55. Little sweet potato

On the floor of the lounge I play my koauau
while looking out over the hills and the valley
The chords that I play bring dark clouds together
and streaks of blood red fly across the horizon

From the recess of space and of time itself
a figure appears in the dawning red light
A warrior's face moves slowly towards me
with feather and bone adorning his head

My heart becomes stricken and my playing now ceases
as he comes bearing a bowl filled with sweet red potatos
"Make it good" I'm instructed as he hands it to me
punctuated with stares that pierce through my heart

Are these are the kūmara stolen from Whanui
by Rongomaui as a gift for his wife?
A gift from the Gods which was taken from Vega
reigning in a new stage, a new age - a new era?

Several weeks later I'm back in the dream
but this time the kumara sit atop a gold plate
The tiniest of shoots have begun to appear
and fastidiously I remove them with care

From a humble potato can vast change occur
small tiny shoots pushing up through hard ground
It can change the environment, change the landscape
whether physical, political or inside my heart

54. I am One

Mirror, mirror on the wall
in the dark of sleep, do I look at thee
and in the reflection staring back
are 4 of me all standing tall?!

I stand expressionless but with ease
neither zealous or afraid
I am not angry or astute
am neither happy or even phased

I now 'exist' with balanced form
and with precision begin to move
Prayer circles. rhomboids, squares I make
perfect and in harmony

Far and wide I searched for these
within books and within dreams
I prayed, I read, and knelt with others
hoping all this I would see

But with this 'oneness' I now find
the key to unlock all these doors
Chakras, portals, diamonds, stars
all exist within me now...

53. Hauora Waiora

I turn to my partner whose stricken with fear
his eyes wide open and almost in tears
I look straight past him and see the door open
turning instead from it's opposite side

Fear and darkness now fill the room
so I leap from my bed and onto my feet
Objects now move with sinister smiles
plodding and moving slowly twards him

I lay hands apon them and say the Lord's Prayer
but falter and cough and forget all the words
"Go into the Light" I hear myself shout
and blow cross the top of them watching them fall

I glance at my partner whose no-longer there
instead a poor soul's thrashing on our own bed?!
I straddle his body and hold his arms down
and dribble saliva three times in his mouth

"Go into the Light" I say to his demons
while using the sacredness of my own spittle
After 3 times his body succumbs and his face
all forlorn is now sweet and serene

In times when my voice or words may escape me
I know there are other tools I can use
Tāne breathed life into the first maiden
and whose very own water cleanses the soul

Blessed are we whose body's a vessel
guided and used by all that is good
For it is not us who does all this work
but the spirit of others and all who come through

52. Daughter of the Ocean

Deep in a dream she visited me
so I sat with the others, down at her feet
Descended from Tangaroa and daughter was she
of Rakataura from the Tainui canoe

Over all does she reign who dwell in the Sea
whether fish, whether taniwha, coral or whale
and here was this woman imparting to me
the story of Waikanae, while I was on leave

There are Waikanae many all over the World
all over the country as well this coast
but this single name links them together
a singular fountain of info and story

This is the place, of "bleeding hearts"
of where the forlorn come to be cured
and where all the healers come near and afar
and offer their love, their hearts and their prayers

This is where journeys end and begin
where waka set sail and people come in
A singular hub on the Wellington coast
for seafarers from the mighty Pacific

It's also the place where spirits were banished
out into the depths of our darkest oceans
Wiremu Ratana sending them there
due to their obstinance and unfounded fears

She takes us all down to the Waikanae shore
but I fear to tread out onto the sand
As I stand on the grass I see weather bombs
black menacing clouds, lightening striking the water

And out of the depths come dark lonely figures
one noticing me and moving towards me
"Get back in that water" I hear myself say
and see it move backwards, out into the wake

A powerful lesson learnt on this day
of the history and meaning in the name of this bay
Of what to look out for before setting sail
of healing or dispelling souls and their pain

51. The Milky Way

I enter the water out into the deep
and a killer whale comes crossing my wake
up alongside me a pilot whale smiles
and nudges me on into turbulent water

Tumbling and falling down into the dark
I find myself swimming an underground tunnel
The cavern is dark cept for small holes above
and piercing bright light shines down apon me

Under an old temple I find myself swimming
and become overwhelmed with frightening fear
A karakia comes from my heart and my lips
and then the words 'Kill him' from out of the dark

With panic and fear I swim along further
being pursued by men close behind me
Climbing out of a well they reach and they grab
but on reaching the top I kick them back down

I take in the Light and take in the view
a Pyramid of gold have I just swum beneath
In an ancient, old city now do I stand
surrounded by desert and palm trees of green

I completed a test laid down long ago
inherent within my blood and my bones
Like the Hebrews who swam the perilous Nile
or Māori traversing our very own Sky

Each part of the river or our own galaxy
corresponded to parts of the spiritual self
With each test completed - another part opened
enabling students to go further on...