A Story of Connection
How Performance & Healing Became One
MY STORY
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Greetings! I'm Queen Ravenden, pronouns (she/her/hers), and I am in love with empowering people to take control of their lives and heal themselves through herbs, live foods, letting go of past traumas, and taking on a holistic lifestlye.
I grew up in the Virgin Islands where fresh fruit fell from the trees. As a teenager, I moved to the US and witnessed communities riddled with disease from eating devitalized and processed "food-like" items. They had lost their connection with live foods, with the earth, and with themselves.
Heartbroken, I set out to heal the community by teaching them how to use foods, herbs, and a holistic lifestyle to promote wellness.
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I graduated from Pratt Institute with an M.S. in Dance/Movement Psychotherapy, went on to gain my board certification as a Holistic Health Practitioner with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, and completed my training in Herbalism at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine.
I danced my way out of my mother's womb, and I have been performing ever since. My journey as a dancer and circus performer opened my eyes to the world of using the arts and performance to heal.
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​After years of schooling, I decided to pursue my dreams of being a full-time performer. From 2017-2020, I traveled the world with my partner as "Twin Eclipse: NYC's Premiere Duo Aerialists." Performing above crowds in films, music festivals, concerts, live shows, & Times Square was an everyday phenomenon for me. That is, until Covid-19 when everything shut down.
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The performance industry, my career as I knew it, and my identity as an artist no longer existed. Like many others, I didn't know what to do, and dove into a deep depression.
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After months of fasting, praying, journaling, and meditating, I knew then what I had to do. Once again, I turned to the healing power of art. This time, instead of sharing my performance with the world, I kept it just for me. I danced. I painted. I took my herbs. I cried. I sang. I reached out to my ancestors and guardians. I kept going until I could stand on my own two feet. I rediscovered my balance. I was healed.
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After my cup was once again overflowing, I was ready to heal my community. I began creating informative videos on the healing power of herbs. I opened my apothecary "Queen's Herbal Garden" to provide my community with organic herbs for their wellness. I joined a few private mental health programs to provide creative arts therapy to people struggling with anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, low self-esteem, childhood trauma, and other mental health concerns.
I believe we all deserve a life of wellness and longevity. It is our birthright! We have inherited Mother Earth, who provides us with live foods and herbs for our healing. The healing begins with ourselves. From there, we can heal our family, our community, our nation, and then the world.
~Queen Ravenden
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