JOYCE HAU'OLI CARTER

Excerpts from the Book

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Excerpt 1: The Gathering

Waihe'e Heiau

Waihe'e Experience

"Hau'oli, let's go to Waihe'e Beach. We can walk and pick up more sea glass," said my spiritual guide on the morning of my birthday. I couldn't think of any better way to celebrate, so Lei'ohu and I jumped into her vehicle and we headed out. We walked and talked, collecting wave-polished pieces along the way. At a freshwater pool, Lei'ohu stopped and prayed, and then we had a most amazing experience together.

Reaching the spot where a few days before we left the beach and proceeded to the heiau, she stopped short and looked around. Slowly, carefully, she picked her way into a huge expanse of lava and sandstone boulders that covered the beach. I knew I was not to follow. I watched her search for something, and I could tell that even she didn't know what. When she found a specific stone about the shape and dimension of an oversized football, she held it up before her while turning it in every direction possible. Even from my distant vantage point, I could see that the stone resembled a shark with black eyes and gaping, snaggle-toothed jaws. I watched as Lei'ohu spoke with this ancient Hawaiian symbol of protection for some time while performing specific and mystical protocols.

At 10:30 AM the tropical rays are strong, and since I have the typically pale skin of my British Isles heritage, I always respected their punishing heat. Before I could find any shade, the angels said, "You must remain where you are and anchor her. We will not let your skin burn." I stayed, but not without some feelings of trepidation. A long piece of driftwood stretching across the sand provided me with a seat while the sun played a game of peek-a-boo with the clouds.

Forty-five minutes passed, and Lei'ohu wound her way out of the rocks and down to the place where the surf beat its unchanging rhythm against the shore. As she prayed there for another half hour, I felt my skin baking and stretching like a well-basted Thanksgiving turkey. As I again contemplated shelter she hollered, "Sorry, Joycie. I have to go into the water. Please stay where you are."

"No problem," I answered, and when the ancestors said, "Have faith," I remained on my perch, watching my spiritual guide perform yet more new and unique rituals. The shallow, underwater coral reefs formed a perfect V, creating a distinct channel from the ocean into this protected area where she stood. A circle of almost pure, bubbling, white water surrounded her like a sheltering cloak, beautiful to behold.

Waihe'e Beach

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Exerpt 2: The Queen's Lady

The Queen's Mausoleum

This Maui visit was almost over. We spent the night before my departure in the hotel where Maydeen worked, as they were planning a performance there the next day. I had completed arranging and printing all but one song needed for the concert for the queen, and I had hoped to use the time to finish up. However, when I realized I could arrange this simple children's piece in a few hours and mail it from Massachusetts on schedule, I was happy to tag along. Lei'ohu and I joined Maydeen and Ka'imi in the two rooms reserved for our convenience.

The next morning as we were eating breakfast together in the hotel café, Ka'imi leaned toward me and whispered, "Do you know Queen Lili'uokalani?"

"I always mention her when I give talks back home," I said.

"No, I mean do you know her," she insisted.

Realizing what she meant I said, "I've received a half a dozen messages from her."

"I thought so! Did you see the queen? She was here," Ka'imi said, pointing to a spot behind Lei'ohi at other side of the table. I hadn't seen the queen, but I told Ka'imi she comes to me on a spicy scent and joins me for automobile rides.

"I'm going to share with you what just happened," she said in a whisper. "The queen stood right there and looked at each of us, but when she gazed upon you she smiled and said, 'This is my favored Lady-in Waiting.'" I cried and Ka'imi cried while the others scratched their heads in puzzlement. They had neither seen nor heard the conversation and had no idea what the blubbering was about.

The hotel performance ran late, but luckily I had tossed my packed bags in the back of Maydeen's car. Lei'ohu had an appointment, so Maydeen drove me to the airport at speeds that warranted ticketing. There was no time for prolonged good-byes. We hugged quickly. I ran to the agricultural check, tossed my bags on the carousel, and the visit was over.

Queen Lili'uokalani

As soon as the jetlag fog cleared back home, I looked up the term "lady-in-waiting." The definition told me what I'd already guessed. In Elizabethan England, a Lady-In Waiting was considered to be an attendant, assistant, and companion who, because of her status and nobility, could best advise the queen. She was an important member of the royal court, participating in masques, dances, and musical entertainments with the ability to play every instrument of that period...I don't know about the nobility part, but as a musician I can identify with the musical prerequisites.

Queen Lili'u enjoyed riding in the car with me, and during one such ride, she added to my information by saying, "You have been Hawaiian in many lifetimes, my dear, and you will be so again when you are reborn. That is why you have such a great love for the Hawaiian people and for all things Hawaiian. That is why you have been led to my child, Lei'ohu. Indeed, in one of those lifetimes, you were my favorite Lady-in-Waiting, a trusted confidant and friend."

Royal or not, I returned to the everyday rituals of keeping household and family intact. As I had 18 months before when returning from my first Kukuipuka visit, I wondered if such amazing spiritual activities would continue in Massachusetts. I should have known better.

PHOTOGRAPHS and QUOTES

All quotations come from the text of the book "There Is No Veil"

1. "Turn on the tape recorder," she said, and she closed her eyes for a long moment. I pushed the play button, and when I looked up again the eyes opened with new focus, drilling into mine. My Hawaiian kahu, my spiritual advisor Lei'ohu Ryder, was no longer there in her Maui kitchen; a presence from another dimension who spoke through her human form had taken her place	Lei, Mei, Hau'oli
2. From there we crossed the road and hiked downstream to waters that pooled in an open lava tube. We sat on the rocks above to eat lunch, sharing food and enjoying the company. The stream was running strong, and the water offered itself, full and refreshing. We used the tube as a slide, shooting into the upper pool, no doubt in the same manner as others had in days gone by.	Lava Tube & Pools
3. "Lee gathers the dust of aloha in Light, sprinkling it down upon the land of her loved ones. She sends her devotion from the oceans of time. Sacred memories from the heart, kept secret, flow to you in grace. She is free now to dance with her beloved Douglas in the twinkling near the moons of Jupiter, in the rings of Saturn, in the eyes of heaven, and in the arms of her Creator."	Lee and Doug
4. At 7:00 PM, I announced the opening of the performance by blowing my large triton seashell and chanting oli as Lei'ohu had requested. Next two members of our Hawaiian singing group and I entertained for fifteen minutes, after which I introduced our guests to a well?filled sanctuary. During one song… as Lei'ohu strummed the opening chords on her guitar, Maydeen knelt before the pahu and executed a spontaneous sitting hula while she played that brought on tears, especially to Hawaiian eyes.	Opening Performance Sitting Hula
5. Everywhere they went, the children demonstrated the spirit of aloha to everyone they touched. They did this naturally and effortlessly in hotels, on street corners, in shops, and in restaurants, modeling its meaning of unconditional love simply and joyfully with smiles and hugs. They had done what they came to do, in their innocence healing more hearts and mending more souls over a two-week span than many jaded adults heal in a lifetime.	Photo: Peace Team Peace Team
6. The 'ohana had set aside a day early in November to fly to Honolulu, O'ahu, to visit Queen Lili'uokalani's tomb. Our visit began in the chapel where Lei'ohu and others filled the small stone structure with chants of honor and praise. Then we moved to the little marble mausoleum where the royal bones rested. …I walked down the steps and into the underground chamber with my lei, offering it in the queen's memory.	Mauna Ala Chapel
7. "So what looked like a heiau in Kanaio was another intact foundation with walls about seven fee high and maybe 45 x 80 feet in circumference with a doorway in the south side," said Lindy. "It could have been a longhouse or meeting hall. The lava was trimmed into flat pieces with wedges securing them."     "The walls, houses, shell, and longhouse were close enough together to have been part of a community. Then we returned to the main trail to come home, said Al. "I don't know exactly what it was, but we certainly discovered something special."	Symphony Shell
	Longhouse
8. Before I could find any shade, the angels said, "You must remain where you are and anchor her. We will not let your skin burn." I stayed, but not without some feelings of trepidation. A long piece of driftwood stretching across the sand provided me with a seat while the sun played a game of peek-a-boo with the clouds. When we returned to the house, I quickly found a full-length mirror. I expected I would be burned to a crisp, but my skin wasn't even pink.	Waihe'e Beach
9. Lei'ohu arranged the ti leaves, beach stones, nose flute, and pahu inside a smaller circle. Then chanting an oli, she slid her right foot in a continuous circle of protection, never allowing it to lift from the floor. "The three most important elements of ho'oponopono are e kala-to forgive, e ho'i-to return, and e ala-to awaken," she said. We were on the road to an ancient, sacred beach by 5:30. At 6:00 the ceremony began, the first pale glimmer of dawn creasing the darkness as the sky lightened from grey to gold and into a glorious morning.	Ho'oponopono Workshop
10. The angels said, "Now we assign to you this kuleana. Construct a heiau on your Massachusetts property with pohaku. It will be three by three and two feet high. You will do this as soon as possible," Then the angels reminded me that I was to build a symbol to the star people with every unused pohaku. This work took a day and a half, and a distinctive spiral shared the heiau space. At night as I looked out upon the hill, the moon glow lit the quartz hearts within every stone.	Massachusetts Heiau Star Spiral
11.The humpback put on a show of breeching and slapping the water with flukes and fins for sheer pleasure. One stared at me for long moments, making a direct eye-to-eye mammal connection. On the way back, a pod of dolphins led the way off the bow of the boat, and a dozen sea turtles joined us as we stopped to watch the finale of whale gymnastics.	North Pacific Humpback
12. Julie was a natural mother, and Mike, an amazing dad. Lindy was a doting auntie, but Gramps became Amanda's best friend. Al dropped by as often as he was asked, reveling in the sight, sound, and smell of her. Whenever Julie was a little unsure in her new role, he was there, changing diapers, wiping spit up, and loving her totally.	Alapaki and Amanda
13. Al had long before created a listing of updated and reorganized pertinent personal and financial information. I recognized the necessity and practicality of having these facts available in an easy-to-understand format. Before our first without the girls, Al had put everything into a three ring binder with a red cover. …Now when I needed it, the data recorded in The Red Book directed my decision-making, and I was so grateful to have it.	The Red Book
14. During my next visit Julie said, "I think there's a pattern in the way the pinwheel turns. When it moves counterclockwise, it means no and clockwise means yes. If it goes fast, it means, 'Go. Go. GO!' Does this make sense to you?" Before I could answer, the pinwheel turned like crazy to the right.	Pinwheel
15.We drove on to the lighthouse. The view was breathtaking, the 10,000-year-old glacial cliffs, smooth, rounded, and frozen in time resembling tremendous waves eternally meeting those of the sea. A single boulder set off by itself drew me like a magnet. The size of a small room and roughly circular, it was the color of dust, speckled, fissured, and lined with age, a long crack splitting down to its core.	"The Keeper"
16. As I lay in bed that night, the stone that refused to speak at the beginning of the trip spoke now. "I am The Key," it said. "Because you acknowledged, I opened the door that allowed The Keeper to share the secrets of the ancients." Lindy thought this pohaku would speak again when we returned to the Bay of Fundy. I knew it would not. Its job was done.	Peggy's Cove, NS Lighthouse
	The Key, New Brunswick