Ingwavuma: StarLion on Earth
Ingwavuma Day celebrates the life of both a winged StarLion (Ingwavuma I) and a future king (Ingwavuma II). They remind us that we are living in prophetic times, beyond the clock. In this 13th hour, we are called to lead lives of authenticity, reverence for and purposeful service to Nature.
Angelic “winged” beings are depicted in mythological texts around the globe, yet here in the wilderness of the White Lions’ ancestral heartlands, they are a living reality.
It is 23 years to the day since my winged Lion Guardian, Ingwavuma I, was gunned down by a trophy hunter. His departure on the last day of the month of Leo was no coincidence, but part of a greater cosmic plan. In Mystery of the White Lions, I recall that his death shook me out of unconsciousness. “There, upon the lion mountain of Legogotsi, I made a silent promise that I would never again overlook a message which nature sent me.”
To the preposterous trophy-hunting industry, he was just another stuffed trophy mounted on the wall in a vain attempt to illustrate domination over Nature. To me and other emergent LionHearted leaders, his passing was, and still is, indicative of humanity’s misuse of fire. It left a deep scar in my soul, but also deepened my understanding of the importance of the White Lions for these evolutionary times. Once I better recognised the cosmic alignments of this moment, it resulted in a rejuvenated purpose to restore right relationship with Earth.
The wise face of Ingwavuma. This photograph was taken from the ‘identikit’ compiled by rangers to identify dominant males, and later used by the hunter to approve his trophy. (Image: Pierre Gallagher)
Ingwavuma I’s death occurred at the exact moment the setting sun came into perfect alignment with Regulus, heart star of the Leo constellation. Ancient Egyptians believed this alignment to be the pinnacle of cosmic events. They also believed that it signals the ascension of a Pharoah – a lion king – back to the stars and their true, eternal nature. Ingwavuma I’s sacrifice was the moment where reality and myth became one, and I came to understand it was providential. His death and the firepower used to extinguish his life, is a real-life metaphor for the path of self-destruction down which humanity is stumbling, one from which we may not be able to return.
For me, Ingwavuma I’s departure in this cosmic alignment was affirmation that the myth of the “StarLions” is a reality in our times.
Harbingers of our own demise
In our time, we are witnessing the repercussions of the misuse of fire on a global scale. This article coincides with the global release of the biopic Oppenheimer whose eponymous character, J. Robert Oppenheimer was the creator of the atomic bomb, the detonation of which remains a landmark abuse of firepower in the wars humanity has waged. However, our entire fossil fuel economy is based on the exploitation and pollution of Earth’s resources, alongside the reckless extraction through seismic blasting of her pristine coastlines.
July was Earth’s hottest month on record. Wildfires obliterated the Hawaiian island of Maui and continue to tear apart California, southern Europe and western Canada. We are set to exceed the 1.5-degree Celsius limit set at the Paris Accord. In counterpoint, unprecedented floods have reshaped landscapes from Delhi to Beijing, with the latter experiencing its heaviest rainfall in 140 years following Typhoon Doksuri. Underlying all of this is not global warming, but our complete lack of respect for Nature.
My view is that we are in the 13th hour, beyond the clock.
This image of Ingwavuma I with a young mate, taken in 1999, making his appearance on the tarred runway in Timbavati. (Image: Mae Naude)
Our epoch of human dominion of our planet is over, whether we realise it or not. It is only grace and realignment into sacred relationship of reverential service to Gaia that will carry us through, as she reclaims her dominion. We are not in charge here.
Recognising this fundamental truth helps us to restore our ancient contract with Gaia. When we follow good governance and come to understand “Tsau”, the connection of the White Lions and the stars, our consumptive existence will cease. We will turn our backs on consumption and usher in a Golden Age, characterised by true predation and a reverence for Nature, taking no more from Her than we need.
The Sun Prince cometh
This age is already unfolding, and I see it birthing every day in the Heartlands of Timbavati. Every new age calls in angelic Starbeings to assist. It was Credo Mutwa who shared that the name “Timba-vaati” means: “Place where the StarLions came down.” The White Lions are the StarLions who bring humanity the message for the Golden Age.
This was the framework through which I started to understand all the key events that took place in the days that followed Ingwavuma I’s passing. At the time, it gave me some comfort to be informed by my shamanic teachers that sometimes a “King must pass to make way for the birth of a Queen”.
This was confirmed with Marah’s birth in Bethlehem on Christmas Day, less than four months after Ingwavuma I’s death. Her birth was the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy, and it coincided with an eclipse event (Sun, Moon and Earth in alignment with the Blue Star, Sirius). Like their sacred mother, Marah’s children: Letaba, Regeus and Zihra, and grandchildren: Matsieng, Zukhara and Nebu, were born on sacred dates coinciding with eclipse events.
Ingwavuma II is being groomed for his role as the future king of the Heartlands. (Image: Global White Lion Protection trust)
These cosmic alignments culminated with the birth of a little golden male, Ingwavuma II – a fourth-generation birth through an eclipse. On this amazing cosmic occasion, the eclipse coincided with the 8:8 Lions Gate Portal.
Even as a little cub he displayed the courage, character, and majesty of Ingwavuma I. Knowing that this baby “winged lion” would carry the lineage of the White Lions into the future, just as his namesake, Ingwavuma I was destined to do before he was hunted, it is little wonder that I named this cub, birthed through mythical alignments and regal ancestry, Ingwavuma II.
Like all the StarLions in the HeartLands, Ingwavuma II is a living myth. His very existence reminds us of our stellar identity and higher purpose. As we celebrate this Ingwavuma Day, let us recommit to fulfilling our sacred contract and embodying LionHeartedness – that quality of fearlessness, inspired by love and respect for the natural world that enables us to change our human world for the better.
Written by Linda Tucker
CEO: Global White Lion Protection Trust and Linda Tucker Foundation
Author: Mystery of the White Lions (2001) Saving the White Lions (2013) LionHearted Leadership™ (2016)
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