An Abyssinian Walking the Bible: Palestine - Israel - Egypt - Jordan - Ethiopia

PART FOUR: BAHRE DAR

Tana (Blue Nile Source) - A mystical refuge to seekers of Truth!

Like a moth to the flame, Bahire Tana or Lake Tana & surrounding has been attracting spiritual seekers, healers, & mystics since the beginning of time. Seekers came to unlock their potential as a spiritual being in a human body, to serve God. 

Most of the world has been in awe of the location of the source of the the longest river Nile;  a place where scholars of the Ethiopian Orthodox Christian faith & Ethiopian intellectuals all over the world have been influenced by; the first home of the Ark of the covenant (in Ethiopia) for over 800 yrs, before being taken to Axum; one of the places where Mary, Joseph & Jesus sought refugee as they were being prosecuted in their home in Palestine; & furthermore the +35 isolated islands makes lake Tana a haven for nature, & a sanctuary for the treasures of Ethiopian History, religion, power, & secrets of the universe.

The source of the Blue Nile is located in the North Western highlands of Ethiopia in the Amhara Regional State of Gojjam. It has been a passion that has driven many explorers since historic times. In ancient Greece, the source of the River Nile that spills out of Alexandria, Egypt was considered as one of the earth’s most compelling mysteries. A Greek historian, Herodotus, wrote about the Nile extensively in 460 BC. He believed the river sprang from between two massive mountains. Likewise, Emperor Nero ordered his explorers to follow the Nile in search of its source. References to the Blue Nile can be found in the Old Testament of the Bible as the River Gihon, which “flows around the whole land of Cush” (as Ethiopia was known to the Hebrews). Most come to this Eden on earth, Bahir dar for solace, reflection, knowledge and to unlock, align & balance the mind, body & spirit. 

My adventure within was no different this Christmas. Having been to Bahir dar in different stages of my life, I wanted to make this trip a more spontaneous adventure. So heading to Lake Tana & Bahir dar now for the 7th time felt like going to my other home. This time for an extended Christmas celebration in gratitude for all the complexity & simplicity of being free to celebrate Jesus's birthday in reflection, contemplation, awareness and having a human experience as a solo woman traveler. I followed my passion of traveling to get more connected with nature, myself & in mindful consciousness of the complex of being a spiritually lead human, as we usher in 2023. 

As a student of life, a lover of truth, & a free spirit seeking to align, balance, be grounded, sharp & connect in love & light to live a spiritual life in a human body. I am always in awe of the mystical simplicity of the lessons of the birth, life & death of Christ, wrapped now in tradition, culture, religion as well as the exploitation of consumerism of the west. As I get older the realization that nothing is permanent, not guaranteed, & consciously choosing to live in awareness, forgiveness, gratitude, compassion & light, to unbecome all that was blocking my authentic self from living an awakened & conscious life, yet detached to be of service to God, is a lifelong lesson. 

What I know for sure is, I travel Solo within whenever my being is seeking the truth, to connect & align to my spirit, to heal & transform my mind, & body, so as to connect to Gods universe.

This trip to Lake Tana & Bahir dar was no exception, it reminded me of my trip to Rishikesh & Haridwar in IndiaI, being mesmerized & cleansed by the Himalayas & the Ganges river.

I have always loved Christmas since I was a child, not just as a long festivity filled holiday I spend with my family, but being reminded of Christ's lessons on how to live in light. Having been raised in a conservative yet liberal family, and going to an international school, I had the unique privilege of celebrating both traditional & western Christmass. My father, the child of ancient religious scholars, warriors, & defenders of faith & country realized very early on he wanted his family to be grounded in the Ethiopian Orthodox celebration with its rituals of the birth of Christ, as well as the western rituals of trees & glitter of a pagan nature.  

My family, strict & conservative Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Christians with liberal ideas & philosophy, went to church during Christmas the whole fasting season, where we learnt the story, light, wisdom, & truth of Jesus Christ's birth, teachings & his resurrection. We would also get real Christmas's trees, decorate them, & get special clothes for the new year. My childhood was full of religious festivity & mindful awareness time to bring in the joy, peace, love, compassion, forgiveness & gratitude deep within, to walk this earth as spiritual beings gifted with a human body. As a conservative living in a socialist country,, I was raised sheltered, guarded, armored, trusting no-one, in survival mode & conservative in my religious practices with family, the community & society, yet liberal & free in my western education & global travels.

Part two coming soon....

By Dutchess@deldeyoch