Elliot at Fordoun …
Posted on: March 22, 2017, in News
Elliot Ndlovu has met many people in his life. Amongst those, he has met Queen Elizabeth, former president Tabo Mbeki, actor Leonardo DiCaprio and has had hotel room services through out the world but, he practices uBuntu. He gives all people the equal amount of respect, attention and energy. No one person is treated as more special than another and he lives as he believes, that humanity bonds us together, never underestimating the strength of community. He treats the Mexican hotel cleaner just as he does HRM ….
This respect he shows all he meets is how he is able to bridge the gap between his home in Tendele, in the Kamberg valley, and his work at the 5 star Fordoun Hotel and Spa. Elliot is a Sangoma, (Traditional Doctor / medicinal and spiritual healer) a herbalist and an ethnobotanist. Calling and consulting with the ancestors to help his clients find inner peace, Fordoun is not only about physical pampering but spiritual and mental healing.
In his book “A Sangoma’s Story” he describes his calling late one night followed by the mental illness and necessary process of suffering in order to become a healer. He describes the two opposite worlds he lives in and his philosophies in life.
One of the many ways he links his worlds is by using and believing in the power of traditional ingredients. One examples of this is used during the Rasul treatment in the Spa. It is the white clay which is harvested by maidens during the full moon from the foothills of the Drakensberg mountains. This ancient Arabic treatment is a cleansing specialized treatment combining white clay and steam leaving you feeling totally calm, exfoliated and moisturized.
My message of Africa
When you have a quiet moment. When you are alone. When you have time to contemplate. Be still and take this simple clay ball in your hands. Caress it. Let it warm slowly to you. Feel the fine dust. Be comfortable by its solidarity. As you gently fondle it, think of our precious planet, the universe and the miracle of this moment. Think of your ancestors, your loved ones who are no longer with us but who are with us. Let the earth of Africa soothe away your grief, your stress, your concerns. Let any negativity drain away, absorb the positivity, the hope, the love. Embrace the spirit of Ubuntu. You are home. Welcome to the energy of Africa. Africa never leaves you. May this most simple piece of Africa be your comfort and remembrance that what is good and positive and fulfilling comes from the most basic yet natural resource, our planet earth. Look after it and it will look after you. Practice Ubuntu in all you do in life, in your relationships, in the way you view other peoples religious and cultures. It will change the way you act to them. It will change the way they act to you. Practice Ubuntu. It can change the world.
Elliot Msawenkosi Ndlovu
