Amy MacLeod shares her experience on Hills of Africa Travel’s exclusive Soul Safari trip:
“‘How can it be so difficult to talk about a trip to South Africa?’ my friends ask me. Profound experiences flooded every day of my Soul Safari. Yet I’m challenged to paint a verbal portrait of the impact this trip has had on my life. There is a soulful depth and breadth to those experiences. There is a quality to the impact of what I saw, felt, tasted, smelled, heard and intuited. The Soul Safari adds up to a life altering experience for me.
I signed up for the Soul Safari because Hills of Africa put together and offered a Safari that included not only a variety of safari events, but also sessions with Ainslie MacLeod, author of The Instruction – Living the Life Your Soul Intended. A Soul Safari! I was thrilled at the prospect of combining wildlife and soul in an organic, eco-conscious environment in both the bush and in the city.
African safari tours
My life, on one of the Canadian Gulf Islands, is peaceful, simple and organic – to the extent that I still chop my own wood, eat food out of local gardens and find a trip to any city exhausting. Obviously, a safari was going to be a bit overwhelming for me, I realized, but I saw that Meredith and Sandy had organized the trip with quality precision and professionalism. Every detail was looked after – I simply had to follow the itinerary.
Being overwhelmed is an understatement. It is breathtaking to experience the energy of lions walking beside the jeep and elephants playing in a mud hole in front of us on the road. My heart nearly burst over the acceptance that these incredible creatures displayed. Something happened to me when I saw wild animals display more dignified acceptance of us than many humans show each other in our world today.
In Cape Town, something happened to me when I felt the energy of Table Mountain. And when I was accepted into a Muslim home where I was invited to help prepare the meal that we shared. And when I saw people living in abject poverty maintain a dignified, welcoming demeanor while sharing who they are so openly. And to see all that they are doing to help their own, and each others’, growth in a variety of healthy ways.
In summary, this was a spiritual experience.
African safari tours
Being back home, if I can be tenacious enough to pick through the profound influences I have been given, I will find threads of new direction. Some threads have revealed themselves sufficiently to be suspect now. These revelatory threads appear slowly, not profoundly. They simply show up when reality hits the road of routine. I hear myself thinking or speaking with a ‘difference’. I don’t want to miss those threads. I ask my soul for the gift of insight and willingness.
Yes, traveling to Africa has been a life altering experience. It’s simply not easy to absorb it all and I am still working on that. I am cocooned in the experiences that bombarded my senses. I am just starting to receive glimpses of inner changes. These changes are still very much under construction!”
From the Pride of Soul Safari 2009,
Amy MacLeod
Hi Amy – wow – so wonderful to read about your experience here. It was indeed wonderful to share our beautiful mountain with you and to meet you. It seemed that there was a wonderful energy with every person on the group. Wishing you a peaceful Xmas and a wonderful new year. Sending lots and lots and lots of love to Canada. Pam
Nice article Amy!
Although I am dutch and pretend to be with two feet in the clay ( in other words not being busy with my soul all the time
) I have to agree with your comments that a trip to Africa, and not only a safari, does change one’s view of the world.
Most Africans are happy people and that tells us that capitalism and consumer goods are not the path to a rich soul and happiness……
Thank you so much Johan. I agree with you and Amy so much, Africa certainly does give us a new perspective on life, and everyone I know and come into contact with that has been to Africa, comes back with a wonderful new attitude and a determination to make a difference. Thank you for commenting, Amy is amazing and she has a desire to tell her story. Go Amy!
Thanks so much Pam, Amy did a great job, she needs to be doing more writing, doesn’t she! Thank you for being the most amazing and wonderful Cape Town & Winelands tour guide in the world.
Amy,
What a beautiful recount of our amazing journey together. Your words brought me to tears. Thank you for having the courage to say “yes” to the Soul Safari, thank you for being such a wonderful energy lifter on our trip together, and thank you for sharing this beautiful rendition of what you experienced. It’s time for you to start a blog!
Thank you for sharing your experience, Amy, and so beautifully expressed. Please let us know when you begin your own blog!
It’s always moving to discover how this place touches people. The joy never fades. Heart-felt thanks to you, Sandy, Meredith, and the rest of the phenomenal Soul Safari group, for Everything – you hold a very special place in our hearts
Naomi & Dave
Thank you so much Amy, for putting such appropriate words to the extraordinary experience we shared on the Soul Safari 2009, and to the process of inner work that we continue to experience!
Hi Amy.
You are without doubt a very special, gentle and magnetic soul. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with you, and have learnt much about living more caringly from you. As a rough and tough South African, I really embraced the spiritual nature of the experience, and truly feel I made many new friends. Thank you for your intervention in my life. I trust the photography is going from strength to strength. Regards, Dave Estment.
Amy, you have succinctly captured the multi-layered experiences that we
all encountered on this most extraordinary of trips, Soul Safari 2009. It
was truly the trip of a lifetime and you masterfully touched on all the wonderfully uniique points of the trip that made it so unforgettable. In
addition to the splendor of Africa and its beautiful landscape, wildlife and warm, welcoming people, we were able to encounter and enjoy.the generous spirit and limitless energy of author Ainslie MacLeod. The
African bush and Cape Town were incredible places to get in touch with
our spirit guides and feel their energies as they worked with each of us
indiviidually and collectively. All of my senses have been opened and
remain so. I have made friends and connections that will last a lifetime!
Amy – you’ve written beautifully with words the experience so many of us felt – I hope you keep writing so we can keep re-experiencing what an amazing, life changing adventure Africa was!
Dear Amy, what a beautiful piece and description of such an amazing experience. I agree that the soul safari was incredibly touching and echo your wish to integrate it into my daily life no matter where I am and what is happening. With continued gratitude, Megan
Dear Amy,It was wonderful to read about your trip! You were always one to observe and drink in your surroundings with great gusto–Remember Europe?? You have also found your calling in writting,you have always been so wonderful at it !! Go shine girl !
Looking forward to more on your adventure.
Thank you to everyone. Are you the teeniest bit aware of the gift you have given me with your encouragement? If you are, you can safely suspect that your generosity has just been…inhaled! x òó x !