I enter the Sacred Garden.
Remove my flip flops.
Place my Guatemalan bag to the side and stand at the edge of the vast and luminous portal before me. My eyes are immediately drawn downward toward my feet, where I see two simple words inscribed.
BEGIN AGAIN.
The words land in my body before my mind has time to receive them.
And suddenly, I remember the morning that brought me here.
A day like any other, yet one perhaps a bit more potent and purposeful than the last.
I felt the importance of this moment within every cell of my being. It felt like a potent time for planting seeds and envisioning our next steps forward. I was at a threshold moment.
Remember…Remember…Remember.
A message as loud as thunder clapping on a stormy night reaches my ears.
Two plump magenta hibiscus flowers catch my gaze through the open screen door of the lanai where I sit sipping coffee in the morning light. Resting in lotus position, I hear a voice.
“Stand up. We have places to go!”
Ok. Ok.
I gather my Guatemalan bag, the keys to the Jeep, and follow my footsteps out the door. I let Tyler know that I am headed out on “one of my adventures,” and off I go.
I put the key in the ignition, start the Jeep, and hit play, eager to hear my favorite island album, Chapter of the Forest by Trevor Hall.
Observing the highway carefully for big, loud, roaring trucks flying by, I turn left onto Hana Hwy, entering the spaciousness and rhythm of island time.
The Jeep tucks away from ocean view now, taking a turn where the forest grows thicker and the crowds gradually dissolve. A few switchbacks in, the Jeep slows, pauses, and turns into a tiny parking lot. This Jeep has its own inner GPS.
Colorful prayer flags and shiny rainbow treasures sparkle from inside this mystical jungle sanctuary. The sign reads: The Sacred Garden.
The entrance draws me close. The land is welcoming, inclusive, and alive with a vibrant pulse. The heartbeat is strong, steady, and vital. Alive with spirits, ancient and new.
The Sacred Garden is home to two labyrinths, a plant nursery of tropical plants and trees, and rests within the historic Maliko Gulch on the island of Maui.
I walk through the garden sanctuary toward the back, where the sounds of a babbling brook and tropical birds take center stage.
Standing now at the edge of the portal, I ground my energy by connecting with the pulse of the earth below my feet. My arms outstretched to the sky, I offer a prayer of gratitude as I enter the labyrinth with reverence and respect.
Slowly, deliberately, I step one foot in front of the other. Feeling the shift of weight, one step at a time.
As I enter, I remind myself that this is a journey, not a destination.
I soften my gaze.
I steady myself to listen as melodic voices call to me through this ancient yet modern portal. Transported, I feel sensations rise.
Gratitude. Love. Aloha.
I walk intently with each turn.
Gravity moves me as I pick up pace, moving toward the center point of the labyrinth.
Arms outstretched, I call forth to the nature spirits and ancestors of the land. I ask permission to cast a prayer out upon the winds. I ask for guidance on my path.
Please show me the next steps forward on my path that are in alignment and resonance with my soul.
I leave my prayer in the circle and travel on slowly, intentionally, to see what fruits might fall from the tree.
Rounding the final turn of the creek side labyrinth, the winds stir and pick up pace as the flickering light of the Sun transmits a soft dappled rainbow hue. A wind dances through the frolicking fronds of the tropical trees.
As I pass by my green frond friends, I stop and take notice. I listen deeply. Quietly. I savor the moment. Kaleidoscope visions, fractals and geometric patterns emerge as I feel my soul pressing firmly into the luminous forms to experience these everlasting imprints of this magical place.
I listen on the winds at the culminating turn.
A soul stirring current guides me forward.
I bend my ear to listen.
Be a voice for nature. You are a teacher of the earth and stars. Share your visions of us with the world. It is medicine. Remember, you carry potent medicine.
The Sun is setting low in the trees, and that is my clue to make my final return.
I thank the ancestors and spirits of the land.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I am so grateful for your medicine.
I return full circle and bow with hands in prayer position toward the setting Sun and to where that potent little rock reads:
BEGIN AGAIN
Love,
AliSun Trees aka “Auntie Owl”