Kalei’iliahi: The Earth has a gentle, benevolent energy. She forgives a lot because she knows she can rebalance. She is self-balancing. I’ve been told that coral reefs are rebuilding themselves, and the fish are coming back. That’s because in December 2012 humanity began the shift to restore the balance of the masculine energy of the global north with the gentler, more feminine energy of the global south. Many people know of this prophecy as “the flight of the eagle and the condor.” (I was given this message by the Ancients, too, but I didn’t realize until later that it was so well-known.) This is a positive development, so my Ancestors say to expect a benevolent outcome in everything you do. They say that humans previously have come to Earth and destroyed themselves four times in the last 26,000 years. This is pre-history, so the record of it is hidden. At any rate, humans are not going to destroy themselves again. The violence and destruction we are seeing represent the death throes of the dark energy, which is being revealed by the light. Darkness hates light because it can’t survive in its presence. That’s what we’re witnessing now. My Ancestors say to stay in love—stay in love with the Earth and with each other. Love is the most powerful force in the universe and is our protection; it is the most calming energy; it is how we will ride out the disturbances we are witnessing now.
There is no doubt this planet is in a major shift and things look pretty bad from many angles. Much of what we are doing to ourselves, each other, and the planet is horrific. When I see these things I know they are part of the changes that will continue, as they will in any great shift. Ours began in 2012 with the end of the Mayan calendar and the beginning of the next 26,000-year cycle. A lot of things are going to get worse before they get better.
What I know is this; we are winning the battle of the light and dark. And in most battles where the opponent is losing, he fights harder. That is what the darkness is doing. This is the darkness at some of its ugliest. I asked my Ancestors about the sixth mass extinction, for example. They replied: You are winning the battle of the light.
This reply sits right in me. They also added this: Scientist are basing this probability upon the past. It’s all they have to go by, but the consciousness of humanity has changed enough that we avoided Armageddon! This happened, against all odds, with the Harmonic Convergence. But this may be something they cannot measure to understand…yet!
Things get shaken up a lot in a great shift. My Ancestors speak of rising above the drama often. In my language it is one of the tenets of the Righteous Way of the Kahuna called Ho’okino meaning “the sacred detachment of Spirit.” It isn’t turning a blind eye or wearing rose-colored glasses while the horror continues around us. It is rising above so we do not allow the fear to consume us, for if we focus enough on these things it will. And that is exactly the response the dark wants, to keep humans in fear. Terrified humans can be vicious.
But from a place of compassionate detachment we can envision the most benevolent outcome more effectively, and take compassionate action where we can. For example, there are many humans responding with compassionate action to some of this horror, like the refugee babies washing up on the shores. This is what it will take to heal the planet; compassionate action. Each human has a choice to find his or her own way to do this. The consciousness of humanity is changed so we now see compassionate action where there wasn’t any before. Slowly humans are evolving spiritually to becoming more and more compassionate. It’s something to celebrate so this energy increases instead of the fear. Celebrate the brave and loving humans worldwide who are taking compassionate action.
For myself I use compassionate action when I work with people who are wanting help through my readings. I use it when I pour my love into a crowd before me in my travels and enfold them in the gentle light of my Ancestors to offer them peace where there was none. Others perform random acts of kindness. Globally, humans are becoming more compassionate. So I don’t see a sixth mass extinction. I see a major shift and the winning of the battle of the light.
The MOON: What was it like being raised as a kahuna in Hawaii?
Kalei’iliahi: I actually wasn’t raised as a kahuna. My parents and most of the people I knew had converted to Christianity by the time I was born, and that’s how I was raised. However, at a very young age I knew that some of those teachings weren’t correct and that there was deeper knowledge inside of me.
What I did receive as a child growing up in the tropical rainforest of the Kalihi Valley of O’ahu were the gifts of nature and the Spirit of Aloha. There were only three houses in the valley when I was a child, and we had no TV until later. Every day we swam in the river and climbed in the trees. I was also brought up in the spirit of aloha, which is loving-kindness towards all human beings. Hawaiians believe we are born holding a bowl of light, which contains the love and light of our Ancestors and our Creator, and we are taught to see the bowl of light in everyone. Plus, the Hawaiian Islands are the peaks of the giant mountain now beneath the water, of the civilization that was once Lemuria, so the spiritual energy there is very deep and profound.
When I left home I began to pursue other spiritual paths. It wasn’t until adulthood, however, that I discovered my lineage. I was living in San Diego, California, at the time, and had been given a book by Kahuna David Kaonohiokala Bray, who was known as “Daddy Bray.” Reading the book made me weep; I knew in my bones everything he was writing about. I began researching to find out more. My husband at the time was a business agent for the cement masons. One day, a worker on his job site had the name “Bray” on his hardhat, and my husband asked him whether he was any relation to Daddy Bray. The worker said that Daddy Bray was his great uncle, who had died, but that Daddy Bray’s daughter lived in San Diego! I found his daughter’s name and number in the phone book and called her.
She told me that she was not a kahuna, but that she believed that I was one, and that I needed to find someone of my lineage—only a kahuna in your own lineage can teach you since we carry the same genetic memories—and start understanding my purpose. The very next day, my husband was telling someone about this experience, when the man he was talking to said, “There’s a kahuna here in San Diego—my wife and I were married by him!”
We learned that there was to be a Pacific Island Festival in San Diego in August and that this kahuna, who was a professor at UC San Diego, would be present; would have his own booth. There’s a protocol for approaching a kahuna. You don’t just call them on the phone and come over, so I waited to meet him in person at the festival.
It was a very hot day in August and my husband and I sweated for several hours waiting for the professor to arrive. Finally, a small man with a huge energy field showed up and stood staring at me for a long time before speaking to me. Later he told me he’d been looking into my soul. His name was Kahuna Kilipaka Ontai—a name that means “gentle rain,” which describes him perfectly. He researched my ancestry, which took three months, and found a common ancestor that determined we were of the same lineage. He presented this news to me with great joy and thus began his teaching with me, which changed me forever.
Think about the powerful synchronicity that took place here! For one thing, the kahuna are small in number and the odds of finding one in my city, two miles from my home, of the same lineage, are next to impossible. This could only have been orchestrated by a grander force that I call my Ancestors!
I have to tell you that, when I began studying with Kahuna Kilipaka I had very little self-worth. But he always treated me as an equal, with so much kindness and respect, that I blossomed as I gained confidence. He often reminded me to “Never forget that you are a high priestess, a high chiefess, and also that you are not above anyone else.” That is one of the most powerful teachings he gave me, which I try to pass on to everyone I meet: to treat others with kindness and respect so they can see their own worth.
He taught me for years, and when my Ancestors told me it was time to return to Hawai’i, he said, “Now you will become my teacher.” This speaks of his humility. Isn’t that beautiful? He said everything I needed to learn from then on was already inside my genetic memory.
The MOON: Can you tell us a little more about what the teachings entail? Were they experiential? Will you share with us one or two that were profound or pivotal?
Kalei’iliahi: Many teachings were experiential. One that stands out is when Kilipaka showed me how to take a small lava rock and hold it in my hand after sipping the limu water (seaweed, limu kohu, in water) on the 28th of the month. It is the day we honor Lono, the order from which we both are from. I closed my eyes and held this tiny rock as I swallowed the limu water and felt the universe open a door in me to the Spirit World, where all the loving beings are that care for us. It was profound and beyond words to describe the power of love that poured into me.
Another example is once we went to a heiau (temple) to honor our Creator and Ancestors. It is tradition to bring a ho’okupu, or offering, something from nature. So Kilipaka instructed me to go get my plant offering and he wandered off to find his. I saw this beautiful bird of paradise plant and proceeded to pick it. It wouldn’t break. Oh my God! I struggled with it till finally it broke, with the stem all in shreds. I turned to see Kilipaka approaching with the same flower, cleanly broken at the stem. I felt awful. He looked at me with soft but firm eyes and quietly said “Auwe Kalei, did you forget to ask permission?” Ashamed, I nodded. He then gently gestured for us to continue. Not another word was spoken and he never mentioned it again. His powerful teaching of my mistake came through his gentleness and non-judgment. I never made the mistake again. He never once yelled or got angry with me or shamed me. It is why I remember everything he taught me.
The MOON: Many indigenous traditions prophesize a revitalization of indigenous knowledge, and a unification of traditions of the global north and global south. You’ve already mentioned the eagle and the condor flying together, for example. Do your traditions speak to this time? If so, what do they say?
Kalei’iliahi: The Ancients tell me that eventually humans will return to their original connection with Gaia and the Creator. We will do it to save ourselves. The indigenous have been caretakers of this connection for millennia. That’s why many non-indigenous people come to Hawai’i. They want an example of how to do this. They want to reconnect with ancient traditions and, unfortunately, many of them have lost their own. I see this as a beautiful thing, because this is how we’ll rebalance the planet. First we rebalance ourselves.
In 2013 I was invited to attend the Raices de la Tierra—the Roots of the Earth—gathering in Chile, along with 58 other shamans, or elders. Three thousand people were there in a sharing of knowledge and prayers lasting four days. Daily we did ceremony in a big kiva, a 12-feet deep opening in the Earth representing the womb of the Earth Mother, with a fire in the center and altars in the four directions that each group of shamans would procession into. The highlight of the gathering was when all 59 of us were in the kiva at once doing our prayers and dances at the same time. It was powerful! We shaman from indigenous traditions all over the world prayed for the healing of the Earth, for peace, and for protection and wisdom for the people. We also prayed that soon we’d have 300,000 people joining us in this prayer and celebration of the fulfilment of the prophecy.
These are the actions that are taking place by indigenous all over the world, which are far more powerful than any political actions taking place. The people themselves know the way we must go, and they are leading. Compassion is the key. We must recognize our oneness. We are all part of God. We are all part of the Earth. We are connected to all living things.
The MOON: I’ve been so grateful to and impressed by the indigenous leadership at Standing Rock, the water protectors who led the No DAPL movement. I’ve been impressed at their non-violence; at their insistence upon the power of prayer—not just for themselves, but for the police and pipeline company employees too. I’ve also been impressed that non-indigenous people from all over the country have rallied to their support, and have been willing to let them lead. Do you think this marks a turning point in our nation’s respect for First Peoples?
Kalei’iliahi: I admit that I am not very familiar with the details of their actions. My Ancestors ask me not to get too involved in the politics of the world but to remain compassionately detached. I observe the drama as it unfolds without being in it. My service is to send the most powerful compassionate energy I can, which is my prayer for the most benevolent outcome possible. This does not mean I sit in bliss and ignore the suffering or challenges. It means I approach them from what, for me as a Kahuna Pule, works best.
But I will say that the Native American and Hawaiian people are very similar in our powerful connection to Gaia and our spiritual practices to go within. The most effective place to take action is at the source, which is Spirit.
I do feel it is prophetic that the Standing Rock movement took place right now. This is the business of Gaia: protecting the Earth and beginning to look differently at problems and solutions. Although I understand that the Standing Rock camp has been cleared and it appears that the pipeline will be completed, I think Standing Rock will mark a change in how people think of the Earth and our responsibility to it. We might not see the impact of their action in this moment, but we will see it in the future. Perhaps this will be the very last pipeline that is built. Like the young Chinese student facing down a tank in Tiananmen Square, I believe Standing Rock will leave an indelible mark that history will remember.
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