Meet Energy Masta | Author and Guide

We had the good fortune of connecting with Energy Masta and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Energy, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
My 2 1/2 year old autistic son, Shamar, died from an accidental drowning back in September. Back when the COVID pandemic began, I made the choice be a stay-at-home dad for my children, both of whom were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at an early age.

Staying home was probably the best thing I could’ve done, because that constant focus and attention to them allowed me to catch their symptoms early and immediately get the assistance and services they needed to have a fair shot at life.

Because I spent so much time with my son, I didn’t have nearly as many regrets when he passed, knowing I gave him my full love and time. When I think about kids who never even meet their fathers, or people who live 70 years without ever feeling that type of love, I recognize how impactful my presence may have been for him and how important it is for me to continue to be that for my daughter.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It took some time to recognize that the various forms my artistic expression have taken are simply an extension of my spiritual journey. My experiences in the music industry, visual arts, and the martial and healing arts pretty much come together in my writing, helping me to integrate these various parts of my life into something that helps me view it all holistically.

I’ve experienced a lot of the things people typically associate with success like money and having celebrity friends, but the true success–as cliche as it may sound–is having good health and a clear conscience. I’ve seen too many of my peers and heroes die before age 50 while pursuing goals at the cost of their vitality. One should never obsess over their mortality in fear of death; but as someone who has experienced the type of loss no human should ever have to experience, I can tell you that life is fragile and worthy of respect.

We can’t control the outcomes despite our best efforts to create the illusion that we have it all figured out, but we can choose to have joy and love as we walk the path. I would always hear the little things my celeb friends missed about regular life and think to myself, “Wow, I have all that stuff in abundance right now. Is is worth giving up?”

If I’m being honest, the only way to fully appreciate those little things is to go after the big things in a way that still preserves the integrity of your base values. That doesn’t mean being stubborn or attached to the past, but listening to that little voice that tells you when things don’t feel right, or if you know you won’t be able to sleep well at night after doing something merely to make money or to gain advantage over someone else.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The beach. I always recommend seeing the ocean whenever you have the opportunity. A lot of people live landlocked. Others live right near water but are so busy day-to-day that they never have time to go experience nature at its finest.

It’s generally good for the health to grab some of those negative ions from the crashing waves and kind of humbling to be reminded how easily all this stability we perceive on land could be washed away by a tidal wave or hurricane. I think it’s something like that wild college girlfriend or boyfriend you know you probably won’t be able to build a family life with, but you enjoy it while it lasts, living on the edge and feeling alive.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a shoutout to my wife, Courtney. She works hard to support our family while pursuing her own educational goals. Our journey has been, in many ways, a swap of what we’d consider traditional roles that we saw growing up. This hasn’t always made things easy, teaching us hard lessons about ego and compassion.

Because of this and the shared experience of losing our son, we have a unique set of experiences together that form a one-of-a-kind bond we won’t easily find anywhere else. This allows us to transmute our fears and traumas together with the help of family and community, turning those feelings into something that can provide hope, guidance, and strength to others.

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Image Credits
S. Windhom