Spiritual Retreat in South Africa

Now that South Africa is politically more stable it's a nice, warm, interesting place for a retreat. Please check out the Kurisa Moya Nature Lodge located near Johannesburg. The name, "Kurisa Moya" can be translated as enchanted wind or sacred spirit. The Farmhouse is booked to one group at a time and includes 5 bedrooms, a large living room, dining room and kitchen.

• The homely kitchen is fully equipped for self-catering although breakfast, lunch or dinner can be brought to your kitchen hot and ready to eat (book meals with our chef at least a week in advance).
• The Farmhouse is delightfully off-the-grid, and there are a gas fridge and freezer, 6-plate stove (with an oven) and hot-water geysers, as well as solar, candle and gas lighting.
• The Farmhouse is serviced daily and linen and towels are provided.
• There is a weber-braai and a sociable braai area in the garden. (Black Wattle firewood provided)

To read the original of this passage click here. The following one minute video will show you more. The activities include biking, birding, hiking and nature walks, fly fishing and massage sessions. If you are interested in this unique adventure please contact the owners at: info@krm.co.za or write to them: P.O. Box 280, Haenertsburg, 0730, Limpopo Province, South Africa. The phone: +27 (0)15 276 1131 Finally, the website: http://www.krm.co.za. Most importantly, if you go, please let me know how you liked it and what was the best part. Leave a message below this post or use: contact@mysticfare.com

Mental Patients Held Prisoners in a Church for Spiritual Healing

This report comes from South Africa near Namibia. The mentally challenged people were left chained to trees and heavy objects of years sometimes. Mathias Haufiku reports on this story in AllAfrica. Here is what he says about mental patients being held prisoners in a church for spiritual healing.

Mental Patients Held Prisoners in a Church for Spiritual Healing

The practice of incarcerating mental patients with chains padlocked to tree trunks and other objects has apparently been going on at the church for over a decade after the victims sought "spiritual healing" from Reverend Matyayi for mental and other illnesses.
After New Era broke the story, members of the police and social workers appalled by the illegal detentions intervened and ordered their immediate freedom on the grounds that the practice infringed on their human dignity.
But the police said Matyayi's actions though well-intentioned, were illegal. They say the situation was prompted partly by the fact that the country has only one psychiatric unit, denying many mentally challenged patients in the country access to proper mental health care.
The psychiatric unit in Windhoek cannot accommodate all people with mental disabilities in the country, hence it sometimes takes years before patients are even admitted, the deputy commissioner said.
"Whenever we have criminal cases involving mentally-ill patients it becomes a problem, because we do not have the facilities to detain such people. Sometimes we have no choice but to lock them up in cells all by themselves to avoid fights with other inmates," he said.
Last week Thursday, Bampton led police officials to the Sauyemwa informal settlement where they ordered the reverend of the church, Moses Matyayi, to unchain the mentally challenged patients.
To read the original of this post, click here.

While this situation is shocking, what are the alternatives for these people? They haven’t the money for medication and chances are these poor people are violently dangerous. If we think back to mental asylums before medication in Western countries, people were chained up as well. The article didn’t say what became of the 9 people nor what spiritual healing they actually received in the Apostolic Church outside Rundu. What do you think should happen to these people in order for their lives to be more peaceful and productive? Leave a comment below for others to see.