The Kaua'i Community, led by our elders, gathered to welcome the Grandmothers of the Sacred We at sunrise ahead of the November New Moon Ceremony.

Photo Credit: Allen Gula

Aloha ,

Join us Tuesday, December 12th, for our next New Moon Ceremony and Thursday, December 21st, for a special synchronized Solstice Ceremony. Both will take place at 7:30 am Hawai'i time.

 Zoom details below. 

Inspired by Pacha K'anchay, Mamo Lorenzo Izquierdo Arroyo, and Kumu Hula Puna Kalama Dawson, we gather in response to a global call to action from the Council of Indigenous Sages of Colombia. Their invitation aims to

synchronize indigenous ceremonies at sacred sites across the globe to raise the frequency on Earth and harmonize humanity's relationship with the natural world.

Clockwise from Top Left: Grandmother Hato - Maori Tuhoe Elder, Grandmother Moetu Taiha - Maori Tuhoe Elder, Grandmother Devi Tide - Sufi, Olivia Frazao, Mamo Lorenzo Izquierdo Arroyo, Pacha K'anchay, Pumehana

Bringing Restoration to this Change

At the November New Moon Ceremony, we were joined on Kaua'i by the Grandmothers of the Sacred We and dozens of community members at Hikinaakala Heiau, led by Kumu Hula Puna Kalama Dawson and Kumu Sabra Kauka. We also had the community on Zoom simultaneously, where Mamo Lorenzo Izquierdo Arroyo shared (translated to English):

Cultures of various different territories say the moon has died when the moon goes down, or the sun died when the sun goes down. This is not just a manner of speech. This is what happens. We say the river has died. The spring has died. If you observe well, you can see that there are springs that seem like they're decomposing, because they, too, die. Is it possible to return those spirits to each of their places?For humans, this happens, too. The body dies, and the spirit continues. So both - that which dies and that which continues - so that both can be well, we purify, heal, and return the spiritual body to its place so that all of nature can be in balance.When the Moon dies, we say that all beings have died together with the moon. So what do we do? We all sit together to concentrate on bringing restoration to this change. In some cultures, people wash themselves. In others, they wash their hands and their mouth, and that signifies that they have washed themselves - that they have bathed. It is in these ways that we keep living these changes.What does a plant do to heal you? What happens to the coca leaf when it is toasted? It cries and cries desperately when it is being toasted. Until you can hear the coca desperately crying. Waaaaaaaaah. This is what it is saying. If we connect ourselves to all of this, we wouldn't think about toasting coca leaves because we would see that the leaves are suffering. But, then at the end of the toasting process, once the coca leaves are finally toasted, the coca leaves laugh. So once the leaves laugh, that is when you know that they're done cooking. They're already on the other side. They are already on the side of spirit.After fire, after ashes, keep listening. The plant gives its body to us to bring health to humanity. So, these changes that we can always follow, bring us to the opportunity to purify ourselves, to heal ourselves. How, when we create this change to onions, beans, avocado, other foods that we are cooking? We have to change them. When we do this, we can do purification and healing for them.We won't change if we don't go through these processes. We are always going through this cycle. Doing this, we can clean, purify, refresh, heal the spirits of the beings who are dying. We call it a change of the skin. We are changing skin. That is constantly happening. We need to be conscious of this.Some ask, where does garbage accumulate? It doesn't, we recycle. There are beings who take care of what we clean. The more we clean, the more there is harmony on the spiritual side. So, as these death processes are happening, we can give ourselves to cleansing them and helping them make their crossing so that they are in their rightful place on the other side.Thank you for opening this space to hearing us and to hearing each other and to uniting our knowledge to continue getting to know each other. They say that differences are here to complement each other in complexity. Thank you.

Mahalo to Olivia Frazao for translating.

Reverend Grandmother Eila Paul - Maori Tainui Elder and Kumu Sabra Kauka reuniting after decades

December New Moon Ceremony Details