Matariki is almost upon us, so let me share a Mānawatia a Matariki with you all. May your family find love, happiness, and comfort in each other. May those who have passed since the last Matariki be at peace. May we all take the lessons we have learnt over the many years and reflect upon them at this time before sharing in kai, waiata, kōrero, and the many joyous moments with friends and whānau. Continuing with my Māori nonfiction teachings by Dr Hinemoa Elder, I have picked up Wawata, the pukapuka all about the stages of the moon, what reflections are fitting for each part of the cycle, and the wisdom to help guide and reframing our thinking when it comes to living our lives under the moon’s gaze. Following the lunar calendar, this pukapuka looks at the dark and the light, the positive and the negative, and seeks to restore balance in our everyday lives.

Dr Hinemoa Elder, author of Aroha, shows us how to reclaim intimacy with others, with ourselves, and with our planet using the energies of Hina, the Māori moon. Hina, the Māori moon goddess, has 30 different faces to help illuminate life’s lessons – a different face and a different energy for each day of the month. And with her changing light, new insights are revealed. This book gives us the chance to connect to the ancient wisdom of the old people, who reach forward into our lives, with each of the moon’s names as their offerings. Their reminders are a source of strength in our strange modern world, where we have been stripped of much of the connection and relationships we need for our well-being through successive lockdowns. We now see just how important these things are! This book leads you through a full cycle of the moon, to consider 30 aspects of life. And lessons we thought we had learned come back around with each month’s cycle and remind us of deeper layers and blind spots. And when we do find a growing awareness of place and harmony, there is a sense of release. A new kind of freedom starts to emerge, soothing our modern-day pain and suffering. This book is designed to open up our moon dreams, for a deeper affectionate connection with ourselves and others.

This pukapuka was written in part during the COVID lockdowns, and Dr Hinemoa Elder does mention that in some of the reflections. Why I think that it is so important to know going into this read is that we all hold tension within us from that time, be it physical, mental or emotional. We never really got a chance to fully look at that and release it before getting back on with our lives. A lot of us have likely buried it and not wanted to return to it, but it is one of the things that should be brought out, as well as other heavy parts in our lives, histories, minds, and so forth, to expel and relieve that stress and tension. I am no doctor (yet), and I am not a health expert. But I know that there are positive and negative aspects in our lives that we must balance, and when we forget to acknowledge those parts, we run the risk of things becoming too much for us. One of the first times Dr Hinemoa Elder brings this up is during the Moteatea portion, specifically in the Tamatea days. It is enlightening, the things she mentions, and I find myself thinking about the things I am holding onto unknowingly, and learning how to address them and let them go.

Before I say much more, I want to make a point for those who aren’t into the spiritual stuff. This pukapuka does bring up things like tūpuna (ancestors), emotions, spiritual connections to the earth, the waters, to Hina and Papatūānuku and other deities and figures in Māori mythology. It is not a preachy book, nor is it trying to push something onto you. This is a book you can read to help bring things out into the world and find the right way to exist with them, be it things like anger and resentment or reclaiming our celebration of the menstrual cycle and not shaming ourselves for having to go through it or not having one. This is a pukapuka that aims to help make sense of the world, of ourselves, and of the things that keep us from being the truest, most present, most intimate versions of ourselves that we can be. If you do not wish to read it, or you find yourself wanting to stop while reading it, you don’t have to read it.

I am going to continue to read this tonight, taking in all the reflections and teachings and considerations, and seeing how they sit with me. I am finding it really therapeutic so far, and I really appreciate the mention of the darker emotions inside us wāhine, especially those we hold on to for too long and need to release for our own health. I think Wawata is also a wonderful accompaniment to Aroha, and I see how both of them were able to create the wonderful Waitohu journal, which I will be talking about more at the end of the month. Before then though, I have Ara to read, and I am very eager to get into it over the next week.