16/07/2026
Ruaumoko has spoken. 🤎
I’ll be honest… earthquakes give me the heebie-jeebies! 😅
They’re one of those things that remind me just how little control we really have, maybe that’s part of why they can feel so unsettling.
I’m sure we have some activated nervous systems today!
On the other hand, I like to think earthquakes are a reminder that the Earth is alive. She shifts, releases, settles, and finds her balance again.
In one well-known Māori telling, Ruaumoko is the atua of earthquakes, volcanoes, and the ever-changing Earth.
He is the youngest child of Ranginui and Papatūānuku. When his parents were separated, Ruaumoko remained close to his mother, and his movements within her are felt as earthquakes.
Like all pūrākau, this story has different versions across different iwi, each carrying its own wisdom and meaning.
As humans, we’re not so different from Papatūānuku. Our bodies also hold stress, emotion, grief, and tension.
If we never give ourselves opportunities to release it, it can build beneath the surface.
So today, maybe take a moment to check in with yourself.
✨ A simple grounding practice:
Place both feet firmly on the floor or the earth.
Take three slow, deep breaths, allowing your exhale to be longer than your inhale.
Gently shake your hands, arms, shoulders, legs, and hips for 30–60 seconds. Let your body move however it wants to.
Finish with one hand on your heart and one on your puku, and simply notice how you feel.
If that doesn’t work. Perhaps in body that earthquake energy and stomp around a bit!
Just as the Earth releases pressure to find balance, we can also create moments to soften, breathe, and let go of some of what we’ve been carrying.
Take gentle care of yourselves today, and of each other. 🤎
Artwork credit to Toiariki and can actually be purchased online via the link below
https://toiariki.myshopify.com/products/copy-of-tangaroa-prints