mother - writer - reconciler - maker - lover - birthworker - believer
Hello and Welcome!
I am a woman of forever shifting spaces.
I am remembering. I am refining. I am reclaiming.
I am focused on honoring God within my life and how I engage with others. I haven't always, nor do I still, execute this perfectly. Luckily, God loves us in all our imperfection, and like an old stringed instrument, He tunes me every day.
I am called to the work of a reconciler; to be a bridge of healing between the Holy Creator and His people. The reconciliation is the homecoming and the wounding is deep, therefore the call home is even deeper.
I believe we are all relations on this earth and that we must be good stewards that honor one another, the animals, and the land. Curating a sustainable lifestyle, returning to nature, is incredibly important to me. I believe that deeply rooting into Mother Earth is intrinsic to our collective remembering as a society. Taking our stewardship seriously, while basking in awe over the creation will fulfill us so much more deeply than anything our consumer-driven society could ever offer us. We must be more aware of our consumption, the types of products we use, and where they come from. My partner and I have been studying permaculture practices for the last few years and have been slowly implementing what we’ve learned on our small 5-acre homestead in Minnesota. It's so much easier said than done, but with each new practice we implement, a peace settles a little bit more into our bones.
It is my belief that what we refer to as our 'intuition' and the idea of our 'higher selves' is us in communion with God and that as we nurture our relationship with our Creator, His voice speaks wisdom into us. Yes, I am saying that the voice of our intuition and God are one and the same. I am currently studying Biblical Theology at Free Grace Bible College. As a reconciler, I feel called to help those (especially the feminine-identifying, the mothers, and those who are re-mothering themselves) to remember they are deeply loved by God and that their life can and will be transformed by His grace.
I am also a trained birth doula (Rising Sun Doula Services), jade egg practitioner, as well as a ceremonial cacao facilitator. Most of my doula-work centers around empowerment and postpartum recovery through workshops that encourage a re-centering into the body, heart, and mind of the new mother. This work is especially important regarding implementing techniques that emphasize sovereignty over their bodies and pleasure centers.
In many ways, my work outside the home centers the feminine in body, soul, mind, and in God.
There's so much to learn and explore. So much good in the world and love to be cultivated. I plan to learn and write about as much of it as I can. I am a published writer and poet, and the author of a small collection of poems, ATOMS & EVERS (dancing girl press, 2017), and believe there are more books in me that will take form as I gain more life experience. I wrote a short bible study called JESUS WITH SKIN ON in 2015 that I am currently rewriting. This is an incredibly important project to me. It is and will be a labor of love.
I also enjoy painting, making jewelry and other goods, as well as experimenting and creating with herbs, oils, salts, and other natural and holistic remedies. I make my own cleaning products, body oils, teas, and other things. I'm a novice canner, learning the fine art of food preservation. I love cooking and baking and find great peace in the kitchen. My partner is a carpenter, ceramicist, and man of his hands. We have a lot of art and baking and mess-making happening in our home at any given time!
I also run a small Etsy shop that I update on occasion with some of my creations.
With 4 four children and a fifth on the way, our schedule is busy. When one child gets sick, they often all get sick. Sometimes, I will go very quiet because mothering has commanded all my attention for the moment. Do not fret, I always return.
Thank you for visiting.
Love Lived,
Azia
Education Information:
Creative Writing and Political Science- Minnesota State University, Mankato
Fiction Writing- University of Colorado, Denver
Birth Doula- Liz Lull of Enlightened Mama Doulas
Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method: Amma Parenting Center
A Woman's Way to Lead: Shakti Queen- Amara Charles & Sheyna Venice
The History of Cacao Ceremony- Moses Draper of Heartblood Cacao
Herbal Farming- Nancy Graden at the Women's Environmental Institute
Biblical Theology- Free Grace Bible College