by Kumu Nālani | Dec 5, 2023 | Blog Posts, Hawaiian Studies Club, Healing, Spirituality
You are not alone. Although we have the Teaching of No Separation, the truth is you are never truly alone. Separation is the illusion.
All things work in unity and harmony. You are part of the unity. It is a universal bond that can never be broken.
That this bond feels broken, disconnected or missing doesnʻt mean that it canʻt be found and repaired. We all have those times when we feel weʻve lost our way.
Itʻs frustrating and sometimes disheartening too because we feel we try so hard to make the connection happen, and then it goes nowhere.
But the road to Nowhere is always a road to Somewhere. It may not be the Somewhere you envisioned, but it might be a necessary Somewhere for you to visit.
Visiting Somewhere means there is Something to find. What if that finding was Yourself, your true Self? We often think that the “spiritual path” evens out at some point. But the Truth is, when the Path starts to even out, buckle up, because youʻre on your way to the next level.
All that you have experienced at this level, learned, put into practice or maybe left behind, is in readiness for the next step up. Because once your lived experience is what we call in our Teachings Paʻa – that is, you have a strong, unshakable foundation at the level youʻre on, meaning, itʻs just how you live nowadays, the Ancestors will take you to where you need to go next.
The taking can be uncomfortable. Horrifyingly sad even. Sometimes our journeys have felt so exhausting at the level weʻre at – we think we canʻt take anymore. Weʻve given it our all. Weʻve put our heart into it, only to discover thereʻs more…
Of course, elevating and levelling up does require rest – otherwise it leads to Spiritual Burnout. Just like a Star that burns too fast, we donʻt want to burn ourselves into extinction.
Everyone and everything around us needs us to shine brighly and without effort. Just “is-ing” while we find our way and allow ourselves to adjust and take stock of where we are.
We donʻt always make the time to reflect – to look back in wonder to see the mountains weʻve climbed, the molehills weʻve navigated around, the people it was necessary to leave behind, or work too.
Sinking into where we are now is how we meld with all around us. Connect, but not at the same level we connected before. Now it is different. It all feels different – sometimes itʻs hard, harsher, or weʻre less patient. Sometimes the way we connected “before” doesnʻt work any more, or at least, doesnʻt feel as comfortable, maybe even less real.
We have to find a new way. An evolutionary way that isnʻt from where we were before because weʻre not there anymore. Weʻre not that person. Where we we are Now is more of the person weʻre becoming.
Every step up is a step TOWARD the Spiritual Self that we truly are. Itʻs a step into our Spiritual Origins. Itʻs a step into our formless Essence which is the True Nature of our existence and our the Truth of our Form. We have to come to know and understand this formless Essence which we call ʻuhane/Spirit…
The more we learn to add this to the way we Connect, form relationships with the Universe around us in all of Itʻs forms, the more it brings us to a different level of understanding. Connections change as we do. They refine and become finer energetically.
Itʻs a necessary evolution too, because if we continue on the Path, we will one day discover that weʻre no longer “connecting” – we just are. And even then, the work isnʻt done, it simply levels up once again…
Finding and following that old friend. How to do it:
▶ Healing helps you. Healing Conversations – sometimes you just want to have time to kukakuka/talk it all through. Kumu Julia Nālani and the SoHAD Wise Guides are experts in matters of life. Kumu and the Wise Guides can help you process, sort things out, find your way, make decisions and feel more settled about things..
▶ Hoʻoponopono is another way to “get there”. Here we delve deep; we make a direct line into all of the nooks, crannies and regualar hiding spaces. We go behind the veil to find what we traditionally call “pōhaku”/stones – baggage. As you level up, things that might have been so well hidden come into vision. It is important to your quality of life, your spiritual development, for your change and transformation that we find these things and they heal. It is about being able to live life without feeling burdened by the past and freeing your future so that the path of peace and happiness is wide open for you. You can book Traditional Hoʻoponopono Sessions online with Kumu Paʻa Nālani and Wise Guide Deborah Rose Hālani. You can also do online and in person Session with Practitioners trained by Kumu around the world – to connect with them contact Kumu Nālani directly
▶ Training yourself with our Hālau is another way to level up again – here weʻre all going up and we take you with us. The Foundation Course – Path to Paʻa – is where you start. Itʻs not only the Cultural Foundation of Hawaiian Spirituality, itʻs the Knowledge that underpins all healing practices like Lomilomi Bodywork Massage and Hoʻoponopono, as well as Hula Dancing and Oli/Chant.
▶ Hawaiian Studies Club is another way to continue doing your Inner Work – the Hana. This is a place of gathering to learn, explore, ask questions, get answers, try things out. Itʻs informal but thereʻs a structured, diverse and interesting learning program. Think: learning about Spiritual Intelligence, our Hālau Teachings, Traditional Learning Moʻolelo/Stories, learn a Hula,and an Oli/Chant, Q&A Sessions, Special Guests, Learning Challenges to explore and experiment with, and more.
Kumuʻs Promise: as a Lineage Kumu Paʻa, my only role is to help you get to Paʻa and stay there…and the way I do that is through my healing and teaching work. The door is open…Aloha, Kumu Julia Nālani x
by Kumu Nālani | Nov 20, 2023 | Blog Posts, Growing, Hawaiian Studies Club
Scrolling through the SMʻs this morning Iʻm struck by how many people “like” and “love this” on the quick fix lists.
So I want to know – whatʻs the rush? If youʻre a Spiritual Seeker why are you rushing your development with Quick Fix Lists?
What are you rushing to or from? Itʻs true in our Teachings we often share Anakala/Uncle Pilipoʻs wisdom about making our way up the Mountain – but never does he tell us itʻs a fast trip!
Zooming up the mountain and getting there faster doesnʻt mean youʻll find what youʻre seeking when you get to the top!
Because when you get there, you might find thereʻs a new peak which you couldnʻt see before. And so the journey begins again. What you learned on your way up, is what equips you for the next peak. Where you are, which you thought was the top, is a plateau to rest for the next leg of the journey.
So being in a hurry means you might by-pass important Teachings that are the foundation for your next level of ascension. And where will that leave you? Ill-equipped for whatʻs next…
Hurrying towards the goal (whatever that is) is triggered by Need. Need stems from a sense of lack in some area of your life – maybe itʻs your stuff from the Past that you havenʻt fully resolved, maybe itʻs a sense of time running out, new information revealed or maybe itʻs just that youʻre in a hurry to “move on”.
But hurrying isnʻt the answer. Hurrying can cause you to skim over only the top level which gives the illusion that youʻre “doing the hana/the work”. For growth and change to occur, the learning has to be deep.
Going deep takes patience because just like the mountain, thereʻs depths within depths. Your job is to discover them all. As you do you will discover the pathway changes as you expand.
Expansion takes patience and persistance, thatʻs why we have the word “E hoʻomanawanui” – which literally means patience and fortitude or taking big(nui) time (manawai) to do (hoʻo) something.
Our Ancestors understood Patience and Fortitude are not easy to live by day to day. They are two sides of the same coin. One arises because of the other. If you are in a hurry, youʻre trying to CONTROL the flow of your life. Control in this context doesnʻt help, it causes you to hold on more tightly, which creates a sense of scarcity and hurry.
You think you are hurrying forward, towards something. But thatʻs not true. Youʻre not hurrying away from pain but hurrying deeper into it. Peddling backwards. Some people might call it “avoidance”. Only you will know.
So what to do?
▶ Acknowledging growth requires you to stop, step back and reflect deep into the REAL TRUTH. As you do, be aware of even the slightest, most subtle contraction, frission or glinch as you do. Your body is your physical sensory vessel that is most often the easiest to listen to – but remember, when your body tells you something, it has already happened at the Spiritual Level. The Phsyical is the last place you become aware of it.
▶ If your body feels the REAL TRUTH about your attachment to Quick Fix Lists, fast remedies or 5 Ways to…, listen to it without hilahila/shame or judgement. It is simply your expansion into REAL TRUTH – which is always the domain of the true Seeker.
Itʻs a sign of your Growth, lean into it…Aloha, Kumu Paʻa Julia Nālani x
🌺 PS Hereʻs how I can help you to REALLY grow and develop fast as a Healing Practitioner and/or Spiritual Seeker: join my Hawaiian Studies Club. Itʻs a community of Healers, Practitioners and Seekers just like you. Itʻs a real community filled with a variety of weekly learning opportunities led by me Kumu Paʻa Julia Nālani, unikiʻd 51st Generation Kumu Paʻa. In the Club I share with you Teachings, ʻolelo noʻeau/wisdom proverbs, weʻll explore Spiritual Intelligence – the intelligences of our Ancestors – and how to use these intelligences each moment of our living. Thereʻs a Hula and Oli as well + build your biz advice and Ask Me Anything Days. Thereʻs more of course – check it out over on the Hawaiian Studies Club Page or contact me to ask more…
by Kumu Nālani | Aug 1, 2022 | Blog Posts, Growing, Healing, Spirituality
A Moʻolelo is a story. Every story preserves important information for a healthy, spiritually-driven life. Teaching Stories have many layers and levels. We call this the kaona – the deeper, sacred meaning concealed within what is shared.
A Haumana/Student learns a moʻolelo word for word so they can share it acurately with the next generation of listeners to benefit from the Teaching. And the story of how the Naupaka Flower came to be goes like this…
There is a shiny green plant that grows near the beaches of Hawaii called the Naupaka. It has small delicate white half flowers. It was named for Naupaka, a Hawaiian Princess who lived many, many years ago at a time when the Naupaka blossoms were whole.
Her people loved Naupaka. She was always smiling and she had sweet words for all the people of the village. One day they noticed Naupaka was very sad. “Aue! Oh dear, why is Naupaka so sad?” they asked each other.
Word reached the King and Queen. They found Naupaka at the mountain pool. The face reflected in the water was a very sad face. “O dear daughter, why are you so sad?” her mother asked.
Naupaka shook her head “I am deeply in love, in love with a handsome young man named Kauʻi”
“Is he of noble birth?” her mother asked.
“No my mother, he is not”
The social order of the day did not allow members of the royal family to marry commoners. Her father said “we must consult the Kupuna/Elders of the Village. They will tell us what to do.”
Alas, the Kupuna did not give their decision. They said “Naupaka and Kauʻi must journey far, they must journey to the Heiau. There the Kahuna will tell them.”
Naupaka and Kauʻi journeyed for many days until they finally reached the great heiau at the top of the mountain.
There they waited at the lava wall and called out to the Kahuna within. “We have arrived here at your temple. Please answer us and come to speak with us.”
The old Kahuna arrived and listened to Naupaka and Kauʻi. He shook his head sadly. “The Hawaiian Gods must decide.”
Suddenly the sky darkened and the wind rose. There was a torrent of rain, a loud clap of thunder and flashes of lightening. Naupaka and Kauʻi embraced sadly. The Gods had given them a sign. They were not to marry.
Naupaka tore the blossom from her hair. She broke it in two and placed half the blossom in Kauʻiʻs palm. “We will separate” she said. “I will remain here in the mountains and you will journey back to the seashore. And, my beloved, never again will we meet”.
The Naupaka blossoms growing nearby heard the lovers sadness and bowed their heads.
To this very day the Naupaka blossom of the mountains and the Naupaka blossom of the seashore remain in perfect halves
The Hawaiians believe that some day Naupaka and Kauʻi will be reunited and the flowers will again bloom as whole, perfect blossoms.
Mahalo Anakala Pilipo Solatorio – this moʻolelo was shared with Uncle by Anake Noni Beamer. Mahalao na Kupuna for preserving this beautiful Teaching Story for us all to learn, live and share.
☝🏽 Learning Challenge From Kumu Nālani:
- Challenge yourself to “think like a Hawaiian” (thatʻs one of the things we help Seekers and Practitioners interested in Hawaiian Culture & Healing to develop) as you read this Moʻolelo
- Can you find the main points that tell you what this Moʻolelo is about?
- What is the purpose of this moʻolelo – the Kupuna/Elders always did things for a purpose, moʻolelo is not different
- Now, can you take it a step further and find the “kaona” – the deeper, sacred meanings placed carefully within this story?
- Write or record your answers – send them to me if you like and Iʻll give you some feedback 😍 here to share with me
- Next Step: put what you learn into practice in your own life…
🌺 We always start each module of our Hawaiian Studies Courses with a Teaching Moʻolelo – you can begin learning about Hawaiian Spirituality, Culture and Healing right now in our distance education, self-paced course: Path to Paʻa. You work your way through all of the learning materials and reach out to Kumu when you need help or clarification. And if we donʻt hear from you, weʻll reach out to you.
🌺 The Path to Paʻa is also in a live, online facilitated format with weekly classes with Kumu Nālani. Suitable for Spiritual Seekers and Healing Practitioners – especially Lomilomi Practitioners to make sure you have our correct cultural teachings in place…youʻll find (as everyone does) your work will go next level very quickly. Get on the mailing list so you know when the next Course is on 👉🏽 here to be first 👉🏽 learn more about our Courses and do the free preview course too (and yes, you can always send Kumu questions too without enrolling in the full course 😊) 👉🏽 click your heels to go here 👉🏽 want to join something really cool that will help you grow into the true essence of yourself – open to Spiritual Seekers and Healing Practitioners especially of Lomilomi – join the Hawaiian Studies Club: the Path to Paʻa is one of the Courses included as part of your membership along with HEAPS of other KA BOOM Learning Activities, Forums and Biz Building Resources 👉🏽 go for a browse here 👉🏽 and then get on the waitlist here
🌺 Things not chugging along as you want? Do one-on-one online Healing Sessions with one of the Wise Guides. Each Wise Guide works with you in a different way 👉🏽 here to find a Wise Guide
☝🏽 We are a Social Enterprise – which means Course Fees and some of your Wise Guide Session Fees go into our Projects Fund, so youʻre helping us to do good things in the world…
