Journey 1 – Sinai Pilgrimage in Egypt – dam build and retreat
Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.
Journey No: SJHCJan27 Dates: 30 January – 10 February
Only in solitude can we attend to the work of “soul-gathering” that is so important in a world of endless activity and anxiety over other people’s opinions
Cost: £1000 (flights not included)
Booking: Contact helen@sinaijourneys.org for a booking form
Project Materials: Costs for the dam materials and labour to be raised by the group
Status: Open
The journey will be facilitated by Lucy Voelcker, artist and plant dreaming guide. Lucy also offers 1:1 sessions using the wisdom of the natural world around us. The journeys will be led by Helen Cranston, Project Manger of the Makhad Trust for 10 years and now a Director of the Trust; Sinai Journeys Ltd is a sister organisation to the Trust. Helen has been involved with the Journeys since 2008, leading groups on a regular basis. In addition, her work with the Makhad Trust, has given her a deep knowledge of the landscape, the history, the people, and their customs of Sinai and the Bedouin people.
Description:
Sometimes we need to get right away from all things familiar to find ourselves – to go to a place from where we can look freshly at our lives and at the world, from a new perspective. Such a place is often to be found in Nature and living simply without the benefits of modern
technology. Then we can listen deeply to who we are, and gain insight into our place in the world.
In the UK we can visit the mountains and islands. But sometimes, maybe once in a lifetime, we are called to make a quest far beyond Travelling to the Sinai Desert, with Intention, where pilgrims have been going for at least 2500 years, may offer us a transformational experience Being hosted by Bedouins we come into contact with a land and culture vastly different from our own and with a people who are used to living in harmony with Nature, illuminating our own
consumeristic hunger for what it is.
The journeys are by nature, adventurous retreats. We will be away from electrical distractions and experiencing a digital detox, so this is an ideal opportunity to ask yourself difficult questions about who you are, where have you come from and where are you going – if you wish. Wisdom seekers have been coming to Sinai for over 2000 years, including the prophets of the world’s three major religions, finding spirit in the landscape and in themselves. You can accept this invitation or you can come purely for the adventure, the choice is yours.
The Group will meet in Sharm el Sheikh and stay overnight in a Bedouin Resort on the coast. After breakfast and swimming over the coral reef, we will travel to St Katherine by minibus and spend the first night at Fox Camp. The next day we will walk through a long mountain pass to the location for the dam build. We will camp in a Bedouin-run eco lodge where our guides and hosts will prepare our meals for us. For the next three days we will work with a team of Bedouins building a small dam. This dam will stop the flash floods and preserve the water for the Bedouin gardens and wells lower down the valley. Once the work is completed we will trek back through the mountain pass and travel out to the desert to Mattamir for four days desert exploration and retreat, with the opportunity for experiencing silent time in the footsteps of the Desert Fathers.
For the trekking and dam building a moderate level of fitness is required, and experience of trekking in mountainous areas is preferable, but no particular skills are necessary.
The Dam The journey cost does not include the costs of building the dam. These costs include hiring builders, buying cement, buckets and tools, transport of all the materials by camel (no road access). Participants are expected to raise the dam costs by sponsorship or donation. A typical dam costs around £1800, with this cost being split between the participants.
