by Phoebe Preuss | Mar 27, 2024 | Events, Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event
Easter holds diverse meanings for people around the world, deeply rooted in religious, cultural, and personal significance. It symbolizes hope, redemption, and the promise of new beginnings.
Beyond its religious connotations, Easter has evolved into a celebration of rebirth and renewal in many cultures. It marks the arrival of spring, a time of growth and rejuvenation in nature, signifying the end of winter’s dormancy and the start of brighter days. This aspect of Easter is often associated with themes of fertility, abundance, and the cycles of life. (hence the eggs and bunnies)
Many are unaware that the word “Easter” is derived from the Old English word “Ēastre” or “Ēostre,” which itself originates from the Proto-Germanic “Austrǭ,” meaning “dawn” or “east.” This term was associated with a pagan festival dedicated to Eostre, a Germanic goddess of spring and fertility. The Easter festival was held after the Paschal Moon (aka the egg moon) The full moon which occurs on the 14th day of the lunar month that occurs on or after March 21, its not in the shape of an egg (it would be cool if it was) but Its name is to acknowledge again the Northern Hemisphere themes of spring and fertility.
Interesting all this information for those of us who live in the Southern hemisphere – moving into slower, colder months – watching the other side of the life cycle. Leaves turning brown, the cooler days and losing the light of day earlier.
This is always a good time to share and connect with those you love. To intentionally call out how you want to move through these cooler months. I want to tune into the slowness of my system and really honour my body.
I have learnt that when we ignore the rest our body craves we can become reactive, and have an unstable mind. One that easily descends into a place of judgement and darkness.
Be mindful on what you are feeding your mind and who (or what) you are bringing into your sphere. There is a beautiful quote from Lao Tzu which sums up this mindfulness – to ensure what we resurrect is of good substance and not of unhealed pain.
“Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”
Alofa Atu
Lolopo Fipe Preuss x
by Phoebe Preuss | Jan 20, 2024 | Artisan Chocolate, Cacao Body Scrub Products, Chocolate manufacturers Melbourne, Drinking Cacao Shop, Drinking Chocolate, Events, Organic Chocolate Shop, Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event
Click here for link to tickets,
Feb 23rd 6.30pm – 8.00pm with cacao drinks to end.
$20+BF
We invite all women, men and non-binary peoples to join us in an evening of Pasifika Movement & Intentional Cacao. Pasifika Indigenous Dance movements help to nurture us at a fundamentally grounding level. In Samoa, Koko (Cacao ) is offered to deepen social connection. We invite you to come experience:
🌱 Koko reflections on gafa (genealogy) and malaga (journey)
🌱 Understanding le masina (the full moon)
🌱 Te ha ~ Breath work
🌱 Collective story telling through movement
Moving together as one recognising our position within an eco-system and opening ourselves to kincentric ecologies and cyclical rhythms of our moon. (Pasifika movements, language and frameworks drawn from different parts of Polynesia; Ori Tahiti, Hawaii & Samoa)
This is an outdoor event, if there is heavy rain it will be cancelled and full refunds distributed. Light rain we will still go ahead. Bring water bottle, pareo (sarong), and cup for cacao drink after class
by Phoebe Preuss | Jan 20, 2024 | Chocolate manufacturers Melbourne, Events, Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event, Wholesale Chocolate
Fipe Preuss: Living Koko co-founder, Pasifika movement guide, Space Holder and Cacao Creative. – (Wahine Toa o te Po offerings details here)
Living Koko is honoured to offer wellness practices that go beyond engaging with our beautiful koko plant medicine products. Our Wahine Toa (“wah-hee-ne toh-ah”) workshop is a sacred and intensive experience that we offer to those looking to deepen their connection to themselves and sisterhood. Taking its name from a Pasifika phrase meaning a woman’s strength, Wahine Toa is a gender and non-binary inclusive event to support and guide those who connect with feminine energy. Our most recent workshop was held on Saturday 19 August, with 16 women joining us for what was a powerful and moving day of reflection, movement, breathwork, ceremony and connection.
Drawing on revered indigenous practices and traditions from the Pacific Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand, and honouring the divine feminine energy, Wahine Toa is a full day experience and takes participants on their own unique inner journey whilst supported by sisterhood in a nurturing space. With an intent to replenish the self and soul and re-ignite the fire within, we commence the session by sipping traditional Pasifika plant medicine elixirs of kava Kava Kuo Heka from Tonga, and cacao Koko Samoa from Samoa. These are brought forward in ceremony through movement and chant and help set the awareness and intention for the day, with the heart-opening qualities of koko deepening our connection to ourselves and each other.
Through ceremony Pasifika movement, meditation and focused breathwork, our wahine sisters are encouraged to move energies and emotions through their bodies to help heal and resolve deeply held emotions, release painful forgotten stored memories, and erase unhelpful narratives. With compassion, gentleness and respect, we support our sisters through this journey, allowing them to truly feel their emotions and unburden their bodies, within a sacred space where everyone feels secure to share their story. Towards the end of the session, we sit as a group and share a meal and koko, reflect gently, connect and hold space for anyone to talk about what they have experienced.
Witnessing these incredible women work through this process is such an honour, and I love seeing the positive impact it has on them. They walk away feeling lighter, many of them journal for days afterwards and are able to let certain memories go, reframe situations and give themselves a much more gentle narrative about it. Wahine Toa is such an incredibly powerful and fulfilling experience, and a beautiful way to honour and nurture yourself if you are looking to go deeper into your self-care and breathwork practice.
We look forward to holding our new activation this February “Wahine Toa O Te Pomore” Strong women of the night – an evening half day retreat which focuses on the shadow deep inner work we all need to do. If this feels right for you, if you have heard of doing inner work but unsure how to create big shifts then this is for you. We ask that you attend with an open mind, heart and a gentl ear for your sisters.
by Phoebe Preuss | Jan 16, 2024 | Events, Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event
“In any direct light we can cast a shadow.”
Talofa lava beautiful Wahine! (**womxn)
Welcome to Wahine Toa o te Po – Strong Women of the night (SECURE YOUR PLACE HERE)
Wahine Toa is an evening into night retreat, to journey through the illumination of our shadows. Shadow work helps us have a deeper and more authentic relationship with ourselves and the world.
This year 2024 is about stepping into your true power, with grace and alofa for yourself. To truly love yourself you must grow your self-awareness and understanding.
Wahine Toa o te Po brings us together to help reflect on what is hidden in our shadows – reflecting safely and without judgement. To make room for us to grow.
Our ‘ava (kava) ceremony will help bring our minds and bodies into a grounded space. This medicine that can help soften our lens on self and community.
Together we will also create our own koko samoa ceremonial cacao, from roasting and pounding to create the paste to drink. Each step brought forward in ceremony with collective movements and chant.
Lalaga (the weaving space)
In this evening event we will be creating a weaving of indigenous practises and ceremony.
We use breathwork techniques help us face unexpressed emotions, to move through the resistance and ground ourselves. Making more room for who we truly want to be. Taking radical responsibly for the path we want to create.
* *womxn is a gender and non binary inclusive event activated to support and guide those that connect with feminine energy.
NB: Dinner and refreshments are included in this event.
Facilitators:
ALEESHA – (MAORI) – FOUNDER OF EARTH WAHINE – Soul coach, focuses on womens empowerment, Reiki and Breathwork facilitator, Space Holder, womens circle faciliator
FIPE – (SAMOA) – CO FOUNDER OF LIVING KOKO – Community Cultural Development Practitioner, Polynesian Dancer, Fire Performer, Space Holder and Koko creative with family deep rooted connections to cacao.
by Phoebe Preuss | Jan 16, 2024 | Events, Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event
We were non-stop in Samoa, either helping with the organising of the Sao Fa’i, making repairs on our home, or out in the plantation and our yard working on the land.
Being on country with my family, with nature and connecting to our custodial lands gave me such a high. Such an energy force that lifted my spirit and the journey of receiving the title “Lolopō” with my cousins in ceremony gave me a deep inner peace and sense of knowing. I was really excited about coming back and getting into 2024 and Living Koko.
We have been back for a few days now and I must be honest, I am holding onto a vibration of doubt and concern. I have sat at my desk and the magnitude of what needs to be activated and our goals and dreams is making me want to run or just stare into space (or my phone!). I have caught myself judgeing my work, putting myself down and convincing myself that the plans we have come up with aren’t the way to go.
Previously I would have convinced myself that this is my intuition and that I need to change everything and match this energy, adjust my original goals and convinced myself I didn’t have this capacity.
This morning I heard myself say “oh…here you go getting in your own way again” and that’s when I really started to witness this for what it really is. Self Sabotage.
This is me scared of failing, seeing the world as black and white, winning or losing. I witnessed the harshness of my self-talk. Forgetting how much I have failed learned through my failures. I have been placing a BIG MASSIVE expectation of perfection.
…I am still in that space, I’m witnessing and processing, journaling and diving deeper into understanding my lows at this time. So as much as I feel this pressure (pressure from whom? Me!) to share about our Samoan trip I have accepted that I am still integrating it all. Seeing why the return has landed this way and doing my best not to brush it off with a “oh you’re just homesick” and push it away. Its deeper than that and is interlaced in all the learnings from Samoa, the growth spurt and also the being present in spaces that have previously contained a whirlwind of emotions and views of not being good enough.
Being back in Samoa though reminded me about our ways of being and the patience we have for each other there. Therefore I am going to work on starting my year with that same frequency. Patience. These first few months for me is about Patience. Having patience with myself and showing myself some grace.
Through our time in Samoa many people including myself would say.
“Malo le onosai. ma le faamalosi”
Which translates to a praise of someone’s patience and their endurance and strength.
So for anyone out there especially those not vibing with the “new year new me” attitude or feeling like they need more time. I say to you…
“Malo le onosai, ma le faamalosi.”
The strength is within you, just be gentle and have patience with yourself. We are human and its Ok to take things one step at a time – if anyone wants to reach out and share how their 2024 is starting out please do.
Alofa atu,
Lolopō Fipe x
by Phoebe Preuss | Nov 6, 2023 | Wellness Blogs, Wellness Event
Fipe Preuss: Living Koko co-founder, Pasifika movement guide, Space Holder and Cacao Creative.
Living Koko is honoured to offer wellness practices that go beyond engaging with our beautiful koko plant medicine products. Our Wahine Toa (“wah-hee-ne toh-ah”) workshop is a sacred and intensive experience that we offer to those looking to deepen their connection to themselves and sisterhood. Taking its name from a Pasifika phrase meaning a woman’s strength, Wahine Toa is a gender and non-binary inclusive event to support and guide those who connect with feminine energy. Our most recent workshop was held on Saturday 19 August, with 16 women joining us for what was a powerful and moving day of reflection, movement, breathwork, ceremony and connection.
Drawing on revered indigenous practices and traditions from the Pacific Islands and Aotearoa New Zealand, and honouring the divine feminine energy, Wahine Toa is a full day experience and takes participants on their own unique inner journey whilst supported by sisterhood in a nurturing space. With an intent to replenish the self and soul and re-ignite the fire within, we commence the session by sipping traditional Pasifika plant medicine elixirs of kava Kava Kuo Heka from Tonga, and cacao Koko Samoa from Samoa. These are brought forward in ceremony through movement and chant and help set the awareness and intention for the day, with the heart-opening qualities of koko deepening our connection to ourselves and each other.
Through ceremony Pasifika movement, meditation and focused breathwork, our wahine sisters are encouraged to move energies and emotions through their bodies to help heal and resolve deeply held emotions, release painful forgotten stored memories, and erase unhelpful narratives. With compassion, gentleness and respect, we support our sisters through this journey, allowing them to truly feel their emotions and unburden their bodies, within a sacred space where everyone feels secure to share their story. Towards the end of the session, we sit as a group and share a meal and koko, reflect gently, connect and hold space for anyone to talk about what they have experienced.
Witnessing these incredible women work through this process is such an honour, and I love seeing the positive impact it has on them. They walk away feeling lighter, many of them journal for days afterwards and are able to let certain memories go, reframe situations and give themselves a much more gentle narrative about it. Wahine Toa is such an incredibly powerful and fulfilling experience, and a beautiful way to honour and nurture yourself if you are looking to go deeper into your self-care and breathwork practice.
We look forward to holding more of these workshops in 2024 so keep an eye out on our website and social media to experience this incredible journey for yourself.
