Heat, Rain, Queen Modadji, the Rain Queen and Rugby

For days and weeks we’ve had extreme heat, everyone enervated, warnings re keeping hydrated and animals too. Average temps for October are 27 degrees C. We’ve been having temps of 35, 36, 37, 38, even higher in surrounding areas. (Down in Cape Town it’s still cool-ish). Rain usually comes to the highveld within the first week of October, sometimes not, but definitely not preceded by this kind of extreme heat. No sign of rain or hope in sight …

I’ve been watering my very thirsty garden daily and watching the jacarandas from my study in the near distance bloom, colours and shadings different at changing times of the day. There’ve been some breezes in the last few days – I took this 5 sec video from my garden on Tuesday.

My gardener and I visited the nursery on Wednesday – lovely to choose some plantings. Rain looked promising mid afternoon but no luck. The wind was high, the clouds looked promising.

 I thought of Queen Modjadji VI, the Rain Queen. She comes from a matrilineal dynasty from as far back as the 1400’s. It is a tale of intrigue and incest in the royal family, mysticism, strife and ritual. She was a direct descendant of one of the royal houses of Momomatapa, which ruled over the Zimbabwean people in the 15th and 16th century. They fled Zimbabwe, their place of origin, and have been in here in Limpopo (South Africa) where unique cycads are to be found, for the last 2 centuries.

The Rain Dance is an annual ritual performed in the first week of October when the rainmaking charms, hitherto kept under strict lock and key, are brought out.

The people (of the Balobedu tribe) remove to a kraal and Makhubo the cow enters the kraal, praises are sung to it and it is fed beer.

They then remove to a special shrine adjacent, where the rainmaking charms are laid out. Skins are strategically placed, and the beer is poured over the charms. The Rain Queen calls on the ancestors for rain and the people praise the Queen. There’s a complicated beer making and drinking ritual, out come the drums, songs for unity are sung and people dance around the shrine.

The nation of the Balobedu (about 1 million) sing and dance for the rest of the day …

She died young in a nearby hospital at the age of 27, in 2005, from a sudden and mysterious illness – she’d ruled for only 2 years. There are all sorts of theories as to the real cause of her early death. (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rain_Queen)

I’ve done my own version of a rain dance on the odd occasion in the privacy of my garden. Just a bit of jumping around for a minute, outside, imploring the rain to come. I did one this past Tuesday afternoon. I could smell the rain in the air, on the wind… At long, long last – rain on Wednesday night. What a blessing it is … the air is different, all a little brighter, and things are slightly cooler.

The clouds are building up as I write –

Tomorrow afternoon our Springboks play Wales at the Twickenham Stadium (London) – we’re in the quarter-final! It’s going to be one hang of a match (Rugby World Cup). I’m having some girlfriends for tea at 4.00 and the match starts at 5.00, when the beer comes out, and other …

And, while I think of it, imagining – I remember last week when SA played the US. How the US team sang their national anthem prior to the match! With such gusto and energy! It was a lovely experience to share in their pride while they were singing – they played well too. Gave us good competition ..

Have a wonderful week one and all –

Thanks Mike for uploading the video for me, long distance. http://www.mikescottanimation.com

with thanks to google images for photos and info

Equinox, Turkey, Yom Kippur, Lunar Eclipse & World Cup Rugby

It’s the Equinox today. For us in South Africa and the southern hemisphere it is the point of turning out towards Spring and Summer; for those in the northern hemisphere it is the point of turning in towards Fall (here in S.A. we call it Autumn) and Winter. Such a special time of year – when the earth stands still for a brief moment before it tilts and turns on its axis – and for when we also note these changing seasons and what they portray on both visible and non-visible levels – there’s a shift, we sense it.

It was wonderful to return home last Wednesday from my adventures with Susan Schwartz in Turkey. My husband was welcoming – he did not play golf as he always does on a Wednesday afternoon! The garden is beautiful with buds and blossoms blooming, many in my absence. My orchids are a delight!

I had a fever on my return but with a good night’s sleep, I woke on Thursday feeling better. All is well on the home front, save for ongoing disturbing news here and abroad.

Turkey – how to say in a few brief words on a blog post. Vast, vibrant, verdant, colourful, thrumming, thriving, handsome, beautiful, magnificent, ancient, modern. We travelled southwest from Istanbul (pop. 12 million) then eastwards stopping many times en route and overnighting; and a 12 hour drive back to Istanbul from Ankara leaving at 7.00 a.m. on our last day. Many hours in the air-conditioned bus, travelling, travelling, beautiful countryside, interesting architecture in the towns, mosques everywhere, their gilded minarets pointing up towards the sky. Hot, 35 degrees most days or a little more. Walking among ancient ruins telling of time before – steps, many steps, climbing up and climbing down (Ephesus), amphitheatres (Pergamum), caves (Göreme-Cappadocia), Salt lakes (Pamukkale)  – places of ancient beauty –

 Çan (pronounced John or Jan) our Turkish guide, a very tall, very lean and handsome man of around 33 or so, spoke English extremely well and was very knowledgeable and kind. Naheem our driver was a sweetie. The others in our group were interesting and lovely. A young couple from New Zealand, 4 Australians, 3 young Mexican women. Gabriella from Mexico was here in Johannesburg visiting Alexander Township on an exchange from the London School of Business when Mr. Mandela died nearly 2 years ago; she was so moved by the national outpouring of grief over our deep loss. We saw and experienced much on many levels. I am still digesting which will still take much time for me to process. I even took some videos on my Ipad when Susan and I took a boat ride on the Bosphorus on our last day! A first for me!

And Yom Kippur, which begins tomorrow at sundown, the holiest day in the Jewish Calendar. The Day of Atonement. At-One-Ment. Susan and I spoke a little of this while in Turkey. A few days into our travels was the beginning of the New Year – Rosh Hashana – with Yom Kippur still 10 days away. This day asks much of the person observing the 25 hours of Yom Kippur. It is a rigorous examination of one’s life over the previous year, confessing all one’s sins to G.d, repenting and asking forgiveness. It is a time of fasting as well, denying bodily comforts as a way of focusing on repentance. And prior to the covenant with G.d, making right with those to whom one has caused harm in any way and asking their forgiveness. It is a cleansing for those who repent and a joy to be cleansed.  A solemn time indeed. O that we all – of all stripes – do this! The shofar sounds at sundown the following day and a feast ensues! 

And a few days later, on the 28th September, the total eclipse of the full super-moon, ‘…also called a Blood Moon because it presents the 4th and final eclipse of a lunar tetrad: four straight total eclipses of the moon, spaced at six lunar months (full moons) apart’. *

And the Rugby World Cup which began last Friday night at Twickenham, London. Our Springboks played Japan on Saturday night in Brighton and horror of horrors, we lost. South Africa is in the top 3 of the 20 countries taking part. We’ve won the World Cup (played every four years) twice in the past. But, Japan outplayed us. We were leading by a hair’s breadth in the last few minutes 32:29 but Japan scored a try in the last minute to win 34:32. It was a totally nerve wracking match and we’re all in shock at this completely unexpected result. The shock has been felt world-wide. One of the only times I feel patriotic and feel that buzz is when our boys in green and gold and the crowd in the cathedral of the rugby field (or soccer field) stand to sing our national anthem Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika which is sung in 5 (of our 11) official languages: Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English. I’m always reminded of 1995 when we took the World Cup on home ground – Mr Nelson Mandela was our newly elected President (1994) and to see him walk onto the field prior to the match, and after to raise the cup with Francois Pienaar the captain, were unforgettable moments. S’truth, unity … what a feeling … a birthing moment.

And, in a sense, I feel as if we’re in a birthing moment with change all about –

*from earthsky.org

Happy Spring Day for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere!

Where did August go? I don’t know – do you?

The last several days have been sunny and hot, unseasonably so.  For some, it’s a ritual to have a swim on the first day of September even though it may be freezing cold; the ritual is performed as a way of greeting the official first day of Spring. Though I heard that from Thursday we’ll have a cold spell with temperatures halving, lasting a while.

There’s a lot of green on the trees and colour on the winter blooms but I’m glad that the jacaranda trees have shed their leaves and they look stark and bare as they should. They usually blossom in their full glory by mid October – they are truly an extraordinarily beautiful sight – I know I’ve posted pics before – probably last year October or November.

My purply-pink orchids on the patio have died down, already a while ago.The beautiful white ones are in full bloom! Photo at top. I’m so tempted to cut a few stems and bring them into our home – but they look so glorious where they are. The azaleas are blossoming (though two other azaleas in another part of the garden look as if they’re gasping their last breath); the clivias are also blooming.. The primulas in front of the azaleas are still looking very pretty and gay.

I’ve added two photos I took recently when I was down in Natal to see my brother. My sister flew to Durban from Cape Town so we were all together for several days. Natal is always lush and green – these photos are from my cell phone outside his home. I plucked some branches and brought them home and put in a vase in the entrance where they looked so beautiful.

The week finally arrived – i.e. this week, yesterday. It’s when I had to realise that this Friday I leave for Turkey. Am I organised? Am I calm? Half-organised in answer to first question. Answer to second one? I’m trying to be – though I am agitated at some real level. Perhaps I’m just being alert to the reality that while I’m busy making proper plans, something can come along and tip the cart. So, where I can prepare, this is what I’m doing. Tomorrow will be a busy day. Today has been seriously busy.  Am making lists of things still to be done – the list grows longer –  

Changing seasons, changing world. Soon, the equinox on the 21st September. The days and the nights will be of equal length a moment before they begin their tilt. The spring gardens here will be in full bloom. There are already early signs of it – jasmine – wafting her delicious scent. And the yesterday, today and tomorrow – strong, delicious, delightful fragrance –

I leave on Friday night, return Johannesburg 16th Sept. Susan Schwartz from Phoenix Az. and I will meet Saturday morning in Istanbul. We’re on a tour – a tour being a first for the both of us. I still have to check quite where we are touring … and to print out the much edited book that we’ve collaborated on over the months and the airwaves: ‘Aging & Becoming’. It’s about 115 pages, we may do more deleting, more adding and amending.

This blog post is my first in many weeks – and it is really just to keep in touch. We’re very aware not only of the changing seasons but also of the worrying times around the world. Fires, droughts, economic concerns, terrorism, the plight of the migrants escaping from war torn countries – the list is endless. 

Keep safe, and be well.

Day 3 of 3 day quote challengeFrom: Meditations for Women who do too much: Anne Wilson Schaef 1990.

November 22: Wholeness

May Sarton: Women’s work is always towards wholeness

Anne Wilson Schaef commentary: When we women do our work, we move towards wholeness. The world is in need of wholeness. The world is in need of women’s way of working.

Too long we have doubted ourselves and tried to fit comfortably into a male modality. To have wholeness, we need to make our contribution too. To have wholeness, we need to know our values and value our knowing.

We have ‘welched’ on our responsibility to this society and this planet. It is time that we courageously put our thoughts, ideas and values out there and let them stand for themselves.

When I do my work, my work is wholeness.

 with thanks to google images

Day 2 of 3 day quote challengeSecond day of 3 day quote challenge. Quote taken from ‘Meditations for Women who do too Much’ Anne Wilson Schaef 1990.

September 12: Reaching our Limits

Golda Meir: I have had enough

Anne Wilson Schaef’s commentary: What beautiful words, and how rarely are they spoken by women who do too much. Part of our craziness is not recognising that we have limits and not knowing when we reach them. In fact, many of us may see having limits as an indicator of inadequacy. We cannot forgive ourselves for not being able to carry on when we are exhausted or for not being able to keep going regardless of the circumstances.

Recognising that we are approaching our limits and accepting those limits may be the beginning of recovery.

Every human being has limits, and I am a human being

 with thanks to google images

Day one of 3 day quote challenge

Genevive nominated me to take part in this 3 day challenge. Thank you Genevive! (at http://www.geneviveangela.com/ – she writes from Hyderabad in India and her posts are so inspiring and gentle). I love quotes. I’ve taken the easy way out. I found this little book given to me by a friend many years ago but I hadn’t noticed it in a long long time. It’s called ‘Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much’: Anne Wilson Schaef. 1990. It has a quote for every day of the year by women known and unknown and the author adds her insight to it. I am making random selections for today and next two days.

July 31: Happiness/Depression

Anna Pavlova: When I was a small child … I thought that success spelled happiness. I was wrong, happiness is like a butterfly which appears and delights for one brief moment, but soon flits away.

Anne Wilson Schaef’s commentary: There is no difference between happiness and depression. They both have the same process. It is just the content that is not the same. Both will come and go. The major difference is what we do with them.

We are always seeking happiness. When we see it coming we say, ‘Ah, come here, I see you. Stay with me always’. Happiness laughs and says, ‘Oh, she’s seen me, I can leave now’. And it does.

With depression, we see it coming, and we say: ‘Go away, I don’t want you. Not me’. And depression sighs and says, ‘Here we go again, I’m going to have to get bigger and bigger for her to hear me and learn what I have to teach’. So it taps us on the shoulder and says, “over here, over here!’ until it gets our attention. Then it leaves.

Both happiness and depression have something to teach us. Both will come and go. Both will return. It is our response and openness to learn from both that makes the difference.

My happiness is a gift. My depression is a gift. Both are like butterflies in my life.

I’d like to pass the challenge on to three special people to post 3 quotes on 3 consecutive days. We’ve become very good friends over the years and the miles in our blogging and writing. Their websites are worth a visit! It can be your very own quote, from a book, a poem, a writer, a film, or from anywhere, followed by however you want to do it. What it means to you for example or the how and why you like it. And honestly, more than fine if you choose not to accept. Comments are always welcome, and not just from these three!

 Samantha: http://thescheherazadechronicles.org/.

Gwynn: http://gwynnsgritandgrin.com

Patricia: www.patgarciaandeverythingmustchange.com

And, I forgot to mention – please nominate three others to take up this challenge. Thank them and nominate three others!

 with thanks to google images