On Signs, Symbols and Everyday Guidance
Listening For Tohu & The Kingfisher At My Window
Outside my cabin, there is a familiar visitor.
As I connect with visionaries around the world from my cabin in rural Aotearoa, a kingfisher arrives and settles on a branch from where I can see.
He sits very still.
& then in an instant, he darts away.
Over time, I’ve come to experience this bird as a tohu a sign or symbol that meets me exactly where I am. On the days when I’m impatient to “get there faster”, to force clarity, to make everything happen at once in my work and in Wā, the kingfisher reminds me:
Be patient.
Watch carefully.
Strike when the time is right.
What is a tohu?
In simple terms, tohu can mean a sign, symbol, mark, or indication.
In te ao Māori, tohu are part of how we read the world as living and responsive, rather than random or purely mechanical.
Tohu can show up as:
Movements in the natural world: manu (birds), winds, tides, stars
Dreams or repeating images
Body sensations: the feeling in your puku when something is off or deeply right
Patterns in timing: delays, openings, synchronicities
They gain meaning through whakapapa (relationship and lineage), kōrero tuku iho (stories handed down), and your own lived experience.
The same bird can carry different meanings for different whānau or iwi. There is no single, universal dictionary of tohu. Instead, there is relationship.
My relationship with the kingfisher outside my cabin is one small thread in a much wider web.
A practise for visionaries looking for tohu
If you are carrying big, wild ideas, preparing for a transition, or expanding an established body of work, it’s very likely you are already sensing small signs: repeated images, songs, numbers, birds, patterns in timing.
Here’s a simple way to work with them, using the kingfisher as a guide.
Notice: first, simply name what happens
Feel: gently ask “what happens in my body when I notice this tohu?”
Ask: From that grounded practice, you can enquire what the tohu is inviting you to remember or know
Gently act: you might re-align your decisions or actions or even pause for a moment
Tohu should strengthen your tino rangatiratanga (self leadership), so remember not to hand your whole self over to tohu and use only as everyday guidance.
