Gratitude and Loss Go Together

So I hosted Ata, my Maori-Healer teacher, on Saturday and Sunday March 17th and 18th, and it went great and seamlessly.

The environment all weekend was full with healing, laughter and fun. And for all those who came out and received sessions: thank you for coming and I hope you’re allowing the healing to continue to flow through you; remember, you control that flow, no healer or coach of any kind can do that for you.

On another note, I realized that for future visits by my teacher, and regardless of what Maori-healers she brings with her for those visits, I'll be sure to share more in detail about how things have changed and the perspective I have about it…

Maori-Healers typically don’t travel the world; let me begin by saying that. They typically stay in New Zealand, helping and teaching people there.

A Maori-healer commonly known as Papa Joe, was a man who pioneered the idea of having a group of Maori-Healers touring the world together, sharing their knowledge about healing and providing sessions for people.

And when he died several years ago, Ata was handed that torch to continue with that mission.

Then last year, my other teacher, fondly known as Manu, died, which left Ata, broken-hearted and without her wingman and traveling partner.

Having said all that, to say things have changed is a major understatement.

Ata’s options for a traveling, working, and teaching Maori entourage has become limited.

All this has created quite the opportunity for great change and shifts in how all of us are accustomed to having the Maori visit and teach.

To say that I know exactly how it’s going to go for the future would be irresponsible of me. And even though I have a very close relationship with Ata, and I’m aware of the transitional conversations, I can only share some of that vision thus far.

I was thinking about how a couple of people were bummed they didn’t get to see a “Maori” practitioner and instead, they had a long-time trainee working with them while being overseen by Ata and Charlotte.

And for those few who were a bit disappointed, please accept my apology. I will make sure that the next time I host them, I will be explicitly clear about all the changes that will be taking place.

Having said that last part; I was taking a pause and thinking that I was very fortunate to have had it really good for several years, where I was used to the luxury of having several Maori-Healers traveling together like a Maori rock band - man was it a fun and raucous good time.

Tons of sessions happened simultaneously, with many more people waiting their turn; food, drink, laughing, joking, sharing and Manu singing and playing his guitar while sitting on people were always happening.

You could always hear crying, laughing, talking, talking sh!t, and plenty of cussing that were all commonplace at these hosted events, and man was it sweet.Man those were good times and I had it good.

Then I thought about how some people got to experience parents, parental figures, a time in their life, an athletic team they were a part of, or a special place for a stretch of time that was special and sacred to them that others never got to experience.

While I have a pang of sadness that hits me about the loss of my old teacher, Manu, I felt very grateful of all the good times we had together and the time I did have with everyone.

I don’t think people can be grateful about anything in their lives without knowing loss and pain; how can you? .. I feel they go together.

To know gratitude, you have to know what it’s like to have lost and been in pain; for example, you can’t be grateful about having good health unless you know what it’s like to have lost it or to have been in pain at some point.

It’s like the law of opposites: You can’t know joy without pain...With some people, I hear them talking about gratitude as a way to get more from life or from a specific area of their lives; that by “being grateful” that’s the way to have more abundance come toward you – yes that’s true, but that’s not gratitude.

Gratitude is when you feel connected to a loss or a painful time, and the simultaneous feeling of appreciation for someone/something you currently have - it’s a dual feeling.

To that I say, man did I have it good.

And to those who never knew those times with all the Maori traveling together, I hope to help create good nostalgic memories for how you will remember my days of hosting the Maori and the healing, fun, laughter, love, and play we intend you to have when we see you.

With love, and deep gratitude,Harold~

P.S. The picture above is my teacher, Ata, showing me how to work on my own low back; if you look closely, you'll see a stick underneath us.