May/June 2022 Alchemical Voice

PART 2: THE MIGHTY RIVER
We come to a mighty river.
It is a broad estuary and we cannot even see forests or mountains on
the other side.
There are many small islands and shallow streams as we approach it.
A couple of the young strong warriors stride ahead with Kwekwe
going from island to little island to look for a crossing point, but the
main river flows too deep and powerfully.
We decide to make camp and rest and stay until after the next rainy
season when perhaps the river will be slower and shallower.
The older women and men are very glad of the opportunity to rest and
make our makeshift shelters on the little islands. Between us, we
occupy about 20 islands, each with a kinship group of 15 – 30 men,
women and children.
The hunters soon come back with animals for food.
I join them over the next weeks and, in time, three wildebeest hides
make enough shelter for me, my wife and my three kids when we sleep
huddled together in the arms of the night watched by the Moon
Goddess.
A group of elders reserve one island in the midst of the others as the
meeting place. It is the only island with a glee-glee tree. And there are
plentiful scrum-scrum bushes. Only our medicine man, Oo-oowarawara,
lives there. Some of the younger adults are scared of him,
especially when he covers his face and body with mud and makes
strange noises. Some older women mock him as he has never shown
any interest in them. The older men smile and tell the young ones:
“Oh, he’s harmless and sometimes he does speak with the voice of our
ancestor spirits. He really knows what herbs heal a cut. And he is the
best snake-catcher in our tribe.”
Every evening before dusk a group of elders gathers to chew glee-glee
leaves. Some join the medicine man in banging sticks and making
animal noises to call in the spirits and ask for their welcome to this
land and for guidance on how to live, forage and hunt here.
Tonight, I have gathered with them.
I am not yet a full elder but am welcomed when spirit calls me.
Kwekwe is already there.
He always takes part in our ceremonies, but he often leaves the talking
and leaf-chewing to the older men and women. He can get impatient,
especially when they talk at length about the old days.
Kwekwe is always looking to the future. Some call him a “time spirit”.
Do you know what a "time spirit" is?
Will the narrator’s people find a way to overcome the
challenge of the River God?
Read "Part 3: The gods are playing with us" and "Part 4:
Our Medicine Man Speaks" in July/August edition.
Richard Pantlin is the founder of
CareStellations, constellations coaching
with an African twist at a price you can
afford.
Richard works 4 days a week as an NHS
manager in addition to his private
spiritual healing practice. His
CareStellations approach is infused with
many years experience of a variety of
healing modalities as well as 14 years of
working with traditional healers in
Zimbabwe.
R I C H @ R I C H A R D P A N T L I N . C O M
29