Tide pools & hula

Tues Mar 6/12 

THE POINT at the foot of Kalani

By the end of the class last night a belated case of jet lag came over me. Barely able to keep my eyes open, I sleep walked my way back to my hale and immediately fell into bed and into dreamland at 9:45 with thoughts of getting up early.

Amazingly, I got up at 5:45 a.m. this morning and walked through the darkness to the point where, a few days earlier, I’d strewn some of Mom’s hair. Her dream of Hawaii was so big that it brought me here. So I brought a little bit of her to this place that was close to her heart. Though she never set foot on this soil, some of her DNA will always be here. 

My intention was to fly (my lomi friends know what I'm talking about) and see the sunrise. I chanted the sun up and sent a big aloha out to those I love – Rod, Lucy, members of my family, my Lomi Ohana, Harriette and Birgit, Kahuna Harry and 2 elderly clients I’ve thought about while in Hawaii – Evelyn and Liliane, amongst others.

The sound of the waves set the beat as I flew, a solitary figure silhouetted against the ocean beyond. As sunrise approached a number of people had migrated to the point taking up spots here and there, some in view while others stood in the shadows.  Though there were only a handful of people physically present the area behind me was teaming with activity.

Each time I stepped back into the future, glimpses of figures would catch my eye for an instant. Yet when I tried to capture them in a longer glance, these wisps of past and future would playfully disappear. The dense energy the embodied mingled with the "glimmerings" sharing a sacred moment in time.

The thick cloud cover provided the rising sun with a subtle awakening. Shortly afterwards only a few others and I remained as a gentle rain began. Within minutes the skies opened up releasing a deluge upon us and we scrambled back to the dining area for shelter. I arrived at the dining hale totally saturated from head to toe. I was slightly chilled the rest of the day and I wondered if the hand washing from Sunday morning still hanging damply in the bathroom would ever dry. 

resting at the feet of the Buddha

After lunch I hitched a ride with 2 other Canadian dreamers and a local resident who’d offered to act as our tour guide. He was excited to share the beauty of nearby tide pools. We swam into an area rich in promise for prompting luminal states. A shimmering layer of warm, inland waters thermals float on top of the cool salt seawater. It’s like I’m swimming in a clear B52. This effect changes to one of viewing the tide pools' inhabitants through jello when we get closer to the source of the heated waters. When I engage my arms in any manner or follow too closely to the action of our guide’s flippers, a filmy cloud surrealistically blurs my surroundings to such a great extent that I seem to be swimming inside a cloud. Colourful fish of every description swim so non-plused by our presence that I feel like I’m just one of the gang.

Hula class tonight was hysterical. So much fun and laughter! And, I’m discovering that there are songs and chants for every occasion. The instructor leads us on basic movements. When we get the hang of each step combo he accompanies us with the chants and plays his double-headed gourd drum. The transition from one set to another surprisingly simple one causes great chaos and gales of laughter. As we float off in different directions many soft collisions result.

As I walk back to my hale I feel so blessed to be in the presence of such gentle, loving people - all that have come together in the spirit of Aloha.

Tomorrow Kahuna Harry Uhane Jim will be here speaking on Ho’oponopono. I'm very excited about this; I didn't know he would be here. I'm thrilled for my fellow dreamers because they will be inspired by his gentle spirit and loving heart.

Prayer in many forms

Prayer, it's almost an embarrassing thing to admit nowadays, that I pray. I don't know why. I mean there are many forms of prayer; many motivations behind a prayer.

My earliest recollection of a prayer was this one taught to many a tiny, innocent child.
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
If I should die before I wake
I pray the lord my soul to take
This prayer scared the shit outta me. I'm sure it was responsible for my life long neck issues (explained here) and probably scarred me for life. The whole idea that God was some kind of creep out there cruising for someone to pluck up in the night didn't endear me to him (I was sure God must be a him). It didn't make me want to jump into bed any more than a lobster would willingly jump into a boiling pot. So, I guess that's why the whole damn Thacker clan are night people; because of this damn prayer.

Like most of us, I have been known to use prayer as a bargaining tool, for example:
"Please, please, please let me just get through this test that I didn't study for and I promise, cross my heart, that I'll study for days in advance from now on. I promise!" Miraculously passing the test has the power to wipe away any memory of promises made.

We pray for what we want to happen. We want our friends and family to be safe, happy, prosperous and healthy. When something bad happens to a loved one we pour our hearts out to God to make them better, to heal them, to watch over them and for a self-prescribed outcome that would make everything right once more, not only for them but, for our breaking heart.

The devastation in Japan and the horror experienced by the Japanese people has elicited a strong response in all of us to help in any way we can, through monetary donations, gestures of support, expressions of empathy and all forms of prayer.

Friends have been circulating this JAPANESE NUCLEAR REACTOR VISUALIZATION video by Adam Dreamhealer via e-mail in hopes that if enough people focus on the power of positive intention and visualization, that the situation will be brought under control with minimal damage to lives and the environment. Engaging in this visualization, people come together to raise the vibration and effect a change in our consensus reality. Behind this belief system is the reality that we are merely organized thought forms and thought has the power to affect what only seems to be a solid, material world.



The Foundation for Shamanic Studies issued this e-mail release to its members to enlist the power of helping spirits to assist in the healing for Japan with the reminder that the Japanese spiritual traditions (90% of the population is Buddhist or Shinto) regarding life, death and healing must be fully respected.

People are lighting candles, praying in churches or at their personal altars, smudging, chanting, reciting mantras, and "flying" to assist the healing process in Japan. NOTE: FLYING FOR JAPAN - SAT MAR 19TH 6 - 7:30pm at HOT YOGA WELLNESS CONCORD, 1750 Steeles Ave W in Toronto.

At the end of every Yoga Centre of Victoria satsang, recitation of Swami Radha's Divine Light Invocation was performed in which loved ones, those in need of healing, and projects needing assistance were seen whole, healthy and successful as they were"put into the light". The visualization progressed as our little collection of light brightened and expanded outwards join with other centres of light to include and offer healing energy to the earth and ultimately the universe.

And of course the forgiveness of Ho'oponopono is another way to offer a prayer for healing in whatever form it may take. The power of forgiveness extends as we forgive others who have transgressed against us and also ask for their forgiveness for our own ill-conceived actions. When we forgive ourselves for our own failings, the power behind this intention is amplified.

As I've observed, prayers of indigenous peoples not only display acceptance of the wisdom in "thy will be done" but also give thanks in advance for the healing that has taken place. Rather than pray for "something to happen" gratitude is expressed for the opportunity that exists in every day, for what has been received and an honouring of those spirits in their many forms who have made it so.

Some believe that the universe has its own plan and its own wisdom that is inconceivable to us mere humans. What good will come out of this suffering? Will the world become a more compassionate place? Will advances in safer technology result? Will individuals and the human race shift our priorities? Will our world view change?

Time will tell if the shift of the earth's plates below the ocean on that fateful day was the beginning of a shift in consciousness for us all.

A prayer in flight

I had the honour to give a lomi session for a fellow lomi practitioner today and was reminded of how I got into this beautiful work. I am truly blessed to have been introduced to this healing work full of wisdom and compassion, mahalo Lynne. It is with deep gratitude to my teachers Harriette Kapua O'lohelani Sakuma and Birgit Ke Anuenue Rieckmann that I publish this piece. It is part of a bigger story; originally written in 2005.
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I believe life is a journey toward wholeness and Self-realization. For 40 years I have applied the practice of yoga, meditation and related modalities to my own life’s quest. I have explored the nature of dreams, shamanism and hypnosis, but the experience I had during my first Lomi treatment took me by surprise.

I was expecting to become deeply relaxed and refreshed and that happened, but I also found myself propelled into the extraordinary state of being I call journeying. I chalked it up to a wonderful first-time experience but became intrigued when subsequent sessions consistently rendered new unique journeys.

The effect of these experiences was life changing. I needed to understand what was happening to me. Could I help others in their quest for wholeness and healing through this amazing work?

I embarked upon my first Lomi training under the guidance of Harriette and Birgit, joined by eleven other explorers from varied backgrounds, some beginners like me, others seasoned veterans in the practice of Lomi – the Ancient Wisdom of Hawaiian Temple Bodywork.

The world within the walls of the training centre were filled with the magic of our intentions invoking the powers of a temple – a world full of ritual, ceremony, compassion, love, healing and learning, where spirit/animal guides and the power of our ancestors were called in to help us remember who we are, where we come from; to unite us with the fullness of our being and reclaim the magnificence of our souls.

And we flew!

Flying is a prayer in motion, practiced by practitioners before, during, and at the end of a lomi session. It aligns all levels of one’s being and harmonizes the vibration of the therapist with that of the recipient. It is also a healing tool for Self-development.

For five nights and four days we flew. We flew before breakfast, between breakfast and lunch, lunch and dinner, dinner and bed. Times of day blended into each other.

It was said that we had been drawn together here at this time to do this work and participate in this journey because eons ago we had agreed to return. The spirits of our ancestors, having shed their personality aspects, now residing in wisdom, strength and compassion were calling us back to participate in this healing journey. We were flying not only for the benefit of our own individual evolution but for the evolution of our ancestors; for the benefit of generations past, present and yet to come; for the benefit of the planet.

The dynamic interaction of self, others and music symbolize our journey through life. Just when the metaphoric journey became a literal one I can’t say. At times we experienced turbulence requiring great effort at other times we were graced with ease. Was this effect generated by our direct physical response to the change in tempo and music, or by some unseen forces tugging at our psyches on our collective journey home? For, we were flying through the turmoil of our own personality aspects, not only of this lifetime but of countless others as well as those of every other member in the training. In healing the wounds of our souls, subconscious forces were being brought into light to be acknowledged and released with love.

One of the biggest challenges in flight, as in life, is to maintain one’s own space and not take on that which belongs to another. Instead, give space, support and honor the journey of each other. If another falters on her journey, can you fly, and in the strength of your flight, buoy her up; keep going; fly; fly through pain, sorrow, fear, joy, laughter, and above all else love; take it all in and embrace the full experience of what it is to be alive?

Arms swept out in a gesture of infinity to embrace the beauty and power of the limitless love of the universe that is available to us all, drawing it into our being and sending it out again.

“There is enough for all, take it all in, send it all out,” Harriette would remind us as we would step back, cross over, step forward; step back, cross over, step forward…

“Step back, back into the future, that future you set in motion before this birth, into who you are in the fullness of your being stripped of personality aspects, into the best of who you are that resides within you to be. Cross over. Break through the chains of past limitations that have bound you to habitual ways of seeing and being that veils your true nature. Step forward. Bring all that you are into the present, into light, into life.” Harriette challenged us.

Day by day movement was becoming refined; new possibilities were being formed not only in the flight, but in all areas of our lives.

Harriette’s words reached deep into my soul and my internal voice took up the charge. “Look, can you see it, feel it, hear it – that future being propelled into the present? Turn your head. See with penetrating gaze – breaking the chains of this reality, piercing into other realms. Follow your arms with your gaze as you bring possibility forward. Step back. Bring all the love into your heart. Cross over. Step forward. Send all of it out, knowing that you are merely a channel for the infinite love of the universe. You are a spiritual being participating in a physical experience.”

Step back. Cross over. Step forward. My heart pumped with the constant rhythm of stepping feet, sweeping arms, swaying head; breaths deepened, chest expanded, abdomen softened; foot falls became more solid and sure. Physical and mental exertion shifted into effortlessness, broke into pure awareness; my heart opened till I felt it would break, so intense was the love I felt. As my gaze followed the flow of my arms, I caught sight of all the others around me, became aware of their energy and personal expression of the flight and their uniquely beautiful spirits. And, I fell in love. I fell in love with all fourteen.

It was at that moment that we were ready to give and receive lomi sessions and the next part of the training began.