Wairua experiences
My earlier years
"As a young child I saw people who had passed-over. Even when their presence was gentle I didn't entirely like it. I certainly didn't understand it. Bedtime was for tucking under my blankets to hide. Eventually I stopped seeing spirit, and for the remainder of my childhood would occasionally feel their presence. Most often I shrugged it off and kept myself active. However when I felt my arm or face brushed, spirit nearby, or had advance feeling about a place or person I would quickly find a way to exit from the situation. It is fair to say I felt spooked a lot in those earlier years.
At home there was an awareness of wairua (spirit) but it was talked of only if I asked, or if mum wanted me to be cautionary and mindful of consequences. I learned a lot from what I observed her do and not do. She had an uncanny sense of predicting outcomes, including sensing the nature of people. I came to realise after her own passing, she deeply understood the manifestation of thoughts and intentions. There were many things she would do, or mention in passing that were of a wairua nature, and how very gifted she was. Dad was a practical no nonsense labourer, and the notion of the afterlife did not exist in his thinking.
During my mid 20's I was flooded with wairua experiences. One such experience was a spirit guide of the Hopi Nation. A woman of long hair and a strong jawline carrying bear claw marks along her cheeks. She showed me faces upon faces of my tūpuna (ancestors) from long ago, some even wearing tāmoko (tattoo). A profound experience for me, and one I will never forget.
At this time I was also becoming increasingly sensitive to other people's emotional and mental states. Including being able to summarise others thoughts and feelings in advance of them finishing. I would go home from my office job drained, tired, and carrying the worries and concerns of others with me. So, I knew it was time to find help and better understand what I was experiencing.
I did just that, and learned quickly the importance of protection. Plus the ability to discern between whose 'stuff' was I carrying, my own or someone else's? it was an encouraging time and the beginning of an amazing journey." - MN.