Angel Book - Frequently Asked Questions

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I will answer your questions in as honest and forthright a manner as I can. They are my opinions alone, and I will not presume to answer for others.

About Joyce Hau'oli Carter

Why did you write this book?

When I visited the Hawaiian Islands for the first time, I found my heart. Now as I return each year, it is to my Hawaiian family. In October 2001, my spiritual guide, Lei'ohu Ryder, said, "You will write a book. It will be simple enough for a child to understand but interesting enough for adults to read. It will tell of our spiritual journey together." The task has been completed. I am a mother, grandmother, and educator. I live in Massachusetts, writing, painting, teaching, and giving talks about the Hawaiian Islands.

What was your inspiration?

I have always loved to write, and I have done so in some manner all my life, starting in grade school. I thought my first published book would be for children, but the call came from the Hawaiian Angels to write this book, and I could do nothing else but answer. I put all else aside until it was finished. The angels are my muses.

What are your credentials for making the claims you do in this book?

I lived it, and I try to live my truth every day.

About the Book

What is the purpose of the book?

My purpose is not to preach but to teach, fostering the ideals of unity, peace, and love for all people. My desire is to write in as simple a fashion as possible, making the thoughts uncomplicated enough for young people to understand but interesting enough to engage adults as well.

Why did you write the book?

When I was given the responsibility of writing this book, I was told by the Hawaiian Angels who have been my guides that the words I would present were to be my prayer. If this is so, then my prayer takes the form of a plea that this story of my journey in search of faith will reach hearts that yearn to know the presence of a Creator in their lives. If the reading of my personal experiences reaches one soul searching for the same thing, then my prayer will have been answered.

For whom did you write it?

First I wrote for those who have searched for their spiritual identity and found it. They already understand and will recognize and identify with the steps of the journey. Next I wrote for those who are searching to find their way back to faith. Through my words, I hope they will place their feet upon the path and begin to walk it, finding the answers that lie right around the corner. Finally, and most importantly, I wrote for those who do not yet know that they search. I pray that my story touches them in such a way that they will recognize the need to begin their own journeys.

The Road to Hana

What is the message the book conveys?

Through my search, I have become more than the sum of one belief system; instead, I have become a child of the universe, embracing those spiritual tenets that foster peace, unity, and love. I came to these self-realizations through a Hawaiian doorway, and there are many doorways to the same Source. Mine was a place called Kukuipuka. The heiau was my entry into the world of the spirit, and the Hawaiian Angels are the guardians who steer my footsteps along the spirit path. Each of us has his or her own Kukuipuka. It could be a favorite spot, a backyard garden, or a dream. We need only to recognize, care for, and nurture it.

What do you want the readers to know and do when they have finished the book?

The concept that people can live in harmony with one another is a viable one. We can accomplish such a task by modeling unity, cultivating peace, and building a bridge of love with the people of the world one heart at a time.

We do not need anyone but ourselves to connect with our loved ones in the spirit world. We do not need special gifts in order to accomplish this task. We need only to recognize that we have the connection, choose to accept it, and then open our hearts to the possibilities. Our loved ones are waiting for us to acknowledge. They are always with us, and we all have a personal link to that world.

We need not look to others for help. The bond can be achieved through an activity as simple as glancing through a photograph album, listening to a song, receiving a thought, or reliving a memory. It is there, living on in the recognition that we give by knowing it is so.

Where did you get the title for the book?

The "angel of high magnitude" gave me the title shortly after I received the call to write the book. The title went through many changes but always returned to "In the Presence of Angels."

Will you write another book?

I have already begun the work on book 2 "There Is No Veil". It will cover the next few years of my awakening journey.

About Kukuipuka Heiau in ancient times and today?

It sounds as if Kukuipuka is an archeological treasure. How old is it?

Kukuipuka is a treasure for all of mankind. It is as old as forever and as new as this very moment. Kukuipuka is an eternal entity.

I haven't visited a church in over 30 years. Can I still go to Kukuipuka?

Anyone can visit if he or she does so with respect and reverence. The heiau is a place of refuge for all people. One cannot visit without taking away feelings of profound beauty, healing, peace, and love.

How do I get there?

Kukuipuka one of the hidden sacred places on Maui. The location of the heiau is not listed on any map, and no description appears in any tour book. If you are meant to visit, Kukuipuka will find you.

Waianpanapa

Are there protocols to follow at the heiau?

Reverence and respect are all that are required. However, if you wish to follow Hawaiian protocol, you will enter only by the western gate, circle clockwise, pray at the eastern point, leave by the western gate, and then walk clockwise outside the walls to the eastern point to receive any response. A gift of nature can be place at either ahu (altar). Visitors must not sit on the stones, eat inside the heiau, leave trash, or remove anything from the premises.

About the Kupuna

Is Kupuna another name for Angel?

The term kupuna can mean living grandparents, or it can refer to family members and other more ancient teachers and mentors who no longer inhabit this physical plane. They may be called angels or ancestors as well.

About God

You do not mention God in your book. Do you believe in God?

I could not have written this book without God's help and that of His angels. However, it is my feeling that the term "God" is just a label. Whether we call Him or Her God, Creator, Spirit, Ke Akua, or any other term doesn't matter. What we believe is what matters, and this entire journey is that of a return to faith.

What is "the Light" you speak of so often in the book?

There are mysteries that abound and can only be answered when we leave this body and move beyond human frailties. My feeling is that "the Light" is one such mystery. However, I can venture the opinion that "the Light" may refer to the enlightened path that leads those who follow it to the Creator, to the Universal Source, and connects the Source to us. It is a binding tie of ultimate love.

Do you believe in life beyond death?

One who doesn't believe in life beyond this universe and in all universes sees through a narrow window and is fed from a small spoon.

About Religion

Are you putting down religion in your book?

On the contrary, I have a high regard for all religions and their place in our lives. However, my book is about spirituality and its place in my life. It is not my purpose to change anyone else's way of thinking, but only to present mine. My book is my truth and no one else's. I do hope that the message will help others to begin their own faith journeys and to find their own truths.

Are you a Christian? Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior?

I was born into a Christian family and raised as such. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior when I was confirmed in the Methodist Church at the age of 12. After a time as an adult when I questioned, I experienced a renewal of faith. Now as a mature senior, I embrace Christianity and any faith that fosters the tenets of peace, harmony, and love. I consider myself to be a child of the universe.

If you believe in angels, do you also believe in Satan?

Do I believe in Angels? Of course I do. How could I not? Do I believe in fallen angels? Yes, because only the Creator is perfect. Do I believe in Satan? No, I don't. I believe that we create and are responsible for our own misdeeds.

Do you believe in heaven and hell?

I believe that life is a balancing act between positive and negative energies. Where good exists, so does wickedness. Do I believe in heaven? Yes, but as an alternate universe where the spirit dwells. Do I believe in hell? Yes, but as one of our own making.

Is there one sure-fire way to guarantee a place in heaven?

There are no guarantees in life, but I believe that love is the answer. Give love freely and accept love whenever and wherever it is offered. Live love. Love is the key to life and the life hereafter. This is my truth.

Some Hawaiians are afraid of the Hawaiian Idols and to enter sacred places. Why aren't you?

Most Hawaiians no longer worship these idols, but grandparents may, and so the younger generations treat them with the same respect. My guide shared the proper protocols I should observe, and I knew I was being guided and protected. I entered with respect and treat such places and things with reverence.

Halekala Crater

About the Ohana Maui

How did you meet Lei'ohu Ryder?

We met at a church lu'au on Maui where Lei'ohu was the featured entertainer. I spoke to her after the concert, and we bonded in that mere moment in time.

You met your Hawaiian family in the year 2000. Are you still close?

We are forever in each others hearts.

About the Massachusetts Family

Are your family members still experiencing Kupuna visitations?

We are all still in touch with the angels and we always will be. The torch is being passed to the next generations. I have been told that the connection is not mine to sever; only the angels can take it away.

General Questions

Do you believe in reincarnation?

I think the term "reincarnation" is another label I can do without. Do I believe that the soul lives on? Yes, I most certainly do. Do I believe that we live more than one lifetime?. Yes, otherwise how can we learn from our mistakes and improve our vision?

Do you believe in life beyond this planetary system?

To not believe in life beyond this small, blue planet and mankind would be presumptuous and egotistical. To not believe in life beyond this universe and in all the universes would show either indecisiveness or weakness.

Why do you think it is Hawai'i that affects you so strongly and not some place else in the world?

I think, like many others, that Hawai'i called me to her shores. The heart knows where it belongs, and a piece of mine is always there, even when the body is not. I am a born and bred New Englander, and I love my mainland home with my whole being, but the heart yearns for and the spirit soars in Hawai'i.

What do you say to people who believe the contents of your book are figments of an overactive imagination?

Each of us has a right to his or her opinion. I lived the story. I know my truth. The book will be read by those who are meant to read it.

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