Meditations In My Favourite Places In Southern Africa: A Travelogue for Inner and Outer Journeys

Ms. Evans has selected seven of her favorite spots in that vast nation and created short essays describing their wonders. She then takes her journey a step further, tying the external to the eternal as she uses the symbolism each place has for her to create a meditation exercise. Thus, we not only join her in appreciating the natural beauty she describes but can follow her inward journey as well. Hence, her subtitle: "A Travelogue for Inner and Outer Journeys."

This is an excellent study guide for beginners in the art of meditation for several reasons. First, there are Ms. Evans's clear, concise discussions of the method and purposes of each exercise. Second, however, the places she's chosen to use as the focus for each one are of the kind that can be found almost anywhere. So, even those who can't travel to Africa may be able to somewhat duplicate the sites described somewhere near their own place of residence.

MEDITATIONS IN MY FAVORITE PLACES IN SOUTHERN AFRICA is an excellent book to give as a gift or to tuck into your suitcase as you set off on vacation. Ms. Evans has a gift for painting vivid pictures with an economy of words, and she communicates her delight in the joys of nature with crystal clarity. And for those who may actually be able to take a trip to the places she's been, there is a long list of web addresses that provide more information.

So, whether your travels are internal or external, this slender book is an excellent choice as a guide. My only complaint was that it suffered a bit from mediocre copyediting, but not enough to spoil the trip

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

The place descriptions make me want to visit them  Nov 09, 2002
In this book, Evans describes the various regions of southern Africa with great skill. From the cooler west coast to the perpetual summer of the east coast, you find yourself figuratively transported to places of great natural beauty. Until I read this book, I had no idea that the climate of southern Africa was so varied. Once the area is described, the author then presents a form of mediation where the main thought is different for each location. Since I am not a practitioner of this form of meditation, I have no proper frame of reference to comment on those sections.
While I have never been to southern Africa, the thought has crossed my mind on occasion, and after reading this book, the urge to do so has increased. It is obviously a very beautiful place, and in this book it is described with words that clearly speak of that beauty.

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

A Two-Dimensional "Travelogue"  Aug 24, 2002
The "journeys" which Evans describes with compelling eloquence occur both in the physical world and within the human soul. Almost all of her readers can experience Southern Africa only vicariously by reading books, examining photographs, and viewing films. However, all of her readers can (if they wish) be inspired by her self-explorations to embark on their own. In this context, it may seem somewhat paradoxical that through meditation, a person transcends the unsurpassed natural beauty of Southern Africa. In fact, as Evans explains, there is no paradox at all. On the contrary, only through meditation can one fully understand and appreciate the essential unity of the physical and spiritual realms. Consider this excerpt from the final chapter in which Evans suggests that there are few differences between "the most highly enlightened beings" and the Bushmen of the Kalahari:

"Both have no need for possessions and are detached from the material world. Both need very little clothing. Both eat very frugally, so frugally in fact that any other person on such a diet would become ill and starve to death. Both have highly developed intuitive powers and psychic abilities. Both very often have out of body experiences. The Bushmen through their dance rituals, the enlightened through meditation. Both have perceptive abilities that cross time and space. Both very often can predict their own time of death. It is a well-known fact that when a Bushman decides to die, he simply sits down and does so. Both are as wise as serpents, as gentle as doves. And so, the beginning and the end become at one and we regain the freedom and purity of heart and mind that we once had."

I include this excerpt for two reasons. First, it describes what could be at least a spiritual destination for many of those who read this book. Evans explains what various "journeys" require and suggests how to experience the greatest personal development while embarked on them. Second, for many who roam the aisles in book stores or who note the extensive cross references which Amazon.com provides, this book may not attract their attention. (I learned of it only by chance.) My hope is that this excerpt will encourage them to purchase the book and thus allow Evans to help them to discover their own "favorite places," wherever they reveal themselves to be.

1 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Some of the most beautiful words I have ever read.  Aug 09, 2002
Read Gail's book. You'll love it, but you'll find yourself returning again and again to that brilliant and haunting preface.


Jonathan David Masters
Reviewer