KAI ORA - Living Foods for Healing

Living Energy - Foods for Healing

You've probably heard or read that the old time Tohunga wouldn't eat or even touch cooked food. Also you may have heard that this was because they were extremely Tapu. What does that mean anyway? Simply put, they wished to remain in a high vibrational or spiritual state. Their own electro-magnetic fields were huge and powerful. Being in that state 24/7 allowed them to perform miracles or 'magic' to the western mind. Its only been in very recent years that science and technology has caught up enough to provide 'proof' of the assertions about the nature of matter that was the province of the Tohunga.

Why raw food?

All living things have fine electro-magnetic energy fields, measured in nano-amps. That's tiny, but crucial to life and health. All living things also ingest and emit light to a greater or lesser extent, dependant on their nature and state of health. Maori refer to that energy as MAURI - living energy, or life force.

Kirlian photography has now captured pictures of that energy, or the Light Bodies of various living things, like leaves as in the pic below. Even after a leaf is torn or cut its light body remains intact for a time. Some people have the natural ability to detect these fields through 'feel' - really their own energy systems that may be more sensitive through their hands, or bellies, and even eyes. Its rare, but a few are born with the ability to physically see auric energies and light bodies - I've only met one person who lives in that world all the time. The world he sees is different - so much so that when he talks about stuff that is normal to him he's always badly misunderstood because he's talking about things that don't exist to normal people's vision. But his world is beautiful. Its also an ability that can be learned or acquired.

 Here's the important thing - if you eat plant food raw you are eating its Mauri - its life force, and that is added directly to your own energy fields. Cooking and freezing foods destroys that living energy. Sure you'll still get some vitamins, some minerals, some nutrients, some calories from your fruits, vegetables and grains, but you'll be missing out on the most important part altogether - the living raw energy that your body craves. The stuff that fuels your superfine electro-magnetic fields that are essential to natural healing.

Mauri - Life Force, Living Energy

 You also start overloading your body right there with acidic dead matter that turns your body into a toxic dump if you kill your food first by cooking or freezing. Ever tried to grow a frozen pea? Did you know that fat cells are essential to your survival? They're the good guys that grab hold of all those acidic toxins and hold them safely away from where they can do damage - its true! Even cholesterol has a part to play in our survival. The plaque lining the walls of your arteries is actually stopping acids from chewing holes in them - I just read that in a friend's book 'The pH miracle for weight loss' by Dr Robert O Young. Its interesting stuff, but pretty gruesome when you find out about all the yeasts and moulds making themselves at home in our bodies and poisoning our blood - and you bet I've had experience with looking after people with poisoned blood from illness and infections. Its not pretty - poison blood, poison mind, poison tongue. Fortunately a good detox with juices, herbs and a change of diet can put things right quite quickly.

Personally I think McDonald's has been getting a bad rap. They're no worse than 90 per cent of the foods you'll find in the supermarket - processed, refined, denatured, added to, and generally poisoned with preservatives, additives, artificial colourings, artificial sweetening, and even artificial flavourings. And at least with Maccers you don't have to do the cooking! The fruit and vegetable sections aren't much better really because such a lot of it is harvested unripe. I also think the prices are a disgrace considering what a fantastic food growing climate we have here. If there's one in your city, try and get to a weekly farmer's market to stock up on fruit and veges. If you live in an area where there are market gardens and orchards try and get produce direct from the grower. If you don't have a vegetable garden and a couple of fruit trees handy in your neighbourhood, consider starting one. Its not too hard to do - I'll grab you a link to our Matakite Maori Natural Living page, and from there you'll be able to find some other groups and links to help you get started. And don't overlook gathering wild kai - puha, watercress, blackberries in season - even if you end up freezing them they'll still add great flavour to smoothies and things.

When I say that eating raw foods is the cure for what ails you, I'm serious. I've had some 30 years experience of using foods and juices for healing all sorts of conditions. Being tired and run down myself got me started. Just three days on raw foods had me bouncing with energy again, and that's something every young mother needs heaps of. Since then I've seen miracle results and the complete reversal of serious illnesses. The evidence is there, and if you can't believe in Maori Miracles that's ok, because the science is there too!

And no, you don't have to be stuck with rabbit food to eat raw - I'll talk about some easy ways to do it in future posts. In the meantime, rip into a bag of apples - they're cheap, and if your teeth aren't up to it, get the grater out, add some cinnamon and enjoy. If you want to start a detox, just munch on apples for a day. That'll give you a good start.

Arohanui - na Whetumarama

Here's the link to Matakite Maori - Natural Living group http://www.facebook.com/groups/269999176347778/

Making Contact and Connections online

Here's a few links for those who would like to connect sometime. My daughter had been googling, youtubing, facebooking for ages before she finally got me sorted out online. My first Facebook presence was just like everybody elses - a cool way to keep up with the mokos and make a few new friends. Then I also realised it was a great way for whanau and Hapu members to reconnect - so that was basically what I used my Facebook Profile page for - friends, family and extended family.

Because I have a background in Business and Education, and an interest particularly in Spirituality, I joined a few other sites too, like Linked In, and became a member of a few Groups that my working life naturally associated me with. I'm also an Artist, originally trained in Graphic Design, so a lot of my online time was occupied with learning how to use various programs, and enthusiastically networking with fellow Artists.

For some ten years I had been slowly coming to grips with my Tohungatanga, and doing a few workshops on healing, looking after family and friends, and generally sharing the lerve! Also doing a lot of research into spirituality and religion to try and understand where my Maoritanga fitted in the bigger picture. Last year I realised that there were a whole heap of people awakening to their Maori Spiritual heritage, and I didn't want others to have to face that journey alone anymore. I opened the first Matakite Maori Group. I'll give you that link again for anybody who needs support, or who just wants to celebrate that they are Matakite. Its also open for non-Maori who are interested in Aotearoa's Indigenous Culture.

MATAKITE MAORI - Seers, Prophets & Psychics:  http://www.facebook.com/groups/156799391061444/

Well that tore things! Nek Minit we've got 15 specialist groups as offshoots of that first one, well over 2000 members, and numerous Kanohi ki te Kanohi Groups (face to face) just getting off the ground. There was no way I could service those groups 24/7, though that is pretty much what it took for a few months, so I'm really grateful for the vigorous and able help of 18 Admins, many of whom also give almost 24/7 attention to the Groups. All on a voluntary basis.

My personal Facebook page was never set to private anyway, but of course a lot more people wanted to become personal friends through our association in the Matakite Maori Groups. I've made some excellent personal friends that way, especially with those I've met Kanohi ki te Kanohi. However, as you can imagine, answering the many messages from people needing advice, counselling, or healing, as well as a regular socialise, got to be an absolutely massive job. I've done my level best to respond to all the messages that came through Facebook - but in the end its become unsustainable. Its not good for anyone to be stuck on Facebook for hours. I was really horrified when I checked a few of the sites that I use less often to find that there were messages that I hadn't been aware of from people reaching out for help months earlier. I'm so sorry that it looks like I didn't care about you. I do, and I hope you were able to find someone else to help you get through it.

There's also the difficulty of meeting people face to face, and I do get many requests to do that. Unfortunately I'm not always able to be available. You know how it is - not enough time to get to see the mokopuna's, or chill over coffee with friends. So I'm taking some steps to try and be responsive and available to more people, whether that's for healings, teaching, workshops, demonstrations. Here's a link to the first step - My Tohunga Facebook Page.

WHETUMARAMA TUHUA, TOHUNGA: http://www.facebook.com/WhetumaramaTohunga

Its only new, but at least if you catch up with me there you'll be spared my political shares and games feeds. Did you know that Games is a really cool way to chillout when you're in the middle of a whole heap of online writing, and a good way to make friends too. But its a nuisance for all those people who just want 'inspirational' posts on their newsfeeds and who can't be bothered with sharing pigs and nails and stuff! And yes - Tohunga are human too, we eat, we laugh, we sing, we cry, we get mad, and we're far from infallible!

I'm not real keen on being parked up on a pedestal - certainly the work is deserving of respect, but I'm not in a Tapu state all the time. Sometimes, yes, because that's what it takes to heal or karakia effectively. But to do work online is about engaging tinana (physical presence), hinengaro (intellect and emotions), and less often wairua (spirit). As a matter of fact being at that level of vibration tends to blow out electronics. It always gives me a good chuckle when somebody complains that they wrote a whole lot of stuff, then couldn't post it, or their pc played up, or Facebook glitched. Wairua interferes with electronics. If its tapu you're not supposed to be posting it on a public forum!

I'll post my e-mail link when I'm ready to post out newsletters letting everyone know how you can get to see me for healing or workshops as dates and venues are confirmed. I'll also let you know of any festivals I hear of that I think are worth supporting. Right now I'm talking with a few other Maori Healers to see if we can't co-ordinate some interviews and online workshops - so I guess its back to going cross eyed looking at platforms. But we'll get there! For the meantime, there's 15 Matakite Maori Groups for you to explore, including an Akonga Healers Group. Here's the link to that one - its a good group mentored by four senior Maori Tohunga Healers, and members are at all sorts of stages in their journey as healers or healees. Check it out:

MATAKITE MAORI - AKONGA HEALERS: http://www.facebook.com/groups/296256173718339/

Maori Land Inheritance

Discussing Land Ownership may not seem to have a lot to do with Tohungatanga and Healing, but for our people the Whenua, the Land, is everything. This generation is not only engaged in struggles to have confiscated lands returned, but is also conflicted and lost in how to find ways to return to the Land for sustenance and healing. Therefore it is necessary to look at the practicalities of negotiating the minefield that is the Maori Land Court system of shareholding, ownership, Trust responsibilities and Land Mangement in pakeha terms. And this is only the beginning of the things our Rangatahi need to know.

Te Urewera

Photo by Richard Herewini.

Understanding land inheritance is a big job, but its something that I feel we all should learn more about. One of the things that any shareholder should do is a MLC search of the names of all shareholders of the blocks you have an interest in. These are all members of your Hapu, and the connections may go back 5 or more generations to the original Rangatira and whanau. Next thing would be to search where your own shares came from. If you know who is who of the descendants from your Grandparents you're halfway there. But have a look at the Title that your Grandma had. Was she the Rangatira, or sole shareholder of a particular land block. If so, you've only got her descendants to deal with. However, its more likely that she would have had shares allotted to her, and each of her brothers and sisters would have equivalent shares. So you're immediately looking at all the other descendants - all the cuzzies. They're still part of your Hapu. By this time we're talking heaps and heaps of people. And you still probably have to go back a couple more generations at least to try and find the first lot of owners when the MLC first attempted to quantify the shareholdings of each owner. You'll find all that information in the Minutes of the Court.

It was in the early 1900s that most of the remaining Maori Lands came under the 'care' of the MLC - and there were disputes way back then. 'Ownership' and 'Shares' were literally a foreign concept to Maori, who lived under the rule of Heads of Families. The Rangatira being the Senior of all the Whanau joined together in Hapu. 

Rangatira me Tohunga

Tiripou Te Wairama 

Haewera Orupe Pukepuke Tuhua

Ngai Tuhoe Potiki

Back in the day the Rangatira's word was law. My Kuia was the last of that old style Rangatira. She had the authority to decide which area of land which family could settle on and build a home, or a tennis court. She had authority to have a Wharenui moved from one block of land to another and did so. She advised on work, careers and study for each of her children and their children. Each of her children held a certain rank that came to be styled on the English nobility - hence 'Duke', 'Duchess', 'Earl', 'Prince', 'Princess' etc. This was quite common throughout Maoridom at that time of transition from a Maori world to a Pakeha one. The value of those titles as names is that you can then go back and trace birth order for the whakapapa and determine which line is tuakana and which teina. Of course in later generations parents chose titles as first names for their babies that didn't mean anything more than how they felt about the mana of their baby within their own whanau - not at Hapu level.

Being Rangatira was not always about birth order, because a Rangatira who did not care for the people, or who led the Hapu into disaster in battle, could be deposed. Being Rangatira was often about natural leadership - not the biggest mouth, but the most effective person to ensure the survival and welfare of the Hapu. Of course this got completely screwed up when members of the Hapu made the big push into cities for work. In many cases the land was left in the care of the Aged, and those who were not fit for employment in a pakeha world. Yet the concept of Ahi Kaa - taking care of the home fires, ended up giving great mana and power to those who did not move from the land. Conversely it displaced the Ure of the Rangatira class who did move to other areas for work, married outside of their Iwi, and didn't take their children and mokos back to learn of their heritage. So today there are many mokopuna who have never been on a Marae, and who when they go back home are treated as 'outsiders' or 'pakeha'. Its a sad and terrible situation for all.

In the meantime, the MLC is looking for Trustees to take care of the land blocks. The role of a Trustee is quite complex. First of all they need to have an understanding of the Law. Pakeha Law. Secondly they need a sound Administration background - they need to understand things like the Law of Meeting Procedure. If the land has at any time been amalgamated into other larger blocks in earlier generations for the purposes of doing business, eg Farming or Forestry, the job of the Trustees is even more complex. They have to understand Business and Corporate Law, and they have to know how to make a buck out of the assets. Sure they can employ advice, such as Accountants, Managers, and so on, and the fact of the matter is that the positions usually go to pakeha who have the necessary qualifications. For those of our Maori whanau who have the brains to get a varsity qualification, most are going to opt for a career that is going to benefit themselves. That's not necessarily going to be of benefit to the Hapu, or Iwi.

Then on top of all that in terms of Pakeha qualifications for Land and Asset Management, our Iwi leaders also need to masters of tikanga. Because in the end, if you can't make it on the Marae Atea you're nothing and nobody in Maori terms.

The Trustees for any block of land are only the 'Owners' in terms of keeping things tidy for MLC records. They have a responsibility to be answerable at Law. Hui for the Hapu/Whanau members are a headache to call - because there are no official records of shareholders whereabouts - they can be anywhere in the world. And that's the shareholders, never mind their tamariki and mokopuna who may be at the age of being influential in their own family circles - and yes, qualified and talented. Calling a family reunion for any purpose is a huge job. Just getting a date where everyone can get together to discuss things, to educate the Rangatahi, to hold noho Marae - these things take time, and money. Its hard to impress the urgency of this mahi on people who are away trying valiantly to feed their kids.

Of course its possible to call a whanau hui for the express purposes of changing the Trustees. This can happen when an older Trustee dies for instance and replacements are needed. Under MLC terms a Trustee is put in place for life. It is not necessary to hold AGM to re-elect Trustees unless that is in the terms of the original Trust Order. So get a copy of the Trust Order and have a read of the whole thing first. There will usually be provision for any shareholder to require a meeting of all shareholders to be called - but there will be regulations to be observed. If the Trust is running a business that pays dividends to shareholders, then they are required to keep financial records that are to be made available to all shareholders, and usually they do hold an AGM which all shareholders are entitled to attend, receive reports, minutes, financial records, and participate in debate, vote, and so on.

If it comes to something like who has the right to occupy Grandma's whare - most often that is the privilege of the tuakana. But again, that can get messy when a younger child or whangai has been brought up by the Kuia and suddenly loses a home that they may have put a lot of work into in the Kuia's lifetime - or they may have been the ones there making her last days comfortable and happy. That's not to say that the other members of the family shouldn't be allowed to benefit from staying there too, but this is the thing that most often leads to family disputes. As a Grandma myself I'd like to be able to make provision for all my descendants - but realistically its not really possible, because I don't have enough money to provide a home for them all. They have to make their own way in the world. I know that. I don't have to like it. What I have done is put all my shares into a Whanau Trust so that all my descendants can belong without having their shares quantified, or the shareholding broken down any further. Whether that will result in equality for my great great grandkids I don't know. Sadly, I doubt it. Human qualities being what they are, I know that not all my descendants will be fit to lead, or care for the Hapu. They will not all love and accept each other. I wish they would, but I bet my own Kuia wished the same once upon a time.

MATAKITE MAORI - Prophets, Seers & Psychics

Just over three months ago the Wairua (Spirit) moved me to open a Group on Facebook called Matakite Maori - Seers, Prophets and Psychics. Hesitant about adding the first few friends, in just two and half days we hit 1000 adds - it was like a runaway freight train! 

The group is open to anyone who has an interest in Maori Spirituality. It is also open to anyone who has Maori whakapapa (ancestry), whether they know anything or not about their indigenous spiritual heritage. Spirituality and psychic abilities is something we all have to a greater or lesser degree, but it is present naturally to a pronounced degree for most Maori. An 'awakening' of the gifts can happen with terrifying swiftness and force. If the mind isn't prepared for it, it can break - unless there are other people available to guide the newly awakened into acceptance and discipline of their gifts.

It was no surprise at all that the majority of members had been living with their gifts hidden from their families and friends, workmates, and our wider westernised society, on average about 20 years from the time of their first conscious awareness that there was something 'different' about them. Where once it was an utterly proud heritage to be called 'Matakite', or 'Tohunga', where one was set apart as Tapu (sacred) and special, thanks to colonisation and the Tohunga Suppression Act, the Art and the Schools were driven deeply underground. Worse than that, Maori spirituality became demonised, as did the language and the history that our Sages had preserved from time immemorial.

The knowledge also appeared to have been lost - yet the wairua (spirit) is not a product of the hinengaro (mind). The wisdom of the spirit transcends time and space, and is a direct gift of our Tipuna (Ancestors), and IO - the Source. To reconnect that which was 'lost', some of us were called to wake up by Atua (beings in Spirit). Others sought to find the Source through western awareness - some through Church, some through New Age awareness and the adoption of other Indigenous cultures spirituality - and it appeared that never the twain should meet! Te Wairua Tapu (the Holy Spirit) apparently had other ideas - hence the birth of the Matakite Maori Groups. For a start, no one group, or nation, or culture, or religion holds 'The Truth, and nothing but The Truth'.

To this day we have those who consider all Tohunga to be Witch Doctors and Black Magicians, and all Matakite either demon possessed or mentally ill. Sadly far too many of our people also believe this of themselves - 'cultural hegemony' and 'cognitive dissonance' are a couple of phrases that can be used to describe what we suffer today, as we struggle to fight or stifle the rising awareness of our genetic heritage. For our whole planet, this is the time of Awakening - and Maori no less than other peoples and Nations.

Of course, one thing that many of our people are anxious about is the forces of Neo-colonisation. Our Visual Artists have already strongly reclaimed our native artforms, which sure beats the plastic tiki and souvenir brown dollies. Spirituality isn't like a cup of instant coffee and a weekend workshop to become a Tohunga! So one can hardly blame Maori for being anxious that our greatest Taonga (treasure) should be cheapened
by fakery and monetisation, or that the pearls of wisdom that we share freely should be treated as a commodity to enrich those who are already 'rich' as the world counts wealth.

Yet at this time it is increasingly obvious that we must learn to grow treasures of the heart, and richness of spirit - and that furthermore, we must share it. We cannot hold on to Wairua. At the simplest level Wairua translates as two waters, and can be symbolised with the two kinds of water on this planet - fresh, and salt. Try hanging onto a handful of that! The problem is actually with our perceptions - our Hinengaro (Mind and Emotions), as we struggle to make sense of our perceptions and 'supernatural' gifts, and to place it in the context of our daily lives.

Matakite Maori - Prophets, Seers & Psychics is a first landing and resting place for those who have been on their spiritual journey alone and lonely for far too long. Here's the link, if you would like to join this Group, or any of the other Groups that have grown from this parent vine:

http://www.facebook.com/groups/156799391061444/ - please copy and paste to your search bar if this link doesn't work first time!

HE TUATARA - "HERE THERE BE DRAGONS"

AN ANCIENT LAND

There has been much speculation on the origins of Maori in Aotearoa - 'The Land of the Long White Cloud'. Mythologies and theories abound, but the only true mythologies and legends belong to the people whose Tipuna (Ancestors), lived  and remembered the reality.

In the beginning after the separation of Ranginui (Sky Father) and Papatuanuku (Earth Mother), their strongest son, Tane, saw that his Mother was naked. He was the force that Io-Nui (The Prime Source) chose to clothe Papatuanuku. Tane was the progenitor, and with various 'wives' - the feminine elements and heavenly beings, he engendered many beautiful children. 

Tane's first union with Hine-tu-pari-maunga, the Mountain Maid, produced the inland waters - springs, rivers flowing from the mountains and all the pools and lakes. The second results of their union were the great monsters - the Taniwha, Tuatara - the Dragons of old, more recently called Dinosaurs. One of the living remnants of that long passed race of creatures is pictured above - Aotearoa's beautiful Tuatara.

Tane's second union produced the Tree Children - our Elder Brothers and Sisters who descended from the heavens to clothe the Earth and nourish her creatures. Nikau, or the cycad palm pictured above is one of the trees that existed at the time of the great Tuatara - land based Dragons, or Dinosaurs. 

Trees were the first nourishers and healers for the creatures of Papatuanuku - our beautiful Mother Planet, and they are still the most essential form of life we have. They are our greatest Healers, and here you will be able to learn a little of the lore and ancient knowledge of Rongoa Maori - the indigenous plant based medicines and healing properties of the children of Tane Mahuta. Behind the very handsome Maori Tane (Man) pictured, is the giant Kauri tree, also called ...

TANE MAHUTA - GOD OF THE FORESTS

Arohanui - na Whetumarama

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NAUMAI, HAEREMAI, AROHAMAI - WELCOME

KIAORA! 

This greeting in the language of my Maori Ancestors has many layers of meaning. You will hear it all over the world when Maori are simply saying "Hi" or "Hello there". A deeper meaning is derived from Kia-ORA, that is to say "Be Well", or "I wish you Well" - it is an active energy exchange of the spoken word 'kia' placing 'Ora' health, healing and wellbeing into and over the person receiving the blessing.

The intonations and meaning that I love best are when a person of Mana says KI-AO-RA.  You see 'RA' is our name for the Sun, the source of our life and energy on this planet. 'Ao' can mean the World, or Light, or a Bud. 'Ki' implies movement toward, or from, or with. So when I say to you "Ki-Ao-Ra", I may be saying "I bless you with the Sunlight", or "I am so glad I can see you in the Daylight".

But mostly, what I am saying to YOU right now is "KI AO RA" - "I greet you - Child of the Sun". You are my brother, my sister.  Though we may look different, speak different languages, have different philosophies, yet we are each of us Children of the Sun.

KIAORA, KI AO RA, Kiaora e Hoa! 

Hi - How good to see you today, I greet you Child of the Sun. Be well my respected Friend.

Arohanui - na Whetumarama
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