Traveling Jo

There's an earthy musty smell before dawn on the Maasai Mara. The scent wafts through the open cab with a breeze tugging at your hair; cool air washing over your cheeks. The jeep rambles over dirt trenches carved into the savannah landscape, as you bounce and jar from side to side across the raw grassland watching the violet hue of the horizon turn to orange with the sunrise. photos by Katie Jo Africa is the ancient land. According to modern scientists, our genetic lines all lead back to Africa, when your feet touch the ground, there is a surge of knowing that somehow we are all connected here- the homeland.  There's a primal way of living that is so pure and honest, watching a people with strength and stamina survive in a climate and ecosystem that seems impossible. Not only have they lasted the longest of all cultures, but they do it with rich and colorful artistry. They're adorning garb and tools, the dye of wool and cloth, the statuesque regality in even the most humble...

We left the "Giants Grave" site and made our way to the rental car. Nearby, we detoured slightly, walking up a hill to the ruins of an old stone church, my friend Suzanna by my side. The sun was lowering in the sky and cast a view of lace-like light over the grounds, filtered through the surrounding tall trees. A gentle wash of sacredness permeated the grounds. With roofing long gone, the church itself, nestled like a mother hen hovering over the crooked gravestones, as if they were fragile eggs beneath her wings.  photos by Katie Jo The Celtic cross was the most prominent gravestone design, a symbol of unity between Christianity and Paganism.  photo by Katie Jo I thought of Saint Francis of Assisi and his prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow lo ve; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I m...

The signpost said "The Wedge Tomb." When we stopped for directions from a local Irishman he asked "Do ye mean the Giants Grave?" and guided us "A hundred yards past the Ol' church on the right." We thanked him and went on our way.      Arriving at the "Giants Grave" we found a structure of boulders surrounded by rocks that made a stone circle. These outside stones were shin high- some perhaps as tall as our knees. photo by Katie Jo I could see that the tomb was facing East to West just like the Grange Stone Circle we had just come from. Oriented to the path of the rising sun. A small lake between them. It wasn't lost on me- the understanding of ancient cultures belief and modern science that water amplifies, electrifies and charges energy. In ancient ceremony by those who were sometimes called the Druids; shallow trenches around stone circles were filled with water and water was a key element in their sacred practices. The stars and moon ...