Throughout my self-discovery journey, my creativity has helped me cultivate relationships with my “great eight” archetypes.

My archetypes have helped me love, understand, forgive, accept, heal, and support myself.

Creating today’s collage was powerful and unexpected. It’s called “The Daughter of Erzulie Freda and Iemanja’s Trinity: My Ancestor – Wise Woman, Ananda – Spirit Woman, and Kiamsha – Creative Woman Archetypes.”

What a title! Its powerful meanings are still being revealed to me. I’ll share more about them in the coming weeks.

For now, I’ll share what I know.

I started with a 2008 photo of myself sitting in the easy yoga pose (sukhasana) in Malcolm X/Meridian Hill Park in DC. It was taken for my yoga teaching business and mindful creative memoir, That Which Awakens Me: A Creative Woman’s Poetical Memoir of Self-Discovery by photographer Leigh Mosley.

I added several Ghanaian Adinkra Nyame Dua symbols in blue, pink, and black. Nyame Dua means “Tree of God” or “Altar of God.” It represents divine presence, protection, and spiritual guardianship.

Blue is associated with Iemanja (Yemanya), the Afro-Brazilian Candomble orixa (orisha) of the sea, motherhood, and healing. The Afro mermaids on my arms and hands and in the water represent Iemanja. I used a photo of an Iemanja sculpture that I took in Salvador da Bahia, Brasil in 2025.

Pink is associated with Erzulie Freda, the Haitian Vodun loa (spirit or deity) of love, beauty, and abundance. Several of her veves (sacred symbols) are included on my forehead and arms. I used copies of a veve drawing I created and included in my debut novel, Love’s Troubadours – Karma: Book One.

Black is associated with my root chakra energy that reminds me to stay grounded in my spirit, heart, mind, body, and life with Creator and my spiritual tribe of Orishas (Orixas), angels, spirit guides, master teachers, and loving + wise + well ancestors.

The concept of the trinity is illustrated in three Erzulie Freda veves and Iemanja sculptures that appear on my body and in the water. It is also featured in the photos of my three archetypes: Ancestor – Wise Woman (holding a mask sculpture and wearing Ghanaian Adinkra green and purple cloth purchased during my 2003 trip to Ghana); Ananda – Spirit Woman Archetype (seated with an altar and my “Love Mentalism: Be Love, Love Light, and Live As the Spirit of Life” painting); and Kiamsha – Creative Woman Archetype (holding my Oshun wire sculpture made in 2000 and seated in purple and pink cloth purchased during my 2003 trip to Ghana).