DAY SIX – 22 October

A long, bumpy, dusty road with stops at a Masai Boma for demonstrations. We had the wonderful opportunity to visit with the children of the Masai and were met with huge smiles and excitement from all of them! carol-with-children-at-masai-camp

Sandy received a proposal of marriage by the single guy who showed her one of the smoky mud huts.  sandy-and-masaiTo our delight, she declined and hopped back in the truck with us! Then off to Odovai Gorge to that rather fascinating museum documenting the ancient finds of the evolution of modern humanoid, findings of the Leakey’s and their foundation.  FACT: Also a bit about the Japanese explorer who retraced the route from Africa (Tanzania) to the tip of South America on foot, bike, local transport keeping him as connected to the earth and cultures along the way as possible. Then off to continue the long drive to enter the Serengeti park.serengeti-national-park-sign

Philip (our wonderful guide/driver) took us off the beaten tracks where fewer autos rumbled by in a cloud of dust.  We were rewarded with lovely looks at the outcropping of rocks formed by old mountains, worn by time.  FACT: The plains surrounding us were created as a result of 9 volcanic eruptions leaving a massive flat plain of layers of ash and soil.  The outcrops make perfect homes for all sorts of critters from hyrax to lizards, birds, lions, cheetah, and so forth. lizard

We then did what most drivers do and headed for a place where other safari vehicles were and found it well worth the concession as under a small non-descript shrub… The only one within about a 500 meter radius, was a lovely healthy looking ccheetah-with-babiesheetah mom and 3 darling cubs. Wow, that was a rare sighting as the usual number is 1-2 cubs.  We connected with her and got the sense that there was a 4th cub at one time…a lesson to the youngsters about the fragility of life and need for awareness in the wilds here.  Again, such great validation for everyone. They were perfectly posed with big full bellies. Mom seemed so content and so confident in her life and survival. I must say during the entire trip, we would share moments of silence leading up to one hour at least so we could once again make sure we were all in the present moment.

So when the time came where I would see an animal who would like to communicate, we would stop, ask a question or two and get a response. This was awesome for the group because they were able to do this in the moment and this can be seen as a very advanced skill—to just stop and get a response right away. I was so happy for everyone because they truly connected not only to themselves, which was so important for this trip, but to every being they came upon. So congratulations were in order for the group in every exercise and communication that was asked of them. They were certainly ready for the challenge.

We have lots more to share with you about some of the “actual” communications they received…from a 45-year old male elephant, from the land itself, and from a tree that was rooted within a boulder. After all, this trip was about connecting with all of NATURE, not just the animals.

…entering Seronera area…

We then came upon about 100 elephants.  The matriarch rumbled to call her herd who was broken into groups.  All came telephant-herdogether to bundle up and cross the busy road as a safe group protecting the young. We happened upon a mature male elephant lingering by the roadside after all the females had carefully wandered onward looking diligently after their young ones.  This guy was keen to talk to whomever would connect with him.  I asked the group to keep him in mind and take a photo so we could communicate with him in a group exercise in camp.  It was a lovely experience for all, and I was able to validate all the messages they received.

I will share what I got from this glorious and 45-year-old-elephantwise elephant of 45 years of age. Our general question to him was if he had a message for us humans. I wanted to spend time just being with him to feel his energy and to get a grasp of his core essence/personality. The words I would use to describe him are: strong, wise, old soul, patient, communicator, loves engagement, all-knowing, has seen it all/everything, loves his life, so willing to help, direct, kind, loves opportunity to talk. He saw our energy as being very scattered so he was very willing to help us. This is what I got from him.  I asked him if he had always been a wild animal….this is what he told me:

He has always been wild, but not always an elephant.  He wanted to experience all the different wild bodies in Africa and that is why he says he has seen it all. He was not interested in becoming a domesticated animal because humans are very complicated.

His message for us was:  STOP, SLOW DOWN. It would be helpful for all of you to do what I have done—experience the fullness of life—but you must SLOW DOWN. Watch your energy…SLOW elephant-45-years-oldDOWN, EAT SLOWLY, WALK SLOWLY, TALK SLOWLY….so you can incorporate that into your life. We, animals, are usually present…you need to practice that daily. You can always talk to me. I will be your guide if you’d like. (I got that he could help us with our sense of direction).

The theme to what everybody got from him was to SLOW DOWN.

Here is what Sandy got from this glorious elephant.  We will share the others’ comments as soon as they are received!

My experience went something like this:  I felt him as a very friendly guy, easy going, likable, light hearted, confident but not arrogant.  He stays close with his family through communication, but always by distance.  He can wander quite far and still stay in touch.  He’s thoughtful and loved his herd.  He’s also quite curious about people and longs to connect with them and finds it so joyful when he does on occasion. 

He seemed wise to the world and especially seems to love his larger-than-life body he occupies now.  I got a message saying “there is much goodness in the world” followed by a distinct note of simplicity and availability in the connections between all beings.  Carol confirmed that he’d been all things in his lifetime and carried that knowledge with him.

We were then to ask:  What can he share with us that we humans need to learn?  What came to me first was to “shed the ‘jitters’, the crazy business and spend time ‘being’ in a natural way.  Let the animals in to teach and show me.  Observe, connect.  “Stop and be!” wisdom is all around, we need to listen, to quiet down.  Where we are is where we need to be… so “be!” “Now!”  It’s all good, love, light and joy.