`A`ohe hana nui ke alu `ia - No work is to large when done by all

Aloha e everyone!

The last week has been pretty amazing! My film, Aloha Life, received the Golden Kahuna for Best Hawaiian Film at the Honolulu International Film Festival. Many of us who worked on the film joined filmmakers from all over the world to celebrate the power and beauty of film. I was struck by how so many people use this medium in so many varied ways to translate their messages, their stories, and their passions.

I will be honest, I never dreamed of being able to share the Aloha Life on film. When the Brian Rusch, the director, first told me he wanted to make a film, I had no idea how we could accomplish it.. I mean A MOVIE!

After I meditated on it, I felt it was a way that I would be able to reach people throughout the world that I may never be able to otherwise. I sat down with Brian and we reviewed my writings and seminars. His goal was to make Aloha Life into a Docu-seminar. Bring in the beauty and power of Hawaii while also conveying the message of my ancestors.

When we started actual filming, I was amazed at the process. I am grateful to Brian for assembling such a hard working and knowledgeable crew. From our initial meetings to when I watched the first screening -- every person did their part to bring this project to the world. I know now to have faith in others. As we say in Hawai'i, `A`ohe hana nui ke alu `ia or No work is to large when done by all. I am eternally grateful to Anthony, Gabriela, Matt, Zack, Jason, Mariah, Bianca and most especially Brian for helping to make this dream come true.

Getting leid by a Hawaiian

One of the most well-known traditions in Hawai'i is that of being presented with a lei. While presenting someone with a lei is an age-old custom throughout the world, there is something about that garland in Hawai'i which evokes a sensuality and meaning that one can truly feel as being inherently "hawaiian".

I think that the reason the lei is so meaningful to us in Hawai'i is that for centuries, we were isolated from other cultures so the tradition took on a deeper significance than in other places. We have leis to mark milestones in our lives - leis of love, of welcoming, of sadness, of honor. We use them to mark those times in our lives that mark the passing of ages - births, graduations, weddings, deaths.

Hawaiian leis can be created out of various things. Some of the most spectacular are those that are meant to be lasting. These are created out of feathers, beads, shells and sometimes teeth. Historically they have been bestowed upon our ali'i or ruling class.

Most of us know now of the flower leis and more than likely are most familiar with those made of orchids or plumeria. These are newer flowers in the creation of leis. Historically, the meaning of each flower that goes into a lei has as much meaning as the lei itself. Each island has a flower that it is known for and that has a deep, long history. For example, the island of Keawe (aka Hawai'i's big island) is most noted for the Lehua flower that grows on the Ohia tree. Legend has it that the goddess Pele met a handsome warrior named Ohia and she wished to marry him. Unfortunately Ohia had already pledged his love to Lehua. Pele was furios that she would be refused so she turned Ohia into a twisted, gnarly tree. Lehua was devastated but the other gods took pity on her. They turned her into a blossom that grew on the Ohia tree so that the two lovers could be together for eternity. Quite a fiery love story, no?

Each of our Hawaiian flowers that goes into the making of our leis has an equally powerful meaning. My good friend, Ried Kapo Ku recently released a CD of Hawaiian chants and and the song Ka Haku Mele Aloha O Hawai'i explains each flower and its meaning to each Hawai'ian island.

Receiving a lei is an honored tradition. Leis are for men, women and children of all ages. In short, it is good to get leid by a Hawaiian!

Don't be a Haole - Aloha Breathing for Energy

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

Making Hawai'i and the world a Better Place

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 ever rented 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

Tutu Wisdom: The Story of Alana

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

Always with Aloha, always with gratitude

Many of us are facing difficult times lately. We wonder if our house is worth what we paid, if our 401k's will hold up, if the new administration will make a difference.

I live every day of my life with Aloha. This is something II learned from my grandmother who learned it from generations of my Hawaiian ancestors - a life philosophy based on an ancient belief system called Ho‘omanamana.

Part of living this life, this Aloha Life, is the realization mana (energy) goes where you guide it. I found myself watching various cable news stations earlier today and realized that I was putting a lot of energy into conjecture as to what the future holds. I decided to take some time to think about what I am grateful for -- and what better time to do it!

I write quite a bit on the meaning of the Hawaiian word aloha. With this special day of thanks upon us, I thought maybe I would examine more closely the other word that is so prevalent in the Hawaiian language -- mahalo.

While we use mahalo to say thanks and express gratitude, the word has a deeper meaning used to acknowledge the divine in everyone. Mahalo can be divided into three other Hawaiian words:


Ma - by means of

Ha - sacred breath

Alo - in the presence of

To say mahalo to someone is to wish them always in the presence of the Divine breath. To say mahalo is more than to just express gratitude, it is to wish upon the recipient the Divine Blessing.

I hope that all of you here in the U.S. have a Happy Thanksgiving and to my loved ones - those I know in person and those I have only met through this online community - Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale - Always with aloha, Always with mahalo.

Alika

Set Yourself Free Using Ho´oponopono

Every one of us has people, things, emotions and situations, that, good or bad, consume our mana, or energy, and deplete our personal power. Aside from the impractical option of shutting these forces out, how do we deal with these things without leaving our mana completely drained?

My Hawai’ian ancestors have a tradition called Ho´oponopono or, translated literally, "to make right". It originated as a way for the family unit to deal with life's difficulties and evolved into a healing process we use to mentally cleanse ourselves or simply, to turn everything over to our Amakua or higher power.

To make things right through Ho´oponopono is so simple—but to do so, we have to accept two simple concepts. First, everything we experience in our lives, positive, negative or simply the backdrop of the world around us, gets filtered through one simple truth—that our reality is what we have created.

To fully comprehend this, we can compare our lives to a movie. Every one of us is the star of our own movie. We have our supporting cast (friends, family), special guest stars, and many, many extras. Everything we experience, feel, hear, and see—it is all filtered through the lens of our lives.

So knowing that we are the stars of our own movie does that mean we have total control over everything that happens to us, allowing us to prevent anything bad from ever happening to us? Of course not! The reason for this is that while we are the stars of our own movie, everyone else is the star of his or hers. That person who you pass on the freeway while driving your car is just as wrapped up in his existence as you are in yours.

While it is important to understand that we create our own reality, it is equally important to understand everything is connected to every other thing. My Hawai'ian ancestors called these connections we all share aka cords and they can best be described as an ethereal bond between us and everything we experience. Visualize a spider moving around and leaving a thread at every point she connects to a surface. Like the spider, we create a thread of energy between us and everything we see, touch or feel.

Once we have accepted these two simple principles, it becomes very easy to “set things right” through Ho´oponopono.

Sit quietly and visualize all of your loved ones. See your parents stepping onto a stage below you being joined by your siblings, children, and extended family. Who else belongs on that stage, who else are you connected to? Exes, teachers, authority figures, pets, and friends—see them all joining your relatives below you on the stage.

Is it only people that deplete your mana? What else takes your energy from you? Money, temptation, judgments, your job, obsessions and probably most importantly, yourself.

You have assembled quite a cast of characters on the stage below you. Every person, thing, and emotion on that stage is connected to you through the aka cords. Each aka connection is taking from you while you take from them. Some of these connections are supportive, while some are parasitic. Look at everyone on the stage and ask them, “Do you support me with the merging of my Amakua, or higher self?” Those that you know answer yes will leave the stage with total love for you.

Everyone remaining on the stage have something that is a piece of you—your love, your power, and your energy. The aka cord connecting you to everyone on the stage sits in a shadow and is hard to visualize. Take back the missing piece from them and pull it back within you. If you have a piece of them, know that you have held onto this for too long and return it to them.

Imagine the white light from your higher power illuminating you. Breathe deeply of this light and then exhale forcefully, breathing the light onto everyone on the stage. As you share the light from your Amakua, the aka cords connecting you will be illuminated. These aka cords connecting you to everyone represent your past dealings with them – how long do you want to be connected to your past? Ask your higher power to offer forgiveness to everyone on the stage and when you do, understand that you are receiving forgiveness as well.

It is clear that when we stay connected to these past events, our mana is depleted leaving us with less energy to focus on living in the moment. It is time to cut these connections to the past. Pulling from the strength of your higher power, sever each aka cord connecting you to those still on the stage. As you cut each cord, watch as what is on the other end slowly drifts away. One by one, your regrets, guilt, anger and sadness all leave you and when you are done, one cord will remain—that of the love of your higher power.

Ho´oponopono is not a one time process. I incorporate it into my daily meditation.

As time goes by you will see that there are fewer and fewer aka cords connecting you to those remaining on the stage but they will still be there. Ho´oponopono allows us to deal with everything in a way so that a minimum amount of power is taken from us. It shows us that when we accept accountability for our actions and forgive everyone and ourselves, our existence is made right.

Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale,

Alika