Sacred Expression
Publish Date: Sat 4th Jan 2025
A few days ago, during the evening of Dec 31st, I was hit with my culmination lesson of 2024. It would serve as the last piece of the puzzle, merging my experiences leading up to this moment into a cohesive understanding. The revelation was revealed whilst giving out food offerings in my garden. During the process, I asked for the guidance of my ancestors & guides and their intervention to assist me in overcoming the current obstacles in my life. As I looked up to the sky, I received profound clarity about the impact of my own actions and how they have been influencing my reality…
I was immediately shown the ways in which I have limited my own voice: by staying quiet to ‘keep the peace’, suppressing my truth out of fear of how I will be perceived and staying silent to avoid potential loss of relationships. It was revealed that by this constant suppression I was inhibiting my divinity, diminishing my life-force by constraining my own voice and the power it holds.
This message was so timely as, in recent months, I’ve become much more assertive regarding expressing my thoughts. I began to recognise just how much I had been tolerating and reached a point where I couldn’t continue silencing myself anymore.
The insight went further and showed that I don’t ‘take up space’ and highlighted that even in my own home I have limited myself to populate only small, designated areas with my belongings, reinforcing the notion of how extreme my accommodation of others is at the expense of my own needs. I was told ‘If you can’t take up space in your own home, how can you expect to do it anywhere else?’
In that moment I realised that I had been chronically restricting myself. Through these acts of suppression, I was creating spiritual blocks that manifested in my life as an invisible force which restricted my progress and sabotaged my efforts. I knew that people pleasing, and conflict avoidance were aspects of myself that I needed to work on, but I had no idea how deeply ingrained it was in my life and actions. I experienced a profound knowing that to embrace myself as the god of my reality, I must not allow others to have dominion over me. Any time I shrink myself to silence my voice, conform against my will to ‘fit in’, restrict my movement or self-expression in any way, it diminishes my asè (life force), weakening my power and ability to positively shape my reality.
While all these thoughts raced through my head, I suddenly realised that the lower back pain I had been dealing with for weeks had vanished completely. I started moving my body freely, amazed by the ease and the relief from the discomfort. In that moment, I realised that spirit was teaching me that the lower back pain was a physical manifestation of the self-imposed blockages, leading me to experience restriction within my own body. Once the message was delivered, I was pain free.
At that very moment, sounds of fireworks erupted, hours before the countdown to midnight. For me, it was a beautiful affirmation that the message had been received. I expressed gratitude to my ancestors & guides for the powerful lesson as it is one that I will carry on in 2025 and beyond.
Manifestations of divine expression…
.
Photographer: Ransford Quaye. Accra Ghana
In African spiritual cultures, expression goes beyond just spoken words; it encompasses artistic and cultural outlets like dance, music, visual arts, hair styles, clothing and storytelling. These expressive forms play a crucial role in how communities share their values, beliefs, and experiences, linking individuals to ancestral knowledge and the shared identity of their communities.
• Honouring our voices
• Dancing and liberating our bodies
• Playing instruments
• Singing
• Creating art
• Expressing our stories
Are all ways that we allow the divine essence to flow through us.
It’s clear to me now why self-expression has been such a major part of African cultures, it is a deeply rooted sacred practice that is vital to our wellbeing. It plays an essential role in our life experience, allowing us to share our thoughts, feelings, and true selves. When we engage in self-expression, we connect with something greater, honouring ourselves as channels for this divine energy. This connection helps us cultivate a more harmonious and empowered sense of existence.
I now challenge myself to consciously choose to lead a more expressive life, to become aware of the situations where I diminish my presence and rise above any feelings or fear or insecurity, welcoming the freedom that comes from fully embracing and expressing what is inherent within me!
Sharing for anyone else who may resonate with this message.
Written by Verona Spence-Adofo
Ancestral Voices Co-Founder
Verona offers 1-2-1 consultation services you can find out more using the button below
