Where My Spiritual Journey Began
I’ve always been a ‘spiritual’ person and by that I mean – fascinated by things that can only be explained by personal experience. Ever since I was fourteen I have been interested in traditional healing, traditional viewpoints, rituals, traditions and philosophies.
The beginning of my spiritual journey was initiated when I was about 14 years old and really having trouble sleeping. I kept waking with this very unsettling feeling that someone was standing at the end of my bed. I would wake alarmed only to find no one was there yet I couldn’t shake this feeling.
I happened to go to a naturopath for some other health improvements and he asked how I had been sleeping as part of the wellness check-up. I told him I hadn’t been sleeping well – that it felt like someone was standing at the end of my bed. I’m not sure the style of naturopathy that he used but in involved holding a metal rod that was connected to a machine. This machine sent signals to your body about certain foods, vitamins and minerals and he would use muscle testing (similar to methods used in kinesiology) on the opposite hand to determine whether it caused strength or weakness in your body.
Once I told him about the sleeping he had this look in his eye – “I know just the thing.” He grabbed a small white bottle filled with water and placed it on the machine. Sure enough, I tested weakness to this water. “This water is holy water blessed by Rongo” the reason you are not sleeping is due to spiritual reasons – ill connect you with him, he is a spiritual healer.” I remember Mum and Dad saying its nothing, “just go back to sleep, there’s nothing there, it’s just a dream” but in my gut I just knew something wasn’t right. I really wanted to get the house blessed but it felt like they didn’t really believe me. My sleep got so bad that I couldn’t tolerate it anymore and I decided I would connect with Rongo and have the house blessed - he agreed to come out to our home.
We had quite a big two storey house on a lifestyle block on the outskirts of Rotorua. The house was on top of hill with paddocks down the back where we had a few sheep and alpacas and a magnificent view of Lake Rotorua out the front of the house. Rongo was Maori, bald and in his late 50s. He had tattoos, a friendly smile and relaxed nature.
I saw a car pull into the driveway and went out to greet him. He greeted me holding a traditionally carved walking stick. He had this look in his eyes – you could tell he was seeing so much more then we were. Partially absent – scanning, listening, and feeling. At first he didn’t say much. He was using all of his senses to evaluate what was going on.
He carried a bottle of water and instructed us to open all the doors and windows in the house. Once we had done so, he created a circle while reciting a karakia (prayer in Maori) on the grass using the water that he had collected from the natural spring at his Marae – holy water. He told us to stand within the circle and as long as we stayed there we would be protected during the process. We stood there waiting patiently as he went about blessing our house eager to see what he had to say, wondering what was happening.
He came over and said in a loose kiwi accent “Gee, you’ve got a lot going on here haven’t you? - who’s is that bedroom down the back corner of the house?” “That’s mine” I said. “I have trouble sleeping in there.” “That doesn’t surprise me” – he used his walking stick to point down the bottom of the paddock behind our house “there is a tribe who lives down the bottom of this paddock by the wetlands” there is an old pathway they used to walk (or still are in spirit form) running right through the corner of that bedroom. They walk right through here to go down to the Lake on the other side of the property to collect water and food. They’re walking right through your room. I’ve changed the path that they walk now so you should be able to sleep better now. I’ve blessed the rest of the house as well so you shouldn’t have any problems now.” Instantly I was blown away. I had been right, it made so much sense! It felt so validating to know that I hadn’t been making it all up, and a sense of relief washed over me that I may now actually be able to sleep.
I was desperate to learn more. “There’s a lot going on the land where you live. There is a lot of geothermal activity around this area – there is history of tribes living and battling each other on this land, a lot of bloodshed.” Just a few km’s down the road is now a tourist attraction known as “Hells Gate” where hot mud pools and geysers attract tourists – it made so much sense! Tell me more! I thought.
He stood across from me and said “there’s so much history in this land, can you feel it?” he looked at me and said “hold this” and handed me his ornately carved cane with the faces of tikis and warriors. “Hold it up just off the ground and tell me what you feel” I replied “nothing”. I thought – what am I doing? What am I meant to feel? Should I be feeling something?
“Now lower it and let it connect with the ground.” As the cane connected with the earth I felt what is only describable as an electric current shoot up the cane, through my hand and up my arm. “Woooahhh what the hell was that!” He smiled “See – that’s what your living on aye” he said with a glimmer in his eye. “This is the energy in the land, all of its history and you can feel it” I gave the cane back – fascinated by what I had just experienced.
“Hold your hand in front of your heart, not touching your chest – about 10cm away, and close your eyes; – do you feel anything?” I shook my head” nothing” I said. He clicked his fingers just in front of my hands in the area of my heart “How about now?” And I felt this circling sensation of energy in my chest, a circular motion – like a vortex yet similar to the electric feeling that travelled up my arm when holding the cane. “See – same thing” with a smile in his eye. I was speechless.
This was the beginning of a wonderful mentoring relationship where I would then spend hours with him learning everything he was willing to share with me. Something was ignited within me – and I freaking loved it. I couldn’t get enough of it. I wanted to learn all of it, I couldn’t learn fast enough. I was so desperate to be able to do what he could. I fell in love with energy, healing, and everything he had to teach me. He would go on to teach me hands on healing (what I later in life knew to be Reiki), crystal healing, blessing land and homes, the history of the land of my home town, the meanings behind how some of the local places were called and so much more. He mentored me for several years and I kept a journal of everything he taught me.
That day I opened a door that I would never want to close. I then went on to learn more about spirituality and healing further when learning and being initiated into the path of Reiki in 2016. If you’d like to expand on your spiritual gifts and understand more about energy healing and how you can incorporate it into your life, check out my upcoming workshop dates for Reiki Level 1.
