Wisdom of the Elders

The wisdom of the elders is all around you.

Do you ever wish you could see into the future and just know how your life is going to turn out?

Have you ever a met a person that changed the trajectory of your life?

For me and many others, that person was Aunty Mahilani Poepoe.

The Gathering

The haumana, students, of Aunty Mahi gathered together last week for a beautiful reunion. It’s been almost 15 years since her passing and we had so much fun sharing amazing, heart-felt stories of our time with Auntie.

We come from many walks of life – scientists, healers, cultural practitioners – but each one had a story of how spending time with Aunty Mahi changed everything.

Her wisdom and way of being changed our lives and continues to open doorways, bring healing and send more love and compassion into the world.

Steve and Ami Schorr are the founders of Bioponic Phytoceuticals, a company dedicated to creating herbal healing products and natural medicine. They shared their story of meeting Auntie Mahi…

“One day, this Hawaiian lady just showed up at our door. She said she had been told by the kupuna, elders, to bring forward some Hawaiian medicine, La’au Lapa’au. She wanted us to help her to do that.

At the time, we were distilling plant medicinals and thought, “Yes. Of course!”

Auntie Mahi’s process was quite incredible.

In dream time, she would receive messages from the ancestors. Her grandfather was a kahuna of Hawaiian medicine and he would show her formulas. She would scribble them down, then teach the boys where to go, how to gather, the protocols for calling the medicine, and what the medicine was to be used for.

Bioponic Phytoceuticals now distributes these products all over the world.

The Pathway to the Light

One of the students shared about his brother that had been deep into drug abuse. He would always come home high and it was taking its toll on the family.

He began to complain to Auntie about how frustrated he was and worried that his brother had gone so far off into drugs that he was past the point of no return.

“Don’t worry Boy,” Aunty Mahi told him, “your brother is going to come to you and you need to be ready for when he comes and asks for help.”

“I don’t think so Aunty,” the student said angrily. “It’s never gonna happen.”

“He is going to come and you need to get rid of your anger so you can be ready to receive him.”

The very next day, the student was sitting with Aunty and his brother came crying. He came to aunty and asked for help.

Aunty told her student, “we need to create a La’au for him so put this, this, that and the other medicine together. Call Steve and Ami. Tell them to make the formula.”

She decided to call the medicine kukuipuka, which means the pathway to the light.

About an hour later, the student was at the door to pick up the medicine from Steve and Ami. They told him they wanted to call the medicine “The light at the end of the tunnel.”

Talk about alignment.

Everybody had received the messages from spirit about what was needed in that moment and to this day, the student’s brother has been completely clean and sober over 15 years!

One person that you meet or one situation or one experience can change the trajectory of your life. When you have the chance to sit at the foot of the elders, take it.

Each person in the gathering wished they’d had more time with Aunty Mahi. She had the ability to foresee what would happen and give a push in the right direction.

You are the Source

The opportunity to sit with the elders and soak up their wisdom is a gift. It could change everything for you.

Auntie Mahilani Poepoe was a gifted healer, an international ambassador of aloha. She continues her legacy through each one of her haumana, (students).

The seeds of aloha that were planted in her lifetime have been spreading for all of these years. I am honored to witness all that her legacy has brought to our lives and to the world.

What I took away from the evening when listening to the stories was that each person had an intimate connection with Aunty. She was our beloved Kumu.

We speak of her with reverence, but not from the place of the guru and the follower. Auntie would never let us put her on a pedestal because that would be permission for us to stay small.

Our Kumu opened us up to witnessing the realm of spirit, of miracles, an expanded awareness of what is possible. Aunty showed us her humanity, her vulnerability and her humility.

She did not ask for our devotion.Instead, she taught us not to rely on her but to look beyond her and in direct line to source.

Aunty wanted us to rise up to meet the gifts, talents, abilities and kuleana (responsibilities) that she saw in us and for us.

“I will not always be here in the flesh, so don’t lean on Auntie,” she often said. “Look to Ke Akua I’o (Divine) with trust and follow your na’au (intuitive knowing). Aunty will always be with you in spirit.

Take every opportunity to sit at the feet of great elders while they are here. Go to your grandmothers, grandfathers, Aunties, Uncles, Parents, beloved teachers and gather their stories. When they are gone you will be the source.

Trust in your connection, trust in your na’au to guide you.

Now, it’s your turn: Share with me in the comments below…who will you speak with THIS WEEK and ask them to share their story?