What communities welcome you and/or feed your soul?
Four years ago, I was seeking out local intergenerational creative communities and discovered Creative Mornings DC. After the first gathering, I knew I had found a welcoming tribe of like-minded folks and a source of inspiration. After attending a few gatherings, I felt the call to serve as a volunteer. Fast forward to now, I am still growing and cultivating my connections with folks organically by attending gatherings, volunteering, and meeting up one-on-one and in small group settings. Visit https://creativemornings.com/cities/DC to learn more.
Last year, I set an intention to spend more time in Baltimore getting to know the creative communities. Why you might ask? Because I’ve spent the past six years (since the global pandemic) visiting friends who live in the city and exploring various art, culture, and history venues. Baltimore has also become my second home again. The first time was way back in the 1980s when I attended Morgan State University (Class of 1986).
This year I decided to spend time with the Creative Mornings Baltimore community. Last Friday, I attended my first gathering at the Maryland Center for History and Culture with my soul sistalove Ayesha. As soon as we walked in and talked to the volunteers, I could feel the groovy vibes. The conversations I had with the diverse folks made me feel at home. The golden nuggets I received from the four speakers who shared their thoughts about the meaning of local were just the medicine I needed. All of it fed my soul in a deep and meaningful way. I’ll definitely be back next month! Visit https://creativemornings.com/cities/bal to learn more about the community.
FYI Creative Mornings is a global community that is free to join. It has chapters that meet in-person all over the world. It also offers online workshops and resources for creatives. Visit https://creativemornings.com for more information.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
In addition to creating my Ancestral Medicine digital collage collection, I am reflecting on and creating digital collages about the person I have been and currently am.
Yesterday, I found my high school senior class photo and thought about who I was at 17 years old.
I looked into my 17-year-old eyes and saw Madelyn Cheryl Leeke (my legal name; known as “Puf” to family and friends), an independent, talkative, focused high achiever, leader, and student at Elizabeth Seton High School (all-girls Catholic school), poet, future lawyer, public speaker, and a fun-loving, social, party and flirty girl who loves lipstick, Prince, dancing, shopping, dressing in vintage clothing mixed with jeans, going to basketball games, dating, speaking Spanish and French, traveling, dreaming of living well on 16th Street in DC, nature, basketball, catching the Metro, art, music, beaches, and all things cultural.
I see a sensitive, creative, and smart girl who put a lot of pressure on herself to succeed.
I see an intense, self-determined, and brave girl who had high expectations for herself and believed she had to achieve academic, career, and material success in order to survive and THRIVE.
What a young woman!
Over the years, I have had to forgive myself for some of the beliefs I had and choices I made that created unhealthy mindsets, behavior, and experiences.
I know my 17-year-old self did the best she could with what she had.
Let me also say, I am still in the process of forgiving and healing the person I was during each decade of my life. That work is ONGOING.
With that said, I can honestly say at 61 that I would not change a thing about my 17-year-old self because she got me to the place I am today. All of her beliefs and choices, the good and not so good, led me to experiences, people, lessons, wisdom, grace, forgiveness, patience, dreams, joy, pain, loss, healing, growth, and blessings that make me who I am today. And that person is a Woman Intentionally and Patiently Progressing (W.I.P.P.).
The title of this collage is “17.” I started it with a painting I made in 2006 or 2007 as the background. I loved the red and yellow colors because they remind me of my high school colors.
The color red also represents my root chakra energy and how focused I was on establishing career and financial security.
The yellow represents my solar plexus chakra energy and my intense focus on personal power, persistence, and self-determination.
Three Ghanaian Adinkra symbols were added to the collage.
Epa is the name of the Adinkra symbol that is repeated on my graduation gown. It symbolizes law and justice and illustrates my dream and career goal of becoming a lawyer who helps people and makes good money to afford my lifestyle and home on 16th Street in DC.
The Duafe (the comb) Adinkra symbol represents femininity and beauty and illustrates my desire to be, feel, and look feminine, stylish, and beautiful.
The Bese Asaka Adinkra symbol represent abundance and wealth and illustrates my goal to live well.
Ananda Leeke 