African Goddess Energy On The Nile

If you’re new to my world, you may not know that one of my most favorite activities in the world is river rafting. There’s nothing like sitting at the bottom of valley in the middle of a river on a raft sun glistening off the water to give you a healing dose of perspective!

I’ve rafted the American, Kern and Colorado rivers in America, the Barron river in Cairns, Australia, and a river whose name I’ve totally forgotten in La República Dominicana. But my claim to fame (at least among my non-river rafting friends) is that I have also rafted the great Nile river.

Just after graduating from college (go Rattlers! 🐍) I made my first trip to the Motherland, spending 12 weeks in Uganda.

Our hosts were generous and kind, showing us the lay of the land so that we could meet our basic needs for the duration of our stay. I was introduced to Afro-beat (long live Papa Wemba), matooke (the daily staple starch made of boiled mashed green bananas), and chapati (the delectable Ugandan spin on the Indian-influenced flatbread that I have never been able to successfully recreate).

Everything in Uganda seemed bigger and more vibrant. The ants, who created these spectacular 6-foot iron red anthills, were large and angry. The trees and bushes were lush like nothing I had ever seen.

I soon discovered that the rich and dense flora was due to the proximity of the Nile. Jinja, the Nile’s birthplace, was just down the road.

When I discovered that rafting the Nile was possible, I immediately made arrangements for two of us to raft the longest river in the world!  

Once we arrived with our group at the put in, the preparation was very similar to all of my other rafting trips: you don a life vest, get an oar, learn paddle basics, and you learn how to correctly and protectively position yourself in the water after you’ve been tossed out by a rapid – because you are definitely going to get tossed out!

We were probably on the river for 30 minutes before we saw our first big rapid.

Now, most intermediate runs are Class 2-4 rapids. Class 5 requires expert level experience and Class 6 rapids are generally considered potentially deadly. You’ve got to be an Olympic level paddler to survive Class 6 rapids.

Following our guides’ instructions, we set to paddling forward in unison as we approached the rapid. Even though we were speeding up, to my eyes the world slowed down as our raft careened over the top of the rapid, floating in the air while the river continued to rush under us.

After what seemed like an interminable amount of time, our raft dropped 15 or so feet back to the river that was shooting out of the bottom of the rapid.  

Most of my raft mates were in the water having been ejected when the raft went over the top of the rapid.

As the adrenaline subsided, the two of us who did not go over paddled quickly to our closest raftmate and pulled him up into the boat by his life jacket. We repeated the same steps until the 7 of us were back safely in the raft.

This was the moment when our guide shared with us that the Nile was not like other rivers we have rafted.   

The rapids in other rivers were created by the interaction between the speed and depth of the water and rocks. Depending on the water level, the difficulty (or class) of the river would change.

The rapids in the Nile, however, were created by sheer hydraulic power. 

And the rapids were nearly Class 6 😮.

It. Was. AWESOME.

I didn’t know it then, but I was touched by the power of the Water Goddess that day.

We continued rafting for several more hours, with rapid after rapid testifying to the natural and supernatural magic of one of the most transformative elements on earth…

Water has so much to teach us about transitioning, like it does through states (solid, liquid, gas) AND bringing the full complexity of ourselves to the table (evidenced by the myriad forms that it takes – lakes, waterfalls, oceans, rain, hail, snow and the mightiest river on earth).

In three weeks, I will be leading FLOW, a gentle Goddess Activation, to bring you the sophisticated and inexhaustible wisdom of the Water Goddesses from Africa.

This ritual activation will help you metabolize ancient memories and embrace your historical power as a Black Woman!

If you are an Ally, this ritual activation will expand your heart and give you a new, unique perspective on Goddess wisdom.

Click here to discover how to live and give from the overflow.  

Peace,

Dr G

PS - two cards from the upcoming Black Goddess Within oracle deck were inspired by the Nile.  Pre-order now and be the first to see them!

PPS - This is a pic of my family rafting the Kern river a few years ago. That's my son (on bow), my father, and me on the right. My hubby and nephew (obscured by the rapid) are on the left.