John Keith Kelly Lockley

A white South African who is initiated as an igqirha, & a traditional healer

Expertise : Healer
Languages : english
Website : https://www.johnlockley.com/
Podcast : https://www.johnlockley.com/podcasts

JOHN KEITH KELLY LOCKEY is a well-known white South African who is initiated as an igqirha, which means a traditional healer or sangoma of the Xhosa people. He is also one of the first white men in the current history to become a fully initiated sangoma in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa.

John’s journey is about reconciliation, and part of his job is to help heal the past. When people are more connected with their spirits, there is less desire to destroy or put down another. He doesn’t intend to bring Xhosa or South African shamanic culture to the West, but rather to use its essence which includes the techniques of prayer, dreamwork, and connection to nature to help people connect with their ancestors and spiritual traditions.

During the early days of his calling, Kelly was trained as a Zen student under the guidance of renowned Zen Master, Su Bong, completing an intensive three-month kyol che in a Buddhist monastery in South Korea. He was also then invited by the Grand Master Dae Soen Sa Nim to be a part of his “monk army,” but the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa.

Then, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, who is a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, and engaged in one of the poorest townships within South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, by giving him the initiated name Ucingolwendaba, meaning messenger or connector between people and cultures.