21/12/2025
Card for māne 💖
“I honour my whakapapa and the mana it carries”
Personal Reflection
This morning I was sent an interesting meme that I thought was going to be an inspiring kōrero about my astrological sign, the crab. Instead, it spoke about the crabs in a bucket phenomenon, where observations have shown that when a crab is in a bucket by itself, it will climb out to freedom. Yet when two or more are present, they begin to pull each other down, eventually resulting in all remaining trapped.
In this scenario, I see stress, expectation, and judgement as the bucket. When we sit in those energies, we often need time by ourselves to process and find the strength within to create strategies for navigating our way out. This is where we draw on advice, insight, and tools gathered throughout our lifetime. In doing so, we honour the mana carried within our whakapapa.
At times, however, we may step into someone else bucket, or invite others into our own, before we have formed a clear exit strategy or aligned with the tools that support our mana. This is where the situation can become heavy and, at times, harmful.
Honouring whakapapa also means trusting in the wisdom we have gathered and nurtured with our life’s journey, recognising when to pause, when to stand alone, and when to engage, so that mana is upheld rather than diminished.
I have found that this type of discernment requires balance that takes time and patience to develop and nurture. It also carries a responsibility to recognise that when we need help, we must find the strength to step outside of the bucket, to gather what is required within a healthy environment.
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