As is common for most of this at this time of year, I have been thinking a lot about my family, my friends and my loved ones.  I was thinking the other day about all the influences on my life and who has been the strongest.  Without a doubt, my Tutu (grandmother) has been one of the major driving forces in making me the person I am today.  She taught me about my people, our culture and how we can heal ourselves and others through both physical and mental work.

I spoke to my grandmother over the weekend as I was writing on the Aloha Life and wanted her advice on how to present certain concepts.  As we talked, suddenly all of these memories and stories started to come rushing back to me.  One I would like to share is the story of Alana.

Alana was a young girl who lived on the island of Kaua'i.  Alana's family had often spoke of a magical place in the middle of the jungle where a fantastic waterfall cascaded down into a pool of the purest water.  Alana dreamt about this place and one day asked her makua (father) how to get there.

Alana’s makua smiled at the girl and pulled out a large machete.  He pointed toward the dense foliage covering the mountain and said, “My dear, that is the way.  Go and enjoy yourself.”

Alana was upset that her makua would not just take her but she set out in the direction he sent her.  She reached the edge of the jungle and realized she could not even see light coming through the trees.  She began swinging the machete and began to cut away at the brush.

For hours Alana swung and hacked at the ferns and vines and as she did, she became tired and dirty.  Makikas (mosquitos) swarmed her and she was bit more than once by the centipedes.  Several times she thought about giving up but she did not.  After nearly six hours of cutting her way through the jungle, she suddenly heard the roar of the water.  She doubled her efforts and was suddenly in the most beautiful clearing where the birds sang, butterflies surrounded her and the waterfall cascading into the pool was even more beautiful than she imagined.  Alana instantly dove into the pool and drank of its cool, fresh water.  Never before had Alana felt a spring that filled her with such complete happiness.

That night, when Alana returned home, her makua asked her if she made it to the pool.  “Yes,” Alana replied, “but why did you not take me?  Why did you make me head out there on my own?”  Her makua smiled and said, “My darling Alana, if I showed you the way, it would have been just another pool to you.  I knew that if you cleared your own path, when you reached your goal, it would exceed every expectation.”

This story was told to me by my tutu the first time she ever told me of our practice of Ho'oponopono.  Like Alana, I learned that I must clear what blocks my own path in order to reach my goals.  Once I was able to remove my negative thoughts, guilt and all my other perceived blockages, a light shone through that allowed me to open my heart and mind to a whole new level of communication.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale,

Alika

I learned this morning of some fantastic news.  The Governor of Hawai‘i, Linda Lingle, announced that the state of Hawai‘i will be partnering with Better Place to bring car battery exchange stations to the Hawaiian Islands.

This news excited me for many reasons.  Aside from the obvious ecological and economical benefits Hawai‘i will experience from this, it serves as a reminder of something that Hawaiians have long been known for – sustainability.

When Captain Cook and his expedition first arrived in the Hawaiian islands, they were amazed at the agricultural system that existed.  The Hawaiians had created a system of cultivation, agriculture and sustainability that could not be exceeded by any other country in the world.

This system was set up instinctively.  The concept of  “private property” was unknown in Hawai‘i, but they had a complex system of land division known as ahupua‘a.  The ahupua‘a started at the top of the mountain peak and ran all the way into the ocean.  Each pie-shaped segment contained everything a village would need to survive – land for cultivation, fish, salt, fresh water, etc.  Resource rich ahupua‘a were smaller than those with less resources.

Ecological sustainability was enforced through the ancient kapu (taboo) system.  The kapu prevented destroying forests that provided forest products or watershed.  It put restrictions on fishing certain species of fish throughout the year.  The farmers of Hawai‘i did not till the land and practiced soilbuilding.  A cycling of crops and plants breeding allowed the Hawaiians to develop diverse crops resistant to disease.  What the Hawaiian people knew and practiced was that by constantly working within the boundaries of their natural environment, they were able to live a sustainable existence measured by abundance and leisure time.

Which brings me back to my excitement from today’s news.  Those of us who have lived or even rented a car in Hawai‘i know that fuel costs in the islands are highest in the U.S.  Much of this cost is attributed to the incredible expense of getting fuel to the islands.  What Better Place and Hawai‘i are doing is taking our natural renewable resources – wind, wave, solar and geothermal – and using them as the blueprint to putting Hawai‘i back on the path to energy sustainability.

It is my hope that all of us can look to the ways of the Hawaiians to serve as a guide and constant reminder of the need to be in harmony with our surroundings.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale,

Alika

Aloha.  The power, the love, the magic of this word is eternal.  But aloha is not just in Hawai‘i.   You carry it with you everywhere you go and you can connect to aloha, any time, anywhwere.

Stop whatever you are doing right now and do this exercise with me.  Take a full deep breath in through your nose.  As you do so, think to yourself  “Aaaaalooooo”.  This breath should take about 4-5 seconds on the inhale.  Next breath out through your mouth with an exagerrated “HAAAAAAA”.   Make this sound noisily and it should last about twice as long as the inhale.

So when you head out holiday shopping and the parking lot at the mall is bumper to bumper:  Stop and take that full breath through the nose, exahale through your mouth with a loud “HA”, it will reconnect you to the aloha.

Are your kids bouncing off the roof because winter break is here?  You are trying to figure out when you have time for getting the decorations up, cooking for relatives and still working 40 hours a week?  Inhale deep through your nose, exhale through the mouth with a loud “HA”, connecting you once again to the aloha.

Is it time for end of year reviews, you have to see your boss who seems to be in a bad mood all the time and you are nervous about how he is going to be today:  Inhale through your nose and breathe out through your mouth, “HAAAAAA”.  You will calm as you connect to the aloha.

No matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, you can connect to the aloha that resides within you always.  Breath in through your nose… “aaaaloooo”, breath out through your mouth… “HAAAAAA”.  Wherever you go you can build energy through connecting with the life force of aloha within you.

The Hawaiians named the first white visitors to the islands “Haole” – Ha, meaning “breath” and Ole, meaning “lacking.  Prior to chants or prayer or any statement, Hawaiians breath deeply.  The white visitors did not, thus the name haole.

Don’t be haole.  Stop right now and do the Alo-Ha breath for the next several minutes.  In through the nose, “aaaloooo”, out through the mouth “HAAAA”.  Relax and just let the aloha fill your life energy.  Let yourself be at one with aloha.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale

Alika