Begin again ... A NEW YEAR, 2012 ... The Year of the Dragon

Hauoli Makahiki Hou,

We prepare for the coming new year, a cycle of time marked by the journey of Papa Honua, our Earth around Ka La, the sun and the simultaneous journey of Mahina the moon around Papa Honua.  This blog began in 2011 as a venture into exploring the observational, first-hand experiences of 'counting on the moon' and tuning into the subtle and powerful cycles that are lunar or moon-tuned.  The stories, and storytellers included in the workshops focused on Mahina opened the way for us.  A small wa'a boarded by a few curious paddlers began the voyage that lasted six months.  All of us have grown in some measure as a result.  There is always more, but, the lessons of each present, each experience hones our destiny, shores up our connections with All, and provide us with questions we have yet to pose.


Aloha,
Mokihana and Pete

http://www.wpcouncil.org/indigenous/Indigenous_Display-1.pdf

ONE MALAMA PAU: What the body knows and how that changes

How much of what the contemporary naturalist claims to know about animals and the ecosystems they share with humans derives from what he has read, what he has heard, what he has seen televised? What part of what the naturalist has sworn his or her life to comes from firsthand experience, from what the body knows?


One of the reasons native people still living in some sort of close, daily association with their ancestral lands are so fascinating to those who arrive from the rural, urban, and suburban districts of civilization is because they are so possessed of authority. They radiate the authority of firsthand encounters. They are storehouses of it. They have not read about it, they have not compiled notebooks and assembled documentary photographs. It is so important that they remember it. When you ask them for specifics, the depth of what they can offer is scary. It’s scary because it’s not tidy, it doesn’t lend itself to summation. By the very way that they say that they know, they suggest they are still learning something that cannot, in the end, be known

... Barry Lopez, "The Naturalist"  from Orion Magazine

By which ever calendar you choose to keep time/track the moon, time has passed.  We have learned so much in this Malama closing.  The lines I've embolded above, Barry Lopez' words "... they suggest they are still learning something that cannot, in the end, be known" are a wonderful way to plop this dear old body down.  There is so much to learn, and maybe, even more to unlearn.  Perhaps, in this lifetime I will know something more.

Through the infusion of Aries energy in April, new beginnings and activity began here.  In your life, the new beginnings have taken you somewhere.  Pete and I have loved the discoveries and new relationship with Mahina.  What began because we were felt with a'ole (nothing) has filled with plenty. 

Reexamining the history and traditions of Kanaka and especially the Kaulana Mahina shows me I am indeed challenged or asked to tune to the water within:  the intuitive nature of my self.  "Go with the flow" is the talisman.  Today/tonight is Mauli, where barely an illumination appears in the night sky.  Tomorrow, Sunday, May 1st we begin a new workshop "Malama I Ka `Aina".  THIS ONE will remain accessible for all of you.  So, know this workshop "Count On The Moon" is a place where you can sit and be with mahina and the thoughts expressed:  once you have 'bought your ticket ' (paid for the workshop)  it's yours.  Mahalo!

COUNT ON THE MOON:  "The Blessings of the 'Ole Moons" is a foundational workshop that paved a way, and will be adjusted and honed with time and new discoveries.  We don't know what those adjustments are, the future is not my kuleana in some respects.  We love that you have jumped in the play and learn along with us.  There is great love here, and room for asking questions that may or may not have clear answers. 

Enjoy this final 'oli with beautiful children COUNTING THE MOON.

Mahalo nui loa kakou,
Mokihana and Pete

Good Night Moon ... the stories we heard, the stories we have told

Life is nothing if it is not an adventure. 

-Helen Keller

We have started a wonderful story here.  Nearly a month of moons has passed and we have told stories, stories about the moon, stories that have very little to do with the moon, but somehow they too ... those tendril stories have wanted to be here.  The traditional culture of the Hawaiian people, the Kanaka is based on story.  Stories that were once only spoken and remembered lay the foundation for a culture that has adjusted and adapted over time.  We have loved this month of storytelling.  Through the vessel of the Internet, we gathered, researched, and pieced together history and present.  You, the readers come to the cyberpage and read and from your dear selves some thing vibrates or not and new stories begin.  We're not in charge of when or how the new stories will grow, or to whom they will be told.  But, they are probably germinating now.

The lovely little song born from the children's book GOOD NIGHT MOON is just such a germination.  Did you hear that book?  Who was it that read you that book the first time?  If you've not read it, now that you've heard the song, maybe you'll want to read it, too. 

KAloa Pau, KAne, Lono ... the next three days/moons, plant and prayers

COUNT ON THE MOON is now in its final moons.  As I write, it is KAloa Pau.  I have caught up with the moons, after learning during the 'Ole Cycle, that I had been using a mixed clock for telling the time.  My dear Pete said, "Refining.  That's what happens when you keep learning."  I loved that we can talk about happenings and one of us will feed the other with something as telling and affirming as that.  Yes, even as I pen the posts and tell the best story possible, there will be refinements. 

KAloa Pau is a good time for planting.  I have Blue Lake Beans soaked and ready to go into the ground today.  I hear the rain splatter on the Quonset, and think of Pete out at the food bank garden.  Spring is barely here, though the temperatures are warm the blowing makani (wind) cools things. 

Tomorrow and Friday are the moons of KAne and Lono, these are moons considered kapu (sacred) and reserved for prayers to the god KAne (giver of life) and Lono (among other kuleana ... food).  So Thursday and Friday are times when prayers for health and food will be especially well-received.  We have dear ones on O'ahu who are having a time of health challenge.  We malama them with our aloha, keep in touch, keep them in our prayers, and ask akua KAne an Lono to be with them as they make their way.  We pray also for our own well-being, and give thanks for the blessings of one more moon, one more sunrise.  We also mahalo all of you for your presence, your involvement and your readership.  Mahalo for taking the poll over there on the sidebar, giving us an idea of what these stories have done for you, and how we can refine and continue to be of service to your curiosity and your journey.

We will continue this venture with a Part 2 of COUNT ON THE MOON focused this time of 'Malama I Ka `Aina'  Care for the Land.  Here is a link to PREVIEW the new workshop that starts with MUKU (Hawaiian New Moon), Sunday, MAY 1st.  We'd love to have you continue with us, and welcome your feedback in the comments or through email.  If you have friends or 'ohana who might be interested in this storytelling, please pass the word along.

What's growing in your gardens?  We'd love to hear about it, or see pictures of your plantings.

Are there prayers that we can send during the nights of KAne and Lono?



'OLE MOON GIFT: Teachability

'as if looking through a curtain'

Retreat

Sometimes I forget how the seasons flipflop on the Earth.  I don't think about how water goes down the drain in my neck of the woods, but then I read this line, "In Crosswicks the bath water runs out clockwise; in Australia, widdershins."  (I am, at this very moment, writing with a copy of a book balanced on my left thigh... not a common thing -- reading a book for me in recent years, as I reassembled my life with MCS.  The book was a thriftbook treasure for 35 cents, and it said to me, "Maybe, now."  I listened and took it home with me.  The title of the book A Circle of Quiet written by one of my all-time favorite writers Madeleine L'Engle.)  Today, the 'Ole Kukahi is a sweet mix of tender time and quiet stretches.  I have had time with Madeleine, and JOTS my favorite cat friend.  An email thank-you cheered me to know a small gift had reached its mark.  The sun is spending a lot of time with me and all the others on Whidbey today.  I am sockless and I wore a bright, deep pink Camelia in my hair today.  A supper of lamb tidbits with yam and oranges and steamed broccoli is waiting to be cooked up, later.  JOTS is asleep across the Quonset bathed in sunshine and shadows.  And from the retreat of the 'ole moons a spritely story found its way into my writing fingertips.  Stories are like that, they just need to be told!  Click here, and read the comments for a peek at that story.  What great company, and contentment. 

Review

The blessings of emptiness is the subtitle for this workhop, and to record these small treats of experience are indeed the stuff of moon blessings.  In addition to the 'ole moons, Mercury stopped its retrograde movement and (apears) to moving forward again.  Communication is often effected when Mercury backs up.  I have had to be more careful of what I think and say during the weeks.  Miscommunication is likely, and that has been the case for this old gal. 

Let me unfold the story:  The passion that fuels the creation and sharing of Count on the Moon was a god-thing.  A directive.  I did hear that call, and I put things in motion.  The Aries Moon has fired my actions and fueled me with new beliefs and energy.  Boy is it being wonderful!  The other night Pete was looking at the phases of the anahulu, counting and measuring things the way he does.  From our vantage point in the forest it's not always possible to SEE the moon.  Unlike the position of the Islands of Hawai'i where the horizon is broad and the view of Mahina unobstructed, it is easy to be 'tricked' into believing without seeing ... and believing something different than what it really is.  Pete was seeing a difference in the phases.  At first, I didn't like the implication:  was I wrong?  I left him to his investigation, and from the vardo steps, I realized the subtle yet real possibility that I have been counting wrong. 

Easter evening I had a lovely long chat with my son (the man who helped put together this moon calendar).  It was a winding that covered things wide and deep, shallow and silly.  I asked him late in the conversation, "Is the New Moon MUKU or HILO?"  "MUKU."  He said.  OMG.  He then condensed a version of the original kuka (discourse) that went into the creation of the Hui Mauli Ola Moon Calendar.  In essence, it was very much like the discourse that the kupuna went through when deciding how to determine when a day begins.  Does it begin when the sun rises and sets?  Does it begin when the moon rises and sets?  Add to that the myth-making of Mauli (the moon before Muku) who sometimes steals Muku ... leaving the night without a Muku and you have the point:  VARIATION AND INTERPRETATION.  Where do you start?  What do you use as your marker? 

OUTCOME:  "New Moon" on a Gregorian Calendar is not "New Moon" on a Hawaiian Moon Calendar.  Auwe!  A mistake has been made, and it was mine.  I interpreted the 30 moon calendar and mixed Gregorian with Hawaiian.  The subtle second-hand of time moon time, a phrase the Pete came up with this weekend, was an example that my son says, "You practice being in the moment."  A second is gone before you notice.  Another one passes quickly forward.  So sorry for the criss-crossed interpretation.  CJ, my friend, your query of the 'ole days earlier on was probably a 'yellow' light I sped through while counting on the moon.  I am humbled by the error, and keep practicing being teachable.  Adjustments need to be made as we complete the final anahula.

Rest

We had a rainy Monday yesterday, and all three of us JOTS, Pete and I enjoyed lots of quiet restoring rest.  Remembering that the Southern Hemisphere is now in a season of harvest here's a link to a harvest from the land where bath water goes down widdershins and April is Autumn.  Raven Moon is a gal with gloriously creative expression filling her life.  Where we in the just-spring Pacific Northwest have bees just arriving to spread apple pollen, Raven Moon has preserved fig jam and other treats in glass jars wrapped under colorful cloth caps.

http://ravenmoonmagic.blogspot.com/2011/04/harvest-moon-goddess.html


What Moon Gifts visited or revisted during the three moons of the 'Ole?

'OLE MAHALO (Moons of Rest, Review and Repair) Begin Tomorrow, Saturday, April 23rd through Monday, April 25th

The final anahulu (week) of the month begun with Hilo Moon in the sign of Aries starts tomorrow, Saturday, April 23rd.  New ventures, new beginnings have been the talisman of this time.  COUNT ON THE MOON, a new venture has been a wa'a kaulua filled with new seed.  Each of us is living a life in process, and if we attended to the opportunity of setting our intentions for April, the 'OLE MAHALO (the blessings of the moons of emptiness) starting tomorrow offer three day and nights to get our bearings.

One of the communities that fuels and supports me over time is the Astrology Blog ElsaElsa.  Elsa Panizzon authors and operates the original astrology blog.  Ten years as cyberhostess, she has built upon her hard and diligent work and now partners with several talented astrologers and a reader of Tarot.  Dixie is the Tarot Goddess at ElsaElsa.  This post "KEEP GOING!" is timely grist for the mill.  Dixie began her post with these thoughts:

" Every personal achievement I can think of, I started off utterly clueless about the demands. All of ‘em! I wonder sometimes, how much I would have opted out on, if I’d been better informed or more realistic. Looking at it that way, I guess it’s just as well!

She sums up her Tarot Reading with this line "One foot in front of the other. Attend, adapt, advance. Attend, adapt, advance."

ATTEND, ADAPT, ADVANCE

I love this new version of an old practice I learned while in the rooms of 12-Stepping.  In those rooms we call that process the 3-A's ... Awareness, Acceptance, Action.  Wisdom works in whatever words string together, and as we consider the traditions based on the Native Hawaiian Moon Calendar, either or both 3-A's are useful tools.  This month has been a malama (month) of new beliefs and behavior.  "Believing before I see it" is a seed belief that is finding new ground.  I began COUNT ON THE MOON with exactly that same attitude, and put it out there as a preview to this workshop.  Uncertain of the outcome, I expressed the feelings swhirling around inside me; let go and let Akua fill in the blanks; and used the 'OLE MOONS just prior to launching this workshop to review, and release resistence.  Beautiful fruit-bearing outcomes are visible now.  Adjustments and adaptations may be necessary; I'll attend to those possibilities during the next three days and nights. 

The 'OLE MOONS COMING up begin in the sign of Capricorn, and moves in the sign of Aquarius Sunday evening. Natally, my moon is in Capricorn so to some extent the energy of this 'Ole time may be familiar.  Something to consider about Capricorn and Aquarius and the Moon in these signs over the 3 'Ole Moons:

from Elizabeth Rose Campbell, Intuitive Astrology: 
"Capricorn:  To Teach ... Capricorn exels at discipline and therefore, completion...Capricorn completions can be tested by time, credibility earned, standards of mastery made real.  Capriorn builds traditions that support those standards.  Capricorn creates teachers who choose a tradition to embody, as impeccably as possible."

About the Moon:  "The Moon within your inner family is the mother...The Moon's placement in your chart by house, and by sign, will reflect your optimal path of self-nourishment..."

"The Catching of Pearls"

Moon in Capricorn:  "How can I produce a pearl--beautiful and solid--from my solitude that others will recognize as my emotional autonomy, my completeness within myself?"

Aquarius:  "To liberate.  Aquarius is the undeniable truth.  Aquarius has no interest in protecting reputation, or any tradition, unless the tradition liberates one into a larger truth...Aquarius gives everyone permission to reinvent him-or herself."

Moon in Aquarius:  "How am I guided toward nourishing relationships with authentic people with whom I can be free as well?"

A hui hou, see you after the 'Ole.

The entire post by Dixie is worth reading I think, and can be read by clicking here.

HOW HAS 'COUNT ON THE MOON' CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR LIFE?

We have posted a POLL on the sidebar TO THE RIGHT, asking for your feedback about this workshop COUNT ON THE MOON focused on 'Ole Mahalo.  The three LA'AU MOONS are in progress, time for planting strong trees and gathering powerfull herbs.  In that spirit we plant that POLL for you to let us know how we have done with our first on-line venture of sharing our practice with Kaulana Mahina.

The poll will be up until April 27th ... We appreciate your feedback as we evaluate our process during the coming 'Ole Moons beginning this Saturday, April 23rd.  You can check multiple answers. 

Mahalo for your participation and mana'o.  We look forward to the remaining moons of this journey! Now, enjoy the nahenahe (oh so sweet) voice of dear Dennis Pavao.

Aloha,
Mokihana and Pete

ANAHULU POEPOE ... The Second Week ... 5 Days Before 'OLE MAHALO, again

Tonight, Monday, April 18th, 2011 is the Fourth and final Full Moon during the ANAHULU POEPOE.  We are mid-way through the Malama (month) and mid-way through our maiden voyage aboard this wa'a kaulua called COUNT ON THE MOON.  Our exploration and sharing of mana'o has included primary focus on the 'OLE Moons, but the rest times of the 'ole are more fully appreciated when the whole of Kaulana Mahina is understood.  Counting on the Moon is a practice, learned with time and attention.  Each of us comes with a lifetime already in progress so how and when we are teachable varies just as planting, cultivating, fertilizing and weeding seed, trees or fish in ka wai varies.  We are different, yet of the same species.

One voyage through the cycle of Mahina gives us new information; refreshed views; questions to ponder; insights to stumble upon; perspectives to chew upon.  On this final new moon of Mahealani it's a good time to view the whole cycle ... take a look at the phases again and before the full moons pass give yourself something.

Fully ripe from the NEW MOON OF NEW BEGINNINGS ask yourself "What has fully ripened in my life?"  or  "What is ripening ... like Mahina becoming full in four phases ... in my life now?"
Give yourself the gift of CELEBRATING SUCCESS.  In what ever shape, size or increment you view your life succces. Celebrate it in whatever fashion suites you!

• Write about it
• Sing about it (in the shower, in the car, karaoke)
• Give yourself a gift
• Get a packet of gold stars ... STAR yourself
• Celebrate the Aries New Moon and Libra Full Moon some kind of way

We are mid-way through the Malama of New Beginnings. 

What celebration can you give yourself today?

That's us at our First Event in 4 Years ... a new beginning CELEBRATION
EARTH DAY, Langley, WA 2011

FOUR FULL MOONS of Kaulana Mahina

IF YOU ARE JUST JOINING US TODAY, You might like to begin by linking HERE to start with the first session-post THE OPENING 'OLI.  If please free to just jump in right here!


I love how the kupuna and kahuna (the elders and specialists) paid such close attention to the definitions of time and occurances.  Rather than say 'The Full Moon is tonight." They said, "The moon begins to be full tonight, and gets fuller each night for four nights."

Tonight FRIDAY, APRIL 15th is HUA. It's name is as it sound/means:  egg-shaped.  If you are attending to the cycles of planting and being and fertilization a woman would notice:  this is a good time for planting seed in her womb.

Tomorrow SATURDAY, APRIL 16th is AKUA Things planted tonight will be full 'ho'oakua.'

Sunday, APRIL 17th is HOKU  Hawaiians believed this to be the fullest moon (AND this month it is the FULL CALENDAR MOON)

Monday, APRIL 18th  is MAHEALANI  This is most commonly referred to as the calendar FULL MOON. But, this is not true by the calendar ... So smart, the kupuna and the kahuna for attending to the breadth of knowledge and the multitude of abundance ... 4 full moons rather than only 1.



A funny thing happens when you try to catch time ... huki time in a net.  I'm writing this from the cozy Quonset, still sitting with the heater and JOTS while wearing heavy boots, thick socks, leggings and my fuzzy hooded jacket.  I'm on the coastal land of the continent, across the ocean from the Islands of the kupuna where the naming and timing of moons originates.  I remember when my Pete and I began really attending to mahina.  We were living from the car, and when we'd get together with my son I noticed how unsure I was about 'where moon' it was.  He said, "Look up."  The lesson was even though the dates, the numbers, the days say one thing in the end you have to look for yourself.  Like the weather, "They say it's going to rain."  You step out the door or off the porch and 'ua ka lani or not? 

Anyway, the point of that little ramble is this:  If you read this post and count the four full moons where you are the days/dates and the naming of the 4 full moons (and all other moons,too) could be slightly OFF.  Hawaiian Time never varies around the calendar.  It's always HAWAII TIME.  Out there in the middle of the Pacific all human-altered clock time does not happen. 

Two continually useful links for attending to the detail of Moon Time are listed below. 

Additionally, if you wish to watch and listen again to Kumu Kalei Tsuha teaching us about  Kaulana Mahina, her video link is here.

MOON TIME LINKS

http://www.angelfire.com/sports/huntfishmaui/moon.html

http://www.zodiacarts.com/

As we head into the weekend and the four full moons of April it will be interesting to note the abundance and the planting that happens in your  life.  I wonder, Cj how does the 4 Full Moon Observance play out in astrology, tarot, and/or numerology?

Any plans for the full moons? Questions?  We would love to hear your stories, your mana'o. 

NEW CONTENT: EARTH DAY 2011

Aloha.  If you are just joining us you may want to link HERE to begin with the OPENING CEREMONY, and move through the posts-sessions already on the blog.  Or, just  jump in here.

Mahina moves into the first of four full moons according to Kaulana Mahina.  Today is MOHALU a verdant moon, and a kapu (sacred) moon where we are reminded to give thanks to KANE Giver of Life.  I have written a post about looking to the moon while caring for the earth and all that is the planet.  Please link here to read an accounting of things happening on this MOHALU Moon ... proceeding into the Anahulu (the week)  of Ho'onui (getting rounder-bigger). This weekend many places on Earth will celebrate with EARTH DAY Celebrations.  I have created a new EARTH DAY BLOG in time for a local Whidbey Island Earth Day Event.


NOTE:  Going between this private month-long workshop COUNT ON THE MOON and our long-time public blog MAKUA O'O connects the two spaces reminding you there are more than one place to nana i ke kumu.

What is happening for you during these four full moons?

NEW CONTENT: 'OLE MOON STORIES ... a place to share your experiences with the do-nothing moons

If you are just joining us, you might want to start here with the OPENING CEREMONY and follow the links through the workshop that way. Read at a pace that is comfortable for you ... ho'omanawanui (easy does it).

The first 4 Moons of 'Ole are pau (over).  There was plenty of information and mana'o to consider in the sessions leading up to 'Ole Kukahi. 

What were the 'Ole Moons like for you?

Are there questions you'd like to ask/impressions/feelings bubbling up? 

NEW CONTENT: Nodes of the Moon ... Legacy and Destiny... Astrology and Pono

Nana i ka mahina

Malama ka 'aina i ke kai

Look to the moon

Care for the land and sea

Kalo (taro) fields on O'ahu, 1890

IF YOU ARE JUST JOINING US, you may want to link here and start with the OPENING CEREMONY and work through the sessions from there.  Or, please jump in here, too.

'OLE PAU ... and now, i mua (forward) to Huna

I'm sitting at the keyboard, warmed by the Radiant heater in the Quonset, filled with a very ono (delicious) lunch of left-over rock cod and veggies.  Good and sustaining food has played a part in our life, changing as we change and as we move from ke'ia i kela (here to there) we have been raw vegan eaters, vegetarians, and mahimahi plate lunch aficionados.  One of the things that endeared me to Pete early in our courtship (such an old-fashion, but accurate word) was his love for Hawaiian food. This man LOVES dried fish and KALO (taro)! For all his Ukraine-Irish blood Island makes its way into his genes, and that is just fine with this wahine. 

Today is 'Ole Pau, the fourth of four 'Ole Moons, and though this post will appear tomorrow, on HUNA I review my process thus far, and prepare for the new period of activity.   Each 'Ole Cycle is different, and is experienced differently by each of us.  When Pete and I were afloat without tether or safe harbor, the 'Ole Moons, the nights of rest and reassurance comforted us and offered dream space for a future that was based both on the experiences we were having and the knowing that there was something more and better in the making.  Six months, six Malama and twelve 'Ole Cycles, laid a practice of attending to Mahina in a deep and first-hand fashion.  We did not learn from a book or the Internet those sources weren't to be had --I was unable to read print and a'ole (no) regular Internet was available. We did have the ocassional use of the wondeful public library in Kailua on O'ahu's windward side, and count as a blessing that place to be for an hour at a time. 

First-hand experience is the library of living that registers at all levels:  root(soul), na'au (guts), and po'o (mind).  Reflecting on the value of those first experiences with the 'Ole Moons has led to the creation of this workshop and this venture in a wa'a kaulua (canoe) criss-crossing cultures and time.  Coming out of an 'Ole Pau in the sign of Leo, I am made aware of the feelings that come from being 'recognized'.  Renee and Cj left comments about food and being recognized during the 'Ole Cycle just pau, and I have been fueled by their comments. Mahalo Renee and Cj for those contribution!  I am also reminded that my communication needs to be clear and even with my best intention there may be need for correction with Mercury the planet of communication backing up/in retrograde.  I am humbled and happy to be willing to keep learning.

Nodes of the Moon and Pono

Soul purpose and life direction questions are profoundly significant, and the Nodes in your chart address those questions from the perspective of your Soul---instead of your rational mind and ego. - Elizabeth Spring

Every season has its purpose, and its reasons.  I often talk with Pete about the Akashic Record Reading I had in 2008.  2008 was a time of unheaval and rebirth for us. We had been living in the car for months when the new year began, and knew by this time (April) of 2008 that we would need to leave the islands again, and perhaps this time it would be a long time before we'd return (if ever?) Arriving in Seattle that spring we knew very little for sure.  We did know somethings and we began to believe that was enough, for now.  We knew:

• We had somewhere to rent
• We knew we could survive in a very small space (a station wagon)
• We knew something about what made me 'sick'
• We knew someone would help us start again

Once we moved into the basement kitchen in Seattle, and were able to hook-up an Internet connection my research and communication skills (Scorpio-Mercury in the 10th House) set root.  Two connections served our lives and my soul at this point:  an astrology blog and a new to practice Japanese woman who was doing Akashic Record Readings.  Those two women spread my net of awareness to unexpected levels:  Elsa P continues to be a loyal and entertaining source of astrology, inspiration and community.  Through that connection I discovered other astrologers including Cj Wright who is here with us for this launching of Count On The Moon. Akemi Gaines offered an insight into my soul and past lives that makes such sense to me, more and more.  The Akashic Record reading provided me with this:  "I am a relatively  new soul to Earth, only here for the second time ..."  Now, you may or may not have a life view that includes reincarnation, mine does.  Yet, I was not ready for the implications and explanations that reading has for me.  Today the value of that one line hooks brings us to the exploration of the Nodes of the Moon and one's Soul Purpose.

Elizabeth Spring has made the study and exploration of the Nodes of the Moon a fascinating discover for me.  I began reading her work while we were parked between two large old homes in the mill town of Everett, Washington.  I knew there were things I needed to understand, and that line from my Akashic Record Reading played again and again.  Elizabeth Spring has published a book about the Moon's Nodes, and also maintains a web presence.  From the web she writes:

The North Node ... is a Soul Messenger, describing the evolutionary needs of your Soul. When we act out the qualities of this Node we heal and nurture ourselves. It tells us in what area of life we need to bring emphasis, and some of the ways to do it... the South Node reflects karmic qualities of our previous life, describing the unfinished business and things that we didn't 'get quite right.' Although there are gifts and talents shown there, it is the North Node that points to the qualities our Soul wants to use and acquire in this life.

Link to the entire article and Elizabeth Spring's website here.

Link here if you're not sure what the "Moon's Node" means.  I found this diagram a great help to my need to visualize:  http://www.astrologyclub.org/articles/nodes/nodes.htm

Pono

I am the daughter of Kanaka lei-makers and lei-sellers.  Beautiful lengths of flowers and la'au (greenery) strung as adornment are lei. My memories of Ma's graceful long fingers deft at stringing fragile pikake (jasmine) or double carnation leis serve as a kind of genetic pre-disposition to not only string words as adornment ... storytelling, the talent to weave seemingly disconnected bits of thoughts-knowledge is one of my favorite things to do. Weaving the information given me by one Akashic Record Reading with the growing understanding of stars, moon and planets I dig deep now as Pluto (or Pele) planet ruler of rebirth goes retrograde.  I get to look back or look deep for things I might have missed in years passed. In the digging to add to my new lei I have found this:

The South Node of the Moon asks "What have I inherited from the past?  Well, there are the lei genes.  And as I have created work for Count On The Moon I have also come to sit with our queen, Liliuokalani.  121 years ago, Honolulu was a place where kalo fields grew ma'uka i ke kai (mountain to sea).  The group photograph of Liliuokalani was taken in Waipio Valley also on the island of O'ahu in 1890.  Liliuokalani is surrounded with her most precious pua ... her lei ... her people.  Liliuokalani has left me with her legacy of pono and I weave it into my path.

During the 'Ole Moons just passed I sat with Liliuokalani re-reading a digital version of Queen Liliuokalani's autobiography. I speak with her to understand my Legacy and am rewarded with such aloha. Her words, and her story shed a light of renewal on my understanding of my legacy, an example:  Liliu was fully evolved, uncompromised and sure of her legacy.  I believe that example is the one that continues to serve her pua, her people including me.  In the shaping of our 'conversation' I find my way from that Hawaii past, to my soul's need grow beyond my past, to feel 'at home' in my North Node. The North Node asks 'WHERE AM I GOING? ...it is your liberation from the past...You are creating a new pathway that cannot be created overnight but deserves grounding, over time..."


What did you bring from your past/your inheritance or karmic burden?  Where are you going? 

Here are a few more questions to explore your South and North Nodes of the Moon in your astrology chart.  I reference Elizabeth Rose Campbell and her book INTUITIVE ASTROLOGY Follow Your Best Insticts to Become Who You Always Intended to Be

 

To define your South Node, answer the following questions:

Where do I feel most controlled by the pastor others' expectations of me?
What stories that are related to my past live around (my precious guarded) belongings?
What do others seem to value in me that I do well but that prevent me rom developing new skills?

To define your North Node, answer the following questions:

What do I yearn to do that I have never done before?
What activities have I naturally gravitated toward that are new and seem to call to me?
If I had no past to protect an could create my life freely, what would I do?  Where would I go?

New Horizon Launch

NEW CONTENT: Gathering "ha" and 'OLE MAHALO (the 4-moon 'Ole Cycle) Begins tomorrow, Saturday, April 9th, 2011

If you are just joining us, you might like to go to the OPENING CEREMONY by linking here, or jump in with this session preparing us for the first 'Ole Moons starting tomorrow, Saturday, April9th.


Mahalo first of all to all of you for making this first venture of Count On The Moon a success.  Slow and steady progress on all our parts:  listening to the kahea (the call), believing the venture to be a good one, and taking action during the New Moon in Aries has brought us here.  Without one another we cannot be who we are ... or perhaps, who we were meant to be.

Gathering ha (breath of life)

Through the sharing of your stories while holding the Poi Bowl we have met new people, Heidi and Renee our California 'ohana.  Through email we have connected with Susan in Canada, and via the cellphone I have spoken with a dear old friend on Oahu who will (or has already?) joined us after working off-island.  There are others invited, and perhaps reading and absorbing quietly at their own pace and style.  Gathering ha through this study group-workshop we are more than we were before meeting.

I have enjoyed learning about the places you call home and found this link to Mt. Tamalpais in California because Renee considers this mauna a sacred and special spot for her.  It made Pete and me think about the wondrous time we spent just north of Mt. Tamalpais, in a retreat center overlooking Bogea Bay.  We were on our way to learn how to build our tiny wheeled home.  We camped out in our tent, woke to amazing fog banks that created a world we had never known before.  Mt. Tamalpais is sacred 'aina to the Miwok Tribe in California. This is new information to us, and we are happy to know this.  Renee's father and mother are from El Salvador, in Central America seeing this map helped me visualize the journey from there to California and then back again (for Renee's father).  I scanned the map and found the towns of which she spoke, telling us where her mother and father were born. 

Heidi, also living in California revealed a connection with the words of Barry Lopez.  He is a sensitive and thoughtful man, who lives and writes from Oregon, and experiences first hand the nature of Earth.  Heidi's reference to her own journey of getting back to nature felt like such a genuine expression.  I felt I know you a little more because of that connection with the Oregon writer.  Heidi's mother lives on an island in Washington of which neither Pete nor I were familiar.  I looked it up (Internet!) and remember now.  We live in one of the northern islands of Puget Sound in Washington, Anderson Island where Heidi's mother resides is the southern most island in Puget Sound.  The avocado farm that Heidi's father owns makes my mouth water.  A lifetime of enjoying avocadoes 'butter pears' back in the small-kid times of Hawaii remains a tasty memory. 

Gathering ha through the sharing of stories and telling of the Kumulipo in each of us is the link between ancient tradition and present times.  I remember the names of my mother and father, my son and my husband and walk forward with stories yet to hear and tell.  Pete's family is part of me too now. I love the connection with the Irish and am amazed each time I read how he loves to be wherever I am.

'Ole Mahalo 

This workshop is focused on the 'Ole Moons of the Kaulana Mahina.  Yet, in the focus on these 'empty moons' of doing less and resting more, the story needed to be broad and deep first.  Stories have a way of winding and meandering.  The first 4 'Ole Moons begin tomorrow, Saturday, April9th and last through Tuesday, April 12th.  Your New Moon intentions conscious or unconsciously put out there for collecting ha are in progress.  Now, as 'Ole Kukahi (first 'ole) begins in the sign of Cancer, we have a chance to relax and see how we feel and how our intentions or goals match with the watery nature of Mahina.

These four 'Ole Moons begin while Mahina is the ruler of Cancer.  Astrologers say a sign is exhalted/well-aspected and bouyed when in the sign of its ruler. Wow, how grand for us to be together in this wa'a kaulua when Mahina is exalted during rest time.  She will probably have a lot to tell us if we listen.

Here is a quote about Cancer from one of my favorite astrologers Elizabeth Rose Campbell, author of the book Intuitive Astrology.

"...Cancer expresses the capacity to care, to nourish.  Cancer, like the womb of a woman, knows how to create a safe place in which new life may grow. Cancer builds the web of emotional connection that results in family, no matter the form.

...With the Moon in Cancer, consider this question:  "How have I made my house, my home, and my food vitally important components of my happiness?"

Mahina moves into the sign of Leo on Monday evening.  The energy of the 'Ole times will shift, as the moon shifts from sign to sign every two days/nights. Again from Elizabeth Rose Campbell, a glimpse into affects of Mahina as she moves into Leo during the third night of 'Ole:

"Leo loves life with an open heart and contagious laughter and all the courage of one born a colorful character.  Leo understand the pleasure of creating, and as an extrovert, of giving the creation in generous gestures.  Leo comprehends the nobility of heart behind every living creature.  Leo grasps the importance of the child within each of us, who loves freely, with abandon.

With the Moon in Leo, consider this question:  "Can I see my need for affirmation and applause as healthy when it alerts me to where I am appreciated?"

Sandra and David Mosley of Ka'awaa, Oahu maintain a wonderful site Zodiacarts, and off a free on-line Moon Phase Calendar.  Link here to find see the changing moon phases for your time zone.

Pete and I are learning so much through this workshop, and are thrilled at the degree of increased connectivity with Mahina.  We slept with the curtain drawn away from the window so we can sleep with the stars of Mahina.  It was a most delicious sleep.  We wish you restful and wonderful time with the 'Ole Moons and will enjoy reconnecting with new content after 'Ole Pau (after Tuesday of next week).

A hui hou.
Mokihana and Pete

NEW CONTENT: The Moon is in KuLua (second Ku moon) ... there are 4 Ku moons

Aloha,

If you are just joining us, you might want to start with the original set of 12 posts/sessions that begin with this link:   OPENING CEREMONY.  Or, you are welcome to jump in here.


GARDEN JOURNALING

 Kulua Moon plant most anything, especially those with long up-right stalks like 'ohe (bamboo) or ko(sugar cane)

 

Ordinary and pono connections ... attending to the Moon

It is Wednesday here on Whidbey Island, sometimes the only way I know what day it is is when Pete tells me where he's off to ... "I'm off to Good Cheer (garden).  Just wanted to tell you."  This is one of four gardens where Pete helps, volunteers, and mainly grows food.  "Thanks, honey," still drowsy from dreams, I reply from the cozy corner of the futon.  I was up very early this morning and back to sleep for a few hours.  So I know it is Wednesday.  From the comfort of a warm bed the indications of the world and temperature outside are separate.  What I notice is the sound of pelting 'something' on the metal roof above me.  The heater warms our small home, leaving my body without sense of the changes outside.  Roused by Pete's departure I moved from the futon to the Dutch door.  Opened it.  Oh my!  It's cold.  Inside the Quonset, JOTS is curled in front of the heat, away from her yellow perch-chair.  When I get inside she right away wants to be cuddled.  We do that.  The morning has started for me.  Once in a while, and now as I have recovered a noticeable degree of well-being I venture out to the neighborhood coffee shop for a decaf hot coffee, and this morning I walked across the gravel turn-about to ask if one or both friends would like to join me.  I had company.  I often walk the short walk there, but the 37 degree morning was reason enough for me to put myself behind the wheel of my Subaru, and drive.  Nearly four months passed since I've been in my car, so into her I went and off to a Northwest morning coffee date. 

These seemingly ordinary contemporary rituals:

• walk across the way to ask friends to accompany me,
• being in a car; driving in a car
• being in a public place/a neighborhood cafe
• being with a non-MCS friend for socialization

Fantasy Fest ... Sky Moon
Kinda Fun Stuff!

Are major victories in a life of a person with Multiple Chemical Sensitivities.  Small or large victories celebrated with acknowledgment is an important ritual.  Today, with the moon in KuLua, I sit to record the planting of upright-growing 'things'.  In Hawaiian, Ku means 'upright' ... Ku also is the name of our god of war, warrior/spear-holding energy.  "Lua" refers to the number '2'.  It's the second night/day of the crescent phases of the moon.  Using this post as a kind of Gardening Journal for my personal intentions (set on the New Moon), and to plant things in our gardens while attending to Mahina.  Slow and steady progress as listed above gives me a bearing on the success of my navigation so far, and my goal to progress with positive intention.

Out in the lepo (the dirt) my gardens are cultivated, seeds planted under the ground.  And yet, as I write I hear the rattle of April 'something' making noise on the Quonset roof.  April is an a month of oddity, it sounds like hail.  Turning to look out the glass-fronted window, I see it is!  Slow progress, the new sunflower seeds can wait.  The pea starts are happy where they are, and there is time to move gently.

'OLE MOONS BEGIN SATURDAY, APRIL 9th and LAST FOR FOUR MOONS.  Times of movement and up-right action are now.  Saturday it's the first of the 'Ole. 

• Garage cleaning,
• car maintenance,
• attitude-tuning, mending your gear,
• resting-napping,
• saying 'no' to one more request for your precious time.

How goes your time?



The link below will take you back to the Thirty Phases of Kaulana Mahina so you can see the up-right shape of the Ku Moons.

 http://countonthemoon.blogspot.com/2011/04/thirty-phases-of-kaulana-mahina.html

Image Credits:  Planting bamboo, Fantasy Fest

Posting Problems

Aloha kakou,

Several folks have emailed us saying they have been unable to post comments.  I hope that issue has been resolved.  I've 're-invited' these folks, and hopefully that makes the problem go away.  When you receive your INVITATION, follow the directions and make sure you create a Goggle Account and become a REGISTERED READER and not a GUEST.

Please let me know through email, if the problem continues happening for you. 

Mahalo for your patience,
Mokihana and Pete

'Auwe ... a little technical difficulty

Aloha!

Bear with me as I clean up things behind the scenes.  The posts were published 'out of order' ... so, PLEASE go through the workshop in sequence ... That means, just read through 'OPENING CEREMONY'and LINK TO CONTINUE to go to the next session.  Repeat that process throughout the day,  and it ought to be okay ... New ventures, new learning. 

I'll keep you posted as I work on things.

Sorry for the inconvenience. 
Mahalo,
Mokihana

OPENING CEREMONY ... 'Oli 'E Ho Mai

Please start by clicking on the Arrow above and join Kumu John Keola Lake as he chants
'E HO MAI

 Mahalo, Kumu John Keola Lake 

" ... IN CONTEMPORARY native villages, one might posit today that all people actively engaged in the land—hunting, fishing, gathering, traveling, camping—are naturalists, and say that some are better than others according to their gifts of observation. Native peoples differ here, however, from the Gilbert Whites, the Darwins, the Leopolds, and the Rachel Carsons in that accumulating and maintaining this sort of information is neither avocation nor profession. It is more comparable to religious activity, behavior steeped in tradition and considered essential for the maintenance of good living. It is a moral and an inculcated stance, a way of being. While White and others, by contrast, were searching for a way back in to nature, native peoples (down to the present in some instances), for what-ever reason, have been at pains not to leave. The distinction is important because “looking for a way back in” is a striking characteristic of the modern naturalist’s frame of mind..."  - Barry Lopez, excerpted from the article "The Naturalist" Orion Magazine, 2001

Sam Ka'ai Kanaka

Talkingstory about Kuleana (Responsibility)

This 29 minute video interview with Sam Ka'ai is a vital voice of the kanaka, the Hawaiian.  It is important for it is the voice that reminds me to be humble; and he reminds me to know what I am responsible for. He speaks about 'Kuleana' in its essential meaning ... who are you?

What I share is what I have learned through experience, and through "collection" while on the journey.  This workshop evolved from our personal spiritual experiences with Kaulana Mahina The Hawaiian Moon Calendar.  Pete and I have been challenged with losses that left us with nothing as we'd known it:  no home, no identity, no health.  When we had nothing to count on, we slowly remembered how to count on the moon.  With nothing, we found our way back to our true nature, that of spiritually evolving being ... or, Makua O'o. 

Our journey reminds me of the value of the darkness, where some of the richest growth takes place.  Mahina is lit only in the darkness yet is present even while the sun is bright.  I am a Native Hawaiian woman seeded with traditions invisible and deep needing only the right timing to remember which tool, which combination of tools will serve not just myself, but the whole of creation.  Physically, we find ourselves on an island again and perhaps that releases the newest timings, the newest opportunity.  We share from the heart our lives as makua o'o, using the tools given us and invite all here to see the blessings of the emptiness, the 'ole.  





Voyaging canoe Hokule'a's historic crossing; Arrives in Tahiti 1976

Legacy of Navigation and Wayfinding

This voyage of sharing "COUNT ON THE MOON ... The blessings of emptiness", continues the legacy of my great navigator ancestors who used the sky, the wind, the ocean, planets, moon, sun and themselves as measurement of pono (harmony and balance).  I remember a snippet of story I first heard as Nainoa Thompson, Master Hawaiian Navigator and Teacher described his early re-awakenings to his seed as navigator.  Then a young man, he would launch the first of many voyaging canoes using the traditional navigational ways and affirm internal knowing.  He said, that in the process of remembering to sail and navigate it was his genitals, that offered him a sense of wave movement that directed his course.  Before their was a sextile and made-tools there was 'us.'

This link opens the reader to Nainoa Thompson's story. A vital connection to Wayfinding and another contemporary foundation for the work Pete and I share here. 

The chant 'E HO MAI beckons to the gods to share their secrets with us.  The sound of the words beat like a heart within us and we make space for the unknown.  Prayer is always the way to begin.  Our journey is one of wayfinding, integrating ancient wisdom that sustains with time with the Earth and her people now.  We start with time and the Native Hawaiians' calendar.

Kaulana Mahina 

...is the way Hawaiians track time, observing the effects of moon, stars, planets and sun on plants, fish/sea, and themselves; and count the thirty phases of the moon, the passing of day and night.

'Ole Mahalo

This workshop focuses on the phases called 'ole (empty), and  is called 'Ole Mahalo' which literally means thank-you for the nothing.  There is a kaona or irony to the meaning for the value of nothing is so foreign in our thing-valued society.  The value of the nothingness, is the spiritual call, the opportunity to see and feel the regular and persisting release and rest time -- seven phases, seven nights and days, found within the thirty phases of a moon cycle.  These are called the 'Ole Moons or 'Ole Cycles. 

There are 12 workshop sessions-posts presented in the first phase of new content.  Work with these at a a pace comfortable to you.  All of us will be new to the way this format of sharing on a blog operates.  Patience and good humor will be really important to the venture.

Why begin on the NEW MOON?
Pete and I welcome you to this cyber-ark workshop, and invite you to breathe deeply and relax for a time during this NEW MOON of April, 2011.  NEW MOON is a time when Mahina is furthest away from Earth, and her light is diminished though never unfelt.  A new cycle of approximately 30 days begins now.  We chose this time, this day and night to COUNT ON THE MOON in a group, gathering collective energy to remember who we are, to count the source of blessings and to count on them with consciousness.

STORYTelling through posting
This workshop began with the blessings of the Divine, Ke Akua, The Source, asking for the blessings,making space for the unseeable present as we have called in the opening 'oli.  Each Post will be a story, an invitation to you who read and attend to its message.  We make space for the wisdom.  Though we are counting on the internet and words on a cyber screen, the invitation to hear the story and tell your own remains as if we were sitting together on a comfortable, warm grassy lawn, or in chairs around a round table with a favorite food or drink.

We have chosen this venue because at this stage of my life, I live with an illness (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities or MCS). I become very ill being with common chemicals and products so often found on laundered garmets, in hair and body products or in a public place.  We are on a healing journey, and feel the positive changes happening with each decision we make to think and co-create with our Source.  That source the Hawaiians call "Ke Kumu." Where once I gathered with people face to face, oddly, the cyber ark seems to serve the mission now.  So with the blessings of the 'oli, onward we go.

We encourage you to listen to E Ho Mai (the chant) often during the month of April, and in particular listen and breathe with the message each morning.  Feel the heartbeat of the message, and the blessings. Make room for the wisdom and notice ...

Please, feel free to comment, or leave questions on this and any other post. 

***  To continue with the workshop CLICK HERE go to POI BOWL ... tradition practice of introductions

The KUMULIPO

Listen and view an introduction to The Kumulipo, The Hawaiian Creation Chant  ... the base from which the Kanaka lived Pono (balance, harmony)

The Kumulipo is woven into every phase and breath of Hawaiian being.  Kalei Tsuha, Ethnoscientist and presenter of the video KAULANA MAHINA (The Hawaiian Moon Calendar) included in this workshop COUNT ON THE MOON, credits the Kumulipo as source for all the names in the Kaulana Mahina.

We weave The Kumulipo into this workshop acknowledging its essential foundation in our culture as Hawaiians.

Here is the link to Queen Liliuokalani's complete translation of The Kumulipo.

And, in the present, A YOUNG KANAKA WAHINE remembers and voices (her) Kumulipo

** To continue with the workshop CLICK HERE to go to  KAULANA MAHINA The Hawaiian Moon Calendar video

KAULANA MAHINA The Hawaiian Moon Calendar

The heavens above us are family, parallel and interconnected links of communication, nourishment and guidance throughout the day and night.  The kaona (there are always more than one meaning in Hawaiian words or messages) of the beautiful wood cut Hawaiian Fisherman used as our blog-workshop masthead image is in the obvious absence of the moon.  There is the beautiful kane(the man) with his net, the rippling ocean with a reflection of something illuminating; in the background the huge pohaku (boulders) and the high reaching mauna loa (large mountains) touch the sky.  It is the bold blue words COUNT ON THE MOON that elude to Mahina's consistent presene and effects. 

We begin this journey of exploring time and keeping track of time with that image, from our places at a cyber navigational tool on Papa (the Earth).
I mua kakou (let's move forward), and meet Kumu Kalei Tsuha of Maui.

CLICK HERE to watch the video KAULANA MAHINA presented by Kumu Ethnoscience Educator Kalei Tsuha.



To help you remember key points of the Kaulana Mahina video-presentation we've created this

"Memory Log for Kaulana Mahina"

... a study guide to refresh the basics for tracking time, seasons and the moon

1. How many nights are in one Hawaiian week?
Ten

2.  What's an easy way to remember how many nights there are in a Hawaiian week?
Count all your fingers, or in Hawaiian "Anahulu ... count to ten."

3.  How many weeks are in one Hawaiian month?
Three

4.  What is  the Hawaiian name for week?
Anahulu

5.  What is the Hawaiian name for month?
Malama

6.  What are the names of the three weeks in a Hawaiian month?
Ho'onui ... the waxing(getting full) phase
Piha Poepoe ... the full moon(s)
Ho'emi ... the waning(getting smaller) phase

7.  Similar to the Gregorian Calendar, which tracks the movement of the sun and adds one day during Leap Year, the Hawaiian Moon Calendar adds:
A new month every 3 years

8.  The Hawaiian months are names of fishing terms.

9.  All the names in Kaulana Mahina are found in the creation chant called The Kumulipo.

10.  What star constellation is used as a marker to track time, and signals the start of a new year?
The Pleides, or in Hawaiian, Makali'i

11.  Why was (is) the study of Kaulana Mahina important?
The study of the cycles helped (s) us to know what we need daily so the Earth can sustain us.  "When you have to know when to plant and fish to survive, you learn fast!"

12.  What are the 'Ole Phases and when do they happen?
There are times when "you go mend your gear, or take a nap."  You do nothing.  Four 'ole phases happen in the early phases (during the Ho'onui) and three phases happen in the Ho'emi (waning).

13.  Did you hear the scientific explanation for 'doing nothing' during the 'Ole Phases? What was it, and can you relate to that explanation? 


Our workshop focuses on the 'Ole Moons, so we'd love to hear what you have to say about the video and Kalei's storytelling.

Did you hear the science of the 'Ole? Let us know in the COMMENTS. 

What other practices/ideas did you find especially interesting or something you really connected to?

***To continue with the workshop CLICK HERE to go to Moon Music ... INTERMISSION

MOON MUSIC ... Intermission

MOON LIGHT LADY ... my favorite Moon Light song of all time

What are your favorite moon songs?

Here is a link to a favorite moon poem shared by one of our CountOnTheMoon 'ohana, Cj Wright ... it's ( well, read it and see)
http://auntiemoon.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/far-away-the-moon-eats-beautiful-whispers/

To continue with the workshop CLICK HERE to go to NEW MOON Reflections ...

IF YOU ARE HERE, REVIEWING THIS MATERIAL, please CLICK HERE to return to "Malama I Ka `Aina" Part 2 of these Kaulana Mahina Workshops.

NEW MOON Reflections on Winter ... Being in Spring!

Winter, 2011

Grand tutu (grandparents) trees stand all around and in front of us, marking time long before we were here.  Our small spaces made of sticks and stones rest lightly in the giant forest.  Small is plenty, small is beautiful.  Cold outside. Warm inside.

Through the top of the door in our vardo, the snow covered woods chilled us.
The bright umbrella awning kept telling us,

"Cheer up!"

JOTS with keen attention to details. Inside the Quonset Hut, "Hmm... heat"  Outside, "No heat."

Inside the Quonset in winter snow covers the woods outside

Inside the cozy Quonset kitchen/writing place/being somewhere nice
We wintered with more comfort ... we progressed

Winter, 2011 felt like a season of 'Ole.  The ice and cold slowed everything and us.  We used the days of summer and fall before to imagine and co-create space that would move us toward something better. We tried a winter without basic shelter aside from the vardo.  It was a perfect contrasting experience:  we knew what we didn't want ... as we settled into the woods on Whidbey we counted our blessings because we do have:

• covered space
• a floor
• a heater
• running water (most of the time)
• a stove and oven
• hot water made by an 8 cup coffee pot
• loving and supportive community
• clean fresh air most of the time
• Internet!

We tapped into the season of winter, and the 'ole moons to make this Quonset.  Pete and I approach the challenges of winter with what we know to be true.  To prepare for the wet season we knew we needed:

• an awning to keep us dry enough to go in and out
• and found thrift store golf umbrellas to keep the blowing winds and snow from hampering our to and fro, we expanded a version of our world
• we moved our composting toilet onto the porch and enclosed it with our Hawaii curtains to add the feel of warm places 
• when a winter car accident led to not being able to be in our Subaru for nearly 4 months I learned patience had so much more to teach me

In between snow-times, Winter 2011  We Love This Quonset

As you reflect on the winter season just passed, and consider today's New Moon, what dreams have manifested, and what desires are in need of your attention now?

**To continue with the workshop CLICK HERE to go to Hilo ...