Happy Havana

Ms. Havana has always been my happy girl. She loves to dance and sing and when she gets outside in nature she just lights up. She is funny with her quick wit and her joyful nature is infectious. Sadly with this pandemic, with all the fear, worry, mixed information and more, Baby Girl has preferred to stay inside more often than not.  Sometimes playing too long on video games or watching shows.Not the case in Hawaii. She loved daily swimming and walks on the beach. Hiking took a bit more prodding but once she got on trail, we couldn't keep up! 

Video games and television  are great entertainment but quite the distraction.  For real balance of self, nothing beats the way the natural world meets the heart and soul and brings them together in such a way that welcomes deep presence to self and true nature/essence.

It was quite lovely to see Havana Ruby light up again in ways we had not seen in sometime. It was reassuring, refreshing and her joy was infectious, as always. And the best thing was the mana of the natural world in Hawaii remedied some of the Covid blues. Back on the mainland, we have continued more outdoor time.  Once again, Mahalo Hawaii.

 

Sacred Honu

During my recent personal inquiries (exploration of the inner world), I have discovered how much of my life I have been disconnected from myself. Present but not fully present and aware. Almost like semi-sleep walking. The more I awaken, the more I see patterns in my life of things I have taken pleasure in or had great meaning, while not being full present with these experiences.

What does this have to do with the sacred Honu? We were graced by their presence almost every day we were on the Big Island. My soul (inner) child is always tickled to see these ancient one. I just adore them. This trip I felt I able to more deeply taken in our experiences with them. Upon our return home, I started to notice how much of our home décor, past blogs, photos and had the sacred Honu in them.  This is not the first time in recent months I have had the thought, "Wow, I must really enjoy such and such." or "Wow, I did not notice how big of a presence this is in my life." As one who stands for truth, on every level, I must face the truth that my own awakening to myself is still unfolding.

In the meantime, we were most fortunate to have had the auspicious encounters with these manifest reptiles. It seems my heart and being are smiling brighter, perhaps as I am more fully present with myself during these experiences with them.

Here are a series of photos I took of the different Honu who allowed us to visit them, so to speak!

Hawaiian Mud Bath

 

Amara loves to cover herself in mud. No matter where we go, if there is mud, she will paint herself with it (see https://twosmallgems.blogspot.com/2020/11/the-canyons-red-rocks-of-sedona.html for her in Sedona).  Being on the Big Island, with earth made from the rich lava was no exception. As we found ourselves exploring local beaches there were sea turtles, enticing waves and sand and lava rock to rest and read upon. None of those was as attractive as the mud! 

Here is Amara in her glory, covered in mud, once again!

Pele

I first stepped foot on Hawaii in 2001. One of my oldest friends, Thomas, was living on the Big Island and encouraged me to come and visit. There was a Korean healer, Mr. Park, who he thought I would benefit from seeing. My traveling companion and I landed in Kona and planned on a few days of exploring before we met up with Thomas to see this Mr. Park. Before we arrived, Thomas warned me about the powers of Pele, the powerful Hawaiian goddess of volcano and fire, who created the Hawaiian islands. He let me know that she ruled Hawaii, her fire energy vibrating with the lower chakras. He made it clear that respect must be paid to her upon entry to her home.

I had never really felt that drawn to travel to Hawaii. I had been a Caribbean gal for well over decade. Whenever friends told me about the land of Aloha I would judgmentally dismiss the paradise they described. Sure Hawaii might be beautiful but it was not the majestic Caribbean. Over time, something shifted. My heart opened in a different way and one day I knew it was time to get to know the aloha spirit. Thomas had been living on several islands over the course of several years and finally I accepted his invitation to come and visit the intriguing Mr. Park. But he told me, the mana was strong on Hawaii and to be prepared.

I believed Thomas but took it with a grain of salt. I am always mindful and respectful when I travel. What could go wrong? Ha! Ms. Madam Pele let me know that very first night in Kona. In the middle of the night, I awoke with deep, almost unbearable belly pains. that lasted throughout the night An intuitive healer myself, I knew immediately the cause of was not physical. I knew that something in my core was being shook up by Ms. Pele. I knew that on the emotional, mental and spiritual levels there would be some shake up and healing to come, triggered by the volcano goddess and her connection to those energy centers within.

    When I met up with Thomas, one of the first things we did was go to Pele's home, the active volcano site, to offer her gifts. He informed me that greeting her was imperative to ensuring a positive visit to Hawaii. She liked flowers, he told me, so we picked some lovely Hawaiian flowers and gathered them together and left them for her, along with a prayer of gratitude for her immense strength and powers. Subsequently, my time with Mr. Park, the thermal pools, the ocean did lead to deep healing. Our time on the Big Island was so powerful that I returned just a short time later. Hawaii by then had planted herself in my heart and even though it would be too many years before I saw Pele in person again, I went on a dozen visits to the other islands that she created eons ago.

As part of the preparation to return to the Big Island after twenty years, this time with my daughters, I told the girls the story of Pele and the absolutely imperative ritual of bring her gifts upon our arrival or we might warrant her wrath. We talked about how we would do that. Amara decided to bring some acorns she found on the mainland. Havana would help in making a bouquet to lay at her feet. We would arrive at night, say a prayer to her, rest and recoup the following day but the day after, we had to make the two hour journey to see her. We could not delay much more than that. And that is what we did. The day of our trip across the island, Amara put her acorns in the car and Havana gathered flowers (thanking them for their contribution to our bouquet for Madame Pele).

Our visit to Pele, inside the National Park, was quite something. Sparsely visited due to Covid, the vast space with lava and then ocean and of course the enormous hole in the earth, where Pele lived, felt isolated and remote. Which in reality it was. We saw countless

plumes of smokes across the land and vents in the air that allowed for the steam from the volcano to be released into the air. The girls got a kick out of how warm it was and were thrilled to up close and personal to the very active volcano. We all were delighted by the multiple Nene sightings (the endangered, sacred national bird of Hawaii).  For all our travels to Hawaii, this one the first time we ever saw the Nene. Pele created a wonderous landscape, where nothing initially grew upon her birth but over the eons she has flourished with life in miracles and magnificent ways.

It was a long drive and a long day to see Madame Pele but we were all relieved to have been able to grace her with her gifts and to know that she knew we honored and respected her greatness. In return, we were blessed with a wonderful visit and were filled to our core with aloha vibration.

 

Mahalo Hawaii

 

With much research, respect and preparation, our family traveled to sacred Hawaii in January. It had been almost two years since we touched down in one of our favorite destinations. Last year we opted to skip Hawaii travel to travel to Costa Rica in February 2020. It was right before the pandemic shut down the world (and where we got sick, very likely with Covid). 

Traveling to Hawaii in January 2021 was a decision we grappled with for a bit. We did not want to seem like we were thumbing our noses in the face of this pandemic. I had traveled previously in the pandemic and felt like we could do travel fairly safely. That along with Hawaii's strict protocols for safety and the deep need for a mental health support we packed our bags and headed west to the sun, sea and sacredness that is Hawaii.

Like any traveling we do, I always listen to Spirit about where next. It is always like a calling from Mother Earth and the Big Island had been calling for several years. The girls have been asking for a long time to go and explore this island (side note: we have repeated gratitude discussions on how fortunate we are to travel). While they had been to the other islands, they had never been to the home of Pele and as for Don and I, well it'd been about twenty years since I last visited the home of Pele and  Don was about the same, having last traveled with his brother. 

The Big Island was warm, sunny and quiet after a rare rain storm that welcomed our plane in Kona. We were met with torrential rains and thick, humid air, in the dark night sky. It felt like the most gracious, auspicious welcoming I'd ever had on my dozen visits to Hawaii. I reminded the girls of the gift of water as spiritual cleansing and I shared that it felt like after months and months of stay at home Covid blues, all that heavy energy was being washed away by the spirit of Aloha. 

My self-preservationist nature led to stop for food and supplies after we landed, despite the late hour and delays at the airport. Even though we had Covid tested negative days prior to departure, the state of Hawaii re-tested us once we de-boarded the plan.  We did not mind the delays. We were thankful to be there. When we got to the grocery store, I don't think I ever hustled so fast to get supplies. We were tired and hungry. Once we made it to our condo, we feasted on frozen pizza at what would have been 1 am California time. One for rules and structure including a routine sleep schedule, I also understand the need for flexibility and to break free from all that structure at times. Life is about balance, after all. 

Our comfortable condo in Waikoloa afforded us an infinity pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean with a tranquil bay, just a few minutes walk from our front door. Our first morning we were greeted by the sacred Honu (sea turtles), who we then saw almost everyday.  We also went to some great beaches just up the road for boogie boarding and sun. While there we explored some of the endless lava fields and discovered petroglyphs. We did one high risk adventure, going to a farmer's market but spent the rest of our time going on hikes in forests with no other humans around, swimming, riding bikes or just hanging back at the condo relaxing with books, video games and wonderful meals made from food sourced from local farmers. All of these things feed our hearts, minds, bodies and souls. 

The break from our Covid stay at home routines, in such a powerful and wonderous place is what stood out the most while on the Big Island. I did not know just how much we needed the break until we stopped and took in a deep breath of the salty, aloha air. Work and school from home as had both challenges and blessings. We are together in ways we would normally not be. But we are mostly isolated and the on-going restrictions, lack of connection with peers for the girls and distance learning has been taxing. For me personally, the work I do is heavy at times and I just needed the space to unwind in what feels like my earth home. We all were breathing more deeply, laughing more, overall happier to be away. I guess that is what the meaning of vacation is, isn't it. But in a pandemic, it had even all more more meaning and impact.

I love Hawaii. I love Hawaii deep down in my heart and my soul. I suspect the girls feel the same way but can not quite express it. Leaving was not easy and we already are planning our return. We left full of gratitude to be welcomed by Pele and the chance for the time for rest and rejuvenation in the sacred place that is Hawaii.

Mahola, Hawaii. Maholo.