Hawaii, My Muse, Hawaii!

Hello Darling!

This is a love letter to Hawaii and other muses.

Bear with a note of self indulgences, would you?

Fragrant plumerias around my neck, Kona sunsets, and a shiny new ukelele have nudged me to find my voice. The magical presence that blows through the palms, azure waters that fill my heart, and your Aloha songs are music to my spirit.  Thank you, Hawaii, for bringing me home again!

'scuse me while I kiss the sky

I have found my muse on a beautiful island in the Pacific.  The Hamakua coast beckons me to return.  I’m certain I’ll return to you one day…if only in my dreams.

After our two months at the Georgia Renaissance Festival I was perplexed as to what I would do with myself on our family’s six week break from touring with Tartanic.  I found myself attempting to force an exotic trip to keep The Travel Creatives juicy and alive.  Sitting around in Corpus Christi, Texas did not feel interesting enough for the insatiable drive I have to travel.

Hello, Magical Fairy Tree

I soon realized that I only wished to travel if some greater purpose was involved.  A project is essential if I am to give my energy to traveling.  I yearn to synthesize my desire to document (through video) with my mission to grow and share.

A declaration was made after the Georgia experience that I would only travel if something meaningful arose.  Listen here!  Make your own declaration and clarify your own intentions because it really works!

As an answer to my prayers, two days later I received an interesting email from Leilehua Yuen, a lovely Hawaiian cultural practitioner that I had interviewed in Hawaii in early 2010.

Leilehua and I greeting each other with a traditional Polynesian "honi"

“Would you be interested in making a documentary on traditional Hawaiian lei making??”  Why YES, I certainly would.  ”Would you like to be my personal assistant and documentarian for the ‘Sacred Journey into Sacred Hawaii’ tour led by the famous thought leader on the human potential movement, Jean Houston?”

Uh, yah…Sign me up, Sister!

Without hesitation I flew into Hawaii for three weeks of hard work and mind blasting awakening–on every level of my being.

I thank you, Leilehua Yuen for hearing my call over the seas!  The last three weeks have been nothing short of phenomenal.  I have learned so much about traditional Hawaiian spirituality. This experience has only left me in awe and with keen awareness that I really knew very little about the details of the Hawaiian’s perspective of the sacredness of their land.  My respect for this culture has grown tenfold.  I now consider myself friends and sisters with you, a great and dedicated teacher.

Leilehua Yuen and her Husband Manu Josiah perform ceremony at KAHO

I also thank Jean Houston for her sheer genius and ability to activate the potential we all hold within ourselves.  I have much to say about this experience, but today’s post I’m keeping light and general (as any good love letter should be).  I was in the presence of a true master mind who was buddies with the likes of U.S. Presidents, Margaret Mead, Alan Watts, and Joseph Campbell…to name a few.  What a trip!

Irene, Kahuna Uncle Kimo, and Jean Houston in Hawaii 2011

And you, my muses: the little ones like my new ukelele and the big ones like Mother Hawaii Aina and the others that I keep personal, I thank you for helping me on the path to find my voice.  I’m glad you’re by my side.

On a hill in Hilo I sat for hours struggling to play chords seamlessly on my new uke.  I sang and sang until in an instant my inside, my heart, and my voice merged.  I have always held the belief that I couldn’t sing.  But all of a sudden, there it was…a voice that mattered.  I couldn’t believe my ears.  And I actually cried and laughed at the same time–a bit embarrassed by my reaction.

And you, dear friend, I know I am the sappiest of sorts, but thanks for reading and thanks for sticking with me.  I encourage you to find your own muse.  This is the key to keeping the creativity flowing and navigating through life to unveil one’s own truth.  This was one of the greatest gifts I received from this journey.  I know these muses will keep me going and will keep this travel, blog and video project fruitful and hopefully useful to some.

Waipio Valley so good I eat you up, yum!

I don’t know if I’ll ever see you again, Hawaii, but my life has been richer with your presence.  I’m glad I had a chance to speak to you in person.  I can feel your love embrace me over oceans.  Maybe some day we will meet again?  If we don’t, just know that I love you anyway and wish you well.

For now, I fly back to Texas and edit like a fired-up warrior to complete this documentary, prepare for the two month Pennsylvania Renaissance Festival geekery with my family and my Tartanic family in August, and set the ground work for a Journey into the Mayan Heartlands with Running Buffalo Journeys in October.  And that is a whole other story.

What is your muse?  Try writing that story and maybe you’ll find that you have a good friend in your heart to help you blaze your own path.

Thanks for connecting!

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