Friday, September 11, 2009


Performance Art
Original by Kenyetta Chinwe(Angela Y. Brown)


My performance art
Is my performance heart
Pretending to love this life I am living.

Acting like my nine-to-five
Is all that I need to keep me alive
While down inside my soul is dying.

Putting on the show
So folks won’t really know
That in reality I am a sellout.

I sold my hopes and dreams
For a loaf of bread and a pot of beans
And the comfort that comes with a weekly check.

But now that I’ve counted the cost
And surveyed what I have lost
I’m trying to figure out how to buy it back.

My performance art
Is my performance heart
Trying to convince myself I don’t miss the stage

That it’s alright to work for the man
As long as I get all you can
And “so what” if I end each night crying.

Mourning the loss of my creative fire
And all that burning desire
Now eats away at what’s left of my sanity.

Trying always to ignore
The pain bubbling deep within
And persuade myself that ambition is vanity.

But is it vanity to crave elevation
To want to climb out of your situation
And live a life where you can get paid for what you love to do?

Who said “I’d always have to work for somebody”
And never really get to be happy
Tell me does that seem fair to you?

My performance art
Is my performance heart
Putting on shows daily for the masses.

But this performer’s tired of this act
So I think I’ll pack my sack
And move on down the road to happiness.

Show’s over!

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Our Mother-The Holy Spirit




“Sometimes I feel like a motherless, child a long way from home.” ~Traditional Negro Spiritual~

I was born into a very religious family. My father was a Pentecostal preacher. Both of my maternal grandparents were Pentecostal preachers. Five of my mother’s eleven siblings were preachers. Did I mention I come from a very religious family? (Smile)

Growing up in such a rich protestant Christian community exposed me to Christian scripture early and the many and varied expressions of “the one God” that lay within its pages. I saw God as Father and all the things “father” symbolizes in a patriarchal society; protector, provider, disciplinarian, leader, authoritarian. I also saw God as Son; obedient, sacrificial, compliant to “the will of the Father.” But where was the Mother?
If it is truly “in earth as it is in heaven” Surely there had to be a feminine aspect to God. The concept and design for woman had to be based on something. After all it is said the conversation was “let us make man in OUR image…male and female created he them” It was the missing piece of the story that I always wanted to know. The question I needed answered.

Over the years of my life my relationship with the Almighty Mighty grew and with it my appreciation for how spirituality was express throughout the world and in diverse cultures. I began to study and research about the spiritual practices of many different indigenous people throughout the globe. The more I learned about these other expressions of divinity the better I understood my own. I also discovered a recurring theme that appeared in most of these practices; a balance of masculine and feminine. There was a coming together of male and female to create, protect and guide humanity. If it was present everywhere, surely it was present in the spiritual teachings of my own religious expression as well. Another thing I noticed was the forms that the aspects Masculine and Feminine took in other spiritual practices. I saw the male aspect portrayed as conceptual, ethereal, and abstract. Though Spirit, He expressed in a very mental way. He was often larger than life and always seen apart from one’s self. I witnessed female being portrayed as tactile, tangible, sometimes sensual, but most importantly a presence that was ever available and always with you; even in you. As I returned to biblical study with these archetypal constructs it was easy to see there was a feminine aspect, a Goddess, if you will who remain shrouded but still very present.
What do we think of when we think of femininity or female qualities in the traditional sense? Some words that come to mind are comforting, nurturing, helpful, encouraging, guiding (in a motherly sense). All these are words that are used to describe the Holy Spirit in the bible. Equally when you look at the female principle expressed in other religions you not only see the previously mentioned qualities you also see strong, powerful, transformative qualities in their female deities. These are also words that are used to describe the Holy Spirit in the bible. She had been right in front of me the whole time
I do believe that it is ”in earth as it is in heaven” and just like on earth when a child is deprived full access to all of her origins she feels incomplete and is perpetually searching to fill the void left by ignorance. So it is spiritually when we are deprived of the full knowledge of our origin. Yes I know as Christians the main aspiration is to be in the image of Christ. But even he explained himself as the “expressed image of God.” He had a role model in which he could find himself, a pattern to emulate. As females following his path how do we see ourselves? I also know that “there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus,” but as a Christian female is there no eternal expression of divinity, that looks like me after whom I can emulate? Let us not forget that though the men who wrote the scriptures were inspired by the Almighty, they were still men subject to the times in which they lived. And those who translated those texts from their original languages to English were also subject not only to the time in which they lived but also the dictates of the governments they worked under.

I am sharing this as a revelation that I have found to be true in my life. It has deepened my relationship with the Almighty; having this understanding that there is a part of the Great Divine that looks like me. It has been a homecoming to a universal truth that I believe was always meant to be know and understood (Matt 13:11). She who has ears to hear, let her hear.




*If you are interested in the subject matter in this post I will be offering a two day workshop that deal with it more in depth. Stay tuned for times and dates.*




~art by Hrana Janto~

PhemSoul?


PhemSoul is 'The Soul of being Divinely Feminine'. Kenyetta Chinwe is the 'Priestess of PhemSoul'.
In my pursuit of art, creativity and spirit I have found that there is a beautiful 'Divinity' present in the nature of femininity, and I works to embody that 'Divine Beauty' through my music and all my creative expressions, both secular and sacred, because there is no secular. All is sacred. I studied Classical Vocals and Musical Theatre at Howard University. I studied crochet at my Mama’s knee. I studied creative writing and fashion design in the faces and styles of the nameless many on the streets of Miami, D.C., and Atlanta. As the daughter and granddaughter of Christian Ministers, I have been a lifelong student of Spirit. In my adult years I furthered my understanding of the Most High by exploring the indigenous spiritual practices of several different regions of the world. I am an ordained minister, High Priestess, Sacred Songstress, Creative Writer, Poet, Crocheted Fashion and Jewelry designer and Vessel of the Most High.
"I filter art and songs of Spirit, love, and life to raise the vibration of the planet and universe."


I am starting this blog as a place for me to share the things I learn along this spiritual journey we call life. That being said there will be all kinds of post. Things that will make you laugh,cry and even mad. Things about my varied business ventures and my personal triumphs and tragedies. My true wish is that through it all we will all grow, evolve and get a better understanding of spirit as it is expressed in both it Masculine form and it's Feminine presence. So thanks for joining me as I share with you my heart,mind,and PhemSoul