Safety first?

With Spring or Kōanga, as it is known in the Māori Maramataka, upon us and a feeling of regeneration in the air, I have been reflecting on my winter’s hibernation and the lessons it has brought I will take into this Māori New Year, which began in June or Pipiri with the rising of Matariki and Pūanga.

One of the primary lessons for me, other than better listening to my body and energy flows through winter’s depths, has been around safety. I realised over winter, even though I have an abundant life, I have been running a deep seated programme of feeling unsafe, related to multiple times in mainly adult life where I have either felt or been unsafe, and this had been affecting me physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

So I have been on a bit of a healing journey to move any related trauma and stuck energies out of my energy field. It has been challenging and while I have some more tools in the tool box than many to support my own healing, I have also needed support from friends and other healers as I slowly peeled back the layers of the onion. Changing my neural pathways and related health issues is still a bit of a work in progress but it has been quite a revelation as to how much “unsafety” I was holding on to which really just wanted to be acknowledged and released.

According to Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (see graphic), safety needs are secondary only to basic physiological needs. They are the foundation on which individuals are motivated to fulfil their other higher level needs. So getting the foundation sorted is pretty important in the big scheme of things.

Do you have feelings about being unsafe? These could be related to your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health and wellbeing. They could be fears about your environment, money and not having some of your other needs met. They could be trauma based. Whatever they are, it is worth acknowledging them and seeing if they are ready to be released. If your feelings are deeply rooted, you may need support from a variety of different providers. Don’t be afraid to reach out and get support.

Wishing everyone a safe and prosperous Kōanga 💖💫🌱