11/4/9 - Maui, Hawaii - Aloha Nirvana

Maui, Hawaii   - Aloha Nirvana

11/4/9

At Heartsong, our signature massage is called “Aloha Nirvana” which many have asked what it is.  “Aloha” is used as a greeting for “hello” in English, but it also has many other meanings such as farewell, I love you, warm regards, or how are you?  It’s used as an everyday greeting for everyone—loved ones and strangers alike—but it’s the warmth of the Aloha Spirit that has made the Islands of the Pacific a paradise indeed. “Nirvana” is a Hindu word meaning “spiritual enlightenment” or a “completely enjoyable experience.”  And so at Heartsong we’ve loosely termed “Aloha Nirvana” to mean “Hello Heaven.”  And for those of you who’ve experienced our Nirvana massages you can attest to your own bit of heaven here on earth.

Last week, as many of you know, Brad and I experienced a week of “Aloha Nirvana” in Maui, Hawaii.  We attended the Wayne Dyer “Excuses BeGone Seminar” which we thoroughly enjoyed.  I shared with you the “bad news” about Dr. Dyer’s health, but now I’d like to share with you the “good news”  Although Wayne (I hope he doesn’t mind me using his first name) was suffering from the flu at the time, he gave a spectacular presentation where I learned so much that I wouldn’t know where to begin.  So I’ll try to summarize a few things which really stood out in my mind.

The first day, Friday, was somewhat of a review for me about Wayne’s latest movie “The Shift” or what he had originally entitled “From Ambition to Meaning.”  He talked about the Tao mentioning how we often take the beliefs of the morning of our lives into the afternoon and evening of our lives.  Or in other words—those things that we’ve been taught at an early age may no longer apply to us as an adult and yet we continue to run our lives as if they do.  And so as “fully-conscious adults” we can now deliberately decide which beliefs or “truths” we’d like to accept now in our lives.  It now becomes our conscious choice or intentional creation as to what our life gets to look like and not a consequence of our “genes” or “memes”.  We all know what genes are but “memes” (taken from Richard Brodie’s book, The Virus of the Mind) are mind viruses that infect us at an early age and do what all viruses are programmed to do—infiltrate, duplicate, replicate and spread.  Now if they are good viruses (truths) then this is a positive thing, but if they are bad viruses (lies) then we find that we, and perhaps our entire society, have been infected with a bunch of negative viruses or lies.  And “disinfecting” us of these lies is the key to a bliss-filled life. 

After Ram Dass spoke Saturday morning about his life challenging experience being “stroked” Wayne then shared with us some of his insights and skills taught in his book, Excuses BeGone, which is a “must-read” book if you’d like to know about these skills that can rid you of your own “memes” or excuses.  (Sorry, but you have to read the book for all the details. We still have a few autographed copies here at Heartsong.)

On Sunday Wayne shared with us about the new book he’s writing called Wishes Fulfilled where he outlines and defines some of the principles taught in Neville’s book, The Power of Awareness.  Brad and I read this thought-provoking book years ago and have incorporated many of its truths already into our lives to help manifest our daily chosen reality.  If I could “bottom-line” the teachings of this book in one sentence it would be “Assume the feeling of the wish fulfilled.”  And in doing so here in Maui, I fulfilled everything I wished to do while I was here.

Monday, I received an authentic Lomi-Lomi massage by a Hawaiian therapist at the Marriott Hotel.  It was an hour of pure pleasure in a breezy cabana on the beach with the sounds of the surf and tropical birds as my background music.  Not to mention the fragrance of tropical flowers wafting through the balmy air.  I must admit I couldn’t stop thinking about how absolutely euphoric our Aloha Nirvana would be on a beach in Maui.  The Ananda Nirvana (Blown-away Bliss) would be the ultimate experience in Maui and so that’s my new wish I’m assuming the feeling fulfilled—a Heartsong franchise in Maui.  (Any prayer supporters and intentional manifestors are welcome to join me in this.)

Tuesday, we got on a pontoon boat and went wave-running on the white-capping high seas and went snorkeling at four different locations including Molokini (an ancient volcano near Molokai).  We enjoyed watching eels, sea urchin, tropical fish and Manta Rays through the clear windows of our face masks.  But I must admit my favorite oceanic delights were the giant sea turtles.  We spent another half a day on Wednesday just photographing them near Black Rock which was a short walk from our hotel room.  I named this darling adolescent one (he was probably my age) “Hollywood” as he loved having his picture taken and then followed me to the beach.  I also experienced Scuba diving for the first time on Wednesday morning and got to view up close the colorful sea creatures I’d viewed from a distance which inhabit the many coral reefs around Maui.

And then on our final day, Thursday, we drove the famous (or infamous) Rode to Hana—an antique one-lane road which switch-backed through a thick tropical rain forest filled with lush ravines cascading with waterfalls and fresh-water pools.

 We picked up some hand-made leis and turtle necklaces (turtles were showing up everywhere for me) at Waliua Falls, one of Hawaii’s most famous and gorgeous 200 foot falls.  At Ohe’o Gulch we stopped at the Haleakala National Park and hiked to the famous Seven Sacred Pools.  We swam and took pictures of the four lower pools below the bridge and then hiked up to the third one above the bridge.  We didn’t make it to the first two (I hear they’re absolutely gorgeous) because they were another mile and a half hike and we didn’t have the time, so we’ll have to save those two for next time we’re in Maui.

All and all I came away with some ecstatic experiences, a great tan and a few epiphanies I’d like to share with all of you—my beloveds.

For me the turtle totems represent my need to slow down and take time to smell the roses (or Hibiscus in this case) along the way.  After coming home and plunging into my never-ending work at Heartsong, I realized I needed to slow down and take a more Mahalo or “hang-loose” approach to life so I don’t burn-out like a few overachievers I know.  (Wayne Dyer and Ram Dass take note.)

But the most profound epiphanies which came to me in the past few days are these:  We have the absolute conscious ability and choice to create the Heaven on Earth which we desire.  But it’s not even a choice anymore.  It’s our responsibility (able to respond) and obligation (willing to oblige) to create our own heaven (whatever that looks like to you) which enable and allow for everyone else in our lives to create their own heaven.  It doesn’t matter what someone else’s heaven looks like—that’s their heaven.  As for me and my heaven—mine includes all of you, healthy and happy, surrounded by absolute love and absolute freedom.  (So if you don’t have a heaven of your own—you can join mine :-)  

Here’s another thought to end with.  Could the secret to eternal life be contained in this one idea:  We have all been given a “meme” (mind virus) at an early age which has infected us and our society.  It’s in almost every religion and spiritual belief system I know.  That meme is the belief that we have to die in order to get to heaven.  Let me state that one more time.  We have to die in order for us to live in a state of heavenly bliss!! How ridiculous is that?!!  That means that we can’t obtain heaven or absolute bliss here on earth no matter what we do and how we try.  And here’s another meme that goes along with it.  That all truth will be revealed at the time of our death or at the “end of times” when Christ returns to reveal himself and all truth.  That means we’re required to wait for the truth to be revealed.  But could the “Book of Revelations” simply be showing us the time when all things will be revealed (uncovered)?  And could we obtain our own book of reveal-ations within our own minds without having to die or having to wait until 2012 or some other future date for this reveal-ation to happen?

These are some deep thoughts and until I can figure them out for myself I will continue to create my own Heaven on Earth here at Heartsong (regardless if that brings up negative “memes” for some of you and I’m labeled a rebel and renegade :-).  I guess I could join the other felons in Hawaii who accidentally touched giant sea turtles and skinny-dipped in the sacred pools (both considered felony charges).  But if I am confined to a jail-cell like Thoreau was when he was inspired to write Civil Disobedience, at least I’ll have plenty of time to contemplate my misdeeds and write my next book in long-hand (as Wayne Dyer writes all of his books) entitled Heartsong Happy Endings;-)

Much love, peace, joy and bliss always—Janae aka Jesse aka J. Bird (and, as always, naked as a—photos not included :-)