Aloha…

This is how we greet people on the beautiful island of Kauai. I find that I begin and end almost all my conversations with it. The Spirit of Aloha is something that I want to live and pass along as I walk through life. Therefore, I feel that it is appropriate to start off my introduction to the coming months with what I feel is essential to Living Beauty: to learn what is not said, to see what cannot be seen, and to know the unknowable. This is the meaning of Aloha according to Queen Lili‘uokalani, the last reigning monarch of the Hawaiian Islands.

The literal meaning of aloha is “the presence of breath” or “the breath of life.” It comes from “Alo,” meaning presence, front and face, and “ha,” meaning breath. Aloha is a way of living and treating each other with love and respect. Its deep meaning starts by teaching ourselves to love our own beings first and afterwards to spread the love to others.

According to the old kahunas (priests/priestesses), being able to live the Spirit of Aloha was a way of reaching self-perfection and realization for our own body and soul. Aloha is sending and receiving a positive energy. Aloha is living in harmony. When you live the Spirit of Aloha, you create positive feelings and thoughts, which are never gone. They exist in space, multiply and spread over to others.

The Spirit of Aloha as Law

Aloha Spirit is an actual “law” in the state of Hawaii. It is not a law that will get you in trouble if you break it. But it is on the books. Its main purpose is to serve as a reminder to government officials while they perform their duties to treat people with deep care and respect, just like their ancestors did. Aloha Spirit is more a lesson than a law. By learning and applying this lesson to real life, government officials can contribute to a better world, a world filled with Aloha.

Definition of Aloha Spirit State Law

[§5-7.5] “Aloha Spirit.” (a) “Aloha Spirit” is the coordination of mind and heart within each person. It brings each person to the self. Each person must think and emote good feelings to others. In the contemplation and presence of the life force, “Aloha,” the following unuhi laula loa may be used:

“Akahai,” meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness;
“Lokahi,” meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;
“Oluolu,” meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;
“Haahaa,” meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;
“Ahonui,” meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

These are traits of character that express the charm, warmth and sincerity of Hawaii's people. It was the working philosophy of Native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawaii.

“Aloha” is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation.

“Aloha” means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return.

“Aloha” is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence.

“Aloha” means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.

(b) In exercising their power on behalf of the people and in fulfillment of their responsibilities, obligations and service to the people, the legislature, governor, lieutenant governor, executive officers of each department, the chief justice, associate justices, and judges of the appellate, circuit, and district courts may contemplate and reside with the life force and give consideration to the “Aloha Spirit.” [L 1986, c 202, §1]

The word Aloha is an ancient intention from the Hawaiian Huna tradition. and as you will see the word carries a resonance that supports the intention of my column. I have learned there is great value in acknowledging and sharing the ancient bones our lives are built upon. And so, I felt compelled to fill you in on what is meant to be a special and powerful… Welcome!

Below is an overview of what I will be sharing with you over the months to come from my book, Living Beauty: Alchemy of Acceptance.

Living Beauty: Alchemy of Acceptance is a small but potent piece of a greater story — the story of human evolution and the 21st century human condition. “Living Beauty” participates in the expression of the human evolution process, and is therefore relevant and important to the bigger discussion of what it will take for each of us to evolve. For me, the bigger question is: “What will it take to evolve beyond the limited bandwidth of negative thought forms we experience on a daily basis?” The by-products of these are distrust, repression, domination, and oppression of ourselves and others. Presently, a culture of fear is promoted on a daily basis around the world. Fear consciousness seeks to control our human nature: to keep us isolated from our own natural selves, and individuals separate from each another. Fear and doubt can cast a shadow across an innocent misunderstanding, and lead to the segregation of an individual or group of people. This is an old survival tactic, yet as history has shown us, does not serve the evolutionary process. This outmoded and unsuccessful paradigm for survival serves no man, woman or child. It serves no relationship of any kind, and keeps all of humanity prisoners and slaves, dangling the promise of peace, joy, and freedom in front of us at the cost of another's subjugation.

Living Beauty: Alchemy of Acceptance is a personal account and also a dialog with an archetype called the Prisoner. This feminine presence gives an accounting of what happens within each human being at the point of evolution. She draws on the story of Adam and Eve to relate mankind's sacred task, and wake us from the deep sleep of limited consciousness. It is a foundational view of the male and female principals and their differing attributes and talents. This viewpoint focuses largely on the imbalance between these two principals, and the need for the feminine aspect to step forward and take a greater roll — internally and externally. The Prisoner seeks to inspire me and the women of today to understand and remember the ancient bones of our feminine ancestors and the potent power that comes with being born a female being.

“As in all great stories, the hero or heroine is given a sacred task; I have one for you. In order to end the chaos [within], you must kiss and awaken the Sleeping Beauty in you that lies in a type of suspended animation — waiting for the spell of limited consciousness to be broken. The spell can only be broken by a sincere act of true love for one's self. You must call to the deepest part of yourself that holds the memory of who you really are, and the innate gifts you inherited from your ancestors. When the women of the world come together and call out to themselves and to each other to remember, there will be a great remembering. When women finally accept and value their own natures by listening and acting on their heart's truest desire, then and only then will they be able to take their right place in the world, and the world will be brought back into balance. Neutralizing the shadows of doubt by selective reality is ultimately the only thing that stands in the way of human evolution.” – The Prisoner

A wonderful teacher of mine told me once, “We teach what we have most to learn”. Personally, this is what I want most to learn. In my book, I grapple with the Prisoner's powerful message, and at the same time, I am deeply inspired to take all the steps necessary steps to understand what it means for me personally to evolve and to put that understanding into action.

I guarantee Living Beauty will confront your present belief systems, and if you are able to stay open it will give you the keys to liberate yourself from the bondage of limited consciousness. Once truth is heard it cannot be denied… it niggles at you, and try as you like to deny it, it will eventually show itself for what it is. As a friend once said, “Truth is like cream, it always rises to the top”. Truth hangs out for however long it takes, waiting for us to be ready to drink it in. And it can only happen for each of us, when the time is right. I believe this is why Living Beauty: Alchemy of Acceptance must be shared. Living Beauty is a seed that has the capacity to grow enormous branches of understanding. When we allow ourselves to sit in the driver seat of our lives, and we begin to really get we can merely select the reality that we want for ourselves. We will become what we have been so desperately waiting for.

The inspiration for the book Living Beauty, the song Because You're Beautiful, and the Cause: You're Beautiful website all came from Eve Ensler's, invitation to write a song for her documentary, Until the Violence Stops.

It feels appropriate to start off my second column with Eve's invitation:

The Sacred Task – This column will start with a short introduction into the formation of my current spiritual beliefs, my first meeting with the author of The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler, and the sacred task she gave me.

Here is a brief outline of the months ahead:

The Prisoner – Who is the Prisoner and how I came to meet her.

Adam and Eve – The Prisoner speaks, and relates a different version of the Adam and Eve story most of us grew up with. She illuminates the differences between the male and female principals: their gifts and their limitations. Using the Genesis story, she discusses the impact a disenfranchised feminine psyche has on humanity as a whole.

The Feminine Mysteries – Remembering the Dakini within, and exploring the use of Tantric sacred sexual practices as a pairing evolution practice. My initial reaction and response to the Prisoner's communication. I explore what it means for me to evolve, and a look at my personal resistance to change.

Our Right Place Is Our Purpose – What is our right place? What could be the reason for choosing to ignore our pain? Is it true we've become numb and do not know how to respond to our pain? Can we own that we do not know how to right ourselves and bring ourselves back into balance? When do we listen to ourselves? Does it take a crisis to listen? This chapter explores the impact our choices, here and now, have on the generations of women and men that come after us. The question is: will the impact of our collective choices be a legacy that contributes to future generations becoming more and more unconscious, or will we choose to heal our personal ancestral lines by being the generation that stops the cycle and becomes the defining leap in the history of man's evolution?

The Alchemy of Acceptance – I explore the beauty wound as symptom, and its effects. By remembering who we are, we can reframe our belief systems. I take a closer look at cultural definitions regarding supernatural phenomenon and magic versus the quantum mechanic view of possibility/probability.

The Gateway – When Evolution is chosen, a sacred ritual is required to clear oneself of past experiences that support self-loathing, and any and all ideas that limit and/or prevent us from resonating with the Divine Beauty we are.

Forgiveness Ritual – Releasing what no longer serves us into the fire of transformation and transmutation. This chapter gives an accounting of my personal three-day ritual based on a Sumerian Story called “Inanna's Myth”. How to create your own ritual, and reference books for ritual resources.

Radio K-FUQ – Habitual negative mind chatter; what it is, what happens, how it affects our lives, and how we can end the madness.

Meditation, Mindfulness & The Art of Reflection – This column will look at different types of meditation practices, yoga, and focuses on finding what works for you.

Power, Beauty & Resonance – Returning: the story of the original Moo clans of Hawaiian Islands and their myth of the Bowl of Light. Be and holding our beauty.

Setting Our Compass – We explore choice, and selective reality; what it is, and the art of intentional living – Living our Beauty.

Living Beauty – Rewriting the Sleeping Beauty story for our personal and collective journey.