How A Safari Can Enhance Your Spirituality

How A Safari Can Enhance Your Spirituality

For many travelers, a safari in Kenya is as close as it gets to paradise. While staying in a stunning boutique ecolodge at the foot of the serene Chyulu Hills, encountering graceful animals such as giraffes, lions and leopards, and connecting with the Maasai people, we can gain an additional benefit we probably never knew we needed: a heightened spirituality which scientists and psychologists such as Carl Jung believed were essential to human happiness.

Why is Spirituality Important?

It is important to understand that being spiritual can, but does not have to, mean following the tents of a particular religion. Spirituality is important because it makes us happier; various studies have shown that those who make time to enrich their inner world, enjoy a greater sense of wellness, for various reasons. For one, they tend to be accepting of the ups and downs that are part of life. Secondly, spirituality gives them an opportunity to connect with other people who share similar ideas and values. These people can be an important source of support when times are tough.

How Can We Achieve Spirituality?

Deepening one’s spirituality involves looking inward (connecting with our deepest emotions, thoughts, and desires) and outwards (seeing what we have in common with a Greater Power).

Carl Jung’s original ideas have subsequently been backed by so many studies over the past decade; their findings show that spending time in nature enhances our spirituality – and all we need to do, is enjoy the beauty of a majestic sunset, gaze into the eyes of a beautiful wild animal, or simply relax beneath the welcoming shade of a tree.

Spending time in the Great Outdoors is like an instant ‘happy pill’; it transports us effortlessly into a mindful state, in which our mind remains ‘in the present moment’. We are therefore free of the worry and stress that take over our peace when we live in the past or the future. For Jung, Nature also provided visual symbols of perfection (trees and animals), which are powerful reminders of our need to make more room for spiritual pursuits in our day-to-day lives.

What is Maasai Spirituality Like?

Interestingly, if you ask the Maasai, they will probably enlighten you on their own beliefs. They have one God, called Ngai, who has several aspects who can be benevolent but can also grow angry. Ngai is the Creator of everything and it is believed that he once owned all the cattle that existed on the earth. Although Ngai eventually separated earth from sky, he sent cattle down to the Maasai through the aerial roots of the sacred wild fig tree. There are fascinating stories about Ngai that you can always discover more about on your next safari adventure.

In addition to enjoy the adventure of a lifetime in Kenya, you may find that you come home with an unexpected gift: a deeper sense of who you are and the important role you can play in making the world a better place. Let the vast natural landscape and sight of precious animals transport you to a mindset that will also make you feel considerable happier.

Written by Guest Contributor,
Sally W.