Archive Highlights of Past Workshops

Highlights of Past Workshops

Ancient Wisdom of Polynesia

This was a spiritual odyssey from December 29, 1998 – January 18, 1999 for those who were drawn to the wisdom of the indigenous peoples of Hawai'i and New Zealand, two points on the "Polynesian triangle" (Easter Island being the third). Over a thousand years ago, Polynesians in open canoes found their way to most of the 10,000 islands in the vast Pacific, using intuitive "wayfinders" to navigate the unknown ocean-a feat which continues to astonish western science.

Guided by a strong communal vision, these ancient island peoples recognized a time in the future when the spiritual gates and temple sites that the wisdom keepers had locked would be opened again. On this voyage we had the opportunity to experience the cultural and spiritual blueprints that guided the great voyaging canoes from the mid-Pacific to the shores of Aotearoa (New Zealand) more than a millennium ago.

Like the wayfinders of old, our voyage served as another bridge into the new Pacific paradigm. The long-dormant spirit of Polynesia is emerging onto the global stage through a cultural renaissance originating in New Zealand. We visited key sacred sites in the company of Polynesian spiritual teachers, sharing their rare perspective on the challenging decade before us.

We were be guided by two scholar/ storytellers. Our time on the island of Hawai'i, amid vibrant rainforests and active volcanoes, was a far cry from the standard tourists' trip. Dr. Hank Wesselman, an exceptional teacher and scholar of Hawaiian shamanism, was our guide there.

We met the visionary kahuna, Hale Makua ("Uncle Harry"), one of the global spokespersons for the indigenous peoples of this planet.

Four days later, we journeyed some 4,500 miles southwest to the isolated, spectacularly beautiful Polynesian island-nation of New Zealand.

Our time on the North Island was primarily spent with Maori leaders as we visited sacred sites and marae (ancestral meeting houses). Makuini Ruth Tai, shared with us the "hidden" messages within the Maori language.

In Christchurch on the South Island we met master storyteller/ archaeologist Barry Brailsford, who was "selected" by an ancient tribe to transmit their history and message to the world. In nearby Castle Hill we walked among the sacred stones in the Birth Place of the Gods, and then journeyed to the West Coast wilderness to walk the sacred valley of the Rainbow People and visited the shelters of the Star Walkers. A final journey unfolded the following days as we visited the Peace Trail of the ancients, along the River of the Stone, then ventured to and greeted the Franz Joseph Glacier.

The Leaders

Hank Wesselman, Ph.D., is a paleoanthropologist and author of Spiritwalker: Messages from the Future (Bantam, 1995) and Medicinemaker: Mystic Encounters on the Shaman's Path (Bantam, 1998). Hank is an eloquent and captivating guide who has worked for 25 years with an international group of scientists investigating the mystery of human origins in East Africa. While doing fieldwork in Southern Ethiopia in the 1970s, he experienced spontaneous, extraordinary expanded states of awareness similar to those of traditional shamans. He has recently completed the advanced training with the Foundation for Shamanic Studies and offers workshops that include shamanic journeying.

Barry Brailsford, M.B.E., M.A. (Hons, New Zealand) is an archaeologist, historian, master storyteller, and author of The Tattooed Land and Greenstone Trails. At the invitation of indigenous Maori leaders, he told their history for the first time in Song of Waitaha, and of his own journeys among indigenous cultures in Song of the Stone. He has recently completed a five-volume saga of historical fiction, Chronicles of the Stone. In 1990 he was honored (M.B.E.) for his contribution to education and Maori scholarship.

Images from the Polynesian Journey

Hank, Michael Fleck, and Jill in Auckland, NZ

Institute of Noetic Sciences Board Members Sandra Wright and Sandra Hobson listen to archeologist Barry Brailsford share wisdom.

Hank and Maori spiritual teacher Makuini Ruth Tai share mana in a ceremony. North Island, NZ.

Ancestral Marae
North Island, NZ

Within the Marae--ancestral panels
North Island, NZ

Hank and Jill examine and share mana
with a large pounamu