"If we care for the earth, we care for our souls"

“Thank you for the most extraordinary experience of my life.  It was not a vacation, it was a transformative journey.  All I feel is love and gratitude.” – Guest, Return to the Wild with David Whyte, 2024

I recently left the sun-soaked foothills of Mount Kenya, having hosted our second annual Return to the Wild with David Whyte retreat. The five days spent with our guests, the world’s best bodyworkers, and David himself, basking in the innate feeling of deep gratitude and wholeness one only really feels in the wild, were transcendent. 

For those of you wondering ‘how’ and ‘why’ this unique experiential fusion of safari, philosophy, poetry and wellbeing in one of Africa’s most beautiful wild spaces came to be, I thought I might explain. 

I have spent a lifetime trying to explain what happens on safari – the human experience. David realized soon into his career as a zoologist that science was not enough to explain the magnitude of the experience of being in nature. Poetry became a large part of that answer. Putting his words to the safari experience must surely be the elixir I have always been looking for. Not only to explain the wholeness and connection one feels, but also to help address the urgency of what we as humans stand to lose if we don’t save these last remaining wild spaces. Ultimately, to save what’s left, we must understand that nature is our greatest source of joy.

Why I created Return to the Wild with David Whyte

It was during Covid when we were all forced into isolation, stillness, and into an unblinking confrontation with self – that I had the privilege of spending eight weeks at Segera, Kenya. All that time, with nothing but more time and worry on my hands and no real idea when this strange, suspended global sentence of confinement would be over. I, who had been in perpetual motion for decades, who had, in fact, never been grounded, was forced to earth.

I think we all learned something about ourselves during that time. I, for one, learned that I travel not only for my livelihood. It's my passion. My reason. A privilege. A holy mission. I knew the world needed where I was during that time and what I was experiencing, the medicine of the wild. Henry David Thoreau wrote – "In wildness is the preservation of the world. The communion that comes through these experiences of the wild, where we sense something present and daunting, stunning in its beauty, is beyond comprehension in its reality, but it points to the holy, the sacred." 

“Together, you brought me, and I suspect many others, into surprising conversations with the ever-present, but seldom perceived, unknown. That feeling of ajabu is now replenishing what had become a wasteland in me, reawakening me to the mysterious workings and unseen threads that weave all of us, human and more-than-human, into a web of interconnected beings, the awareness of which is critical to creating the conditions that can foster new life.” – Guest, Into to the Wild with David Whyte, 2024

As the words of past guests echoed in my head -"You changed my life," "I see the world differently now…" - I considered ‘The Africa Effect’ - the sense of being returned to the source, the source of our wild and natural intelligence. The source of our unbidden peace and nourishment. The source of ourselves.  The well-being of the earth is not separate from the well-being of our souls.  Thus, to care for the earth is to care for the soul. The thought of the immeasurable loneliness of spirit we would all suffer if we lost all this beauty…this wilderness and our connection to it…was haunting. I knew we collectively needed to regain our natural spirituality, the spirit that belongs to nature. We needed to understand the nature of being. So, as I sat at Segera and devoured David Whyte’s poetry, the dream of having David Whyte himself come to Kenya to translate this experience and its importance to humanity came to be.

I work on the canvas of the African landscape, something I consider the greatest privilege. I share her beauty, her truth, the sounds, the smells, the vastness, the stillness and the magnificence of her people, all of which never fail to grip my soul. There are many places to choose to travel to, but few carry the emotional intelligence of Segera. A place, a people that allows you such abundance, such safety and stillness, one where all your worries are removed. At Segera, in the foothills of Mount Kenya, you can just rest in wild awe. During this annual retreat, I share the option to dive into David's poetry daily, explore its meaning to you, and work with some of the best body, sound, breath and energy practitioners from all over the world on this sacred land. Having worked with each of them for years, I share them with such joy and love, knowing the potential peace each experience will afford you. I encourage you to surrender, be curious and let go….

While David puts words to these magical days in the wild, you can go gently in the knowledge that there is an art to my design of this journey, and it is best left to flow. Whatever you find - I hope this exploration together of both the outer and inner landscape, of the unique culture and the wildlife encourages you to know better the power of this land and the people of Segera, whose graciousness, knowledge and wisdom are my perpetual inspiration.

I can assure you that if there is no end to your curiosity, there is no end to what Africa has to share.  No matter how many times you visit, there will always be that gradual discovery of secret creatures, mysteries, drama and fast friendships. But perhaps, after all, it is not so much about the new discoveries but, in fact, the space to discover ourselves.

I’ll leave you with the moving words of one guest whose life was forever changed on Return to the Wild with David Whyte in June:

“Segera and the beautiful retreat you organized there were unbeatable. Everything was perfect and magical to the last detail. I just want to say thank you for sharing your love of Africa, it’s people, places and your wonderful, welcoming, thoughtful ways with all of us in the beautiful way that you do that. It was such a gift to meet you, to hear you speak and to be in that beautiful place with you.” - Guest, Return to the Wild with David Whyte, 2024

To learn more about our next ROAR AFRICA retreat with world-renowned poet, speaker and zoologist, David Whyte or to visit Segera in Kenya, kindly email welcome@roarafrica.com or click here.