THE WORD IS OUT!!!

With a lot of ENERGY, EXCITEMENT, & HONOR I am so excited to launch the website for my project!!!

Did you guess the name right???

THERE IS A NEW BLOG ON THAT WEBSITE---> Blog updates will be posted there from now on...

WOW! Isn't it beautiful how life evolves?!?!?!

All the love & support is so humbly appreciated!

It's All Happening!

As I sit up on my balcony staring at the jungle that surrounds me.
Listening to the sounds of the forest.
I am ever so grateful to be alive.

Since I’ve been in Bali, gifts of abundance have continuously opened up.
I am blessed.

On this balcony…
Where I do my morning yoga, breath-work, & prayer…
Energy does not get stuck here; the sweet breeze constantly clears it.
It is the place where I most frequently revisit deep states of gratitude.
My flow
flows here.

Last night I didn’t go to bed until 4am, & at that point I was convincing myself that I must turn in.
So turned on,
my eyes twitched from side to side…
I don’t know if I’ve ever been so passionate about “work.”
This new project is fueling

I realize that not only am I working on a time sensitive project,
I am also working on a time consuming project.
Energy exchange
Back
N
Forth

I didn't mean to avoid my blog... My energy has been going full force with the creation of the website!

I am almost done with the website, which is major feat...
I'm not super savvy with technology, but I seem to have made it work.
Well.

The launch will be this weekend, only a few last minute tweaks now.

My blog will most likely cross over, as my website has a blog of its own.
I hope everyone transitions ok.

Gratitude spilling from my heart,
I am so READY for this journey!

Planning which jungles of Papua to tackle... mmmhmmmm

Stay tuned~~~

It's all happening!

ps. does the picture give the name of my project away??? :)

In Silence, it will come.

Whoa... it's 4pm & I just realized all I have eaten today is chocolate & almonds....

THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO!
How do I balance all of it???

It's been interesting to witness my own evolution since this project has taken a hold of me...
Quite the hobby I must admit.

BIG things have shifted recently... all aligning specifically for me to continue to go forth...

Imua = Go forth in Hawaiian

I wonder how many languages have such beautiful ways to say my last name...
It is my mantra.

All my camera equipment has arrived, so now I am in a position to document this whole process of beautiful transitions & deep realizations. (The first video is in process)
Time is ticking fast.
It's time to book my ticket to Papua...

How do I start thinking like a tribal person??

I'm jotting down the questions I will ask them.
But I know once I'm there I will just fly in the direction of the wind.

No expectations. No reservations.

Surprisingly enough, one of the hardest things about this project/film I have faced was creating the name for the whole damn thing...
What do I call it...?!?
What do I call it...?!?

Several visions & words flew through me... but the right one was floating just out of reach...

Ughhh... frustration.
Breathe...
Patience...
In silence, it will come...

My dreams spoke to me,
"I GOT IT!"
and when I woke it was gone.

A Sacred Vision Quest...
curled in a ball...
holding my gut...

Visions... Visions... Visions....

Ahhh yes!
That's it!!!

haha! of course that's it.

The webpage is almost done,
and then,
I will share the name...

Appreciating the Process

Waves of confusion & clarity wash over me…

I’m starting to realize that this project is not about the end result.
Yes, a beautiful documentary to share with the world… But I know that is not the end, nor the major goal. Just a scrapbook, a collaboration of efforts…
THE WORD IS OUT!

This will be a life long journey.

Greater than any end result will be the process that unfolds during the mission.
Grasping insight… Fighting the bad guys… Working with the good guys… Accepting change… being humbled OVER and OVER again.
And finding myself through it all.

FINDING MYSELF THROUGH IT ALL.

The dark moon this time around brought a significant shift.
Hibernation begins…
I’ve been waiting.
To study… To research… To learn… To explore…
Distractions slowly dissipate & loose importance.

Lucy spoke to me.
Sky opened.
Diamonds encrusted my feet.

The black sand that washed up onto the drift wood reminded me that I am made up of the same particles of the Earth…
My body craved the dark rich minerals.
I could have ate a handful.

Earth made of the cosmos.
I started flying.

Traveler’s Treasure Chest!!!
Aha! That’s it!

Face to face I sat with the Cherokee Medicine Woman.
Her songs of the native tongue send shivers down my spine.
My soul pulsated to the beat of the drum & made me feel at home.
I sent her my message…
Vibrations…. Vibrations…. Dream…

My medicine wheel held vivid visions:

Owl holding pen & pencil in the South.
Blue Heron, river, children in the West.
White Brown bear grasping an URGENT message in the North.
Rainbow Horse bridging worlds in the East.

I am listening.

“You are on a great journey
And many things will shift
The medicine woman inside you is of great importance.
See her.
Nurture her.
Heal the world.
The rainbow people will guide you. Inspire you.
You’ve been here many times- each round intimately connected to the Earth.
You are a master of the Earth.
The children are your messengers.
HEAL. SPEAK. LISTEN. ENCOURAGE. CREATE. DREAM.
You are dynamic.
Bridge the world between the different colored people.”




My camera gear arrives this week.
The biggest investment I’ve ever made (besides my college education).
Now, I wait.
Patiently.

It’s all happening!

Once I found my purpose, my life changed... Forever.

Every person has a purpose… But not all have found theirs yet.

There is much to say about a person who is aligned with their purpose…
But other things need to be explained first.
1. One’s purpose can change.
2. One’s purpose is TOTALLY dependent on their life & their reality.
3. There are no rules to one’s purpose.

One’s purpose can be anything.. It’s not something to fear or avoid, it is something that should be paid MUCH attention to… Right now in the world there are too many people aimlessly walking around the planet,
without a mission,
a message,
a purpose
simply because they haven’t given themselves the time to think that they might ACTUALLY be purposeful. “I’m too this, or too that, so I’ll just ride on cruise & watch it all pass by. Merrrrrrrrr…”
We have learned that when we shine our light others try to dim it… so we only shine our light in safe places…
But my message to you is to shine at all times in all circumstances..
Don’t take it personally when others are blinded by your light & act out in ego, bow to them & whisper to yourself “I honor the work you still have to do, and hopefully my fire will inspire you.” Hermann Hesse said: “It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is.”

One’s purpose doesn’t need to be extravagant (maybe that’s what people fear, “it must be extraordinary”).. No, it only needs to be something that makes sense to them.
When a person has a reason to get out of bed in the morning & be a part of an intention that they feel passionate about a fire lights inside them & can even drive them to make the world a better place.
This is intimidating I know…
But, really, it can be simple.

Maybe one’s purpose is to tell people they are beautiful, or to give offerings to the Gods, or maybe even one’s purpose could be to paint pictures or teach children or meditate or devote themselves to a cause or play guitar or smile or be a good listener or or or…. The list goes on..
Remember one’s purpose can always change & evolve too.

It just has to be something that brings magic to your day. This magic will manifest a new sense of awareness & devotion to life. Regardless of the depth of the purpose, the advantage of dedicating yourself to something you feel passionate about is infinite.

It gives you a reason to rise each morning, to meet each new face, and most importantly it lights a fire under your ass & asks you to keep going… This alone will bring new light into one’s day.
Having a purpose is like being in a good relationship- it always supports you & pushes you to be a better person.

The power of aligning with one’s purpose is immense. When an individual comes across your path & knows exactly why they’ve been put here on this planet it is powerful beyond measure. It actually can be a bit intimidating to see someone so aligned, driven & purposeful. We envy it because this is EXACTLY what each human being naturally is striving for: To be passionate about life.

Find your gift...
It is your legacy & the way you will serve the world.

"You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine."

It takes 21 days to create a new neural pathway in your brain (aka habit, ritual, pattern, etc.) I’m in the midst of my challenge to bring in a balanced serving of the things that are MOST important in my life.. Already, I have seen how setting an intention to my day can bring a new element of sacredness back into life.

THERE IS POWER IN RITUAL!!!

So I challenge you:
What is your purpose??
&
How will you work towards it EVERYDAY???

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~Mark Twain

~THE TIME IS NOW~

Wizard Moon & the New Chapter Sunrise

Sun rises,
now sun sets.
The duality comforts me.

I am honored when I am able to sip the sweet essence of the rising sun…
It’s becoming more frequent these days.

There is something magical during this time of day.
As the busy world sleeps,
Mama Gaia embraces her opportunities shine.
Birds sing,
the little creatures paint their way through the brush,
the sun kissed wind caresses my hair & leaves my skin feeling alive,
the dew from the night before glistens in colorful reflections of purity & simplicity.
I am a witness to it all.

Good things come when we pay attention to the silence.

As the brightest & lightest moon of the year fell unto the Earth
I watched the sun rise & steady at the same level.
Batur Volcano peak starring me straight in the eyes,
The four of us created a sacred diamond.
I held sun in one hand & the moon in the other
Equalized & stable,
I was the center of balance beam.

A circular rainbow reminded me
that
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!

Wow! Wow! Wow!
Are the only words I could muster to explain the depth.
Good thing I was with those who completely understood.
There was no need for anything more.

But something still speaks to me to sing.

They say now is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
I breathe this alignment into my soul,
The shift is coming
I feel it
I am at the center of it…

Directly at the center of the universe!!!!

But don’t forget,
So is everyone else.

AWAKEN!

Manifesting a vision… Sharing my BIG idea.

Alright, so this is my first vocalization to a large group of a dream that I have recently become seriously interested in manifesting… So far I’ve spoken about it, but only to close friends & to others who allowed the opportunity to present itself. What I have noticed thus far, is each time I vocalize this dream more doors open, new ideas, resources, support, & motivation rushes in. It is amazing how potential energy can become kinetic energy as soon as you vocalize it.
This is a lesson in & of itself.

Now, I am trying to figure out how to make this dream become a reality & trust my intuition to guide me through it. Part of this manifestation is building a support system, & surrounding myself with people who BELIEVE I can do it. So far, all I have received is love, appreciation, & inspiration-this is the fuel I am running on now.

HERE WE GO:
My dream in this current state of awakening is to create a documentary film about something that I feel COMPLETELY passionate about. It is something that has been lying dormant in my soul for quite some time, but recently the blurry mirage of the dream is all becoming clear. Thanks to some high vibing experiences in the last couple months my dream has evolved quickly through the egg phase where the ideas swirled, into the larvae stage where creativity flourished, then into the cocoon stage where I went within to mature the ideas, and now the transformative stage where I am now sharing my creation. Yes, some beautiful butterfly medicine soothing my soul & guiding me through this process.

Before I blurt out the idea I feel that it is almost as important to explain the series of events that empowered me to believe in my ability to do this… because without these experiences my purpose would still be an itch that I couldn’t scratch.

It all started as I sat wide eyed listening to a mid-age Balinese man speaking about the importance of Nyepi (Bali’s New Year) and in the same breath admitting his fear of his culture quickly slipping away to modernism, technological advancement, & industry. I asked him if he & the elders feel confident in the youth to carry on their intricate traditions, he needn’t speak, I could see the answers in his eyes.
My heart sank.
My adoration of ancient, old, indigenous cultures all rushed into my heart & sent shivers down my spine.
I almost puked!
This was the first phase of the alignment…
I felt it in my gut, and the sadness quickly turned into intense excitement.
My eyes filled with fire:
“The world needs to know about these sacred traditions!” I could have screamed it.
The Balinese man looked up & asked “well who is going to do it?”

A couple days later I walked into a glowing room lit by candles, laced with flower mandalas, & embraced with zen in human form. Together the collective sang kirtan at the top of our lungs---I was high… real high. The bliss is hard to put in words, but just imagine a group of at least 60 people knees touching, hands open to the Gods, aligned in their highest truth vocalizing non-resistance in the purest form of love.
It was powerful…

When the kirtan ended we all gasped, no one was ready for it to come to an end. Mid gasp they introduced the flute carrying Kokopeli, we sighed in relief.
He explained his art as a sound journey,
I closed my eyes,
I was ready.
As he played his first note, my eyes clenched & the fire shot through my heart into each of my extremities, he was taking me on a journey, a Shamanistic journey. Sitting straight with my spine shooting up into the cosmos I started journeying into the forest, where I found my native family sitting around a fire.
I sat with them,
I didn’t speak,
the flute sang the words of my ancestors.

My heart turning more raw as the chief expressed his fear & his betrayal. His wounds bled openly in front of the fire dwellers. My indigenous father looked straight at me with eyes of helplessness,
eyes of trust,
filling my ears with rhythmic hope he told me that it is time.
Yes, I know… It is time.

In the midst of 60 blissed out hippies I balled my eyes out, releasing something that has been dormant for so long. Sitting in two worlds now, feeling completely safe, the excitement swirled through my spirit again…
Releasing the fear of my ancestors & becoming aligned with my purpose…
My responsibility.
To be the voice for the wounded indigenous. Not just of my native people, but also the indigenous people of the world.
Their intelligence… their secrets cannot be hidden & ignored any longer.
I walked out into the dark night & looked up at the millions of stars glaring down at me, & I thanked my ancestors as I could feel them there with me.
I declared my readiness.

Over the next month I was coincidentally aligned with a band who spoke so eloquently of all the thoughts I have on a daily basis.
Is it true?? The power of three is what kept the fire burning inside of me.

Lead by a Native American Apache & a soulful momma drummer, this band turned my world upside down. I would have to be completely numb to not be aware of this third synchronistic incident presenting itself to me.
No, no!
I was TOTALLY aware!

Medicine for the People is the name of the band & the lyricists was spittin some serious awareness. The message was all too familiar to me, but now it had sound… A sound that swept myself & many others away.
Completely aligned with his purpose this singer, this poet, this activist of the indigenous showed me how to be a voice.
My guru…
He taught me how to insert the medicine gently, yet powerfully, so that one cannot forget.
Again, I was acquainted with a Chief.
He transferred some of the responsibility into me.
I gladly accepted.
I will not forget.

Needless to say, the last couple month have been totally mind-blowing. I surrender to the immense power of an individual being aligned with their purpose. I harness this fuel & create it into my own alignment.

Each of us has a purpose on this planet,
although,
one must be aware of the synchronicitys in life in order to tackle it.

Soooooooooo, here is the big idea of the film in a very small nutshell (I am planning on posting the evolution of the ideas & the process as it unfolds on a new blog, this is only the introduction):
My passion for the indigenous people runs deep & is obviously driven by my own roots. I believe that native people possess a wisdom, a knowing, that many modern day people have forgotten about, & maybe never even known about. My mission is to search & document indigenous practices from tribes from a variety of places on the planet with hopes to educate the modern-day busy bee about:

1. How to live in balance with the natural world
2. Bringing sacredness back into the world.

The indigenous people have mastered these traits of being human & the hard part is the traditions are fading fast. The people who live so eloquently with the land & the spirits of the land MUST be recognized for their meekness: Their infinite power beyond guns, steel, & gold.
It is no longer time to feel guilt & sadness, now it is time to honor & cherish these intelligent life forms that have walked this planet.

In the midst of all these ideas I am collaborating, I must keep one thing in mind……. After working with children & trying to design ways to empower them to be caretakers of the environment, I’ve had to be extremely careful because there are so many LARGE issues which can become overwhelming & if you don’t have a strong connection to the natural world the typical emotion is to feel guilt, then avoid it completely.
My intention is not to focus on the negative, although it is the foundation of the issue being tackled, my focus will be on the beauty & potential of human beings actually living in balance with the natural world. It is now time that we look back to our indigenous sisters & brothers for guidance. Through knowledge, skill, & ingenuity they have mastered their environment, they live in tune with their surroundings and show it a respect that is being lost elsewhere. Because the fact of the matter is, no matter how technological we may become, our well-being is equally dependent on the well-being of the planet. The remarkable lives of the native peoples remind us that we are nothing without nature.
THEIR STORIES MUST BE TOLD!

I will start filming this summer in the jungles of Papua, one of the last places on the planet where tribal feet still walk the soil.

I ask my family, friends, & anyone else interested in this project to stay connected with me, the more vibrations being sent out into the universe believing that this dream can become a reality-the better.

All my love & adoration~ infinitely & limitlessly!

Tunkashila guide me~~~~~~

A Culture to Learn From~

Bali works on a MUCH different calendar, every 210 days Bali experiences a New Year. In addition to the importance & dedication of each day, the Balinese people live more in-sync with the Earth as they rise & fall with the sun.
Bali never seizes to amaze me with the amount of intention that fills each moment, but this holiday is something to write home about.

Nyepi: The Balinese New Year
The depth of this holiday is something I must delve much deeper into, but this is my understanding thus far:

Tawur Kesanga (the day before Nyepi):
Many days before this the elders of the culture gather the young children & ask them about the characters that live in their nightmares. The elders then relay this information to the young adult men who then gather materials to build the FAMOUS Ogah-Ogah (scary looking monsters-which are representation of the evil spirits). One thing to note about the Balinese people is their delicate balance of good & evil. They truly believe that they must cater to both in order to live harmoniously in every day living. Each time they give offerings, or go to ceremony, they pray unto the good as well as the evil. One cannot live in balance without both. On Tawur Kesanga the Ogah-ogahs are ready to be shown off, but it takes weeks to build & create them. Usually the compounds hide them until this day with tarps, making the outside eagerly wait to see their masterpieces. When the sun start to fall the vibe on the whole island shifts, a weird, creepy energy fills the air, but the people are so alive & so excited. The Ogah-ogahs are created to call on the evil spirits for the Balinese to show gratitude to by partying with them. By nightfall, it becomes a sloppy parade, when the intoxicated teenagers hold up the huge beasts & trample through the streets showing off their phallic beasts. The crowd roars with excitement & the Balinese gamelan music beats everyone's chest into a pulp. The women follow the men with torches, taking the beasts to the nearest cemetery when they burn them all to the ground. Demonstrating to the demons that you are welcome, but only for short periods of time. By midnight all of the people (including tourists) are hidden in their compounds (houses or hotels), nestled away safely by the comfort of their families.

The next day is Nyepi, Bali's New Year day which is celebrated in silence. No one goes outside, no one makes a peep. The island is silent. There is no travel (airports are even shut down), no one is at work, no one cooks, & there is NO use of electricity. This day is dedicated to utter silence & reflection, a Balinese man told me " when we are not talking we can listen more." On this day I could hear the Earth resting, no one digging, no one driving, just resting.
After the Balinese electrify the evil spirits the night before the next day they go in hiding... This confuses the evil spirits, there is no one to antagonize, so they leave the island.
In the silence the people reflect on the past year & plan ideas for the future year to come. In the silence they can hear what the Gods are telling them & what their own spirit needs.

An Australian was moved by Nyepi & created "Earth hour" a time (1 hour) for western people to turn off all lights & electricity & reflect on their impact.

The Balinese dedicate 24 hours to this, and I wonder could the western world EVER handle 24 hours in silence????

~~Bali is my teacher~~

To all my Sisters & Brothers

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am i to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually,
who are you not to be??

You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people wont feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

~~Marianne Williamson

Constant Total Amazement

“The world is pregnant with miracles.
All it takes is for us to approach with quiet and awe, 
and the most mundane things open themselves 
into infinities.”

It’s interesting, I must admit, watching life’s mysteries unfold on a consistent basis. My world is filled with such beauty & bliss simply because I have taught myself how to see the world through a positive lens. So many opportunities have opened themselves to me because I have taken my life by the reigns & yelled “Let’s do this!”

My mission now is to not only embrace the beauty, bliss, comfort & love, but to also see the utter importance of its dualistic partners: darkness, contraction, greed, & anger. Finding the balance between the two has been quite a ride. The year 2012 according to many Mayan believers is all about expansion….

Expansion…

I contemplate this word often… It possesses great meaning that words actually cannot describe (in my mind).
Many of us Earthlings struggle with this concept because we appreciate reason, logic, & the tempting habits of the ego. We are scared of letting our minds flutter in ways that force us to think thoughts outside of the box. Outside of what we know. And when we do, there is usually someone to call out our nonsense, and bring us back down to Earth. It should be recognized that our bodies natural instinct is to expand, but the ways of our societies & the impacts of our fears usually cause us to contract. To go back in the box and hide, and even convince ourselves to think we are silly for contemplating such thoughts…
“Just stick to what you know” reason grounds you again.

Don’t get me wrong, being grounded is necessary too, but there is a balance you see… At some point in our lives we are forced to believe that imagination is not as important as logic, and this mentality I pity, but I forgive..

Contraction is yet again another word I contemplate… It also possesses great meaning in a very different sense. When I picture the word contraction I see a person curled up in a ball with their head hanging between their knees and their arms tightly wrapped around their calves. Their breath is shallow, their lungs are small, their face is tight. There is no room for any outside forces to penetrate this person, they are fully protected by their human shell. I reflect on the times I contract: during a fight when I think I am right & they are wrong-I go silent, when I am in a discussion & I disagree with a statement-I react & my ego flares, when I am told unfortunate news-I become sad & shun the world, when my emotions get the best of me-I am grumpy, short, & disillusioned, etc. etc. The list goes on. Now I am teaching myself how to feeeeeeeeeeel these contracted states, respect them, understand them, and allow them to be…

And in those times of contraction, I EXPAND. I open my arm & my heart to the universe, I spread the love from my soul to those around me, and I allow myself to experience the world of the unknown. Even though I AM SO SCARED to do so, I MAKE myself do it.

Through these practices, I have seen beauty in the darkness, & I have recognized the true potential I have as a human being on this planet. And the footprints I leave on my everyday path is of gratitude keeping in mind both sides of duality. The lessons I take from each moment are REMARKABLE.

“Almost the whole world's asleep. Everybody you know, everybody you see, everybody you talk to. Only a few people are awake. And they live in a state of constant, total amazement.”