“As we heal ourselves, we truly heal everything within our lives” - Queen Afua

There are times when a woman comes along and finds herself in peace, with a sense of direction, and a love for just being. Then there are times when a woman taps into her spirit and makes a clear connection with her ancestors and her purpose; and there are times when a woman feels alone, confused, and sick, in dire need to find herself. Queen Afua has been on both ends of this process we call life & womanhood, and she has definitely tapped into her purpose through ancestral healing and the spirit of health! Queen Afua has touched the spirit and holistic lives of women and men all over the world. She has held the hands of many through breakthroughs of letting go, spirituality, holistics, and many of the obstacles that challenges us within life.

From her first publication of Heal Thyself, to The Heal Thyself Natural Living Center, to “Sacred Woman”, a book we feel should be apart of every womans path towards spirit-hood , to her latest release “The City of Wellness: Restoring Your Health Through the Seven Kitchens of Consciousness”; Queen Afua has set a sacred example of what it means to celebrate your purpose by touching the lives of others.

Her national fasting crusade – the “Liberation Through Purification: 21-Day Nutritional Fasting Program” -- has inspired people coast to coast. This healing curriculum serves as the inspiration for her vast clientèle that includes lyanla Vanzant, Erykah Badu, Stevie Wonder, John Amos, Vanessa Williams, Hazelle Goodman, Imhotep, and Common, just to name a few. Her Brooklyn based Heal Thyself Center is home to the Heal Thyself Natural Living Program, the Sacred Woman Initiation Program, and the popular new healing oasis -- the Sacred Woman “Womb Spa.

We had the honor to chat with Queen Afua, and here she shares some amazing jewels for each of us to carry with us about womanhood, life, spirit, and health. Enjoy!

ymib: What 3 things would you tell a woman to never take for granted and why?

Queen Afua: The first thing that I would say is her gift, and her gift is her vision and her purpose for being. Many women are doing and living a lifestyle that is not in alignment with their purpose and their gift, and so as a result of that, they find themselves being depressed. They find themselves getting tranquilized and trying to work out their problems in ways that are not productive. So, instead of looking for the gift from someone else, recognize that they you have it within yourself. My gift is that I do this work as a healer, so I seek all the time to cultivate that gift and live that gift. As time grows and you begin to cultivate your gift, it becomes your life work and that will give you so much joy. So don't take advantage of your gift, because it is through your gift that you express your joy and your creativity, and also how you bring your finances into your life; it should all come from your gift.

The next thing is your health. I am now 54 years old, so I can really reflect on the things that I really did not take care of when I was younger that you pay the price for when you get older. When you are younger you cannot really see it. You are just living, but then as the time goes on, it's like oh, wait a minute, what's going on with my teeth, or whats going on with my mid-section. As I got older, I could no longer eat the way that I had been. My metabolism functions a bit slower, so I have to adjust. So, If you can “wake up” early and move into a holistic lifestyle at a young age, then you can actually sculpture your health and as you get older you will get become even more vibrant. I am in a dance company now and I look at some younger women and see how there bodies have broken down, but since I have had years of taking care of my body, my knees don't hurt or where they have a hard time getting up and down, I find the same moves to be easy. So pay attention to your health as your wealth.

The third thing would be your relationships. Don't take for granted your relationships or be angry at relationships that don't work out. In all of the relationships that I have witnessed, is that they are lessons. Your in school...in life school, and when the training comes and it does not fit perfectly with what you think should make you happy, you then you may become defensive, and you then become angry. So I just look at all relationships as valuable. They all have come to teach us something about what we should do and what we should not do; and if you pay close attention, then you will get to the next grade and each relationship and each experience will get that much better.

“The womb is the Center of the Body The center where your creative energy comes from.” - Queen Afua

ymib: Within your career of being a Holistic healer, teacher & a sought after motivational speaker, has there been a major health problem that you continuously see within the community of African-American women who come to your workshops or classes?

Queen Afua: Yes, and I would say that it is our mental state. Your head represents your crown and all of your ideas come from there and according to how we think, that is what will be created in the world around us. Our mental state is what creates the choices we make in our relationships with men, within our careers and finances, and the way in which we eat. So we have to really watch our minds. We go up and down mentally, and that is depression. One minute we are happy and the next we are not. So we have to do everything we can to guard the way we think. Take the “Sacred Women” for example. They come through the training and they are so themselves when they are in the training. They are happy, they are joyous, they are taking good care of themselves, and it is a whole beautiful world. Most of the time the women can hold that state of thought, but sometimes the women think they they do not have to continue that same visual work of feeding their brain and visualizing things that are going to help and strengthen them, their associations, and their relationships; and as a result they go through mood swings. Then, they will allow themselves to dip down into a state of depression where they might overeat or develop some other harmful habits once the training is over. So for me, everything comes from the mind. Many diseases come from your state of thinking and your attitude. Your attitude will determine your lifestyle. Protect your mind with all your heart through your prayers, your meditations and your affirmations, and through your choice of healthy foods and healthy relationships.

ymib: What has been your most memorable moment or place in your years of being a healer, inspirationalist, author, teacher, and speaker & why?

Queen Afua: I have many, but I can mention two times. I have done so much traveling, and whether it be Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta, or L.A, I am filled with love and I am grateful that I have many many wonderful memories. The first memory however is when the book “Sacred Woman” first came out and Iyanla Vanzant had invited me to her Springfield, Maryland location. I remember how it was so well received. There were about 100 women. The fact that it was in her space, was so special. She is my sister from way back when I first brought out “Heal Thyself” and the product line. She opened up her small home and there were about 30 people and they were all buying my products, and I told her that she will be like the honorary ambassador and do the meditations with them every week, and keep them going. That was our relationship with each other in the beginning, and to then see her growth and be in her space and light with “Sacred Women” was so special and a great memory of sisterhood, & I am always grateful for that.

The second is a recent trip I took to Dominica with two of my sisters who are on staff with me that are like my left and right hand. We did a walk 3,000 miles up from sea level and we only had a walking stick. We were taking that walk to go to the boiling lake and that walk was so profound. There were different mineral baths that just looked like heaven, and we kept going higher and higher. I thought I was afraid of heights, but the beauty of it all filled me up so, that I was not afraid. So we were climbing over rocks and I didn't know that I had that much power in my arms to get over. This showed me that when you have no choice but to go forward you really will push forward, and you do ascend when you absolutely must. When there is no net to grab you, then you must trust. My level of trust and faith in myself and in the Most High was so strong on that trip, and I felt so close and cradled by nature. So finally we made it to the boiling lake and they thought we were going there to get in it, and I said “no, we are here as a ceremony”, and they were like, you mean to tell us that we walked 3 ½ hours here for you to tell us to pray. I said yes! It was really about the journey and that journey was profound. So during really hard times, I tell myself that if I had the power to walk that mountain, then I can walk through any personal or mental mountain that comes my way. So those two things were turning points in my life.

“The issues of African-American women’s health have always been one of my primary concerns. The womb is the gateway of all human life and the collective state of women’s wombs reflect the conditions of the world. When so many women’s wombs suffer from tumors, cysts, frigidity, and heavy menstrual bleeding and unnecessary hysterectomies, then disharmony covers the earth.” - Queen Afua

ymib: What things do you do daily to begin & end your days?

Queen Afua: At the beginning of my days I always wake up stretching and giving thanks that I have my life and my limbs and that I can use them. Never taking for granted that I can wake up and see and not taking advantage of the fact that I can breathe. I use to be asthmatic, and that is what got me into this work , and as a teen I was a chronic asthmatic and I always couldn't breathe. So I wake up stretching. I have been doing that for years, but it was when I read the ancient texts of the Pert M Hru M Gbr (The Book of Coming Forth By Day from Night) from the temple walls of the Nile Valley that made so much sense to me. When I read it I said, oh that is how I have been functioning. So some things we do in our lives that are apart of our culture and we are not even conscious of it, and when you finally catch up to yourself and to your culture, you will say “oh, that's why I was doing that”!

I also liquify and take in my lemon water or a green drink, and of course I do my prayers and thanks giving. I also end my days with a salt bath to let go of the day, because many times we do not take the time to access our lives, and we keep going on to the next thing and so on, and then we get overloaded, and don't know why we break down. So this helps me to keep access of the balance of my body, mind, and emotions. I also put my legs at a 45 degree angle every morning and every night for 5 minutes to help keep my womb in place, to help stretch my spine, and to help prevent elephant legs.

ymib: Favorite Affirmation or inspirational quote?

Queen Afua: “I am that I am a shining being, dwelling in light” - So when you feel your light going out, just keep saying this to yourself, because words do have power. Another one is: “I am the woman who lightens the darkness. I have come to lighten the darkness...it is lightened. I am there for those who weep and hide their faces, and for those who are sunk down. They looked upon me then. I am a woman.” - These quotes are form antiquity. Our ancient mothers gave us these to remember who we are, so for me I look at this as the healers statement. This is who she is, this is what she has come to do, and I have followed in their footsteps & this is what I do on a daily basis.

ymib: What is your vision/dream for women of African Descent?

Queen Afua: That we unify and that we not have all of this division and separation, because as we unify, we are made stronger. Each of us has a different gift and that gift may appear in someone who is Muslim, or someone who is Christian, or someone who is Yoruba. We must bring together all of the goodness that is in each of us and we will see that we are rich. As long as we say “I”, then that “I” is going to be a problem. we have to say “We”. When we unify, we begin to awaken the healer that is within, and when this happens, you no longer become dependent on anyone else to heal you. Then when all of the women begin to be their own physicians, and heal themselves, whether it be at heart level, a mental level, or a physical level. When she begins to do all of her healing work, then she will be able to resurrect her family and be the medicine woman within her family.

ymib: Do you think that there is a lack of family structure within our homes because so many of our women are working outside of the home?

Queen Afua: Well, in the world we live in now, you usually need both the man and woman bringing in finances into the family, but, you can still do that at home. Ideally if you have children, if someone in the family is not taking care of your children, then you have to ask, how will they be raised & will it be in the same mind set? The person that you give your children over to during the day is spending more time with your child than you are. So you may find yourself having conflict with your child unless the person who is taking care of your child is of the same thinking. How I look at it is that if you have to find work that you can do within the home, whether it be the man or the woman. That to me is the answer to be able to raise your children, because usually when you work outside the home, all you feel like doing is making dinner and getting them into bed. You have given all of your energy to outside of the home. So if we can find a way...and I know that we can(my granddaughter is here right now)..find a way to work from within. It takes a bit of a spiritual science, but we can create our work in our home.

ymib: Throughout your life journeys and experiences, what has been one of the most important lessons that you have learned about the following that you would want to share with others?

Motherhood: When you plant a seed into the ground, you water it and nature does what it does, but we have the tendency to feel like “I have planted this seed and I need to see it now”, but your child, like a seed, is cultivating. A lot of times when mothers say to me that there teenagers are “not getting it”, I say, no, they are, they are just cultivating and processing all of the things you are saying, and the end result will show the process in which you trained them. So even when it does not appear that growth is there, keep being positive, and loving, and being on their side, and lifting them up, and visualizing who you want them to be. Keep your motherly patience and look at your kids and even yourself as you would when cultivating a garden.

Life: I look at everything from the eyes of a healer and no matter what the circumstance I always say that there is a healing there. Healing is a bout rejuvenation, purging, and re-building. When we first came to this Brooklyn location about 13 years ago, there was a crack house above the building and across the street, 5 in one block, and we kept on course and started cleansing from inside of our space, and that cleansing went out and now when I look out there are business that have opened. So I saw that healing that took place. So if we believe that we can heal ourselves then we can come together and heal all of our conditions without relying on outside resources to take care of us and our communities. Our richness, prosperity, and power is all inside and we just have to continue to cleanse and heal from the inside out.

Sisterhood: I am my sisters keeper. I take responsibility. I could never think that “Oh I have healed myself, now I am good”. I tell the sisters that you are not fully healed unless you can help someone else. “What I want for myself, I want for my sister”.

Being A Wife: Before you get married or unify with someone else, you really have to unify with yourself first. Make a commitment to finding what and who you are and grow yourself to your capacity and cultivate all of the weeds, otherwise, your weeds and his weeds are going to lock together and you will each begin to strangle each other. So if you can do as much pruning beforehand, then you will have allowed more room for peace, more love, and more joy. If you find someone when you are feeling empty or when you are feeling scared or suppressed because you were hurt from another relationship that you have not resolved or healed from, then you must revisit the source of that hurt and forgive it first. Revisit & forgive your past so that your present can begin to flourish itself.

Also, women have the tendency to forget about what they wanted to do and put it aside because now they have a man in their life. So do not give up on your dreams, find your way, and the two trees of life can co-exist together. You must also have time for the relationship, just as we do for work, and our children, and for the home. Re-store your vows...go to the ocean, it does not have to be anyone but the two of you, and reflect with each other.

ymib: What sort of things do you enjoy doing to express your creativity?

Queen Afua: Dance! Before I got into healing I loved to dance and I still do! I also do womb yoga.

ymib: Tell us more about your current book “The City of Wellness”?

Queen Afua: The City of Wellness includes 7 kitchens of consciousness with 7 states of awareness. We look at the cities as a being & the being has seven lights. The Indians know it as chakras, and the Africans know it as Ariq. So, when you turn on these different lights through the frequency that you ingest, and according to how much frequency you ingest, that is how much light is going to be in your body, and then you begin to illuminate. When you begin to illuminate, you begin to see clearly. This light allows you to tap into your gift to help you build your “city” through 21 points, such as: How to pull the plug from your “corporate kitchen” that has us all cooked and shortening our life span, causing problems with our children and in the home.

Sometimes we tend to think that it is something we are doing to each other, but it is probably that there are these foreign entities in your house that we have to purge out. The book explores “The Kitchen of the Heart”, “The Soulful Kitchen” of the family cleanse, which is what binds us healthfully, to the “Liberation Kitchen”, where you begin to do global work and open up your “Holistic Soup Kitchen” by helping the community to heal and eat better. So basically the book makes a questionable statement of What state is your city in, is it impoverished or prosperous?

Read More about the beauty of Queen Afua by visiting her website.

Translated Words of Wisdom from the Pert M Hru M Gbr (The Book of Coming Forth By Day from Night) mentioned by Queen Afua above:

“I am the knot within the tamarisk tree, more beautiful in brightness than yesterday." I am Ra...light. Going forth on this day. My hair is the hair of Nu. My face is the face of Ra. My eyes are the eyes of Het-Hru. My ears are the ears of Ap-uat. My nose is the nose of Khent-sheps. My lips are the lips of Anpu. My teeth are the teeth of Khepera. My neck is the neck of Isis, the divine. My hands are the hands of Khnemu, the lord of Tattu. My fore-arms are the fore-arms of Neith, the lady of Saïs. My backbone is the backbone of Sut. My privy member is the privy member of Osiris. My reins are the reins of Kher-aba. My belly and my backbone are the belly and backbone of Sekhet. My buttocks are the buttocks of the eye of Horus.

My hips and thighs are the hips and thighs of Nut. My feet are the feet of Ptah. My fingers and leg-bones arc the fingers and leg-bones of the living uræi. There is no member of my body which is not the member of some god. Thoth shields my body altogether, and I am like unto Ra every day. None shall seize me by my arms; none shall drag me away by my hand. And there shall do me hurt neither men, nor gods, nor sainted dead, nor they who have perished, nor any one of those of olden times, nor any mortal, nor human being. I come forth and advance, and my name is unknown. I am yesterday, and my name is 'Seer of millions of years.' I travel, I travel along the path of Horus the judge. I am eternity; I feel and I have power to perceive. I am the red crown. I am the Sun's eye, I am in my egg. It is granted unto me to live therewith. I am in the Sun's eye, when it closes, and I live by the strength thereof I come forth and I shine; I enter in and I come to life. I am in the Sun's eye, my seat is on my throne, and I sit within the eye. I am Horus who pass through millions of years.

I have governed my throne and I rule it by the words of my mouth; and whether I speak or whether I keep silence, I keep the balance even. Verily my forms are changed. I am the god Unen, from season unto season; what is mine is within me. I am the only One born of an only One, who goes a round about in his course; I am within the eye of the Sun. Things are not evil nor hostile unto me, nor are they against me. I open the door of heaven. I govern my throne, and I give birth to myself on this day. I am not the Child who trod the path of yesterday, but I am 'To-day' for untold nations. It is I who make you strong for millions of years, whether you be in heaven, or in the earth, or in the south, or in the north, or in the west or in the east; fear of me is in your hearts. I am the pure one who dwell within the sacred eye. I shall not die again. My hour rests with you, but my forms are within my dwelling-place. I am he who is unknown, and the gods with rose-bright countenances are with me.

I am the unveiled one. The season wherein [the god] created heaven for me and enlarged the bounds of the earth and made great the progeny thereof cannot be found out. My name sets itself apart and is removed from all evil things through the words which I speak unto you. I am he who rises and shines; the wall of walls; the only One, of an only One. Ra never lacks his form, he never pass away, he never passes away. I say: I am the plant which come forth from Nu, and my mother is Nut. O my Creator, I am he who has no power to walk, the great knot within yesterday. My power is in my hand.

I am not known, I am he who knows thee. I cannot be held with the hand, but I am he who can hold thee in his hand. O Egg! O Egg! I am Horns who live for millions of years, whose flame lights upon your faces and blazes in your hearts. I have the command of my throne, and I advance in my hour. I have opened the paths, I have turned myself away from all evil. I am the ape of gold, three palms and two fingers, which is without legs and without arms, and which dwells in the House of Ptah. When one says this, you shall open a way and enter thereon.”