A Spirited Dance

 After three months, I had to dust my luggage and defrost the fridge when I started preparing for my departure. This Blog-page was created for the 2023 trip to Mahébourg. I never imagined that I would return again and again.

Upon my return home. I was embarrassed by my yearning for Mahébourg. I was missing my fishing village and had to get my mind underwater by studying Marine Ecology and Coral Recognition as a survival tactic! My life at home continued, as I planned my next long stay in Mahébourg and another after that.

I considered my obsession with Mahébourg and was wondering if everything I felt wasn’t merely a chemical high of happy hormones with all the outdoor activities and sunlight, combined with a very busy social life and experiencing a sense of connection.

This winter, as I page through my personal diaries, I remember how lost I felt upon my return from Venice in 2016 and I realise that my return from Mahébourg evoked the same emotions. How is that possible, with two such vastly different locations? I’m not referring to an “end of vacation-blues”. I am talking about a “soul shift” or a “broken heart”. This is also by far not the only travelling I’ve done. I’ve been around! What caused this curious shift in these two locations?

I’m wildly excited with my findings! In both Venice and Mahébourg I experienced a Spirit, Soul & Body alignment, which I’ve never experienced before. It created a feeling of wholeness that vanished upon my return home, causing a sense of loss, or a “shift”. How is that even possible? You may ask. Stay with me and let me explain. This is a Health & Wellness discovery that you might benefit from.

What is this alignment? Let’s see what we’re looking at. This Spirit, Soul & Body alignment refers to a harmonious integration of our body, mind and emotions and our spiritual core. When that happens we experience a sense of wholeness – a feeling that our authentic self is in balance on all three these levels and that we’re living a life of purpose and fulfilment. We feel at peace with ourselves and our environment and experience a deep sense of peace and harmony as all our elements merge into oneness.

What did I do in Venice and Mahebourg that could have affected my Spirit, Soul and Body alignment?

Taking my body to VENICE and MAHÉBOURG.

VENICE

To be able to go to Venice, I had to prepare my body for the trip (I have mobility limitations). I bought a treadmill and trained for months to get stronger to be able to walk the distances I needed to. And once we were there, I did indeed walk more kilometres a day than I had in 15 years. I was so distracted by the magic that is Venice that I forgot about my walking stick and pushed forward to the next experience, ignoring my body’s limits.

By late afternoon my energy levels crashed, but by then my brain was oversaturated and I had 100s of photos to edit, notes to make and a blog to write, as well as research and prepping for the next day’s itinerary. I was walking in sunshine with the sea next to me, crossing bridges over canals and taking water reflection photographs. I fell in love with Venice!

Each time we left our beautiful hotel, bells would ring from the many bell towers. We would stop to listen – Venice was calling us! We travelled down the Grand Canal by Vaparetto (the water busses) and were carried away in time. Not a car or any advertisements in sight to remind us of the 21^st century. We crossed bridges and piazzas. Had coffee in delightfully ancient coffee shops, so that we could use their toilets. We discovered magical places, some not even mentioned in our guide book.

My husband worked in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and he lived in Paris for a while. He knows art. I noted down in my diary that he declared one night: “I’ve seen a lot of art in my life, including that of St Petersburg and Paris, but in Venice I understand that I had seen nothing yet.” We were in love with this ancient city built on millions of wooden piles, driven deep into the seafloor. Yes, the platforms built on these now mineralized fossil piles form the foundations of the magnificent buildings and piazzas we were admiring.

We visited the islands of Torcello, Murano and Burano. At the Santa Fosca Torcello, the very first church of this community (seeking refuge in the marshes, from the 5^th century invasions of the Huns), I could sense their desperation to find safety and their prayers for God’s protection. We were following the “ghost” of Tintoretto, in search of his life’s work. In each Cathedral I was lighting candles and felt completely overwhelmed by the mere size of the buildings. I experienced a newly awakened sense of God’s glory and power and was touched by His presence while I was humbled and tearfully aligning myself with Him.

I was walking with my walking stick, but the stairs on the many bridges that we crossed went unnoticed as my focus was either on the water, boat traffic or statues gracing the facades of palaces and churches.

At the Madonna dell’Orto in Cannaregio, where Tintoretto (1518-1594) was born, worshiped, painted glorious works of art and lived, we vowed that we would return to Venice the next year.

Upon our arrival home I felt a sense of loss and sadness that caught me by surprise. I felt “home sick” for a place I visited for only five days! An artist friend asked: “Your body is here, but your soul is in Venice, right?” When I acknowledged the feeling, he explained that souls don’t travel by airplane!  

We did return the next year and stayed in a flat opposite the house of Tintoretto, for two weeks. We attended Mass at the Madonna dell’Orto and explored deeper and further than the year before. This time we included grocery stores and even hardware stores! We stumbled into the Teatro La Fenice (the Opera House) on a last minute midweek discount and saw Verdi’s La Traviata. Stepping over puddles reflecting streetlights, afterwards and waiting for a Vaparetto with other opera goers while humming the well-known arias, was as memorable as the opera itself.

 When it was time to come home, we vowed that we would return and lodge in the Monastery of the Madonna dell’Orto to make it more affordable, so that we could linger longer. We arranged that, but then Covid19 cancelled our flight and plans.

                                                                MAHÉBOURG      

Mahébourg was the first capital of Mauritius (1715-1810) but is now one of the lesser visited local towns in the Southeast. It relies on fishing and eco-tourism on the lagoon for mostly day visitors. I lovingly refer to Mahébourg as my fishing village, as that is the atmosphere with its small fishing boats bobbing on the water or pulled out on slipways. The market and shops are geared for the local French Creole speaking community and there is a fabulously authentic island vibe.

Before our first trip to Mahébourg in December 2022, I trained swimming, walking and was in a gym for a whole year to get strong enough, to do my Open Water SCUBA Diver Certificate. I was pushing my body further than I thought possible at the time. After having lived with muscle weakness and balance issues since 2002.  Once I was underwater though and first encountered the ecosystem on the Coral Reef, I was in love!

A few months later I was back in Mahébourg, travelling solo for the first time in decades and staying in a self-catering flat. I explored, had the opportunity to speak my rusted French and do my Padi Advanced SCUBA course. I walked kilometres to get from my flat to the dive centre, beach, shops, museum and waterfront and used the local bus for parts of the longer distances. The bus drivers started recognising me and waved greetings passing me on a walk.  Sometimes I got caught in a sudden tropical down pour, but that could not dampen the excitement of my adventures.

 I befriended locals and joined a Ladies Bible Study, where I met more people. My husband convinced me to avoid an unusually depressing cold winter in South Africa and I eventually extended my stay twice. 

On my dives I experienced a new sense of freedom. Underwater my mobility issues were irrelevant. I was flying weightlessly through the bluest blue and diving through underwater tunnels! My new underwater skillset and passion for sea life changed me in a very profound way. I was living my lifelong dream. I was a diver at long last!

And my SPIRIT?

In Venice my Spirit was stirred and touched in the Cathedrals where I found a new humility in the presence of God. I experienced a daily alignment with Him as we walked surrounded by the Story of Salvation, His Great Sacrifice, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was in the Cathedrals, Churches and in the Museums. It was called out by the bells ringing in the campanili of more than a hundred churches.

In Mahébourg there is a reminder that we live in a spiritual world around every corner! Candles burn in Catholic Shrines on sidewalks and in front of private homes. They are even built on rocks in the shallow lagoon. Hindu temples and shrines along the road and the submerged statues of Hindu deities on one of my favourite dive sites, together with traditional saris of many older ladies, form a foundation of the Mauritian culture for many.

 My friendships in three Christian Churches and my attendance and Worship with them, had me walking in faith and trusting God for much. Underwater and on my beloved reef I experienced a new connection with God. Everything cried Holy – in the extraordinary diverse collection of organisms that lived in astonishing symbiotic relationships and in an innocence that goes back to a time when humans were still just a thought in God’s mind.

Oh my SOUL!

In Venice my mind was stimulated and overwhelmed by Historical facts and Art. Even the Opera. I was writing a blog and taking photographs which thrilled me. My daily Facebook diary was informative and beautiful. I was trying to speak some Italian (tapping into my knowledge of Latin and time spent with an Italian school friend) and we tasted Italy in its Aperol Spritz and Chianti, eating the most delicious pastas and even a plain pizza Margherita was more satisfying than at home. The fact that I was on the water all the time, touched my soul as only a mermaid would understand. Even a simple grocery shop was an adventure and I spent time reading labels and comparing products, leading to many new tastes. My soul was creative and alive!

In Mahébourg, although at first it seems to be impossible, the similarities are mind boggling!  Coming from Cape Town, South Africa, Mauritius has historical perspectives and values that resonate with me, perhaps more so than it would with someone from the first World. I visited the tiny Mahébourg Historical and Maritime Museum many times, studying the written stories curated there with artefacts from many ship wrecks as well as from its Colonial and Slavery past.

There are so many stories! I was writing my dive blog and taking tropical photographs. I became a “wannabe” news reporter as I diarised my adventures in Facebook videos. I started being bold in speaking my broken French and had wonderful connections with fishermen and local ladies on the street and on the magnificent Waterfront (which is paved in history). My budget was limited, but I could taste the local street food and regularly bought myself Dhal Puri and Gateau Arouille. I discovered Vanilla Chicken in a Creole Bistro where I became family and helped out when I was needed. I visited all markets that I could get to and had enough time to just explore, experience and love all the flavours, colours and sounds.

My SCUBA and snorkelling experiences excited me with the discovery, identification and further studies of new species which I encountered. I became so passionate about Coral Conservation that I created a new Facebook page, “Keepers of the Sea”, where I still advocate Marine conservation. I was creative and alive in the fullest sense of the words!

The Dance

This is the alignment of SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY – being completely alive and in the moment. It is possible to have a single moment like that – e.g. when you take a walk on a beach, watch a sunset while having a kindred spirit at your side. Then take a photo of the sunset, drawing you right into that moment, while being keenly aware of God’s glory exalted in the changing palette of the setting sun.

Living in a continuous sense of harmony over an extended period, a week or three months, is something different. The repetitive nature of these harmonious moments leads me to feel a rhythm. I have just realised, as I am writing this, that we are talking about a dance. When there is no sense of one element pulling into a different direction or wanting a different beat. When our elements are so integrated that the body, mind, heart and spirit can dance together – that is a harmonious alignment!

What am I to do? I can’t move to Venice! I realise that it is possible to dance a shimmy if you have the energy to pull all your elements into one day. In my case, I could try to dance a slow dance at home, trying to integrate my elements over the course of a week. Swaying slowly – Keeping my body active, my mind stimulated and creative and my spirit focussed on my Creator. The secret lies in the repeating rhythm and balance – That’s the Dance of Alignment!

 By Lynette Gerber-Lochenkov

Winter 2025