Messengers of the heart

Encountering Pele on The Big Island of Hawaii

Beautiful gift of the heart… a bowl filled with love

The date was Thursday, January 24th, 2020. It was the day my group and I were going to spend time with four of the mountains that made up the Big Island of Hawaii: Mauna Kea, Hualalai, Mauna Loa & Kilauea; the fifth volcano is Kohala, which hosted the lovely property we were staying at. We would also make an attempt to see the lava field from the May 2018 eruption.

I awoke with the distinct thought that I best make myself presentable, as I'm going to meet Pele today. Madame Pele is the Goddess of the volcanoes and creatrix of the Hawaiian Islands. A feeling in my heart said this was going to be a special day indeed.

The last stop of the morning was Rainbow Falls in Hilo and I was excited to see the magic of moving water bending light into rainbows, as well as the stately and wise Banyan Tree in residence there.

Coconut birds made from palm leaves

On my way to the falls with my peers, I spied a curious man in a red cap whittling away on a large palm leaf. Beside him on a stick were three beautiful birds crafted from the fronds he had gathered. I asked permission to take a photo of his birds.

Oh, of course you may! He replied. Come, sit, and I'll make you a rose. I perched on the rock beside him and he began to tell me the history of his craft. His people had lived here forever and it was his grandmother who passed on the skill of weaving to him. He told me of his family, his people and how their lives and locations had changed as the land was claimed for commercial endeavours. I listened with fascination and a twinge of sadness to think that people would be removed from their land in favour of mini malls.

He presented me with the rose and my heart swelled up as our hands touched. His energy was lovely and the response inside my chest was a blissful swell; the same thing I feel when I hold a new baby, or cuddle a kitten. The love just swelled up and out.

Hearts speak

I asked him if he had grandchildren of his own, which he did. He settled back to his leaves and declared that he would make me a turtle as well. I reached out my hand saying "honu" and showed him the little honu (turtle) charm that I wear nearly every day. He touched the charm and said, Oh Bless you! While crafting the turtle he told me more stories of his family and the things he is passing on to his own grandchildren; stories about how he strives to keep the old ways and beliefs of Hawaii alive.

Feeling the love in the story of his ohana and how his grandma taught him this skill

He attached the turtle to my rose. I asked him if I could give him a hug, he agreed and off I went to look at the falls and catch up with my friends. The feeling of his energy and the love beaming from him followed me and I found myself disinterested in the falls and ancient tree.

I decided I wanted to give him something for his creation so I made my way back to the van to retrieve some cash from my purse. I returned to his side and saw that now he had also created a beautiful bowl. I held out a twenty-dollar bill. Will you accept this for my turtle and rose, please? Oh! Thank you" he said. Then he proceeded to hand me the bowl. I said oh no, I simply wanted to give this to you for the turtle.

Something about the love I felt from him, between us, brought tears streaming down my face. He said, oh my dear, please don't cry, you'll make me cry too. He motioned for me to sit beside him again and began to fashion yet another rose to decorate my bowl.

I told him, I cannot help it. Your energy is just overwhelming to me. He looked at me and said, Yours is the same for me.

He attached the rose to the bowl and then looked me straight in the eye. You are a teacher, he stated. I am a Reiki Master, yes and I teach adults and students Reiki. Yes, you are a teacher. You understand the Aloha Spirit and that Love is all that matters. You will write a book about Love so that others can understand too.

I have written a book, I replied and it IS about love. He looked at me with a curious grin and forcefully asked. "Is YOUR name on the cover of THAT book?" Well, no, I said, it is a collaboration book, referring of course to Hope for Humanity. That is NOT the book I speak of, he insisted. You will write your OWN book about love.

I told him that I had begun a book about my daughter, Alexandra, who passed away from a brain tumour at age five. He gazed deeply into my eyes and said:

Your daughter sees the world through your eyes now. She is so very grateful that you are having these adventures and giving gifts to the world. She sees you and she is very proud that you are her mom. She was grateful that she had this life as your daughter and she continues to be with you.

I had no words. I hugged him again and thanked him for my lovely bowl. Tears streaming down my face, I made my way up the path beside the waterfall and then down the little hill to where my retreat ohana (family) had spread out our picnic lunch. Bonnie and Laurie Bogner greeted me with warm hugs and directed me to go and sit; to get some food in me. I sat in relative silence, speaking briefly to try and explain what happened.

I walked back to the van with Bonnie, who is our retreat leader and one of my most important mentors. I shared with her how my morning started and how I believed this message came through the man with the red cap from Madame Pele herself, fearing she might think me mad or a little bit overinflated. Bonnie just laughed and said, "I agree that it was her too and, on this island, magic happens all the time. Pele has many who channel her messages.

You see, dear reader, Madame Pele appears to many who offer kindness and an open heart, always wearing at least one piece of red clothing to let you know it's her.

As usual my life is Weird and Wonderful... Patricia Meier

Lost in the magic of the message

P.S. Since the time of this writing, I have written my own book. It is called Forever Five - Adventures of The Ladybug hunter. It is the story of the lessons Alexandra, my daughter, taught me in the short five years she was here on earth. As one reader said, it is a sad story but not a sad book. Interested readers can find the book on Amazon or Indigo.