Consciousness

I’ve noticed throughout my life that I have always had two levels of consciousness. One that is mostly concerned with a singular focus on what can be heard, touched, tasted, felt and seen. And another that seems to be aware of a vital energy, a connectedness of all things and the organized timeless whole…behind, underneath and inside of all the myriad parts.

When I was a child, this holistic vision would come over me quite often. I’d sit daydreaming in the grass, smelling the earth and joying in a sense of being completely embraced by nature. To me this was normal at that time. I was also very sensitive to animals and plants, I talked to everything and felt like nature communicated back with a feeling or sudden understanding more than anything else. There was a sense of the sacred. I remember one Christmas in which I’d had a bit too much of the present opening and merry making so I decided to go outside and breathe the fresh cold air. I took a little walk and found a dead bird. My heart ached for this poor little spirit all alone on such a special day. I decided to bury the bird, full of ceremony and wish it well on its way. That was one of the most fulfilling Christmas’ of my childhood even though I do not remember a single gift that I received that year…but I remember the bird, I remember the sense of knowing the energy that really was the bird was no longer attached to the form I held in my hands and feeling the deeper connection of the opportunity for new life that springs forth from the dissolution of all forms. I felt and knew that form and energy and spirit are wrapped up in a dance and that by honoring the world of form I could reach into that other place and touch something more substantial than what my eyes tell me is real…I had found the divine.

World Occupation

As I grew into a teenager I fell more and more into a singular focus. I began to use my ability to think and trust it over my own intuition. My mind would gain such power and momentum at times that I could see that it had absolutely no idea of what to do. I spent a lot of time during these years confused due to the lack of experience I had and the way the singular mind works; drawing from experience to project a course of action. It gave me a very limited set of options and often I would experience a deep frustration with not being able to see further and above and beyond this circle of thought. Something in me knew, and was reaching, but I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t know how to feed it; let it out and help it grow. I did realize however that this other side of me was drowning, and a big theme in my life then became to figure out how to keep it alive. It was my purpose and I knew that I had to get to it somehow.

Freedom

In the Spiral Dance, there is a passage that reads, “The price of freedom is the willingness to face the most frightening being of all, one’s own self.” Like the meaning of the phrase found over the entrance to Oracle of Delphi, Gnothi se auton (know thyself), it points toward the transformational work of diving down to the depths of your being and returning to a state of wholeness.

As a child I was whole but somehow on the road to growing up I had undergone a process of separation. There was the me I accepted, was aware of, took pride in, was happy with and then there were all the parts of myself I ignored, pretended weren’t there, couldn’t face, etc. It was as if throughout my life I had developed the skill of sifting through myself and I sorted it into two piles….me and not me which equated to the good stuff and the stuff that is not supposed to be here. It wasn’t until I could l dive into the dark inner abyss and acknowledge what I found there that I began to become whole again. I first started with just observing it…like a scientist reporting findings on some alien planet. My inner space was a mysterious new planet and I was the only explorer to have ever been there. The inner scientist route depersonalized the fears, thoughts, burdens, hurts and pains that had been hiding in the dark recesses of my being. I was able to shine some light on them, really see them and realize they were a part of the landscape. I could not call them bad any more than I could call a rock or tree bad. Bad rock…just kidding. This metaphor is a little silly but in essence I’ve caught myself in this very behavior before which is what led me to the realization that the thoughts I hold around the unexplored parts of me; the parts I deny and pretend are not there; those thoughts and that way of looking at myself was an anchor of duality and separation. The absence of them through the acceptance of what I found in the landscape and the appreciation I developed of those things and what they could teach is what set me free.

Holistic Vision

Developing ‘holistic vision’ and balancing ‘getting things done’ has been my focus over the last few years. I have noticed that if I spend my time in the ‘getting things done’ arena that my mind will eventually get stuck and start devouring itself like that old picture of the snake eating its tale. However, if I spend all of my time in the holistic place, I know what to do but I’m not very good at getting it done. It seems to me that the real art of life lies in a mixing and blending of dreaming and knowing and seeing the higher plane and of using the singular focus of your material mind. So the key then is to be able to move through levels of consciousness at will and always feel the energy world like some animals feel sound. A part of you remains connected and conscious of this connection monitoring it like a finger on a pulse. The pulse is the web of life that we are all woven into and a part of; through this awareness new thinking and infinite possibilities creep into your mind charging it with an energy, wisdom and intelligence unlike its basic functioning which is mostly concerned with survival. This intelligence is the creative force of the universe and is divine. We are meant to be shapers; those who by acting through their own divinity are able to bend the unseen into form and imbue all they touch in life with wonder and love.

Lessons from the Ocean Surf

While in Molokai this past Thanksgiving I developed a morning routine of saying hello to the ocean. Each morning I’d awake around sunrise, read a little of something inspiring and then take a short walk out to a rocky cliff that afforded me a great view of the pounding surf. I would get just close enough to feel the spray as the waves smashed up on the rocks creating tide pools and launching foam into the air. My six year old son, Sebastian, was the only one who was waking up early enough to join me on these ocean greetings and he asked if he could come along. So most every morning we would go out and sit for over an hour observing the rhythms and the wildlife. He would see dinosaur shapes in the rocks and on these outings we were blessed with visits from sea turtles, seals, crabs, wild turkeys and rainbows. A deep love and appreciation would well up from me as I watched the waves with my son cuddled up on my lap. We felt no lack, no struggle…only wonder, abundance and love in that place.

The Cloudy Day

One day we went out and the island was covered with clouds. The sky was gray and moody and the weather was slightly cooler than it had been in the days before. Completely undaunted we went as usual to a perch near the spray. It wasn’t long before it had started to rain on us. We enjoyed the feel of the water on our skin and watched the waves grow stormier in response to the stronger winds. When it stopped the sky cleared out to the west and a giant rainbow practically the length of the horizon appeared. My son was delighted as I told him stories I knew from different cultures involving rainbows. We talked about how the Hawaiians view rainbows as a blessing and that when you are blessed you do not worry, you approach life assured that your needs will be met, that good is yours and that abundance is held for you and given to you divinely.

Looking for Rainbows

The next day my son wondered if we would see another rainbow and discovered that rainbows appear in many places not just the sky. When we started noticing and looking for rainbows…when we developed a mindset to seek them out, we saw them everywhere. He learned to see them in the waves as they crested and in the ocean spray. He would say, look mom…I see one. This is what I call developing a rainbow mindset. Each time he saw one we would again discuss what seeing a rainbow means to ones life in the Hawaiian culture. Developing a rainbow mindset is a noticing and seeking of the blessings that are everywhere in life.

Blessings and Aloha

One evening we went to the Kualapu’u Cookhouse. Sebastian had by this time developed an intense curiosity in the Ukulele and there was a player and singer performing at the cookhouse. Sebastian went over and watched him play and sing in great admiration. Later on in the evening another gentleman took over to allow for a break. Sebastian also quickly made friends with him. The gentleman came up to me and asked, is this your son? When I affirmed, he said…aloha…I want to play you a song. He sang for us two songs. Sebastian’s great-grandmother gave him some money to give to the man but he would not take it. He said he had sung the songs as a gift from his heart and that friends are better than money. When I first came to the islands I thought aloha meant hello and goodbye and that aloha spirit was something that was referred to in order to describe the friendly attitude of acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so well known. I now know that it means much more.

The Meaning of Aloha

In the Hawaiian language, the deeper meaning of aloha is “the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo).”

As you share this energy you become attuned to the Divine Power that the Hawaiians call mana. It is a way of blessing everyone and everything by tuning into the positive qualities inherent in all things. To bless something means to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized will increase, endure or come into being.

Yesterday, I took my son and daughter into our hot tub and from it’s steamy, bubbling depths we sat and watched the sunset and the first night stars become visible in the darkening sky. My daughter turned on the underwater light. Sebastian began watching the water intently and said, look mom…there’s a rainbow!

La’au Point

I’m blogging after spending 12 days in Molokai, Hawaii (the friendly isle). While there we discovered signs all over the island saying (Save La’au). These signs have been posted in protest to a proposal by Molokai Ranch to sell the land at (La’au Point) which is environmentally significant (for the Monk Seals) as well as spiritually significant (to the locals) of Molokai. They are planning to develop the point into luxury oceanfront housing (the estimated cost per house being about $2 million) and the majority of those who live on Molokai are opposed to this action.

Naturally I became curious about La’au Point and decided that a hike out there was something I wanted to experience. Molokai is famous for being a piece of real, rural Hawaii…where people do not hurry, where you find no chain stores, where you stay awhile and get to know the people and the land. This growth is opposed to this island’s very being…so it is easy to see why people are upset and it’s not just the Hawaiians.

People fall in love with Molokai and it’s way of life which is what sparks this development. It’s become a popular place to have a second house. Many people retire here, but they all have one thing in common…they don’t want to see it change in a way that destroys the spirit of this place.

So there is fear of change, the fear of losing something that offers a connection to the sacred and the fear of the influence and impact the new landowners will have on the rest of the island. Island’s are small communities and want members who will be responsible to the community they are entering. All of this is a natural response to the situation.

The Hike

The hike out to La’au Point starts at Dixie Maru Beach or Kapukahehu. We were dropped off at Dixie and took a small trail from behind this small, gentle beach that leads out to the Southwestern tip of the island. Like many of the trails in Molokai, this trail (I use this term loosely) which was created by foot traffic, winds up and over several fences and would be kinda hard to follow without verbal directions and GPS or the guidance of someone who has been there before hiking out with you. We had the verbal directions coupled with GPS and only got turned around twice!

Rock, Rock Everywhere!

When we got out to the point this is what we saw. There is very little beach of any kind. The surf is large…we watched huge waves coming down on the rocks and almost got our shoes watered in several of them but the large surf, rocks and lack of safe swimming area makes this a less desirable building spot. There are many houses and condos on the island in which a very short walk out of your front door leads you to a beach that you can surf or swim in if you choose. Such is the case at the condo where we stayed, Paniole Hale, which is located right on the Kaluakoi Golf Course and a short distance to Maki Horse beach. Lack of swimming area rules out La’au Point as the future site of my $2 million dollar estate…that and the fact that someone else has made a very fine home of it.

Good for Seals

What fails to make a suitable investment for luxury housing makes an excellent home to the Hawaiian Monk Seal. The Hawaiian Monk Seals are endemic to the islands. Their population is endangered as they need solitude for breeding and the increasing human population has made it difficult for these seals. Molokai is a favorite island for them and La’au Point is a place that the seals are often seen basking on the sand. We made friends with this guy (the tags on his flippers read #36 & #37) and I dare say he was as curious about us as we were about him.

Power Struggles

There is no enemy…only situations. Molokai Ranch owns a huge portion of the island. It makes sense to me that they could easily find an alternative site for the housing they are proposing and I seriously urge the developer to measure the interest in this site. I think it will take them quite a long time to sell. The real wealth out at La’au is not the worth of the land…but lies in the seals, a natural treasure that is rare, and Molokai is fortunate to be home to so much wildlife.

Creating from Truth

There are many solutions out there but the best solutions will come from what Hawaiians have known since the birth of their culture…that spirit infuses everything, and if spirit is honored in the world of form…it can and will transcend all else.