This is the call to release it all and a reminder to flow like the waves of the ocean for all of eternity and never forget who you are.
Nalu laid down and sank into the soft bed for a moment, took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. The blanket, slightly damp from the tropical humidity moistened her skin and sent a chill up her arms as the breeze blew through the open windows. The soft rustle of the leaves in the trees and the steady flow of the stream carving a path into the land in search of the sea created an ambient soundscape that suddenly became sharp and clear.
The birds stopped chirping. That was when the shift occurred; her mind slipped into the space between dreams and she opened her eyes.
Nalu found herself atop the island of Maui, wind blowing from all directions; she was in a place that no longer existed within our concept of time. There was tall grass blowing in golden waves across the mountaintop meadow, softly breathing and whispering the wisdom of the Earth to any ears attuned to hear her. Nalu stood touching the tips of grass that reached up to meet her fingertips like greeting old friends.
In front of her the full spectrum of colors suddenly appeared to pour down from the sky like liquid light, shimmering and swirling with the energy of the spaces and places it connected. The gateway between the worlds was opening and as though summoning its own essence, the light began condensing into humanoid form. First appeared the head, with flowing long hair, as dark as the nutrient rich soil deep under the mountain Nalu stood upon. The eyes were vibrant and spoke more than words can express. Then the legs, long and strong enough to send an earthquake shuddering through the ground with a single step. The torso of the being appeared as the rays of light were transmuted into flesh and the colorful essence melted into the bones and blood beneath sun-kissed skin, adorned in flowers and markings. Finalizing entry to this world with a flash of white light at the top of the crown as though fireworks and fairies conspired to create such a light show… The first Ke Ānuenue being had appeared.
Again and again they touched the ground, beams shooting down from the sky like meteors, opening like windows to another world and bridging the distance between our dimensions. It must not have been easy for them to take on a corporeal form she thought, it looked uncomfortable for them, even painful. Unbeknownst to her, for them to step into this world meant a great sacrifice., She felt this in her heart like an ancestral story that flowed through her body like the wave that is her name. and welled up in her body and poured out of her eyes in the form of salt water that would join the sea of gratitude for what she saw on the mountaintop.
The sky was an iridescent reflection of the beings emerging and the air was electric as Nalu watched the Ke Ānuenue beings arriving all around her. She felt each strand of her hair, the texture of clothing on her skin, the sound of her breath -- all senses had heightened to be able to perceive what was before her. As though the energetic dam had burst, an uncontrollable sensation of running suddenly took over. Nalu burst into a sprint and wondered how fast she could run, the answer came in the form of a question, “how fast do you want to run?”. With the understanding that her limitations were self imposed she ran faster, and faster, until she was the wind, there was no limit to the speed she could travel. It was effortless and smooth, fearless and expansive and the Ke Ānuenue people were all around. As the edge of the island began to appear in the distance, a beautiful Wahine in the water waved and invited her to explore the ocean.
In a heartbeat, Nalu was at the cliff edge and dove past the powerful waves into the water. As soon as she was submerged her thoughts turned to her breath for she was deep in the ocean without any oxygen. When she realized she could achieve all that she believed, Nalu took a breath… and received the air that she needed from the sea. Next was her sight, the light from above could not penetrate the depths of the water. She knew this too was within her power so with three sweeps of her hand, the water was crystal clear. The creatures of the ocean and Nalu looked at one another with equal curiosity, and together they playfully explored - communicating thoughts and laughter through a pure stream of conscious connection.
The Wahine had left but all of her magic remained.
Nalu could not remember exiting the water. Her memory of what transpired was as dreamlike and fluid as the water itself. As though the river of time forked and reconnected, she was back in the field running. The Ke Ānuenue were all around her like explosions of color and life. She was headed for the canyon that appeared in the distance, it’s far wall smooth and light with elaborate stone patterns. It was taller on the far side and about 300 feet across, with a depth beyond measure. As Nalu moved towards the canyon, she felt no effort exerted yet the ground beneath her disappeared in a blur, her feet barely touching the ground. She wasn’t slowing down, and the canyon’s edge was getting closer. As the mouth of the canyon came into view, before she could think a thought of her own, a clear and deep voice from within said, “jump and do not be afraid.” So Nalu did just that. Her last step on solid Earth propelled her off the edge of the cliff as she flew out into its center. Her arms were spread wide like wings that could carry her across if that's what she desired. Instead, with eyes open wide, she sent her limbs out long welcoming the fall. And as she fell, she heard the voice again, “have no fear, you will not die here”, and so Nalu did just that with not an ounce of fear in her heart.
Below Nalu was darkness. She turned her body to gaze up and watched the view of the sky get smaller as the walls of the canyon grew taller around her, enveloping her in their firm silence -- not even the sound of the wind existed as she slipped into the abyss. The far wall was smooth and appeared to be made of large boulders arranged in a familiar pattern. Suddenly where once there was nothing… a dim light penetrated the darkness. As she fell, the far wall began to gently curve and the light below became brighter, illuminating the tunnel that was forming as the walls narrowed. There was a shift in their direction and dimensional existence. Suddenly Nalu was no longer falling, but floating, gently slowing in her descent. The wall curved until it became the ground. Nalu effortlessly shifted position and her feet touched the Earth. With the remaining momentum, she began to walk as though she had been here before and entered in this way, remembering her steps.
At the tunnel opening in front of her, two silent Ke Ānuenue guardians immediately joined at her sides and as they walked through the tunnel she knew they had been waiting for her. Together they entered through the narrowest point of the tunnel and ahead Nalu could see the opening, the source of the glowing light. It’s golden glow seemed to surround Nalu and her two guardians in a blinding sphere and for a moment she questioned her next step. As her eyes adjusted to the light she was met with a sight that took her breath away.
They emerged from the tunnel into a world unlike anything Nalu had seen before. There were beams of full spectrum light touching down everywhere, plants with leaves so big they were used as hammocks, trees climbing so high the tops disappeared into the clouds, flowers that blushed and followed your gaze in an imitation of expression, fruits of every shape and color, and sparkling, clear water flowing. In this place all that you wished for flowed to you in an instant manifestation of your desire.
The beams that reached from the sky touched down like a superhighway of travelers all coming and going on different journeys. Nalu realized she had stepped into an active community of these traveling light beings in the middle of it’s daily experience and she strangely felt like they all knew her. Men, women, and children going about their day, cooking, laughing, telling stories of their travels.
No one stared for too long as she passed with her companions, and she could feel the warm, loving gaze and smiles as she exchanged greetings with those they encountered. A strong sensation tickled the back of her head, then down her back and wrapping back up to settle into her heart. It felt like this was home, and that would make this Nalu’s family.
Watching the beings that were walking with her, Nalu began to examine them more closely, they were the most incredibly beautiful beings she had ever seen with her eyes or imagination. Every feature was perfect. Nothing created without intention. No muscle formed without purpose. The eyes of each being held the depth and power of the cosmos, acceptance and unconditional love.
Nalu found herself hypnotized by the intensity of connections forged with the Source of life and the Universe with each single glance, and the humility that existed in a longer held gaze. In this instant that bent time to an unknowable measurement, she knew them, she felt them, and she sensed there was more to her arrival than she understood in that seemingly infinite moment.
Nalu was guided into a partially enclosed natural hot spring that overlooked the village. With her was a man, perhaps a friend, a lover...maybe something even stronger, deeper, longer. Lifetimes felt like moments and time disappeared. How long were they there? Nalu lost track, the connection was immediate, carnal and sensual. This was a love that spanned beyond time, and this was a being that loved her completely as he worshipped and caressed her very soul.
From off in the distance, Nalu could hear a friend and fellow traveler in another time calling for her, perhaps back up on the cliff’s edge, summoning her. He did not know she had gone on this journey and she felt she must depart immediately, returning to her own time and reassuring her friend that she was not lost. In her haste, she forgot to say goodbye, and with three breaths Nalu’s body began to lighten and shift back to the place that the voice echoed from, leaving her lover holding empty space where her body was just connected to his in a passionate embrace.
Nalu opened her eyes with the swiftness of a blink, not the depth of emergence from sleep. She returned the call, granting her friend an invitation. Glancing around the room Nalu noticed the space between objects, the time that passed between moments, and the air that floated invisibly in and out of her lungs all had a new quality to them. Things looked different. What change had occurred? It was all still there…the walls, the rug, the windows. But something had shifted, lifted; it was thinner now, and everything was the same…same but different. Nalu absorbed the colors, the sensations, the palpable vibrations in the air that bounced off everything with a sense of wonder and at once she understood that nothing would ever be the same again.
The change expanded through all of existence, reverberating through every speck of space and time. Was she here or still there? Maybe she was everywhere…all at once. She felt a pang of sadness as she realized she might never see them again, and she had left without saying goodbye.
A few weeks passed in reverence and awe, and it was then that Nalu sensed that something was amiss. She knew that piece of her was still out there somewhere yet her vision was obscured, the blindfold tight and her wrists bound with invisible ties of complacency. In a desperate state of imbalance and confusion she called upon one of her most trusted travelers to help her find the missing piece. A strong pull to a place an unfathomable distance of time and space away from here sent its signal and the traveler set off to find it. In the vast expanse of space, he traced a tethered energy connecting part of Nalu back to the other dimension and this plane.
Traveler was not a novice, and was met with something he had never experienced before. His report is as follows:
“Usually I can just reach in and play with the energy directly, or travel to the other end and see what is going on, but here it was different. I was prohibited from doing either. I literally hit an invisible force field like a barrier of glass I couldn't break. I could look, but couldn't touch. So, I went below and above and all around, and tried to see another way, but it was not penetrable. I observed it and what I can gather is that this energy strand isn't trying to drain you, it's connecting you with a part of you that was either energized in the other plane, or something that you learned or were reminded of that you needed to not forget back here.
I tried to interpret what that was, and all I was told was a weird word, Hulan, Hulan, Hulan. Maybe that means something to you, the best I could understand, was that it was a mashup of Human Language. The other plane is sending the call of something you either need to remember, or relearn, or search out regarding Human Language. As far as this affecting you so much since you got back, it isn't the strand of energy directly draining you to harm you, it is your actions of forgetting here that is causing a disturbance, and the tether is a sort of bookmark or beacon reminding you to focus on this mission or purpose. Your energy wanted this reminder. S
o, this is the message I can gather, as far as what it means for you, I hope it is the clue that unlocks the meaning.”
The news that her Traveler brought back filled Nalu with gratitude and relief that she was not in danger. The word Hulan swirled around in her head as she sought out its meaning, hoping for a seed of understanding to sprout in her mind. As time passed, she thought less and less of this word, allowing it to germinate and trusting it would emerge from the soil of her consciousness when the time was right. And then one night under a clear, star filled sky, sitting in a hot, steaming pool, she began tracing letters on the stone wall. H-U-L-A-N - they quickly vanished as steam filled in the lines of letters. Then a whisper on the wind floated past. Nalu’s eyes grew wide… she started at the end and wrote it backwards. N-A-L-U-H.
Nalu couldn’t believe she didn’t recognize it before, it was her name. “N-A-L-U” is Hawaiian for “wave or surging surf” and “go with the flow”. The only thing that puzzled her was the H. She wanted to dismiss it, thinking it was possibly a mistake, but this couldn’t be the case when spoken backwards. Nalu can easily have or not have an H at the end and it would be difficult to know without seeing it written since the H would be silent. But when spoken: “HULAN”, there is an unmistakable H. What could that mean?
“-H-” is the 8th letter of the alphabet and the 8th most commonly used letter. “-H-” is also Heth (the 8th letter in the Hebrew language), The Modern Hebrew name for this letter is “Hhet” meaning a string. In proto-Semitic, the letter H was also the word for thread or fence. Was the H the reminder? The beacon? The thread, the string...and what is the significance of 8?
The 8 holds a number of meanings across religions and historical civilizations. In Hebrew number 8 can mean movement from natural to supernatural, transcends natural time and space to supernatural realm. The infinity sign, sometimes called the Lemniscate (the mathematical symbol for infinity) is believed to be coming from the number 8 sign.
This number symbolizes eternity, balance and cosmic order.
The number 8 has always been a very important symbol in many ancient cultures, especially in the Far East. In the tarot, the lemniscate represents the balance of forces and is often associated with the magician card. This figure laying on its side represents the integration of energies flowing back and forth, synthesizing masculine and feminine energies. The point of intersection is the point of integration of both.
This form reveals the constant generating force of eternal truth, whether vertical or horizontal. It stands for involution and evolution, for cycles ebb and flow, the inside is like the outside and the outside like the in. It represents infinity, advancement, strength and confidence. It is a sacred healing symbol emanating equality, balance, and rhythm...rhythm inherent in the Nature of All things.
Do you remember now? Nalu nodded.
This is only the beginning. Nalu agreed.
There is still so much more… Nalu kept going.
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