Category Archives: Human Wildlife Coexistence

Africa, Birth Place, Creativity, Extraordinary Voices, Human Wildlife Coexistence, Nature, Storytelling, Values, Wildlife Conservation

Odyssey of my Wild Heart: A Journey of Trust, Light and Magic

A couple of years ago, I made a promise to the Universe: I would learn to trust my intuition. This commitment set me on a transformative journey, one that has allowed me to reconnect with the calm, clear voice of my authentic self, separate from ego. My Year of Trust in 2022 was filled with dreams fulfilled and crucial lessons in balancing what I can create and what I allow to unfold.

As I moved into 2023, I embraced the themes of Light and Love, further deepening my soul journey. This year was about finding balance in how I love and embracing my true self—what I like to call my Sunshine Reflected. I chose love over fear, which has led to an incredible synergy and abundance in my life, allowing me to live my Dream Life fully.

In this space of Love and Light, the Universe introduced me to an unexpected muse, a soul connection rich with love, radical authenticity, wisdom and insight. This relationship, along with those of my Soul Tribe, has illuminated my path, revealing that my creativity is my Soul Gift and Great Purpose. I’ve come to appreciate the significance of my identity as a Conservation Storyteller.

My belief in the energy that connects all things is strong. Tapping into this cosmic energy fuels my intuition and instinct, guiding me to seek wisdom from both Nature (Mother Earth) and the Universe (Sky Father). This reflection inspired my thoughts for 2024—an exploration of the concept of Reclaiming Wild. Drawing inspiration from Ian McCallum’s poetry, I aim to embrace the ideas of Wildness and Wilderness as integral to my soul’s vocabulary, reflecting my connection to Nature and the seasons of my life.

Wilderness
Have we forgotten that wilderness is not a place,
but a pattern of soul where every tree, every bird and beast is a soul maker?
Have we forgotten that wilderness is not a place
but a moving feast of stars, footprints, scales and beginnings?
Since when did we become afraid of the night and that only the bright stars count?
or that our moon is not a moon unless it is full?
By whose command were the animals
through groping fingers, one for each hand, reduced to the big and little five?
Have we forgotten that every creature is within us
carried by tides of earthly blood and that we named them?
Have we forgotten that wilderness is not a place,
but a season and that we are in its final hour?
Ian McCallum

With Trust and Light as my foundation, I embarked on a reclaiming of my Wild and Untamed self. This journey has been about embracing my Wild Heart and empowering the sacred feminine and divine masculine within me. By reconnecting with my authentic self, I can live wholeheartedly and fulfil my Great Purpose.

As I reclaim my internal Wild, I hope to be more in tune with Nature, allowing this spiritual rewilding to enhance my contribution to the Conservation Collective I’m part of. This group is dedicated to physical rewilding as a Nature-based solution for the environmental and social challenges we face.

Rewilding is a messy, real, and imperfect process—much like Nature itself. It teaches us to embrace the beauty in imperfection and understand what it means to be human. In this journey, I am excited to embrace my magic and the happy wanderer within me, which I have dubbed the Odyssey of My Wild Heart.

The next phase of this journey is a physical one, focused on my purpose as a Conservation Storyteller. It’s about collecting stories that convey the Geography of Soul—capturing what it means to be profoundly connected to the spirit of place. This narrative intertwines community with ecosystems, aiming for human-wildlife coexistence.

The term Geography of Soul, a phrase that continues to whisper to me as my Odyssey takes shape, encapsulates the essence of my exploration. As best as I can define it right now, it combines the study of the earth with the spiritual and emotional aspects of our existence. This odyssey is both a physical and internal journey, studying the stories written into the earth’s surface, shaped by Nature and human actions.

Much of this journey leads me back home to Mzansi, where I feel a deep spiritual connection to the land, its wild places, and its people. I have long envisioned articulating the extraordinary voices of ordinary individuals in this land, capturing the wildness, beauty, struggles, and paradoxes of life here.

Practically, this means spending weeks and months immersed in the communities of my Soul Tribe to gather their tales. I’ll begin sharing snippets on my platforms and gradually build these stories into a book format. The chapters I’ve already drafted consist of love letters inspired by my journey towards Love Lightly—a commitment to choose love over fear.

My Wildhearted Odyssey has already begun. A soft launch of sorts during last year and some magical time spent in Eshowe, Zululand as well as a whole month on the road in November – Kruger to Hoedspruit to Dullstroom. The next chapter began this month settling into a new home in the bush in my new Hluhluwe Happy Place.

As we move into 2025, I’m drawn to the concept of Magic—an enchanting tapestry that invites connection with the mystical. As a Lightworker and Wayfinder, I celebrate the power of authenticity, and this journey into Magic encourages us to stay present and revel in our Wildness. The playful spirits of fairies, the wisdom of witches, and the teachings of druids all guide us toward healing and reconnection with our wild spirits.

This Odyssey of My Wild Heart is not just a recent development; it traces back to my childhood, echoing an ancient belief in the immortal journey of the soul. I’ve learned that my purpose is to shine light into the world, embracing both the sweetness and the bitterness of life.

Dear Heart, remember that your love story began before you were born. You were called to bring light into the world, to witness and speak truth. Embrace the light that shines in shadow, and let your journey be one of love—lightly, freely, embracing the wild and untamed. Love to infinity… Me xx

As I venture forth, I remain values-grounded, committed to kindness, courage, creativity, and authenticity. In the wild and untamed places, I find purity and a sense of belonging, learning how to be in harmony with the world around me. Deep within me, a Wild Heart resonates with Mother Earth, pulsating to the primal rhythms of Nature. This dance of divine masculine and sacred feminine harmonises strength with sensitivity, inviting me to embrace my imperfections. Each step I take is a celebration of authenticity, reminding me that growth flows naturally with the changing seasons.

Join me as I embark on this adventure, exploring the Geography of Soul and the profound connection we share with the land, its people, and its Wildness. Together, let’s celebrate the essence of Storytelling and the Magic that binds us all.

Dreaming, Extraordinary Voices, Grace, Gratitude, Human Wildlife Coexistence, Joy, Nature, Reflection, Storytelling, Travel, Values, Wildlife Conservation

Reclaiming Wild

Wilderness

Have we forgotten
that wilderness is not a place,
but a pattern of soul
where every tree, every bird and beast
is a soul maker?

Have we forgotten
that wilderness is not a place
but a moving feast of stars,
footprints, scales and beginnings?

Since when
did we become afraid of the night
and that only the bright stars count?
or that our moon is not a moon
unless it is full?

By whose command
were the animals
Through groping fingers,
One for each hand,
Reduced to the big and little five?

Have we forgotten
That every creature is within us
carried by tides
of earthly blood
and that we named them?

Have we forgotten
that wilderness is not a place,
but a season
and that we are in its
final hour?

Ian McCallum

It was a very cold August morning as we set off before sunup on our routine morning drive around the reserve. I grabbed my favourite merino wool blanket scarf at the last minute before the vehicle left base. It was only when we got back to camp I realised the scarf was gone. As the sun rose and the morning warmed up, we all slowly delayered. I had folded up the scarf and tucked in behind me on the seat but it must have slipped out as we negotiated the bumpy dirt tracks of the reserve. It had been a risk to take the scarf along, I knew it at the time.

Two days later, on another morning drive, this time in the middle of my wildlife track and sign test, we rounded a corner and there on the side of the road was my scarf! Not all in one piece though. I had a little help gathering up all the damp scraps of wool, dirt and vegetation encrusted and smelling distinctly wild. Back at base I laid them all out trying to put the wool scarf puzzle back together. Turned out only one small section was missing!

Hyena tracks were all around the scene of the scarf wreckage so the conclusion was that younger members of the reserve’s clan had found my scarf and had a good old play. Some of the holes in bits of scarf look very much like bite marks and the centre of the scarf was ripped by claws.

The pieces of my favourite scarf were carefully packed away as my year of adventure and wandering continued.

As I have settled into my homecoming these past months, I have found time to stitch the hyena-mauled scarf back together. It as been a soulful experience and given me pause to reflect and meditate on Wild, Wildness and Wilderness.

Recently, my mom reminded me about the incredibly inspiring words of Ian McCallum. I started this post with his poem, Wilderness. I can’t express just how much his words resonate with me. I have such a Wild Heart and consider myself a bit of Wildhearted Revolutionary.

In the world of biodiversity conservation, Rewilding has become the latest in a long line of buzz words. We associate this concept as a good thing – a nature-based solution for tackling the environmental and social ills of our time.

But Wild, Wildness and Wilderness are terms very often having negative connotations such inhospitable, lack of discipline or restraint, lack of sound reasoning, neglected or abandoned or a position of disfavour, badlands or wastes.

Today I reclaim Wild, Wildness and Wilderness as part of my Soul’s vocabulary – a way of expressing true nature-connectedness, a pattern of my Soul, my Soul Maker and the season I now find myself in living my Dream Life. I claim my Wildheartedness. I claim my Wildness. I claim back Wilderness for me and all my Soul Tribe.

Stitching my hyena-ripped scarf back together has become a symbol for me of my connection to Wild and Wilderness. My own metaphor for the journey I am on, connecting me to where I have been and where I am now.

A little bit of encouragement today to reclaim your Wildness 🖤

Find your peace in true Wilderness 🖤

Adventure, Africa, Birth Place, Christmas, Creativity, Current Events, Extraordinary Voices, Family, Girl Empowerment, Gratitude, Human Wildlife Coexistence, Nature, Sustainability, Traditions, Travel, Wildlife Conservation

Heritage

I have been reflecting on Heritage a lot this month. Heritage can be defined as something transmitted by or acquired from a predecessor, something possessed as a result of one’s natural situation or birth or simply, tradition.

As yet another Covid-19 lockdown forces me and mine into this weird isolation and I think about how to fill my time, I have baked and cooked and begun traditional prep of Christmas a lot earlier than I normally would. This is me falling back on family heritage, tapping into inherited ritual and tradition to help me feel anchored at this time of ongoing uncertainty.

Granny Sybil’s famous Christmas Mince.

I have been teaching online for the past 6 weeks or so. When I think about the legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic and its affect on this generation I worry about what they’ve inherited. Is it okay to spend this much time “online” to learn, to work, to socialise? While I can see how under these current circumstances it is better to have the technology than not, I do wonder what the long term outcomes of this will be on the emotional wellbeing of this generation.

Probably the biggest regret I have is that I am part of a generation who has left future generations a weary and depleted planet. Not completely broken, I hope, but thinking about heritage in this way keeps me highly motivated to make a change for sustainability in whatever ways I can.

24 September is an annual celebration of South African heritage. As a South African I have been profoundly influenced by my country’s natural and cultural heritage, for good and growth.

In a hopeful step, short term and long term, I have begun preparations to return to South Africa in 2022. I am thrilled to be joining the Rise of the Matriarch Expedition – an all-female adventure across South Africa to raise awareness and funds for the plight of Mama Africa’s wildlife. The ROTM crew will engage with local communities especially children on the human-wildlife issue and distribute Wonderful Wildlife Booklets (that I developed content for). We will connect with anti-poaching groups, visit conservation groups and schools, and meet with incredible women who are doing remarkable things at a grassroots level to assist in conservation efforts.

Ecowarrior and founder of the Blue Sky Society Trust, Carla Geyser, is the expedition leader of the 2022 Rise of the Matriarch Expedition .

In 2016, she led South Africa’s first all-female conservation expedition from Southern Africa to Kenya. They drove 15 787km over 100 days through 10 countries to help stem the tide of poaching. The crew of 13 “she-roes” raised nearly R300 000 for various conservation projects, drew widespread continental attention to elephant poaching crisis, distributed 20 000 conservation educational booklets to children and provided support to 37 wildlife organisations along the way.

In September 2018 she headed out again and lead another all-female crew. This time  across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to raise awareness about the contentious human-wildlife conflict. Another very successful Rise of the Matriarch expedition.

I joined Carla on a Journey with Purpose expedition in 2019 for a boots-on-the-ground experience with Elephants Alive. I can’t wait to get back on the road with Carla in her Landy, Dora, next year. #LadyinaLandy

And so, I introduce Pelo Tales. – my Heart Art fundraiser for this expedition.

“Pelo” is heart in Setswana.

My art is an expression of the deeply creative connection I have to pure spaces, to beauty and most especially to Nature. Each painting represents a Heart Moment and so a little Pelo Tale to accompany it.

This is a series of canvases I painted during Covid-19 related lockdowns in 2020. Having to make do with what I had to hand and in the spirit of sustainability, each canvas has been recycled. Perfect in their imperfections and certainly one of a kind.

All the proceeds from the sale of my Heart Art goes towards the Rise of the Matriarch expeditions 2022. More details on the fundraising side of things coming soon.

In the meantime, I will be sharing some Pelo Tales here over the coming weeks in anticipation of wonderful adventures to come and in the spirit of sharing the heritage I am so inexpressibly grateful for 🖤

Africa, Education, Extraordinary Voices, Girl Empowerment, Grace, Human Wildlife Coexistence, Nature, Reflection, Storytelling, Sustainability, Values, Wildlife Conservation

August is for Elephants

A special bull elephant friend I got to know when I lived in the heart of the Okavango Delta

I love elephants. These majestic beings know things about living on this earth…. the kinds of things I believe we have lost touch with in our mostly urban pursuits.

I have had the absolute privilege of sharing space with elephants. A couple of whom I have got to know quite well, I flatter myself.

They are as unique in character as we are. They have their good days and their bad just like us…. and I truly believe they have a sense of humour.

The photos above show one such ellie. A charming character who would share our Okavango Delta island a months each year while the marula fruit were around to enjoy. One day a tree came down over our office/storeroom scattering marula fruit throughout the little enclosed courtyard. As afternoon descended he approached the office, low rumbling to let us know he was there. Leaving me no time to vacate the office, he squeezed through a small gap between the buildings making his way into the little courtyard. He proceeded to find every single marula he could on the roof, on the ground, carefully maneuvering around this small enclosed space. After a half hour or so of foraging he made ready to leave through the same gap he had came through. This took him past the open office door where I was sitting quite still, overwhelmed by the moment. I hadn’t noticed the marula that had rolled on to the floor inside the office just a few feet from where I was sitting. He paused his head filling the door space. He lifted his trunk and sniffed, then turning his head slightly he gave a long look. It took probably just a moment but to me it was a MOMENT. Then quite calmly he pushed his whole head through the doorway into the office, reached out his trunk and took the marula fruit near my feet. A sideways movement to get his head back out the door, he took the gap between the buildings and melted into the twilight.

He was surrounded by humans and human structures that entire time. He knew we meant him no harm. He just wanted those delicious marula fruit.

I will remember that incredible moment as long as I live. A treasured memory I hold close.

To me a world without elephants is unthinkable. Unfortunately, they face ongoing challenges sharing a world with humanity.

Luckily I am not the only one who loves elephants. In fact, there is an incredible conservation collective who have dedicated their lives to elephant conservation.

This weekend on Saturday 8 August a first in elephant conservation is taking place – a virtual elephant collaring! From the comfort of your couch you can get a front row seat to experience what happens when elephant are fitted with radio collars to track their movement and gather valuable data to help in their protection and conservation. So exciting! I have booked my ticket! Will you?

Find all the information you need here – Virtual Elephant Collaring – this will let you know who is behind this awe-inspiring project, why it is necessary and how you can be a part of this world first! Get involved!

I don’t think that Carla from the Blue Sky Society, the brains behind this initiative, or Dr Michelle from Elephants Alive planned it this way but World Elephant Day is 12 August! Or perhaps they did. What a fitting way to celebrate all things elephant this year!

Africa, Current Events, Education, Extraordinary Voices, Human Wildlife Coexistence, Nature, Values, Wildlife Conservation

Conservation in Action

18 July…. Mandela Day. I love this quote from the great Madiba. For me, “others” includes all the living beings we share the planet with.

I am in the process of changing some website stuff around. Part of the master action list for Dream 1 in my dream tin 😊

I had not intended posting until the changes had been finalised. But an event is imminent that I just have to share.

If it weren’t for Covid-19, I would right this moment be road tripping my way across Botswana and South Africa on my way to Banhine National Park in Mozambique. The purpose of this journey to take part in a vital “boots on the ground” conservation mission to radio collar elephant – a journey with purpose.

While it is sad not to be able to embark on this adventure, I am so excited that the conservation collective – Elephants Alive, Wildlife Vets, Blue Sky Society and Painted Dog TV – behind this elephant conservation project are going ahead. On 8th August we can join them virtually!

From the comfort of home we can get a rare insight into what this work is like – what a conservation education opportunity!

I realise money is tight in the present circumstances. But a ticket for this once in a lifetime experience is not too dear. And the proceeds will allow elephant conservation of this kind to continue.

Here’s all the information you need:

Book tickets – https://www.quicket.co.za/events/105627-virtual-collaring/#/

Meet the amazing human behind this project – https://www.blueskysociety.org/

Follow Carla from Blue Sky Society on Facebook and Instagram

I’m in…. see you there 💙🐘💙