Today we’d like to introduce you to Obatalia Yemoshunya aka Alia Shanti Gumbo Love.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Obatalia. So, let’s start at the beginning, and we can move on from there.
For many moons, I had been so emotionally thrown about throughout my life. Before I was aware that “perceived” trauma and self-rejection had me stuck in a cycle of people pleasing that played and skipped over and over like a never-ending broken record.
Today, I especially intuit that being true to myself has allowed me to blossom wherever I am. When I let go of the need to “fix my life” and embraced the compassionate ecstasy of living my life, I stopped seeking approval and allowed myself to be loved on—gently, enduringly.
I come from a close-knit family that fell apart when my grandmother and grandfather transcended. The lesson in that experience lets me know that in the union of opposites, that which falls apart in some way, shape, or form, is brought together again. Family is like a garden of flowers. You must water with intention, shine the sun on communication, and add a dash of faith in the soil or family soul.
Every family has a unified/shared soul. I learned that lesson from some basil on my back porch. I was a nerdy, booking digesting, loaner as a kid, moving about from school to school never really connecting and bonding with anyone in particular. I found connection through lots of sex, but as quickly as the connection came, it left like a revolving door.
Then one day, a light bulb went off, and I remembered that I am divine. I took my divinity and smeared it all over me like honey, from my head to my toes. I loved myself. I forgave myself and honored my journey. My experiences led me to curate community.
Within my communities, I’ve established a particular interest in assisting my Sistren with loving themselves wholly. Every part ourselves including, the moody, cursing like a sailor, lying ass, ulterior motive having part of you. We are meant to dance with our shadows not pretend like they aren’t there.
With this realization, I had the blessed mercy and assistance of my ancestors to write a book called Nasty Time, a raw book written in the way I speak with no particular grammatical boxes. Just a straight to point read about that sexual connection journey that I previously shared.
I was also led to curate Dream Awake Tarot, a multimedia artistic project that colorfully shares the wisdom of the tarot, a self-exploration system that assists us with getting to know ourselves more intimately.
I am presently sharing a 33-day online/offline journey with the “Live the Dream” Community that seeks to hold space for candid self-reflection, dream exploration/interpretation, yoga asana, and musical meditation with dance as the focus.
I am honored to hold space in a way that makes folks feel empowered and right where they are supposed to be.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Hell yeah, there’s been some challenges. But that what makes it worth it. One of my greatest triumphs was embracing my sexual nature.
My entire life, I walked this line that the indigenous call being “two-spirited” not exactly aware that, that’s what it was! WOW! Heaven’s gates opened up, and I stopped damming myself for my sexuality; which walked hand in hand with my spiritual journey of loving myself unconditionally—consciously choosing to let go of the copy-paste group think mentality.
In the book Nasty Time, I speak very candidly about the relationship I had with shame and how it manifested illness in my body. An illness that is a shared illusion amongst many who believe that they are “infected” by something.
The most rewarding obstacle that I have ever had to face and transcend thus far is my tendency to block love and my good into my life. I used to run from love like I was Flow Jo. I didn’t wanna be chained, confined and restricted. But what I realized that the aforementioned all took place in my mind.
Allowing myself to be loved has attracted everything that I thought I could ever need and the Youniverse is still surprising me every day.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Kongo Square Foundation story. Tell us more about the business.
Everything that I specialize in I’ve done since I was a child—sing, dance, laugh a lot and talk a lot of shit. I feel as if that’s why my businesses are successful. Everything I do is community centered and focuses on the growth of the individual to affect the consistency of the whole.
I integrate what I naturally do with my learned skills of digital design, music engineering, and savvy business insight. I am known for my experiences. I have folks over cannabis-infused dinners, sensual yoga for the sluts within us all and deep trance nude ecstatic dance.
Gatherings like the Fem-48, a 3-day immersion into discovering you’re why and creating your “web of abundance”—a really fun way to explore finances by focusing on our creativity and self-expression versus numbers and spreadsheets (although we utilize them as well).
Finally, the 33-days of self-love journey that empowers women to honor themselves at all times in order to embrace their alignment with their own spiritual truths.
What makes the entire enchilada unique is that it’s honest, simple, and raw. It’s my innermost belief that all who encounter any of my businesses feel truly cared for, like family versus being a consumer or a customer.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck is cute, but I keep a strong communion with the earth and my ancestors. Through my spiritual unity within, I presume I receive gifts of awareness, and that does attract favorable circumstances into my life.
Pricing:
- Dream Awake Trust Reading (one card reading without me knowing anything about you other than your name) $44
- 33-Days of Self-love journey (includes full-color playbook, access to online community and triumph cards) $123.45
- Nasty Time Volume One: Sexual Alchemy Memoire Print & Audio Book and access to Pussy MoonDay community $33.00
- Sensual Yoga Admission (includes 3-hour yoga experience, cannabis-infused tea, 234-page womb journal) $108
- Fem-48 Web of Abundance 3-Day Gathering (includes lodging, intentional meals, and playshop materials) $698 in full or four payments of $180.00
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreamawaketarot.faith
- Phone: 707.633.9099
- Email: showlove@dreamawaketarot.faith
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/obtalialovestarot
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/dreamawaketarot
Image Credit:
Isis Love, Polymath Genius Media Publications
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
