1/08/10 – Kailua-Kona

I’m in Kona for 35 days and the trade winds have started clearing the volcanic smog away from the slopes of Hualalai to reveal the shape of the land. The Hawaiian islands are as enchanting as nature gets. The Big Island of Hawaii exhibits 18 of the world’s 21 climates and includes deserts, rain forests and glacial tundras.

The climate overall is a vivid example of the meeting place of Fire and Water as the volcanic lands of boiled metal rise through the sea to give place for plants to take root and begin the cycle of new birth. The islands are ancient but are being terraformed at an exceptionally fast rate. I wish I had the time to document all I can learn from this place. Each day will bring new insights as I travel through the 18 climates of this strange and wonderful land.

There is an ancient respect that the native Hawaiians have for the islands and the recognition of the value the land provides for its people. As the most remote island chain from a major land mass in the world, the miracle of its existence is deeply respected here. The sea is recognized as a huge resource and much of the economy is centered around fishing and water sports. Hawaiians always test their fears of water through surfing 20-40ft waves and swimming with the sharks. The sea is feared, respected, honored and nurtured.

My first impression is how Fire predominates the island chain as a whole. The people are warm, friendly, open, intimate and joyful. The importance of family to the native Hawaiians is not to be underestimated. Most are content with waking up in the morning and heading to the beach with a cooler to spend the day surfing and playing the ukulele till the evening bonfires bring people together in song and drumming into the night. The Earth element is also richly present. There is a constant air of celebration to this place and of thankfulness for the friends and family you have around you. Everyone looks after everybody else and reciprocity, fairness and mutual support is a reflection of the complete balance of a closed and self-maintaining ecosystem.

Despite the rich rain forests of the windward facing side of each of the islands, Wood energy doesn’t manifest itself as explicitly in the island’s people. People are not future oriented, are not as concerned with creating plans, but are content to simply be in eachother’s nurturing presence. The Metal element is also very strong here. There is a deep respect for the value of the land, of each other and of each rock, grain of sand and leaf of every tree. The volcanic metals give essence to the many plants that thrive here and the Hawaiian people permit and encourage all forms of self-expression and freedom, so long as the land is respected. Many artists, healers, musicians and entertainers live here and the clothing is vibrant, colorful, and bordering on gaudy. Warmth, sexuality and juiciness pervade the culture. It is very educational to watch the sun-deprived, dazed and confused tourists come in and out of this strange land caught like deer in headlights unable to fully take anything as they avoid showing more skin than they think appropriate, and take cover in the shade for fear of their white flesh being smitten by an unfamiliar rosy glow.

Two types of climates tend to predominate. The Western side of the island is dry, arid, and desert like, while the East is steamy, wet, moist, richly green, and opulent in plant life where the Water element tends to predominate. The Fire element predominates on the Western side with is where the beaches team with celebration and togetherness. The Eastern people are more oriented towards hard work and labor. People are more secluded and rely on more reclusive and quiet familial togetherness. There is a secretiveness to the Eastern side and its people. Industry of all kinds tends to predominate from fishing to construction services. The Kahuna sorcerers tend to live on the wet side of the island where the mysteries of the Metal and Water, death, and rebirth from a sea of potential predominates their pursuit of medicinal plants from the rainforests.

The plantlife on the Western side is shorter, stubby, compact, barky, thick-leaved, and oriented towards the conservation of water. The leaves and branches are fewer, but the plants are sturdier and more resistant to the sun that’s beating down on them with no restraint and no promise of rain. The plants are resilient, conserve their resources, and more brittle, and attuned to the fewest possible plans necessary to get the job done. This type of growth reminds me of more rigid, stronger personalities oriented towards more conservative use of resources, and surviving through the competition for resources. Their plans are firm, strong, unbreakable, and stand the test of time and will persevere despite harsh conditions.

In contrast the plantlife on the Eastern side is lush, large, expansive, varied in color, more fragile, and opulent. The plants here tend to express more creativity in their flowers, leaf organizations, fruit qualities, and patterns. The Water element is so available here that there is little fear for starvation and growth can expand in all directions unabated. The plant life is so thick that it almost tends to choke itself. Unlike the Western side of the island, there is less competition for resources here. When we have ample resources we do tend to be more carefree in our self-expression and our planning is no longer conservative. If we have time, money and contacts we can spread our wings wide in any direction we choose, unencumbered by the constraint imposed by scarcity.