Seeking, Discovering, and Creating: A Journey of Spirit and Sovereignty

"All I can do for you is protection, guidance, nurture, & a global education, as well as discipline of putting God first not man, not even me, the rest is up to you." - my awakened father R.I.P.

 “Why do we follow rituals blindly without knowing their essence?” - Zera Yacob (17th century Ethiopian philosopher before decarte)

My journey began in Ethiopia, where I inherited a love of travel and curiosity from my awakened father, who shared stories of adventure across mountains, valleys, and oceans. My mother, working with Ethiopian Airlines, gave me wings early. At just 12 years old, I began traveling solo—a choice that became my greatest teacher, stripping me of comfort, conformity, and false personas, and connecting me to a force far greater than myself.

From the very beginning, my travels were not mere tourism; they were initiation. Guided by God and the ancestral spirits of my lineage, I embarked on a pilgrimage to trace the wisdom etched into the lands of my forebears, confront shadows, and deepen my understanding of self. Every step was an act of remembrance—of humanity, cosmic alignment, and the divine imprint we carry, made in the image of God.

Ethiopia: My First Teacher

In Ethiopia, I completed both a northern and southern loop. My first journey as a VIP Sales & Marketing representative for Ethiopian Airlines gave me intimate access to the country’s rich cultural tapestry. I trekked the Simien Mountains, explored the sacred cliffs of Gheralta in Tigray and Shewa, and felt the pulse of the Rift Valley—a power that would guide all my future travels.

Every valley, river, and sacred site whispered lessons of endurance, stewardship, and spiritual alignment. I chose to visit much of Ethiopia as a solo traveler, to feel the pulse of the land and citizens I was chosen to serve. Friends, family, and society—especially in Addis—were shocked by my daring venture. My answer: How do you think your forefathers lived 3,000 years ago, creating towns, monasteries, cities, and sites, caring for land and lineage, practicing healing, diversity, and governance, all while keeping Ethiopia free from colonization?

Walking the Bible

My journey extended to the Middle East. I walked the Bible, through Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Palestine, and Ethiopia. From the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and the Nile, I felt scripture come alive. Trekking Mount Sinai with Bedouins, I connected to primal knowledge that has guided humanity for millennia. Cruising the Nile through ancient Nubian lands from Abu Simbel to Cairo, I felt the presence of my ancestors, the builders, priests, and worshippers of civilization’s cradle.

Crossing the Suez Canal, I rested in Tel Aviv, then passed through Turkey to Europe. Trekking the Dolomites, I studied emotional intelligence for my MBA, while Venice and Lido reminded me of ancient merchant routes and ancestral trade networks. Sitting in the square of St. Mark, my spirit knew: my ancestors had been here before.

Africa: A Living Classroom

Africa became my living classroom. My fascination had started in geography class and with books like The Alchemist. So I crossed from Andalusia into Morocco through Tangiers, in awe of crossing the Mediterranean. In a café, I met fellow Habesha women solo travelers, each of us carrying our own story. Overland, I wandered the blue city of Chefchaouen, conversing with poets, travelers, and seekers from the global community.

Morocco felt like poetry. I marveled at the world’s first university in Fes, founded by a woman in the 9th century. I was entranced by Berber music, cuisine, and culture, slept in riads in Marrakesh, swam and bought argan oil in Essaouira, and camped under the stars in the Sahara desert. The land itself whispered endurance.

Further south, Egypt opened ancient gateways. From the great Mediterranean library in Alexandria to the Valley of the Kings, I paid respect to those who came before me. I traveled overland to Cape Town—sleeping under stars in Sinai, Omorate, Serengeti, and Namib deserts, rafting the Zambezi, and hiking Table Mountain. In Soweto, I confronted colonial legacies and the deep constructs of matriarchy and patriarchy, sitting in Mandela’s prison cell and absorbing the wisdom of struggle.

On safari through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, I witnessed creation in motion: lions roaring into dawn, elephants crossing rivers, giraffes stretching toward ancient trees. Each encounter was scripture alive.

Madagascar, with its cocoa and vanilla plantations, emerald forests, and the Nosy Be channel, became another teacher. It was both familiar and otherworldly—a land of migrations, carrying Africa’s seeds into new soil.

And then Zanzibar. Sitting on the shores of the Indian Ocean, I remembered stories I had always heard: how southern Ethiopia stretched into Kenya and Tanzania, how currents carried migrants to Madagascar, planting language, rituals, and life itself. Looking at the horizon, I could almost see them—sailors, mothers, children—journeying across waters to create.

India: Chaotic Harmony

India called through the Himalayas. From Rishikesh to Varanasi, I paid homage to the Ganges. I explored Goa, Jaisalmer near the Pakistan border, Mumbai, Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, and the Taj Mahal—by plane, train, bus, and boat. The land resonated with my vegan lifestyle and spiritual alignment, a chaotic harmony that mirrored life’s duality and humanity’s evolution of consciousness.

Europe: Reflections and Erasure

I backpacked across Europe, from Ireland to England, the Netherlands, Brussels, Belgium, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany, more than once. Each time, Europe revealed something new, not just about its landscapes, but about my own growth. What struck me most was not only the grandeur of what Africa had given to the West and the world, but the intentional erasure of that legacy.

Spain and Morocco connected continents and ancestries. From Madrid to Andalusia, Granada, Seville, Córdoba, Cádiz, then into Chefchaouen, Fes, Marrakesh, Essaouira, and the valleys, I witnessed the convergence of civilizations. Dancing flamenco with Roma spirits, feeling the legacies of Berber Moors, Egyptians, Middle Easterners, and Persians, I saw the threads of civilization woven long before Western conquest reshaped the story.

Western Europe, from Viking Scandinavia to Anglo-Saxon and Celtic lands, offered beauty and lessons. Yet it was Andalusia that spiritually resonated, affirming my heritage.

The Americas: Honoring Native Lands and the Pacific Northwest

In the Americas, I honored Native lands from the serene Olympic Mountains and San Juan Islands in the Pacific Northwest, through Whistler, Vancouver, Washington, Portland, and California, and then overland to Mexico. What I loved most was the breathtaking terrain of these lands and the enduring imprint of the ancestors who shaped them, still honored and used today.

I slept on Native lands in the western tip of the U.S., trekking forests, camping under endless skies, kayaking rivers, and exploring the Pacific coast. The region’s festivals, community gatherings, and celebrations of culture made the Pacific Northwest unforgettable. Traveling these lands made me fall deeply in love with the mountains, rivers, and coastlines, and the living connection between the people and their ancestral heritage.

From New York City to Washington, D.C., the Carolinas, Atlanta, Florida, and down to Key West in the southern tip of north America, I knew the Caribbean was alive in Miami. These travels were not only celebrations of sovereignty; they were confirmations of humanity’s gifts, struggles, and interconnection across time.

Portugal’s Sintra where empire and missionary zeal once converged, reminded me how history reshapes faith. Yet even in the face of conquest, God remains.

The Essence of Deldeyoch

In every country, I cooked, broke bread, and tasted the harvests and wines, from South Africa and the Rift Valley to Napa Valley, Lake Chelan, Italy, and Israel. Every taste carried stories of land, labor, science, and art.

This pilgrimage of seeking, discovering, and creating became the essence of Deldeyoch. It is a philosophy and practice of bridging consciousness, impact, and purpose. Deldeyoch embodies inclusivity, fairness, alignment, and ancestral wisdom, connecting human creativity with modern systems, institutions, and policy.

It is the vessel through which I apply leadership, governance, and ethics, informed by the Ethiopian Orthodox faith, the philosophy of Zera Yacob, Jung’s insights on shadow and archetypes, Donald Hoffman on perception, and Jordan Peterson on responsibility and courage.

Closing Reflections

Life and experience are not linear. At times, they repeat, calling for refinement, reflection, and growth. Human evolution requires choice, conviction, and courage: the willingness to use gifts despite resistance, takers, and failures. Each failure is a lesson; each challenge, a call to rise.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, ancestral lineage, and cosmic alignment are anchors that guide me to walk in God’s truth, clear distractions, and embody fairness, inclusivity, and awareness.

As Ram Dass and Eckhart Tolle remind us: “If you think you are enlightened, go live with your parents and family.” In that reflection, I recognize that true consciousness is lived, tested, and embodied, not just in distant lands, but within family, institutions, and daily life.

It is in seeking, discovering, and creating that we remember our humanity, honor our lineage, and align with the cosmos. I chose to share what I know, and invest in the land, & continent that shaped humanity but is not seen as an equal, as migration is also part of humanity, seeking better life for the family. It's not an easy place for a black authentic woman surrendering to only God. I have experienced so much hate, inspiration, envy, light, hate, doubt, & vengeance, as well as outdated social systems that force conformity, coded deep within my being  Especially those living in spirit, truth & in integrity, require an understand of a sophisticated ancient human technology, that alchemizes, transforms & upgrades our collective essence, to remember ones humanity, made in the image of God, more powerful than you think or imagine.

By Dutchess @ Deldeyoch