Follow the Journey ☩𓀙𓃦☉
So there I was, standing firmly on rugged ground, watching a world move around me, one familiar and exotic, both alien and near. Travels in Africa are born of a simple human desire to connect more deeply with the earth we inhabit. We all just want to see the Milky Way when we look up [...]
"...And now your eyes see it... layers of memory are ushered away to reveal kingdoms tasted in dreams long ago... Canyons of orange and beige roll down into empty dells of rust and bone; dusted staircases and shattered statues licked with gold. Pillars of alabaster split the horizon and strange mountains rise like chiselled breasts, mocking the sky. Kingfishers glide across braided ripples of copper and blue; crown of Ramses emblazoned by the fire of a sleepy star. Finally this land reaches out a hand to you, as time itself stops... a secret mark passed from the heavens kisses your brow. You have held all of this within your heart from the earliest days of boyhood. Even you had forgotten! This magical place. Land of kings, sand and stars. Your dreams upheld, an offering to the righteous sun; arms quivering. Swollen and full, you gasp. This is really happening. You are really here. The inner river finally reaches the outer shore; all tributaries aligned with the wide arms of the great valley..."
Deep, in the Bush, this kind of Africa still lives, where children run barefoot in the dust to the pounding of stone and millet, where the voices of ancestors still echo across the sunburnt hills, where the red sun hums like a glowing ember behind the billowing grey choke of campfires, blades are sharpened each morning to the tremble of the dawn chorus, arrowheads are delicately rolled in poisonous weeds by thick cracked hands, and grounded bark and pollens remain the cure-all for every disease and ailment. Here, fading gently with time, the cradle of mankind's legacy on earth waits, waits for hungry passengers of the cosmic drama to dine on its forgotten nectars and deliver its message to a world bereft of a spirit...
Life, is surely more than what we are lead to believe? A journey is only really a journey if you’re moving. Perhaps we are asleep now, and the real story has yet to be written… Or maybe we just need to take the reins and get writing.
We must always be strong, we must always be faithful, we must always forgive, and love. For the One who we follow is not all the things of this world; He is One thing... He is love.
My time in the Gambia, West Africa, was met by different energies. Some dark, some bright. A chiaroscuro crosshatch of contrasting light. I was helped across the border by a self-professed prophet, crossed the mighty river, was harassed by local scammers, kissed an adult crocodile, got caught-up with a python, danced naked in tropical rains, [...]
Many golden suns have circled the arc of the sky and your time in this magical land is nearly coming to an end... You have been welcomed into this coastal realm by all her people, you walked her sandy shores arm in arm, traversed her rocky plains and her dusty cities under her guidance, you [...]
Dear Desmond. My little Desmond.My perfect little fragile boy. It's me. I can see me there, reflected in your eyes.A black shadow... colour faded... I think about you every single day.I remember the smell of your afro hair, the sound of your giggling voice, the feel of your skinny legs wrapped around my shoulders, your hand [...]
As the taxi turned the corner, heavy and slow (as somehow we'd managed to squeeze in about eight passengers into a five-seater (of course, this is Africa)) the Adaklu Mountain first came into view. The air was hazy, heavy and humid, swirling vultures and black eagles the only thing breaking up the patchy white and blue [...]
"Through the eyes of a child you will see the world just as it ought to be" - unknown. Welcome to Ghana, West Africa - a country with a people so open, welcoming, soulful, you will instantly find yourself in the arms of one great family. This is a story about my African family, and [...]
How the Lord has blessed me with a life of distinction! As I take the narrow gate, this beautiful and heart-breaking existence, I look back, remember, recall, celebrate the many colours and emotions of my journey... and what a journey! Thank you to all those who have helped me along the way. There has been [...]