9 Lives of Wisdom is the memoir and philosophical anthology of Beau MacKey-Kawiti, born a twin in Gisborne, Aotearoa New Zealand, whose life journey forged a unique, unyielding wisdom. The book establishes his deep identity rooted in Māori whakapapa (Ngāti Porou, Te Aitanga a Hauiti, and Ngāti Hine) and Scottish heritage, before charting his turbulent early life as a basketball player representing Northland for nearly two decades, serving as a starter for the National Tournament Team to Vanuatu in 2004. He was scouted by the NBL's Taranaki Mountain Airs and, despite impressing coaches at a trial for the NBL's Auckland Stars, his professional contract slipped away due to mismanagement. Following a period of solo fatherhood and club rugby league, his quest took him across Europe, where he sought guidance from a shaman in Switzerland, witnessed the Dalai Lama in Frankfurt, and gained perspective living among the homeless in Paris. These travels preceded his descent into homelessness and depression back home, culminating in a transformative five-month stint living alone in nature during the COVID-19 lockdowns, which healed his PTSD. Subsequently diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychosis, Beau endured a tumultuous period involving seven admissions to mental health facilities and a total of fourteen distressing police interactions, including an alleged assault on an officer. Interwoven with this compelling narrative of a man who fought his way back from the brink is a powerful collection of Beau’s own hard-won philosophical quotes, demonstrating that his unwavering commitment to virtue, morality, and his heritage—the ultimate duties of a dedicated historian and genealogist—is the true foundation of his profound, battle-tested wisdom.