My Elephant Healing
- Nicole Dawson Cullinan
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 28
Elephants… are symbols of continuity, endurance, strength, remembrance and matriarchy.
What comes to mind of when you think of an elephant?
For me it is two childhood memories.. the first is the disney character, Dumbo, the poor abandoned elephant with big ears and the second is coming face to face with a threatening bull elephant flapping his ears and charging us on a family game drive ...and my Dad hastily speeding away in reverse to safety!
Our annual family holidays to game reserves like Kruger national park, Hwange in Zimbabwe and Etosha pan in Namibia among many others, exposed me in my formative years to the wild and imprinted a deep appreciation for wild nature.
Growing up in Southern Africa was unique in so many ways…
Contrary to what many out-of-Africans have said to me, we did not have the big five roaming our suburbs. But what we did have a relatively biodiverse ecosystem of plants, insects, reptiles, birds and mammals in our immediate environment.
This natural immersion validated the enduring connection I feel with plants and animals. It is the reason I felt the lack of it acutely on relocating to The Netherlands 9 years ago.
It is this 'nature deficit' that motivates my ongoing search for all things wild to nourish my wild heart…
This yearning also initiated my recent elephant birthday experience at the Elephant sanctuary in Pletternberg bay on the South African garden route. A big thank you to our talented guide, Ludwe, who also took these fabulous photos.
Books about elephants
In 2009, I read The Elephant whisperer, a beautiful book written by South African author and conservationist Lawrence Anthony along with journalist Graham Spence. It inspired me to read more wildlife related stories by them including Babylon’s ark which was about their zoo rescue mission in war torn Iraq.
The Elephant Whisperer was the spark which kindled in me a need to have an up close and personal experience with elephants. And after all these years, the stars finally aligned and it was especially befitting my 51st birthday...I was not disappointed!
The African Elephant - Ioxodonta Africana
When the day finally came, I was in total awe and not a little afraid of these majestic, intelligent and alien-like giants. It felt like petting an emormous horse or dog. Even though it felt part of a trained transaction, I knew this was the closest I would get to wild ones. These orphaned elephants were used to people since they had been reared by humans from before they were two years old.
I even heard their stomachs 'rumble’ - which Lawrence Anthony mentioned in his book. Elephants communicate by making a range of sounds varying from sub-sonic rumbles to very powerful screams and trumpeting. The handler kindly interpreted Thandi the elephant’s rumbles saying that she wanted more treats!
The Asian Elephant - Elephas Maximus
Another of my highly rated books with a memorable elephant character is Covenant of water by Abraham Verghese (2023). It is a multigenerational epic story of love, faith, and medicine with many unforgettable characters including an Asian elephant called Damodaron or 'Damo' for short. He appears and retreats throughout the book sticking his huge, gray head into the kitchen window, welcoming new members of the family with a offerings or gentle nudge. The elephant bears witness to generations of joy and pain.
Healing the spirit of the matriarchy with Elephant’s milk
There is also a homeopathic remedy made from Elephants’ milk and it is called Lac loxodonta africana. According to the provings by Dr Nancy Herrick, in her book 'Animal mind, human voices', it is associated with themes of brutality and violence, suffering and homelessness, food scarcity and feeding others, timelessness etc. Its application is wide including for those dispossessed and women needing support during motherhood, and trauma related to conception and gestation.
Over the years, I have prescribed many homeopathic milk remedies to my patients from human to dog and wolf, and now that Lac loxodonta africana is on my therapeutic radar, I am looking forward to sharing the healing power of the African elephant.
For more info about my personalised wellness care approach, book a free discovery call with me. https://www.wellnessplaceint.com/booki…/free-meet-greet-chat
If you are looking for homeopathic, nutrition and self-care know-how, go to my website and subscribe to my newsletter.
Until next time, listen to your wild heart!
nicole
If you too have a wild heart looking for nourishment, take a look at my Wild Seasons book series:
And coming soom Wild Autumn!
Follow me to be the first to hear when Wild Autumn is published ;)
Comments