The Healing Scent of the Flower Lei

 

Blessings for Wearing Ones Love Like A Flower Lei

The Hawaiian Ancestors Through Paige Wickline

 

 

In Hawaii Nei the tradition of creating beautiful and fragrant wreaths or “Lei” to wear from flowers, leaves, nuts and berries comes from the remembrance of the love and blessings that flowed freely between the ancient ancestors and the natural world.  In ancient times there was only the understanding of balance and love between kingdoms and as we would walk among the trees, plants and flowers we would exchange blessings. 

 

As the blessings were exchanged the music in our fields would sweeten and our fields would expand and come to greater balance. The plants and trees would respond to the love with gifts of sweet smelling flowers of all colors of the rainbow along with fruits, nuts and berries. In this balance we sat in a level of unity and love with all other kingdoms that is still a memory within the heart of those with ancient Hawaiian ancestry or who are what we call Hawaiian at heart.

 

Blessings of love were offered in the understanding of the relationship the trees and plants played in the consensus of providing oxygen and cleansing the atmosphere to allow for the fullness of the expansion of existence that is fueled by the breath of life.  Often trees and plants were treated as family for they provided shelter, food, clothing and the wood to carve our canoes.  These lovely flowers, berries, and nuts used to create our lei were cherished as beloved members of our Ohana.

 

The plants offered the flowers, berries, nuts and leaves as gifts of love and at first we would create beautiful wreaths to adorn ourselves with the colors, scents, and beauty of the natural world.  All gifts were taken in honor and agreement with the plant and tree kingdoms where only a few of the blossoms or berries were plucked leaving many on the plant.  As the flowers were plucked we would bless the plants with love and in the blessings the plants would grow more flowers and so there was always balance between ourselves and the plants and trees that offered these beautiful gifts.

 

Over time we begin to create elaborate lei to give as gifts to each other and the lei became a symbol of love, a gift that is given from the heart from one human to another just as the flowers themselves were gifts of love from the plant and tree kingdoms to humans.   The gift of flower lei is placed around the shoulders of the recipient and the love is felt through the beauty and scent of the flowers as it encircles the shoulders.  When you wear a lei you sit in the center of a circle of love from all the ancestors along with the love of the tree, plant and flower kingdoms.

 

Today in Hawaii Nei the remembrance of the love and blessings between humans and nature is strong and still expressed with flower lei.  Those who arrive on the Islands are often greeted at the airport with a lei of flowers as a welcome of Aloha.  Not too long ago the lei making itself was always an act of love where the flowers, leaves, berries and nuts would be gathered from the trees and plants around the island, then woven together into a beautiful wreath and given as a handmade gift.  There are still those who go out and search the island to gather the flowers by hand and then weave the flowers into a handmade wreath of blessings.

 

Today many lei are bought from lei stands where the flowers are imported from other countries where they are harvested from flower farms.  The reason for this is sad indeed and due to how those of white ancestry came to the islands and placed ownership upon the land.  Over time the land became divided up into tiny parcels which also cut up some of the movements of love upon the land.  Now there are fences and one cannot wander upon the land and gather the gifts of flowers which nature offers.  We never placed ownership upon the plants or the land and so would always be free to wander about all the land and gather flowers for our beautiful lei.  The ownership and enslavement of the land and nature to those of white ancestry is coming to an end and we do see a dream stepping down where our beloved Hawaii Nei will no longer be owned by humans but once again a lush beautiful garden where humans can live in harmony and balance with the land.

 

So what is so healing about wearing flowers around the neck?  The flowers sit in an energy flow of love and remind the body to love, to love, to love oneself, to bless to bless  to bless oneself a thousand times and to release the ownership within your heart that blocks the heart from opening.  Today we encourage you to go within and see who and what has ownership of your heart?  Perhaps there is attachment and ownership to ones friends or family, to money or possessions, to addictions or perhaps fame or success.  As you intend to release the attachment and erase the ownership then you can open your heart and begin to connect with your Tao within. 

 

We offer you blessings of love to be worn around you as a lei; a walking blessing of your Tao within.   There is a phrase in the Hawaiian Language “E lei no au i ko aloha” which means I will wear/cherish your love as a beautiful flower lei and so perhaps you will “E Lei no au I ko aloha” or wear the love of your Tao within around you like a beautiful flower lei for all to see.

 

Aloha Nui (Big Love)

The Hawaiian Ancestors

 

 

Paige Wickline has been associated with the Spiritual School of Ascension for many years and channels the Earth Mother, Nature and the Hawaiian Ancestors in her healing work.  She can be reached at dance_of_unity@earthlink.net.

 

 

 

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Copyright 2009 Paige Wickline