Queen Hollins

Queen Hollins (they/them, she/her) is the Founder of  Earthlodge Center and one of our Spring 2021 Impact Grant recipients. Learn more about their work and support.

Tell us – what excites you about your work?

The work that I do is indigenous however, it is new because it is never-ending and recycles itself with the ages of time, so in that sense it becomes new. It is a blend of connecting intimately with Earth, our four elements, the language of nature, receiving the many gifts that Earth has to give, and creating art with them. It is connected to sustainability, recycling, and remembering a deep appreciation that what we often see as waste is filled with life and possibility.

I extend this creativity to our community and specifically to children, it helps to activate a memory of our Primal connection to Nature and how we are interdependent upon the four elements. This gives us a deeper appreciation and mutual respect for our symbiotic existence. This gives me unlimited excitability that I cannot find outside of nature.

What feels rich and abundant in your work right now?

The richness that I find in my work is that it is Rich! It is an inexhaustible supply of goodness. Nature! It gives of itself at the beginning and end of every Earth cycle. Every Equinox and every Solstice we are gifted with an abundance of something whether it be a bright purple beet that can be turned into paint or something dried and compost yourself into the Earth that can be used to make a doll! The goodies are limitless and oftentimes they are truly gifted to us for free.

Who do you dedicate your work to?

I dedicate my work to my ancestors. Specifically, my grandmother Naomi Hollins who was a s h a w - woman in her own right, and herbalist in midwife, a numerologist, and a teacher. She gave me the courage to be myself. She did not spank me and that was a given in the South as a young child. She would make me dig a hole and get in and she said let Mama earth clean you off! And at the end of sitting in that hole, I would come out solving which meant that my energy body had been cleaned off and I was ready for the next day of life. She continues to be a very wise woman in the ancestral realm with who I am still in close contact.

“We need to engage our children and give them tools they need on a spiritual level. Songs that empower them, and talking circles where they can talk about things they may not know how to express unless we create sacred spaces for them to do so.”

Who inspires you, who are you learning from, what books are you reading? We are really excited to learn this about you!

I have been fortunate to have come across so many awesome books but at the end of the day, I realized that the learning that needs to happen is inside. Inside our bloodline, inside our DNA, inside our very cellular B e ing. These books have been activators to activate what we already have inside. Some obooks that have inspired me have been in the area of Occult Philosophy. I had a wonderful teacher Baba Dadisi Sanyika who was a student of Dr. Alfred Logan out of the Aquarian Spiritual Center located in Los Angeles California. It is no longer in existence and though both of them have since gone to the ancestral realm, they are still teaching from that realm.

What something you didn’t know, that now you understand differently with wellness?

Wellness begins with thoughts. It begins with doing mental purging and purification and reprogramming. The reprogramming comes in when we are teaching ourselves to remember that we have the capacity to heal ourselves and we have the capacity to create new realities. Because I did not understand this when I was younger, I am teaching my grandchildren at a young age and any other children that will listen that they can tap into the power that they have within and make changes without.

What is your own wellness practice, how do you find balance?

My home practice starts the day with talking with the Earth. I do a divination that speaks to me on behalf of Earth and it helps me get grounded for the day. I drink water before I get out of bed. That helps become back from the Dreamtime in a balanced way. I drink herbs before I start the day and I stretch which helps me to get in my body fully and be present. Lastly, I make sure that my head is screwed on tight :-). When my head is on tight, I am not guided by the whim of the energy that is around me.

There's so much energy going on right now and it is easy to get caught up and thrown off balance. Making sure that my head is with me and my heart is in alignment with it helps me to navigate the day from a conscious Place rather than an unconscious place.

Is there anything we forgot to ask that you'd like to share?

I believe that it would be good to re-establish a Council of Elders who can make clear and conscious wisdom to share with the community that will help us navigate through tough times.  I feel we are missing this - our community of Big Mamas (as we used to call them in the South) and Big Daddys are a missing component that can throw the whole Community off base.

I also believe that it takes a village to raise a child. This is just not a rhetorical saying but it is an actual fact. Even two parents are not enough to raise a child. It truly takes a village - a safe village of people who care and want to share as much as they can with this child to make sure that they are equipped to the best of their ability to become a functional member of society.

How can people reading this support the work you are doing?

I have at least nine books in the making. They range from books on Ancestry to books on the sacred journey of our menstrual blood! I need a fantastic editor. I need an artist. I need someone who has a mindset of how this information flows in a way that can be palatable.

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