Taro Planting Prayer

This taro field is up near Princeville on the island of Kauai. The leaves of the taro plant are heart shaped and shimmy in the wind.

E Kū-iki-olo walu –e,
I olowalu ka huli I ka mākālua a kāua.
I olowalu ke kalo I ola ka kahi’ ai,
I ola ka noho hale,
I ola ka ōhua
I ola ka ‘ohana,
I olo na malihini kipa mai,
A i ola iā u ia (ka inoa o ka mahi’ ai)
‘Āmama Ua noa.

O Kū-iki-olo walu –e,
May the taro top in our planting hole grow large.
May they grow large that I the planter may live,
That the dwellers in the house may live,
That the dependents may live,
That the family may live,
That the visiting stranger may live,
That I (planter's name)may live.
‘Āmama. It is free of tabu.

Collected from Daniel Kaonohiokalani Hoolapa © 1920 by Theodore Kelsey. A taro planting prayer in Na Pule Kahiko, edited by June Gutmanis and printed in Mana Cards: The Power of Hawaiian Wisdom by Catherine Kalama Becker, PH.D and Doya Nardin

This year I have felt a strong need to plant a vegetable garden. To grow some of my own food. It is a ecological and health decision. After listening to the book, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, watching Food, Inc., and reading so many other things about where our food comes from and how little nutrition is has by the time we put it in our mouths, I decided to take action. I have been purchasing fruits and vegetables at the local farmers market, but in Illinois, that is a limited time deal. I thought that I could heal the earth and myself just a little bit by planting nutrition and beauty. It is a challenge, and the above prayer is my mantra these days. I send it out into the world with love, and hope for healing and growth.

Bald Eagles

I have been watching a live camera feed of the Norfolk Virginia Botanical Garden's of and Eagle nest. The eagle pair hatched three eaglets in late March. We have been sneaking peaks of the eagles since last week when the link was emailed by a friend.

Right now one of the parent is feeding fish to the three eaglets. Just a little bit ago, both adults were in the nest. This parent is breaking off pieces of the fish and feeding it to the eaglets. Every once in a while, he (the male is smaller than the female) takes his own bite.

As I sat watching the father feed his brood and himself, I thought about how important it is to take care of yourself even as you take care of others. If he gave all of the food to his babies, he would not have the energy to care for his young. A reminder that we need to take care of our needs and give ourselves the food and moments that we need to keep up our energy.

The mother and father also share the duties, so they remind us to work together.

Summer Secrets -- A Poem

Fall whispers secrets that summer held so dear.

Leaves fall
Nests abandoned
Grass dries and falls away
Deer paths temporary walking trails

Winter white paints a fresh canvas
Deer come out in search of food
Cardinal sings his song, a reminder of winter’s temporary hold
Feathers bright and hopeful against the white canvas

Spring gains her strength from winter’s rest
From apparent death Spring is life and breath
Grass begins to grow
Trees begin to bud
Birds come back to their summer home
Fly, sing and chirp
The canopy alive with life and song
Buds turn to leaves
Deer paths hidden in new growth

Springs bursts with enthusiasm giving way to summer
Secrets held dear

Through seasons cycles
See
Learn
Know the secrets
Summer lets you in

Mother robin in her nest
Red-winged blackbird calls
Protecting what is yet to be
Orioles, orange flashes in the trees

Secrets revealed any time of year
Past, present, future
Moment by moment
Wandering feet, Curious mind
Open heart

by Sarah Tobias (c) 2008