As the week wore on there was a question I had wanted to ask, but hadn’t and it was something that had bothered me since first meeting Madame Pele.
“Madame, you’re surrounded by thousands of people on this island alone that have a Polynesian ethnicity. Why were you so concerned with my attention when I first arrived? Don’t they worship you or at least give offerings?”
“They do. Some do regularly. Some only on holidays. The difference is that most speak at me. You speak with me.”
This had a profound effect on how I viewed her from then on. It has since also caused me to reflect on my relationships with other Deities. The manner in which she said this indicated a sense of longing for another time when she was regularly worshiped by those that consider her part of their family. I acknowledge to myself that this could simply be me attributing humanistic behaviors to a Goddess, but the way this message was conveyed was that there was a time when she was openly, actively worshiped by a much, much larger group of people than she is today.
“They come to me in awe, amazement, and fear, but rarely with love or devotion. Especially when they have left this island. Tell those interested to speak with me, not at me.”
