Today’s digital collage is another powerful and unexpected creation. It is entitled “Shango’s Daughters: My Madelyn – CEO Woman Archetype and Sapphire – Warrior Woman Archetype.”

I am still marinating on the meaning of this collage. I will share its full meaning in the coming weeks.

For now, here’s what I know. I used Canva’s AI background generator to create a dramatic red and black background for the collage. I also included 2008 photos of my Madelyn – CEO Woman and Sapphire – Warrior Woman archetypes that were taken by photographer Leigh Mosely for my mindful creativity memoir, That Which Awakens Me.

My relationship with the Yoruba Orisha Shango really comes alive when my Madelyn – CEO Woman and Sapphire – Warrior Woman archetypes show up in my life.

Shango is the Yoruba Orisha of thunder, lightning, fire, justice, law, and order. He is a warrior associated with the double-headed battle-ax (called oshe), strength, leadership, protection, dancing, singing, bata drumming, number six, and the colors red and white.

Shango’s color red is prominent and double-headed ax are featured in the collage. Look for six red axes in the collage. They are located in the corners of the collage and on my skin as tattoos.

My Madelyn – CEO Woman archetype is dressed in a red power suit and Mardi Gras mask. Madelyn wears a mask to protect her peace. She manages the details of my daily life, finances, and all matters that require organization and coordination. She is a fierce LEADER who does what needs to be done to live a good life. She is dressed in a red power suit in the photo. She relies on my Sapphire – Warrior Woman archetype for protection.

My Sapphire – Warrior Woman archetype offers protection and will enforce and fight on behalf of my Madelyn – CEO Woman. They work together. Sapphire is a stylish, sensual, and sexy warrior dressed in a black strapless jumpsuit and red and yellow silk wrap with dragons. The dragons on the silk wrap that I purchased while I was visiting Beijing, China in 1995 pay tribute to my birth year of the fire dragon (1964). Sapphire is also wearing a black Mardi Gras mask to protect her identity from folks who may come against her.

In 2007 and 2008, I started working with Ken Yamaguchi-Clark, a dynamic, gifted, soulful, and intuitive healer and bodyworker (known as “Dharma Farma”). Ken’s bodywork helped me identify and connect with my eight archetypes. Our work also helped me cultivate a deep relationship with each archetype, including my Warrior Woman archetype who is named Sapphire.

In 2008, my photographer Leigh Mosley and I worked together on a photoshoot of my archetypes for my mindful creative memoir, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetical Memoir of Self-Discovery.

Today, my Warrior Woman Sapphire called on me to create two digital collages to honor her presence and power in my life. I used my painting entitled “One Drop of Black Blood #2” as the background for both collages. I added two copies of photos of my Warrior Woman Sapphire on each collage.

“Warrior Woman #1” and “Warrior Woman #2” are the titles of the collages.

The red and black colors in the collage represent my root chakra energy that focuses on security, protection, and grounding. The orange color represents my sacral chakra energy that focuses on healing, joy, sensuality, and creativity. The yellow color represents my solar plexus energy that focuses on inner power, self-determination, and persistence.

Warrior Woman #1

Warrior Woman #2

I believe each one of us is born CREATIVE. That means we each have a garden filled with seeds of #creativity that lives inside of us.

My garden of creative seeds has always lived in my spirit, heart, mind, and body.

My #curiosity lives in my eyes. They love to observe intensely. Check out my eyes in my childhood photos featured in the collage.

As a child, my mother Theresa watered and nurtured my creative seeds when she taught my three brothers and I about the power of our imagination, curiosity, and voice. Mommy constantly encouraged and reminded us to use our #imagination and be curious. Both my parents made sure we had time and access to resources and experiences that helped us express ourselves throughout our childhood. They and our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and family friends cheered us on.

Those early experiences laid the foundation for my adult life as a curious creative which began during my first Saturn Return (astrology lovers know what this means) at 27 in 1992.

Today’s digital collage honors the beginning of my life as a #curious #creative. It is entitled “A Curious Creative Is Born: Her First Four Years.”

The collage’s background is taken from one of my 2007 paintings I made to illustrate my love for the ocean and summer weekends spent at my parents’ beach house in Oyster Harbor, a small beach community that was incorporated by a majority of African American homeowners in Annapolis, Maryland during the 1950s.

I added photos of my first four years on the planet and several copies of my finger painting that I made when I was three years old.

During the weekend, I started working on a digital collage that illustrates how I feel about my current journey of being a woman who embraces, embodies, expresses, and enjoys Thriving Mindfully as she ages. Today, I named it “Gratitude for the Journey #1.”

I started the collage with a photo of my 2006 painting entitled “Jazz on U Street” that hangs in my living room. I added photos of me wearing white outfits to honor the sacredness of Creator, my loving + wise + well ancestors, Orishas, and myself.

I added several of my favorite Ghanaian Adinkra symbols in different colors. See the meaning of the symbols below.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the astrological New Year, Spring Equinox, and Aries season. Also, Mercury Upgrade (Retrograde) ended.

What a powerful time!

I am here for it all and feel my creative energy increasing!!!!

My ancestors are guiding me to use my digital collages to celebrate sisters in my womanline.

Today’s Ancestral Medicine digital collage is entitled “Roberts Sisters #1.” It celebrates the sisterhood between my grandaunt Paulyne Roberts (“Aunt Paul”) and her little sister, Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke, my grandmother (“Grandmommy”).

I started with a 1918 photo of Aunt Paul holding Grandmommy on the porch of their family home on Spruce Street in Terre Haute, Indiana. I added a few more photos from 1915, the 1920s, and the1950s.

I also used Canva’s filters to change the look of the photos.

Several colorful Abusua Pa Ghanaian Adinkra symbols were added to Aunt Paul and Grandmommy’s clothing.

Abusua Pa refers to family unity, kinship, and support.

I am using Women’s History Month (which is every month) to create digital collages with Canva tools that celebrate my womanline ancestors.

Since the month started, I have created five collages that honor the journey from girlhood to womanhood of my Daniel, Thomas, and Roberts womanline on my dad’s side.

I call their names and use this creative process to pour libations and give thanks for their ancestral love, power, presence, wisdom, and protection.

-All African, Indigenous, and European Womanline Ancestors I don’t know by name

-Great-Great-Great Grandmother Ann Daniel

-Great-Great-Grandmother Francis “Fannie” Daniel Thomas

-Great-Grandmother Eunice Ann Thomas Roberts

-Grandaunt Mabel Roberts

-Grandaunt Paulyne Roberts

-Grandmother Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke

Although I do not have any photos of my great-great-great-grandmother Ann Daniel and other womanline ancestors, their spirits are woven into each of the collages.

My paternal grandmother Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke was the daughter of a powerful, creative, and entreprenurial woman and community leader named Eunice Thomas Roberts, the daughter of Francis “Fannie” Daniel Thomas, a force of nature who came from the womb of Ann Daniel, a courageous woman of African descent who forged a life and created a family with her husband Hence Daniel, an Indigenous man, after being enslaved in Kentucky.

My grandmother Freddie was the youngest daughter of Eunice and Henry O. Roberts. Her older sisters, Mabel and Paulyne Roberts were much older than her and proudly took on the role of being big sisters to her.

I decided to create collages that honored their journey from girlhood to young womanhood. Although I do not have any photos of my great-great-great-grandmother Ann Daniel, her spirit is woven into each of the collages.

I added the Nyame Dua Ghanaian Adinkra symbol to the collage. Nyame Dua means “Tree of God” and reminds of the Divine’s presence and protection. The symbol is also used as a divine and ancestral altar. Each collage functions as an ancestral altar.

I invite you to listen to my spoken word song, “Ancestral Medicine” (click on the video) as you check them out below. “Ancestral Medicine is featured on my debut album, Thriving Mindfully As Theresa’s Daughter. Go here to get more information on how you can buy and download the album for $9.

Collage Order

#1: Great-Great-Grandmother Francis “Fannie” Daniel Thomas

#2: Great-Grandmother Eunice Ann Thomas Roberts

#3: Grandaunt Mabel Roberts

#4: Grandaunt Paulyne Roberts

#5: Grandmother Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke

I am still marinating on titles for each collage.

Today, I had a lot of fun creating a collage dedicated to my grandaunt Paulyne (“Aunt Paul”) Roberts’ journey from girlhood to young womanhood. Aunt Paul was a second grandmother and special shero to me.

I included photos of Aunt Paul’s childhood years, teens, twenties, and thirties in the collage and changed the colors with the filter option on Canva. One of the photos illustrates her role as a big sister to my grandmother Frederica Stanley Roberts Leeke. I duplicated copies of her mother Eunice Ann Thomas Roberts’ photo that was taken in the 1920s and added them as a border to show ow important she was in her life.

I added one Nyame Dua Ghanaian Adinkra symbol to the collage. Nyame Dua means “Tree of God” and reminds of the Divine’s presence and protection. The symbol is also used as a divine and ancestral altar. The collage functions as an ancestral altar.

The beauty and comfort of Ganavya’s music reminded me of this blessing of a day I have been given to love, live, learn, and leave a legacy in. As I listened to her music, I felt my heart open and give thanks for the privilege of aging and being able to experience another day. What joy I felt!

As I sat with this joy in the morning’s stillness, I received several divine downloads of wisdom on aging that I thought you might enjoy reading. Read the graphics below and let me know what you think in the comment section.

May we all awaken to, accept, and appreciate the privilege that comes with aging from moment to moment.

When we allow ourselves the space to receive this privilege with awareness, grace, and ease, we are Thriving Mindfully As We Age.

MORE ABOUT GANAVYA

In case you didn’t know, Ganavya is an Indian and American singer, songwriter, and musician. I recently discovered her music and found that it calms my nervous system and helps me return home to my inner spirit.

Her music also reminds me of the music of Alice Lucille Coltrane (also known as Swamini Turiyasangitananda), an African American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and Hindu spiritual leader.

Click the video below to listen to one of Ganavya’s concerts. Enjoy!