Matt began his journey into healing work with the Maori of Aotearoa, New Zealand…
In 2001, after returning from nearly a year traveling the United States, that began in Joshua Tree, California, his mother took him to receive “body work” from a group of Maori healers that were passing through Music City. The 2 hour session that Matt experienced, lying on the floor in the living room of someone’s house would forever change the way he perceived the world, and the gift of life.
Hohepa “Papa Joe” Delamere, was the man who worked on Matt, and would become his teacher, mentor, and friend. Papa Joe was known by his people at home, and the world over, as a Tohunga. He was a profound teacher, and healer. His life and work are the subject of several documentaries made here in the United States, and in New Zealand. He was known the world over for his gifts in healing. His funeral was attended by over 10,000 people from across the globe.
Matt recounts his times wth Papa as profound, and laughs when he tells the stories, “Papa could make the silliest jokes while we were eating lunch, and then 20 minutes later, while we were in the bathroom, or walking on the beach, he would say the most profound and deeply moving things. It was always honest with Papa. Nothing contrived…just straight from the heart. He would never respond to me when my ego was driving the questions…he really was a brilliant, beautiful, intense, yet jolly soul.”
Matt also spent time with contemporaries and students of Papa, who still practice and share their gifts around the world, and at home in New Zealand. Atarangi Muru, another of Papa’s students, and one of Matt’s greatest teachers, provided the shelter for much of his 4 month journey to New Zealand, where he spent time with several Maori elders, learning different modalities within the traditional forms of Maori healing. Among them, Heni Philipps, Dr. Rangimarie Turuki Rose Pere, Manu, and others.
Matt credits his journey into the magical realms of the Maori to a deep shift in his personal life, and his connection to all other living things. As the teachings, legends, haka, songs, and Te Reo Maori began to sink into his consciousness, Matt experienced a deepening in his poetic work. It was at this time that Matt abandoned all he had learned about the craft of poetry and language arts (which he would later return to with renewed fervor), and began to experiment with the way the elemental sounds in language impacted his mind, and his body. 
Drawing comparisons between language and the rhythms and sounds of the sea, winds, and animal life became the primary focus of Matt’s creative exploration while in New Zealand. He was also learning about the true power of prayer. The resonant energy within language that is filled with the intention to open space within the atmosphere for divine presence to reside, began to change the way Matt perceived the world, and the way sickness and injury can be ushered out of the body through song.
Upon his return from New Zealand, Matt spent more time in Joshua Tree, California, before heading home to Tennessee. Music and poetry would continue to grow in his life as he spent more and more time infusing his work with what he had learned during his brief time in New Zealand.
Matt’s life now, as an Artist, Father, Son, Lover, and Community Member, is spent in contribution to the awakening of human consciousness. Through his work as a Writer, Performer, Teacher, and Recording Artist, he is continually evolving toward a more honest expression of his experience as a human being, and his deepest hope is that it could possibly somehow help someone else as they evolve along their trajectory in this beautiful and challenging world.
