`Aha Update #5: Clouds and Wash feet

"...Late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the Virgo Moon opposes Neptune. It goes on to square Saturn then Venus and oppose Chiron, a loose grand square. Remember what you’re up to! It’s easy to lose sight of your emotional grounding when things grind to a halt or directions become fuzzy. If you feel discombobulated, slow down. Breathe. Wait for inspiration and the voice of wisdom..." - Weekly Forecast from Satori

This is a very dry and dusty summer on Whidbey. It's our first summer living at the edge of the gravel driveway; that might add to the reality of dust every where. So last night as I pulled myself onto the futon with a major case of sinus congestion, my Aunty Lily showed up. Aunty Lily was my next door neighbor in Kuliou'ou Valley. She taught me all about clouds as a girl. She taught me through showing me to look up and notice the way the sky changed. I have continued that practice.

Aunty Lily, and another girl time Aunty, Mrs. Pung, taught me other things. Last night both those kupuna showed up to remind me about keeping the dust and dirt out of the house. Our small bedroom and wheeled nest gets dusty. As if to prepare us for the protocol -- practical stuff, of Hawaiian Island style living to come, I talked with Pete about the visitation, and making some changes to our in-and- out of the vardo habits.

 We always take off our shoes before coming inside.

 the change is taking them off at the bottom of the stairs.

Pete swabbed the wooden steps down with a rag and a bucket of water, and set up a clean rug at the top of the lanai (porch).

We cleared the lanai preparing the vardo to trundle off to The Tilth and have kept it that way since. There is room for a chair on either side of the front door. Small kine change, but oh, such nice feng shui; flow and freedom.

 A purple cotton bandana (in honor of my Aunty Lily who always wore bandana during the day) is kept wet in an old pie pan. Sit. Wash feet.

Sit, wash feet. Homemade ceremony. Simple kine.

 Inside, the yoga mat and a long wearing favorite rug passed to us from Aunty Lily's daughter, Nola, welcomes clean(er) feet:)

A second Mullein flower yellow folding chair is parked inside.

Homemade ceremony

Sit
Washed Feet
Notice
Things that
Keep
Us going.

Front Porch `Aha Update #1: A Blurrr, Breeze and Whistle

Pay attention to what you long for and what you fear to lose. Those conditions are uncomfortable, but they have a great deal to tell us about what will ultimately serve our best fortunes. Venus trine Jupiter is too much sweet excellence to waste. Figure out what is worth keeping and what stands in the way of full enjoyment. And for Venus-sake, lay off the latter.- Satori

A bit of Mokihana Ramble: It's been one week since our first Front Porch `Aha out at the South Whidbey Tilth. Wow! What can happen when you blast, launch new rockets from old places of settlement, and "dare to split your pants learning to skate (at 70, or whatever age/stage)." In this seven day stretch of time the `Aha -- the gathering of people, ancestors, intentions/dreams/wishes and place, is teaching us what it wants of us. The "Hinged Question" is truly a theme that connects.

First, there is that uncomfortable blur: no focus, what?, those colors don't look right; my fixed nature resists. Pete told me on our Sunday road trip yesterday, "I'm gonna but my meter on you?"

I snapped, I was a real snapping turtle yesterday. "What meter?"

He said from behind the wheel, "The one that tells me whether the mice have chewed through the wiring, or not. Is there a close loop of electrical current?"

The whole picture of that metering wasn't clear to me, but, I got it anyway. I was overwhelmed, and undergrateful (you won't find that word in a dictionary). I was stuck.

Somehow we both knew we needed to take this Sunday road trip though I had few spoons to spare, we did it. We needed to continue seeing and being with others, others who are are supporters our 'aha (the rope the measures). At West Beach we stopped to return the nutcrackers subbing as crab crackers that our friends Terri and Martin brought to the `Aha. Along with those nutcrackers they brought our first red envelope filled with currency ... greenbacks and heartfelt good wishes and faith in our dream.
We sat and chatted, I drank a cup of minty tea with honey, and we talked of dreams, scheming, and the quality of a loving community that is the essential ingredient.

We stayed just long enough to share time and space and more thoughts about solutions to our questions about getting us home to Hawaii. Before we left their deck we spotted the beauty of a setting olepau, the waning half-half moon leading up to the New Moon later this week. Reminder: no new projects or activities during the 'ole phases. Aw, yes. Giving thanks though, there is time for that, anytime yeah?!

Our road trip was not yet complete. One more stop a few miles further north to visit and support another pair of friends with a dream to pack up and move across those eight seas of Hawaii. Our friends Maurine and SR were having a vintage yard sale. We drove the distance to be their `aha, and Pete brought a fresh unopened jar of coconut oil. "You can never have enough coconut," SR said when she saw the jar.

"How do you guys use it?" She wondered.
"We eat it, cook with it. Use it in place of butter." And there is more ... Moki thought.
"Okay I'll put it on my toast." SR decided, smart lady.

By the time we headed south, before the grinding machines began their highway road work, we were tapped out and overwhelmed. The futon and covers in the vardo called my name, I took a shower and climbed in for a restoring nap. While I did that, Pete was struck -- a transformative Plan C ... a simpler version of Plan A and Plan B. It's a Plan California sort of plan that involves us becoming more and more mobile and driving south to Oakland where we drive our new to us truck hinged/hitched to Vardo for Two onto a barge headed for Hilo. There are details to come, but the hope of something we can manage (with help from our `aha) gave us new `ikaika strength and `ike understanding.

We are trying out this new Plan C and like the feel of it, and this morning a sweet and gentle breeze came through the woods as I sat on the front porch. Another Front Porch `Aha. The whistle is mine, the tune is George Kahamoku's the lyrics Larry Kimura's E Ku'u Morning Dew. Link here to hear Uncle George Kahamoku and Uncle Led Kaapana playing slack key and singing E Ku'u Morning Dew.

Mahalo nui to all our `aha, and our front porch. xoxo