Lake Tana Haiq (Ghion River) – A Mystical Refuge to Seekers of Truth

Like a moth drawn to the flame, Bahire Tana — Lake Tana, the Gihon River, and its surrounding lands, islands, and natural heaven — has been calling seekers, mystics, and healers since the beginning of time. Generations have come here to awaken their spirit, to remember they are divine beings in human form, and to serve God.

The world has always been in awe of the Nile, the longest river on earth, but for Ethiopia, the mystery begins here, at Lake Tana. It is remembered as the first Ethiopian home of the Ark of the Covenant, safeguarded for over 800 years before being taken to Axum. It is believed to be one of the places where Mary, Joseph, and Jesus sought refuge when fleeing persecution in Palestine. Its more than 35 isolated islands remain havens of prayer, guardianship, and monasteries that hold Ethiopia’s history, faith, and the veiled secrets of the universe.

The source of the Blue Nile lies in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia, in the Amhara Regional State of Gojjam. Since ancient times, it has stirred explorers’ imaginations. Herodotus wrote about it in 460 BC, picturing it flowing between two great mountains. Emperor Nero later sent expeditions to trace its origin. In the Old Testament, the Blue Nile appears again as the River Gihon, the river that “flows around the whole land of Cush,” the Hebrew name for Ethiopia.

For those who arrive here, Bahir Dar and Lake Tana become more than a place. They become an Eden of solace, reflection, and alignment — a landscape where mind, body, and spirit return to balance.

My Seventh Return to Bahir Dar

This Christmas, my inner compass drew me back here once again. It was my seventh journey to Lake Tana and Bahir Dar, yet each visit has been a different initiation.

My relationship with Bahir Dar began when I was 18 years young, traveling solo for the first time. Since then, I’ve returned with friends, with family, with my partner, with a wildlife association I was part of, and even guiding a group of Black Baptist preachers from the US while working for Ethiopian Airlines.

Each trip had its own purpose.
But this time — the seventh time — it was a direct calling from God.

I wanted a more spontaneous adventure, an extended Christmas lived not in distraction but in gratitude for both the complexity and simplicity of life.

As a solo woman traveler, I arrived with one intention: to celebrate Jesus’s birth in reflection, awareness, and freedom. I came to ground myself in nature, to listen deeply, and to surrender to the paradox of being human yet led by spirit as we stepped into 2023.

What I discovered was that my outer journey mirrored my inner one. Whenever I travel outward, I am also traveling inward — healing, aligning, and unlocking new layers of my being.

Lake Tana brought back memories of my pilgrimage to Rishikesh and Haridwar in India, where the Himalayas and the Ganges cleansed and mesmerized me. Standing at the source of the Nile, I felt that same timeless pull of water as medicine, mountain as witness, and sacred land as mirror.

Christmas as Child and Seeker

I have always loved Christmas. As a child, it was both a festive season and a spiritual reminder. Growing up, I had the blessing of celebrating both Ethiopian Orthodox and Western traditions.

My father — descendant of scholars, warriors, and defenders of faith — rooted us in fasting, prayer, and the mysteries of Christ’s birth and resurrection. At the same time, he embraced the joy of Western rituals: Christmas trees, lights, music, and laughter.

Our childhood holidays held this duality:
strict fasting and divine liturgy by night, glittering trees and new clothes by day.
These celebrations weren’t just cultural — they taught us peace, joy, forgiveness, compassion, and gratitude.

At the same time, my upbringing was full of contrasts. In Ethiopia’s conservative, socialist society, I was sheltered and guarded. Inside family and community, I was traditional in faith and survival. But through my global education and travels, I was free, open, and expansive. That tension shaped me: inwardly protected, outwardly seeking.

Impermanence, Rebirth & the New Earth

Now, reflecting in this stage of my life, Christmas carries a deeper meaning. It is less about festivity and more about Christ’s eternal reminder that nothing is permanent.

Christmas is the story of God’s love for humanity  of taking human form to show us the path to truth. Through fasting, Lent, prayer, meditation, and scripture, we remember our lineage from Adam and Eve, and how the cosmos came to be.

Sitting by Lake Tana on Christmas Day, listening to church bells ring, I remembered who I am.
With full access to myself, I sat in awe of the spiritual tools inherited from my ancestors — now purified, redirected out of ego and into consciousness.

I dipped myself into Tisisat Falls, crossed the lake by boat, and felt my body, my temple, being cleansed & upgraded.
I am part of the New Earth.

When COVID forced the world into stillness, I chose my own rebirth. I was abandoned again by family and friends, but this time, I didn’t question myself. I forgave my naivety, innocence, and belief that I could save others. I didn’t look back at the chaos and illusions around me. I surrendered to God’s will. I isolated. I died and was reborn internally, in private.

I was rebaptized in the Gihon River.
I went island-hopping in silence.
I walked Bahir Dar like the second home it has always been.
I revisited islands, returned to Gorgora, and let my soul remember every step I’ve taken on this land.

This time, I changed three hotels until one matched the vision of my future home.
Every day, I was reclaiming my power across every timeline and dimension, aligning fully with God.
Purified.
Alone.
Interconnected.
Multidimensional.

For me, travel — whether to Lake Tana, the Ganges, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, or into solitude — is always a journey inward.

Whenever my soul seeks truth, I go within.
I align with spirit, heal the body and mind, and return to God’s vast universe renewed.

This Christmas, Lake Tana, Gihon River & Eden reminded me of the eternal story — of Adam & Eve, created in the image of God. The waters here flow endlessly, feeding the Nile, carrying life across nations, birthing Nubia and Egypt, the cradle of civilization.

So does the soul — always flowing, always seeking, always returning to Source.

I remember who I am: a Spiritual Warrior, in my feminine divinity.

Safe journey,
✍🏾 By Dutchess @deldeyoch