The 28 Day Womb Challenge: Heal A Womb, Heal A Nation

February was all about self love and feminine healing. We were challenged to go within ourselves and face fears, traumas and toxic energies that no longer serve us. We cleansed, smudged, prayed, danced and sweat out our pain; And for 28 Days, our sole purpose was to purify our minds, bodies and spirits. It is so important for us (especially women of color) to learn the techniques to stay centered, spiritually grounded and to tap into our ancestral way of healing.

The 28 Day Womb Challenge was inspired by the lack of spaces and institutions geared towards spiritual feminine healing and womb wellness (especially for women of color). Women give so much to the world. We birth nations, raise children (sometimes grown ass adults) yet we absorb and accept so much trauma and most of us don't know where to begin when it comes to nurturing ourselves. Many of us are still victims of our past - only having learned how to survive, not really how to live and let ourselves truly be happy.

We created this challenge in hopes to providing an outline for sacred womb healing, spiritual evolution and to open the gateway for many women seeking their own divine goddess power. The key to this healing is rooted in the tools we use for spiritual transformation and prosperity.

MEDITATION + PRAYER

We begin most of our practices in a state of meditation. Calming the mind allows you to think more clearly and understand why you have placed yourself in certain situations - or why you are responding to events in your life a certain way. Zhane'l Speaks joined us as a presenter during the challenge, blessing us with her soothing voice and guided meditations.

Prayer is best done in the early morning hours and at night after sunset - but if you feel drawn to pray at any moment throughout the day, listen to your instincts! Take an image of your deity, goddess or Saint/Patron and place it in a sacred space. This should be where you do most of your healing work. If you have a table top not being used, place a clean white (or blue) cloth, a white candle, a bowl of salt water (or florida water) and an incense burner on the table. This is now your sacred healing altar. If you have experience setting this up, use what you usually work with.

JOURNALING + DAILY REFLECTIONS

Writing is a very important process in any type of healing. It allows you to organize your thoughts on paper and get to the root of a lot of your feelings. The best time to do any journal work would be after a shower or bath, early in the morning (setting the intention for the day or reflecting on dreams), or right before you go to bed when you have a moment to set still in silence and really listen to your inner voice.

GODDESS BATHS

The goddess baths are essential for pulling physical and spiritual toxins out of the body, while filling the true self with purification. Your basic ingredients consist of water (obviously) sea salt or pink Himalayan salt (limit use if you suffer from high blood pressure), essential oils (rose for beauty and self love, lemon and orange peel for combating depression, etc) and white tea light candles. Click here for tips on choosing essential oils.

If you'd like to add rose petals or herbs to your water, do so. Make sure you take them out before you release your water to avoid clogging the drain. It's also recommended that you recite your favorite prayer or blessings over the water - since water holds memory - and enter in the mental state of being surrounded by divine light and love.

STONES + CRYSTALS

Crystals have been used for centuries as natures' spiritual vitamins. The metaphysical and healing properties found in crystals can assist in healing trauma (obsidian), protecting the mind from harmful thought patterns and negative influences (quartz, selenite and amethyst is my favorite combo) - balancing the heart chakra in order to give and receive true love (rose quartz). If you have the opportunity to visit a crystal gift shop or metaphysical store, take your time and look around. See what stone calls out to you and feels good in your hand. Let your natural intuition guide you to your stone.

Suggested beginner stones: quartz, rose quartz, amethyst, selenite, bloodstone, citrine, jasper

THE WOMB CHALLENGE (WEEK BY WEEK):

WEEK ONE: RELEASE THE PAST

Before we can acquire anything new, we must make room for it. In order to allow your life to be filled with true liberation, joy and happiness - you must first rid yourself of all the things holding you back from experiencing this sense of peace. This means exes, old/fake friends, stale or draining relationships of any kind, trauma and pain that you keep reliving in your mind and the illusion that limitation is your natural state.

For the entire first week (seven days), your meditations, baths and journal work should be centered around this energy of release. When you write, release the past. Talk about those fears and experiences. Reflect on the misfortunes but find the silver lining. What did you learn? How were you strengthened?

ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK ONE:

1. Purge With Your Pen: Write a letter to yourself about the past. Anything you are still holding on to, forgive yourself and give yourself permission to release it. You may rip the paper up into small pieces and burn them.

2. Clean Up Your Castle: Take a day to clean your space. Go through your closets and donate any clothing you no longer wear. De-clutter and throw things away that no longer get use. Your closets and drawers represent your subconscious mind. When you make room in your physical space, you open up your mind to receive more clarity. Clean your kitchen, fridge and other rooms. Observe how you feel after.

3. Release Negative Yoni Identity: Take a mirror and hold it up to your vagina. Look at it, talk to your womb about how you feel. How do you feel about sex? How do you feel about your feminine energy? If you've experienced trauma, hold your womb and say "I love you" - reassure your yoni that she is more than a sexual object. She is the portal of life.

4. Smudge Bath: Turn your bathroom into a sauna or smudge room. Light some incense, sage and/or myrrh rocks. Cover the mirrors, crack the window slightly for some ventilation. Run a warm bath or take a hot shower. Let the steam pull out toxins from your pours and body. If you're in the bath, squat over your water and let the water rinse the toxins from in your womb. When you are finished, pray and anoint your body with coconut oil or olive oil.

[ Do any activity you enjoy more than once within the week. Make sure you are journaling after each activity - keep your stones nearby, especially during prayer.]

WEEK TWO: EMBRACE YOURSELF

Once we have rooted and released the past - digging up the darkest parts of ourselves, we need to embrace and accept exactly who we are. Even though we have experienced heart break, deceit and temporary setbacks, those very things didn't break us - it made us STRONGER. Take some time to renew your relationship with yourself this week. Explore your gifts and talents. What do you like? How do you express yourself?

ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK TWO:

1. Get Naked: Get your mirror out again, this time, get completely naked and smile at your body. Look at all yourself. Point out everything you love. For the parts of yourself that make you feel insecure, pour love into those parts and find reasons to be grateful for them. This activity should make you feel more present in your body.

2. Positive Affirmations: To truly embrace yourself, you must affirm that positive energy in your life. This exercise is meant to make you mindful of how your words create or destroy your life. Say things like "I am so blessed." or "I have unlimited resources." Speak your desires into existence. Use "I have" or "I am" to pull it to you quicker. Do this for at least 5 minutes at a time, periodically throughout the week.

3. Iconic Femininity: Today we get to be creative! Search powerful images of women of color, goddesses and symbols of women who inspire your inner black girl magick. Print off images of deities that focus on self love, healing and empowerment. Some good examples are Isis, Oshun, Yemaya, Bastet, Gaia ,etc. Make a collage or frame them and hang them around your home, office or sacred space.

4. I Am My Sister's Keeper: Invite some ladies over to your home and have a sisterly talk. Have a conversation about womb healing and feminine power. What does that look like to you? Celebrate friendship. Discuss the sacredness of sex and how we determine the energy we allow in our wombs. Laugh, drink and pray together.

5. Remember How I Used To...: Revist an old hobby of yours or passion that got put on the back burner for a while. Dig out those old poetry books or notepads full of lyrics. Sew that cute skirt you've been procrastinating about. Today is all about putting your creativity and interests first. Enjoy!

[ Do any activity you enjoy more than once within the week. Make sure you are journaling after each activity - keep your stones nearby, especially during prayer.]

WEEK THREE: ACTIVATE YOUR INNER GODDESS

Now that we've embraced ourselves and began to learn new ways to love ourselves, we are starting to explore the very things that make us divine. Tapping into our natural born gifts and abilities give us a new sense of self and purpose. This week is all about your magic - and your ability to reach new heights by trusting your own power.

ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK THREE:

1. Power Hour: Take an hour out of the day and don’t speak. This empowers the spirit and allows the mind to receive divine messages. It also allows us to practice observing our thoughts. Think of this as a walking meditation.

2. Infusing Your Magick: Grab your crystal(s), a tall white candle and a bowl of water. You only need a little water. Speak positive affirmatons into the water. Recite your prayer holding your hands over the bowl. Take your candle and write positive words on it. If it's a glass candle, write on the glass. If it's a regular candle, carve positive words like love, peace and healing into the candle. Place the candle in the bowl. Place your crystals around the bowl. Light the candles and continue to pray. Journal after. (Best done after meditation / bath)

3. Pouring Libations: Pour a libation for your ancestors. Use a live houseplant or you can go outside or to the woods. Take some spring water and say a libation similar to this: “I POUR THIS LIBATION FOR THE ELDERS AND GUARDIANS OF THE NORTH, SOUTH, EAST AND WEST. THE SACRED ANCIENT HEALERS AND MOTHERS THAT WALKED THIS EARTH BEFORE US. I POUR THIS LIBATION IN PRAISE AND ADORATION FOR YOU. THE SACRED GODDESS OF EARTH, WHOSE ELEMENTS RUN THROUGH MY BLOOD, SKIN, SPIRIT and VOICE. MAY I BE IN TUNE WITH YOUR DIVINITY. I POUR THIS LIBATION FOR THE ANCESTORS KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, THOSE THAT LIVE THROUGH US. MAY OUR WOMBS BE HEALED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. HEAL A WOMB HEAL A NATION. Pour a few more libations and name some relatives that may have passed recently. Ase. Amen.

4. Words Have Power: We all heard the term 'Words are spirits,' and what we speak directly effects the energy around us as well as our immediate reality. Much like affirmations, we will be creating a chant or something that you can say repeatedly that empowers you and recharges you when feeling down. Bonus if you can make it rhyme. Here's a good example: "I AM STRONG, WISE AND FLAWLESS. I AM A QUEEN, I AM A GODDESS." You don't have to use that, you can create your own. The point is that we create healthy mental habits to offset low vibrations from being able to access us. This exercise can be useful in combating depression.

[ Do any activity you enjoy more than once within the week. Make sure you are journaling after each activity - keep your stones nearby, especially during prayer.]

WEEK FOUR: WALK IN YOUR DESTINY

We've released the past, we embraced ourselves, we tuned into our Goddess power - now we are ready to walk in our destiny and manifest the life we want and deserve. This week is dedicated to making petitions, using visualization and the law of attraction to draw forth what we need to evolve and step into our destiny.

ACTIVITIES FOR WEEK FOUR:

1. A Petition For The Future: If you can see it in your mind, you can manifest it. Write out exactly what your future looks like. Career goals. Family goals. Health and fitness goals. Write it as if you have it already and you are basking in the gratitude of recieving your blessings. For example, if you want business success, write "I have a successful business that brings in more and more revenue daily." Know that you deserve the life you desire, and along with hard work and focus, it will manifest in your favor.

2. Make A Vision Board: Now that you've made your petition and declaration for the future, collect symbols, sings, images and words that all support these goals. If you want a nice house, collect images of your dream house. If you want positive feminine relationships, collect photos of women smiling and supporting each other. This activity uses the subconscious mind to reel in the mindstate you need to attract these things in your waking life. When we altar our minds, we altar our reality.

3. Wisdom Is Priceless: An educated black goddess is a wise black goddess. Take a class or pick up a book on something you've been interested in. (I personally began studying more on herbology and rootwork because I've always been drawn to nature and its healing powers). When you expand your mind, you can begin to incorporate you new wisdom to other areas of your life.

4. Astrology Charts + Numerology: Now that we've come to the close of the challenge and we have a renewed sense of self and inner strength, it's important to know your life path number, personal year number and what your astrological chart looks like. Knowing these spiritual sciences, allows you to better navigate through your destiny and helps to gain a clearer understanding of who you are.

REFLECTIONS + WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT

We strongly encourage you to start your own sister circle or group to speak healing and positive affirmations around your close friends. When you begin to seek wisdom and healing, everyone close to you begins to grow and vibrate differently. Don't feel bad if you miss a day, just start where you left off the next day. There is NO right or wrong way to tap into self healing, let go of fears, doubts and unfair expectations you've put on yourself. This is your opportunity to take control over your life by releasing the past, embracing yourself, awakening your Goddess power and walking in your purpose.

Make sure to leave comments below on how the 28 day womb challenge made you feel! Share your revelations and transformative stories with us! Use the hashtags #HealAWombHealANation #28DayWombChallenge #WombWellness #BlackWombCircle. Much love Nubians <3