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Leopard Warrior: A Journey into the African Teachings of Ancestry, Instinct, and Dreams
A Teaching Memoir That Crosses the Barriers Between Worlds
A shaman is one who has learned to move between two worlds: our physical reality and the realm of spirits. For John Lockley, shamanic training also meant learning to cross the immense divide of race and culture in South Africa.
As a medic drafted into the South African military in 1990, John Lockley had a powerful dream. "Even though I am a white man of Irish and English descent, I knew in my bones that I had received my calling to become a sangoma, a traditional South African shaman," John writes. "I felt blessed by the ancient spirit of Africa, and I knew that I had started on a journey filled with magic and danger." His path took him from the hills of South Korea, where he trained as a student under Zen Master Su Bong, to the rural African landscape of the Eastern Cape and the world of the sangoma mystic healers, where he found his teacher in the medicine woman called MaMngwevu.
In Leopard Warrior, John shares a gripping account of his experiences and the wisdom he learned over years of training. Here he invites you to discover:
• Powerful insights into the spiritual tradition of the Xhosa lineage of South Africa—the tribe of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu
• Ubuntu—a core concept for recognizing and embracing our deep interconnection with all living things
• Ancestor medicine—how we can learn to honor the blood in our veins, the heritage of our soul, and our shared humanity
• Recovering our forgotten knowledge about the wisdom of our dreams, the spirits of plants and animals, and the power of the unseen world
In traditional African healing circles, the leopard represents intuition, instinct, and harmony with nature and the spirit world. As John Lockley writes, "A leopard warrior is a spiritual soldier who mirrors the natural world and directs their gaze inward to answer the call of their spirit." With Leopard Warrior, he brings us an inspiring call to action—showing how we can bridge the barriers that divide us, embrace the gifts of our ancestors, and reclaim our rightful place as compassionate caretakers of our world.
A shaman is one who has learned to move between two worlds: our physical reality and the realm of spirits. For John Lockley, shamanic training also meant learning to cross the immense divide of race and culture in South Africa.
As a medic drafted into the South African military in 1990, John Lockley had a powerful dream. "Even though I am a white man of Irish and English descent, I knew in my bones that I had received my calling to become a sangoma, a traditional South African shaman," John writes. "I felt blessed by the ancient spirit of Africa, and I knew that I had started on a journey filled with magic and danger." His path took him from the hills of South Korea, where he trained as a student under Zen Master Su Bong, to the rural African landscape of the Eastern Cape and the world of the sangoma mystic healers, where he found his teacher in the medicine woman called MaMngwevu.
In Leopard Warrior, John shares a gripping account of his experiences and the wisdom he learned over years of training. Here he invites you to discover:
• Powerful insights into the spiritual tradition of the Xhosa lineage of South Africa—the tribe of Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu
• Ubuntu—a core concept for recognizing and embracing our deep interconnection with all living things
• Ancestor medicine—how we can learn to honor the blood in our veins, the heritage of our soul, and our shared humanity
• Recovering our forgotten knowledge about the wisdom of our dreams, the spirits of plants and animals, and the power of the unseen world
In traditional African healing circles, the leopard represents intuition, instinct, and harmony with nature and the spirit world. As John Lockley writes, "A leopard warrior is a spiritual soldier who mirrors the natural world and directs their gaze inward to answer the call of their spirit." With Leopard Warrior, he brings us an inspiring call to action—showing how we can bridge the barriers that divide us, embrace the gifts of our ancestors, and reclaim our rightful place as compassionate caretakers of our world.
- GenresSpiritualityNonfiction
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 1, 2017
25 people are currently reading
390 people want to read
About the author
John Lockley
2 books9 followersJohn is one of the first white men, in recent history, to become a fully initiated sangoma in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa.
He was born, in 1971, into a divided Apartheid South Africa, with the mark of the sangoma on his face – a band of white birth skin around the eyes. At 18, John was serving in the South African army as a medic (during the war with Angola in the 1980s) when he had a strong, prophetic dream calling him to train as a Xhosa sangoma. He immediately began to suffer from the thwasa, a severe period of ill-health that is inherent in all ancient shamanic cultures which can only be cured through apprenticeship to a shamanic teacher. Because of the restrictions of Apartheid (which ended in 1994) it would take John seven years to find a Xhosa teacher. During the early days of his calling he trained as a Zen student under renowned Zen Master, Su Bong, completing an intensive three-month kyol che in a Buddhist monastery in South Korea. He was then invited by the Grand Master Dae Soen Sa Nim to join his “monk army”, but the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa.
John with his teacher, Mum Ngwevu and her husband.
John with his teacher, Mum Ngwevu and her husband.
Eventually, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, giving him the initiated name Ucingolwendaba, meaning messenger or connector between people and cultures.
John now splits his time between South Africa, Europe and the U.S.
He was born, in 1971, into a divided Apartheid South Africa, with the mark of the sangoma on his face – a band of white birth skin around the eyes. At 18, John was serving in the South African army as a medic (during the war with Angola in the 1980s) when he had a strong, prophetic dream calling him to train as a Xhosa sangoma. He immediately began to suffer from the thwasa, a severe period of ill-health that is inherent in all ancient shamanic cultures which can only be cured through apprenticeship to a shamanic teacher. Because of the restrictions of Apartheid (which ended in 1994) it would take John seven years to find a Xhosa teacher. During the early days of his calling he trained as a Zen student under renowned Zen Master, Su Bong, completing an intensive three-month kyol che in a Buddhist monastery in South Korea. He was then invited by the Grand Master Dae Soen Sa Nim to join his “monk army”, but the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa.
John with his teacher, Mum Ngwevu and her husband.
John with his teacher, Mum Ngwevu and her husband.
Eventually, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, giving him the initiated name Ucingolwendaba, meaning messenger or connector between people and cultures.
John now splits his time between South Africa, Europe and the U.S.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 21, 2019
A truly captivating piece, unrivaled in its scope!!
It is not often one find’s an author who has the ability to march you straight into the depths of his heart and allow you to feel and participate in his sacred journey. It takes great courage and vulnerability to share those spaces with the world, and is what makes “Leopard Warrior” a gift that ripples through all times and all dimensions.
In this eloquently written autobiography, John’s writing speaks straight to the heart, no translation needed. This is a refreshing quality that makes the book read like fingers on brail as his words pull you through the valleys and peaks of his experiences. What will surface in you as you move through this work may surprise you. Will you allow the energy transmitted here to awaken long sleeping places within you and lead you home?
John’s wide-open heart is an invitation calling you into “ubunzulu bobuntu” (the depth of humanity), a place many search for, but few find. John’s dedication to his work has made a direct pathway to ancestral connection available to the world. This book is a doorway to spiritual freedom.
It is not often one find’s an author who has the ability to march you straight into the depths of his heart and allow you to feel and participate in his sacred journey. It takes great courage and vulnerability to share those spaces with the world, and is what makes “Leopard Warrior” a gift that ripples through all times and all dimensions.
In this eloquently written autobiography, John’s writing speaks straight to the heart, no translation needed. This is a refreshing quality that makes the book read like fingers on brail as his words pull you through the valleys and peaks of his experiences. What will surface in you as you move through this work may surprise you. Will you allow the energy transmitted here to awaken long sleeping places within you and lead you home?
John’s wide-open heart is an invitation calling you into “ubunzulu bobuntu” (the depth of humanity), a place many search for, but few find. John’s dedication to his work has made a direct pathway to ancestral connection available to the world. This book is a doorway to spiritual freedom.
September 18, 2017
I felt very strongly pulled to this book, by the cover, title & energetically. I can't say enough wonderful things about this book! It is truly amazing. I got goosebumps multiple times while reading John's story. It does jump around & sometimes I had a hard time following. But I could not put this book down, once I started it! One of the key things I learned, is that I had walked away from my ancestral DNA & lost touch with them. I myself have experienced many similar visions & struggled to understand the meaning. This book opened my eyes and made me want to learn more. I highly recommend this book & John's amazing journey!
November 11, 2017
I am reviewing this book after receiving it in a giveaway. It relates John Lockley's story of how he, a white South African, became a sangoma (traditional priest and healer) of the Xhosa tribe (the tribe of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu). It is a fascinating story of how he received his "calling" and the path that he took both before and after Apartheid. I found the first half or two-thirds of the book very interesting, but got bogged down a bit after that --- this book is not an easy read! My interest was renewed with the Ubuntu teachings at the end of the book. I would recommend this book to readers who want to better understand indigenous cultures and traditions.
July 31, 2018
Lockley’s spiritual autobiography from his military medic days through Zen Buddhism and his initiation as a traditional Sangoma. He has a gentle careful way with words. Easy to read. Three introductory meditations at the end of the book.
January 6, 2023
I really enjoyed this book and learning about South African beliefs and customs. I was inspired by John Lockley’s teachings to make some simple yet hopefully profound changes in my own life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone open and curious and/or on a spiritual journey.
August 2, 2023
2017. Amazing story of a white man in South Africa who was apprenticed to a black woman and trained to be a shaman beginning at the end of apartheid. Inspiring. Made me see how shamanism fits into the larger picture of spirituality.
November 13, 2017
While I don't doubt Mr. Lockley's sincerity this is not a subject that holds my interest.
April 25, 2020
👌🏿 insightful & interesting
Want to read
January 30, 2018In compliance with FTC guidelines, I have won this book through the Goodreads Giveaways.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews