THE BOOK

sometimes ancestors will project their voices across dimensions to give us special spiritual assignments. sometimes they'll creep in our ears in the middle of the night and whisper instructions. and then there are times when they will take hold of our fingers and write what they want us to know. i'm certain The Conjure Woman Episode is a product of the latter instance. 

it is the story of a struggling palm reader forced by her spirit guides to revisit past lives in order to remember her true purpose in this lifetime. the play is inspired by my paternal great-great grandmother Lina Wimbley, who, according to my grandfather, had amazing healing power and astute knowledge of herbs and seasonal changes. Lina had a big part in birthing this play.

i first performed the show in 1993 at Cafe Montage in Baltimore, MD, as a one-woman performance piece, and later that year at the old BAUhouse. it has since evolved into a two-act drama with three characters under the direction of Nzinga Ama, featuring jaki-terry, Janice Short and me; and most recently, in 2006, with five characters under the direction of jaki-terry, featuring Olufunmilayo, Walks on Water (aka Nataska Humminbird), Mahatara (aka Nkosazana) Youssef, voiceover by Kay Lawal Muhammad, and me. 

the script, like the main character, has seen several incarnations. the ancestors always have some new revelation or insight or bits of dialogue to add to Conjure Woman's story, which is the story of women everywhere across the planet who are awakening to and walking in their true purpose here on Earth.

no doubt: this is a spirit-driven work of art. i have NO say in when or how it will evolve. i simply get "the call," and i am obedient, 'cause there's nothing like getting whacked with a cosmic 2x4! a couple of months ago i received the clear message to "publish the play book." so, that's what i am up to. we'll start taking pre-orders in September and will present a reading in October with a panel discussion on the play's central themes of reincarnation and past life regression. i'll be posting details on these events here in my blog and on my Facebook page. so stay tuned in. 

meantime, pay attention to those messages from the ancestors when they come. you never know . . .