15/06/2016
A Tribute to Princess Dana
(The Updated Version November 2018)
(and updated again May 2019)
(This is a true story)
Once upon a time (I do believe the year was 2012)… in a far, far away magical place, named Tankwa Town, by the colourful nomads, who travelled from afar and even further… to come together annually for just a little while and remember what life is supposed to be, to find some happiness…
… This is where we met our beautiful Princess Dana…
Left:
2012
Right:
2015
Africa Burn should be on your bucket list as a must-do!
In life, it is most important for us to get into the flow and know how superblessed we are…
… and sooner, better than later as I found out just how short life can be, (after writing a Tribute to my friend Dana)…
My granddaughter, Alexia’s daddy, Joe, found out he had cancer and my 
daughter, Maryna and Joe decided they were going to fight for his life. Alexia was only two years old at the time, so my role became to free up Maryna’s time by looking after my granddaughter.
They fought for some time, but sadly, Joe died before Alexia turned three years of age.
More challenges were to follow…
We found out my Mom had colon cancer and as it was already aggressive, subsequently she died after just three weeks of finding out.
Then my Dad was told that he should be tested as there was a growth on his back. Luckily he had an operation to remove the growth. He is in hospital while I am writing this as he has been battling with prostrate and bladder issues for a while now. (My dad had a few more years and died a few months before his 80th birthday)
I think what I am trying to convey in this updated version, is that we should start living, while we are still alive!
For us, Africa Burn was an eye-opener to life… a “wake-up” experience… an awakening as such…
After the first time that we went in 2012, when asked what Africa Burn was like?
All I could say is that it was… “A World within a World”
… and now after going back and experiencing more and more every year… and even after our tragic loss at Africa Burn 2016, I can only still give this same answer…
“A World within a World”…
So… at this magical festival, we were in 2012…
Photos of a wet 2012 Africa Burn (tap this blue link)
… It was raining and quite stormy, which was very unusual weather for being in the desert…
Our camp was set up enough for us to be quite cosy though.
Our very good friend, Johannes Moller, who was camping with us, came and told us that he found some “not so happy campers” and was trying to sort them out…
They had just arrived in the Storm, three ladies and a gentleman, (Gerdus) who were feeling ill… whom we promptly took to our cosy tent for a lie-down.
And this is how we met our Princess Dana. With her acquaintance, we also became good friends with her companions, Cathy and Debra.
So… when the ladies met with the storm in the desert, they morosely decided that they were going home…
… but our good friend Jo, (short for Johannes), ladies man that he is, promptly came to the rescue and made them feel welcome…
My interest was piqued the first time I saw Princess Dana… yes, I was intrigued… she was wearing purple and a crown… a tiara, which if you have been to Africa Burn before, would not seem strange at all…
So when I complimented her on the stunning crown she wore, she told me that it was not just worn for Africa Burn, but that she always wears it and mostly wears only purple.
And during the next wonderful week spent together at Africa Burn, I learned why she wore the crown every day…
… it was her daily reminder that she was a Princess.
She told me that she was a recovering alcoholic and after a destructive married life, she decided that she was worthy of much more and transformed herself into the beautiful Princess that we met…
(here I would like to fill in that we can be shy/modest or whatever we want to call it, but the sooner we live the life we always wanted to, the better… for example… if you want to be a Princess, then be one. There will be less depression or stress-related diseases)
I am all for transformation and Dana’s story impressed me so much. I grew up with an alcoholic father and to stop drinking because you decide to and then to never drink again were most impressive. The only alcohol she would take was three sips of champagne when celebrating. When we were together at socials, we used to joke that I was her designated drinker; and might I add that I am also not the best drinker…
When she shared more and more dark ‘before Princess’ stories with me and saw that her honesty did not freak me out, we would talk about anything, and we did…
She told me how she wanted to move toward a more lighter side of life and I do believe she got her wish 100%…
In life, we create what we want to create… and this Princess was the perfect example. She wore the crown to remember that she was so worthy and no one would ever bring her down.
She taught me to honour
myself because I am worthy… and it stuck with me.
After she met us, she came to visit us in the Garden Route and after the visit, she started making plans to move down from Johannesburg to Harkerville. Her dream came true and she moved into the perfect space for her on a farm in Harkerville… a little house in the woods which she coloured and created to be just perfect. When she completed her home makeover, she had a fairytale house complete with a purple front door and magical fairies in the garden. A proper storybook house complete with a beautiful Princess…
Princess Dana created a perfect life for herself and in so doing, showed everyone she encountered that this can be done.
She used to say that if you don’t like your life, just simply change it. Only you have the power to change it.
Her favourite mantra was… ‘I love my life’…
Fairy
garden
in Swellendam in pic…https://continentofsulina.co.za/
Princess Dana made a living, by reading Tarot Cards and acquired enough clientele to afford a superblessed lifestyle.
A few years ago she even featured on the television show ‘Carte Blanche’ for her Tarot Readings.
We shared a love for reading cards, as I have been doing “Angel Card” Readings for the last seven years.
Looking into my journal, I found a tarot reading that my Princess did for me dated April 2014…
… She asked me to visualise my life as I would want it to be and to write it down (the writing down part is very important), and as I am reading through it, my life has turned out exactly as it was written down.
I am truly superblessed!
She was also quite upset with me when she heard I did not ask for payment for my readings and would do it for free, believing that I was blessing another.
She told me that my “gift” would be taken away if I did not use it correctly by charging…she said that there was a “gypsy saying” and I applied it…
“Cross my palm with silver and I will tell you no lies”
She said I should be a human being and not a human doing. She believed in me and encouraged me at every possible opportunity that she believed that I had a ‘gift’ for Angel Card Readings. Motivation builds creation.
Princess Dana loved to hoop and decided to make a business of this by making her own “bedazzled hoops” for sale. Another little business to bring in some income while playing at life.
She was all about new adventures and trying new things. Recently she decided she also wanted to fire-hoop and immediately got into it and there are so many photos of her hooping beautifully to her heart’s delight.
A zest for life is what she had and she dished it out. If we went to eat at a restaurant or anywhere we went, out the hoop would come and she would be entertaining the crowds with her hooping. This would be contagious and very soon there would be eager participants and laughter in abundance. She knew how to spread happiness…
Last year a bunch of us went on a road trip together with motorbikes and a vehicle.
We had so much fun and as I went into a state of trance sitting at the back of my husband on the bike, a business idea came to me.
At a pit stop, I enthusiastically told Dana about this idea… ‘Rent a party crowd’…
One evening, a few months later, a friend of ours, Adriaan (Psy-Pedro is his DJ name) had his first gig at a new venue and we decided to support him.
We ended up creating a party for the venue, complete with hooping by Dana and dancing and we were eagerly invited back by the owners. We should have charged, as the above business idea were blooming fast.
Dana and I decided that with this new business idea and all our amazingly beautiful friends, “Rent a party”, we could easily create an income while playing through life…
Read all about “My Fabulous Friends”…
And a little bit about Princess Dana’s ‘bewitching’ powers…
Not too long ago, we were at a party on a mountain in Sedgefield with our other friends (Marnus and Nastasja), a magical place in the forest…
I went to the dance floor on a mission to have a good dance. I saw Princess Dana at a distance hooping, giving me the eye, but I wanted to dance. I fully intended to, but I just could not relate to the music and started walking in her direction. She had her little space set up as she usually did. Dana never did normal camping, we would call it “glamping”.
Anyway… her little chairs were packed out and as I came closer, she stopped hooping and we sat down. She had this mysterious smile and when I asked why, she told me that she “asked” me with her mind to come on over for a chat.
I fully believed her and I was superblessed as we sat chatting and another beautiful friend (Nadia) came over, sat down at my feet and gave me a lovely foot massage. When I said something to the effect that the music of the playing DJ at the time, was not the best, she jokingly asked… ”Shall I go change it for you”. We had a good laugh… She always made me feel like a queen and I am superblessed to have known such a beautiful being.
Everything just flowed when I was blessed to be in her company…
…she just knew how to love…
Matjiesfontein on our way to Africa Burn 2015…
December 2015, we rented out our house as we did every season. This obviously comes with a lot of cleaning to be done. I finished up cleaning and went to stay with Princess Dana in her purple cottage.
There were a few of our other girlfriends as well as Arina’s son, Conrad and we had such a good time. Dana and I slept together in the same bed and we felt like teenagers chatting till the early morning hours.
The next day all I did, was to sit on her wooden hammock outside in her beautiful garden and I didn’t even realise until late afternoon, that this was all I did for a full day…
We drank tea out of beautiful cups and had lovely treats the whole day long. She spoiled me when I needed it most…
In 2015, she came to stay with me for a week and we were both feeling a bit under the weather… we also stayed in bed and watched documentaries and chatted so much about everything and nothing. I mostly spoiled her with our meals, because being a Princess, Dana did not like cooking much.
At this time, as women usually do, we chatted about our giving-birth experience. Our daughters are of similar age and they are very similar personality-wise. I had a very rare birth experience with my daughter and when Dana told me about her experience, we were amazed at how similar it was.
Left: My granddaughter Alexia receiving some Princess training…
Right: Princess Dana 
with her granddaughter Mikayla
When her granddaughter was born, I was superblessed to be the one next to her and share in her joy. We were in her car on our way into Plettenberg Bay, when she received the call.
I know I have been rambling on and I do believe I needed to as I miss her so…
This morning and many mornings to come, I will put on my make-up and think of my purple princess Dana as I am using the eye pencil she bought me as a gift (it is nearing its end now). It is a special one as it is dual colour and I received the first one a few years ago from her. When it was nearly finished, I started looking for something similar, but could not find it anywhere. Dana started looking as well and finally only about a week before Africa Burn (2016), she brought me two more… this is how she was…always making others happy.
I used to tell her that she was my Princess and she would answer,
“yes, but you are my Queen”…
She always esteemed everyone and therefore had so many fans. People might not always remember your name, but they will always remember how you made them feel.
Above: December 2014 Holiday Road trip…
She grew into the beautiful being of light that we said goodbye to at the same magical place where we met.
The above pic taken just a while before she left us… still playing…
So it has taken a phenomenal Princess of a woman like this to die… for us… to see what it is to live… and that is exactly an end to this story that Princess Dana would have loved…
… even now she has celebrity status… being an inspiration to all…
Below: We had a sendoff (one of a few) for Princess Dana on Harkerville farm where she lived…
Rest In Peace
Superblessed to have had such a magical being on my journey!
