Aloha, Mahalo, and Ahhhhh

Right now I'm sitting on the veranda at Kalani Retreat Center in Puna, on Kapolo-Kalapani Road, on what I'm told is the rainy side of the big island. Since it has rained every day I've been here, even if only briefly, I am a believer.

I can hear the sound of ocean, which is right across the street. I can also hear at least a dozen varieties of birds making music in the trees, and a strange music it is to my mainlander ears. I can see nothing beyond the tree trunk posts that hold up the veranda roof, except a lighted doorway off to my left. If I stare hard into the thick, living darkness I can just make out the slender ghost of a coconut palm's trunk.

Did I mention how beautiful it is here? I am settling in, enjoying myself immensely. Today I rented a car, an absolute necessity if I want to see more of the Big Island, including the volcanoes! Eeek! The thought makes me shiver in my shoes and quiver with delight at the same time. Here's a photo for you. Signs like these appear along Kapolo-Kalapani Road:

The others I've seen read "Appreciation" and "Self-Love." I may start a trend for this when I return to California. I feel uplifted each time I see these signs.

Another lovely thing about being here: the garden where we're staying. Oh, the garden! Two varieties and three flavors of peppers--Thai yellow and red, and Hawaiian red; fresh basil; fresh lemongrass; and curry leaves. All of these smell and taste divine. I made brown rice yesterday, flavored with a broth I made from all of the above, plus salt and filtered water. I also added fresh chopped basil, ghee, and ume plum vinegar. Oh, my Goddess! I was in culinary heaven! Here's a photo I especially like of the Hawaiian peppers:

Have I mentioned the kitty who has adopted me? I've dubbed her "Puna Puss," and she follows me hither and yon. Her meow is so deep she sounds like a bullfrog, and she's painfully skinny. Today I introduced her to the delights of sliced, roasted turkey, and she ate like a starving creature. My prayer is that she find someone to care for her after I'm gone. She always seems to be in the garden of the house where we're staying, and comes out to greet me each time I return. Everywhere I go, I seem to get adopted by a kitty. When I traveled to Mount Shasta two years ago, a snow white kitty moved into my little cabin with me, and I named him Shasta. I wrote a song about Mount Shasta, and he appears in the first stanza. Perhaps I shall write a song for Puna Puss as well. I feel the muse stirring within, but perhaps my first creation will be a poem for Pele. Here's a picture of Puna Puss:

Oh, and lest I forget, there are also the warm pools. I believe I talked about them in my last post. They are most magical. I had a thought to go tonight, but I'm on my own and a little afraid of the palpable jungle darkness. My friend traveled today to the other side of the island, and I elected to stay on this side. I did have him drop me off in Hilo, so I could rent the car I mentioned earlier. Then he drove off on his merry way and I went to get my toenails done. I love the color: Thank you very muchness red. Thank you very muchness, indeed. And on that note, I bid you good night, and sweet tropical dreams.

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~

Aloha, Mahalo, and Holy Sh*t!

Oh, the Goddess has been putting me through trial by fire since I arrived, though as of this moment, things seem to have settled down a bit.

My first night in Hawaii all went well until about 9 pm, when the running water in the house I'm staying in stopped running. I had a list of numbers to call, and no phone service. My housemate had not yet arrived, and I knew no one. Well, there was Rachel, who had picked me up from Hilo Airport and then shown me around the area and the property. I tried to call her and text her, to no avail. I still need to get in touch with her and let her know everything turned out okay.

Anyhow, I also had no Internet access, so I felt cut off from the world. I decided to sleep on it, since I was too exhausted to get seriously worried.

I woke up early the next morning, after an excellent night's sleep. Then I had plenty of energy to panic! I didn't really care about the Internet or the phone--those I knew I could live without. I knew quite well, however, that I could not live without water, especially not in a very hot tropical paradise. So I cried for a while, and asked the Goddess to tell me what to do.

My first moment of grace came when I decided to run outside and stand in the second of many tropical downpours that day. I turned my face to the sky and spread out my arms. The rain and cool air felt like a blessing. After that I felt much calmer, and I asked the Goddess to please send me help.

A short while later, the neighbor my hosts had asked to bring in the mail came by, calling a cheery, "Aloha!" As it turned out, she was the very person I had been trying hardest to get in touch with, because according to the list my hosts left, she knew all the local repair people and would have the answer in most situations. Oh, and did she ever! She knew who to call to repair the water pump, and she let me use her phone, and then her Internet. She also took me on a short road trip and showed me where the locals get free drinking water from spigots by the side of the road--a Goddess-send with a limited water supply! I felt blessed to meet and know her.

That same day I picked up my housemate from Hilo Airport, after getting lost enough times on the way to make a 45-minute trip into about two hours. That night we went to the warm pool, a giant outdoor hot sea-water pond, heated by the breath of Pele herself. There was a waxing quarter moon shedding soft white light on us, and tiny fish nibbling at my toes, arms, legs, back--whatever they could get their nibblers on! My companion had warned me that the fish would take off dead skin cells and whatever else they could get. One tried to take a mole off my thigh, but it was firmly attached. What a strange experience!

Last night I had yet another cleansing. I woke in the tropical dark--which is unlike any other darkness I've experienced, being absolutely impenetrable--with my gut in an uproar. Some bacterial bug had got me, and I cried and moaned and sweated and shivered on the toilet for at least 30 minutes. I felt so much pain that it crossed my mind to wonder whether I would survive. Obviously I did, but what a painful experience. I felt a bit tender today, and happy to be alive. I took it very easy today, and feel much better for it.

I have much more to tell, and show--I need to download the beautiful photos I took on my walk yesterday. Each day here is filled with so much beauty, wildness, and glorious life! Today I've share my woes, and tomorrow I'll share the joys!

Good night, aloha, mahalo, and sweet dreams. May your days and nights feel blessed, and may you know you are alive.

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~

Hawaii, Here I Come

Hilo, Hawaii awaits me! On Friday at 3:41 pm I'll fly into Hilo Airport--via Los Angeles, Honolulu, and someplace else I forgot. Oh, the joys of flying coach. Well, even so, I'm looking forward to some "me" time on the plane. I've got tons of books I've been trying to get through, and I plan to spend a lot of time reading. Probably not until the battery on my new laptop loses juice, though.

Oh, speaking of my new laptop--you would need to see this beautiful piece of machinery to believe it! It has a 17-inch screen, 451 gigabytes of hard drive space, 8 gigabytes of RAM, a DVD-RW drive, and a ruby red top. Most of what I just wrote won't mean much unless you're as geeky as I am. I just love it! I'll say it loud, I'm geeky and I'm proud! By the way, I chose the ruby red top to please my inner Fashion Diva--my inner Computer Geek had nothing to do with that.

Anyway, computer-praising tangents aside, I'm very excited to see Hawaii for the first time. I'm inviting Pele's wisdom, and the guidance of Helle, the Norse Goddess of Death and Rebirth. My friend Francesca and I were talking, and we decided that Helle, Pele, Kali, and Hecate are part of a sisterhood of dark, powerful Divine Mother Goddesses. I always felt drawn to the pantheon of Norse Gods and Goddesses, though Helle was not among them in the books I read as a child. Not surprising, really, considering that the early Christians were so terrified of her they gave their underworld her name!

Helle and I got acquainted through a divination Francesca led, based on my inquiry into what my next step would be along the path of Priestess. Consecrating myself to a Dark Mother Goddess, of course--what else? I've always seemed to have one foot in the world of shadow and one in the world of light. Once I feared the world of shadow was the only place I would ever reside. All my life I've struggled toward the light. In the last few years, I've realized that what I truly need is balance--to find a place between those worlds.

Well, this is turning into a long post, and I'm getting tired. I have more to do before I leave, and I'd best get to it. Thanks for reading, and may you always remember that you are Divine.

~Love and Blessings,
Selene~

P.S. -- Watch this space! I'm planning to blog regularly about my adventures in Hawaii. Did I mention I'll be there an entire month? I still can't quite believe it. And soon I'll be living it! Good night, and sweet dreams.