A New Year's wish

“The words we use and the energy we expend are often the furthest point from what we experience inside.”

Those words seemed to clarify the tumultuous events experienced by the Grahamstown community over the past year. People had appeared vengeful and destructive.

Yet those with the wisdom of countless seasons know different. They remind us that sometimes adults are just little people in big bodies expressing fear, anxiety and hurt.

Words and actions are so much more than what we see and hear.

They remind us that our behaviour is not our identity – there is far more to a human. And there is virtue and good- ness within all of us.

As St Augustine said many centuries ago – ‘Shun the sin, but bless the sinner’.

With this in mind, Cleone Cull was invited to facilitate the first Despacho in Grahamstown.

A Despacho is an ageless South American Andean practice of gifting nature in reciprocity, reverence, and thanksgiving. It is a reminder of the connections we share with all beings, elements and places.

In particular, it focuses on positive intention and is neither based in religion or any particular faith.

For the Despacho ceremony participants gathered at Three-Chimneys Farm. The intention for Grahamstown and its community was for a New Year of healing, harmony and balance.

A Despacho is designed to balance a community through reciprocity and the sharing of coco leaves and gifts which are intended to strengthen the radiance that connects humanity.

As science and metaphysics unifies and integrates, ancient practices are better understood and valued.

Cleone Cull’s association with Grahamstown spans seven decades, having spent much of her childhood here, attending Rhodes University and remaining connected to the town through her many years of teaching and healing.

May Grahamstown and its community be richly blessed with harmony, restoration and abundance.