Leading from within the web of life
Dusk walk
with Sicelo Mbatha
Friday 28th July 6.45pm - 9.15pm
In the Chiltern Hills, Hertfordshire, England
"I talk to nature...and nature talks back" (Sicelo Mbatha)
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A rare opportunity to take a walk in the English countryside - with an African wilderness guide. Sicelo Mbatha, author of Black Lion, Alive in the Wilderness, is someone immersed in an ongoing conversation with the living Earth. It doesn't matter whether he is in the Simangaliso Wetlands - or a woodland in the heart of England, his relationship with the more than human world shines through and his way of being can help point us towards a deeper relationship with the web of life.
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In this simple, nourishing event, we will gather in the village of Aldbury (40 mins north of London by train) and walk for a couple of hours on the footpaths of the Chiltern Hills in an area of outstanding natural beauty. We'll be walking, much of the time in silence, in the magical hours before sunset when the more than human world is particularly active. Join us for a time of mindfulness and simplicity - listening to the teachings of the earth beneath our feet, the changing skies above us, ancient trees and owls and bats as they come alive in the dusk.
Come and join us - in quiet community with each other, with Earth and with our more than human kin.
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For those who want to stay, we have also reserved the conservatory of the village pub for a drink and a chat afterwards.
Sicelo Mbatha
your guide
Sicelo Mbatha, or Black Lion, is a wilderness guide, founder of Umkhiwane Sacred Pathways. Born into the Zulu tradition, Sicelo has dedicated his life to fostering deep connections between humans and nature, guiding people on healing paths through some of the most spectacular wild areas in South Africa, including the Imfolozi Wilderness, the Simangaliso Wetland and the towering Drakensberg mountains.. He believes that this medicine is needed to heal the world from the wounds of environmental destruction and social injustice. He invites connection with landscape, nature, and soul and shares generously the indigenous wisdom of his people. His work brings people into contact with the spirit of our collective humanness, or ubuntu. Sicelo’s book, Black Lion: Alive in the Wilderness was published in 2021.
How to book
Cost: £22.50
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Logistics: We will meet by the old wooden stocks next to the village pond in Aldbury village at 6.45pm for a walk leaving at 7pm. This is a 15 min walk from Tring railway station, which is 40 mins from Paddington. You'll receive an email a week before the event with more instructions and we'll also try to arrange lifts from the station for those coming by train. If you're driving and willing to help collect people please let us know. The walk finishes around 9.15pm and we have booked the conservatory in the Greyhound (the village pub) for those who'd like to have a drink and a chat afterwards. (We can also arrange for food if enough people want it).
Wear good walking shoes, bring a water bottle and maybe something to sit on if the ground is likely to be damp, bring layers and something warm for the later evening.
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It has been my life's path to rekindle the wildness in all of us
(Sicelo Mbatha)