My connection to Wairua (Spirit)

I am part Maori (Ngati Kuta of Ngapuhi and Ngati Ruaka of Atihaunui a Paparangi), Scottish (Creighton clan), Samoan (Palupe), English (Hill) and a touch of Irish. To be a part of many cultures I feel is a privilege. However what I came to realise is that it was not my culture/s who defined me it was my connection to walrua, myself and that of others.

“It is not about the colour of your skin, it is about the colour of your spirit”

I grew up with an atheist father and a spiritualist mother. I had visions as a young child and the one that had the strongest imprint on me was of a big bear I would often see standing tall at the end of my bed when I awoke in the night. I never really understood the bear until maybe 30 years later when it came to me in my first shamanic journey as my power animal. Bear is still with me today.

When I reached my twenties I trained with a medium, Betty Saunders for 18 months with my sister and cousin. We were a bit out of place with the older men and women there but really enjoyed the work. Towards the end Betty gave me ‘Rolling Thunder’ by Doug Boyd to read and my fascination with the whole Egyptian history and mythology shifted to the Native American medicine man and their incredible powers. I found what ever material or books I could to learn more.

I also became very interested in the UFO/Alien phenomenon mainly due to waking one night paralysed, my whole body vibrating, and being totally intrigued, looking up above me to see an glowing orb the size of a football just hovering and then it just disappeared up through the ceiling. WTF?

Then in 1990 I met with Shamanic teacher and healer Terri Batten which initiated my foray into the Shamanic world. Since then I have been practicing and later teaching myself. We are still great friends and continue to share stories, and our experiences as we journey through life.

Early in 1991 Cherokee medicine woman, Denise Linn began visiting our shores and I trained with her in sweat lodge, Sequoia Medicine Wheel Therapy and learnt forms of emotional reprogramming.
The following year I had the honour of teachings from Lakota medicine man, Wallace Black Elk, and learnt a lot about the red path, connection, ritual, and the inipi (sweat lodge) ceremony. I also studied the Hopi and their amazing history and belief system.

Along my journey, I started having very powerful vivid dreams where I was fighting and defeating evil spirits and some where I participated in plant medicine ceremonies. These dream experiences were very powerful and I would physically feel the sensations vibrating throughout my body as if actually being in these other realities. I felt these special dreams came from my essence and were either clearing, guiding or planting seeds for the future.
Later in my life I experienced the beauty of grandfather medicine, huachuma (San Pedro), and I awoke to the power of being present and experienced a strong connection of oneness. I felt a similar energy course through my body as I had felt in a dream taking plant medicine years earlier. In the dream the green energy of mescalito was like a light glowing out of my palms.
I had dreams where a mind screen would appear, sacred symbols would flash along it and my whole body would vibrate as I came into full consciousness. Again, years later when ritually experiencing psilocybin I encountered visions of sacred geometric symbols which led to understand the connection to nature through this sacred geometry.

Some teachings these experiences showed me

The importance and power of intention, and not just in a ritual or ceremony, but in our everyday life.
Plant medicine when used intentionally and ceremonially is an amazing healer and teacher, but more like a drug when used socially.
Information we receive from our inner world journeys are important guides to managing our outer world experiences
It can be easy to lose our connection to wairua when we become caught up in the distractions of the ego mind.
Everyday is a sacred day, the earth is my altar and I too am the creator, as we all are.
We can have access to our own inner pharmacy for healing and wellbeing.
There is still so much to explore and learn beyond the physical realm.
Just because we don’t see it, it doesn't mean it doesn’t exist.
When you speak from your heart you speak your truth.
I am not alone