>The Healer archetype is, perhaps, the easiest for me to write about. It is the one I have spent years learning about, emanating, creating, holding space for… She is our inner Mother in a way, the self-nurturer, the profound gift of joy that resides at the core of each of us, if only we can remember how to find that. She is the full moon shining down on our bodies, illuminating our skin, casting moon shadows onto the soft earth. She is the water running from snows atop mountains, melting into rivers which in turn melts the earth into canyons…years of wearing away the surface into raw beauty. I wish we could look at ourselves more like this: like planets that are slowly turning more beautiful, more interesting, more dynamic…instead of a society plagued by the wonder of youth, perfection, flawless imagery. The Healer not only sees what is good and gorgeous, but honors what is decaying and impermanent. She knows that sometimes, to heal, is simply to Let Go.

In my previously published book Sacred Path of Reiki: Healing as a Spiritual Discipline I explore the path as Healer through the Warrior archetype, but the warrior in the sense of focus, clarity, discernment. The Warrior knows exactly when to act and when to not act; something that is crucial for each of us to learn to balance. Finding that balance takes a bit of effort, of realizing that we are not so special actually, although we may be unique, we are all a reflection of each other. We are all scattered bits of dust reflecting the light of the sun, floating, freely and openly. We only have to drop all our attachments, our clinging, our effort to define our dust and then we are so free, so limitless, so spacious. Of course, easier said than done…as Winnie the Pooh says, “The hardest part is what to leave behind, … It’s time to let go!”

So, at moments we do let go and those are the pivotal transformative breaths of fresh air. The Healing, the spiraling in and down; out and away. The heart opening so wide, that we wondered how we could not love each thing in it. She is the soft touch of our lover, the smile from a friend, the sun rising over an endless Pacific blue… she is both a gift and a work in progress…

>In Hawai’i, I am finding that we are exposed to a variety of teachers and masters who come through to give offerings to Pele of Hawai’i and share their wisdom with locals and guests alike. This past weekend I received a wonderful healing and blessing from two Inkan Master Healers in the south district of Ka’u on the Big Island, Hawai’i.

I drove down with a friend and Yoko, leaving the lush, humid Puna coast, climbing up Kilauea mountain where the active volcano is continuously pouring lava out onto the mountain, down the slopes into the sea. This island is famous for its micro climates and it really is stunning how you can flow from wet to dry, lush to desolate, ocean to mountaintop in a matter of minutes.

We stopped at Punalu’u beach where sea turtles, or Honu, make their home munching endlessly on the tasty seaweed that grows on black lava rocks. The black sand is hot and clings to your skin here, shining in the sun as the locals swim in the freezing cold Pacific indigo water, counting turles. Yoko hopped around amongst yellow sea butterflies, digging trails in the sand. Seeing the massive turtles pull themselves up onto the beach is amazing to me, even if it is commonplace for Hawai’i!

Anyway, we arrived in at the orchards where the ceremony was held, a despacho or offering, made to Mother Earth known as Panchamama by these extraordinary Master Healers. They came from the Andes mountains in Peru, brought by their faithful student who resides in Hawai’i, to share their knowledge with others and co-mingle spiritual energy with Hawai’i. The couple, who have been together for over fifty years, practicing healing and spiritual work, hail from the Q’ero Nation of Peru, some of the last pure descendants of the Inkan people. Their village is only 400 people and we were told that these two, who must be in their 70s, are of the last of the elders still living!

Indeed, I felt very blessed to be a part of the ceremony. We were given cocoa leaves while the couple built a beautiful mandala-like offering with flowers, candles, seeds, leaves, grain and candies, blowing their spirit breath continously into the offerings. Several pairs of red and white objects were laid into the despacho, the red symbolizing Mother Earth, Panchamama and her Spirit and the white symbolizing the Masculine, male spirits of the Mountains. They were assisted by two Hawai’ians, one woman and one man, effectively weaving the traditional flowers of this place and the colors of the two countries flags together. This was moving, to say the least. After we blew our own dedication to Mother Earth into the cocoa leaves, we gave them to the Healers to put in the offering. We were then given maize to blow our desires or wishes and put them ourselves into the despacho, alongside two crisp hundred dollar bills. Practical wishes of business going well, along with the spiritual, amused me and seemed just right!

Finally, after an hour or more of this, with lots of breath and connectedness, the despacho was filled. Yoko had fallen completely asleep and I carried her to the fire that was made to receive the offering. As it was thrown in and burning, our circle of people, mostly from Ka’u, I suppose, and the Peruvian couple hugged one another other in joy. He played the flute and the Hawai’ian man played the conch shell as we let our offering sing itself back to Mother Earth.

I am so thankful to be living in this incredibly rich, interesting place, a place abundant with beautiful nature and wondrous people drifting onto and off this magical island. If you want to know more about these lovely Peruvians and their work, please visit
http://www.inka-online.com/

Aloha…