Thank you Sierra Jeter, Jack, Tori Rerick, Myesha, and many others for tuning into my live video! Join me for my next live video in the app.

This week, we stepped into Week Three: Recovering a Sense of Power.

First reminder: you do not need to own the book to follow along. I’m reading and curating each chapter for us, editing it so it fits our language, our experiences, and our community. If you do want to dive deeper, I still recommend supporting a Black-owned or local bookstore.

If you’d like to go deeper this week especially with the EFT tapping script we used to release shame and anger - you can upgrade to a paid membership and access the full After-Party Notes. This gives you the tapping flow in written form so you can move through it on your own time without rewatching the full replay (it’s over two hours long).

The Dark Divines is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my art, consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Key Themes We Explored

1. Anger We spent a good amount of time here because anger is one of my favorite things to teach on. It’s a tool of transformation, not destruction. Anger is information babes, it shows you where energy is being misused or where your truth has been denied. When anger is stuck in the body, it can show up as depression. When it’s trapped in the mind, it often feels like anxiety. Both are signals that your power wants to move. Through EFT, we learned how to let anger become motion and how it can clear space for creativity instead of consuming it.

We also talked about what it looks like to hold anger in spaces where you don’t feel safe to express it, especially work or community spaces where code-switching becomes survival. Expressing anger doesn’t make you unstable or ungrateful; it makes you human.

2. Synchronicity Synchronicity is the moment life starts talking back. It’s the signs, the perfect timing, the message or person that arrives right when you need it. These aren’t coincidences, they’re confirmations. Once you start honoring your art and listening to your creative rhythm, the Universe meets you halfway. You just have to stay open long enough to recognize it.

3. Shame Shame is one of the most silent creative blocks. It’s that inner voice that says, “Who do you think you are?” or “You’re not ready yet.” It often hides under perfectionism, procrastination, or over-giving. We talked about how shame isn’t truth; it’s old conditioning. When you name it, you neutralize it. The more compassion you bring to your shame, the less control it has over your expression.

What We Didn’t Get To (but is important)

4. Growth

We didn’t have time to dive deep into this one live, but it’s essential. Growth is erratic forward movement. Think two steps forward, one step back and that one step back still counts. Creative recovery is not a straight line. It’s a spiral. You might have days where you feel unstoppable, followed by days where you don’t feel like showing up at all. That doesn’t mean you’ve regressed. It means your energy is integrating.

This process is about gentleness. You can’t bully yourself into brilliance. You’ll always grow faster when you nurture your creative self instead of policing her. Resting is part of the rhythm,pausing is still progress & ease accomplishes more than effort ever will.

You are learning how to build trust with your creative energy again, how to let it move through you instead of trying to control it.

Insights

Wonder vs. Worry Worry drains your imagination before you even create. It convinces you that your ideas are unsafe, unrealistic, or “too much.” Wonder, on the other hand, opens you. It asks, “What if this actually works?” or “What if it turns out beautifully?” Choose wonder, that’s where possibility lives.

Elders vs. Old FoolsWe also talked about discernment in learning the difference between true elders and what I call old fools. Elders share experience that’s been integrated and lived through reflection. Old fools just repeat the same cycles without growth and call it wisdom. Seek out those who pour into your artistry, not those who drain or redirect it.

Being the Black Sheep (or Outlier) We closed with a conversation about what it means to be the outlier in your family, workplace, or community, the one who thinks, feels, or dreams differently. Part of being an artist is learning to get comfortable with your light and your darkness. It’s about finding spaces where you can exist without shrinking or explaining yourself. Titles like “boss,” “parent,” or “partner” don’t automatically make someone equipped to guide your artistry. Wisdom has to come from alignment, not authority.

Main Activity: Detective Work

Many blocked artists are powerful people who were taught to feel guilty about their own gifts. They’ve been the batteries in their family systems, used for their creativity and energy but rarely affirmed for it.

This week’s exercise helps you recover the self you abandoned to stay small. Let your memories speak without editing. Allow emotion to rise.

* My favorite childhood toy was…

* My favorite childhood game was…

* The best movie I ever saw as a kid was…

* I don’t do it much, but I enjoy…

* If I could lighten up a little, I’d let myself…

* If it weren’t too late, I’d…

* My favorite musical instrument is…

* The amount of money I spend on treating myself to entertainment each month is…

* If I weren’t so stingy with my artist, I’d buy them…

* Taking time out for myself is…

* I’m afraid that if I start dreaming…

* I secretly enjoy reading…

* If I had a perfect childhood, I’d have grown up to be…

* If it didn’t sound so crazy, I’d write or make…

* My parents think artists are…

* My God thinks artists are…

* What makes me feel weird about this recovery is…

* Learning to trust myself is probably…

* My most “cheer me up” music or playlist is…

* My favorite way to dress is…

Week Three Tasks

* Describe Your Childhood Room Sketch it if you like. What was your favorite part of it? What’s your favorite thing about your room now or what could you add to make it feel like home to your inner artist?

* List Five Traits You Loved About Yourself as a Child.

* List Five Childhood Accomplishments. Then, treat yourself to one of your favorite childhood foods this week.

* Examine Your Habits. List three obvious habits that interfere with your self-nurturing, and three subtle ones that quietly drain you.

* Make a List of Friends Who Nurture You. Notice who reminds you of your capability and who subtly reinforces helplessness.

* Call a Supportive Friend. Let them remind you who you are.

* Follow Your Inner Compass. Spend an hour doing something that clears your mind — walking, cleaning, creating — and see what rises.

* List Five People You Admire and Five You Secretly Admire. What traits connect them?

* List Five People Who’ve Passed That You’d Love to Meet. What draws you to them?

* Compare Your Lists. Notice the difference between what you think you should admire and what your spirit actually loves. Follow your wonder, not your logic.

Week Three Check-In

* How many days did you complete your Morning Pages? How did it feel?

* Did you take yourself on an Artist Date? What did you do?

* Did any synchronicities show up this week?

* Any new insights or shifts in how you experience your power or creativity?

Get full access to The Dark Divines at lotuslaloba.substack.com/subscribe