This was a truly wonderful conversation and episode with John Lockley

John is a fully initiated and ordained Sangoma (African Shaman) in two lineages from South Africa, the Xhosa and Swazi nations. He is the author of the book ‘Leopard Warrior’, and audio teachings ‘The Way of the Leopard’, both published by Sounds True. His Xhosa apprenticeship took 10 years and he was foreseen in a dream by his teacher, MaMngwevu, a senior Xhosa sangoma from the same tribe as Nelson Mandela, who invited him to be her apprentice.

According to John’s Xhosa elders he was one of the first white men in recent times in the Xhosa nation after Apartheid, to be awarded the title of ‘Ligqira Linkulu’ , meaning senior sangoma. His Xhosa name given by his teacher is ‘Ucingolweendaba’, meaning ‘the messenger or bridge between cultures’. He has pioneered the bridge between modern western Psychology and traditional South African healing. For the last 17 years he has been facilitating ‘Ubuntu’ (Humanity) and Way of the Leopard retreats worldwide, teaching people how they can reconnect to their Ancestors, Spirit and the Earth.

A passion of John’s is teaching people indigenous African medicine to help them reconnect to the earth. He facilitates this through his ‘Dreams & Tracking’ retreats in the Kalahari Desert every year. John holds an honours degree in Clinical Psychology. He is also a Zen meditation practitioner with over 30 years of experience. He took Buddhist precepts with Zen Master Su Bong from South Korea in 1992. John offers private divination and healing sessions online, as well as group oriented monthly ceremonies.

A core part of John’s work is helping people with spiritual poverty. He speaks about the importance of people connecting to their immortality, or soul. He facilitates these teachings through meditation and indigenous practices that encompass animal and plant worlds as well as ancestor and dream work. He now splits his time between South Africa, Botswana (Kalahari Desert) and Canada. In April 2025 John was made an elder sangoma medicine man by his Xhosa teachers in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This was a celebration of over 29 years of being a sangoma and running healing retreats worldwide.

John will be in Ireland in December hosting a talk and work shop get in touch with me [email protected] to join.

https://www.johnlockley.com/