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I love traveling to beautiful, spiritual and historic places. I have a profound sense of reverence for Nature. During May 2018 I was privileged to soul-walk the Imfolozi Wilderness trail with Dr Ian McCallum, an inspirational ecologist, psychiatrist and Jungian analyst with a deep love and passion for Nature and the Wilderness. Ian McCallum (2005) in his book Ecological Intelligence talks about a brain-environment link and sees our environment as a dynamic extension of the psyche which engenders a deep sense of belonging in our species
Carl Jung was deeply concerned with our present disconnection from our natural environment. In his writings he refers to the psychological dimensions of the human relationship with Nature (Sabini, 2001). Jung saw our interrelationship with Nature, and all non-human others, as essential to the development of consciousness and wholeness. Jung linked the loss of man’s mystical identity and the de-spiritualization of nature with the atrophy of our phylogenetic roots, or survival instincts, which have fallen back into the unconscious psyche. Jung believed the malaise of modern society to be a consequence of an alienation from the two million-year-old human being in us all, our archaic original nature. The estrangement from an emotional participation in Nature leave us isolated in the Cosmos (Extract from my paper presented at IAJS 2017 Conference - The Spectre of the Other.)
Carl Jung was deeply concerned with our present disconnection from our natural environment. In his writings he refers to the psychological dimensions of the human relationship with Nature (Sabini, 2001). Jung saw our interrelationship with Nature, and all non-human others, as essential to the development of consciousness and wholeness. Jung linked the loss of man’s mystical identity and the de-spiritualization of nature with the atrophy of our phylogenetic roots, or survival instincts, which have fallen back into the unconscious psyche. Jung believed the malaise of modern society to be a consequence of an alienation from the two million-year-old human being in us all, our archaic original nature. The estrangement from an emotional participation in Nature leave us isolated in the Cosmos (Extract from my paper presented at IAJS 2017 Conference - The Spectre of the Other.)
This is a picture of me drinking from the sacred well at the Asklepion located at the foot of the Pergamon acropolis, Bergama, Turkey
I have a keen interest in ancient civilizations, mythology and shamanism as I believe that we have much to learn from our collective past and alternative belief systems. We may understand ourselves better if we know where we come from, not only as individuals, but also as the human race.
Modern man has lost touch with meaning systems, healing practices and rituals which were highly significant for ancient civilizations. In Memories, Dreams and Reflections (p. 247-253) Jung (1962) described a visit to the United States where he met with Indians of New Mexico and in his conversations with Ochwiay Biano, Jung understood that Ochwiay Biano’s sense of himself as a son of the sun was cosmologically meaningful, providing him with a proper ‘place in the great process of being’ (Sabini, 2001, p. 49).
A personal passion of mine is the White Lions of the Timbivati.
During May 2016 and March 2018 I had the privilege to attend Dream Appreciation retreats at the Global White Lion Protection Trust in the Timbivati under the guidance of Graham Saayman, author of Hunting with the Heart: A Vision Quest to Spiritual Emergence (2007). Graham's approach of being in the Wilderness and engaging with Nature is that of entering the mythological Dream Time where each visit to the Lions was approached as a waking dream. Deciphering possible symbolic meanings for our personal and collective Psyche in this manner is similar to the Shamanic approach of viewing all animal encounters as sign or communication from the Spirit world. I have been a member of a fortnightly Dream appreciation group led by Graham Saayman since early 2013. During these meetings we discuss possible meanings of our personal dreams in terms of communications from Psyche and the (personal and collective) Unconscious or Archetypal structures. I have been recording and tracking my own dreams for over 25 years.
The mythology of the white lions as the most sacred animal in Africa speaks of a call for an awakening of consciousness and for true ethical leadership. The Timbavati region of South Africa is the ancestral home of the white lion and seen as sacred land by past African Kings. The name Timbavati in the ancient Shangaan language means, ‘the place where the star lions came down from the heavens’. The lands of Timbavati lies on the longitudinal meridian 31 degrees east of the Greenwich meridian, known as the Nile meridian and also referred to as "Zep Tepi", translated as “the beginning of time”. It is associated with the emergence of life on the planet, according to the “Great Knowledge” accessed by Sangomas, or African Shamans. Among the lion shamans of Africa, it is believed that white lions were the first animals to be created and they will be the last to roar at the end of time. If you follow the Nile meridian north, it runs straight through ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the massive megalithic site associated with Lion lore and takes us straight to great Sphinx of ancient Egypt
(Extract from my paper presented at IAJS 2017 Conference - The Spectre of the Other.)
I have a keen interest in ancient civilizations, mythology and shamanism as I believe that we have much to learn from our collective past and alternative belief systems. We may understand ourselves better if we know where we come from, not only as individuals, but also as the human race.
Modern man has lost touch with meaning systems, healing practices and rituals which were highly significant for ancient civilizations. In Memories, Dreams and Reflections (p. 247-253) Jung (1962) described a visit to the United States where he met with Indians of New Mexico and in his conversations with Ochwiay Biano, Jung understood that Ochwiay Biano’s sense of himself as a son of the sun was cosmologically meaningful, providing him with a proper ‘place in the great process of being’ (Sabini, 2001, p. 49).
A personal passion of mine is the White Lions of the Timbivati.
During May 2016 and March 2018 I had the privilege to attend Dream Appreciation retreats at the Global White Lion Protection Trust in the Timbivati under the guidance of Graham Saayman, author of Hunting with the Heart: A Vision Quest to Spiritual Emergence (2007). Graham's approach of being in the Wilderness and engaging with Nature is that of entering the mythological Dream Time where each visit to the Lions was approached as a waking dream. Deciphering possible symbolic meanings for our personal and collective Psyche in this manner is similar to the Shamanic approach of viewing all animal encounters as sign or communication from the Spirit world. I have been a member of a fortnightly Dream appreciation group led by Graham Saayman since early 2013. During these meetings we discuss possible meanings of our personal dreams in terms of communications from Psyche and the (personal and collective) Unconscious or Archetypal structures. I have been recording and tracking my own dreams for over 25 years.
The mythology of the white lions as the most sacred animal in Africa speaks of a call for an awakening of consciousness and for true ethical leadership. The Timbavati region of South Africa is the ancestral home of the white lion and seen as sacred land by past African Kings. The name Timbavati in the ancient Shangaan language means, ‘the place where the star lions came down from the heavens’. The lands of Timbavati lies on the longitudinal meridian 31 degrees east of the Greenwich meridian, known as the Nile meridian and also referred to as "Zep Tepi", translated as “the beginning of time”. It is associated with the emergence of life on the planet, according to the “Great Knowledge” accessed by Sangomas, or African Shamans. Among the lion shamans of Africa, it is believed that white lions were the first animals to be created and they will be the last to roar at the end of time. If you follow the Nile meridian north, it runs straight through ruins of Great Zimbabwe, the massive megalithic site associated with Lion lore and takes us straight to great Sphinx of ancient Egypt
(Extract from my paper presented at IAJS 2017 Conference - The Spectre of the Other.)
One of my meditative practices - building cairns in forest streams
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My dog, Shakti, and I, with whom I take long walks in the surrounding forests of Cape Town
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One of my favourite ways to get rid of stress. Drumming!
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