Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Hawaii





Perhaps a land of angels…

Hawaii, the last day of this adventure with Beth, my dearest friend in the entire world. It has been a trip of omens and portents and is ending on the day that Barack Obama from Hawaii, just became President Obama. A new beginning. A new age…

An inner voice has led me all over this island. Stop here. Go there. Go to Hawi, to Star light crystal shop. There are crystals there for you. Right now. Then go to see the whales. And so we did. And the whales came right to us. So for over an hour we floated in a little rubber boat alongside a mama whale and her calf and a male escort, That’s what they call these males who take it upon themselves to protect the mother and baby . The whale's thoughts felt long and deep and sloooow as the mother and calf rose and dove close enough to touch.

A pod of dolphins swam nearby. They hurried through the waves. Cheerfully chanting. We’re busy busy busy, no time to play today …

High above loomed the snow capped peaks of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa. The male and Female volcanoes. Pyramids that literally create the earth. All around the earth is new. Every landscape encapsulated on this island. Madame Pele watching over it all. Humbling us. Beth and me. Filling us with gratitude.


As the days passed the inner voice, or perhaps it was an angel sent by Madame Pele, became stronger, telling me to get up from the beach on the kona coast and drive to hawi. To the Pololu Valley Lookout, where you descend into a steep v shaped ravine. Into the womb of the mother. Meditate here the voice told me. But a group of young men with big dogs emerged from a stand of trees and I became afraid. The voice urged me on and I argued. Not trusting. They might hurt me. It’s late in the afternoon. Hardly anyone is here.

Sit down. Take out the crystal and meditate with it, here, while the sun sinks closer to the ocean. The voice was having none of my feeble protestations.

This better be real I muttered. Imaging all kinds of gruesome things.

I was pulled up short.

And I understood that I could not open my heart because it was closed with fear.

So I sat. Still afraid but deciding to trust. Not really properly but I sat and closed my eyes and then opened them. Glancing around. A woman who’d been sitting far down the beach had come nearer to me. She was circling around me. I imagined she watched me. I closed my eyes… breathe breathe...let go of thoughts ... the fear came.. my eyes popped open... The woman, had now moved round to the other side of me quite close and was sitting with her legs crossed, her palms up and a big stick across her lap, deep in meditation.

She is protecting you. Now close your eyes.
And so I did. I held the crystal. I closed my eyes.

The voice whispered, riding above the roar of the waves and riding them in with a soft shushing across the black sand.

It’s about love. That’s all it is. The Te amo kind.
The crystal is charged with love.

I opened my eyes. Sun hit bright drops on the water. The cliffs rose straight from the black sand. Glorious. Finally I ambled back towards the path. Taking pictures as I went. And Of course the woman was close behind me. She was from India or Sri Lanka. A man accompanied her now. She hurried to catch up with me. I wasn’t imaging this. She smiled at me. I smiled at her. She pointed to the trees where the boys had come from. It’s lovely up there she said.
Yes I said. Not telling her I’d run away in fear.

The husband butted in. He didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t want her talking to a stranger really, he said hello and then pulled her away, but she caught my eyes with hers and looked at me for a long time. Smiling and nodding before she hurried off.

Last night the Serpent of Light, (a book my friend Lee, suggested I read.) ended with a chapter about the Waitaha Maori people and how they practiced a kind of dreaming from the heart and how the new age was about love. They believe we as a species come from whales and dolphins. These people are related to Hawaii. And then this morning at about 7am Hawaii time the poet Elizabeth Alexander read her poem for President Obama’a inauguration, Praise song for the day

And it ends

“What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.

IN today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun.

ON the brink, on the brim, on the cusp--- praise song for walking forward in that light."
Elizabeth Alexander.


And so here we are. The dots beginning to connect. Beth and I still adventuring around together.   feeling life and loving everything.  The te amo kind.
life is amazing! Perhaps that is so.

xxx

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've captured it in words and pictures. The other Hawaii that not everybody gets to see, what to me is the beating heart of this big island. I loved being the angel in the jungle. Working with you was a great treat. I also love the jungle photos that came out of that adventure - the giant stone being engulfed by the roots of the tree. And the gorgeous starburst sun... It was joyous being here with you. Much much love. Always.

Lindsey Jane Photography said...

That first image is AMAZINGLY stunning Iva. Looks like you were thriving in Hawaii. Next trip... MONTANA to see me and buffaloes and mountains, etc.)
;)

Meg Wolff said...

Iva,
I didn't know you had a blog! What a beautiful post. Your photography is amazing, I love the angel.

LoloF6117 said...

This is a lovely and ethereal story. So sweet to read.