‘Way of the Wild’,
Ancestors, Dreams & Animal Medicine.
A discussion with African Shaman, Sangoma John Lockley

by Oct 24, 2022

This video is an interview with John Lockley, an African Sangoma (Shaman). This is an African Shaman’s experience of walking between two worlds and fully committing to Nature and ancestors.

The natural world is calling us through dreams, omens and signs. How can we track these experiences in a grounded way to help us navigate our life path?
John will talk about some of the ways traditional African Shamans work with nature. He will also give some ideas on how modern people can learn to track their spirits and walk between the world of spirit and earth.

 

John is interviewed here by Jose Stevens, PhD.

About the author

John Lockley

John Lockley

John is one of the first white men in recent history to become a fully initiated sangoma in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa. He was born in 1971, into a divided Apartheid South Africa, with the mark of the sangoma on his face – a band of white birth skin around the eyes. At 18, John was serving in the South African army as a medic when he had a strong, prophetic dream calling him to train as a Xhosa sangoma. He immediately began to suffer from the thwasa, a severe period of ill-health that is inherent in all ancient shamanic cultures which can only be cured through apprenticeship to a shamanic teacher. Because of the restrictions of Apartheid (which ended in 1994) it would take John seven years to find a Xhosa teacher. During the early days of his calling he trained as a Zen student under renowned Zen Master, Su Bong. But the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa. Eventually, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, giving him the initiated name Ucingolwendaba, meaning messenger or connector between people and cultures. John now splits his time between South Africa, Europe and the U.S. For more info visit http://www.johnlockley.com
John is one of the first white men in recent history to become a fully initiated sangoma in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa. He was born in 1971, into a divided Apartheid South Africa, with the mark of the sangoma on his face – a band of white birth skin around the eyes. At 18, John was serving in the South African army as a medic when he had a strong, prophetic dream calling him to train as a Xhosa sangoma. He immediately began to suffer from the thwasa, a severe period of ill-health that is inherent in all ancient shamanic cultures which can only be cured through apprenticeship to a shamanic teacher. Because of the restrictions of Apartheid (which ended in 1994) it would take John seven years to find a Xhosa teacher. During the early days of his calling he trained as a Zen student under renowned Zen Master, Su Bong. But the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa. Eventually, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, giving him the initiated name Ucingolwendaba, meaning messenger or connector between people and cultures. John now splits his time between South Africa, Europe and the U.S. For more info visit http://www.johnlockley.com
More content from this author
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5 Comments

  1. Lauren Duncan

    Such a beautiful and inspiring interview and so needed. Thank you so much.

  2. Rev. Cindy Pincus

    “Don’t complain about the weather!” Loved this tip.

  3. Marie-Claire O'Sullivan-Moore

    Thank you so much. Wow! that was such a rich sharing so full of wisdom and love. Beannachtaí

  4. denise carver

    Loved the information about the leopard and downloading information from an animal

  5. Rita Taji Faruki

    So much integrity and truth in John’s being (as well as Jose’s). I love how ego-less John is. A gift indeed.

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