Mana in a Sacred Place: Keauhou Beach Resort ‘Ohana
By Marya Mann One of the last hula performances at the Keauhou Beach Resort appears before us, spellbinding and alluring. In his soothing baritone, Kumu Keala Ching chants the genealogical history of this powerful place, where kings and queens, leaders…
Anela Strings: Angel Music by Timeless Troubadours
By Marya Mann A Live Concert It’s just after sunset and Kristin Aria Shaw’s graceful fingers are dancing on her Celtic harp. Irminsul’s long hair billows in a soft breeze coming off the sea as his body vibrates with arpeggio…
Makahiki—Codes for Regeneration
By Marya Mann Excitement filled all the hearts. It was a November night before Makahiki, around the time of the new moon, and the faint group of white-blue stars, the Pleiades, was about to rise in the east, signaling the…
Atmospheric Art: Revealing the Island’s Inner Light
By Marya Mann From the searing cauldron of Kīlauea Volcano to the cool surfing waves of Waipi‘o Valley and the breathtaking summits of Hualālai and Mauna Kea, he had space to stretch out and explore all the edges, opposites and…
Immersion with a Mermaid: This Kona Marine Mammal Has a True Tale to Tell
By Marya Mann In a challenge so unifying it has inspired global support among indigenous people, surfers, artists, marine scientists, models, musicians, boat captains, photographers, filmmakers, businesspeople, angel card readers and even Flipper’s original trainer, one Kona resident stands out.…
Behind the Scenes at the Lu‘au: History and ‘Ohana Craft a Memorable Experience
By Marya Mann The emcee’s voice sets the tone of enchantment for visitors to Hawai‘i, first through a culinary feast and into the dreamscape of a Pacific odyssey. They’ve been anticipating this evening for a long time, a climax to…
Search for the Heart of Kahalu‘u: E mālama i Nā Papa–Protect Our Coral Reefs
By Marya Mann It’s a courtship by the sea, except we’re sitting in a Bakken Foundation classroom north of Kailua-Kona, where ReefTeach trainers show color slides of brilliant and broken corals that flourish and die in Kahalu‘u Bay. They want…
Save the Bees, Save the Planet: Listening to the Buzz with Bee Oracle Alison Yahna
By Marya Mann A honeybee swarm came to Alison Yahna and it changed her life forever. The bees came in a swirling rush, alighting on a small cedar tree near her home. With help from a friend she moved the…
Keeping the Magic Alive: Sleight of Mind with “Arneleo the Great” and “The Great Barusky”
By Marya Mann Although the element of surprise is the capstone in the magician’s pyramid of tricks, magic is no accident. Just ask two Kona tricksters who found serious commitment in a very funny business. Is it optical illusion or…
Sustainable Hawai‘i Youth Leadership Initiative: Youth Inspire All to Dream of a New Earth
By Marya Mann On the sunlit day, outdoors at the West Hawai‘i Civic Center, Skyla (“Sky”) D. Graig-Murray, a student at West Hawai‘i Explorations Academy, asks this question: “How often have you asked a young person what is their dream…
Taro, ‘Ohana and Jerry Konanui
By Marya Mann Lau or Lū’au ~ Leaf Turning over a new leaf this magical year of 2012? Think of making that a taro leaf. For a taste of the divine, simmer it into a soothing soup with coconut cream…
Pilgrimage to the Sky: Honoring Mauna Kea—Kuahiwi Kūha‘o i ka Mālie: Mountain Standing Alone in the Calm
By Marya Mann The Summit Pu’u Wēkiu, Sunrise, Fall Equinox, 2011 – Shimmering in the first light of morning at the top of the world, the sun paints brilliant shades of red, orange, pink and gold on the mountain, igniting…
Navigating the Universe from Mauna Kea: Science and Sensitivity
By Marya Mann On the astronomical clock, our sun isn’t very old. Estimated by scientists to be 4.5 billion years young, the mighty sun helped spawn the early Earth. Out of light, action and inter-planetary collisions – or collaborations —…
Nā Maka O Ka ‘Āina: Couple Seeks to Broadcast Hawaii’s Reality
By Marya Mann To carry on traditions, some people sharpen their tongues or sharpen their pens. Others sharpen their spears. Joan Lander and Puhipau of Nā Maka o ka ‘Āina—“The Eyes of the Land”—sharpen their focus, creating no ordinary picture…
Aloha Music Camp: Awakening Hawaiian Spirit—Keola Beamer and Mohala Hou ‘Ohana
By Marya Mann Slack key artist Keola Beamer, world traveler, performer, composer and master musician—a Hawaiian who has earned a place on Billboard’s Top World Music Albums chart – also has a sense of place. Today it’s Keauhou, a historically…
Time-Out with the Amazing Bosco: Troubador, Kona Icon, Recording Artist and New-Age Musical Alchemist
By Marya Mann The man may be ahead of his time, but time is running short this day for Bosco as he stuffs electrical cords and mechanical contraptions into his bags. Check. Preparing for his performance at the seaside Kona…
The Many Expressions of Mayumi Oda: The Goddess Garden Path to Saving the Planet
By Marya Mann “I just returned from Japan. I arrived there the day of the earthquake. I had traveled to Japan to visit a village where I had been asked to come and help create a Buddhist utopia.”–Mayumi Oda, Hawai‘i…
In Pursuit of Ecotopia: A “Garden-Raising” Diary
By Marya Mann Most of my life I have gardened, a vocation for which I credit my grandmother Ina. In old photographs of her home in the West Texas Panhandle, vertical stands of lacy asparagus and succulent butternut squash on…
Gilmore Art Inspires Native Plant Renaissance: Jamie Gilmore’s Botanical Portraits Reflect Nature’s Brilliance
By Marya Mann At 3:15 on a sunny day in Ka‘ū, Jamie Gilmore sits at her table, meticulously painting every petal, flower and sand granule in her watercolor portrait of hinahina, a hardy yet vulnerable native plant indigenous to Hawaiian…
13 Grandmothers Raining Wisdom
“When the Grandmothers come from the four directions and speak, the world will heal.” —Hopi Prophecy By Mayra Mann Grandmothers circles are arising. Out of the native lands, in cities, and across the many islands and continents of the planet,…
The Mindscapes of Ken Charon
By Marya Mann If we could climb inside Ken Charon’s dreamy paintings for a fantastic journey, we might feel the summer breeze on our faces as we trek up an emerald green volcano and wake up in a manger where…
Kalani Honua: Creating Heaven on Earth—Earth Art, Tomato Teachings, and Hula Blessings
By Marya Mann On a sun-drenched afternoon, I find myself walking the sacred grounds of Kalani Honua, the original nature, wellness, and Hawaiian cultural eco-village in the heart of Puna’s lush, green southern coast. Richard Koob, dancer, farmer and raconteur…
Catching Fire: The Watchful Lens of Bryan Lowry
By Marya Mann Oh play catch with the sun, Your feet to the fire, building on the run. Incandescence in the skies, Captured by attentive eyes. Bryan Lowry, watchful and calm, wedges his boots into warm fissures on the south…
Fluid Ocean Portraits: Victoria McCormick’s Images Reflect a Trusting Relationship with Marine Creatures
By Marya Mann Dances with the Ocean Heavenly light filters through the ocean surface into the underwater world, birthplace of life on Earth. Fine art photographer Victoria McCormick slips into this liquid womb of coral reef and eagle rays, swimming…
Walking In the Footsteps of a Kahuna Elder
By Marya Mann “There is no separation between one lifetime and the next lifetime, so therefore, it’s time for all of us to wake up.”—Kupuna Hale Kealohalani Makua, Native Hawaiian Elder Elder’s Council Meetings in Bali & Hawaii, 2002-2003 You…
One Woman’s Tree of Life Bears Beautiful Art: Caren Loebel-Fried Retells the Legends of Hawaii in Block Prints and Books
By Marya Mann, Ph.D. Caren Loebel-Fried is in love with nature, art, mythology, dreams, and the study of cultures that live “at one” with nature. All these loves blend together eloquently in her creations. One of Hawaii’s most beloved myths,…
Aunty Mahealani Henry: Righting the Path with Aloha Lokahi
By Marya Mann, PhD Legendary singer Israel Kamakawiwo’ole relates the story of Hawaii’s Superman, Maui, who, before Clark Kent, somewhere in the dawn of time, attempted to capture the sun. He went in search of roads, rituals, and knowledge, a…
The Galactic Interpretations of Jon Lomberg in Flowers and Other Media
By Marya Mann Not bigger, however, than galactic, multi-media artist Jon Lomberg can imagine. He has made his living conjuring the scope of the heavens for Earth-centric people like me, who realize the enormity of our galaxy—100,000 light-years across—and feel…
The Magical Art of Francene Hart
Of the visionary artist, I now sing. Paint for us, Francene Hart, so our hearts are cleansed by your life-affirming purples and tangerine tetrahedrons. Pour forth your liquid lavenders, indigo insights, and passionate pinks to nurse our thirsty souls. May…
True Love Begins Within: The Power of Falling in Love with Your Higher Self
“Merry Mana”: Musings of a spirit in search of paradise By Marya Mann, PhD “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” – Leviticus 19:18 We’re sometimes so busy looking outward, to find ways, means and mana, we can forget to…
![“Most people who new Makua just couldn’t resist being in his presence,” says visionary social architect Jim Channon. “[When I painted this] I tried to capture how he fully occupied the field of energy that he was a part of. He was a much beloved friend to all who had the good luck of knowing him.”](https://keolamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/kahuan-elder-1.jpg)
