Inspiring people to re-imagine their relationship to their world
Blog Post: Lindsay Burch Trainee Leader, Indigenous Knowledge Leadership Program. In Service Training
This month is the half way point in our second year as part of the Indigenous Knowledge Leadership Program (IKLP). It also represented our first opportunity for Return to Origin (RTO) to begin interacting with community. All the effort from many individuals within the Return to Origin constellation culminated in a wonderful Origins Art event and fundraiser, which was supported by generous donations from local artists of their work as well as a selection of stunning Bushmen jewelry.
The event took place at a stylish and simple venue in the Cape Town, Unknown Union, kindly donated by the UU team. After months of planning steadily and more recently preparing thoroughly, the moment had arrived to give life to many hopes and dreams. These hopes and dreams which float in and through my heart. After all the immense blessings and experiential knowledge gained since joining (RTO) it was humbling to put work in for the opportunity to reciprocate onto others. The community supported our event and bought the beautiful donated art and jewellery. Everyone was in great spirits and this really energized the whole group. It was an unveiling of sorts, showing what Return to Origin stands for on both a personal and community level. This was succinctly modelled in our Ritual Opening.
The Ritual Opening was designed by Angelique, Arnoldt and myself as well as assistance and confirmation from Our Mentor Mbali. It was a beautiful and symbolic act of connecting everyone present by using a bowl of water and a bowl of seeds. Arnoldt addressed the crowd present and invited each individual to take seed in hand and speak their intentions, hopes and dreams for themselves or others into the seed before we all put it into a large bowl of natural spring water. We Had decided that the bowl filled with seeds should be returned to the earth onto the soil in a wild and natural place. I feel this symbolised a world that Return to Origin serves to make possible. One with support, joy, creativity and enjoyment and a deep sense of community.
This was a huge learning curve for me and I’m grateful for being a small but authentic part of the whole. It was another step on the path that we all share towards living a better life for all. It has really made the whole experience of being a leader in the Return to Origin (RTO) Indigenous Knowledge Leadership Program (IKLP) more fleshy and real. Now with impetus I can move towards the leader I need to be for myself before I take on the role proper with our precious youth out in the community.
