The stone in our garden has a connection to Hawaii.

Pohaku is a Hawaiian word for stone. David Malo, one of the first Hawaiian writers named 58 different types of stones and their uses. They could have a spiritual power (mana), act as guardians, be inhabited by a spirit, have healing power, or just be friendly to be around.

A chief would be called a "divine chief" if born on a special birthing stone on Oahu and Kauai. Two rows of 18 stones had the power to absorb the pain of delivery.

A stone could appear in a dream telling the dreamer where to unearth it or upright it, if it had fallen over. Some stones would be used by families to attract positive forces in their homes.

Anthony and I met some very special stones when we were in Hawaii. Perhaps the most interesting were the 4 ancient Wizard Stones located on Kuhio Beach on Oahu. They rest in the sand under the palm trees, mostly unnoticed, but they are honored and respected by the Hawaiians and even have a plaque that tells their story.* We were surprised to meet an Australian woman there who had come to Hawaii to receive healing from them.

Yes, we are very fond of rocks and standing stones. There is one that I've always called Manu, that sits by the front door of the house. I like its shape and its energy and it feels like it acts as a "guardian" by the door. Interestingly, when we started the garden it "told me", in a language without words, that it wanted to be in the garden. Out of respect for the stone, I placed it in the outer ring of flowers that circle the Center Room. (You can barely see it in the background of the picture above.)

Someone asked what Manu meant, but I didn't know. So I looked through an old Hawaiian mythology book to find its meaning. I didn't find an answer there, but I did find the word "Aumakua" which means guardian spirit, ancestral or family god, or even the High Self or Higher Beings. This fit with the unseen energy I was connecting with when blessing the garden or asking for help. It felt very supportive and available, but I knew I must turn toward it and ask first. From then on I started acknowledging the Aumakua and stepped into a deeper level of gardening with awareness.

The story of the stone in the center of our garden began when an old friend of ours came to visit. She does Therapeutic Touch healing work and comes to Camp Indralaya on Orcas island for retreats and workshops.

We sat with her in the Center Room in the garden, where she shared wonderful stories of a recent sound healing workshop on the Big Island of Hawaii with a Hawaiian kahuna named Makua. My heart was warmed by her stories of his healing energy and images of Hawaii. Sadly though, she told us that he had died in a car accident a week after her return home.

A few days later, on the Summer Solstice, I hit a rock in the garden with my little rototiller. I knelt down to pick it up and toss it out of the way, but I found that it was way too big to move. As I brushed off the soil covering it, I discovered a grayish-green pyramid shaped stone. It immediately reminded me of the mountains on Oahu and Kauai -- and then my heart felt it. This was a sacred pohaku moment. I heard the call of eagles and looked up to see them circling over the garden. I stopped what I was doing and stood up, taking in the magic that was unfolding before me.

I tried to use a shovel to lift the stone out of the ground, but it wouldn't budge, so I called Anthony down to the garden to help. We could clearly see the flat pyramid side of the stone but we didn't know that its other side was round and was deeply buried in the soil. It took well over an hour to figure out how to pry it loose and lift it out. We could not believe that a stone this big could be so close to the surface. The whole garden had been thoroughly tilled with a big tractor the year before.

After we managed to get it into a wheelbarrow, Anthony estimated that the stone weighed about 300lbs. We washed it and talked to it, and let it stay there until we knew which point was the top. When we placed it in the center of the Center Room we immediately felt the presence of the stone transform the energy of the whole garden. It had anchored it all and grounded it right there in the center. We gave it a last cleaning with the garden hose and as the water was spraying over the stone, we felt a natural blessing flow forth from our hearts of great joy and gratitude for the stone coming to be with us.

It was very clear to me that the stone should be called Makua, in honor of the man whose spirit had touched our hearts so recently in the garden. It also fit perfectly with my newly discovered understanding of Aumakua. Everything was fitting together with a meaning and purpose that felt right yet not fully understood.

Although we never met Makua, we felt he was an old friend who was coming into our lives for a reason. We wished we could have known him while he was alive. Our friend told us of how he loved to go to a special place in nature and sit and watch the wildlife around him. He called this his "office". Sometimes rare and unusual birds would show up and visit him.

Hawaiians would probably agree that he had great mana-loa or spiritual energy. I have the impression that he had a deeply peaceful quality like St. Francis of Assisi. Our friend sent us this rare and beautiful photograph of Makua and we are so grateful to be able to share it with you.

People who visit the garden seem to be aware in varying degrees of the healing energy that it is providing. Many people comment on how peaceful it feels in the Center Room. Most people who come to the garden seem to change—lighten up, glow, sparkle, share personal stories from childhood, get inspired—after they have been there. We acknowledge the very important role the pohaku-Makua is playing in making this a high vibrational garden. It continues to teach us about the ways of nature and the power and life that is happening beyond the obvious.

I continue to find more connections to the Hawaii. I just discovered that the triangle is an important symbol in the ancient Hawaiian healing system of the Kahunas. The Hawaiians also practiced connecting with the Aumakua to bring in the highest level of Life Force or mana-loa.

*The Wizard Stones
The 4 ancient Wizard Stones may be found at Kuhio Beach in Waikiki. Their names are Kapaemahu, Kahaloa, Kapuni, and Kinohi. Tradition says they contain the spirits of 4 great wizards who arrived in Hawaii from Tahiti. (My resource says before the 16th century. I have read as early as 400 a.d.)

After traveling the islands they settled at the Ulukou heiau (religious compound) not far from the Moana and Surfrider Hotels. Word of the healing work of the wizards spread throughout the islands and people came in great numbers to see them. It is not known why they came or why they left. Before they left the islands, the people chose 4 large rocks near the "bell rock" in Kaimuki as a monument to remember them.

Thousands participated in the moving of the rocks. Two were placed on the grounds of their home and two were placed at their bathing site by the sea. Rituals, prayers, and celebration followed for over a month in which the wizards, who had named a stone after themselves, embued it with their special powers. The 4 wizards then disappeared and were never heard of again.

Over the years the stones were neglected. In 1941 the old Waikiki bowling alley was built on top of them. The area became a park in 1958 and when the bowling alley was demolished they found the Kapaemahu stone. As the clearing continued they found the other 3 wizard stones. In 1980 the large stones were deeply embedded in the sand in their present location.

For hundreds of years, the rocks have provided spiritual healing and stand today as silent symbols of Hawaii's rich past and 2,000 year old civilization.

Books of interest:

Pohaku - Hawaiian Stones, June Gutmanis, Bringham Young University - Hawaii Campus, no date (funded by the Polynesian Cultural Center)

Man, Gods, and Nature - A Hawaiian Nation I, by Michael Kioni Dudley, Na Kane O Ka Malo Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, 1990

Hawaiian Mythology, Martha Beckwith, University of Hawaii Press, 1970

Kahuna Magic, Brad Steiger, Para Research, Inc., 1971

The Kahuna Religion of Hawaii, by David Kaonohiokala Bray and Douglas Low, Borderland Sciences Research Foundation, Inc. 1960