Where I live is a small island in the South Pacific. New Zealand Aotearoa has a small population, although our lifestyle often seems just like that of places such as Britain, Europe, the US or Australia.
It is a country of settlers of many cultures who found their way here by sea, all over long distances. Sea journeys and stories are rich throughout all our cultures from Maori, to Polynesia, to European and beyond.
Navigation in nature and in life is a powerful metaphor. How do we gain some wisdom about navigating pathways to take in life, on land and on the sea?
On the eve of the Reinvention Summit, I am thinking a lot about navigation and reinvention.
The ancient schools for Maori leaders were called wananga. Young men chosen as leaders were given a white stone, Hukatai, when they arrived and placed it in their mouth and symbolically swallowed it. This represented sea foam made by the bow of a canoe, and stood for knowledge as facts picked up along a sea journey, an unorganised set of ideas. When the student graduated, he would place a red stone, Rehutai in his mouth. This represented seaspray from a canoe heading into the sunrise. Seaspray throws up a prism of light where all the colours of the rainbow can be seen and represents knowledge being transferred into wisdom, and an integration of heart, mind and body.
The ancient navigators reinvented themselves daily with wisdom as every day nature would throw up a new set of circumstances to meet.
I think now through creating deeper stories, we can use our narratives to grow our wisdom, and reinvent ourselves ongoingly as we move through forever changing circumstances.