Doula, tantrika, writer, healer, creator; Azia is a woman of many gifts and how she manages to do them so gracefully while raising three children is exactly why I might need to book a session with her. Maybe her Virgo moon helps, or more likely, because of the deep inner peace she’s found from traveling the depths on which her work is based.
Here she shares about her own path to healing, her work with Tantra, and a little peek into her busy life.
You can get in touch to book an intuitive healing session with her here.
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Name: Azia Archer (my first name is pronounced like ‘Asia’)
Age: 32
Your sign:
Pisces Sun, Virgo Moon, Leo Rising, Taurus Lilith, Sagittarius Stellium.
Where are you from?
His rib.
Where are you going?
Home.
Can you tell us about your work?
It’s constantly evolving the more I remember, but all of it—my work as a doula, and tankrika, while working with the tarot, my soul retrieval and remembering sessions,—they all come back to assisting others in stepping into their full power, reaching union within.
Who is The Mother to you?
The Mother is where we came from, what nurtures and replenishes us, what we breathe in, what we look out at in awe. It is the penultimate life-force, the womb in which we all came forth and shall return. The Divine Mother is with us in the void—during the journey into it, through it and the breath on the way out. She is unconditional love, freedom.
Can you briefly explain what Tantra is?
Tantra is a philosophy, and energetic understanding of the Divine. It is in many ways, Divine Union: the weaving the various parts of yourself into a single Wholeness: it is merging. Tantra asks you to view everything through the lens of sacredness: day to day life should be just as magical as any of your spiritual practices. One is able to step into their authentic way of being, ushering in an overwhelming sense of peace, pleasure and understanding.
What led you to it?
Desire to heal and transcend my own personal sexual trauma, to reclaim and step back into my body. It was a natural step after intense soul-retrieval. I wanted to experience true wonderment and pleasure for the first time in my life. Not only did I accomplish what I sought, I discovered a life-changing philosophy that has shaped the way in which I view the world.
Do you have any other passions that you pursue or would like to?
I studied creative writing in college and spent many years as the Editor-in-chief of the small press, Dirty Chai Magazine. I’ve also had a fair amount of writing, poetry, prose and editorial work published. In July 2017, Dancing Girl Press published my poetry chapbook, “Atoms and Evers” and that was kind of a big deal for me. The chapbook is very much a diary of my healing and it means a lot to me. I missed the literary world, as I felt like I took a bit of a hiatus over the last couple of years. I recently launched a new literary journal, Tiny Flames Press, to bring back this part of my life I was missing. I love creators, makers, artists, the firestarters. The people who put their art out there are the ones who will change the world and I want to showcase all these divine creators.
Do you have any advice for people who want to tap into their gifts and intuition?
Embrace quiet, solo ritual and cultivation. When I am lighting candles, casting intentions, praying, bathing: it was crucial that I did not have any music going, especially things with lyrics or spoken word. I needed complete and utter silence. It was in this space, of being able to hear the herbs sizzle or the candle flicker, the water flowing, that I began to hear the voice of my higher self, to discern it from the voice of others. I was able to truly hear, feel and see myself in this unhurried, soft, warm and silent space.
What is a typical day like for you?
CRAZY BUSY. I have three children and I am currently 30 weeks pregnant. That’s a lot of people outside of me who rely on me for their survival. I make sleep and self-care a priority. You cannot provide drink from an empty well, so I do my best to keep my waters flowing. Most of my children are early risers, so I have to be an extra early riser if I hope to get in a bit of meditation, writing, quiet moments with coffee and tea before everyone wakes. I have a lot of domestic duties, as well as a garden to maintain, while also entertaining the children. We read and do a lot of art projects (my house décor is very much “lived in” ha), and in the summer, swim whenever we can. Dance, soccer, and all their various extracurricular’s are on hold until the fall, so I’ve been enjoying the downtime. I somehow manage to squeeze in time to work with clients, do readings, write, cuddle with my partner, etc. I have no idea how. And I have no idea how I’m going to fit a newborn into this routine. I just know whatever that looks like will be the new normal, right?
Is there any types of healing that helped you a lot on your journey?
Poetry. Writing about what I had experienced was easier than vocalizing it: allowing it to emerge from me instead of festering, but in a way in which I felt safe. When you experience sexual violence as a child, your entire identity is morphed. Every facet of your personality is shaped by this experience, and it takes many years to truly recognize the way it shaped you. Releasing it from you, any way that you can, is the only way to unburden your soul. It is the first step of soul retrieval: and it can look like poetry if that’s what you need to feel safe, to begin. And, for me, the written word was that first step.
What does divine union mean to you?
I don’t see how I can answer this gracefully in this space, as it’s such a complex topic that even if I was writing a book and had hundreds of pages to dedicate to Divine Union, pieces would still be missing, but I will try my best! Divine Union to me is wholeness and balance embodied: it is a remembering, The Great Remembering. I feel Divine Union isn’t something you “reach” as much as it is already within you, stagnated, buried… lost. For thousands of years, masculine and feminine energetic principles became correlated to specific sex organs, which in turn became centralized points in a two-gender society (i.e. penis = masculine = male, vagina = feminine = female). This created a very deep-seeded disconnect from who we truly are and the infinite ways in which these seemingly polarized energetic principles are uniquely expressed. Divine Union is becoming (w)holy yourSELF. I know this phrase is often tossed around in the Twin Flame community, and I think even there, it has been misused and misunderstood. “As within so without” is what comes to mind. If you can remember your Divine nature within, it is only logical that you would then naturally create Divine Union without, but many miss the first step. And it is truly my belief that you cannot enter into Divine Union with another (even if, as some in the Twin Flame community believe, that they share the same singular soul as their Twin) until you’ve entered into within yourself. Divine Union is 100/100: full integration. Only two wholes can be balanced. I keep seeing the vesica piscis—that overlap: that is Divine Union. I think that’s a good place to stop, despite having so much more to say.
What are your superpowers?
Making people laugh and feel lighter. I can ease the tension in any situation, pull people out of their heads, and make them laugh during even the heaviest of times. I can tap into this deeply dark and cynical, yet emotionally raw and real part of the psyche and make you see it from a perspective worth laughing about. Come to think of it, maybe it’s not a superpower and I’m just projecting a seriously twisted coping mechanism onto people? Ha. Who knows, but it works. And we all seem to feel better and have gained a new perspective because of it so I’m just going to go with it being a superpower. It feels right. Whatever that means.
What is your best advice for loving yourself?
Be gentle with yourself. Loving yourself isn’t easy and it doesn’t happen overnight. Love with discernment— sometimes you will be wrong or need to change, and loving yourself means having the courage to recognize this and grow. Extend grace to yourself, often. You will make mistakes and sometimes, you will be the villain. Forgive yourself. Stop comparing yourself to others and recognize how unique you are. Dress yourself in what makes you feel good. Wear your hair the way you want to wear your hair. Be around people that make you laugh. And take as many baths as you can.
Who inspires you and why?
I feel like that list grows daily as I keep meeting all of these authentic, miraculous women, though no one inspires me like my oldest daughter, Eva. She’s going into the fifth grade, is this tiny pixie of a girl, with this unapologetic Scorpio personality—she’s so creative and driven. I look at her sometimes and I’m just blown away, like, Damn, this little force of nature chose to emerge from my womb and I’m overcome with a sense of awe. She reminds me of my power, of youthful optimism. I mean, all of my children do, but something about my first-born that really pushes me to look deeper into who I am, why I am doing the things I do, and to see potential in everything. I was 21 when I had her, and though at the time it felt like the pregnancy was unplanned, I see how it was all in fact perfectly planned. Had I not conceived her when I did, I do not believe my life would have even .001 of the magic and love that it does today.
What’s on your music playlist?
Oh man, that varies from day to day. I’ve been listening to a lot of Car Seat Headrest—the lead singer has a very Julian Casablancas vibe that I absolutely dig. I’ve been obsessed with The Strokes since the early 2000’s[AD1] . And by obsessed, I mean, my favorite band ever. I met (the lead singer) Julian at a show in Minneapolis in 2010 which was just amazing. There’s something about their first 4 albums that tap into this poetic and dark part of my psyche that I’m never going to stop channeling. Guitars and rock music do that to me in general. I’m a huge 90’s junky. Nirvana, Soundgarden, Radiohead, No Doubt, Alice in Chains, Weezer, Rage Against the Machine, Oasis—I mean the list goes on and on. I tell people that I listen to this music while doing yoga and they look at me like I’m crazy. Which I am, I’m not denying that, but it soothes me. I think everyone should try it. My shadow side is hopelessly and chronically depressed, and maybe it has something to do with that? I’m getting side-tracked. I love The Avett Brothers, Hippo Campus, Mason Jennings, Sia, Atmosphere—I also listen to a lot of classical music, binaural beats—especially when I’m cleaning or painting with the kids.
Has learning to accept yourself been a journey for you or has it come naturally?
I think I’m still learning to fully accept myself. I can say confidently that I both know and trust myself, but I am still very much surrendering to the divinity I am—there was a lot of deprogramming to get through. But, I’m well on my way.
What would you tell your younger self?
You were right, high school didn’t matter— I’m really proud of you for not conforming. But, also, maybe be a bit gentler during your twenties? You don’t have to try so hard pretending to be strong. Sometimes the softness one can embody is their greatest strength. Don’t take such a long time to realize it.
