Pele'

Acrylic/Mixed Media on Canvas
36" x 48" x 2"
Original $9,600

Legend speaks of the fire Goddess Pele’ creating the Hawaiian Islands, born out of Her Fire and lava. Pele’s home is in the still active crater at Kilauea on the big island of Hawaii. Yet She resides in all volcanoes and the Spirit of Fire. 

Although Pele’ is well known for her jealousy and temper, she is regarded truly as a benevolent spirit.  With each eruption, Pele’ causes chaos and destruction - on the surface, yet, she also causes creation. Within days of an eruption, fragile new life can be seen growing out of the lava. Pele’ teaches us through extreme experiences that even out of destruction, war and famine, blessings can be found, for what life truly has to offer is Passion worth cherishing. 

On the full moon in June of 2004, after much meditation and ceremonial Prayer I began Pele. Words do not express how powerful painting Pele’ has been for me, yet I will try. Not having any Hawaiian chants, I used my didgeridoo and Tribal Prayer songs from the Yoruba and Tibetan traditions to call on her Spirit energies. I burned Frankincense and candles. I put images of hula kahiko, ancient hula dancers on the Alter in my studio.   

I laid the base paint out on the first day; after it dried, I noticed a defined shark in the left corner. In seeing this, I decided I better read the myth of Pele’. In Her story, she comes across the ocean in a canoe with her brother and ally, the shark. Aha! I did not change him into a dolphin, which is what I would have done had I not read her story.

On the second day of painting Pele’, excited to be working on such a powerful piece, I was up early and doing my Prayers, meditation and Ceremony in preparation for painting. After, I walked outside to offer my Prayers to the Sun. I looked up amazed by the most magnificent huge double rainbow full circle around the sun. The air stood still, I gazed at this powerful omen and for two hours in awe, I Prayed. The Native Americans named this natural phenomenon a “Sun Dog”, now a scientific term used all over the world. 

In the Sacred Path cards, Jamie Sams writes about the Prophecies of the Whirling Rainbow. They say it will come in the form of a Sun Dog for those who are ready to see. Many Sun Dogs will be seen around the time of the White Buffalo returning to Turtle Island (America). This rare phenomenon will be the language of the sky signaling a time that the secret, sacred teachings are to be shared with all races. Enough children of the Earth will be awakened to carry the responsibility of the teachings and the healing process will begin. The illusion of separation will be replaced with the Truth of Unity. The Warriors of the Rainbow are the Sisters and Brothers uniting the Fifth world and working for peace.    

On the third morning after another full day of painting on Pele, I awoke from a very disturbing dream. I experienced tremendous rage screaming, “Don’t take my baby”, and a violent death.  I knew I was in the process of healing a deep subconscious part of my rage. Feeling the depth of this repeated pattern in my life, I sat up in bed crying, an overwhelming dizziness overcame me and I passed out falling back onto my pillow I went into a vision of a past life. I recalled deep traumas into what I believe are the core cellular memory of my rage. My body shook off immense energy pulses for over thirty minutes. I initiated circular breathing to circulate the energy in and out of my body using Mana (breath) to help release. Pele’ had been in my dreams that night and I knew she had initiated the healing of my rage. 

The turtles going into the lava are coming to heal as protector of the Earth. The dragon at the bottom of the painting is transforming the lava into a beautiful lush Green Goddess paradise. The Spirit of the Black Mamo bird sits in the clouds in the sky above her. The Black Mamo was much respected with the Kings in its day, for it had two golden tail feathers that the royalty used to create their long golden feather capes. Unfortunately, they are now extinct.

Every night as I worked on Pele, she lay flat in my studio next to the Altar. A volcanic rock in the shape of an egg sat on Pele’s heart Chakra. Another stone, carved by an Apache medicine man, said to have come from the Stars, lay on her second Chakra. A Hawk Tail blesses her crown and a stone shaped like a crescent moon stood on her Third Eye. A Fairies wand from the Elemental Spirits worked with her magic nightly. 

Upon my move to the Hawaiian Islands, I must admit I had a lot of fear of living on the islands near this great destroyer Goddess.  Remembering the stories of her rage and jealousy’s, I was uncomfortable that she might bring up more for me in those areas. In the first week of being on the island, I had a concerning health problem and was not sure what to do. I was making my prayers at sunrise on the ocean every morning. One night a red glowing light appeared to me two times, as to make sure I would realize it was a physical manifestation, not a dream. She said to me, in the most compassionate voice “do not worry; I will take care of this for you”. The next morning at sunrise while making my prayers, the health issue was healed. Pele’ although I feared her, appeared to me then showing me not only is she the destroyer and giver of life, but she is also a loving compassionate deity, I saw her as a most compassionate grandmother.

Take a walk up the stairs through the fire one night, maybe in your dreams. Edge yourself around the rim of the volcano and look inside her, feel the Heart of the Mother. She is calling to us to awaken and remember our Souls purpose.

Pele’ stands for a truth that’s higher.
She lives in volcanoes and as fire.
Her lava flows, hot molten glows,
Birthing land our Passion Goddess knows. 
Cher Lyn

Breath out those old, out molded patterns of unexpressed anger or expressing anger destructively on yourself and others.  Open to new possibilities in channeling that Passion into a new creation. Your heart is both passionate and compassionate, to feel one and not the other would lead to a very unbalanced life. 

Movement maybe good for you to assist in the flow of energy through your being, dancing, drumming, even perhaps a wild orgasm or two! All that invites pure wild energy within you is good. 

In choosing Pele’, a celebration of passion is at hand. The fire above the hips is exuding flames of Passion and is heating up for release and transmutation, igniting the spark to charge the fire. The fuel that you need to move to the next level is here. The potential for a monumental evolutionary shift is available now if you so choose it.