Makahiki

E malama i ka heiau.
E malama pono i ka heiau.

E malama i ka heiau.
E malama pono i ka heiau.

We hear what we want to hear. What I have found is that when I recognize what I’ve misheard, I should, perhaps, look more deeply into the meaning of the mishearing. This happened to me yesterday… and the result is a good thing, and has provided a great context for understanding.

Each year on the Sacred Journey in Kauaʻi I experience some new aspect of cultural understanding of Hawaiian culture. We journeyers were treated to a special time with Sabra Kauka. Kumu Sabra (Kumu means teacher and is a title of respect) took us to a couple heiaus (sacred sites) on island. At one of the sites, Poliahu, on a high plain above the Wailua River (the longest navigable river in Hawaii), sit the remains of a stone wall. The wall encompasses an area about the size of an American football field. To enter the interior of the walled area is kapu (forbidden).

Poliahu heiau is believed to have been dedicated to the god Ku for success in war, and the site of ancient religious rituals. There also once stood an oracle tower on the east side of the site. The tower would have been about 4 stories tall and used for astronomical observations.

As this was explained by Kumu Sabra, she told us of a seasonal time that struck me deeply. That time is called, Makahiki, lasting from approximately mid-November through February. The Makahiki season is a time of peace (no war is allowed during this time), and joy. The period is also marked with prayer and reflection. What really struck me was the way in which Kumu Sabra said, “Makahiki means to return to the source.”

When I first heard her phrase it in this manner, I latched on to the concept. To return to the source. Isn’t this what we are all doing through the practice of spirituality? We are looking to more actively deepen our awareness of and connection to the infinite nature of all things.

While Makahiki has a more broad definition, I really connected with the idea of retiring to source. This is what I have unknowingly been doing each year that I attend the Sacred Journey on Kauaʻi. I’ve been taking time to return to source. I let myself engage in prayerful contemplation. I let myself be “ministered to” (an important aspect of being a minister — because if I don’t care for myself I have reduced capacity to care for others).

So consider for yourself today how you might engage in Makahiki right where you are. How can you return to the source?