Ancient Maori Wisdom

This week I have interviewed a fascinating Maori gentleman from New
Zealand called Hirini Reedy who has spent a number of years
studying ancient Maori wisdom and has now published two books on
applying these ancient insights to the modern world. Its a rare
view into an ancient culture that most people know little about.

Here is the interview:

Darren: Thank you very much for letting me interview you Hirini.
Can you tell {!name} a little bit about yourself?

Hirini: Well my name is Hirini Reedy. I am a Maori from New
Zealand. I am from the NgatiPorou tribe who hail from the eastern
shores of the North Island here in New Zealand. My family lineage
has some interesting ancestors ranging from chiefs, warriors, seers
down to just ordinary people like myself. I grew up in the bush at
the foot of our ancestral mountain Hikurangi which is the first
landpoint in the New Zealand to see the sun. It is a very sacred
mountain to my tribe. I was homeschooled until age 11 years old so
much of my nature-inspired philosophies came from my Maori ancestry
as well as my childhood education and environment. I later went to
university where I did a honours degree in engineering as well as a
masters in philosophy. I was also a New Zealand Army officer where
I was instrumental in bringing Maori warrior practices into our New
Zealand soldier training. I have a martial arts background and so I
founded my own form of Maori martial arts based on traditional
Maori and modern military practices. I later studied cognitive
sciences such as NLP, Eriksonian Hypnotherapy, Reiki and other
modalities. As a result of my studies and life experiences I could
see an opportunity where my Maori culture could make a contribution
to modern spirituality with its nature inspired insights. The world
knows a lot about Japanese Zen, Indian Yoga, Chinese Taoism,
Tibetan Buddhism and so on but very little is known about the
Maori. Yet this is rapidly changing. There is now growing
international interest in New Zealand and the Maori.

At present I have a significant list of international customers who
buy my books and products, seek my professional opinion and support
my philosophies. But I stress that I am just offering another lens
through which to view life. The Maori world-view is just like
another set of glasses for you to try. Like anything in life, it
must fit you. It must suit you otherwise it is just more theory.

Darren: How does the Maori world-view differ from the typical
world-view that we have in the West?

Hirini: The Maori world view is very much nature inspired. The
Maori was perhaps one of the last indigenous cultures to be
colonised here in the Pacific region. Yet they managed to negotiate
a treaty with the British thus showing political acumen as well a
strong independence. So there is growing interest in this part of
the world. The word Maori gives some indication of world view.
Maori means pure, natural vibration. Hence many Maori spiritual
concepts are inspired by the natural vibrations of the land,
waters, skies and people of New Zealand. No different to other
native cultures. I believe the West has been very much shaped by
reductionist logic and scientific analysis which has underpinned
many of the great discoveries of modern times. Although this way of
thinking has greatly helped to explain the logic of life, it
sometimes cannot adequately express the spirit of life. It is like
a pile of wood and leaves does not make a tree. Similarly having a
pile of scientific facts and impressive technology does not lead to
wise choices. This is where the Maori world-view seeks to use the
teachings of nature to articulate the wisdom of life. I believe we
are reaching a tipping point where the scales of consciousness are
moving towards a more balanced, holistic way of spirituality. A
pragmatic approach that is not rigidly religious but more an inner
awareness of the self within the greater collective of humanity.
Using the wisdom of the whole world to find an unique path that
fits your own nature. Not mine or anyone elses. Bit like a
smorgasbord where you can taste and sample different food from
around the world. Some spiritual teachings will appeal to you more
than others. So again try stuff. Find what suits you. Discard that
which does not.

Darren: Natural forces and rhythms seem to be central to the
traditional Maori thinking. I was wondering, is their any tradition
of astrology in Maori culture?

Hirini: The Maori have much wisdom based around the stars of the
southern skies. The appearance, positioning and the movement of the
stars were used to guide the voyaging canoes across the Pacific
ocean. They were used for planting, fishing, making war, making
peace and much much more. To the ancient Maori, the whole night sky
was like a huge black page of cryptic messages written using the
stars, the moon and other heavenly bodies. For example we are now
approaching the winter solstice and the star cluster Pleiades or
Matariki (Twinking Eyes) has now appeared in our southern skies.
The next new moon after the appearance of Pleiades signals the
beginning of the Maori New Year. It is a time of regrowth. The sap
is at the roots of the trees. The energy of life is sleeping. Soon
life will wake up and spring will appear. The long cold nights will
get shorter. The days grow warmer and longer. Yet New Zealand still
celebrates festivals that are northern hemisphere. For example we
celebrate the spring festival Easter in April which is our autumn.
We celebrate the winter festival Halloween in our summer. So here
is an example of western-northern hemisphere thinking being imposed
on the pacific-southern hemisphere. Our national celebrations or
festivals are out of sync with the southern seasons, the southern
skies. This is an example of the great colonising thinkers from the
North-West who came South-East and forgot about the seasonal
differences. The great lesson for modern times is to tune into the
environment, the seasons and the people when visiting different
countries. Listen first before opening your mouth. Cause you are
now in a new environment and your mother thinking was shaped by
your old environment. What works in the United Kingdom might not
work in New Zealand. And vice versa. This is why you must listen
into the oratory of nature. The land, the sky, the waters, the
people of each country will all have their own unique languages
that go beyond mere words. You must listen. Deep listening. We call
it rongo - to listen with the whole body.

Darren: How would you describe your book?

Hirini: It is a book that is fundamentally about using nature to
find your own answers. Inevitably it is about being invigorated by
the wilderness of your own soul. Nature does not always speak in
human terms. You must learn to feel the language of life. Listen to
the flowers, the insects, the weather, the forest. That is why you
must listen with your whole body. The hairs on your neck may rise.
You may feel your heart expand. You may shed tears. You may laugh
and just shout at the top of your voice. For the moment you are
feeling alive. You are being natural. This is what being Maori
means. To be natural. To be 100% pure natural you. This book is
about helping the reader return to a natural state of being.
Finding your own nature. Your own seasons. About sowing your seeds
of greatness. Growing these seeds. Flowering them and then
returning to the soil. This is the wisdom of life that I articulate
using Maori concepts. Yet the Maori words are just labels. Just
signposts saying path this way. Yet you must still walk the path.
Sometimes you must stop thinking and just walk. It is a bit like
breathing. You can think about breathing. But after awhile you just
forget about it and concentrate on the walk. Enjoying the fresh air
and the wilderness around you. You don't have to change your life,
go all native and stop wearing shoes. Nah it is the inner journey
that is being traversed inside you that is important.

Darren: Can you tell us how you came to write the book?

Hirini: Well, I kept getting questions from people. I also
discovered that I could explain spiritual things in simple terms.
Getting people to just tune in and tune out. People are thinking so
much these days that their poor brains are smoking and choking.
They do not have the time to just listen to their own inner selves.
Cellphones, emails, text messages, 50 TV channels, bigger screens
and other flashing bits. All this technology is not answering the
deeper questions that people have. How can I create a life of
meaning within this modern world? How can I integrate my
spirituality into my daily life? How can I just be me? So I wrote
this book to help give people some signposts using nature as the
inspiration. Although the concepts are Maori in context, you do not
have to be Maori to practice them. Animals and little children are
good tests of spirituality. My neighbour's dog does not care if I
am a chief, a mystic or a speaker of great Maori wisdom. It just
reacts to what energy I am projecting in the moment. It might
decide to run away or wag it's tail. It's about being aware of what
is happening around you. What is happening inside you. So much
happening now that we have got to keep things simple. Be natural.
Be maori.

Darren: A study in 2005 suggested that the Maori have the fourth
highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world (see
:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maori). I found the chapter in your
book on wealth to be very interesting.

Hirini: The Maori concept of wealth is again nature-inspired. When
you combine this holistic wealth philosophy with the Maori warrior
traditions you produce a very entrepreneurial race of people. A key
concept which underpins Maori wealth is koha or the principle of
reciprocity. Of giving and receiving. Just like breathing, we must
exhale in order to inhale. Life and nature operate on reciprocity.
There is a fair exchange of energy. It is about balanced flow. It
is about the perpetuation of life. Business and wealth operate on
similar universal principles. Money is simply energy that flows
according to our beliefs. It is the currency that allows society
and civilizations to function. Money is not the problem. It is the
beliefs people have about money. People have been conditioned into
the pursuit of money. Rather than the creation of a wholesome life.
Again we must look towards nature for examples of wisdom. A forest
is a marketplace of exchange. Energy is being exchanged right now
between the many species that comprise a forest. It represents the
perfect economy. The perfect marketplace where everything benefits.
It is these principles of reciprocity and fair exchange that
underpin Maori thinking around wealth. Hence I see Maori becoming a
leading indigenous race who balances spirituality and
sustainability with business entrepreneurship.

Darren: What is the one message or piece of information that you
would most want people to get from the book?

Hirini: You must truly be yourself. You are the most incredible YOU
this world will ever know. No one is exactly like you. You are 100%
pure you. So you must celebrate this uniqueness. This is your
sacred birthright. You must live your life according to what you
know is true for you. Not what is true for me or anyone else. Your
very own nature will reveal this to you. Deep deep down we all know
what path we should be following. The life we should be leading.
Yet we must rid ourselves of the limiting beliefs that have caged
us. Kept us from experiencing our own truths. The time is now to
release our lesser selves and live free. This is what I want the
reader to get from my books. To be a free inspired soul who serves
the greater good.

Darren: Many thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.


Hirini has been kind enough to create a special offer for you,
so that if you should wish to purchase his books, you can now grab
them at a BIG discount. Here is the special link:

http://www.maori-secrets.com/index-special.htm

I've read the books myself and I found them unique, beautifully
written and revealing of a vision of life far more connected to the
harmony of nature than many of us are used to in our hectic lives.