Wairua
We are not our body, mind and experiences we are wairua – consciousness. I see the universe as a projection of our stories, our pūrākau – a trillion stories, connected like synapses in the brain creating electric static, vibrating power to life all at once. The static projecting out every individuals perception of their reality.
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The universe is you, me and us intertwined into one.
I understand wairua, as a dense interconnection to the consciousness of the universe. To me wairua – spirituality means the acknowledgement of matter, energy form and force, the universe and the ever-evolving change that is happening in our world.
Wairua is moving away from the hold on the tangible, seen, material, human form and moving more into the unseen, the felt vibrational energy that is out there and the end connection of all things.
To me wairua is freedom – from societal constraints of human culture. Shifting our identity from the body & mind to that we are experiencing the world through the body and mind.
Wairua is ultimately the intertwining relationship of everything and how we engage in that relationship whether we have an awareness of it or not. We are affected by the things around us because we are a part of the universe and it is a part of us.
However, in our humanness, social conditioning and social consciousness it pulls us to create stability, shelter, routine, ritualised practice and have some sense of knowing what’s ahead. But when we unpick what does it mean when we come into something like a pandemic or experience a devastating earthquake that shocks us to our core, we realise again that we are mere beings, children of the earth in relationship with the planet and more so the universe.
We don’t have control and the more we tried grasp on that control the more we fester in fear grasping on what should be. We need to remove our expectations of fair, just, right, should be this, should be that, ’cause it’s not.
Where in reality we should concentrate on being, connecting and becoming into flow which requires complete vulnerability. Once we accept this, we can remove our expectation of the world, of society, because nothing is guaranteed.
When we feel it’s not right, it’s not fear, it’s not good enough, any type of adversity, we may think this because we are at the center of what’s going on, the center of the universe. However, we are in constant relationship, and when accept our interconnectedness we can fully emancipate ourselves and gain freedom.
We can change things, we can do things differently, we can make different decisions but ultimately by having that grounding that life is to be endured, conditioned and impermanent – and when shit stuff does happen there is a realisation that you are not exempt from struggle.
It still hurts, doesn’t take away the pain but we can separate from our human conditioning and take acceptance that right here right now is perfect, its meant to be.
Nothing ever grew from the outside – in
Richard Wagamese
If we had that grounding our sense of human permanence goes – we can remove expectations and know that you are just one part of the cosmic reality and accept there are bigger broader things that are going on around you, you start to see simple miracles.
Simple activities become blissful, you become enamoured with the world you are in, start to see everyday miracles, you realize that hearing, seeing, feeling, touching, tasting, all the sensors that you do have are a gift.
When you hear the birds singing, when we see them flying above, or a bird might land close by you or a flower might be blossoming when you’re walking past and you just stop and take note and embrace beauty the veil of unease is lifted.
This state doesn’t stay at first you have to work really hard at maintaining that awe of the world because human conditioning is so strong.
Its not easy holding onto wairua, embracing it. I try to see and engage in the world not as a passive passenger rather trying to be a conscious active contributor, that is aware that we only ever have this moment, nothing is guaranteed, everything is always changing.
Kaupapa Māori consultancy 