Indholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2023 #244 i Odyssey Magazine

Though my husband and I had talked about moving to Africa for years, my motivations were still a little murky. Africa definitely held a strong allure but I was also nervous. My husband and I were on the verge of starting a family, my career as an academic researcher and Yoga instructor was finally taking off and my tolerance for freespirited living was starting to feel like a remnant of my 20s. I was 36 and a strong sense of responsibility was kicking in. Nesting. Safety. Security. But though my monkey mind had no trouble in conjuring up an endless stream of doubt— when I closed my eyes, I could see it. My husband and I, in some wildly beautiful setting, camera in one hand, babe in the other. If…

Spiritual Living Heartbreak… This morning, I sit at my computer, hands refusing to do work because there are only hot, fresh tears of grief for my Jewish and Muslim friends, clients and human family. My heart finds no refuge behind the walls of my mind. I used to keep my heart safe behind mind walls of: “It only happens to them. At least we are safe, superior, different and 'other.’ Shame it happens to 'them,’ but at least it is them, not us.” This was a lie my mind often told my heart. I understand it, but it was a lie. After being in an armed robbery years ago, I asked my intuition: “Is my family safe?” Translated wisdom, clear seeing replied: “No. Your family's not safe. Your family is…

Body, Mind, Spirit “I do not believe in the afterlife!” These were the words that resounded in the ears of the show host, with a seriously confused look on her face in utter shock and horror. I furthered my statement with: “Let me explain. I do not believe in an afterlife; I know there's an afterlife.” You see in truth there is a big difference in belief and knowing. Whilst there is a relationship, the two are entirely different. One is like a fable that changes and one is as constant and true as the air you breathe. There is a hidden bridge from knowledge that leads to wisdom and this is knowing. We have to display courage to be able to take the step onto the bridge that leads…

Fiction What do you see from your place? Can you see earth from where you are? Is she crying? Is there the slightest hint of a salt-water tear down near Australia somewhere? Or, is she blubbering? Blubbering near the once haunted woods of Maine? She still turns 'round. This I know. 'Round and 'round so quickly as if to rid herself of the prickly-heated, leather-soled, stomping feet of us. The people who hinder her. How is she viewed by other planets? As cheap? A chippie who always knew she would be? An innocent who was forced to make her living off the lonely, old, desperate men who hold her future? Is she a good one gone wrong? Wrong by being wronged. And wronged unjustly. Saint or sinner? Mother or bitch?…

Eco Planet Summer weather generally makes us more healthconscious as we spend more time outside and make better food choices. It's also an ideal time to embark on a journey towards a healthier lifestyle, both for ourselves and the planet, by choosing organic whenever we shop. Organic is more than just a label; it's a promise of trust and integrity that is firmly rooted in the principles of health, ecology, equity and compassion. The essence of organic farming lies in its guardianship of soil, water and biodiversity – at its heart it is a regenerative and sustainable approach that works with nature, not against it. Organic farming is climate-friendly as it protects the soil, water and ecosystem As growing organically works with nature, it helps support a more ecologically balanced…

Good Reads An unforgettable story about an African journey of a boy, an elephant and the unlikely assortment of other wild animals, big and small, who join their quest. As Zoya, an elephant calf, is left an orphan, Naru, a boy from a nearby village, takes her under his wing to help her find her herd again. Guided by ancient African proverbs, the story by Caroline Montague speaks of the interconnectedness of all species, friendship and generosity. Beautifully illustrated by artist Richie Ryall, this book will appeal to adults and children alike as a compelling tale of companionship, courage and hope in the face of adversity. Zoya and Naru raises awareness of the plight of elephants and promotes harmonious coexistence between elephants and people. The book will reach people around…

Eco Planet Bushmen is a name the last remaining hunter gatherer people of Botswana prefer to be called. To find suitable Bushmen proved to be a difficult task as most have been removed from the lands in which they once roamed free and now have little or no opportunity to maintain their hunter gatherer culture. As a result, they are a culture in transition and facing cultural genocide. I was however fortunate in being able to locate some of the last remaining 'authentic’ Bushmen, not just men, but a full clan, complete with men, women and children. Subsequently time spent with this group in their natural environment stirred something within me. The energy which I became exposed to, charged with joy, laughter, smoke, warmth and love, suggests that this is…

Travel Scotland has been lurking in my peripheral vision as a destination. Especially the standing stones with magical transporting powers that can be found all over this magical and sacred part of the world. The stone circles are regarded as Druid temples, where they gave homage to nature and practised various rituals. I have been wanting to experience the energy of these standing stones for a long time. From the 13th century it had become a female practice. These female Druids were referred to as witches as they used natural plant medicine and had the ability of 'seeing'. I was born with the same kind of legacy and I promise there is nothing romantic about it, but it's hugely rewarding. When I heard about the Isle of Mona, I had…

Relationships With thought leader, Anne-Marie Clulow, founder of Intimacy Coach International Midlife for women is most often advertised and sold within our society as being the end of desirability, sexuality and youth. It catches most of us by surprise, especially through the exhaustion and burnout of motherhood or for those of us who enter it overnight through major surgery. Even for those of us that shift into this process slowly, it doesn't have much societal preparation for us as women, other than jokes and prescriptions! This is the third hormonal fire for the furnace of shift and change in your life as an oestrogen-based being. This is the third major shift and, just like the others, menses and motherhood, is surrounded by myth and often shame within its messy reality.…

Community I recall 30 years ago arriving in London on an au pair opportunity, where I first discovered that I identify as African, as a person from the continent of Africa. It's been a beautiful journey of self-discovery and selfdetermination to carve my parallel reality in a South African context. A former bank manager by profession, with experience in landfill management and a passion for capacity building and community development, I have had the opportunity to work in the ESG space – Environment, Social and Governance – in a variety of industries on the continent. I was certainly not always aware of environmental issues, blindly focused on my banking career, until I could no longer ignore my late husband's voice on repeat, cautioning me in his words: “There will be…

Spotlight on: Conscious Conservation For without Nature and our natural world guiding us and filling our souls, what would we be? As an anthropologist, I am fascinated by humans. It's humbling to be able to observe and unpack the complex and fascinating dynamic of what it means to be human – and to explore the intimate links between people and nature, nature and people. Given today's environmental challenges, it's important never to forget that human passion and innovation can give rise to the most incredible opportunities to help save our planet, preserve all species and protect biodiversity. And hopefully rescue ourselves at the same time. We may be part of the problem, but equally, we are part of the solution. But why rhinos? How can it be possible for a…

Health If someone had told me five years ago that I would experience death's shadow and emerge with a newfound purpose, I wouldn't have believed them. My life was a tapestry of success, a vibrant blend of being a natural health practitioner, owning a bustling health shop and launching two successful health products. With a loving husband, two wonderful kids and a cosy suburban home, life couldn't have been more fulfilling. I cherished my profession, my family and the place I held in life. Little did I know that, early in 2018, a colossal medical crisis would shatter my health and the serene picture I had painted for myself. It was a sunny Friday morning in April when the unthinkable happened. A sharp, unexplainable pain pierced through my stomach as…

Health According to studies on PubMed, the prevalence of haemorrhoids is 4.4 per cent in the general population, worldwide. Although, on the Johns Hopkins Medicine website, it is stated that about 50 per cent of all people will have haemorrhoids by the time they turn 50. Why are so few people talking about it? Is it due to shame about the area affected or is it because we feel alone and don't realise how many people struggle with it? Haemorrhoid symptoms are different for everyone and can range from slight discomfort to itching, bleeding and severe pain. It can have devastating effects on your sexual health, intimacy, social wellness, quality of life, as well as overall health and happiness. My journey for getting the HALO (haemorrhoidal arterial ligation operation) started…

“Our mission is to ensure the survival of elephants and their habitats and to promote the harmonious coexistence of elephants and people.” For more than 28 years, Elephants Alive has been guided by the principle: To go wherever the elephants lead us. This allows us to be flexible so that our programmes can evolve and adapt organically as elephants have led us across four countries during their travels. With science as our compass and elephants as our guide, we have chartered a new model that benefits both elephants and communities: Offering elephants the security they need, whilst simultaneously diversifying farmers’ income and increasing their food security. Our goal is to protect elephants’ lives and peoples’ livelihoods while we bolster human-elephant coexistence. Our journeys in the footsteps of elephants have not…

Eco Planet DE TUIN was a large Baster (Bastaard) settlement in the Northern Cape, which existed between 1863 and 1868. The story is told in a little more detail in the introduction to the Rehoboth Baster State in the next chapter of the book Dreams & Dust (link on page 84). Suffice to say here that in 1864, a group of Basters left De Tuin and trekked with their leader Dirk Vilander to settle in 1865 an area that now spans the borders of Namibia and South Africa and lies immediately south of the present Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park – which itself spans another international border and combines the adjoining Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa and the Gemsbok National Park in Botswana. It's a very dry area and the…

Community In this world so focused on continuous upgrade, never ending improvement and self-improvement, how often do you stop and think, I am doing well. I am okay. I am doing all right. Not as a one-second half-pat on the back, but as a path and a way of life. We are so often told that loving kindness and compassion are the key. And we immediately take this to be something we extend to others. That is of course, good and admirable and a wonderful aspiration to work towards, but how much time do we spend being kind and loving to ourselves? How often do we congratulate ourselves on our choices and decisions and for doing well? When do we consider things to be fine? To embrace the rightness of…

Spirit I AM Diana, Goddess of Light. Once again you face a time of self-illumination, standing in front of your pillars of self-reflection, recognition and development. Your earth continually faces frequencies of discontent which humanity sows around their lives, importantly at your place of daily experience, or 'work'. Perhaps to some a 'four letter’ word, it is your place of daily experience! The objective when transitioning from your place of living to your place of earning, is to 'experience’ the energy for what it is, thereby face your pillar of self-recognition at all times. Some suffer because of personality interests. Because of the total obliviousness of humanity in general evident everywhere, those that 'lead’ often undergo a 'personality change’ between that which they leisure and that which they should treasure,…

“Through life, I want to walk gently. I want to treat all of life – the earth and its people – with reverence. I want to remove my shoes in the presence of holy ground. As much as possible, I want to walk in peace. I want to walk lightly, even joyfully, through whatever days I am given. I want to laugh easily. I want to step carefully in and out of people's lives and relationships. I don't want to tread any heavier than necessary. And throughout life, I think I would like to walk with more humility and less anger, more love and less fear. I want to walk confidently, but without arrogance. I want to walk in deep appreciation. I want to be genuinely thankful for life's extravagant,…

Community The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, “ to match your nature with Nature. Joseph Campbell, mythologist My last conscious memory last night was of embracing my tiredness and gratefully drifting off to sleep as I was lulled by the rhythmic breathing and blowing of a nearby mother whale and her baby. What a gift to be spending time in a friend's seaside home immediately alongside the Walker Bay Nature Reserve, a few minutes’ drive from Hermanus, the Cape holiday resort that sells itself as one of the world's best whale-watching sites. This morning I awakened not to the sounds of whales, but to birdsong, meeting seagulls, cormorants and oystercatchers on my early morning walk down to the nearest beach and the…

Body, Mind, Spirit It refers to a persistent feeling of self-doubt and the belief that one's success is merely due to luck or external factors rather than one's skills or abilities. Those expriencing imposter syndrome often believe that they will be exposed as frauds at any moment. One is left feeling like a fraudulent imposter despite actual competence and accomplishments. This psychological condition can manifest in various ways, often undermining self-esteem and hindering personal growth. It is confusing to have these feelings of inadequacy when there is so much evidence and acknowledgment that proves to the contrary. Recently I shared a small snippet from a talk I did on the topic and the response was overwhelming; most people said: “You're describing me, I just didn't know how to explain it.”…

Body, Mind, Spirit There is a great little story which shows the importance of being real, genuine or authentic. Here is an extract from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco, which explains this in a delightful way: “Real isn't how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but really loves you, then you become real.” “Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are real you don't mind being hurt.” “Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?” “It doesn't happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You…

Community Crawl to the piano if I must, experience beauty, celebrate it and always remember to laugh! That is the spine of my soul. I just absolutely adore that I play for a living! I played a little rugby at school because I strive for balance. Playing piano can be lonely, whereas rugby is a team effort. If I never played rugby, I wouldn't have treated my audience as my team to this day. We are in it together. We win, lose and always stick together. I wasn't a good rugby player, but that's also important; do stuff that you are bad at or at most mediocre at. Life is lekker and has a whole spectrum of colour. My Dad, Toby, taught me to play chess. Another black and white…

Health Introduction The science of joy is the meeting place of epigenetics, brain/neuroplasticity and our happy biochemical hormones, neurotransmitters, a.k.a. information substances. The emotion of joy cannot be forced or relentlessly searched for in the external world. It is an inside 'job’, allowing the emotion and physical sensation of joy simply to open up within us, where it resides eternally, waiting patiently for us to open our hearts to it with ease and grace. The mind has complete influence over the body. We have to choose every moment to change our minds from health-harming thoughts to health-enhancing ones, moving from the subconscious mind with past programming based on past experiences, to the superconscious mind with higher awareness to guide and govern our lives and cellular expression. It becomes clear that…

CONCIOUS PARENTING VOCABULARY CD4+T Cells Differentiation and Functions CD4+T cells are crucial in achieving a regulated effective immune response to pathogens. The CD4+T cells carry out multiple functions, ranging from activation of the cells of the innate immune system, Blymphocytes, cytotoxic T cells, as well as nonimmune cells, and also play critical role in the suppression of immune reaction. The control of immune responses is important for proper functioning of the immune system and necessary to avoid immunopathology, largely manifesting as allergic and autoimmune diseases. Interleukin 4 (IL-4) plays a pivotal role in shaping the nature of the immune responses. Upon activation, naïve peripheral CD4+ T cells begin to synthesise and secrete cytokines. These cytokines serve as autocrine growth and differentiation factors and, as a consequence, naïve T cells proliferate and…

Body, Mind, Spirit There is chaos in the hearts of man. And our chaos spreads like a virus into the natural world, resulting in species extinction and unimaginable environmental destruction. It's hard to conceive of war on the level of World War One and Two, with millions of deaths and untold destruction. As we witness the recent wars in Gaza and Ukraine, we are all called to ponder the question of 'Why'? And is it necessary to resort to violence in order to be seen and heard? How can we fulfil our role as custodians of this planet and rightful guardians of the plant and animal worlds? It is clear that we need to face our own darkness and explore our inner shadows meticulously and be aware of what we…

Good Reads A rash of republican dreams spread across the face of South Africa in the centuries. Here you'll discover the barely-believable and little-known sagas of 58 African, Boer, Griqua and multinational republics (and one imperial pimple) with only one thing in common – they never lasted long. Except for one. Maybe two. Then there are the equally-fascinating additional 20 fictional states. Azania, Bapetikosweti, Fook, Wakanda, Zuidland – and the rest. They all have compelling stories. They all have contributed to the messed-up map of this complicated country. They all have something to teach us The recently released Dreams & Dust by author Alex Stone, an artist, inventor, poet, sailor, sculptor and writer based on Te Motu Ara-i-roa Waiheke Island, 12 nautical miles into the morning sun from Tāmaki Makaurau…

Body, Mind, Spirit Hold it, that's where it all comes to a screeching halt. J O Y??? We certainly love the idea, we yearn for that experience but it has become this Utopia in our minds which we often do not dare to go towards, for it is absolutely petrifying. For if we ever feel and create this state of being, what if it is taken away? What if it is not maintainable? What if people judge and abandon me for not sitting in constant misery with them? But the biggest fear is – vulnerability. In a world in which survival is the order of the day, vulnerability is our Achilles heel, which we will avoid at all cost. We are in constant protection mode and have developed all kind…