Kia ora! Your courses are beautiful. There is so much information to absorb Iam redoing the 2nd one, thats my absolute favorite I am finding I am diving deeper into the language and its a journey unlike any other. You were correct about it taking you somewhere spuritually Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to the 3rd installment; plant preparation.

Am new here and ready to learn and contribute with like minded people

Tisyn's story has a deep dark winding path, but he is the light of my world and the protector of our family. He was a beautiful, peaceful easy baby. Absolute angel of a child and a fierce protector as a teenager and adult. His story is his to tell and I want it to be in his own words and from his perspectives. I will however highlight some of my own challenges to give a glimpse of his world growing up. Tisyn's father was violent and abusive to me throughout our whole relationship together (11 years). I had Tisyn when I was 15 years old, so i was a baby having a baby. I adored being pregnant, unfortunately i was still being abused; it never stopped really. So Tisyn's hardship started before he was born, downloading my fear and sadness during his foetal development. I used to tape one headphone to my belly and put the other one in my ear so we could listen to music together whenever I was alone. As a teenager Tisyn was co-parenting his younger siblings and keeping us together. I had gone through another messy relationship by then and had started using drugs and alcohol to numb it all. Id stay at work late and go out with friends till early hours of the morning. He held it all down at home and managed his education. Joined a band and dove into his music which he has a natural gift for. Fast forward to young adulthood and he was to say the least...a mess. He did not want to be alive but was tethered to this world by his baby brother, Keidis. Tisyn has never used drugs or alcohol and is now an advocate for intense shadow work. He is doing his counseling degree and has created a healing model under his foundation, Aiā Healing which he is the founder of. He currently works for our Hapu and Iwi as a Whānau Ora Kaiārahi (ground force family health counselor). Hes written produced and created an album about his journey, below is one of the songs on the album. Tisyn and I are working together to build Aiā Healing and he will very soon be a beautiful powerful presence here in our community.

Mau rākau (to bear a weapon) is a traditional Māori martial art that focuses on the skilled use of weapons such as the taiaha (wooden fighting staff) and mere (short hand weapon). Historically, training took place in specialised schools known as para whakawai, where young Māori men learned techniques of combat, including weapon handling, coordinated formations, and precise footwork. In contemporary times, mau rākau has experienced a strong revival, serving not only as a physical discipline but also as a means of reconnecting with Māori culture, values, and ancestral knowledge. Through its practice, participants gain insight into traditional protocols, resilience, leadership, and the holistic worldview that underpins Māori martial traditions. These boys trained this weekend for over 14 hours over 2 days. They were pushed past their limits physically, mentally & emotionally but everything they've been immersed in at Tipene School has prepared them. Its buried deep in their DNA so the importance of indigenous learning environments is so healing and necessary not only here in NZ but worldwide!.

Kia Ora! (hello, be well). I am sharing a small insight to a day making rongoā medicine. Again, (you will begin to notice a theme here lol) I won't go into a lot of detail here so you can look, watch and ask the questions you want to know about...I am absolutely happy for people to ask the same questions too as i LOVE talking about my mahi (work) and sharing my knowledge. I am using NZ native plants, but I'd love to find out where in the world you are and help you find the equivalent or similar plants - or - if you already know then please share! The plants I use have been drying naturally in my son's room for over 4 weeks. I intentionally put them in my son's room to dry because he too is a healer, musician and divine soul. So, the energy and vibrations he emits is steeped into the process of drying and absorbed by the essence of them. Also, his room smells like a forest as he sleeps amongst them, so there is a beautiful synergy happening for both.