It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for, and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.( the Invitation)

The dry hot wind blew down on us in the dried river bed of the Chewore River, in the near distance a male lion sits with his females , sparing us a glance, he looks away disdainfully, arrogantly. 

This beautiful harsh place is beyond modern understanding in many ways, it is simply natural and mostly untouched. Life is tough and uncomplicated, which is fearful for most humans, as its just too real, there is a silence here that is beyond pure. 
I feel life coursing through my veins as  I observe some of the most breathtaking scenery, this really does it for me! The senses are heightened as I keep focused on the Jesse and the thickets lining the edge of the river, 'This is Africa' resonates strongly  in my mind, repetitively and I think back to when as a  younger man, I listened in awe of the tales of Africa and its inhabitants. The fables of the ancients and the beliefs and  legends, this is the core of my very  being.

As we walk toward Mariatsoro Spring, the energy is powerful, looking up at the steep walls of the gorge, I try and think back to when the ancient people occupied caves here  - I think about how much it has changed  or not changed in the last 100 years.

Perhaps not at all ? 

The spoor of countless Buffalo , elephant and lion amongst others create a parquet pattern in the dried sand, like the movement of the years gone by  the stream of water from the spring runs toward the great Zambezi River many miles away to the North. 
The ambiance is tangible, and in this quiet moment I feel the memories and stories of our own lives play like some movie in our minds, each meander the water takes signifying how life changes and new directions are taken, like the spoor in the sand we are marked and scarred by the events in life that we have encountered. 
In the silence as we walk up through the walls of the gorge, we can hear the voices on the wind talking to us, the whispered  words that trigger our senses into the present .

Somewhere close by in thickets in the jesse a group of Elephants move on a path led by the Matriarch, gently browsing, trusting in an instinct that has been a part of their make up since time began, intuitively they understand the paths to follow in life and adapt to the seasons, great wisdom reflected in their eyes.

Around the bend in the river bed the lions start to call, the energy of this awe inspiring sound drifted down the river bed toward us, it seems that the moment freezes, a moment to take your breath away.

The privilege of life knows no bounds, its all about the moment we are in - the world of today is too wrapped up in complicating things. This is where life is real, the feeling of being in the moment is spiritual, and the strength I draw from this is powerful.

Take a moment, walk where the animals walk, listen to the voices in the wind and above all listen to your soul.

Now more than ever we need to preserve, the life of Africa is being squeezed from her very veins, and its time for us to stand for what is true.

 The patchwork of Africa , the prints in the sand that tell the stories of so much !

The Wild 

Oil on Canvas 

120 x 80 cm 

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the center of the fire with me and not shrink back.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.(the Invitation)