The moment these two majestic beasts arrived at the forest clearing with their guides, I was tempted to take your shoes off for it was clear that something incredibly holy had indeed just entered this space. I must say that I was completely intimidated by the sheer size of the young elephants. But once I looked into their big beautiful eyes, it was difficult not to fall in love with their sweet and playful nature.

To give this a bit of context, last week, my husband and I went to a friend’s wedding in the South African lowveld, a beautiful scenic part of the country with the bushveld as its backdrop. While there we made time to explore the area and connect with the wild life too. A definite highlight of the trip was visiting an elephant conservation sanctuary that cares for rescued elephants and runs an interaction programme. I’d been looking forward to doing this for months now and feel so blessed that it has finally come to pass.

As spirit messengers, elephants hold various meanings, bringing messages of leadership, compassion, mothering, grieving, emotional healing and removing obstacles. In each of my encounters with them, I’ve found that these creatures embody such a peaceful and loving energy.

In the interaction programme at the sanctuary, I was introduced with a young bull named Casper. Standing next to him, stroking his wrinkled skin and feeding him, I felt that I was in the presence of an incredible soul. His gentleness was so heart-warming and one can sense the profound and ancient wisdom that he carries in his bones. It only felt right to send love and healing energy his way as I brushed my hand against his skin. He had had a hard journey before he found refuge at this sanctuary, yet here he was still standing and emanating such compassion. It brings tears to eyes just thinking about the experience.

Joseph Campbell said that – “Your sacred space is where you find yourself over and over again.” One thing that I know for sure is that wild Earth is my sacred space for it is where I find my way back to inner peace. When I was with the elephants, I know that I entered into a special kind of sacred space too.