I first came to Kenya in 2007. A few weeks after my arrival, the country fell into a chaotic bloodbath as the tribalistic post-election violence tore into the people. I watched helplessly, a little wide-eyed, at the events which left a shudder in my spirit. Not because it was a terrifying thing to be caught in (which it was) but because of the strange contradiction I saw unfolding. There was an unmistakably extraordinary power in the land, and these primal aggressions did not match it.
That power remained in my soul, deep and poignant. It would keep calling me back again and again. Something touched me on that trip. A kind of shamanic initiation – a trial by fire – which eventually led me to my deeper calling: to help heal the land and people of Kenya.
I was living in Thailand then, and my soul ached to be on this land. I felt the pull of its magnificent soil, the palpable spirit within it, and from afar, the heartbeat of the land so audible to my inner ear.
At the time, I had a magical house in Northern Thailand, a serene base for my soul work, teeming with spiritual elements. One day, the Tree Spirit said, “Consider it a sacred passage, you are going to Kenya.” After I embraced it in my heart, I began to receive more messages from deep in the ground. I had found this house but it was as if it had rather found me. There was a flat-topped tree I could see at the far distance from my verandah that reminded me of Africa. As I rested in the land there, I realised it was connecting me to the land in Kenya. Hence, the land gave me knowledge about my higher purpose in Kenya. It held me, as Spirit prepared me for my passage.
Eight years after my initiation, I finally made Kenya my base. This is home to me. I have never felt so comfortable and aligned as I am here. Having lived in numerous countries, that is saying something.
There is this thing in the land, and it is also in the people. I see this power as the heart and soul of Kenya. As above, so below. I call it the ‘Kenyan Power’. Its potency guarantees it will never, ever be corrupted by anything. It will remain pure and pristine forever, silently waiting for its owners to awaken to it.
“Kenyans are powerful,” I stated to maybe the third person. She laughed at me. And I realised that nobody had ever told them that they are powerful.
A few years later, no one laughed. They looked back at me, their eyes acknowledging this power stirring beneath their belly. A new concept perhaps, but deeply familiar if they looked there.
As an outsider, I have the advantage of emotional distance which gives me a wider perspective. Whilst many Kenyans might be quick to repeat the ingrained stories about being powerless (we are poor, our country has no hope, etc.), I see a different story. Their power is so close to the surface, that it would not take much to ignite. A light touch is all it takes to unleash previously untapped potential.
The issues in this country may be deeply complex and entangled. But it can be boiled down to one conclusion: All external conflicts arise because we have yet to discover our own power within.
As Kenya prepares to face its third general elections since 2007, the voice of the land’s spirit speaks loudly to those who will listen: It is time to truly awaken and rise in your illuminance.
Also Read: A Beautiful Thing Happened When I Set Foot in Africa: My Story From the Netherlands to Kenya
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Featuring former Sarabi Band musician Ambasa Mandela, who is also an activist for peace and togetherness, Amyra recorded Transmission, a track that awakens Kenyans to lead in global consciousness. The music carries powerful transmissions for the land of Kenya and her people. Stream it here.
