Having arrived in that curious new world, I was anxious to explore, or rather, anxious to revisit old stomping grounds. Back in 2005, in what was to be an incredibly potent and magical year for me, I visited the Big Island for a week. In that time, I swam with the dolphins (where I was comfortably “mugged” by them), did a whale watching voyage (where the captain positioned us within 50 yards of a mother and calf humpback pair), hiked an unimaginably beautiful trail which passed under waterfalls and had exquisite views of dozens of rainbows (near Pololu in the North, beyond Hawi) and participated in a workshop entitled “Sacred Partnerships.” It was quite a visit.
And yet, being more grounded and embodied now, than I was then, I had a similar visit this time around.
So, day two. The Kona side of the island does not have a lot to offer someone less than interested in touristy areas. That is, someone who is not at all interested in resorts or busy shopping areas. Now don’t get me wrong, it offers a lot, but maybe not as much as the Hilo side. From Hawi, Volcano is very far (at least 100 miles), so I figured I would go with what I knew. Therefore I planned to visit Keauhou for another round of delicious snorkeling. Then I planned to do a bit of ocean gazing a Kealakekua Bay.
Keauhou Bay has many resorts and shopping, but it also has one of the best and easily accessible bays for snorkeling. It was overcast and cool, so i did not stay in as long, but it was still beautiful swimming and fish viewing. Trigger fish, parrots, long thin cornets and many other colorful fish were busy munching away on the coral. So if I was near a school of munchers, there was the tell tale crunching sound. I loved it!
Next I traveled south, to where I had been previously. I planned to do some practice at Kealakekua and then I was to do a nice dinner later.
When I was on the island back in 2005, multiple people spoke about the potent energy vortex that is in the area. Now, ask me what a potent energy vortex is (scientifically), and I’d be the first to screw up my face in a skeptical grimace. However, as someone who has one foot in the empirical world of scientific evidence based fact and the other foot in a mystical world of intuitive healing wisdom (based on efficacious meditation practice), I personally pay attention when I hear something multiple times if it is moderately compelling. I heard that the vortex led to increased or magnified response from the universe if a wish was made. And this naturally leads to the conclusion, that if one’s wishes come true faster, then one should be careful what one wishes for.
This plays into my current story in that, after doing Green Tara practice, just for a couple hours, I set a very powerful intention. I said, “with swift yet appropriate timing, may I meet a female partner who is empowered, embodied and preferably a Dharma practitioner. (as an aside I think that some people are Dharma practitioners without being Buddhists, either their karma has not ripened for it yet or they are taking a break during this incarnation.).
Then I took some pictures of some delicately stacked rocks. The rounded obsidian-colored orbs were stacked four and five high, so I figured why not try to get a good shot? And then I headed back toward the parking area. Due to my being in a more meditative state, I did not particularly want to talk to anyone at that time. And yet, I saw an attractive woman coming toward me, so I went for a different trail to get back. But then she took the same detour to stand between me and the pounding surf, leading to my car.
I approached gingerly. She asked me if I had seen any dolphins. I said no. She asked how long I’d been on the island, and then we slowly started talking. She was timid or reserved which I appreciated. In the past, I explored natural signs from wisdom presence, meaning I associate certain messages from seeing certain animals engage in certain behavior. Well, when I was talking with her, I kept seeing pairs of animals – sea birds, insects, etc. Perhaps this was a subconscious projection on the world, but I took it as a sign that it was okay to follow her lead. (An example of another “sign” is seeing hawks or eagles, which is an indication that the guardians are watching over you.). Back to the story.
I told her I had the previous plans to have dinner with another friend and I mentioned that I would like to continue talking with her. She did not want to leave the area before going to the City of Refuge. I post poned my previous engagement. She drove us down the narrow lava-skirted road leading to the National Park. I paid for the entrance fee, saying that was why I wanted us to take one car. (Of course I was happy to spend time with her, but it’s always nice to have a platonic reason behind potential romantic fantasies.)
We toured the simple yet powerful area, seeing thatched huts, lava rock walls and spring fed pools which only the Hawaiian royalty would have had access to. We took many pictures, as the ocean waves lap right up to the edg of the Park. By the way, I would be remiss to not say that the Hawaiian name of this park is Pu’uhonua o Honaunau.
To be continued…
Meditation Informs Healing Facilitation 