Sacred Sites: Hawaii: The Guide to Your Magical Journey, #4

By Serene Conneeley

Sacred Sites: Hawaii
The Guide to Your Magical Journey

Hawaii is an island paradise, a place of perfect golden beaches, lush rainforests, beautiful flowers, vibrant colours and sweetly fragrant air. It is also a place of spiritual pilgrimage, where visitors are transformed by the sacred earth energy running through the land, the cleansing power of the sparkling ocean and rainbow-drenched waterfalls, and the rich spirituality of the Native Hawaiians, who are reclaiming their lost traditions and sharing the old knowledge with a new generation.

Within the pages of Sacred Sites: Hawaii, you will:
* Explore the islands, from hidden temples and ancient places of refuge to tropical beaches of white, black, green and gold sands.
* Experience the magic of watching the sunrise from the top of a volcano before hiking through its crater, and feel the joy of swimming with wild dolphins and taking part in ancient rituals under a full moon.
* Learn the fascinating history of Polynesian settlers, native kings and queens, hard-working immigrants and shamanic wisdom keepers.
* Meet Pele, the volcano goddess who adds to the size of the islands with her fiery eruptions, and work with this energy of creation.
* Absorb the essence of aloha, the spirit of love and acceptance, and a guiding principle for living in harmony with each other and the earth.
* Connect with the healing energy of Hawaii, and its power to open you up to the magic of the earth, from wherever you are in the world.
* Read an interview about Hawaii with angel therapist and author Doreen Virtue, who now lives on the Big Island, and feels a deep affinity with the power and beauty of the Islands.
* And discover extra practical information, websites and details added after Seven Sacred Sites was published.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blessed Bee
• Release date: Jun 6, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507060971

Book preview

Chapter 1

The Magic of the Earth

Since ancient times, sacred sites have had a powerful effect on people. Their vibrational essence, beauty, tranquillity and history, along with the magnetic power infused in each one by centuries of pilgrims steeping it with love and energy, can heal people physically, activate them spiritually and open their heart and their soul to their divine purpose.

Sacred sites are spiritually significant places that inspire the imagination and activate change and healing in those who spend time there. Each country has several places that are recognised as sacred, as do all religions and cultures, and visiting any one of them will be both a literal and a symbolic adventure, a journey to one of the most beautiful places on the planet as well as to the deepest, most sacred parts of your self.

Some are intricate manmade structures, such as the Inka city of Machu Picchu in Peru and the Pyramids of Egypt, while others are ancient paths of energy like the Camino, a pilgrimage across the north of Spain. Some are elaborately engineered stone circles such as Britain’s Stonehenge, and others are natural formations like the Tor, the sacred hill in Glastonbury, England; Uluru, the huge monolith in Central Australia; and the volcanoes, mountains and waterfalls of Hawaii.

These are the seven I wrote about in Seven Sacred Sites: Magical Journeys That Will Change Your Life, a large, weighty book that has inspired many a magical journey, but which is much too heavy to throw in your backpack and take with you on your adventure. And so here is the eBook, with extra practical information squeezed in so you can start planning your trip and take it with you when you travel.

Hawaii is an island paradise of perfect beaches, lush rainforests, beautiful flowers, vibrant colours and sweetly fragrant air. It is also a place of spiritual pilgrimage, where visitors are transformed by the sacred earth energy running through the land, the fiery power of the volcanoes, the cleansing power of the sparkling ocean and rainbow-drenched waterfalls, and the rich spirituality of the kahunas, Native Hawaiian wisdom keepers who are now, after many years of being forced to practise in secret, reclaiming their lost traditions and sharing the old knowledge with a new generation.

The islands are famous for their laid-back atmosphere and relaxed pace of life. The people of Hawaii have a gentle, joyous demeanour, summed up by aloha, the attitude of unconditional love and acceptance typified by tolerance and courtesy, broad smiles, fragrant leis, friendly locals and open-hearted welcome. Aloha is a guiding principle for living in harmony with each other and the earth, and incorporates the fierce love of the land that is typical of Hawaiians, and their emphasis on preservation and conservation.

The islands of Hawaii, like most sacred sites, are located on leylines, invisible pathways in the earth through which currents of magnetic energy run, similar to the acupuncture meridians of the human body. Our meridians carry chi, life force, while the world’s leylines channel the life force of the universe. Leys have been described as the nervous system of the planet, and are routes of spiritual energy that have an intense, measurable power that activates growth and healing, boosts physical health and psychic abilities, and connects you to the life force of the planet.

Being on or near a leyline increases vitality, heightens awareness and amplifies spirituality and inner wisdom, because their energy is absorbed when you interact with them, either by walking along the lines or spending time at the sites they run beneath.

While the existence of leylines is disputed by some because they can’t be seen, they are a universal concept, recognised by cultures that span the globe. Native Americans call them the spirit path, while the Australian Aboriginals have songlines and serpent tracks that link their sacred places. The Inkas of South America had a system of energy grids called ceques, and the art of geomancy known as feng shui is based on the Chinese belief in lung mei, dragon paths, lines of energy that flow through the earth and influence the fate of those who live along them, and thus the location of towns, placement of buildings and even the arrangement of furniture.

In Hawaii, particularly on the Big Island, you can feel this potent energy through the soles of your feet, and as a vibration throughout your body as you walk along the beaches, hike through volcanoes and swim through the gentle ocean waters.

Spending time in Hawaii, a mystical place where the physical world becomes the spiritual, lets you experience something greater, something outside of the ordinary. And while some people go on holiday simply to relax, to party in an exotic location or to soak up the sun at a tropical resort – all perfectly catered to in Hawaii – increasingly people are searching for meaning and identity when they travel. They yearn for a sense of spiritual connection or a transformative experience.

In Hawaii you will find it. Whether you visit for a few days or can spend a week or more on each of the islands, you will connect with its deep earth magic. You will feel the transformative power of this tropical paradise, where the four elements – the fiery heat of the volcanoes, the inspiring air of the mountains, the cleansing water of the oceans and the grounded energy of the land – cast a spell that will enable you to start seeing the world with new eyes, allow the beauty and magic of this enchanted planet to open you up to your own truths, and help you discover the sacredness of your own self.

Chapter 2

The Place

Hawaii offers the sensual delights of any tropical paradise, then adds a quality of rejuvenation. The islands’ healing energies are abundant, and can be felt by any sensitive soul, simply by smelling the air or touching the sand. In Hawaii we call it mana – the spiritual force of the islands.

Nancy Kahalewai, Hawaiian lomi lomi teacher and author

* * * * *

Hawaii is a tropical island paradise, a place of perfect golden beaches, lush rainforests, bright and beautiful flowers, vibrant colours and sweetly fragrant air. It’s relaxed and informal, with shorts and t-shirts the standard dress code, and the concept of time and deadlines a million miles away.

It’s famous for its spirit of aloha, which translates as to be happy with and sums up an attitude of unconditional love and acceptance that is typified by tolerance and courtesy, broad smiles, fragrant floral leis, friendly locals and open-hearted welcome. To Hawaiians, aloha is a guiding principle for living in harmony with each other and the earth, and extends from the way they interact with people to the importance they place on environmental conservation.

While it’s the most isolated landmass on the planet, Hawaii is the world’s most popular tourist destination, constantly topping polls of the place that travellers most dream of visiting. More than seven million people arrive each year in search of sun, sand, surf and, increasingly, the unique sense of spirituality that pervades the islands and draws those yearning for healing and transformation.

For those wanting rest and relaxation, there are hundreds of stunning beaches, peaceful bays and palm-fringed lagoons in which to swim, suntan, snorkel and dive. A host of luxury resorts cater to every whim, with a range of spas offering Hawaiian massage, native plant lotions and potions and other healing therapies. The slow, gentle lifestyle of the islands is conducive to recharging your batteries, and the beautiful scenery soothes the soul.

For adventure seekers there are coastlines hammered by the biggest waves on earth, wild rivers to raft or kayak down, rugged canyons to hike through, big game fish to catch and dramatic volcanoes, some of them still active, to explore. The incredible climatic contrasts mean you can go snow skiing on a mountain in the morning then drive down to the bay and dive into the warm seas in the afternoon.

It’s also the perfect place for a family holiday, with well-priced resorts offering beautiful swimming pools, traditional as well as conventional food, child minding services and kid-friendly activities, while those seeking solitude can find windswept, desolate peninsulas and coves, or hike through ancient forests, without seeing another soul for days at a time.

The tropical beaches, bright sunshine and perfect weather have made Hawaii the location of many famous TV shows, from Hawaii Five-O and Magnum PI to North Shore and Lost, and movies ranging from the classics From Here to Eternity and The Old Man and the Sea to modern flicks such as Jurassic Park and Waterworld.

But while it’s been a US state for fifty years, Hawaii remains its own unique cultural entity. It has a fascinating history of Polynesian settlers, native kings and queens, hard-working Asian immigrants, western priests and shamanic wisdom keepers known as kahunas, who have all contributed to its melting pot of spirituality. Today Buddhist temples sit side by side with Catholic churches, traditional rituals are being performed again, and Chinese New Year is celebrated alongside Jewish and pagan holidays.