Page 2 - MidWeek - August 17, 2022

2 MIDWEEK AUGUST 17, 2022
Messages From The Natural Kingdom
“Ask permission and give thanks — that attunes your mind to the universal consciousness that pervades all things.” — kupuna Nana Veary
SA Slice Of Heaven
Since living in Hawai‘i, nature has become more alive — more
Science has progressed to recognize the intelligence of the plant kingdom.
with Renée Tillotson
ometimes, you gotta wonder. Incredible shots of galaxies far, far away often look to me like bad MRI photos. Sometimes, the pictures are stunning,
intelligent than previously acknowledged and abundant with messages as I learn to listen.
and its people for helping me to reawaken to the liv- ing presence of the natural world.
but other times, the untrained eye sees what looks like a smudge on a blurry picture that portends new stars, galax- ies, lifeforms, Starbucks, et al. And then there’s the orbit- ing James Webb Space Telescope, regularly peppering us with ostensibly stellar star stories. But we’ve been duped. Noted French physicist Ètienne Klein recently tweeted an alleged Webb picture he claimed was from a distant star, according to CNN. But upon further review, turns out it was a bunch of pork — and I don’t mean self-serving, political spending. The orb in the “picture” was actually a surreal, scarlet piece of chorizo — pork sausage.
Unexpectedly ending up living on this island thou- sands of miles away from a dear home where I had ex- pected to live the rest of my life — I found myself irre- sistibly drawn to the honu, the sea turtles. Observing these ancient, silent crea- tures contentedly gliding through the waters taught me, as they do within their shells, that I, too, could carry my home with me wherever I go.
the sea. By the feel of the water through the blade of his paddle, he knows before seeing them whether whales, honu or land are nearby.
to notice all of the nuances of the clouds, the birds, the ocean and the first beam of light shining across the wa- ter. All of these speak to us, as we learn to listen.
And as I sit at my tea table listening to the birds warm- ing up for their evening choral symphony, I wonder, will I ever understand their lyrics?
Klein initially waxed poetic about the “level of detail” the picture provided, saying that Proxima Centauri was 4.2 light years away (almost 25 trillion miles). With our existing space-travel knowledge, it would take about 6,300 years to get there, so exercise, rest up and stay hydrated if you’re planning a trek.
At a blessing ceremony at a construction site, a Hawai- ian kahu respectfully rests his hand on a large boulder to read its energetic history.
A startling book about trees called The Overstory shares, “Trees have long been trying to reach us. But they speak on frequencies too low for people to hear.”
Renée Tillotson is director of Still & Moving Center in Kaka‘ako. She has studied the teachings of Theosophy for over four decades, and appreciates that it draws on common themes from the world’s great traditions — religious, philosophic and scientific.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
After numerous retweets among twinkling, twaddling twits, Klein acknowledged that the picture was actually just a slice of chorizo set against a black background. He then patronizingly warned people to be “wary of argu- ments from positions of authority.” Thanks, Yoda. Hey, wait a minute! So the moon landing was faked? The LEM was really LEGOs?
He was communicating with and taking counsel from it.
Imagine a tree attempting to communicate with us! In- digenous peoples through- out the world possess an intimate, knowing and com- municative relationship with nature. The modern world is trying to catch up.
Maybe we don’t need that TMT project. We can just sporadically send out pics of pizza toppings and claim whatever. A new planet near Neptune? Er, that’s an onion. As Jimi would’ve said, “Excuse me, while I kiss the sky.” The Large Hadron Collider, a Swiss particle accelerator (I prefer a blender for particle acceleration to make smooth- ies) is trying to prove Big Bang theory postulates related to the Higgs boson (aka “the God particle”) that, perhaps, seven people on the planet really understand.
KELLEY
New Century Schoolbook bold (scaled H 73.6)
Each solstice and equi- nox our hālau joins Mālia to greet the rising sun, and
My husband’s outrigger canoe coach is able to “read”
I am grateful to this land
Our kumu hula, Mālia, with her family, tends to an ancient heiau, a sacred site. They work on its lo‘i, the taro patches, chanting an oli to announce their presence and to make a request to the land to be there. When we go into a forest to gather ferns, we also ask permission from the place itself and gather no more than needed. Then to feel and listen for that per- mission to be granted. I’ m still developing that sensi- tivity.
Science has progressed to recognize the intelligence of the plant kingdom.
It’s now hypothesized that water existed on Mars ... 2 billion years ago. Hosanna, finally a solution for Red Hill! The list of amazing finds (or theories) always titil- lates, while we pedestrians still can’t figure out which direction to place the toilet paper on our toilet roll hold- ers, and we’re still flinching from that dang “12:00” light flashing on our VCRs. I’m not a Luddite — I’m hugely pro-science, discovery and facts. But sometimes ... So it’s chorizo for chumps and the world keeps spinning.
Think about it.
john@thinkaboutithawaii.com