The excitement of Egypt!

Blogpost January 2016

Happy New Year dear reader! I trust you had a wonderful time with family and friends and are looking forward with some excitement to what 2016 might bring. I know I am!

This may be a different sort of post to normal because of the nature of my recent trip to Egypt which was – AMAZING! My mum, Maggie (aged 77 – going on 10!) and I took the trip of a lifetime with Stewart Pearce on his Resurrection Retreat, which took place over a ten day period, December 12th to the 22nd 2015. I had only just landed back from a six week trip to Los Angeles when mum and I flew to Heathrow, so to say I didn’t know which way was up is an understatement. Despite my discombobulation I was totally in awe of our prospected journey to some of the most sacred sites of this wonderful country … a country I have longed to go since I was a little girl.

There were a few reasonable concerns expressed beforehand by family and friends worried for our safety after tragic events in Sharm El Sheikh. But after our unruffled responses and reassurances from Stewart, who was in constant contact with Embassies and tour operators in the UK and on the ground in Luxor and Cairo, everyone wished us a bon voyage.

The journey from London to Cairo and onto Luxor, where we spent most of our time, gave us the opportunity to get to know our fellow spiritual adventurers. We were 18 in all including Stewart. All in all an incredibly diverse group of people from across the globe: two of us from The Isle of Man; a lovely Russian business woman living in London; three delightful Irish ladies (an artist/author; a healer and a Shaman); one young German man (a healer highly educated in plant medicine) now living in London; one wonderful woman (who plays incredible healing music with metal and crystal bowls) from Cleveland Ohio and another delightful woman from Connecticut; a beautiful couple from New York (a spiritual counsellor/Kundalini yoga teacher and a yoga loving business man); another young man from The Dominican Republic (percussionist/education/ecology activist); a French woman (wonderful mother/practicing meditator and so much more) now living in London; a Spanish woman (beautiful healer/psychic and business woman) also living in London; a young man of Iranian descent (a burgeoning energy healer) living in Cheshire; a young woman from Toronto (at a cross roads recently giving up a high flying architects position and contemplating a spiritual path) brought up in a Muslim family now attending Catholic church and finally, a successful business woman (on the brink of a new venture) living in New York but returning to Los Angeles later this year. Phew! Diverse enough for ya?

I realise that’s a long list but how else can I impart the variety and multi-cultured nature of our group? The great thing was, that we all got on from the moment we met. From start to finish we easily shared experiences with equanimity and poise, giving space to one another when needed, getting in close when required, listening deeply, sharing openly. Add to that the incredible places we visited and the generosity of our highly qualified and sensitive guides – Stewart Pearce and Ashraf Amin – it truly was an immense adventure.

To give just a taste of how rich an experience it all was I’ll list the Temples and sites we visited: Karnak Temple Complex also known as The Temple of Constant Creation (by day; by night and at dawn on Winter Solstice); Aswan and the Temple of Isis on the Island of Philae; Edfu and the Temple of Horus; Luxor Temple consecrated to Amun Ra; Valley of the Kings, to explore Tombs – particularly King Tut’s Tomb, the Deir el-Bahari or Queen Hatshepsut’s glorious palace, the Tomb of Ay, and the Collosi at Memnon; The Temple of Hathor at Dendera; Abydos and the great Temple of Seti I: “This is a gateway into Paradise, and the key to this gate of heaven is the FLOWER OF LIFE; The extraordinary Temple of Thoth at Medinat Habu; then onto Cairo and the Great Pyramid and the mysterious Sphinx.

I’d always wanted to go to Egypt and to finally be there in such edifying company (that includes my mother!) was more than I ever could have hoped for. Everything Stewart and Ashraf showed us was awe-inspiring. I’ll share photos here in an attempt to convey some of what took place but it can only be a glimpse. The many experiences were intensely personal and while the outer journey’s themselves brought wonder and a great deal of joy, it was the inner journey that gave me the most inspiration and delight. I’ve come back from Egypt filled with such hope not only for myself but the world at large and there’s no way for me to explain that steady sense and yet it is an undeniable feeling.

I think it’s necessary to add here that every one of us felt safe and secure the entire time we were there. The Egyptian people we met – at our Hotel Sonesta St George, The many Temples, Museums or restaurants and even at the infamous Souk – were welcoming, humble, delighted and grateful for our fearless approach to being in their incredible country.
It’s almost impossible to express what it was like being there especially with a group of virtual strangers who are now family to me. Communicating wonder and sheer delight is quite a challenge! I know that I’ll return with Stewart as soon as I can to deepen the experience and hope some of you are inspired to consider the possibility for yourselves. I feel incredibly humbled by the Retreat and also eternally grateful. What more can I say?

After a long and involved Skype conversation this morning with my dear friend of thirty years, Angela Hryniuk, she suggested I try a video Blog to convey my excitement and love for the Resurrection Retreat, as she could really feel the energy as we talked and thought it would be a great way to share that with you. It’s not something I would usually do but … I’m seriously considering it. Watch this space!

And so onto this week’s video/track. I’ve chosen GoPro video and photos from the Winter Solstice at Karnak on December 21st and have accompanied it with a spontaneous piece of vocal soundscape I recorded last night! Brave or what? I hope you enjoy the result!