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Maui - The Bowl of Light

by Majida Thalji & Roger Humphrey

Participating in the inaugural planting was a gift. To learn of the ancient people who first arrived to these islands - a civilization that had a spiritual reverence for all, which practiced being in harmony with the natural kingdoms: minerals, plants, animals, and other people - is to better understand the essence and meaning of ALOHA.

Feeling that our organization arrived with the same intentions - to also be in harmony with nature and people, resonates enormously to why I walk on this path.

Majida and I would like to share an ancient Hawaiian story that was beautifully told by one of our guest speakers, John Stokes. It can be found in the book: Tales from the Night Rainbow - by Pali Jae Lee and Koki Willis.

The Bowl of Light

Each child is born with a gift – a Bowl of perfect Light. If he tends to his Light it will grow in strength and he can do, know and understand many things. If, however, he becomes envious or jealous he drops a stone into his Bowl of Light and some of the Light goes out. Light and stone cannot hold the same space. If he continues to put stones in the bowl, the Light will continue to go out until he becomes a stone. A stone does not grow, nor does it move. If at any time he tires of being a stone, all he needs to do is turn the bowl upside down and the stones will fall out and Light will now grow once more.