This beautiful blue sphere we call home is changing rapidly. Glaciers that have been holy shrines for thousands of year are melting http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1938688,00.html The world is changing dramatically. Is the planet cooling down or warming up or neither? Ask different scientists and get different opinions. I don’t think it has as much to do with man-made pollutants as the media would have us believe. The polar ice cap on Mars is also melting.

The yin and the yang, the constant state of flux everything remains the only constant. America seems destined to become a third world country, while the third world countries seem to be getting their acts together. Everything seems to be topsy-turvy.

Does this have anything to do with 2012? Does it matter? Would it make any difference one way or the other? Could it be stopped? This beautiful blue planet has been on this spinning around the Sun for tens of thousands of years and has passed through the magical galactic center countless times. The planet earth still exists. Each pass through the galactic center brings major change. Will this time be catastrophic? Who knows? I don’t and I don’t think anyone else does, either.  What if the cartoon below is true…….

So why am I writing this post on Thanksgiving Day? Because I am thankful, thrilled, grateful, delighted to be alive right now in this moment and taking part in these scary fun times. The past is history and the future is undetermined. All we have is this marvelous moment, the eternal now.

And remember, each of us chose to be here during this time of change – to polish our souls and move closer to “graduation” !  Our physical forms are of the earth, but remember, we are immortal spirits having a very human experience!

For a little closing humor about 2012, click here:

http://www.passion-paris.com/flash.html#myreel=v790&page=d69&video=v790

Der Weiße Schatten

Das “Weiße Schatten” ist eine alte, geheime Übung der Kahunas – Hawaiianischen Schamenen und Magier.

Diese Übung hilft Ihnen, Ihr Selbstvertrauen enorm zu steigern!

1.) Erschaffen Sie Ihren weißen Schatten:
Sie benötigen das erste Mal etwa 10 Minuten. Schalten Sie Ihr Mobiltelefon aus und stellen sich aufrecht vor eine möglichst neutrale Wand. Führen Sie die Übung durch (Sie können sich die Datei auch über Kopfhörer anhören)

2.) Senden Sie Ihren Weißen Schatten aus:
Der weiße Schatten ist Ihr ideales Selbst, das keine Angst kennt, das jede ANtwort weiß und immer richtig reagiert.
Senden Sie diesen Schatten immer dann raus, wenn Sie in einer Situation sind, in der Sie eine Frau ansprechen wollen.

3.) Üben Sie täglich
Senden Sie täglich so oft wie möglich Ihren Weißen Schatten aus. In allen Situationen, egal, ob es sich um das Ansprechen von Frauen handelt oder um andere Situationen, in denen Sie mehr Selbstvertrauen benötigen.

4.) Beginnen Sie, Ihrer Intuition zu folgen
Wenn Sie die Übung über einige Zeitlang machen werden Sie beginnen, einen immer stärkeren Drang zu spühren, die Aktionen Ihres Weißen Schattens auszuführen.
Es ist auch eine Übung, mit der Sie Ihre Intuition enorm stärken.

Der Weiße Schatten ist ein kleiner Teil meines Programms “Maximales Selbstvertrauen”.

Sie können die gesprochene Anleitung hier anfordern.

Quiet morning…up way too early waiting for the next snow report in the morning to confirm there’s another foot or two of fresh snow.  I am losing count but the opening week has gone something like this: Saturday 70cm, Sunday 70cm, Monday 30cm, Tuesday 40cm, Wednesday 56cm and now Thursday another 53cm, Friday don’t remember…you do the math…it’s deep!  Can’t sleep…

Heard a gentle ‘hwump’ the other morning and thought for a moment it was an avi bomb echoing down the valley but looked out to see a small dark bird twitching on its side in my son’s sled beneath the window, wings folded tight to her chest, struggling to catch her breath and then still.  My wife and I watched silent, I turned to her and shook my head with my eyes and we finished getting our little boy ready for school.  Later that morning I returned, picked up the motionless little body and took her to a hollow in the rocky bank next to our home after holding her long enough to be certain she was not coming back.

I am reverent in these early days in the snow and of our friends who are not here to laugh and smile and tell us tales of just how deep it was or about the stupid trick they pulled or line they skied.  Only a week after Remembrance day and here we are heading up the mountains with that same anticipation we had when we were kids and this year (once again) there are fewer returning after their lives were cut short so suddenly…but if we listen closely between the turns and windswept lines we will hear their voices beneath the snow.

The first 70cm day was epic (what else do you call those days?)…dropping into the same lines I had just skied the last two days that had vanished.  The next 70cm day was beyond…literally too deep to turn on any of the terrain that was open and the usual trees and rocks my size were gone beneath the surface, the cliffs on top of Rat Fink, gone in two days…enough, stop thinking…sleep.

In the dream this opening week in Whistler has become, each day repeats like it did for Bill Murray in, ‘Ground Hog Day’…I get off the gondi goggles, gloves and zips all set, click the buckles on my boots and slide unnoticed past the crowds with that silent nod that says ‘Here we go…’ (aka ‘I’m local, trust me, you don’t want to follow me’)…but more than that it says, ‘I’m home’.  I slide past Green, right, a little left of right, nearly out of sight and slip between the markers without a second thought…like slipping into my favorite pair of jeans ‘that fit like  an old lover come back for more’ (Max Blagg).  A short hike over the roll, west wind at my back pushing, driving me to that bottomless familiar escape into the white…and beneath the snow echo the ageless muses of younger days like the soundtrack of my life.

The low base of “Love me two times…” sinks in and the voice of Jim Morrison reciting the Graveyard Poems of a forgotten era before my time…and, “the voices of singing women are calling from the far shore and they are saying, forget the night and live with us in forests of azure.  Meagre food or souls forgot.”  The constant sting of the wind numbs and the blur of white that suddenly surrounds is calling me home. ‘A little more right son, you know the way.’  Alone, together, like an old friend pouring one more drink for the drive home.  Punch drunk love-sick ramblings…like it’s the first time all over again. 

Higher right, roll, straight line, wind lip…pass a huge bomb hole the size of my body with a moments glance that snaps me back, awake.  No results from the blast, just a perfect round hole like a meteor evaporated on impact and left nothing to show but the crater…safe for now, game on, here we go.  There’s a small group of struggling searchers to my right too close to the tree line, too flat over there for today, and I instinctively cut left, air between the trees, drop weightless, land, and drop again when the ghostly cushion beneath the K2 Kahuna’s says, “yes, now”.  I run straight exhaling through the chest deep compression while the group stands still in time watching as the flash of red disappears into the glade at the bottom of the second pitch. Pine branches loaded with snow brush by and windows between the heavy trunks appear from my dreams and open one after another and I’m certain they close behind me as I pass…but I can’t look back.  I am ‘one’ with the forest, nearing unconsciousness, like Bruce Lee and, “the art of fighting without fighting…it is like a finger pointing to the moon.  Do not focus on the finger or you will miss all the heavenly brilliance.”  I let go, I release the inner turmoil to the wind and deny the inevitable collision of man and earth and focus beyond the trees, beyond the forest, until the voice fades and I am conscious again for a moment on top of a giant log.  I slide up and drop over the hollow gap below and find the muses waiting on the other side.

Five minutes to midnight or 3:28am, I don’t know which, and I am there throughout time with all the dead poets, friends and heroes who left before their time…James Dean, Jim Morrison, Bruce Lee, Trevor Peterson, Craig Kelly, Alex Loewe, Goran Kropp, Denis Fontaine, Heath Ledger, Shane McConkey…my cousin David at 16…and more.  In a world of exceptional people there are precious few who truly inspire and as they fall, each one in turn reminds me of the next.  It is so sad to say, ‘in turn’, like it was meant to be, by design.  The names and voices call us from the snow, and at home, far from the empty dreams we walk the halls as years pass and find our wives asleep and little boys and girls who woke up and crawled into our beds after a bad dream.  It is an all too true reminder that we take them with us when we do these things.  Like Shane said, there was a time when I too wrote I might never see 30 or 40 and yet here I am with their voices.

I imagine I see in those stolen moments what they saw and taste ‘the search’ at the tip of my tongue.  Unless you have fallen from a plane (a perfectly good one) and touched that awakening moment that commands you alive, or better commands that you question your life in a flash of white not knowing if you will surface from a wave or be forever one with the white light of an avalanche or slide down the pavement or dirt until the friction of the impact and the bone crushing clash of gravity and normal force make you stop breathing, you can’t imagine what they felt the instant before the inevitable.  It is like they say, your life flashes past in the blink of an eye, no, faster, and I mean your whole life before and beyond the chaos of disaster…the loves, the triumphs, the failures, the regrets, loved ones laughing, the dreams of your own seemingly inevitable funeral, that first ride on the Honda 50 motorcycle that had you hooked on speed, the children you have yet to hold, the dream of growing old with the one you love…all time and place and spirit combine and before you are lost, you are whole, and you know the truth in that fleeting moment before death and then, god willing, you are alive, thanking god (or whatever other divinity  you denied you implore the moment before) that you are alive.

My heart races…and then, at the open light at the end of the glade I slide to a stop and breathe…it’s nearly morning now.  I look up at the clock, check for daylight through the blinds, see the new day has arrived, and know if I listen closely the voices will be with me.

by Donald B. MacGowan

Moiokini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Whether you visit the Big Island for a few days, a couple weeks or a few months, you want to make the most of your time in Paradise. With such a wide variety of natural and commercial attractions, it is natural for the visitor to get a little overwhelmed in the “Option Overload” and not be able to make a balanced and informed decision on what they want to do and how best to spend their time.

Kapakai Kokoiki (Kamehameha Akahi Aina Hanau) Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Even choosing which beach you want to spend time on, or where you want to hike can be an exercise in confusion and conflicting advice.  Clearly, visitors to Hawaii could use help making quality decisions about how best to spend their time.

Offerings Left at Kapakai Kokoiki Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Tour Guide Hawaii is excited and proud to announce the release of their new GPS/WiFi enabled App for iPhone and iPod that helps you navigate your trip to Hawaii with hours of informative, location-aware video and information. Although our video guide will lead you to dozens of unusual, untamed and unspoiled spots, let’s look at a pair of important historical sights reached via a great hike, or a really good mountain biking trek, that you might have heard about, but might not be able to find from maps and guidebooks and could otherwise miss if you did not have Tour Guide Hawaii’s new App.

Kohala History and the Birthplace of King Kamehameha: Mo’okini Luakini Heiau and Kapakai Kokoiki (Kamehameha Akahi Aina Hanau) Heiau

Holerhole Stone at Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Introduction: Have you ever been somewhere stark, impressive, primitive and ancient, that was able to raise the hackles on your neck? Mo’okini Heiau on the windswept northern tip of Hawaii Island is just one such place.

A Windfarm on the Windswept Grasslands of Kohala, Near Mo'okini Heiau, Hawaii: Photo by Donnie MacGowan

The history of Hawaii as a kingdom starts in the grasslands and jungle canyons of North Kohala at two prominent temples, or heiau, which were the respective foci of the swirl of great events and sweep of history that culminated in Kamehameha the Great’s creation of the Kingdom of Hawaii by conquering and uniting all the islands of Hawaii.

The Windswept Grasslands Around Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

It was here in North Kohala, at Mo’okini Heiau, that a new religion was born. Passionate priests and princes from Tahiti reconstituted and revived the laws and society of Hawaii in the 11 and 12^th centuries. New practices of religious worship were introduced and untold thousands of people were sacrificed at Mo’okini to worship a new god, the war god Kuka’ilimoku (also called “Ku”). Born nearby at Kapakai Kokoiki Heiau in about the year 1758, Kamehameha the Great was brought to Mo’okini for his birth rituals.

The Approach to Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donnie MacGowan

History: During the 11th century, warlike Tahitians arrived in the Hawai’ian Islands, conquering, enslaving, sacrificing and largely displacing the descendants of the original Marquesan settlers. Into this bloody landscape came Pa’ao, the terrible and powerful Tahitian kahuna who was affronted at the lack of respect the Hawai’ian Ali’i commanded and at the apparent weakness of the Hawai’ian gods. He sent back to Tahiti for the warrior chief Pili and together they brought worship of the powerful war god Ku to Hawai’i and strengthened the kapu system of laws and power of the Ali’i.

Inside Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Worship of Ku demanded human sacrifice, which was performed at luakini heiau throughout the parts of Polynesia where Ku was venerated. Pa’ao caused Mo’okini Heiau (literally meaning “many lineages”) to be raised (it is said to have happened in a single night) by as many as 20,000 men passing stones hand to hand from Pololu Valley, 14 miles distant. During this process, if a stone was dropped it was left where it lay to preserve the rhythm of passing; the scattered line of dropped stones can be followed all the way back to Pololu to this day.

Inner Precincts of Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donnie MacGowan

The alter stones were brought by war canoe from Pa’ao’s home heiau of Taputapuatea (lit. sacrifices from abroad), the most powerful and most feared heiau in Polynesia and the center of Ku worship. Boulders for cornerstones brought hundreds of miles across the sea from Taputapuatea were laid with sacrificed humans beneath them. This gave the heiau a formidable power and an air of menace and despair that clings to it to this day.

Offerings at Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Outside the heiau walls can be found a large phallic rock and a flat stone with a cup-like depression near the top. Here, on this holehole stone, the baked bodies of human sacrifices were stripped of flesh and the bones saved to be rendered into fishhooks and dagger blades. Not much mention of the fate of the human flesh from these sacrifices is made, but it is universally documented that Polynesians everywhere were cannibals. This is a topic that is sometimes difficult for the modern descendants of these people to come to terms with and one which is best, and most polite, to simply accept and not comment or speculate upon.

Framing for a hale pili (grass house) at Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donnie MacGowan

There is no counting the tens of thousands of Hawai’ians who were made sacrifice here on this stone at barren, terrible Mo’okini over the centuries, but the sacrificial victims were all gathered by a class of kahuna called the Mu, or “body catcher”; the foundation of the dwelling of the Mu can still be found among the ruins of Mo’okini.

One of the Great Wals at Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Well preserved, Mo’okini Heiau stands today at the north end of Hawai’i, the first temple of human sacrifice in Hawai’i and the first site in Hawai’i to be preserved as a National Historic Landmark under the Historic Sites Act of 1935. Mo’okini Heiau is now part of Lapakahi State Historic Park. As Mo’okini is an active Heiau, visitors are reminded to stay away if religious observances are being celebrated.

Kamehameha Akahi Aina Hanau Heiau at Kapakai Kokoiki, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donnie MacGowan

Four tenths of a mile past Mo’okini is the unlikely, lonely and windswept site of fulfillment of a long-standing prophesy amongst the ancient Hawai’ians, Kapakai Kokoiki Heiau, now named Kamehameha Akahi Aina Hanau. Long-foretold was the coming of a warrior king who would unite all the islands into a single kingdom and who would rule wisely, piously and long. Prophecy and legend held that this Ali’i would be terrible in his fierceness, unstoppable in his strength, just in his laws and faithful in his observances to the gods. The prophecy continued that the ruler would be born along the wild northern coast of Hawai’i, the most sacred of the Hawai’ian islands. This ruler would, according to the prophecy, wield power of proportion unknown to previous Hawai’ian Ali’i, but for all this destined greatness, he was prophesied to live a lonely life.

Legendary Birthplace of Kamehameha at Kapakai Kokoiki, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Into this mythic context was born Kamehameha the Great, whose very name means “The Lonely One” in about the year 1758. The large boulders inside the enclosure at Kapakai Kokoiki Heiau are thought to be the same birthing stones on which Kamehameha’s mother, Chiefess Keku’iapoiwa, gave birth to the future ruler.

Hawaii Bureau of Tourism's Idea of a Good Joke, Mo'okini Heiau, Kohala Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

Getting There: To reach these impressive sites, turn off Highway 270 onto the Upolu Airport Road near mile 20 (just west of Hawi) and continue 2 miles to the airport. We recommend that you park in the obvious dirt car park by the airport and hike or mountain bike the road 1.6 miles to Mo’okini Heiau, continuing on a further 0.4 miles to Kapakai Kokoiki Heiau. It is possible to drive 4-wheel drive vehicles down this road, but deep ruts, potholes and rocks make it impassable for most passenger vehicles. Also, Kohala is infamous for its ferocious and unpredictable rainstorms which render this road an ordeal in deep oozing mud and slime, unusable to motorized vehicles.

Not far from Mo'okini Heiau is the Original King Kamehameha Statue in Kapa'a, Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

This dirt road goes all the way (about 4 miles) past Mo’okini Heiau and the Kamehameha Birthplace to the old Coast Guard Loran Lookout; this makes a wonderful beginner’s mountain biking trip or day hike, especially considering the amazing historical sites along the way.

Retracing your path to the airport and back up to Highway 270, treat yourself to a visit in real Old Hawaii at the small towns of Hawi and Kapa’a. In these small towns you can find restrooms, many of the island’s best restaurants, interesting shops, fantastic art galleries and grocery stores.

Sacred Stones at Mo'okini Heiau, Hawaii: Photo by Donald B. MacGowan

To see the new iPhone/iPod Touch App, please visit http://www.tourguidehawaii.com/iphone.html. The best of Tour Guide Hawaii’s free content about traveling to, and exploring, the Big island, can be found here. For more information on traveling to Hawaii in general and on touring the Big Island in particular, please also visit www.tourguidehawaii.com and www.tourguidehawaii.blogspot.com.

Copyright 2009 by Donald B. MacGowan. All rights reserved.

As regular visitors to Full Contact Living will know, I’m a big fan of the polynesian philosophy of Huna. I’d definitely say “fan” rather than “expert”. There’s more than a little crossover between what I believe is essential to creating a better life – and indeed a better world – and what the Kahuna have known for generations, and this is not a coincidence (But then, nothing is).

Below are the Seven Principles of Huna, as described by my absolute favourite commentator on the subject, Pohaku. Check out his fantastic podcasts and website, HunaTrainer.  I’ve removed the Hawai’ian names just to keep things streamlined.

1. The world is what you think it is. Be Aware.

You create your own experience by your thoughts. Thoughts of fear, anger and resentment can make us sick and diminish our effectiveness, while thoughts of confidence, love, determination, and forgiveness can increase our health and performance. Learn to recognize the effects on experience of attitude, expectation, telepathy and belief. Thoughts will telepathically attract their equivalent. Positive thoughts will attract positive people and events. Negative thoughts will attract negative people and events.

2. There are no limits. Be Free.

Everything is connected. A single thought of love or hate influences the whole universe. Connectedness may be described as a web or infinite electromagnetic fields. Anything is possible. By assuming such interconnectedness we assume the possibility of influence at a distance. Our energy or spirit extends to the ends of the Universe because there are no limits. Keep the connection clear by continually releasing mental and physical stress and tension.

3. Energy flows where attention goes. Be focused.

Those aspects of your present experience which seem enduring are the result of sustained focused attention. If you don’t like your present circumstances then find some way to shift your attention to a new pattern. (Meditation or hypnosis are some techniques.) Keep your intentions, objectives, goals and purpose in mind, including frequently reviewing your motivation. This lends a high degree of efficiency and a low degree of frustration.

4. Now is the moment of Power. Be present.

Remember your beliefs, thoughts and behaviour change your world. It is futile to live in the past or the future. The greater your presence in the now, the greater your effectiveness. Be more consciously aware of the input from your senses. Be aware of sounds, colours, shapes, lines, touch, energy. Decide for yourself what is worth following up on.

5. To love is to be happy with. Be happy, praise.

Criticism kills relationships, praise builds them. Whatever you criticize or praise increases and grows. Self criticism causes stress, anxiety and inhibits awareness memory and energy whereas self praise increases awareness, energy, strength, memory, and contentment. Whenever you are criticized personally praise yourself aloud or silently and the criticism will have no effect. Sending blessings is as important as praise. To bless is to reinforce actual or potential good, to acknowledge beauty, admire skill, appreciate kindness and give wishes for success and safe journeys. Telepathic blessings can be just as effective.

6. All power comes from within. Be confident.

Confidence is vital because without it, it is difficult to function. All the power that creates your own experience comes from your own body, mind and spirit. You create all your experiences through your beliefs, desires, fears, expectations, reactions, and responses. Neither affirmations, prayers nor visualizations will be effective if they are spoken with wistful hope and feelings. Confident authority is the key to all conscious creation and manifestation. Suitable confidence raising affirmations are – “I approve of myself. I send praise to myself and others. I speak, think and feel with conscious authority and belief, I and everyone have the power to create our own experiences. I am doing well. I feel great”.

7. Effectiveness is the measure of truth. Be Flexible.

What is really important is what works. Every problem has more than one solution. There is always another way to do anything. This translates as the way you do anything determines the result, definitely not the reverse. Reach success through helping others.

As you can imagine, this is a very short summary of the principles and definitely worthy of continued exploration and reflection. I’d also recommend visiting www.hunatrainer.com and diving into their forums for more info and discourse on this fascinating subject.

BRB

self help

I’ve been contemplating getting “inked” for a while now, but I’m not a tramp (stamp); I’m not a deadhead; I’m not a punk; I don’t have a criminal record; I’m not in a gang; I haven’t even had that difficult of a life; and I don’t really think I have much to prove.

The point is, as long as I’ve been thinking about getting inked, I’ve been wondering whether or not I’m even qualified to get a tattoo.

It’s not that I think getting tattooed is frivolous. Rather, I think getting inked is (and should always be) a serious and personal matter.

I like to think of getting tattooed as symbolic—whether signifying someone or something’s effect on you or a right of passage into (or out of) a personal phase of life.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of preconceived notions about tattoos (many of them alluded to above) are misconceived notions—ones that could potentially lead people astray…especially from being tattooed. Those of us who are fascinated by the art of tattooing and who respect the symbolic significance and artistry are potential victims.

There are many different types of body modification throughout the world; they can indicate social status, religious/political/ philosophical affiliations, individual accomplishments, personal transitions or changes…even an individual’s successful completion of various rites of passage. I watched a show once about tattoo art in the Samoan context. In Samoan culture, the idea behind tattooing is ‘one body, one life’; the body, then, is the perfect canvas-a way to display a person’s life and experiences while maintaining a personal hold on both.

There is something about the permanency of a tattoo that heightens its intensity and sets it apart from other types of body modification. So, to see the art tattooing from a different perspective, I set out on a research bender. Google is a research bender’s best friend; my recent tryst with the search engine led me to various sites that feature information on the art of tattooing. The site that proved most informative was Smithsonian Magazine’s internet home.

Cate Lineberry, a contributor of www.smithsonianmag.com, and her article “Tattoos: The Ancient and Mysterious History” provides some truly fascinating information about tattooing and even makes cross-cultural connections about the art; a related article on www.smithsonianmag.com, also by Lineberry, “Today’s Tattoos: Making your mark,” investigates tattoo art in a more recent and mostly Western context.

Lineberry’s historically-bent article focused on the research-based knowledge of Joann Fletcher (University of York, Britain) and was truly enlightening. According to Fletcher—a research fellow of the university’s archaeology department—tattoos were relegated to female bodies in the context of Ancient Egypt. These tattoos were mainly placed on female inner thighs as well as the lower torso and stomach and hip areas. When first seen by archaeologists, these markings were considered signifiers of lascivious or sexually deviant behavior. Such assumptions were not that farfetched; in some cultures, only those who had committed crimes were tattooed.

Yet, this belief about Ancient Egyptian tattooing quickly faded when archaeologists realized the markings appeared on women buried in areas reserved for elite birth. The tattoos of Ancient Egypt are now believed to have been placed on female’s skin as permanent amulets against complications common to both pregnancy and child-birth.

In comparison to present-day Western-based contexts, Ancient Egyptian tattoo art stands in stark contrast: In recent Western contexts tattoos are often viewed as being masculine while in the Ancient Egyptian context, they were used to protect female bodies.

Lineberry’s article further taps into of Fletcher’s knowledge of tattoos used as protection. English coal miners and sailors alike would get tattoos to guard them against the life-threatening hazards of their dangerous occupations. A connection can be made here to traditional anchor tattoos amongst American sailors. These tattoos’ protective purpose is symbolized by the anchor’s well-known effect of holding a ship safe and stationary in seas’ oftentimes tempestuous waters.

Fletcher also points out that tattooing was often used as a form of therapy, believed to soothe joint pain and discomfort.

Fletcher then moves on to facial tattoos in the Maori culture of New Zealand. Lineberry’s article explains that Maori facial tattoos are called moko; highly ornate and undoubtedly personalized designs. Moko are a huge part of the Maori culture since its people believe that the face is the most important part of the human body. While moko adorn the faces of Maori males—signifying personal ancestral ties, strengths and accomplishments, and even accentuating features to attract the opposite sex—moko are also seen displayed on the faces of Maori females.

Traditionally, moko focuses on the lip and chin areas of the female face, accentuating what is most-likely considered the most beautiful features of women in Maori culture. Maori women argue that moko “prevent[s] the skin from becoming wrinkled” and “[keeps] them young.” Despite the aim of Christian missionaries to eliminate further facial tattooing, Maori women attested to the aesthetic and anti-aging benefits of moko. In effect, Moko persisted throughout most of the 1970s, triumphing over the sadly misled efforts of missionaries.

The facial tattoos of Maori culture were very strongly influenced by the tatau tradition of Samoa (weakly referenced by me above earlier on), which also has ties to Hawai’i’s kakau. According to PBS’s “Skin Stories” programs (featured at www.pbs.org/skinstories), the Pacific Islands and the cultures of them were serious about tattooing—and still are today. Only those who had mastered the art could practice the art (in Hawaii, kakau masters were called kahuna and were the ones who applied uhi (tattoo)), which only further intensified the connection tattoos made between the people they adorned, their past / ancestral roots, their ties to the land, and their accomplishments and other sources of pride in their lives.

Despite my binge on tattoo resources, my interest in them has not been satiated. Actually, the exact opposite’s happened. I plan on writing a few more blogs about tattooing and other types of modification throughout the world  and across human history.

I hope you found this stuff as interesting as I did. Keep your eyes open for more posts. Possible topics include: Berber women’s facial tattoos (Algeria); Padaung and the females from the Tibeto-Burman culture of Myanmar (Burma); Rubies, gems, amulets, and body modification; and maybe even the tattoos of Wodabe men (Niger).

In the meantime, be sure to check out Cate Lineberry’s articles on tattoos at www.smithsonianmag.com, PBS’s “Skin Stories” pages at www.pbs.org/skinstories, and Australia’s ABC correspondence and photos from reporters Tania Nugent and Clement Paligaru at http://mypacificstory.com/2008/07/tattoo-central-at-the-arts-festival/ .

And please, tell me what you think: To Tattoo or Not to Tattoo?

If you tithe to see if it will work, it won’t.

If you don’t tithe and run short (or worse), don’t whine about it, simply start tithing immediately from that point forward.

We all make mistakes – that’s why we’re here! To learn, to have a good time and to be of Service to others.

Below is a post from Scott Bidstrup (scott@bidstrup.com) about yesterday’s tragedy at Ft. Hood. It is symptomatic of the huge mental health problem of the entire United States, not just the military.

We have forgotten who we are and the emptiness is now eating us alive – literally. Re-remembering takes effort, not a quick fix. The Big Pharma is quite content to keep people doped up. They’re easier to control most of the time.

The Huna courses – Ke Alanui e Pono ia o`Huna and the Hunian Tarot (Kalo) Course can help you re-member who you are and your purpose for this current lifetime.

Contact us for information.

Aloha and a hui hou

KU

All,

The incident yesterday in Ft. Hood is symptomatic of a huge mental health problem in the U.S. military that is being swept under the rug by handing out powerful psychotropic drugs like they were candy, with no regard for the long term consequences or underlying problem.

Post traumatic stress disorder is becoming so common, it is affecting more than 20% of the troops, yet the primary response has been to do what Big Pharma suggests they do – just give ‘em drugs to cope.

That doesn’t solve anything, it simply postpones the inevitable.  And this incident is evidence of the consequences of not doing anything responsible to address the problem of mental health.  The shooter yesterday had become depressed and neurotic as a result simply as a result of dealing with the problem among the troops, seeing them deployed and then coming back at the end or their tours, in much worse shape, to be prepared for deployment again.  Imagine what the troops themselves are coping with.

Scott

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Mass Shooting Indicates Breakdown of Military

by: Dahr Jamail, t r u t h o u t | Report

http://www.truthout.org/11050912

…According to an Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center analysis, reported in the Denver Post in August 2008, more than “43,000 service members — two-thirds of them in the Army or Army Reserve — were classified as nondeployable for medical reasons three months before they deployed” to Iraq.

Mark Thompson also has reported in Time magazine, “Data contained in the Army’s fifth Mental Health Advisory Team report indicate that, according to an anonymous survey of US troops taken last fall, about 12 percent of combat troops in Iraq and 17 percent of those in Afghanistan are taking prescription antidepressants or sleeping pills to help them cope.”

In April 2008, the RAND Corporation released a stunning report revealing, “Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan – 300,000 in all – report symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.”

President Barack Obama, speaking during an event at the Department of the Interior in Washington, said that the mass shooting at Fort Hood was a “horrific outburst of violence”. He added, “It is horrifying that they should come under fire at an army base on American soil.”

Victor Agosto, an Iraq war veteran who was discharged from the military after publicly refusing to deploy to Afghanistan, has had firsthand experience with the SRFC at Fort Hood, where he too was based.

“I knew there would be a confrontation when I was there, because the only reason to do that process is to deploy,” Agosto explained, speaking to Truthout near Fort Hood . “So the shooter clearly intended to stop people from deploying.”

Agosto was court-martialed for refusing an order to go to the SRC to prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.

“I was court-martialed for refusing the order to SRC in that very same building. I didn’t enter the building, but I didn’t go in because I was refusing the process,” Agosto continued. “It’s a pretty important place in my life, so it’s interesting to me that this happened there…”

Tonight was my first Aikido class. I felt like the biggest klutz in the world, not to metion I’ve gained way too much weight since quitting smoking (but I can breathe now and that’s a real plus!)

It was magnificent! I may not be able to move tomorrow, but the class was fantastic! Everyone was quite willing to partner up with me. They were patient and kind with my lack of ability, flexibility and knowledge. “Everyone starts somewhere” they said.

There was one other newbie. He had three classes under his belt already, but he and I were the only two who broke out in a sweat (and remained in a sweat) during the warm-ups! Ah, to be the beginner once again.

It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to learn how to fall and roll without letting my head touch the mat. I suppose I should put sitting properly ahead of falling, eh? But I never had done things in sequence <sigh> so why start now?

Because the Day of Remembrance fell on a Monday this year, the three of held separate ceremonies to honor our beloved dead.

Right out of the gate Monday morning, I overslept. That’s one of the drawbacks of having a bed that is so incredibly comfortable I never want to leave it. I had saved a bit too much to do for one day, but I woke up feeling wonderful and was having a blast going around and getting everything ready. I figured whatever didn’t get done wouldn’t matter in the greater scheme of things. It soon became apparent that these spirits really wanted their Awa and were therefore jumping in to the game to help in any way they could!

My daughter texted that she would be here in the early afternoon for a short visit to pay her respects, as well. My day just got shorter!

Walmart didn’t have what I as looking for which meant a trip to the grocery store on the other side of town. Success! They had live sunflowers! Target was right next-door and they had the remaining needed items I needed. There were no lines and parking spaces were close to the doors. I told you, these guys were really clearing the path for me!

Got back home, rearranged things on the table to accommodate the kanoa and made space on the counter for the extra bowl of our sacred sacrament of Awa (which was yet to be started), set out the photographs of those who have gone on ahead, including our beloved animal friends (every year the list gets longer – the cycle of life in action), arranged the sunflowers, ran the vacuum, started the Awa, jumped in the shower just in time for my daughter and her 2 dogs to arrive.

A walk through the woods calmed all of us down and we enjoyed a pleasant afternoon. This was her first DoR and I wasn’t sure if she thought her Mom was a bit loopy, but she didn’t think so at all. We took our glasses of Awa outside. She had a few loved ones to remember and help out. After the ceremony and a few minutes of silence it was time for us to drink our portion of the Awa. It was then that I saw the doubt on her face. Awa is brown, looks like muddy water and has a distinct “aroma”. She took one sniff and I busted out laughing. “Don’t smell it, silly! Just drink it fast.” She did not have to ask why not. But being a little trooper, she drank it all and we went back inside. (Note: DeShae and I love the taste of Awa. Lani thought we were nuts, but we didn’t care.)

Meanwhile, Mitch texted that she would be arriving about an hour after my daughter left. That gave me time to talk to DeShae who was already underway with her Ceremony. Mitch arrived around 7:30 pm. I didn’t have a chance to speak with DeShae again that night.

Now the thing about the Day of Remembrance is that this is the day we feed mana in the form of Awa to our beloved dead. This gives them the strength and energy they need to carry on with whatever it is they are doing on the Other Side. And like I said, word had spread and we all had been feeling their arrivals for the past month.
Mitch arrived and we did a more formal Awa Ceremony and “opened the Awa bar” for the spirits who were packed in here. We set out more than 50 little cups of Awa.

I was hoping that Lani and Max would make an appearance. I had been inviting them for the past few weeks, but ya never know. We had saved two chairs especially for them. Tamu, the cat who is generally extremely respectful of all Ceremony and sacred spaces hopped up onto the chair I had saved for Max (it’s normally Tamu’s bed). I picked him up, set him on the floor and told him that Max and Lani needed somewhere to sit. He shot me one of his looks and sat beside the chair. He appeared to be waiting. A few minutes later, Tamu was having a conversation with someone sitting in the chair. Neither Mitch nor I could see them, but Tamu could. We could sense both Max and Lani when they arrived within a few minutes of one another. As soon as they left, Tamu hopped up into the chair, curled up and went to sleep.

I guess Sally, aka Little Black Dog, got tired of being “stepped on” because she curled up under the desk for the night.

Mitch suggested that I get the Aura Meter out to see just how crowded the room was. I picked up the Aura Meter and started scanning the room. Mitch said it felt like there was a party going on. It felt that way to me as well and the Aura Meter indicated exactly that. Spirits were standing around as if at a cocktail party. I could not take a tiny step without ‘bumping’ into someone. It felt very festive!

Usually at a Day of Remembrance, we sit around and reminisce about our ancestors, but this time it felt as if they were quite happy doing their own thing. So Mitch and I talked into the wee hours of the morning and finally called it a night somewhere around 3 AM. The energy had changed by that time and it seemed an appropriate time to say good night.

There was a gentle rain falling as she left, the gentle tapping of which lulled me to sleep after the TMHG was completed.

What a beautiful Day of Remembrance!

Today when DeShae called, she said that hers had also felt festive and like a party and she felt no need to reminisce either! She said it felt to her that the Spirits were grateful and appreciative, but quite content to do their own thing.

I laughed and told DeShae she has 364 days to prepare for the next Day of Remembrance!

I came across this while watching a british film called “Layer Cake” (shout out to E-Piff who put me onto that flick). The vibe is just f’n ill. This is the  4 min version, with the full being 7 Mminutes long.  The only thing im not feeling is the phrase “just be glad to be here“….  Avi is never “just glad to be here“.  Avi looks to go up and beyond here.

           Kahuna Nui Lani                          Kahuna Nui Max Freedom Long

Just a reminder that The Day of Remembrance is October 26th, Max Freedom Long’s birthday. It is the night Hunians all over the world honor their beloved dead and feed them Sacred Awa so they are fed mana. This recharges them with the mana they need to accomplish their goals and intentions on the Other Side. And it’s fun!

This year we will not be gathering together, so it is important that each do their own ritual. I plan on building a small fire and enjoying my deceased loved ones outside this year. You?

It was a three hour drive through Northern Virginia to Silver Spring, Maryland (no ‘S’- apparently there’s only one spring that’s sliver in Maryland. My MapQuest search for Silver Springs nearly fried the computer.) I was amused by the irony of searching out west for the very thing that is here close to home.

This would be my third healing within the past 12 months. The first one was not thorough, although I am certain that work is fine for some. The second one was ludicrous. Because I had been let down by the first two, I wouldn’t allow myself to get overly excited. Ironically, they all cost the exact same.

Maybe it was me. Maybe I was in a different place. I had started 20 years ago with a teacher who promised to teach shamanism, but delivered a cult. Then I met Lani and learned so much from him. Three days before he died, he promised to teach me how to communicate with plants and animals and spirit (the Hunian Lore of Clairesthesia). I had been asking for that for 7 years, but the Institute course never came to fruition. Lani finally realized it was never going to happen and agreed to teach me privately. Then he went and died.

Two years later, my health had deteriorated (had nothing to do with my lack of exercise or horrible eating habits). I knew I needed help and I knew I wanted to pick up where my work with Lani left off.

I found Caroline Kenner in Sandra Ingerman’s list of Shamanic Practitioners. I wrote and asked her simply, “would you be willing to do a healing and then teach me to journey?” That was my introduction.

She responded quickly and we set up an appointment for the coming week.

Meanwhile, I continued feeling worse and worse. The headaches that started when I arrived on the East Coast were intensifying; my stomach felt as if I had swallowed a lit candle, my ankles hurt, and my body was stiff down to the bone. There was no fever, so I did not think it was the flu (this would be verified in the healing). I was really hoping I would feel decent enough to make the drive to Maryland.

Fortunately, Monday I felt perfect! Tuesday, was a repeat. I had done the House Blessing and attribute most of it to that.

We arrived about 20 minutes early, enough time to take Sally for a walk. Caroline and I had a brief meeting before the walk. The connection was instantaneous I knew this was going to be good. It was like reconnecting with an old friend – one I hadn’t seen in several lifetimes. She is the only person outside of Huna who has seen the spirit of my necklace of Kukui Ho`ola au Aumakua. I was impressed!

After getting Sally settled, I went inside. Caroline was upstairs finishing up an earlier appointment which gave me time to look around. The living room and healing room were filled shamanic tools. It was charged with a wonderful energy! Each stone was vibrating, every picture alive. Everything had a purpose and knew what its purpose was.

The Hunian Kalo Lore is not a form of divination or fortune telling. There is interaction, questions and answers, full disclosure on the part of the quester. The Kalo is a direct line of communication with the quester’s Aumakua. The Kahuna is just the cord between the two. If someone is there to see if it is real or really works, then the reading will not be as beneficial as if they had been open and arrived with an attitude of ‘knowing’ that the Kalo is ‘real’. I decided to take this approach with Caroline and the healing.

We talked. Actually I talked, Caroline listened. I went with my intuition and told what felt appropriate.

Then she had me lay down on the floor. She sat beside me and the process began.

She was directed by her guides to lay stones around me and on my stomach. She told me that she would be singing, rattling and drumming. Lots of singing, she said. She kept being directed to use more stones. She sang and began rattling over my stomach area. And she abruptly stopped.

“How is your digestion?” she asked. In this instant I knew that she knew what she was doing. I had not mentioned my digestive issues not because I wanted to see if she would discover it, but because it never occurred to me to bring it up.

“Lousy” I laughed and told her about the burning sensation and the fact that I knew things were not good. I told her I suspected liver issues since I had been waking up at 3 am with a headache for quite a while (3 AM in Chinese medicine and according to the circadian clock indicates issues with the liver; so do headaches).

She went back into trance and rattled over my liver for a time. I felt something being pulled out. I knew when it was completed a split-second before the rattling changed calling her back to this level of reality.

Caroline asked me if I was still drinking (another detail I never thought to mention). I laughed and told her I have been sober for about 25 years. She said, “That’s why it left so easily. He could have put up a lot of defenses and fought, but he didn’t. He was disgusted and wanted to get out.”

Another check indicated clogged bile ducts and gall bladder problems. She was concerned that the bile duct was clogged. For a minute, I thought she was going to tell me something horrible, but she didn’t. I told her GB issues were no problem, that as a natural health practitioner, I knew how to take care of that and would do a gallbladder cleanse which would clear up any stones that may be present.

TO BE CONTINUED

………..and says it with is usual candor and eloquence. For the complete article, click the link at the bottom:

“…Vidal originally became pro-Obama because he grew up in “a black city” (meaning Washington), as well as being impressed by Obama’s intelligence. “But he believes the generals. Even Bush knew the way to win a general was to give him another star. Obama believes the Republican Party is a party when in fact it’s a mindset, like Hitler Youth, based on hatred — religious hatred, racial hatred. When you foreigners hear the word ‘conservative’ you think of kindly old men hunting foxes. They’re not, they’re fascists.”

Vidal now believes, as he did originally, Clinton would be the better president. “Hillary knows more about the world and what to do with the generals. History has proven when the girls get involved, they’re good at it. Elizabeth I knew Raleigh would be a good man to give a ship to.”The Republicans will win the next election, Vidal believes; though for him there is little difference between the parties. “Remember the coup d’etat of 2000 when the Supreme Court fixed the selection, not election, of the stupidest man in the country, Mr Bush…”

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article6854221.ece

It is NOT ok to pray for someone without their permission. It is NOT ok to “send energy” of any kind to someone without his or her prior consent –                                        2 key words:     PRIOR and CONSENT.

Without prior consent, the sender is behaving arrogantly and in a self-serving way, usually involving the ego. Praying for someone without permission or sending energy without prior approval from the recipient is a form of black magic. It is by definition, evil.  If consent is asked for but denied, to do it anyway is breaking spiritual law and the consequences for that action rest solely with the sender. While that is some consolation, the recipient still has to deal with the unnecessary etheric interference.

When doing this, most people believe they are being helpful or loving. They think they are being benevolent when sending any kind of energy or emotions, but they are mistaken. It is simply another form of manipulation in disguise. The worst offenders are usually the ones who talk about how religious they are (I love the Christian cross on the business card!) or perceive themselves to be very spiritual. They are also the ones who protest the loudest when confronted with the idea that they are practicing black magic.

Someone said to me “I’m sending you lots of chi” without even asking me if I wanted their chi (I don’t), but it never even occurred to them to ask. Why on earth wouldn’t I want it, right? <sigh>

I cannot understand why westerners never think to ask before meddling in someone else’s spiritual affairs.

I once got into an argument with a guy who was adamant that he intended to pray for my highest good even though I said absolutely not. He believed that he knew better than I did what was in my best interest. I don’t think you can get more arrogant than that, but I could be wrong. To pray for someone’s “highest good” is to pray for their life to be as difficult as they can possibly handle –right to the edge – so they can polish their soul quicker. It is a fast-track to Graduation, but it’s one hell of a track. Neither Lani nor I could ever explain to him the error of this thinking.

Attempting to send anything in any form through the ethers is very different from Self-Sourcing. When one is Self-Sourcing, nothing is “being sent” to anyone anywhere at any time. Self-Sourcing means a person is in charge of his/her feelings and those feelings are contained, not leaking all over creation. There is no need for anyone’s approval or disapproval because nothing is being sent anywhere and mucking up the ethers.  

I have had to go behind many self-proclaimed-do-gooders after they put mana into innocent, trusting people who were unaware of what was happening. I have had to undo, redo, repair, clear, remove and fix way too many things that never should have gotten messed with in the first place. Unfortunately, this type of thing appears to be escalating.

It’s one thing to know what you’re doing and do it anyway (because of an out of control ego, a misconception that you know what’s best for someone else, or a belief that you can do it better than God……really!!!). It’s another matter to be an innocent and allow it. Innocence (ignorance) used to be a mild form of protection, but I am finding that is no longer the case. It has, instead, become implied permission.

These are interesting times and things are changing rapidly. You had better know what’s happening and how to block this stuff or you can find yourself in a mess. Be careful who you trust!!

Kahuna Nui Ho`anoiwahinenuiho`alani (Thomas Lani Stucker)      and     Kahuna Ulana

It was two years ago today (seems more like twenty, Lani) that I drove from Gilroy to Concord to see why you weren’t answering any emails or phone calls. I knew. But I didn’t want to believe it. What would I do if you were gone? You had so much left to teach me……..

I met Lani on line in 1998. It was a crooked trail that led me to him.

I had left my shamanic teacher the year before. That was such a bad experience I never wanted another teacher and I certainly didn’t want to join another group. I figured there was no one else doing what I was doing, so I would go it alone.  

There was a Dowsers convention in Chicago and since I am always looking to improve my skills, I went. The people were great, friendly and informative and we all shared our knowledge, skills, triumphs and screw ups. There was no hierarchy; we were just a group of people sharing information. Someone asked me if I had done any reading about Huna. They said they thought I would enjoy it and that it might be a fit and suggested I read some books by a guy named Max Freedom Long. The books looked interesting, so I took them home with me. When I got back home, I discovered I already had the remainder of Max’s books sitting on the shelves amongst the hundreds of other books – an interesting beginning.

Max’s writing was difficult for me to read in the beginning, but I was hooked.

I did a search on yahoo groups for Huna, found three groups and joined all three. It didn’t take me long to figure that one was fluff and glitter with absolutely no substance – been there, done that, I got out of that one; the next one was pure evil (it doesn’t take long to figure that out once you know what you’re looking for) and I unsubscribed from that one as well. My un-subscriptions were met with some resistance from the moderators of those two groups, which I found amusing.

The third group was Lani’s. After several posts and a couple of emails, I knew Lani was the real thing. His power – which he always kept beautifully in check – permeated his posts. It was so subtle it escaped most people (I know because I watched it happen over a 7 year period). I knew this guy could reduce me to a pile of ashes if he wanted to, but I also knew that he would not.

Lani was one cool dude. He had retired from full time Kahuna work and was quite happy spending his retirement talking about Huna. He had pushed his physical body beyond ordinary human limits because of the exorcisms, battles with Satanic Cults and extraordinary things he had accomplished in this lifetime. He had suffered a major stroke and recovered. He had had several heart attacks and he was still going – the Energizer Bunny of Huna.

He loved Huna more than anything else in the world and dedicated the last 40+ years of his life to Huna and his Kumu, Max Freedom Long.

Oh, Lani and I used to argue. When he got tired of arguing with me, he’d just ignore me. He helped me shed my New Age misconceptions. He taught me through his example, not his words, but his words were plenty! lol….

It was because of Lani that I learned to walk on the Fire-Made-Sacred. I remember that first one so clearly….I was so terrified as I faced the thought of walking on red hot coals. I was shaking so violently, I thought I would shatter into a million pieces – I knew what fire could do! Lani never said a word to me. He just walked up behind me and put his hand on the middle of my back. I felt a power begin to flow like soothing liquid into me that was the most calming, gentle feeling of peace – it is practically impossible to put into words – but the trembling stopped and I knew, somehow I knew, it would be ok. And I walked unharmed across a bed of red coals.

It was because of Lani that I learned how to pray; it was because of Lani that I didn’t take my life that dark night of my soul; it was because of Lani that my daughter’s path of self-destruction was altered…………..

She came to the next Firewalk and thanked him for saving her life. She had known that she was on the way out and was unable to do anything about it until Lani took action and asked the Po`e Aumakua to help her. I was standing beside him watching the Fire (magic in action) and thanked him for saving her life. He said “I didn’t know if she was going to make it or not.” My knees were instantly weak and I nearly fainted. My faith in him had been so strong that there was never a second of doubt in my mind. I thanked him for not telling me that sooner.

Lani taught me the subtly of speaking directly to my Aumakua. Lani taught me how to live life.

Ya done good, Lani. We all miss you so much and wish you well. Keep the fires and the Luau going until we get there(the Hunian Moku, aka ‘heaven’)!!

Today marks the day of equal light and dark, the first day of autumn, the passing of the long days of summer into the sleep time/renewal time of winter. Those who are aware of seasonal changes have already noticed a ever so slight chill in the air that wasn’t there last week. The leaves are just beginning to hint at changing to their gorgeous fall show.

Even though the Autumnal Equinox is not a Hunian Holiday, I think I will light a candle and have a cup of Awa.

The ancient people who lived on this planet were much more in tune with nature than most westerners are today. Maybe that’s part of the problem with society now – the spiritual starvation, the disconnection. We seem to have lost our ‘roots’. Nature waits patiently for our return.

Hunian Makahiki (new year) is celebrated on the Vernal/Spring Equinox, the return of the Light. Even as a child I felt Spring was the actual start of the new year, not January 1st, the middle of winter! But there are some good beliefs associated with that – Dec 21, being the shortest day means the return of the light, even if it is imperceptible to a child (it was COLD and DARK as I remember). But Spring has always always always been my favorite time of year and since everything is new a fresh, seemed like a wise choice to this child

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAHUNA DESHAE!!!!!!!

<sigh> the realization that inspired the first gods becoming is the fact that we are RENTING these bodies we inhabit and I forgot that very line in the entire first post.

Kahuna Kuo`o pointed out tonight that Max Freedom Long had said the very same thing in his book The Secret Science at Work. He also said we are usually very poor tenants.

I pretty much go along with Lani’s philosophy on that one…….Yes, we are ‘renting’ but we will be the only tenant, so it’s not like we want to keep it in good shape for the next tenant. It is simply that it is not a permanent fixture, it is only temporary for us to use while we are busy here on this planet doing whatever it is you or I happen to be doing. Without a body, we wouldn’t be physical and we wouldn’t be having a physical experience, now would we?

When we die, we only shed the physical body which is returned to its source, the Earth. The soul (the tenant or renter, whichever you want to call YOU) lives on!

Even those of us who do not seem to be making progress (based on whose determination of ‘acceptable progress’, by the way???) are making the progress that they need to make in this lifetime or choose to make in this lifetime.

It matters, but it does not matter. We are immortal beings having a physical experience that just happens to be human.

On August 15th, 2009, the 10th Annual Kahuna Kupuna Surf Contest was held on Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica California.  I was able to shoot photos during the morning session but if I remember correctly my wife had something for me to do that afternoon.  Kahuna means chief and Kupuna means grandparent, so it’s for old folks kind of like me.  I guess that’s why I enjoyed it so much.  The contest is a benefit for environmental groups in  Pacifica.  You can click below for more information and the results ….

10th Annual Kahuna Kupuna Classic