I am here

"Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu. 

 (A person is a person because of other people.) "

African Proverb

 

"Au a 'ia

(I am here.)" *

 

Hawaiian chant

and

Hula

'A red wool beret ... perched like a cherry on a sundae' ...

 

"We, as Native Hawaiians, must continue to unveil the knowledge of our ancestors. Let us interpret for ourselves who our ancestors are, how they thought, and why they made certain decisions..."

- Pualani Kanaka'ole Kanahele Ka Honua Ola

* The prophetic chant ‘Au'a ‘Ia, ..." the drum dance that gives their class its name and mission. They are "Kama, kama, kama o ka huliau" -- children of the turning tide and changing times. And they are urged to hold fast to their "moku" -- to this land, to their heritage, and to their years of study. Life will turn quickly now for them, one turning point after another, but the dance and the years leading up to it have given them a set of "pōhaku kū" -- of anchor stones -- that will ground their mats in the wind and steady their nets in the tide..."- HMI

My toes are chilly from an early morning walk with my pal, my cat JOTS. We were ready to spring from the slowed down 'ole po mahina (the 'ole moon phases) just pau. The three reflective, feed-and-repair phases amplify the position of the stars and planets: Mercury in his retrograde (backing up) journey, the long term squaring off of Uranus and Pluto. There is nothing we can do about how the Heavens traffic the energy from their position in the hei of Grandmother Ku'uku'u. They are there, and I am here, you are there. We are where we are, all together.

 

The chilly temperatures remind me I am here on Whidbey Island, and not in Kuliou'ou Valley back on O'ahu. There is a sadness. There is an awareness of how deep my roots are. I feel the connection. There are stories that fold in and hold me. The other day I wrote about a net wearing the small red hat pictured above. Memories of the original storytellers who ensnared me with their magic opened up in me. I gave the story this name: The Net and The Red Hat. You might enjoy that one ... READ MORE.

Raven is outside calling me, and if I ignore him any more he will surely have some mischief stored up for me. So ... off I go into the further-ness of this amazing new day!