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.