Deepening Ubuntu Workshop

I enjoyed the dancing, it felt as if I was totally on my own in a mist.  When John played the drum I could see and feel images of my ancestors passing before me. The singing and clapping gave me so much energy that even when my hands felt tired, I could continue on. While we pounded the medicinal herbs for the finale ceremony, we all came together in unity.

Jackie Evans, retired Nurse.

Intact Medicine Tradition

It is a very special and unique experience to be taught by someone trained in a living, breathing, intact medicine tradition.  You bring the teachings to us with dignity and integrity and have inspired me to want to connect deeply with my own ancestral lines.  You also show us your own humility and humanity and sense of fun to produce an experience which is strong, but gentle.  I look forward to continuing working with such an inspirational teacher. Thank you!

Elizabeth Caldwell, PhD

University Lecturer, UK

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Southern African Blessing Ceremony

A Unique synthesis of Southern African music & spirituality Friday Night - 7.30-9.30pm   £10/£8 (conc)

Featuring Linos Wengara Magaya, acclaimed Zimbabwean mbira player & spiritual healer,

AND  John Lockley Xhosa Sangoma/ African Shaman.

The evening will feature John & Linos playing music together, interspersed with a brief discussion on South African spirituality. Linos will be assisted by Tim Dziva Lloyd.

Private Consultations with Sangoma upon request, Sunday

To book, please call 01235 847401 or email admin@theabbey.uk.com.

For further information please see www.theabbey.uk.com

Linos, Tim & John, Healers Together

Deepening Ubuntu - Wales

A workshop geared towards people who have already done some 'Ubuntu' work with John. This workshop will focus on:

  • Stillness

  • Cleansing/purification with plants

  • Connecting with our Ancestors

  • Dreams, listening to our souls

  • Dancing, singing & community

Energy Exchange: £200 - Includes accomodation, wonderful home cooked meals & Shamanic instruction.

For more information please contact Pip Waller on 0149-046-0493, Caroline Evans 0754-539-3629, Or click the booking form below. 

After the Calling Dream

Feature article appearing in the 'South African Newspaper' in the U.K., 14th July 2009. The article features John's journey from the townships in the Eastern Cape to teaching 'Ubuntu' workshops to people in the United Kingdom.

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African Spirituality

What does African spirituality mean to you? Voodoo, witch doctors, black magic? I can’t remember now if those where some of my first thoughts, but I certainly hadn’t ever found myself particularly drawn to African work. Yet somehow, in September 2007, I found myself on a weekend work shop with Sangoma (shaman), John Lockley. I still couldn’t understand what I was doing there. It was held in a beautiful shamanic centre in the hills of North Wales, a secluded spot near Corwen that I had visited a few years earlier. I hadn’t been up there for a while, but something was calling me, and when I looked at the workshop list the only thing that caught my eye at the time was this African Shamanic work. Even though there was no single thing about the workshop that jumped out at me, it just kept popping into my head and then someone gave me a free copy of Sacred Hoop magazine that happened to have an article about John’s initiation, so I decided maybe I was supposed to go along.

The introductory weekend is now a bit of a blur in my memory, but I remember particularly enjoying the trance dancing that John taught us -which is great fun! I also remember feeling my heart really open over the weekend. Another thing I clearly recall is John telling us that the work can set things in motion in your life, which stuck in my mind because the following week a couple of fairly big changes happened in my personal and work life. These were not easy things for me, and left me unsure of whether I wanted to continue the work further. It was not long after this that I did a shamanic journey to the spirit of water. It was a beautiful journey and during it I was told that it would be good for me to do more work with John. Not being one to ignore the advice of the water spirits, I signed up for a 9 month African Shamanic practioner’s course!

Having talked later to other people on the practioner’s course, I found my journey was not unusual. Many of the others felt a great deal of resistance to the work, but just kept getting called to it in various ways. And I have to tell you that I am so glad that I followed my intuition. The practioner’s course has been amazing.

Africa is a continent of great spiritual power, where the old shamanic ways are still alive and shamans can trace their lineage back through ancestors going back many hundreds, if not thousands, of years. I have felt this work more deeply than I have felt any other spiritual work before. I have found a path which is based on being humble, open hearted, respectful and digging deeply into your soul. It is about finding your humanity, and an understanding that my humanity is bound up with your humanity. It is about respect for the old ways, the elders and our communities. It is about working with dreams, nature, the plant spirits and our ancestors (both our blood lines and our spiritual families). The work has subtly, yet powerfully worked itself into every fibre of my being. It has truly and deeply touched my life on every level.

There is often a lot of negative press about African spirituality. I think that the great power found there can bring up fear in many of us. And yes, where the light is very bright, there can also be found darkness. But in John’s work I have found only the purest light. And I would urge any one who is drawn to shamanism and the old ways to come along and experience one of John’s workshops.

Caroline Evans, Teacher, Wrexham.

The Way of the Sangoma, Bath

  • Fri. 10 - Evening Blessing & Talk - 8pm to 10pm - £10
  • Sat. 11 - One Day Workshop - Ancestral work, medicinal plants & Dream work - 10am to 5pm - £75 (concessions are available)
  • Sun. 12 - Private Healing Sessions by appointment

To book call Denise on 077233 29414 or Carla on 07946 364898, or click below.

Love & Peace

From what I have experienced so far I would say that UBUNTU involves opening up to great power through learning to be humble and to open the heart. Whilst honouring and praising my ancestors outdoors with the group I have felt levels of love and peace that I rarely achieve elsewhere. And through the personal practice of honouring my ancestors in the UBUNTU way I feel I have been able to connect with my helpers and guides in a much more profound and deep way.

Caroline Evans

School Teacher

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In my job as a Chiropractor

When I saw an advertisement for a weekend course with John Lockley, a white South African member of the Xhosa tribe and a practising Ubuntu Sangoma i.e. shaman or ‘medicine-man’ or even ‘witch-doctor’ as we in the west might call him, my curiosity was aroused. I decided I had to find out more and approached the course with nervous but open-minded anticipation. I was not disappointed. I do not want to give too much away about the weekend except to say that it was a mixture of instruction and participation. Some of this I found emotionally very challenging, nothing we did was unacceptable to me, and the benefit was enormous. I felt elated for days afterwards.
There is one thing that surprised me. Although my knowledge of Romany Chovihano shamanism is limited (I am of mixed Anglo-Irish-Romany descent and Chovihanos have all but died out, at least in the west), what I do know tells me that Xhosa and Romany shamanism are so similar that it cannot be coincidence. Since the two peoples can hardly have met and exchanged ideas, they must have independently developed two systems whose closeness, in my opinion, tends to add credence to their value and utility.
In my job as a Chiropractor I am very aware that there are emotional and spiritual aspects of peoples’ lives which have negative influences on their general health contributing to their overall ‘dis-ease’, and which are left unresolved by modern health care (of any kind), psychology, and religion. I feel that Ubuntu may go a long way to filling that gap.

Dr. Peter Smith

Chiropractor, Llandudno, North Wales Member of the Scottish Chiropractic Association

Member of the College of Chiropractors

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Introduction to Ubuntu, Ireland

  • Fri. 15 - Evening Talk & Blessing Ceremony - “Rhythm of the Heart”. 8pm to 10pm.

  • Sat. 16 - Introductory Ubuntu workshop. 10am to 5pm.

  • Sun. 17 - Consultations by appointment.

To book the talk, workshops or consultation please call Neil McNulty on 086-167-3272 (Outside Ireland please dial +353 first) or use the Book Now button. Also see www.irh.ie.

Level 2 Ubuntu, Wales

Teaching people how to connect with their ‘Ancestors’ and ‘Spirit Guides’. It includes plant medicine, outside ceremony, ‘Heart-Beat Meditation’, and Dream work. The art of Dream Interpretation will be expanded upon. A strong weekend of practice best suited to those people who have already done an ‘Introduction to Ubuntu’ weekend or who have been working with John. If people feel especially drawn to this weekend but they have not worked with John before please email John, and then phone him.

£200 for 2 nights accommodation, food, and shamanic teaching.

To book call Pip Waller on 01490 460493 or use the Book Now button.

Introduction to Ubuntu, Kent

  • Fri 17 April - Evening Talk and Blessing Ceremony including sacred songs & heartbeat meditation.
  • Sat 18 April - Introductory Ubuntu Workshop & Sacred Sound Journey
  • Sun 19 April - Private Consultations

To book call Ann Pattihis on tel: 01580 753993, mob: 07810 043937, or use the Book Now button.

Introduction to Ubuntu, Bristol

  • Fri 13 Mar, 7.30pm - Evening Talk and Blessing Ceremony
  • Sat 14 Mar - One day Ubuntu Workshop. Workshop focuses on our connection to our Ancestors, dream work, Heart-Beat Meditation, and one Blessing Ceremony using medicinal plants.
  • Sun 15 Mar - Consultations

To book call Churaig Mac Niall on 07717 663922, or use the Book Now button.