South Africa & Zimbabwe

Pilgrimage to the Motherland:

Call of the Ancestors to the Land Before Time

February 10-24, 2024

$7,499

Note: A non-refundable deposit of $1,200 is due to reserve your space for this once-in-a-lifetime trip. 

Payment in full is due by January 1, 2024. 

($8,100 after October 1st, 2023)

Come to the Heart of the Universal Mother in Love, Service, & Wisdom

This Pilgrimage to the Motherland is a heart journey of remembering our sacred contract with the Earth. It is a call from the ancestors; a call to restore balance in our lives and in our relationship with Mother Earth.

of connecting with our ancestors in the land before time we are invited to shift our perspective and recognize that it is our personal responsibility to support the planet, as we are part of an interdependent web intricately woven together with Mother Earth. Through this deepening process of honoring the White Lions, other animals, land, and people of South Africa and Zimbabwe, our commitment will be to

to be held accountable for doing our part to support the planet.

In our experiences

Stand in service, love, and wisdom:

In this pilgrimage…

Photo by Maurice Fernandez

We will strive to fulfill our sacred contract by deeply listening to the wisdom of the Motherland during our time at the Global White Lion Protection Trust, which is recognized by ASSEGAIA (Alliance for the Sacred Sites of the Earth Gaia) as a Sacred Site.

In listening to the sacred roar of the lions, we pledge a deeper commitment to be of service to our Earth and take responsibility for giving back to her at this turning of the Ages.

South Africa

Zimbabwe

On the second part of our pilgrimage, we will travel through Zimbabwe with Mhondoro Mandaza, connecting to the ancestors of the Great Zimbabwe Ruins and Victoria Falls, Mosi-o-Tunya, ‘The smoke that thunders” while integrating and deepening our commitment to Mother Earth.

This truly is a pilgrimage into the heart of Africa to discover a more expanded understanding of each participant's unique offering to nature in love, service, and wisdom.

The group is limited to twelve (12) participants who will be guided and supported by four master facilitators, Carley Mattimore, John Malan, and guest facilitators Jeremy Pajer and Stephanie Urbina-Jones.

We are also honored to include Marietta Van der Werff from the Global White Lion Protection Trust while in South Africa and renowned Mhondoro Baba Mandaza Kandemwa while in Zimbabwe.

Scroll down for more information on your facilitators…

  • Matsieng sitting in Sphinx Position

  • Linda Tucker, founder of the GWLPT

  • Staff at Tsau

  • Camp Unicorn Dining Hall

  • Camp Unicorn Rondavels

  • Outing at Kruger Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Delicious Meal Prep at Unicorn Camp

Itinerary

February 10-16, 2024

Global White Lion Protection Trust

&  Unicorn Camp

Rondavels

Unicorn Camp

Kruger Wildlife

  • Deepen our Commitment to Nature & the Earth as we refine our Pledge of Service

  • Honor the White Lions in their Endemic Habitat

  • Camp out in the Bush Under the Milky Way in Silent Reflection

  • Safari at Kruger National Park to connect with the Animals in their Natural Habitat

  • Heart Connections with the Land, People & Animals of Africa

Photo by Maurice Fernandez

February 16-17, 2024

February 17, 2024

February 17-20, 2024

Marietta Van der Werff of the Global White Lion Protection Trust will be our guide at the Trust as we deeply connect with our personal & group heartfelt commitment to Mother Earth. Each of us will develop an initial pledge prior to making a visit to the lions. Here we will deepen our relationship with our pledges, as we clarify our unique right action in giving back to nature. Through our experiences of honoring the White Lions, and the animals, land, and people of South Africa, we will step more fully into service, love, and wisdom for our planet.  

We will be staying at Camp Unicorn located on the pride land in the Heartland of South Africa. Delicious Vegan and Vegetarian meals will be lovingly prepared by Chef Ennalani and the welcoming staff. Accommodations include overnights in rondavels, round-shaped huts for two, outdoor dining, breakfast, lunch, and dinner included. 

Lakeview Lodge

One night stay over in Johannesburg before departing for Zimbabwe. 

Group Circle Integration & Transition

Departure for Bulawayo, Zimbabwe on South African Airways

Pick up by the bus at the airport and connect with Mandaza Kandemwa.

February 20-24, 2024

Great Zimbabwe Ruins

  • Teachings and Rituals with Mhondoro Mandaza Kandemwa in Zimbabwe 

  • Explore Great Zimbabwe Ruins--An Ancient City built between 1100-1400 AD

  • Daré (Traditional Dream Circle) with Mhondoro Mandaza

  • Deep Remembering of our Ancient Past with the Stars and Earth

Stay at Norma Jean's/Cleaver Lodge in the lush vegetation of Zimbabwe. Here we will fully engage with Mhondoro Mandaza (Baba), with his sacred connection to the ancestors of the land, in what was formerly known as the breadbasket of the world, one of the most fertile lands on the African continent. Baba will offer private sessions throughout our time in Zimbabwe. This is a separate cost. 

We will walk among the ruins of Great Zimbabwe to reconnect to the history here and the ancient one’s connection to the stars and earth held in the stones of the ancient city. At the lower level of the ruins, there will be native dancing, drumming, and artisans sharing their trade. 

About Mandaza teaching We will walk among the ruins of Great Zimbabwe to reconnect to the history here and the ancient one’s connection to the stars and earth held in the stones of the ancient city. At the lower level of the ruins, there will be native dancing, drumming, and artisans sharing their trade. 

Victoria Falls

& Zambezi River

Linda Tucker

Amadeus Garden Retreat Center

  • Experience the awe of Victoria Falls--One of the Seven Wonders of the World 

  • Commune with the Baobab Tree

  • Connect to the Great Spirit of Nyami in the Zambezi River

  • Integration of Our Pilgrimage to the Motherland

We will depart Norma Jean's for Victoria Falls via bus, and arrive at the beautiful Amadeus Garden Retreat Center, where delicious food and comfortable lodgings are included with a refreshing swimming pool.

From here, we will be guided through the thirteen gates of the Water Nations at Victoria Falls with Mhondoro Mandaza Kandemwa; connecting to the great Spirit of Nyami, who resides in the Zambezi River. We will Commune with the Baobab Tree, the cosmic tree of creation on how we can strengthen our commitment to nature. This will be a time of integration of our journey and deepening of the messages from Mother Earth that have been seeded in our psyche for healing and planetary service.

Included in this trip:

  • Honoring the White Lions in their Endemic Habitat

  • Developing and deepening our commitment to Mother Earth with support from Marietta van der Werff as we develop personal & group pledges

  • Lodging Accommodations & Food

  • Teachings & Ceremonies with Mandaza Kandemwa in Zimbabwe

  • Safari to Kruger National Park

  • Bus Transportation for travel with the Trust & through Zimbabwe

  • Park Admissions & Fees

  • High Ratio Facilitator / Journeyer Connection

Not included in this trip:

  • International and Domestic Flights

  • Tips for Accommodations, Staff, and Transportation

  • Dinners/lunches for off-site adventures

  • Trip Insurance 

  • Personal purchases such as souvenirs and snacks, etc. 

  • Personal Reading by Mandaza Kandemwa

“In 2004, the Global White Lion Protection Trust (GWLPT), a non-profit organization (NPO)  managed to secure heritage lands in the heart of the White Lion’s ancestral territories. These lands are situated in the epicenter of one of the world’s most important ecosystems—the United Nations-designated Kruger to Canyons Biosphere. This is the endemic heartlands of the White Lions, the only place on Earth where they were born naturally and, as such, was ideal for the organization’s White Lion reintroduction program. In 2006, the first white lions, Marah and her three cubs, were released into their wilderness territory, where her lineage survives to this day, together with other genetic bloodlines of rewilded White Lions.”
— From the Sacred Messengers of Shamanic Africa Appendix: The Lion Crisis and the Work of Linda Tucker

The NPO has grown through the years to accrue more pride lands in which tawny lions as well as the progeny of Marah and her three cubs thrive in their natural habitat in the Heartlands of South Africa. Through extensive efforts, the NPO has established mutually respectful relationships with the local people, land, and animals of the region. They have served as an example of how to collaborate with local communities to establish a mutually interdependent relationship that supports a diverse and sustainable world. They are forerunners of lion conservation, community involvement, and the environment for South Africa and the World.

 The White Lions also carry spiritual significance for Humanity. In 2000, a White Lion named Marah was born on Christmas Day in the town of Bethlehem, South Africa ushering in this new Era of Consciousness and a return to right relationship with the natural world. 

The indigenous people of South Africa prophesied that the White Lions would return to Earth to usher in a new evolutionary time on the planet. This time would mean a return to balance in our Earth's ecosystem where people would be in a relationship with nature's laws. During this time, we would remember our sacred contract with the Earth and make the changes necessary to establish peace on earth. 

The White Lions, a critically rare sub-species of lion, were brought to the brink of extinction by the exploitative behaviors of humans disconnected from nature (e.g., trophy hunting and canned hunting camps). Through the conscious actions of Linda Tucker and the NPO, the lions are now protected and thriving in their natural habitat through extensive, pioneering community conservation. GWLPT has been at the forefront of engaging the lion crisis over decades, dedicating itself to ensuring the survival of the White Lions as a living heritage.   

It is now time for each of us to take up the mantle as true leaders in service to nature's laws to bring back balance to our ecosystem. Each of us carries a unique contribution to restoring the Earth by making good governance choices in our lives for the future of our planet.

Our pilgrimage to the White Lions in the Heartlands of South Africa is to remember our sacred contract and pledge our commitment to the Earth at this turning of the ages. Our pledges will come with a heightened significance as we speak into them and manifest them into being, witnessed by the White Lions on this sacred land of Timbavati.

We are each being called to stand as true leaders, who live by example at this critical time on the planet.

From the Global White Lion Protection Trust Website……

“The Global White Lion Trust, which was founded by Linda Tucker and established with the expertise of Senior Scientific Consultant Jason Turner, is a leading conservation organization situated in one of the world's most important ecosystems: UNESCO’s Kruger-to-Canyons Biosphere.

Registered in 2002 as an NPO/Public Benefit Organization after a decade of prior research on the ecological and cultural importance of the White Lions, this pioneering community-based organization has a long track record of uniting indigenous knowledge and modern science to help save species”.

Please visit www.whitelions.org. You can also read the Appendix in Sacred Messengers of Shamanic Africa for further information on Linda Tucker's work on behalf of the White Lions.

Meet Your Lead Facilitators

Carley Mattimore

Carley is co-author of Sacred Messengers of Shamanic Africa: Land of ZepTepi. She is a Shamanic Midwife for our times, a Shamanic psychotherapist with over 30 years of experience in working with children, adults, and families as well as a Therapeutic Energy worker (Healing Touch Practitioner and Shamanic, Usui and Tibetan Reiki Master. In addition, Carley co-facilitates a Global Shamanic Multi-Dimensional Mystery School with Judith Corvin-Blackburn, author of Activating Your 5D Frequency. Carley continues to deepen her own soul work as she listens to the call of spirit guiding her journey to her next right step.

John is an explorer, mainly of his inner life but lately of the world at large as well. He continues to be of service to his family and community with an open heart for each soul he meets. He is fascinated with dreams and has studied with Jeremy Taylor, Mhondoro Mandaza, and Farai Hove, a Zimbabwe native Healer. A student of life, he enjoys taking classes at the local community college in ceramics, botany, and writing. He is deeply grateful for his life.

Carley Mattimore and John Malan are cofounders of Aahara Spiritual Community, an active 501(c)(3) non-profit congregation of Venus Rising, since 2011. As Shamanic Ministers and Master Shamanic Breathwork Facilitators, they offer psycho-spiritual workshops in the Heartland of the US, including Dare’ Dream Circles, The Shamanic Healing Initiatory Process (SHIP), and their signature program, The Embodied Warriorship Path--a series of initiations for a new paradigm of warrior energy.

Carley and John offer journeys to Africa and other places, empowering journeyers to connect with the natural world in support of Mother Earth. They are both graduates of the White Lion Leadership Academy in Timbavati, South Africa. They are explorers of the world in love and respect, traveling to South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Tonga, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Egypt, Colombia, China, Thailand, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. 

They support others in finding their own inner authority and becoming conscious, independent beings who fulfill their role in the interdependent web of nature through action.

Guest Facilitators

John Malan

Stephanie Urbina Jones & Jeremy Pajer

Stephanie Urbina Jones and Jeremy Pajer are the founders of Freedom Folk and Soul. They are committed to guiding folks on their journey of self-discovery, healing, and transformation. Empowering those who seek to live a life of passion, purpose, joy, and personal freedom. 

Stephanie and Jeremy studied, prayed, walked, talked, worked, and turned over stones in the road and in their hearts over a combined 40 years to heal and create a life of humility, wisdom, and grace. Having personally experienced the Toltec path and journey of transformation they were called to give back what they have been given and share their experience, strength, and hope with other souls on the path of wellness and higher consciousness. They feel called to be compassionate stewards, witnesses, and teachers supporting others with a desire to heal and find their own map to freedom on their chosen life path. In all their years of healing, the modalities and tools they carry have become some of the most powerful for healing and spiritual growth. 

They offer Workshops, Firewalks, Concerts, Authors' Journeys, Sacred Initiation Shamanic Classes, Breathwork, Native American Ceremony, Toltec Wisdom, 12-Step Traditions, Private Intensives, Ministerial Training, Teacher Facilitator Certifications, and Power Journeys all over World.

  • Stephanie is a singer, teacher, writer, healer, soulseer, dreamer, mama, sister, friend, wife, and lover of life. Stephanie Urbina Jones brings her passion, heritage, and experience in living a life of creative freedom to people all over the world. She is a #1 Billboard songwriter, international touring artist, minister, master Toltec Breathwork facilitator, teacher, and co-founder of Freedom Folk and Soul. Jones carries the spirit name Shaman Heart and is committed to guiding folks on journeys of self-discovery, healing, and transformation while empowering those who seek to live a life of passion, purpose, and personal freedom. Whether she is writing a song, producing a festival, performing, creating a pilgrimage, or hanging with friends, she is following the calling of her heart and chiseling out her soul! In the past few years, Jones has touched audiences across the US, Mexico, Europe, and Japan by using her voice to inspire change in the world. Jones has a passion for transformation and is a living example of not only dreaming but bringing those dreams to life.

  • Jeremy Pajer is truly a master of transformation and a leader in the field of personal freedom. He has spent the last 19 years dedicating his life to spiritual growth and the healing arts.  He has a practical, down-to-earth, fun, and loving approach to transformation and to helping people embrace their humanity. Jeremy shares his wisdom, creativity, and playfulness as Co-Founder of Freedom Folk and Soul and Lead Minister of the Healing Arts. He is the co-creator and master facilitator of the Toltec Sacred Breath Journey, a Toltec Teacher, and a Personal Freedom Coach.  He brings his love and knowledge of Firewalking, Breathwork, Native American Ceremony, Toltec Wisdom, 12-Step Traditions, and Shamanic Practices to people through leading firewalks, pouring sweat lodges, facilitating workshops in the US and abroad, and coaching people on their individual path of freedom.  He has studied with many masters from many traditions.

Guest Speakers

Marietta Van der Werff

Marietta Van der Werff, from Zimbabwe, is a Global White Lion Trust Ambassador and will be our guide at the Trust throughout the development of our personal and group pledges to Mother Earth. Marietta will be working closely with Linda Tucker, CEO of the Global White Lion Protection Trust. Marietta is a gifted Evolutionary Astrologer who will be offering reading for each of us that will support us in the beginning process of the unfoldment of our pledges.

Baba Mandaza Kandemwa

Baba Mandaza Kandemwa, as he is known, was born a svikiro, which means "a traditional healer" in his native tongue of Shona. In addition to being a healer, a svikiro is a carrier of many earth and water spirits. Baba Mandaza is also a mhondoro--one who is in constant prayer on behalf of others.

As a vessel of the spirits, Mandaza receives visions and dreams, makes offerings, performs healing rituals, and serves as a messenger for the Ancient Ones.

Mandaza teaches us to become "living prayers" to be in service to the One Spirit that exists in everything. He is a Custodian of indigenous knowledge and wisdom, a Medicine man, a Peacekeeper, a Spirit Medium, and Mhondoro of the lion totem and, as such, a sacred Messenger.