DAY 1/180:The Origin Code: Discovering Your Personal Wisdom Knot

“To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.” - bell hooks

Discovering the nyansapo, the *wisdom knot* of my purpose, mind and heart, showed me that another way of being is possible.

As someone deeply curious about how cultural narratives, imagination and creative capital fuel our psychological well-being, I had to root my imagination into a cultural knowledge system far deeper than the Eurocentric version in which I was schooled and institutionalized.

As much as I was proud of myself for migrating from St Lucia to Toronto and having a successful career on Bay Street with a very active community board volunteer role, I still felt culturally malnourished.

Culture is not just how we live—it's the foundation of how we flourish. When seeking fulfillment, turn to authentic cultural knowledge systems that align with your heritage and values. These time-tested wisdom traditions offer perspectives that modern, fragmented approaches often miss.

Your ancestral, cultural, and emotional intelligence already contains the answers you seek. By reconnecting with genuine cultural knowledge systems—whether through community elders, cultural practices, or documented wisdom—you tap into wellsprings of understanding that have nourished generations.

This doesn't mean rejecting contemporary insights but rather integrating them with the cultural wisdom that's sustained your people through centuries. Remember: the most powerful transformations happen when we recognize that what we're seeking isn't something new but something remembered.

Tracing my roots to West Africa was a transformative journey. It shifted me from cultural malnourishment to an insatiable hunger for knowledge. The more I delved into my culture from a West African Indigenous technology lens, the more I was filled with excitement, anger, fury, and disappointment. Where was this well of African Indigenous Knowledge Systems when I was growing up in St Lucia? Why wasn't it taught in our school curriculum? Not having this cultural knowledge available is why I am sharing the wealth of knowledge I've gathered over the years in The Origin Code. I invite you to join me on this journey, to witness the profound impact of Ancestral Indigenous Knowledge on my purpose and life, and to feel the sense of belonging and understanding that comes from embracing your cultural roots.

Ancestral wisdom from bell hooks reminds us,

"To be truly visionary, we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality."

To believe that another way is possible is something we must all believe in.

The greatest gifts we've received are from the collective lived expertise of our lived truths and our inherited cultural/ancestral wisdom.

Waking up daily, knowing you're on the right path, is possible.

Waking up daily, knowing you are enough, is possible.

Waking up daily and choosing your purpose pace is possible.

Waking up daily and making space to pause is possible.

Waking up daily and making space for your creative spark and intuitive intelligence is possible.

Moving through this world knowing you have nothing to prove is possible.

Knowing that you are rooted in something bigger than yourself supports that knowing, empowering us to dream bigger as a practice - a way of being. It enables you to trust your vision and connect to a higher purpose grounded in the Rooted Mind. Practicing the Rooted Mind with the community has been the greatest gift I have received. This support system is a constant reminder that you are not alone in your journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

I look forward to sharing the journey, the lessons explored, and the lessons learned and unlearned on the journey of dreaming bigger into my purpose, and I invite you to feel this same sense of empowerment.

Learning From West African Culture

The Rooted Mind is a practice I designed, inspired by the Nyansapo Adinkra symbol, which translates to "wisdom knot," an Adinkra symbol deeply rooted in the ancient wisdom of the Akan people of West Africa.

My journey into researching my DNA led me to read up on scholars, poets, artists and fashion designers, fueling my curiosity and love for my cultural heritage. Tracing my roots to West Africa was the most beautiful and powerful disruption of self, purpose, and cognitive orientation, not just of identity but of more.

The Nyansapo symbol signifies the interconnectedness of lived expertise, ancestral and cultural knowledge, purpose growth, and multi-self understanding. It is a powerful reminder of the wisdom and value of our lived experience. When we align our daily actions with ancestral wisdom and cultural capital, we unlock the potential for profound personal growth and understanding of the world.

It's an invitation to dream bigger, dare bigger, and bet on yourself bigger, in ways where success isn’t always defined or celebrated by main stream culture and mainstream narratives.

We see this practice over and over again. Grammy Award-winning multi-genre artist Lynda Martell, who, through her gifts, worked across multiple musical styles throughout her career: Country, R&B and Gospel, didn’t receive the recognition or the awards during her era. We still see this practice not just in this space, but also in workspaces in the corporate world.

From Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter, she reminds us that genres are invitations to disrupt (that’s my take)

"Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they?" Martell says at the beginning of the track "Spaghetti."

When Shaboozey responds with "Yes, they are,"

Martell continues: "In theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand. But in practice, well, somé may feel confined."

We have to practice our way out of the confined expressions of creativity and ways of being.

This practice is uncomfortable and unprecedented in some cases.

Rooting yourself in the practice of creativity, imagination, and dreaming bigger is to invite grace and have the courage to put your creativity and purpose into practice. This ritual blossomed into The Rooted Mind Practice, one of my many personal wisdom knots.

nyansapo - Origin Story

Nyansapo's roots trace back to the Akan people, one of the largest ethnic groups in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. The Akan culture is rich with proverbs, symbols, and oral traditions that convey philosophical and moral teachings. Adinkra symbols, like Nyansapo, are visual representations of these teachings, each with a unique meaning and significance.

Nyansapo, often depicted as a knot, represents wisdom, ingenuity, patience, love, culture, ancestral, and lived wisdom intelligence. It encapsulates the idea that true wisdom comes from understanding complex interconnections and using that knowledge thoughtfully.

Nyansapo - Ancestral Wisdom in Practice

The concept of Nyansapo is grounded in the belief that wisdom is not just about intelligence; it's also about applying this cultural knowledge in practical ways that benefit the cultural village and the mothers and people of the village. We must remember that we always serve the children, the women, the plant, and the mothers. In a world that tries to convince us otherwise, through the Rooted Mind practice, we create ritual, a dedicated space that makes the capacity to remember, explore, and practice.

"Each person has a gift to give, a contribution to the whole."

This quote stemmed from one of my favourite books and teachers, Sobonfu Somé, whose name means "keeper of the rituals." It was one of the foremost voices in African spirituality from the Dagara people of Burkina Faso.

She reminded us of how sacred it is to tap into one's creative gifts and the powerful gift of witnessing each other's gifts. I feel honoured to have seen so many incredible gifts and to share my gifts with so many amazing women who are ready to receive and share.

Through Sistertalk Group and The Success System, I got to share my gifts, and through our community of practice, we explored, imagined, and dreamt bigger together. Launching The Ubuntu Project and Sistertalk Alchemy Circle - I can dream and share my gifts with Nechelle Barteley of Her Future Wealth and Shilbee Kim of Passion Liberation.

Through the newly formed Sistertalk Alchemy Circle, our Cultural Creator Invite-only Member level EQ Coaching Certification Program, we see the deep wisdom of Sobonfu Somé, keeper of rituals in practice. Creating space through ritual to witness and dedicate creative capital is one of the highest rewards of putting collaborative intelligence into practice.

"What if what's missing isn't something new but something remembered?"

How do we practice remembering in the community? How can we make more space for each other's gifts? How can we create opportunities where we witness each other's gifts? How can we nurture creative gardens of support? What can support look like?

Exploring this concept through SisterTalk Group has been culturally rewarding in ways that fueled my psychological capital and that of so many.

Ancestral wisdom culturally nourished me. Spaces where I didn't have to search for my humanity in between the lines, spaces where words watered my soul—those were the spaces I wanted to be a part of.

This third space, The Human Potential, is another place where you may find yourself between the storytelling lines, weaving new narratives and ways of relating.

"The community concept is based on the fact that each person is invaluable and irreplaceable. Each person has a gift to give, a contribution to the whole. The kind of gift a person brings, the kind of person is, is very unique to them and is valued by the community."

I look forward to your sparks and seeing which wisdom codes it activates.

A practice rooted in ancestral wisdom affirms as it encourages us to make life ceremony - to seek inner wisdom and recognize our connection to a larger whole, including their ancestors, community, the natural world, and the elements.

'We are the ancestors that we have been waiting for."

Malidome Patrice Somé reminds us not to search for what we already have. We do not need to exert energy to reclaim what was never lost. We need to redirect this emotional energy towards remembering, reimagining, and recreating, in somé cases, practices that might have supported us during survival season but no longer need to survive. We are building psychological capital on the self-image side and in community-building ecosystems to support, nurture, and build our dreams together.

"We are the ancestors that we have been waiting for." This wisdom challenges us to see ourselves as the ancestors we've been preparing to become. Our lived experiences teach us that we need to imagine beyond the status quo, tapping into a "subconscious third space" - a dream bigger garden, if you will—one that reminds us we have everything we've inherited. We are the cultural blueprint. We are the roadmap to making our dreams come true.

As we practice remembering to prioritize rituals, play, rest, love ethics, and connections that integrate mind, body, and spirit embodiment, we align with the resources, people, and many answered prayers. By embracing this collective wisdom, we honour our cultural roots, become cultural ambassadors and empower ourselves to create, belong and make meaning with joy, compassion, and courage.

The Practice of Nyansapo - creating your dream bigger "wisdom knot."

Nyansapo invites us to tap into our cultural intelligence and choose the best and most aligned means to achieve our purpose, dream and goal. Through the embodiment of the mind-body-spirit connection, the consistent practice of Nyansapo fosters cognitive and emotional trust in one's purpose, path, and culturally curated wisdom from lived experiences. This practice involves deep reflection, continuous learning, and applying knowledge to benefit the individual and the community. This holistic approach deepens our connection to our identity and heritage, promoting creative rest and personal growth rooted in cultural, emotional and relational intelligence.

Embracing Nyansapo enables us to navigate life's many systemic challenges with a clear focus rooted in what culturally matters most. It improves our ability to observe and understand the cultural implications of our emotions and the valuable information they provide about our surroundings. Integrating the wisdom of Adinkra symbols and the Dagara Medicine Wheel elements into our daily lives fosters greater freedom to imagine, explore, belong, and reconnect with the undiscovered joy in our cultural heritage and purpose. We stop chasing what was never lost; we create new cultural narratives and relational intelligence by sharing our gifts.

By integrating the wisdom of Nyansapo, we create a more meaningful, connected and intentional life grounded in the rich heritage of our ancestors and the wisdom they have passed down through generations. This connection to our cultural roots empowers us individually and strengthens our communities, fostering a collective sense of purpose and action.

my invitation,

Join me on a 180-day journey and allow the practices, paragraphs, words or musings to guide you towards.

Today's micro affirmation:

a more rooted self that allows you to

be deeply curious

live a life of full-body living.

make compassion and courage your daily balm

allow grace and cultural joy to be your daily companions

Remember, every spark deserves a pause.

Dreaming bigger with you always.

I hope you meet your bravest self today,

Karlyn