Security cameras come to the front of my mind
as my eyes close, settling in for the night
Lenses zoom in and lenses zoom out
watching me unaware that I've noticed you
Up through the lense now can I see
Splitting the camera in two like a cray
It's shell and its legs, all its working parts split
and revealed, there you are in panic and fear
What on earth could posses you to spy apon me
just a simple young fulla on a path of discovery?
But the parts of the camera now fall down around me
like bridges of iron, like knives made of steel?!
This path had its dangers, was fraught from the start
by envisioning fears manifesting the dark
But now people like you are appearing before me
spying and watching, but running when caught?!
Whether curious, stalking, recording or spying
You'll eventually come within plain visible sight
So approach me directly or ask what you will
Or come walk beside me and learn as we go
Saturday 31 December 2011
Friday 30 December 2011
38. The Medicine Man
To a backdrop of stars and the plains of the dessert
did the Medicine man, move and dance before me
Wearing a grey headdress, of wolf on his head
with his own long hair braided into those of the wolf
they swirled and unfurled as he side stepped and moved
and swung out to lure me and capture my gaze
Over his body did my own eyes now fall
over a body both tanned, chiseled and strong
Over his legs were tied leather of buffalo hide
stitched at the sides down to moccasined feet
But his eyes shone like stars drawing me in
Capturing, luring me to my own feet
He'd endear me, then turn and draw me in more
Until I myself danced and was stepping and swaying
He drew me in close till I held onto him now
and made me surrender - dancing together
I felt free, I felt light, I felt beauty and love
as the two of us danced to a backdrop of stars
did the Medicine man, move and dance before me
Wearing a grey headdress, of wolf on his head
with his own long hair braided into those of the wolf
they swirled and unfurled as he side stepped and moved
and swung out to lure me and capture my gaze
Over his body did my own eyes now fall
over a body both tanned, chiseled and strong
Over his legs were tied leather of buffalo hide
stitched at the sides down to moccasined feet
But his eyes shone like stars drawing me in
Capturing, luring me to my own feet
He'd endear me, then turn and draw me in more
Until I myself danced and was stepping and swaying
He drew me in close till I held onto him now
and made me surrender - dancing together
I felt free, I felt light, I felt beauty and love
as the two of us danced to a backdrop of stars
Tuesday 6 December 2011
37. Gatekeepers
Well, my first meeting with a Gate Keeper almost made me think I was gonna die?! I had three hitch hikers at the time who decided to use me to try and get home to the light but the Gate Keeper wasnt having a 'green as Māori boy' coming in where he didnt belong so I got the big 'KAORE' with my hitch hikers laughing at me from off to the side.
At the end of this episode, and with the help of a tohunga - I learnt how to cleanse myself properly, slough them off, and then send them properly into the Light. Enter David Kukutai Jones into mahi wairua (July 2011).
Then at a spiritual hui several months ago we're all holding hands in a circle and channelling, praying, being love, and I turn around to see one of the nice kuia from the hui standing just off from me. Someone goes, 'here whaea, come and join the circle' to which she replies, 'No, I am the Gate Keeper of the West'. Where I spin around and she's looking straight at me?! I was feeling the love at that moment though and blew her a kiss which made her laugh and smile. We good now LOL
A month ago I met my next Guide in my moemoea and found out she's a Gate Keeper too, and then last night had another meeting with another one. It seems the Gate Keeper is an energy that inhabits different vessels so although it might be a different person standing in front of me during the day, or visiting me at night - it's still the Gate Keeper. Churrrr.
In the beginning I was terrified of the Gate Keeper but have now come to realise they have a specific mahi, a specific task, and I guess without them the Universe would be all a muck. I met another one last night as I inadvertently wondered through the Gate into Rarohenga (Hades) and when I realised I doubled back to the Gate and behind me the Gate Keeper - this time a Māori fulla in his late 20's - early 30's, shut it properly lol.
Arohaina ēnei pou e tiaki ana i tō tātou Ao nē
Love these ones who safeguard our Universe aye x
At the end of this episode, and with the help of a tohunga - I learnt how to cleanse myself properly, slough them off, and then send them properly into the Light. Enter David Kukutai Jones into mahi wairua (July 2011).
Then at a spiritual hui several months ago we're all holding hands in a circle and channelling, praying, being love, and I turn around to see one of the nice kuia from the hui standing just off from me. Someone goes, 'here whaea, come and join the circle' to which she replies, 'No, I am the Gate Keeper of the West'. Where I spin around and she's looking straight at me?! I was feeling the love at that moment though and blew her a kiss which made her laugh and smile. We good now LOL
A month ago I met my next Guide in my moemoea and found out she's a Gate Keeper too, and then last night had another meeting with another one. It seems the Gate Keeper is an energy that inhabits different vessels so although it might be a different person standing in front of me during the day, or visiting me at night - it's still the Gate Keeper. Churrrr.
In the beginning I was terrified of the Gate Keeper but have now come to realise they have a specific mahi, a specific task, and I guess without them the Universe would be all a muck. I met another one last night as I inadvertently wondered through the Gate into Rarohenga (Hades) and when I realised I doubled back to the Gate and behind me the Gate Keeper - this time a Māori fulla in his late 20's - early 30's, shut it properly lol.
Arohaina ēnei pou e tiaki ana i tō tātou Ao nē
Love these ones who safeguard our Universe aye x
Monday 5 December 2011
36. Waddling off into the night
Well, I was shocked the other night to get a call for help from Tangaroa or at least the ocean itself in trying to cope with the Rena oil spill - shocked because this was the first time the natural elements came forward to ask for help as it had been people who had come through initially. Last night saw this new trend continue.
As I lay in bed I saw a black silhouette appear behind my closed eyes and on peering closer all I could see was a head with spikes?! I asked, 'What are you?' and the silhouette began to take on greater form until I saw spikes turn to tufts of feathers in dissaray, an eye and a beak, and then there was a penguin standing before me?!
It didnt take me long to figure out why there was a penguin eyeing me up - obviously asking for a little tautoko to cope with the oil disaster as well so I opened my peripheral vision even more to see what the situation really was or make it easier for the penguin to show me what they wanted.
Before me I saw tatty penguins standing on oil covered beaches looking all sad, forlorn and uttely exhausted. Another vision came of oil soaked and covered bodies of birds and other penguins strewn across the beach, but what concerned me even more were the black or grey whisps of smoke darting around the bodies of what must have been their former tinana. It concerned me cause I figured these must have been the wairua of the penguins and because of the confusion, suffering and death they mustve been in heaps of turmoil.
First things first - I went back to the living birds and penguins and envisaged them being showered with clean, fresh water and the oil coming off their coats. This was met with a vision of a penguin now shaking itself off all nice and clean.
Next thing was imagining that I was bringing all the wairua of all the suffering bird life together - hundreds of them, and of envisioning a bright, beautiful and warm light for all of them to see and go into. Funny though, I stood just off the beach and saw them all moving together and all waddling into the light.
What was even more funnier was when they entered the light they walked back out into darkness on the otherside. I guess nocturnal wildlife just have a different idea of what paradise is aye?!
Funny...
As I lay in bed I saw a black silhouette appear behind my closed eyes and on peering closer all I could see was a head with spikes?! I asked, 'What are you?' and the silhouette began to take on greater form until I saw spikes turn to tufts of feathers in dissaray, an eye and a beak, and then there was a penguin standing before me?!
It didnt take me long to figure out why there was a penguin eyeing me up - obviously asking for a little tautoko to cope with the oil disaster as well so I opened my peripheral vision even more to see what the situation really was or make it easier for the penguin to show me what they wanted.
Before me I saw tatty penguins standing on oil covered beaches looking all sad, forlorn and uttely exhausted. Another vision came of oil soaked and covered bodies of birds and other penguins strewn across the beach, but what concerned me even more were the black or grey whisps of smoke darting around the bodies of what must have been their former tinana. It concerned me cause I figured these must have been the wairua of the penguins and because of the confusion, suffering and death they mustve been in heaps of turmoil.
First things first - I went back to the living birds and penguins and envisaged them being showered with clean, fresh water and the oil coming off their coats. This was met with a vision of a penguin now shaking itself off all nice and clean.
Next thing was imagining that I was bringing all the wairua of all the suffering bird life together - hundreds of them, and of envisioning a bright, beautiful and warm light for all of them to see and go into. Funny though, I stood just off the beach and saw them all moving together and all waddling into the light.
What was even more funnier was when they entered the light they walked back out into darkness on the otherside. I guess nocturnal wildlife just have a different idea of what paradise is aye?!
Funny...
35. The cry of the sea
Just as I was about to nod off last night I had a vision appear in the front of my mind of waves of black tar ebbing and flowing - moving and shimmering in front of me. My first thought was, 'What the hell is that?' and on closer inspection I realised it was oil - the oil from the Bay of Plenty?!
Doing mahi wairua or spiritual work has only been a recent phenomenon for me - for like the last 3-4 months but in all of this work it's been people who have come forward. This was the first time ever that nature itself put out it's hand for help?!
My first thought was to find a way of breaking up the oil. I tried to imagine whirl pools breaking the oil up but the same vision came back to me of the oil ebbing and flowing telling me that wasn't going to work. I then tried envisioning Tāwhirimātea using wind to break it up but the same initial vision kept coming back. I was getting so desperate that I even tried envisioning my hand in the water shaking and mixing it up to disperse it but it was futile.
In my mind I desperately tried to find the scientific ways of how oil could be separated from water all the while praying for more enlightenment and knowledge to assist me. As I thought and prayed, I felt tears begin to well up in my closed eyes, and then eventually roll down my face and in my desperation I even thought of adding my own tears to the body of water in an effort to water down the oil?! It seemed as though nothing seemed to work and the sense of helplessness began to take over me and then anger came.
In my head I went over the actions and media releases from Government and I sensed what I believed was their total failure to act quickly and decisively. I also remembered the Company of the Rena and their admission that they had little liability but would try to contribute - they have little insurance against pollution liability but they have a large amount of legal insurance incase they end up in court, so in essence the Government does not have the financial resources to challenge them.
That's when it dawned on me that if New Zealand could'nt do anything then the United States of America could and if their shorelines were threatened then they would use all their political might and resources to make the company liable.
I imagined the sea currents carrying the oil directly from NZ to the States. All the currents carrying the oil like major pipelines and at the same time urging all the kaitiaki, children and all the entities of the ocean to stay out of the way. Within a few seconds, my initial vision of the oil and the waves began to slowly change and where they now began to crash against the shore.
There was still a mixture of black oil in them but not near as much as there was in the initial vision. I prayed more, I envisioned more, I concentrated on sending all that oil to the States, and the more I did, the more the vision of oil filled waves began to dissipate. I hope that my little karakia might go some way in fixing this disaster - I know that with the combined power of prayer and of karakia that there is a higher chance of this occurring but one of the personal realisations for me was the beginning of the natural elements themselves now beginning to make requests of me....
Tangaroa piki ake
Tutarakauika piki ake
Ruamano piki ake
Taea nga kino o te wai
Kia puta ki Rangiatea
Ko te Marangai
Tau atu e rea!
Tangaroa rise up
Tutarakauika rise up
Ruamano rise up
Cleanse the impurities from the waters
So that they may rise to the heavens of Rangiatea
To fall again settling and sustaining the earth
Karakia by Hohepa Kereopa (Tūhoe)
Doing mahi wairua or spiritual work has only been a recent phenomenon for me - for like the last 3-4 months but in all of this work it's been people who have come forward. This was the first time ever that nature itself put out it's hand for help?!
My first thought was to find a way of breaking up the oil. I tried to imagine whirl pools breaking the oil up but the same vision came back to me of the oil ebbing and flowing telling me that wasn't going to work. I then tried envisioning Tāwhirimātea using wind to break it up but the same initial vision kept coming back. I was getting so desperate that I even tried envisioning my hand in the water shaking and mixing it up to disperse it but it was futile.
In my mind I desperately tried to find the scientific ways of how oil could be separated from water all the while praying for more enlightenment and knowledge to assist me. As I thought and prayed, I felt tears begin to well up in my closed eyes, and then eventually roll down my face and in my desperation I even thought of adding my own tears to the body of water in an effort to water down the oil?! It seemed as though nothing seemed to work and the sense of helplessness began to take over me and then anger came.
In my head I went over the actions and media releases from Government and I sensed what I believed was their total failure to act quickly and decisively. I also remembered the Company of the Rena and their admission that they had little liability but would try to contribute - they have little insurance against pollution liability but they have a large amount of legal insurance incase they end up in court, so in essence the Government does not have the financial resources to challenge them.
That's when it dawned on me that if New Zealand could'nt do anything then the United States of America could and if their shorelines were threatened then they would use all their political might and resources to make the company liable.
I imagined the sea currents carrying the oil directly from NZ to the States. All the currents carrying the oil like major pipelines and at the same time urging all the kaitiaki, children and all the entities of the ocean to stay out of the way. Within a few seconds, my initial vision of the oil and the waves began to slowly change and where they now began to crash against the shore.
There was still a mixture of black oil in them but not near as much as there was in the initial vision. I prayed more, I envisioned more, I concentrated on sending all that oil to the States, and the more I did, the more the vision of oil filled waves began to dissipate. I hope that my little karakia might go some way in fixing this disaster - I know that with the combined power of prayer and of karakia that there is a higher chance of this occurring but one of the personal realisations for me was the beginning of the natural elements themselves now beginning to make requests of me....
Tangaroa piki ake
Tutarakauika piki ake
Ruamano piki ake
Taea nga kino o te wai
Kia puta ki Rangiatea
Ko te Marangai
Tau atu e rea!
Tangaroa rise up
Tutarakauika rise up
Ruamano rise up
Cleanse the impurities from the waters
So that they may rise to the heavens of Rangiatea
To fall again settling and sustaining the earth
Karakia by Hohepa Kereopa (Tūhoe)
Sunday 20 November 2011
34. Hinetitama
Ko Hinetītama koe!
You are as beautiful as Hinetītama herself!
Well, I definitely feel as though I'm up in the clouds today after a visit from Hinetītama last night....I know! Hinetītama?! Just as I was nodding off, this figure came to the forefront of my mind I was my like, "Who are you? Oh - hello!!!" Honestly - for a few seconds I was totally dumbstruck!
If there was ever a search for a female role model then I think Hinetītama would be right up there aye! She just popped in, tilted her head and looked at me, and then left, but when I saw her face I knew who she was straight away. She looks like the progenitor of all Māori women! If you could imagine one single face that represented the looks of all Māori women that it would be the face of Hinetītama. She is incredible.
Her eyes are a light greeney blue colour and even though this colour might seem far from human, I'm starting to see that many spiritually enlightened and strong entities in te ao wairua have eye colours like these. Generally her face is much like the feminen depictions done by the artist Robyn Kahukiwa but her face is broader and the features more petite but utterly perfect - almost frightenly perfect. She has thick, black, straight shoulder length hair and with a small, petite moko kauae too.
For the last 2 weeks I've been crook with the flu but started back at work in this second week. Last night - before I went to bed I went outside to check on my garden and realised that in all this time I hadnt given thanks to te ao wairua, to the Atua, my tupuna or my guides because I had been self absorbed in looking after myself and making myself better.
So, I took a few minutes out just to sit in the moonlight, close my eyes and truly give thanks. I also asked 3 times to 'heal me, heal me, heal me please' when all of a sudden, a whisp of cool, light wind brushed against my face which made me open my eyes and give me the validation that everything was going to be alright. A few hours later, the epitome of beauty and wahine Māori and carer of the souls of humankind itself - pays me a visit.
Ko Hinetītama koe!
You are as beautiful as Hinetītama herself!
Well, I definitely feel as though I'm up in the clouds today after a visit from Hinetītama last night....I know! Hinetītama?! Just as I was nodding off, this figure came to the forefront of my mind I was my like, "Who are you? Oh - hello!!!" Honestly - for a few seconds I was totally dumbstruck!
If there was ever a search for a female role model then I think Hinetītama would be right up there aye! She just popped in, tilted her head and looked at me, and then left, but when I saw her face I knew who she was straight away. She looks like the progenitor of all Māori women! If you could imagine one single face that represented the looks of all Māori women that it would be the face of Hinetītama. She is incredible.
Her eyes are a light greeney blue colour and even though this colour might seem far from human, I'm starting to see that many spiritually enlightened and strong entities in te ao wairua have eye colours like these. Generally her face is much like the feminen depictions done by the artist Robyn Kahukiwa but her face is broader and the features more petite but utterly perfect - almost frightenly perfect. She has thick, black, straight shoulder length hair and with a small, petite moko kauae too.
For the last 2 weeks I've been crook with the flu but started back at work in this second week. Last night - before I went to bed I went outside to check on my garden and realised that in all this time I hadnt given thanks to te ao wairua, to the Atua, my tupuna or my guides because I had been self absorbed in looking after myself and making myself better.
So, I took a few minutes out just to sit in the moonlight, close my eyes and truly give thanks. I also asked 3 times to 'heal me, heal me, heal me please' when all of a sudden, a whisp of cool, light wind brushed against my face which made me open my eyes and give me the validation that everything was going to be alright. A few hours later, the epitome of beauty and wahine Māori and carer of the souls of humankind itself - pays me a visit.
Ko Hinetītama koe!
Thursday 17 November 2011
31. The Mother Goddess
I look up and see you smiling down at me
You hold me close, stroking my head
I almost feel like a child again.
Tears began to well but you bring me in close
closer to your body to feel the cool, calm, comfort
of blue and grey scales soothing the fire within
finally allowing me to rest - just for the night
Te Whaea - Kaitiaki o Te Ahi - Ahi Hauora
You hold me close, stroking my head
I almost feel like a child again.
Tears began to well but you bring me in close
closer to your body to feel the cool, calm, comfort
of blue and grey scales soothing the fire within
finally allowing me to rest - just for the night
Te Whaea - Kaitiaki o Te Ahi - Ahi Hauora
Wednesday 16 November 2011
Tuesday 15 November 2011
30. Compassion for all things
I closed my eyes and found myself walking in a forest in the middle of autumn with orange, yellow and brown leaves all around and where the trees were long, tall and straight but utterly bare. This didnt seem like a NZ forest though - maybe like those English or European ones.
Anyway, Im walking along and see this creature standing just off my path. He looks like a mushroom with large, dark round eyes on either side of his mushroom head and a gaping mouth with sharp, jagged teeth. I wave to him and he acknowledges me by looking at me but then all of a sudden he grimaces and bares his teeth at me.
Early in the morning I had a dream of a woman with sharp pointed teeth and my fear had got the best of me, so when this fulla started grimacing at me and baring his teeth I just said, 'Hey, hey, calm down mate. No need for that. Come over here and we'll take a seat aye' to which he calmly came and plonked himself down.
I asked him, 'So, is this all you do just hang out in the forest aye?' He answered by nodding his head rapidly. I asked, 'Is it just you here or what?' to which he looked out over the forest and all of a sudden I saw heaps of these mushroom/tree fungus type people moving around the forest.
I spotted one nearby and took a closer look and saw what those teeth were for. These mushroom fungus things grow on dead wood but what I saw was one of them using their jagged, sharp teeth to chew the dead wood.
It then came over me that maybe Im too judgemental when seeing new things - albeit things which might be a little frightening. Funny though that te ao wairua had to invent a whole race of people just to teach me a personal lesson.
I mean, these may have been real people but the bigger lesson here was to teach me about seeing the world - and others, in different ways and of being open and receptive....
Anyway, Im walking along and see this creature standing just off my path. He looks like a mushroom with large, dark round eyes on either side of his mushroom head and a gaping mouth with sharp, jagged teeth. I wave to him and he acknowledges me by looking at me but then all of a sudden he grimaces and bares his teeth at me.
Early in the morning I had a dream of a woman with sharp pointed teeth and my fear had got the best of me, so when this fulla started grimacing at me and baring his teeth I just said, 'Hey, hey, calm down mate. No need for that. Come over here and we'll take a seat aye' to which he calmly came and plonked himself down.
I asked him, 'So, is this all you do just hang out in the forest aye?' He answered by nodding his head rapidly. I asked, 'Is it just you here or what?' to which he looked out over the forest and all of a sudden I saw heaps of these mushroom/tree fungus type people moving around the forest.
I spotted one nearby and took a closer look and saw what those teeth were for. These mushroom fungus things grow on dead wood but what I saw was one of them using their jagged, sharp teeth to chew the dead wood.
It then came over me that maybe Im too judgemental when seeing new things - albeit things which might be a little frightening. Funny though that te ao wairua had to invent a whole race of people just to teach me a personal lesson.
I mean, these may have been real people but the bigger lesson here was to teach me about seeing the world - and others, in different ways and of being open and receptive....
Monday 14 November 2011
29. Divine Love
As soon as I closed my eyes I saw a handsome guy in his late 20's early 30's coming up on an escalator - coming towards me with his eyes fixed on me. He was very handsome, really beautiful with an amazing presence and a heart felt longing and beauty in his eyes.
At the same time though, I was conscious of where he was coming from - from 'below', from perhaps even the 'underground' or even 'Hades'. Could this have been the beautiful Lucifier? If it was, then there I was welcoming him into the World and letting come directly at me without even an attempt to stop him?!
I woke up and sat straight up in bed with the knowledge that I had allowed this man into me and into the world. I sat at the end of my bed totally shocked and stunned and continually replaying the dream.
Several days later I became aware of a new trait or a new characteristic developing - of a new power and energy beginning to eminate from my being and impress apon others. It was divine love.
I began to do research about divine love and saw the ultimate personification of divine love - the Goddess Aphroditie. On reading more about the Goddess I became aware of a love triangle she has with Adonis and where for 6 months of the year he spends time with Persephone in the Underworld and for the other 6 months he spends it with Aphroditie.
In my dream, Adonis had now returned from the Underworld to be with his sweet heart Aphroditie for the next 6 months - to contribute to and revitalise true love, divine love, beauty through sexuality, and take his place once again as the God of all Young Men.
At the same time though, I was conscious of where he was coming from - from 'below', from perhaps even the 'underground' or even 'Hades'. Could this have been the beautiful Lucifier? If it was, then there I was welcoming him into the World and letting come directly at me without even an attempt to stop him?!
I woke up and sat straight up in bed with the knowledge that I had allowed this man into me and into the world. I sat at the end of my bed totally shocked and stunned and continually replaying the dream.
Several days later I became aware of a new trait or a new characteristic developing - of a new power and energy beginning to eminate from my being and impress apon others. It was divine love.
I began to do research about divine love and saw the ultimate personification of divine love - the Goddess Aphroditie. On reading more about the Goddess I became aware of a love triangle she has with Adonis and where for 6 months of the year he spends time with Persephone in the Underworld and for the other 6 months he spends it with Aphroditie.
In my dream, Adonis had now returned from the Underworld to be with his sweet heart Aphroditie for the next 6 months - to contribute to and revitalise true love, divine love, beauty through sexuality, and take his place once again as the God of all Young Men.
Sunday 13 November 2011
28. The dog's heart
I lie beneath the poutokomanawa closing my eyes
I can still make out Tama ki Hikurangi
and I can still see the image of Te Kooti
hanging in his small frame above it
Small golden stars appear above me
They move into formation as a triangle
Puangahori (Procyon) and Pūtara (Betelgeuse)
Meeting below, meeting Takurua (Sirius)
The head of a black dog comes forward
and later I am reminded of Canis Major
Paying particular attention to Messier 41
The heart of the kuri - an 8 sided star
With it's mouth (Sirius) in front
With it's heart (M41) behind it
Is this the doorway to the heart
a doorway to eight sources of mauri,
all within a beloved dog's heart?
Te Mōkai o Te Kooti
I can still make out Tama ki Hikurangi
and I can still see the image of Te Kooti
hanging in his small frame above it
Small golden stars appear above me
They move into formation as a triangle
Puangahori (Procyon) and Pūtara (Betelgeuse)
Meeting below, meeting Takurua (Sirius)
The head of a black dog comes forward
and later I am reminded of Canis Major
Paying particular attention to Messier 41
The heart of the kuri - an 8 sided star
With it's mouth (Sirius) in front
With it's heart (M41) behind it
Is this the doorway to the heart
a doorway to eight sources of mauri,
all within a beloved dog's heart?
Te Mōkai o Te Kooti
Sunday 30 October 2011
Monday 17 October 2011
26. Garlands of white flowers
Several weeks ago I read an article about the tangata whenua of Bolivia being forced off their lands, their houses and farms being distroyed and even worse - being killed or murdered by the Government's troops. That same evening I went to bed and as I went to sleep I saw a small boy standing in a wooden hutt.
He must've been as small as a 6 or 7 year old but the look on his face totally shook me - there was very little or no life left in his eyes whatsoever. The look of total trauma on his face and in his eyes was something I'd never ever seen before. Automatically I remembered the Bolivia incident and then realised he must have been a victim.
I also noticed there were no friends and family around so he was obviously on his own - either having to face the prospect of living a life on his own, or having to face the possibility of his spirit moving onto te ao wairua with no-one to guide him.
I knew all I could do was give him the love and confidence he needed to make whatever steps were ahead of him - even though at the age of 6 or 7 no child should have to make that decision - let alone do it on their own.
So, in my mind I began to focus all my attention on him and repeated one, single, phrase continuously, over-and-over again with the aim of the intent of my message to become stronger and stronger, 'I wish for you comfort and hope, I wish for you comfort and hope, I wish for you comfort and hope'
All of a sudden the scenery changed and there he was, laid out in a white coffin, and there were people wearing white all around him, and then his parents came forward - all dressed in white, and laid white garlands of flowers at my feet. I did some research several days later about Bolivian funeral customs and read that white is a colour of mourning there.
For a while after I was a little shaken as I had hoped the little boy would continue on and live some sort of semblence of a life but I'm beginning to realise that whether an individual is alive or not - one of the main purposes is to bring peace to an individual.
I guess we re-joice for those who manage to pull through these dilemmas and if they don't, then the ancestors and everyone else re-joices at the other end when they come through there?!
He must've been as small as a 6 or 7 year old but the look on his face totally shook me - there was very little or no life left in his eyes whatsoever. The look of total trauma on his face and in his eyes was something I'd never ever seen before. Automatically I remembered the Bolivia incident and then realised he must have been a victim.
I also noticed there were no friends and family around so he was obviously on his own - either having to face the prospect of living a life on his own, or having to face the possibility of his spirit moving onto te ao wairua with no-one to guide him.
I knew all I could do was give him the love and confidence he needed to make whatever steps were ahead of him - even though at the age of 6 or 7 no child should have to make that decision - let alone do it on their own.
So, in my mind I began to focus all my attention on him and repeated one, single, phrase continuously, over-and-over again with the aim of the intent of my message to become stronger and stronger, 'I wish for you comfort and hope, I wish for you comfort and hope, I wish for you comfort and hope'
All of a sudden the scenery changed and there he was, laid out in a white coffin, and there were people wearing white all around him, and then his parents came forward - all dressed in white, and laid white garlands of flowers at my feet. I did some research several days later about Bolivian funeral customs and read that white is a colour of mourning there.
For a while after I was a little shaken as I had hoped the little boy would continue on and live some sort of semblence of a life but I'm beginning to realise that whether an individual is alive or not - one of the main purposes is to bring peace to an individual.
I guess we re-joice for those who manage to pull through these dilemmas and if they don't, then the ancestors and everyone else re-joices at the other end when they come through there?!
Sunday 16 October 2011
25. Waiting for my ride
Just after 6am the other morning my partner came back into the room after his shower to get ready for work and as I still lay in bed he told me he had just had a visitor in the bathroom. I asked, 'what happened?'
He said, he was having a shower when he noticed this white figure go past the glass shower doors and feeling a little afraid said, 'If you come for good, you're welcome to stay, if you come for bad you must go away". To which the figure stopped, moved toward the glass shower doors banged on them and left.
To help him get over this episode I congratulated him on facing the figure in a calm and respectful way and that I'd deal to it when I got up. I went for a shower that morning but nothing happened.
The following morning just before I woke I met the figure in a dream. It was a guy who was critically injured and he was in hospital. He and I chatted for a while until he told me he was waiting for his ride. On waking, I turned to face my partner and tell him of my dream but my partner had also had a significant dream at exactly the same time. My partner told me in his dream he was in a coma in a hospital bed and as my partner was waking up he could open his eyes but his body itself was still suffering from temporary paralysis?!
That morning I went for a shower and getting out of the shower I noticed the entire room was foggy despite the fact we have good airflow and it shouldnt get like that. I waited in the fog and felt a presence. I said a karakia in a calm and relaxed way to give comfort and solace rather than to scare, blast or vanquish and a few moments later the fog in the bathroom lifted completely - I then brushed my teeth....
Several hours later as I was driving I became aware that the guy was actually still alive in some hospital somewhere - that he was in a coma, and that his wairua was travelling. For several hours later I tried finding karakia with the purpose of sending wairua back to their bodies but came up with nothing.
In the end I was resolute that I'd just wait for him in dream time or take my time in the bathroom the next morning, but nothing ever eventuated. I'm hoping the karakia I did the morning before may have done the job...
He said, he was having a shower when he noticed this white figure go past the glass shower doors and feeling a little afraid said, 'If you come for good, you're welcome to stay, if you come for bad you must go away". To which the figure stopped, moved toward the glass shower doors banged on them and left.
To help him get over this episode I congratulated him on facing the figure in a calm and respectful way and that I'd deal to it when I got up. I went for a shower that morning but nothing happened.
The following morning just before I woke I met the figure in a dream. It was a guy who was critically injured and he was in hospital. He and I chatted for a while until he told me he was waiting for his ride. On waking, I turned to face my partner and tell him of my dream but my partner had also had a significant dream at exactly the same time. My partner told me in his dream he was in a coma in a hospital bed and as my partner was waking up he could open his eyes but his body itself was still suffering from temporary paralysis?!
That morning I went for a shower and getting out of the shower I noticed the entire room was foggy despite the fact we have good airflow and it shouldnt get like that. I waited in the fog and felt a presence. I said a karakia in a calm and relaxed way to give comfort and solace rather than to scare, blast or vanquish and a few moments later the fog in the bathroom lifted completely - I then brushed my teeth....
Several hours later as I was driving I became aware that the guy was actually still alive in some hospital somewhere - that he was in a coma, and that his wairua was travelling. For several hours later I tried finding karakia with the purpose of sending wairua back to their bodies but came up with nothing.
In the end I was resolute that I'd just wait for him in dream time or take my time in the bathroom the next morning, but nothing ever eventuated. I'm hoping the karakia I did the morning before may have done the job...
Saturday 15 October 2011
24. Dreams and Reality
Most people are silent observers in their dreams
I'm no-longer one of those people
I can do anything, be anything
I can fly like a bird, swim like a fish
I can even be a better person
Not too different from how you might dream?
The difference is I become conscious
and I can act with autonomy
I can save people from themselves
Give them peace in this life or
give them peace for the afterlife
I can still be chased, haunted or threatened
But now I can will them into something else
or will them to anywhere else I might choose
For years I believed dreams weren't real
until I learnt about the nature of reality
and now, I get two days out of the one
Incredible....
I'm no-longer one of those people
I can do anything, be anything
I can fly like a bird, swim like a fish
I can even be a better person
Not too different from how you might dream?
The difference is I become conscious
and I can act with autonomy
I can save people from themselves
Give them peace in this life or
give them peace for the afterlife
I can still be chased, haunted or threatened
But now I can will them into something else
or will them to anywhere else I might choose
For years I believed dreams weren't real
until I learnt about the nature of reality
and now, I get two days out of the one
Incredible....
Thursday 13 October 2011
23. Spiritual Work
A few weeks ago I had these 2 weird dreams; one of a kid no more than 12 years old standing on a bridge looking over the edge - looking distant and really remote. I was a little weary cause had never had dreams about complete strangers before, and was also conscious that some individuals come to harm like in a spiritual attack.
So I looked at him, tried to get his attention but he wouldnt look me in the face so I thought - oh well, I'll leave you here then.Then, the scene changed and I was watching this Pākeha, blonde haired fulla sitting on the grass in a park looking equally distant and remote. I tried waving to him but he didnt seem to notice or acknowledge me, so I thought, 'Oh, well nmind yous then' hahaha.
I woke up and within a few seconds I had an instant recollection of the suicide string from a Facebook page so quickly willed myself to sleep and sure enough - woke up standing in front of the little boy again.
I walked straight up to him, picked him and gave him a hug. Then, with the little parenting skills that I have cause I have no kids - I took him to McDonalds where he was all chirpy and happy and chatty, and then finally as one last little gift - I envisaged him surrounded by heaps of kids his own age being Mr Popular and he was very, very happy.
That dream ended I thought I better concentrate on this Pākehā fulla.Sure enough, the scene changes and there's the guy sitting in the park again. I went up to him and started chatting, and dumb me - thought he was suicidal cause he wants to come out - in 'my' dreams!...
I imagined him in a pair of tight little speedos with sunscreen on his nose sitting next to a pool. But, he still wasnt happy?! So, I opened my peripheral vision just a bit more to see this woman and these 2 kids come into the dream and be with him by the pool - his family.
Several nights later I met a friend for drinks - she's a doctor in Maori health and specialises in suicide and she was telling me about some research she was doing so I thought Id mention my dream - cause she's also strong with her taha wairua too.
She told me that just before a person committs suicide their wairua travels over to the otherside more and more until they become comfortable there and are totally ready. She said at these times is when they really need company and to be given hope - hope to fit in or be popular, or hope to be reunited with family because of some mistake or circumstance.
Ka aroha aye! xx
So I looked at him, tried to get his attention but he wouldnt look me in the face so I thought - oh well, I'll leave you here then.Then, the scene changed and I was watching this Pākeha, blonde haired fulla sitting on the grass in a park looking equally distant and remote. I tried waving to him but he didnt seem to notice or acknowledge me, so I thought, 'Oh, well nmind yous then' hahaha.
I woke up and within a few seconds I had an instant recollection of the suicide string from a Facebook page so quickly willed myself to sleep and sure enough - woke up standing in front of the little boy again.
I walked straight up to him, picked him and gave him a hug. Then, with the little parenting skills that I have cause I have no kids - I took him to McDonalds where he was all chirpy and happy and chatty, and then finally as one last little gift - I envisaged him surrounded by heaps of kids his own age being Mr Popular and he was very, very happy.
That dream ended I thought I better concentrate on this Pākehā fulla.Sure enough, the scene changes and there's the guy sitting in the park again. I went up to him and started chatting, and dumb me - thought he was suicidal cause he wants to come out - in 'my' dreams!...
I imagined him in a pair of tight little speedos with sunscreen on his nose sitting next to a pool. But, he still wasnt happy?! So, I opened my peripheral vision just a bit more to see this woman and these 2 kids come into the dream and be with him by the pool - his family.
Several nights later I met a friend for drinks - she's a doctor in Maori health and specialises in suicide and she was telling me about some research she was doing so I thought Id mention my dream - cause she's also strong with her taha wairua too.
She told me that just before a person committs suicide their wairua travels over to the otherside more and more until they become comfortable there and are totally ready. She said at these times is when they really need company and to be given hope - hope to fit in or be popular, or hope to be reunited with family because of some mistake or circumstance.
Ka aroha aye! xx
Tuesday 11 October 2011
22. Karakia
- Tēnei au, tēnei au
Te hōkai nei i taku tapuwae
Ko te hōkai-nuku
Ko te hōkai-rangi
Ko te hōkai o tō tipunaa Tāne-nui-ā-rangi
I pikitia ai
Ki te Rangi-tūhaha
Ki Tihi-i-manono
I rokohina atu rā
Ko Io-Matua-Kore anake
I riro iho ai
Ngā Kete o te Wananga
ko te Kete Tuauri
ko te Kete Tuatea
ko te Kete Aronui
Ka tiritiria, ka poupoua
Ki a Papatuanuku
Ka puta te Ira-tangata
Ki te whai-ao
Ki te Ao-marama
Tihei mauri ora!
Here am I, here am I
here am I swiftly moving by
the power of my karakia for swift movement
Swiftly moving over the earth
Swiftly moving through the heavens
the swift movement of your ancestor
Tane-nui-a-rangi
who climbed up
to the isolated realms
to the summit of Manono
and there found
Io-the-Parentless alone
He brought back down
the Baskets of Knowledge
the Basket called Tuauri
the Basket called Tuatea
the Basket called Aronui.
Portioned out, planted
in Mother Earth
the life principle of humankind
comes forth into the dawn
into the world of light
Behold, I have life.
The intention of this karakia is to draw on the help and support of Māori Gods such as Tāne to provide us with the confidence to deal with challenging situations and discussions around topics such as grief, suffering, death as well as the afterlife.
This particular karakia aims to create a direct, causal link between ourselves and Tāne and drawing on his sanctity and tapu to assist us. Some tribes believe things such as foot steps or 'tapuwae' are remnants of an individuals hau or aura and this karakia draws on the foot steps of Tāne himself.
To fortify our confidence and strength in carrying out our work by using this karakia, we are also reminded of his sanctity and true power where the karakia describes his incredible feats such as climbing into the Heavens, meeting Io, bringing the Baskets of Knowledge to the World, creating the first woman, and finally bringing humanity into being.
Monday 26 September 2011
21. Multi-thinking
I studied the biographies of traditional shaman
specifically, their ability to develop their minds
enabling them to multi-task, or this case - multi think
The process is similar to programming a computer
to perform rudimentary and basic searches itself
Much like how we use CTRL + F
to find specific words on a document
With one push of the RETURN button
the computer locates any specific words you want
So you don't have to read through
the entire document or screens of text yourself
For the shaman, they utilise more of the brain
Where the normal part performs the perfunctionary
stuff that gets us through our day
Whilst the other part seeks answers for
the harder, more difficult or perplexing questions
Intiutive leaps come more and more
Steady streams of consciousness arrive
maybe as they're shopping, driving, emailing
or maybe as they're updating their blog
Even as they sleep or slumber
their minds are on autopilot
continually thinking for them
and giving them insights and answers
by the way of dreams either lucid, or not
This was a pathway to knowledge
where ancient ideas, theories and technology
could be discovered once again
Where knowledge existed without
the need for the perciever
or physical evidence or literature
This was a shaman's greatest tool
one of their greatest assetts
one providing enlightement
one providing automatic perception and defence
How do I know? I just thought about it
and found it in literature
and in the biographies of shaman...
specifically, their ability to develop their minds
enabling them to multi-task, or this case - multi think
The process is similar to programming a computer
to perform rudimentary and basic searches itself
Much like how we use CTRL + F
to find specific words on a document
With one push of the RETURN button
the computer locates any specific words you want
So you don't have to read through
the entire document or screens of text yourself
For the shaman, they utilise more of the brain
Where the normal part performs the perfunctionary
stuff that gets us through our day
Whilst the other part seeks answers for
the harder, more difficult or perplexing questions
Intiutive leaps come more and more
Steady streams of consciousness arrive
maybe as they're shopping, driving, emailing
or maybe as they're updating their blog
Even as they sleep or slumber
their minds are on autopilot
continually thinking for them
and giving them insights and answers
by the way of dreams either lucid, or not
This was a pathway to knowledge
where ancient ideas, theories and technology
could be discovered once again
Where knowledge existed without
the need for the perciever
or physical evidence or literature
This was a shaman's greatest tool
one of their greatest assetts
one providing enlightement
one providing automatic perception and defence
How do I know? I just thought about it
and found it in literature
and in the biographies of shaman...
20. Words of comfort
All knowledge has a mauri
when we attack or criticise ideas
We are effectively attacking
or trying to harm it's mauri or life
If you come for good, you're welcome to stay
If you come for bad, you must go away...
You can't turn bad things into good
but you 'can' turn them into something better
when we attack or criticise ideas
We are effectively attacking
or trying to harm it's mauri or life
If you come for good, you're welcome to stay
If you come for bad, you must go away...
You can't turn bad things into good
but you 'can' turn them into something better
Thursday 8 September 2011
Monday 5 September 2011
18. Road to Enlightenment
Sometimes I think its hard trying to move
from the fuzzy end to the other end
of total peace and enlightenment
I know heaps of people try and run straight there
and most normal people get there in the end
Unfortunately they tend to be in a box
in the ground when that happens
So I think I'll just enjoy the journey at my own pace...
from the fuzzy end to the other end
of total peace and enlightenment
I know heaps of people try and run straight there
and most normal people get there in the end
Unfortunately they tend to be in a box
in the ground when that happens
So I think I'll just enjoy the journey at my own pace...
Wednesday 31 August 2011
17. Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Ann – quiet and calm
and testing the bits that seem out of whack
The first tested confrontation, the second one fear
and this one – the heart, stabbing me there
I woke in the morning with a faint pain in my heart
wondering what lay ahead, on another new path...
Leant over me with her sister behind
Her moppy long hair, very red, very straight
With her face out of sight, no humanity bared
Her moppy long hair, very red, very straight
With her face out of sight, no humanity bared
But that seems to be their nature – the Poutiriao
No care for frailty; of fears and emotion
Just a clinical interview of the mind, body and soulNo care for frailty; of fears and emotion
and testing the bits that seem out of whack
The first tested confrontation, the second one fear
and this one – the heart, stabbing me there
I woke in the morning with a faint pain in my heart
wondering what lay ahead, on another new path...
Tuesday 30 August 2011
Thursday 25 August 2011
15. Out with the old...
Teaching invitations and standing ovations,
invites to dinner and eating at the finest restaurants
That was the life of a postgrad student
making ground breaking discoveries
in the pursuit of knowledge - of mātauranga
But one cold night, in the blink of an eye
As we drove along talking, laughing and singing
Black spiraling smoke jumped at the car
Making this all seem like a distant memory or dream
A pātaka - a storehouse, of knowledge and wealth
of tools and of theories had I brought all together
But like looters, like thieves they came back in the night
and used my whole body as I dreamed, as I slept
They made my mind reach and made my heart dive
and made me wield tools like weapons of might
Before dawn did we travel to the edge of the World
Abducting and using me to break through to the Night
But before Night's gates, before the darkness of Dawn
Did the guardian come and put out his hand
But it was me that was thrust down at his feet
as my captors laughed and screamed well behind me
We returned to the morning until the next Dawn
When they'd try again to go into the Night
But on awakening to the tohunga I ran
thrust into the Ocean until I was clean
Reality's changed but not for the worse
where animals smile and feejoa trees cry
I make flowers bloom and lay spirits to rest
and undergo tests of my heart and my mind
But having a vision is key to it all
to plant my feet firmly in both of these worlds
to walk with the spirits, while shopping for milk
of conjuring futures, not struggling with life
invites to dinner and eating at the finest restaurants
That was the life of a postgrad student
making ground breaking discoveries
in the pursuit of knowledge - of mātauranga
But one cold night, in the blink of an eye
As we drove along talking, laughing and singing
Black spiraling smoke jumped at the car
Making this all seem like a distant memory or dream
A pātaka - a storehouse, of knowledge and wealth
of tools and of theories had I brought all together
But like looters, like thieves they came back in the night
and used my whole body as I dreamed, as I slept
They made my mind reach and made my heart dive
and made me wield tools like weapons of might
Before dawn did we travel to the edge of the World
Abducting and using me to break through to the Night
But before Night's gates, before the darkness of Dawn
Did the guardian come and put out his hand
But it was me that was thrust down at his feet
as my captors laughed and screamed well behind me
We returned to the morning until the next Dawn
When they'd try again to go into the Night
But on awakening to the tohunga I ran
thrust into the Ocean until I was clean
Reality's changed but not for the worse
where animals smile and feejoa trees cry
I make flowers bloom and lay spirits to rest
and undergo tests of my heart and my mind
But having a vision is key to it all
to plant my feet firmly in both of these worlds
to walk with the spirits, while shopping for milk
of conjuring futures, not struggling with life
Tuesday 23 August 2011
14. The Young King of Sri Lanka
Pretty and beautiful the young King of Sri Lanka
Moved and danced entertaining his Court
To a backdrop of tables filled with friends,
filled with feasts and as his own washing
blew about his sweet face
With liberty and freedom did he dance once again
without even a care, for the English invading
He lifted the spirits of all those around
his people, his minders - all of the crowd
To a backdrop of tables filled with friends,
filled with feasts and as his own washing
blew about his sweet face
With liberty and freedom did he dance once again
without even a care, for the English invading
He lifted the spirits of all those around
his people, his minders - all of the crowd
In this dream he taught me sweet values in life
to revel against danger, be humble despite station
And most of all, despite my own state
Was to focus on others – to inspire, give hope
to revel against danger, be humble despite station
And most of all, despite my own state
Was to focus on others – to inspire, give hope
Monday 8 August 2011
13. Words, art and the landscape
Toi te kupu, toi te mana, toi te whenua
Knowledge in words, art and the landscape
This research;
Knowledge in words, art and the landscape
This research;
- Uses a Māori whakatauki (proverb) to ground the research within a Māori worldview of research
- Reviews Māori access and collection management work to date in meeting the challenges of providing access to or managing Māori clients and material in an effort to show the need for Māori research in this area
- Looks at the debasement and decline of Māori knowledge and forms of managing information
- Looks at 3 key mediums used by Māori to record, retain and disseminate information; words, art and the landscape or environment
- Intends to introduce traditional aspects of Māori information management into Library Education Instruction in a University Library specifically for Māori to improve information literacy levels
- Intends to introduce traditional aspects of Māori information management into the Library and Information Management Curriculum in New Zealand
Wednesday 3 August 2011
12. Knowledge without enlightenment
[Quote] The Sage's warning and admonition to the present generation;
Now, I [Te Matorohanga] have another word to say; so you may be clear on this subject. Be very careful in reciting these valuable teachings that your ancestors have collected during the past generations right away from the period of Rangi [the Sky-father] and Papa [the Earth-mother] down to the present day.
Notwithstanding, that the teachings from the Whare-wānanga are now mere shreds, because they are no longer combined, some still remain whilst others are lost; some parts diverge [from the originals] and to some additions have been made.
This is in consequence of the decadence of the power, authority and prestige of the conduct of the various rituals, of the [abrogation of] the tapu, of the [unbelief in] the gods, until, at the present time, there is none of the ancient măna, or power left—all things have changed.
The tapu has ended; the true teaching has been lost; as well as the karakia [invocations, etc.], the meanings of which are now [comparatively] unknown. Because the tapu was all important—the first of all things; without it none of the powers of the gods were available, and without the aid of the gods all things are without authority and ineffectual;1 the [mind of man] is now in a state of confusion [literally, like a whirlwind], as are all his deeds; the land is the same.
The Whare-wānangas, the karakias, the tuāhus [altars], the pures [or sanctification] of man of different kinds, baptism of men with water, are all abandoned. So also are the powers to attract fish and birds, or to influence the growth of food-plants. At the present time, different karakias, different methods, different tapus, even a different language prevails.
Hence it is that the present teaching differs from that of the old priests, such as has been explained above [and as follows in later chapters]; and hence also it is that I impress on you the [former] aspect of these things, that you may be clear as to the descent of the măna-atua, [the god-like powers] even from Io [the Supreme God], and from the Whatu-kuras, Mareikuras, and the Apas of each separate heaven, down to the Patu-pai-arehe and Turehu.
At the present time those kinds of gods no longer exist; they have become degraded into reptiles, stones, and trees—such are the present gods. And the [true, original] reptile-gods, stone-gods, tree-gods no longer exist. Men now live in a wilderness; they are careless of these things; of everything.
It is for this reason that no māna [adequate power to make use of and apply this ancient knowledge] will be attained by you; and I also say to you that those things which you are writing [from my dictation] are but the ends, fragments, of the truth, a portion only of sacred things; the [anciently] established and true teaching has become effaced, as well as the [science of] the tapu, together with the true god-like powers that descended from Io-the-great, Io-the-parentless. Enough of these words to you.
Tuesday 2 August 2011
11. In the shadow of a wolf
Two eyes peered back at me from the darkness of my mind
Sharp pointed ears appearing above them
a long nose and sneering mouth and sharp teeth in front
Fear wells up but I find the strength to say
"If you come for good you're welcome to stay
but if you come for bad, you must go away"
Passing the first test the Black Wolf disappears
and in it's a place the head of a majestic White Wolf
bows before me almost allowing me to touch him
The path to knowledge has many perils
it has many challenges which cannot be met
with a meek heart or by brute force
but with humility, compassion and true bravery
I am reminded to show appreciation for the reveal
and with that, a third one introduces himself
A Brown Wolf with eyes closed tight due to a smile
that brings reassurance and warmth to my heart and mind
Like a lamb I now walk in the
shadow of a great White Wolf
Wild animals now shy away from me
Spirits and demons fall behind me
His protection and safety now afford me
opportunities to run, jump, buck and experiment
But now and then I dread when I think
that he himself was once a lamb
who walked in the shadow of his own great Wolf
Sharp pointed ears appearing above them
a long nose and sneering mouth and sharp teeth in front
Fear wells up but I find the strength to say
"If you come for good you're welcome to stay
but if you come for bad, you must go away"
Passing the first test the Black Wolf disappears
and in it's a place the head of a majestic White Wolf
bows before me almost allowing me to touch him
The path to knowledge has many perils
it has many challenges which cannot be met
with a meek heart or by brute force
but with humility, compassion and true bravery
I am reminded to show appreciation for the reveal
and with that, a third one introduces himself
A Brown Wolf with eyes closed tight due to a smile
that brings reassurance and warmth to my heart and mind
Like a lamb I now walk in the
shadow of a great White Wolf
Wild animals now shy away from me
Spirits and demons fall behind me
His protection and safety now afford me
opportunities to run, jump, buck and experiment
But now and then I dread when I think
that he himself was once a lamb
who walked in the shadow of his own great Wolf
Monday 1 August 2011
10. The cost of knowledge
The casket lay open with his small, frail and naked body
laid out showing his vulnerability in death
But, as I moved forward his eyes slowly opened
his arms unfurled and his long fingers reached for my ring
What did the dead require in return for knowledge?
The cost was life - was mauri, enabling him
to be strong and invincible once again
But in no way would I give human life or human mauri
What I gave was the mauri or essence of love, of aroha
Mauri I could grow and replenish over and over again
I walked past seeing a beautiful
black dog cut down in the street
I called out to her making her rise once again
Her protective mate standing over her
demanded to know what I wanted in return
Just knowledge - just knowledge
The darkness enveloped me and shadows
from the essence of the night itself
stood silently waiting for me to ask, and to pay a price
Beautiful creatures of cunning and deceit
also came revealing a score of men and women
now bound by a transaction made with the dark
It is now that I realise knowledge had a price
that the dead revealed truth
that animals communicated
and the darkness itself once gave answers
but all at a cost - all at a price
laid out showing his vulnerability in death
But, as I moved forward his eyes slowly opened
his arms unfurled and his long fingers reached for my ring
What did the dead require in return for knowledge?
The cost was life - was mauri, enabling him
to be strong and invincible once again
But in no way would I give human life or human mauri
What I gave was the mauri or essence of love, of aroha
Mauri I could grow and replenish over and over again
I walked past seeing a beautiful
black dog cut down in the street
I called out to her making her rise once again
Her protective mate standing over her
demanded to know what I wanted in return
Just knowledge - just knowledge
The darkness enveloped me and shadows
from the essence of the night itself
stood silently waiting for me to ask, and to pay a price
Beautiful creatures of cunning and deceit
also came revealing a score of men and women
now bound by a transaction made with the dark
It is now that I realise knowledge had a price
that the dead revealed truth
that animals communicated
and the darkness itself once gave answers
but all at a cost - all at a price
Friday 29 July 2011
9. Outline of a love heart
A car pulled out in front me yesterday
my first thought wasn't the nicest
next minute - they reverse, and bang!
teaching me a lesson....
Thoughts powered by emotion
can be pretty lethal things
especially without love in your heart
But the world was willed into existence
by concentrating and imagining in the mind
So there in my mind, should love also reside
constantly tracing it's outline
In return, love comes from all corners
- granted snide looks and fear come too
But for middle eastern $2 shop ladies
to call me darling more than once
makes me realise what a little love
in one's mind can do...
my first thought wasn't the nicest
next minute - they reverse, and bang!
teaching me a lesson....
Thoughts powered by emotion
can be pretty lethal things
especially without love in your heart
But the world was willed into existence
by concentrating and imagining in the mind
So there in my mind, should love also reside
constantly tracing it's outline
In return, love comes from all corners
- granted snide looks and fear come too
But for middle eastern $2 shop ladies
to call me darling more than once
makes me realise what a little love
in one's mind can do...
Wednesday 27 July 2011
8. Spacetime
Western society creating space and time;
"The supreme task of the physicist is to arrive at those universal elementary laws from which the cosmos can be built up by pure deduction. There is no logical path to these laws; only tuition, resting on sympathetic understanding of experience, can reach them" Albert Einstein, 'Principles of Research' 1918.
Māori manifesting spacetime (wā);
Ko Te Kore-
Te Kore te whiwhia
Te Kore te rawea
Te Kore i ai
Te Kore te wiwia
Nā Te Kore Te Pō-
Te Pō nui
Te Pō roa
Te Pō uriuri
Te Pō kerekere
Te Pō tiwhatiwha
Te Pō tē kitea
Te Pō tangotango
Te Pō whāwhā
Te Pō namunamu ki taiao
Te Pō tahuri atu
Te Pō tahuri mai ki taiao
Ki te Whaiao
Ki te Ao mārama
Tihei, mauri ora!
"The supreme task of the physicist is to arrive at those universal elementary laws from which the cosmos can be built up by pure deduction. There is no logical path to these laws; only tuition, resting on sympathetic understanding of experience, can reach them" Albert Einstein, 'Principles of Research' 1918.
Māori manifesting spacetime (wā);
Ko Te Kore-
Te Kore te whiwhia
Te Kore te rawea
Te Kore i ai
Te Kore te wiwia
Nā Te Kore Te Pō-
Te Pō nui
Te Pō roa
Te Pō uriuri
Te Pō kerekere
Te Pō tiwhatiwha
Te Pō tē kitea
Te Pō tangotango
Te Pō whāwhā
Te Pō namunamu ki taiao
Te Pō tahuri atu
Te Pō tahuri mai ki taiao
Ki te Whaiao
Ki te Ao mārama
Tihei, mauri ora!
7. Strength through love
Lack of compassion filled my heart with fear
forced my eyes shut and made me play nursery rhymes
about god in my ears
Lack of compassion saw nights of terror
endless days filled with worry
and impending horror with the setting of the sun
But love and compassion - that's a different story
Love and compassion now made me laugh and take pity
on shadows that screamed and howled all around me
Love and compassion made me reach out and guide
the lost and forlorn to safety and rest
But love and compassion now give me the strength
to ask - if good or bad, is its actual intent....
forced my eyes shut and made me play nursery rhymes
about god in my ears
Lack of compassion saw nights of terror
endless days filled with worry
and impending horror with the setting of the sun
But love and compassion - that's a different story
Love and compassion now made me laugh and take pity
on shadows that screamed and howled all around me
Love and compassion made me reach out and guide
the lost and forlorn to safety and rest
But love and compassion now give me the strength
to ask - if good or bad, is its actual intent....
Tuesday 19 July 2011
6. Pendleton blankets of white
As the first light of dawn crept over my face
words could not say just how my heart sank
as I fell to the floor and cried in your lap
Your hair long again and pulled into a bun
and through trusty old frames
You looked at me again
Wearing a robe with patterns of satin
and nursing a pillow embroidered with light
I couldn't believe a chance had been given
For one last goodbye my beautiful mate
words could not say just how my heart sank
as I fell to the floor and cried in your lap
Your hair long again and pulled into a bun
and through trusty old frames
You looked at me again
Wearing a robe with patterns of satin
and nursing a pillow embroidered with light
I couldn't believe a chance had been given
For one last goodbye my beautiful mate
Monday 18 July 2011
5. Karanga mai!
Early 20th century german physicist Albert Einstein said "The only reason for time is so everything doesn't happen at once" which intrigued me because I had always seen a disconnect between what was real in a Pākehā - Western philosophical sense, and what was real in te ao Māori (the Māori worldview) - of what the definition of reality was.
In this specific case, Western philosophy uses time; the past, present and the future to determine reality, i.e you are reading this blog now so this is the present, and if you read it tomorrow it will be the future. Here reality is defined by actions and place - reading a blog in the present. But in this quote Einstein alludes to a broader context of time, and in turn - of reality, and one which is more aligned to the Māori worldview?!
Einstein talks about things potentially "happening all at once", and when we use ritual, when we use kawa and tikanga, when we use specific things like karanga, tauparapara and karakia - that's exactly what we're doing. We use sacred words, coupled with sound like pitch and tone, and maybe even employ actions and tools like talking sticks in an effort to break through our reality and reach out and beyond to other planes of existence.
As a man - far be it from me to talk about the finer points of karanga but as a general summary when we hear a woman cry "karanga mai ki ō tātou mate tuatini e..." we see an attempt to call 'beyond the veil of death',and asking ancestors to come and be with her. Einstein's words kick in here when we think about the two realities coming into play; ancestors from a past reality, who are now being called into this woman's reality here in the present - in this case, two things "happening at once". Whu, neat alright aye!
Anyway, apart from getting a glimpse into metaphysics (studying the nature and structure of reality, in this case - by using time), there was a bigger issue now at stake. My own sense of reality, of what's real, and potentially - impacting on my own sense of sanity?! This discovery was further compounded after making a discovery relating to semantics (the relationship between language and reality, and in this case nouns) where inanimate objects like your computer are non living things - sitting with you in a particular point in time - further assuring you of your sense of place in your current reality.
But then I remembered that in te ao Māori, everything has a mauri or a life force. These 'inanimate objects' actually have a life force of their own and in a different reality - manipulated by ritual, they morph, breathe, and maybe even get up and walk around..
So how can we be assured of our own certainty and sanity through our need for a reality? It wasn't until my own time spent with a tohunga that I learnt the true nature of ritual - of where we can break through to other realities but we can re-align reality also, "kia ea ai ngā kōrero ō rātou mā, apiti hōno tātai hōno, te hunga mate ki a rātou, te hunga ora ki a tātou"...
Generally we see the nature of reality (metaphysics) and the relationship between language and reality (semantics) differ between Māori and non-Māori, in that "what rings true for some doesn't ring true for all" but what is similar is the existence of a higher level of philosophical thinking and of knowledge.
In this specific case, Western philosophy uses time; the past, present and the future to determine reality, i.e you are reading this blog now so this is the present, and if you read it tomorrow it will be the future. Here reality is defined by actions and place - reading a blog in the present. But in this quote Einstein alludes to a broader context of time, and in turn - of reality, and one which is more aligned to the Māori worldview?!
Einstein talks about things potentially "happening all at once", and when we use ritual, when we use kawa and tikanga, when we use specific things like karanga, tauparapara and karakia - that's exactly what we're doing. We use sacred words, coupled with sound like pitch and tone, and maybe even employ actions and tools like talking sticks in an effort to break through our reality and reach out and beyond to other planes of existence.
As a man - far be it from me to talk about the finer points of karanga but as a general summary when we hear a woman cry "karanga mai ki ō tātou mate tuatini e..." we see an attempt to call 'beyond the veil of death',and asking ancestors to come and be with her. Einstein's words kick in here when we think about the two realities coming into play; ancestors from a past reality, who are now being called into this woman's reality here in the present - in this case, two things "happening at once". Whu, neat alright aye!
Anyway, apart from getting a glimpse into metaphysics (studying the nature and structure of reality, in this case - by using time), there was a bigger issue now at stake. My own sense of reality, of what's real, and potentially - impacting on my own sense of sanity?! This discovery was further compounded after making a discovery relating to semantics (the relationship between language and reality, and in this case nouns) where inanimate objects like your computer are non living things - sitting with you in a particular point in time - further assuring you of your sense of place in your current reality.
But then I remembered that in te ao Māori, everything has a mauri or a life force. These 'inanimate objects' actually have a life force of their own and in a different reality - manipulated by ritual, they morph, breathe, and maybe even get up and walk around..
So how can we be assured of our own certainty and sanity through our need for a reality? It wasn't until my own time spent with a tohunga that I learnt the true nature of ritual - of where we can break through to other realities but we can re-align reality also, "kia ea ai ngā kōrero ō rātou mā, apiti hōno tātai hōno, te hunga mate ki a rātou, te hunga ora ki a tātou"...
Generally we see the nature of reality (metaphysics) and the relationship between language and reality (semantics) differ between Māori and non-Māori, in that "what rings true for some doesn't ring true for all" but what is similar is the existence of a higher level of philosophical thinking and of knowledge.
Sunday 17 July 2011
4. Kete o Te Wānanga
The grandfather of western philosophy 16th century german Immanuel Kant said "Science is the organisation of knowledge, wisdom is the organisation of daily life" thereby shaping the minds of western society's greatest scholars and it's universities.
With the imposition of colonial states, indigenous bodies of knowledge became supplanted by western philosophy, indigenous knowledge theory and ideas appropriated and incorporated into western knowledge thereby contributing and expanding it.
Māori and indigenous people worldwide now became dispossessed - not only of their knowledge, but their claims to knowledge itself, their knowledge now labelled as 'information' and they themselves now re-labelled as 'wise' or 'people with wisdom' but never having any notions of science let alone information or knowledge management systems.
Even when Io said to Tāne 'kia mau ki ō ringa ngā Kete o Te Wānanga' (hold fast to the Baskets of Knowledge) - words which have been sung, woven, and spoken of over many hundreds of years to Māori and non-Māori alike, there has been the pervading assumption that Māori do not have knowledge nor ways of organising it.
What is even more concerning though is our own reliance on western philosophy, on the way we contribute to the further development and expansion of it, and the prejudice and contempt we ourselves have for our own knowledge.
With relative ease we will employ western methodology to study Māori subject matter albeit with an outcome ameliorating Māori economic, social or political life, but in doing so we re-affirm the place and importance of western tools of enquiry over our own, we substantiate it's place of importance, and contribute to it's growth through the innovative use of it's methods.
So what were the methods or ways of attaining knowledge and what is the place of rituals like tauparapara, waere and karakia? We currently see karakia used in all sorts of situations so I suspect one of the next major steps will be establishing which karakia or kawa and tikanga are used with each specific practice enabling a person to become enlightened. After that, we might as well have a look and see if there are any commonalities which run right across them pointing us to a set of 'conditions' or 'ways of knowing'.
Insurmountable task? Nah - not really. If we just jump across to 'the other camp' i.e western philosophy, we see the derivation of all the disciplines from a core set of principles or even one singular truth - measurement; Arts and Humanties from the Social Sciences, Social Sciences from Science, Science from Mathematics.
Could all Māori knowledge be descended from one singular principle itself? Watch this space....
Reference Link
With the imposition of colonial states, indigenous bodies of knowledge became supplanted by western philosophy, indigenous knowledge theory and ideas appropriated and incorporated into western knowledge thereby contributing and expanding it.
Māori and indigenous people worldwide now became dispossessed - not only of their knowledge, but their claims to knowledge itself, their knowledge now labelled as 'information' and they themselves now re-labelled as 'wise' or 'people with wisdom' but never having any notions of science let alone information or knowledge management systems.
Even when Io said to Tāne 'kia mau ki ō ringa ngā Kete o Te Wānanga' (hold fast to the Baskets of Knowledge) - words which have been sung, woven, and spoken of over many hundreds of years to Māori and non-Māori alike, there has been the pervading assumption that Māori do not have knowledge nor ways of organising it.
What is even more concerning though is our own reliance on western philosophy, on the way we contribute to the further development and expansion of it, and the prejudice and contempt we ourselves have for our own knowledge.
With relative ease we will employ western methodology to study Māori subject matter albeit with an outcome ameliorating Māori economic, social or political life, but in doing so we re-affirm the place and importance of western tools of enquiry over our own, we substantiate it's place of importance, and contribute to it's growth through the innovative use of it's methods.
So what were the methods or ways of attaining knowledge and what is the place of rituals like tauparapara, waere and karakia? We currently see karakia used in all sorts of situations so I suspect one of the next major steps will be establishing which karakia or kawa and tikanga are used with each specific practice enabling a person to become enlightened. After that, we might as well have a look and see if there are any commonalities which run right across them pointing us to a set of 'conditions' or 'ways of knowing'.
Insurmountable task? Nah - not really. If we just jump across to 'the other camp' i.e western philosophy, we see the derivation of all the disciplines from a core set of principles or even one singular truth - measurement; Arts and Humanties from the Social Sciences, Social Sciences from Science, Science from Mathematics.
Could all Māori knowledge be descended from one singular principle itself? Watch this space....
Reference Link
Thursday 14 July 2011
3. Footsteps
Tēnei au, tēnei au te hōkai nei i taku tapuwae
Ko te hōkai nuku, ko te hōkai rangi
ko te hōkai ō tō tupuna a Tāne nui ā rangi
i pikitia ai ki ngā Rangi Tūhāhā, ki Tihi ō mānono
i rokohia ai ko Io matua kore anake
I riro iho ai ngā Kete o Te Wānanga
ko te Kete Tūāuri
ko te Kete Tūātea
ko te Kete Aronui
Ka tiritiria, ka poupoua ki a Papatuanuku
Ka puta te ira tangata ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama,
Tīhei mauri ora!
Reference Link
Ko te hōkai nuku, ko te hōkai rangi
ko te hōkai ō tō tupuna a Tāne nui ā rangi
i pikitia ai ki ngā Rangi Tūhāhā, ki Tihi ō mānono
i rokohia ai ko Io matua kore anake
I riro iho ai ngā Kete o Te Wānanga
ko te Kete Tūāuri
ko te Kete Tūātea
ko te Kete Aronui
Ka tiritiria, ka poupoua ki a Papatuanuku
Ka puta te ira tangata ki te whaiao, ki te ao mārama,
Tīhei mauri ora!
Reference Link
Wednesday 13 July 2011
2. The Journey
"Hiringa i te mahara" is a poignant description of the journey so far in pursuing a PhD in revitalising traditional Māori knowledge.
It is rich and striking in meaning and metaphor aimed at providing a glimpse into some of the traditional ways of knowing and ways of being - of methdology and of output.
But here methodology are thoughts powered by emotion, they are dreams and projections of the self conjuring up both enlightment as well as darkness.
They eminate from within and from beyond, of travelling to distant horizons, and of calling knowledge to present itself in forms that inspire or terrorise.
In this journey, time and place shift and move, reality becomes unreliable, darkness comes from light and certainty can only be found in ritual and in practice - in the footsteps of the gods, and of the ancients.
It was these footsteps which traversed an ever changing environment at a time when heaven and earth were torn apart, of when gods climbed into the heavens, and when men fished up countries.
And it will be these footsteps - these remnants of their power and presence which assure me a notion of safety and of certainty for the journey ahead
Reference Link
It is rich and striking in meaning and metaphor aimed at providing a glimpse into some of the traditional ways of knowing and ways of being - of methdology and of output.
But here methodology are thoughts powered by emotion, they are dreams and projections of the self conjuring up both enlightment as well as darkness.
They eminate from within and from beyond, of travelling to distant horizons, and of calling knowledge to present itself in forms that inspire or terrorise.
In this journey, time and place shift and move, reality becomes unreliable, darkness comes from light and certainty can only be found in ritual and in practice - in the footsteps of the gods, and of the ancients.
It was these footsteps which traversed an ever changing environment at a time when heaven and earth were torn apart, of when gods climbed into the heavens, and when men fished up countries.
And it will be these footsteps - these remnants of their power and presence which assure me a notion of safety and of certainty for the journey ahead
Reference Link
1. Hiringa i te mahara
I was witness to the daily life of tohunga
I was a star looking out over the African continent
And with my hands I took Luke Skywalker's light sabre
bringing it down apon an atom splitting it in two
From the recesses of my mind
and with fear in my heart
I called out into the darkness of the dawn
summoning the epitome of evil
With invisible amour it stood over me
shimmering in silence
and filling my world with utter fear and despair
The tohunga's words wrapped and enveloped me
then the water received me
My unconscious mind refused to dive
and while fighting myself
at my face did Tangaroa scratch and bite me
I was both shark and prey
thrashing and diving, thrusting forward and recoiling
Until I met my foe with wide eyes opened
and seeing nothing but a myriad of blue
and the calm and depth of Tangaroa's mind itself
Reference Link
I was a star looking out over the African continent
And with my hands I took Luke Skywalker's light sabre
bringing it down apon an atom splitting it in two
From the recesses of my mind
and with fear in my heart
I called out into the darkness of the dawn
summoning the epitome of evil
With invisible amour it stood over me
shimmering in silence
and filling my world with utter fear and despair
The tohunga's words wrapped and enveloped me
then the water received me
My unconscious mind refused to dive
and while fighting myself
at my face did Tangaroa scratch and bite me
I was both shark and prey
thrashing and diving, thrusting forward and recoiling
Until I met my foe with wide eyes opened
and seeing nothing but a myriad of blue
and the calm and depth of Tangaroa's mind itself
Reference Link
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