As we left the plane and started making our way out through the terminal, I could feel that the presence on the Big Island wasn’t what I was expecting. An omnipresence could be felt closing in and, although I didn’t know who it belonged to, I knew I had to at least give an offering of some sort. I was a guest in Hawaii and gave offerings to those spirits that show themselves respectfully to me. How and when to do it in this scenario was a matter I’d have to tackle later in the day.
While standing in the line for the luggage and rental car, I started taking stock of what I was experiencing. I knew this wasn’t a land spirit or the guardian of a sacred space. This was much more complex. It had to be a Goddess. Which goddess still needed to be established, but I knew she was in the Polynesian pantheon.
There are several that are felt to be on Hawaii Island and the truth was that I hadn’t bothered to research anything about them. I am not Hawaiian or Polynesian and didn’t plan on living in Hawaii for more than a few years. I didn’t plan on having any ties to Hawaii when I left, outside of memories and a few non-tourist souvenirs. There didn’t seem to be much reason to. By the time I had finished with the lines and we were driving off, I knew who it was and that I would have to make an offering to her. I had caught her attention and it seemed reasonable. I was in Madame Pele’s backyard.
After stashing the luggage at the rental property, we went to Volcanoes National Park, picked a few shorter trails from our list, and started hiking. I hadn’t felt a Goddess continuously for several hours in a non-ritual setting. She seemed to be everywhere, a part of everything. This feeling seemed to be getting more prominent as time went on.
As we were descending a hill down to an old crater, I could feel her right behind me. She was keeping a distance of about seven or eight feet behind the party. I couldn’t see her in any particular form, but could sense she was there. I had noticed that she had been getting closer the further we went along the trail, but I was trying to enjoy the environment, despite the drizzle and overcast sky. I distracted myself by contrasting the flaky, volcanic soil with the presence of Life attempting to reclaim the ground that Pele had wiped clean.
I jerked when I felt her hot breath on the back side of my neck. I was too shocked to do anything but stand there in the middle of the trail, looking at the spot where I knew she was, in some dispersed form I could point to, but not visualize. She was expecting something.
“I’ll contact you tonight, Madame Pele.”, I whispered. I felt her acceptance of it and her form left. As I caught back up to my family, I realized I hadn’t dealt with a Goddess like her before. The mixture of emotions and thoughts as I continued on the trail left me reserved, excited, cautious, and very aware that I had found the “work” that was prepared for me.
