Kahuna
By Alethea Thompson
July 2010  

Hawaii has long been known for their support and efforts in perserving the world's oceans. At the heart of many of their missions, there seems to be a Kahuna, "Hawaiian Spiritual Leader". A Kahuna has many meanings in Hawaii, but for the purpose of this article, he/she is someone that is a shaman of sorts called upon to heal the people and heal the earth. This month I had a unique opportunity to meet a well known Kahuna named Sandra Rose Michael.

Sandra Rose came to Okinawa originally for a few conferences. Not long after, however, the trip became one which allowed our paths to cross. She is a wonderful, kind woman, who has a varying impact upon those she encounters. Being around her brings out a revelation about yourself, you may never have thought of. If you ever have the chance to talk with her, I suggest you listen carefully to what she has to say, you'll learn a lot about yourself and just how interconnected we all are to one another.

How did I come to meet this amazing woman? Well, Sandra Rose and I have a mutual friend named Edo, the chief navigator and primary event cordinator for the Okinawa Ocean, Culture & Environment Action Network (O.C.E.A.N.). As far as I can tell, Edo invited her out to perform two ceremonies: one a blessing of a shrine in Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan and the second to come on stage with a group of us to bring more awareness to Okinawa throughout Asia. In fact, for the second ceremony she rescheduled her flight plans so she could participate. The ceremony was one of the opening acts for the Fox Summer Beach Party held on Ginowan, Okinawa, Japan's Tropical Beach. Every piece of the puzzle was put together in a matter of mere hours- and let me tell you, it would have looked a lot more disorganized if she had not been there to help Edo lead it. Calling to all corners of the earth, this ceremony was meant to be a part of a bigger picture that has yet to be revealed to many of those who were cast.

Sandra Rose started off on reciting a Hawaiian blessing. Two Shi-shi dogs, who are said to be guardians of Okinawan culture from China, came on stage to pay their respects to the group as conch shells were blown, to symbolize the calling forth for attention to our oceans and to Okinawa, kura-kura rainbows were twirled to show our interconnectivity to all things and two gongs (one being me) ringing, representing a new era. All of these things came together to send a message for the world to take care of our planet. It was an honor to be up on stage with her, the chief of Zakimi Yomitan-son, Okinawa, Japan, and many others for this ceremony. But the ceremony was not the "highlight" of her visit for me. It was our first encounter together which gave me an opportunity to really talk with Sandra Rose.

After the blessing of the cave in and the sounding of the conch shell, my friends and I migrated to Nirai beach. Sandra Rose and Edo spoke of the state of the water, mentioning the growing pollution and a dream to see the waters clean for future generations. This conversation came right after my fellow director at Coelescere Covenant had asked about what we, as Jedi, could do for the incident in the Gulf. My first question came out without even thinking: "I've had friends ask how they can help with the recent crisis in the Gulf of Mexico". Sandra's eyes grew very sad at the mention of the problem. She expressed how deeply hurt and awful she felt because of the crisis. She also assured me that she had friends working with the government to do what they can to clean the oceans and help it grow healthy again. Her message was to "send your prayers".

Sandra Rose reminded me of how much our oceans are connected with our lives. Many people do not realize that what happens to our oceans does not simply affect those who live on the coast, but ultimately affects even those who are considered "land locked". We are always screaming that we need to save the trees because they are a major source of our atmospheric oxygen. However, a little known fact, is that the majority of our oxygen supply comes from phytoplankton which resides in our waters.