Ano Lani: Ano Honua - A Heavenly Nature, An Earthly Nature: A Spiritual Guide to the Hawaiian Lunar Calendar (Paperback)

The treasure trove of knowledge and spiritual secrets revealed in Ano Lani; Ano Honua - A Heavenly Nature, An Earthly Nature, is not readily available in any other single literary resource. Written by Wendell Kalanikapuaenui Silva, a highly respected Native Hawaiian and practicing kahuna, it is exclusively dedicated to the traditional beliefs and cultural practices that illustrates the spiritual significance of the Hawaiian lunar calendar on the daily life of the indigenous Hawaiian. Shared for the first time, this work is an important legacy of spiritual wisdom handed down from Hawaii's unwritten history and deeply rooted in oral tradition. According to mythology, Po (night) was the sacred realm of the gods and the spiritual birthplace of all mankind. In old Hawaii, understanding the spiritual significance of astronomical phenomena and explaining the influence on the human world was within the realm and expertise of the ancient priestly class. Kahuna were highly trained as the "chosen ones" and revered as the keepers of the ancient secrets and given the responsibility of interpreting and communicating the will of the supernatural rulers of the heavens and to the humans on earth. The ever-changing face of mahina (the moon) is a timeless celestial almanac for farmers and fisherman, but in remote antiquity it was also the astrological framework that spiritually guided the kahuna's study when superstition, magical practices and mystical rituals prevailed. Like many other civilizations, the ancient Hawaiians saw the powerful influence that the moon had in nature and on their daily lives. It dictated the nights for prayer, worship, religious taboos, sacrificial offerings, religious festivals, spiritual healing practices and ceremonial rites of passage. For them, the firmament not only revealed their spiritual connection to the source of all creation; it represented their direct ancestral lineage and linkage as an indigenous people to the deities of the cosmos. They looked to the heavens to help explain their past, interpret their present and guide their future as living spirit-beings. It defined the spiritual oneness that the early Hawaiians intuitively shared in union with the natural order of the universe and all things in existence. Keen observation of the evening skies, studying the phases of the moon and planets, the many shades of night held the secrets to the origins of the universe and served as an astral chart to help man navigate the path of life and offered stellar insights into the hidden realm of the spirit. This book offers in-depth perspective of the belief system of the indigenous Hawaiian people, their pre-Christian view of a person and the underlying concept of mana, or innate spiritual energy that manifests in all things. It offers a fascinating glimpse into the domain of the sacred, the realm of the mysterious and the divine connections holistically shared with the gods, nature and man. It reveals how the moon and the kahuna spiritually guided the earthly journey of the human soul. Hawaii is indeed fortunate that the haku puke (author) of this publication has chosen to share his precious mana'o (scholarly expertise) and traditional kahuna teachings as a kahu (minister), kumu (cultural expert/resource), and kahuna pule (spiritual healer).