Matariki: a reminder of what’s important
As we mark our first Matariki holiday today, I’m keenly reminded of something that Carl Jung and many historians and anthropologists have often noted: that there are vastly more similarities between cultural narratives than there are differences.
The myths vary, obviously, but Matariki is a good example of a myth where we can easily discern familiar universal themes regarding the Pleiades star cluster stretching across multitudinous cultures, from Celtic to Persian, Chinese to Sioux.
It’s a winter cluster, its appearance coinciding roughly with the solstice and Saturnalia/Christmas (in the northern hemisphere, at least).
Many traditions tell us that this is the time of the year therefore to prepare for winter, hold whanau close, ensuring that there is enough to sustain us physically, emotionally, and spiritually as we traverse the oncoming bleak midwinter, waiting for the sun to return.
It is about seeking refuge and comfort. The Greek myth speaks of Zeus turning the Pleiades into stars so that lustful Orion could not have his way with them. He is said to still chase them across the sky.
It’s also about sustenance, nurturance, and containment - all feminine principles. It’s no coincidence then that many of the myths surrounding Pleiades/Matariki involve women and girls.
We hold fast, caring for each other as we await the return of heat, energy, growth, and vitality.
It is also a time for profound reflection.
I welcome this marking of Matariki. I believe as Jung did that we’ve lost our soul as a culture, and that we’ve discarded our representative symbols and stories and our community-mindedness in favour of maladaptive ways of being: manipulative media, consumerism, safetyism, tribalism, identitarianism, and incuriousness. Our rising mental health statistics bear this out.
Now’s the time to change course, embracing our common humanity, examining ourselves rather than blaming others for everything, and protecting and nurturing that which is important to us, for the common good.
Ngā mihi o Matariki, te tau hou Māori.