M’Kali - hashiki

I was given the name Mkali Hashiki by a Priest of Oshun in the Ifa tradition (I added the hyphen & apostrophe to help with pronounciation). It means “fierce passion” in Swahili. I believe that we are all entitled to have passion in our lives, and to understand how being connected to our passion & creativity enhances our lives & the lives of those around us. It is my fierce passion for a happy, healthy, world that motivates everything I do.  

I’m a Certified Sexological Bodyworker; a Certified Sound, Voice, & Music Healer; and a Certified Tantric Sacred Intimate. I’m also a former Gynecological Teaching Associate (teaching medical students how to perform painless, patient-centered pelvic & breast exams using my body as the demo model), a published essayist; a former professional social justice organizer; and an Ifa devoteé. I’m a fat, Black, queer, womanist, polyamorous, kinky, first generation Northern-born, middle-aged dyke Burn Survivor with moderate to severe PTSD. My cultural upbringing & lived experiences of struggling to love myself in a world that hates all of my identities (some more than others) informs every aspect of my work.

I have a complex sexuality & sexual history. I have personal experience with polyamory, nonmonogamy, BDSM, and achieving mystical states during sex. I am—and have always been—a “sexual outlaw”, as well as being a “triple minority” (Black, female, and queer); this has allowed me to view society's standards on sexuality with a critical eye. As a Scorpio, I have always been curious and intrigued by sexuality, and feel that my erotic sense is the most calibrated of all my senses, and is the filter through which I experience the world.

I am currently addressing 30 plus years of undiagnosed & untreated PTSD. I understand the ways in which our triggers hide from us, popping up when we least expect it; the ways trauma can influence even the most mundane actions in our day-to-day lives; the ways minor triggers substitute for the major ones. Even though my traumatic incident was not sexual trauma, it still had an impact on my erotic growth & sexual development.

I have been deeply influenced personally, professionally, and politically by Audre Lorde’s essay “The Uses Of The Erotic: The Erotic As Power” (if you haven’t read it, you need to!). I believe her point that in order to maintain itself, oppression requires the repression of the erotic. Because of my politics, spirituality, and lived experiences; because of the lies we are constantly told about what sex should be, about what is normal and acceptable; and because of the sexual truths that are vilified; I view my work in FiercePassions as a form of political rebellion.

Why I Do This Work

We live in turbulent times. Systems that were already failing—social, political, and cultural—continue to harm many of us. The oppression & repression we live under & the trauma that results show up in our bodies, in the ways we move through the world, and in the ways we relate to ourselves and each other.

I believe that our bodies hold the wisdom we need to navigate this upheaval. Through embodied practices, we can ground ourselves, process trauma, and reconnect to our innate capacity for joy, pleasure, creativity, and connection. Erotic embodiment isn’t just about sex; it’s about reclaiming the body as a source of power, vitality, and freedom. It’s a practice of resistance, liberation, and transformation.

Passion—the energy that fuels desire, creativity, and connection—is central to this work. When we cultivate it consciously, it becomes a renewable source of strength that supports every aspect of our lives: our work, our play, our spirituality, our intimacy, and our activism. Without it, we risk burnout, disconnection, and going through the motions rather than living fully.

Fierce Passion is about leaning into intensity, curiosity, and connection. It’s about honoring the body, our desires, and the communities we are part of. It’s about reclaiming erotic energy as a life force that can guide us toward liberation—both personal and collective.

Erotic embodiment involves a deep, conscious awareness and presence within the body, where one tunes into the sensations, emotions, and desires that arise from within, allowing the body’s innate wisdom to guide expressions of pleasure, sensuality, and intimacy. Beyond the narrow, sexualized definitions of eroticism, erotic embodiment is about reclaiming the body from societal forces that seek to control, shame, or disconnect us from our inherent power. By embracing our erotic energy as a fundamental life force, we challenge systems of oppression that have historically sought to suppress and regulate bodies, particularly those of marginalized communities. When we practice erotic embodiment, we reject these narratives of control and embrace our bodies as sites of joy, liberation, and resistance. By inhabiting our bodies more fully and authentically, we disrupt patterns of domination and colonization and move toward a more holistic, liberated way of being that honors all bodies as sacred and powerful.

An excerpt from my FiercePassions101 video (2017), giving you a little bit more info about me.

Entire video can be seen here.