Kilauea Volcano on the island of Hawaii has been "actively-active" since 1983. It’s in the news today because it’s created a new path of eruption, disrupting lives and claiming homes.
I first experienced the majesty of Kilauea in January 2000, during my first trip to the islands.
I painted this oil of my friend Kit at the volcano after that first trip.
Watching lava move across the land is like watching an otherworldly life force. The energy is palpable, HOT, magical, and very, VERY alive.
Pele in "She Walks the Earth"
Five volcanoes make up the big island of Hawaii. Kilauea is the busiest of the three active volcanoes.
You might wonder why anyone lives on or near an active volcano. The answer is not as simple as you might think.
Pele as "Birth of an Island"
The islands have been inhabited for about 1,500 years. (Westerners first arrived about 240 years ago; we’re the “newbies”.)
Generations of families have grown up on all of the islands. This is HOME to them. This is not their first rodeo — or their first volcano-induced evacuation.
You might as well wonder why people live in northern climates of WI or Canada or the heat and bugs of the Deep South or even in North Korea.
We are people of the lands that call to us, that welcome us, the lands that we know and love; often the lands where we grow up.
The people living on Hawaii Island have a strong, sincere reverence for the land and the sea they call home.
Time and again I’ve heard those displaced by the volcano accept their fate with dignity, faith, and an understanding that most would find astonishing.
"Pono"
Most indigenous cultures understand that the land doesn’t really belong to us.
Madam Pele (the goddess of the volcano) shows her hand by continuing to create this land before our very eyes and in our midst. She has exclusive rights and we must accept her creative whims.
The Art of Aloha Creative Cruise this August will stop in Hilo for a day before sailing around the southern tip of Hawaii Island to dock in Kona the next day.
Pele claimed most of the southern tip of Hawaii Island awhile back. Those of us on the cruise were hoping to see her spill into the ocean there. None of us want to see homes ravaged by lava.
We have room for two more people on this very special island cruise. If the islands are calling to you, please act today! Click HERE
I promise a trip you’ll always remember.
The Spirit of the Land is tangible here.
If you want an infusion of creativity and trust that we will continue to survive and even thrive during any upheaval in life, this trip is for you!