Today’s #Februllage prompt is MAGNET. My collage is entitled “Dream Magnets Connecting Me to Iemanja, Salvador da Bahia, and Grandma Gartin’s Love, Wisdom, and Protection.”
My dreams have always carried messages of divine wisdom. They often feel like magnets that connect me to grounding forces, experiences, and places.
The collage features blue magnets and photos of my great grandmother Ida Mae Farmer Gartin (Grandma Gartin), me sleeping, Iemanja sculpture on my forehead (located in Rio Vermelho neighborhood in Salvador), and the Casa de Iemanja and Praia do Rio Vermelho (Rio Vermelho Beach) in Salvador da Bahia.
This winter, I have had several dreams about Grandma Gartin, Iemanja/Yemanya (Candomble Oxisa/Yoruba Orisha of the sea and motherhood), and Casa de Iemanja (Yemanya’s House).
Although I never met Grandma Gartin, my mom Theresa told me stories about her. The messages she has been sharing with me in my dreams center around honoring my body as a sacred temple with healthy eating, movement, and living. I call her my wellness shero.
The Iemanja sculpture on my forehead lets me know I am Iemanja’s daughter (like all of my womanline ancestors). When she appears in my dreams, she reminds me to mother myself with great care by standing in my divine power and serving as a better steward of my creativity, gifts, and resources. She has also invited me to visit Casa de Iemanja, Rio Vermelho neighborhood, Salvador da Bahia, and Brazil regularly.
YOUR INVITATION
Click on the video below and listen to my song, “Ancestral Medicine” that is featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter as you reflect on the questions below.
1) Do your loving + wise + well ancestors visit you in your dreams and offer wisdom?
2) Think of a time when you followed your ancestors’ wisdom. How did it impact your life?
Ananda Leeke 