receiving. Advertising, speaking engagements, appearances, the fabulous opportunity to share their passion for riding and the rallies with the huge, loyal ridership - it would all go to the poser boy; and the real builder, the real rally-riding cowboy, the real enthusiast of the lifestyle who sees riding as an extension of his soul would have to sift through this mockery, see through the poser on the product, to relate to the marketing message.


The real Chrome Cowboy would once again be deprived of an opportunity to share his deep affection for riding and all things motorcycles, with the windbrotherhood and windsisterhood, because the poser would assume that role which would be of great benefit to ONLY the poser because that poser has no relationship whatsoever with the reality of the lifestyle or business and can only pretend what they know, and use the opportunity to drape themselves upon a cool bike to show affinity "look at me!" --- and/or take a crash course in the culture like an outside journalist does a quick study in order to try to speak intellegently about a group of wild chrome cowboys and cowgirls. And all they would do is speak in buzz words and canned terms like talking heads, but they would be talking bodies...aliens once again invading the precious culture.


The rally attendance numbers are down, Harley-Davidson is laying off 700 employees because of their sales losses, and you know what will happen? What happened years ago, and in cycles, the real rider, the loyal windbrother and windsister, will yet again rescue the market at large, because we are dedicated, loyal and deeply passionate about motorcycles and the lifestyle--- it is in our blood, our hearts, our minds and souls...every freakin' second of our lives. It's not just a trend to us; it's not just a phase we go through. We live and breathe the lifestyle. When will the big boys in the corporate world get it? Because of the authentic and genuine members of this culture, including the notorious clubs, all of us, --- we have something the masses want....a walk on the wild side of being true to oneself, and riding your own road, born to be....free to be...a celebration of the core individual, and the truth of human relationship through "family extenstion" through the windbrotherhood and windsisterhood. And it would all go back to, if I have to explain you wouldn't understand. And those that DON'T understand, and COP the image to be cool, will fall away just like a lie is swallowed up by the truth, which is always looming in the shadow of the lie -- to give LIGHT to the real deal.


And these opportunities are ALL IN GOOD TIME. GOOD TIME. Folks, I believe that NOW is the time for the female motorcycle rider to shine, and silouette the great sunrise as she rides into the vast horizon of opportunity that belongs to you, me, and the sisterhood at large. I believe NOW is the time where the windbrotherhood and windsisterhood will save the rally and bring truth therefore kicking out all lies, exposing rip-offs, crushing greed, tossing away everything false -- to the CURB, and then with all this trash off of our roadways, we can smoothly ride as easy rider wanderlusts along the ribbon of truth again and have fun.

All In Good Time, my friends and family.

with love and opportunity,

Sasha xo

photo by Bob Davis who is a publisher for Sturgis Rally News; a fellow Sturgis rally lover and resident who knows truth. Hey Bob, no matter what happened with this contest, you captured my joy for all things motorcycles and Sturgis in these photos and I'm eternally grateful. Too bad I wasn't photogenic enough to qualify for the title. www.sturgisbikeweek.com