Guided by Lydia, the Spirit of My Great-Grandmother

Illustration by PJ Science in Tromsø 2007

I have always had a keen ability to know things about plants, just as explained in the entry Plant Affinity, more specifically I think I partially inherited my plant Affinity from my own great-grandmother Lydia, the other half of my skill and uncanny knowledge of herbal lore I know come directly from interacting with my great-grandmother that guide and watch over me.

I have never known my great-grandmother since she passed away before I was even born, but like me she was a psychic, a scholar of her time in all sorts of plants and medicinal uses there of. Lydia was also known for her strong will and for being way ahead of her time in many things.

Long ago my great-grandmother Lydia told my mother Siw, who was still only a young girl, that she would have a child that would have a future in research and plants like her. Lydia was so certain that I had a great destiny ahead, that she set up a trust-fund, with some money to be released when I turned 18, and also told my parents that she wanted for me to inherit all her money when she passed away, and that it was already set up to place all her money into the trust-fund.

Just like she had foreseen I went into science, doing research on plants, unfolding the mysteries of genetics, I do believe she saw something and went ahead with that hunch. The money from the trust combined with the inheritance has made it possible for me to pursue research of plant genetics and biochemistry.

The strongest example I have of how I felt great-grandmother Lydia helping me was a few years ago when I almost died, and my life literally flashed before my eyes (read: When My Life Flashed Before My Eyes ) aiding me in finding out what I needed in order to help myself get better.

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The Kaneohe Morgan's Corner part I The Dawn "Deedee" Murder Spot

Entrance to Auloa Street on foot, from Pali Highway. Courtesy of Kaleo, UH publications

This one in from my good friend Joe  of Oahu Ghost Tours.

Kionaole/Auloa Rd...
the Kaneohe Morgan's Corner, the place where supposedly workers found over 1,000 human skulls while building it, known by many many ghost hunters as a "Kapu" place, even for ghost hunting.  This is one of my personal stories of the happening on that road one night. While being a guide for 26 people.

As we got out of the vans that night and started up Robert, my friend and coworker, wishes me luck and tells me to be careful tonight. I figure same ole, same ole, shaking bushes, hot spots, foot steps, and possibly the usual running back to the vans. It is amazing how many people try to convince themselves that the footsteps and rustling they hear is only "the other guide who is supposedly watching the van *wink *wink". As if we would venture out into that area alone, as if we would actually hide alone in the bushes.

As we start up, away from the only source of light on that road, a solitary streetlamp, I can't put all the memories of that place out of my mind. Even watching the vans by yourself OUTSIDE the place can get creepy, with the voices coming out of the bush and constant breaking of twigs, as if someone stepped on them. I'm the lucky one, going up with 26 people into a very dark place... at least I'm not by myself.

We go around the first turn and then start to relate a story of a tragic murder back in 1974, the murder of a young girl from Kailua named Dawn "Deedee" , at the place that was supposed to be where her body was found face down in the mud with a bullet through her head. As I start telling the story I notice how hot and humid it is, you can see the humidity forming on the foreheads of people and glistening off whatever ambient light my flashlight provides. As I get halfway through the story I notice there is a cold spot to my left, extremely cold. This was enough to make me pause and get chicken skin but I choose not to say anything about it, figuring that this is the ghost of Dawn and that she would prefer if I didn't let 26 people stick their hands into her area to feel the cold spot. 

Try as I might to keep this to myself, there was a local girl in the group who stopped me and tells me "That girl that you're talking about?  She's on your left right now, looking at you and listening to you". Great, there goes any secrets. This girl apparently looks as shocked as I do, she just realized that she had the gift to see ghosts. What a place to start seeing ghosts! I look towards the cold spot and tell the cold spot to please correct me if I'm telling something wrong, or please let me know if you would like me to stop telling your story. Nothing happened, except now people moved over and started feeling the cold spot everywhere until, inevitably, it disappears. As I finish the story and allow the people to ask questions or take pictures for like 2 minutes, I notice that this local girl isn't saying much, or moving much.  Her boyfriend comes up to me, panic clear in his voice, saying. "Brah.... someting wrong wit my girlfriend! She not moving cuz! Brah help her!". He pulls me through the crowd up to her, and realizes that the air around her is now freezing cold. He starts freaking out more "Brah, she's freezing! Look! You can see her breath!" as he shines the light in her face you could see the misty smoke coming out of her mouth every time she exhales.  I ask her if she's okay, and she just shakes her head slightly. I ask her if she wants this entity to leave, and she nods slightly. Panicking now, I have no idea what to do... I'm a storyteller not a priest! I follow my gut and listen to my senses. They're telling me that this isn't a ti-leaf waving, salt throwing, yelling in Hawaiian, moment. This entity is Dawn, and she's a good ghost, lonely perhaps but nothing evil that I should repel. I ask out loud for Dawn to please leave this girl alone, telling Dawn that this isn't the way to make friends, and she's scaring the heck out of this girl. Immediately the cold spot leaves. Truly an awesome experience, and seeing as how we have had an experience with the paranormal, I look at the group and ask them if they're ready to leave now? I always try to leave it up to the group, so if anything happens, its not my fault. They (even the girl who just had the experience) look up excited, and say. "Lets keep going!".


You would figure that logic would win out... if A, then B right? If there are ghosts here, which we have clearly witnessed, then what about the stuff I told them before? What about the people that have gotten choked, at least once in a month, at the location where Dawn was found murdered (she was choked before she was shot)? What about the heavy, oppressive feeling hanging in the air, as if ready to suffocate you? I silently curse for giving them the option, and then sigh and cautiously lead them up the old abandoned road further in.


Read on for The Kaneohe Morgan's Corner part II, Kaupe, The half-man half-dog cannibal

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The Kaneohe Morgan's Corner part II, Kaupe, The half-man half-dog cannibal

Entrance to Auloa Street on foot, from Pali Highway. Courtesy of Kaleo, UH publications

This one in from my good friend Joe Punohu of Oahu Ghost Tours.

Kionaole/Auloa Rd... 

the Kaneohe Morgan's Corner, the place where supposedly workers found over 1,000 human skulls while building it, known by many many ghost hunters as a "Kapu" place, even for ghost hunting.  This is one of my personal stories of the happening on that road one night. While being a guide for 26 people. if you missed the first part click on the colored text for The Kaneohe Morgan's Corner part I The Dawn "Deedee" Murder Spot entry

As we start walking, the place really becomes alive.  Bushes moving, branches breaking behind us.. on our sides... the heaviness increases with each step. The group seems to be loving every step of it, feeding off of it, as if they convinced themselves that this is a haunted house-type ride and everything is fake, after all nothing bad can happen in Hawaii right?  I stop to tell them the story of Morgan's Corner, about Terese Wilder's murder, etc. etc.  As I'm about 3/4 of my way through the story, the local girl grabs me by my wrists and pulls me over to the other side of the road without a word as to why. I shrug it off, I'm here for the sole purpose of storytelling and I'm going to finish this story as fast as I can. If I go looking for stuff, I may just find something. If i look for something every time i go up to a certain place, then it gives them the right to come looking for me. In fact, it was here a few years ago with a bunch of friends that I made the flashlight rule which goes, "The light is for seeing where you're walking... not for looking at whats shaking the bushes, cuz you look, you might see".  That night, years ago, we did see... an old lady's face about 7  feet high in the air above the california grass. 

I finish the story about Ms Wilder, and then ask the girl why she moved me.  She tells me that she saw something moving in the bushes as I began the story, and it kept coming closer and closer in the bushes, she pulled me to the side when she saw it step out of the bushes and walk right towards me less then 10 feet away. I gulp as I see the people to either sides of her nodding in agreement, fear clear on their faces. I dare to ask for the description of this 'shadow'.  She tells me that this shadow stood about maybe 7 feet tall, darker then the pitch black, since she saw it moving in the bush, and was a man for most part... except for his head which resembled a dog or wolf.

Now my jaw literally drops open and fear begins to take a hold inside. The people who saw this apparition, don't understand the full meaning of it... the WHO it is. Before I ask them if they are ready to go back to the vans yet, I decide to tell them a little bit about this shadow whom perfectly fits the description of the infamous half-man half-dog cannibal, Kaupe. I tell them that at one time, Kaupe filled the entire island with terror at the mere mention of his name. As I'm done relaying what information I know about him, I then decide to ask the group what their wishes are... we have a 3rd location not too far away, or we can turn around and head back.  As always I leave it to the group. I'm a bit shocked when a few of the people in the back (who didn't see the shadow) decide that this haunted house ride isn't over!  They want to continue... the people in the front are clearly undecided, but choose to go with the group. At this point I call Robert at the vans and tell him to get the vans started up, turned facing away, and leave the doors open, to allow for a faster escape. Reluctantly, I take them up.  I figure that I need to test my courage as well if I'm going to continue doing a job like this. 

As the bushes start to shake a little here, a little there, and as a branch breaks, falling down right in front of us...  I look at the group and think "This is what they want... no one can complain about being scared".  As we walk up I ponder the foolhardiness of the group, myself now included since I continue to take them up.  I say a few silent prayers for safety and protection and continue towards our final destination. Read on in The Kaneohe Morgan's Corner part III The Infamous Trees of Morgan's Corner

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Theobroma cacao - Cocoa - The Food of the Gods

Theobroma cacao - The Cocoa Tree, 
Here showing the Cacao pods, 
each pod contain between 20 and 40 cocoa beans 

photo by PJ 2011

I am going to describe cacao, also known as cocoa, from an aspect as a food of deep cultural, religious and medicinal origin in Mesoamerican culture. Cacao has been cultivated in Mesoamerica for almost 4000 years or perhaps even longer, though its origin is more likely to be from the Amazons. Some would even say the gods themselves were advanced aliens, extraterrestrials or ultra-terrestrial visitors.

The Mayans and the Olmec before them referred to cacao as kakaw, and their stories tell how it among other foods were brought from a mountain by the gods. It was believed in their mythology that the tree itself was thought to be first grown in the Garden of life, and its name literally means “Tree of the Gods”. The Aztecs had one ceremonial drink made of cacao called cacahuatl, meaning bitter water in nahuatl. This drink was only consumed by men as they thought it to be dangerous to women and children.

Cultivated Theobroma cacao The Cacao Tree Photo by PJ 2011

There was another drink made of cacao used by the Aztecs, which was spiced with vanilla, chili and honey. This drink was described to be used in curing black blood, something European scholars thought to mean depression, though I believe the Aztecs meant this more literally. The Aztecs had significant medical knowledge and herbal lore compared to the conquistadors and others in 16th century Europe. And with an extensive practice of blood sacrifice of theirs and other people’s blood, they knew how cacao could cure black blood, and I actually know one case where this was used in curing black blood caused by metabolic lactic acidosis.  (When My Life Flashed Before My Eyes)

Theobroma cacao - Close up of cocoa beans, Dry cacao beans was even used as currency by the Aztec.

The pulp of the Cacao pods is edible and one can make a sweet juice from it. On the other hand, how the cocoa bean was discovered to be a tasty and palatable food if fermented and processed in a complex chain is a mystery, unless one accepts the explanation that the Mesoamerican gods came down from the mountain and showed them how to make it into a food, which I have myself tasted the pulp and the raw beans and found the bean to taste horrible while the cacao pod pulp tasted good with fruity sweet taste.

Dark Hawaiian macadamia nut chocolates Photo by PJ 2011.

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Mythological Beasts: Nøkken

 

Asian White Water Lily (White Lotus) 

by PJ 2011 Honolulu, Hawaii

Nøkken was in norse mythology a creature of the inland waters much like Huldra was a creature of the deep forest. And like the female Huldra, that lures people into the forest and never let them go, the male Nøkken would try to lure people to the waters and drown them.

The Norse Nøkk seem to be similar to stories of water elves, also known as nymphs in other european cultures, and also carry similarities to the mermen of the seas and oceans.

The most common described way for Nøkken to lure gullible people to its watery depths is in the form of a stunningly beautiful white horse, which willingly would let especially young children climb up on its back, and then leap with them into the water.

In other legends Nøkken seeks out one person a year to drown in his fresh water ponds, where he lures using his power of invisibility, or the ability to shape-change into something unsuspecting like a floating log, a beautiful water lily or even other plant life that is making it look like the edge of the pond is farther in, so when you move over to the water to pick flowers you would fall into the deep cold, treacherous waters.

In other occasions Nøkken was said to appear as a handsome young man, playing music in the calm tranquil forest, luring young fair maidens into his watery embrace and their doom, playing the harp or fiddle he would spellbind them with his magical charm.

In order to protect yourself legends say, is by spitting and then tossing a steel needle or a steel cross into the water. Another way was to bind Nøkken to a Nøkkstein (Nøkken rock) and then let it drop into the water directly vertically from as high up as you could get it, if you have already been grabbed by Nøkken and is about to be pulled into the waters you can break free by saying his name, as in this norwegian phrase "Nøkken! Nøkken nål i vann. Jomfru Maria kastet stål i vann! Du synker, jeg flyter!" translated this becomes "Nøkken! Nøkken! needle in water. Virgin Mary tossed steel into the water! You are sinking I am floating!"

So the next time you see a floating tree stub or water lily, a beautiful white horse wandering by the outskirts of a small lake or pond or even a handsome young man fair-skinned and with blond long hair playing the harp or the fiddle next to a river or pond it just might be Nøkken himself trying to trap you as his once a year victim... beware.

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Water lilies are called Nøkkerose in Norwegian, PJ 2005 Honolulu, Hawaii

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The Sacred Power of the Ti leaf

The Ti Plant, also known as Ki, Cordyline fruticosa

Photo by PJ, Honolulu, Hawaii 2005

This is another story shared by Loa and it is about the power of the mysterious Ti leaf, as experienced by her mother when she was a little girl.

One day my grandmother asked my mother to go pick ti leaves, so my mother went around looking for some. My mother noticed that the vacant house next door had an abundance of ti leaves growing in their backyard, so she decided to save time by picking all the leaves she needed there. She noticed that the ti leaves were planted in a circle and thought that was a little weird, but that did not stop her. When my mother got home, my grandmother was trilled to see all the ti leaves and asked my mother "where did you get them from?" My mother responded "Oh, I got them from next door." My grandmother's mouth dropped open and immediately called the medicine man. 

When the medicine man arrived my grandmother quickly told him him the situation and they both started rubbing my mother down with a special ointment that was made by the medicine  man. My mother was so confused on what was going on. She remembers that as night came my grandmother and medicine man  surrounded her in the living room and started to do their ritual. The medicine man chanted in a foreign language and my grandmother being a devout catholic, prayed. My mother remembers that all of a sudden all the windows and doors started rattling like someone was trying to get in,but my grandmother and the medicine man kept on with their ritual until it all stopped.

The next morning my grandmother explained to my mother that the ti leaves she picked were in a circular pattern for a reason. They were surrounding an ancient Hawaiian burial ground for evil kahunas (Hawaiian priest or traditional healer) of long ago. The Ti leaves that my mother picked were planted there long ago by ancient Hawaiians to keep the evil spirits from roaming free, so when my mother picked them she released those spirits.

That same day the medicine man replanted every single ti leaf back in its original place and did a chant of forgiveness. The spirits were back to where they belong and my mother till this day always tells us, her children "Make sure you get permission before picking ti leaves"

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Psychic Abilities: Plant Affinity

Photo by PJ, Honolulu, Hawaii 2005
Monstera deliciousa, widow-leaf or also known as Swiss cheese plant, is the first plant that I found to have an affinity too. I have never lived anywhere where I do not have a Monstera.

Plant affinity, is in may ways similar to animal affinity and it is the ability to feel connected to plant life, in its weakest form it is the natural ability often referred to as having a green thumb. As one get more in tuned with nature and with ones own abilities plant affinity could expand into much more than being able to be naturally attuned to making plants grow and flourish.

The shamans connection to find, discover and using plants to cure to diseases is one off the higher forms, other is as in the case of me connected to my own ability as a psychic claircognizant where I would at times gain deep knowledge of a new and to me unknown plant in the instant I pick it up, just as when it comes to flights and psychometric flashes [stories: A Fatal Flight, One Scary Flight: Detroit - Amsterdam and Psychometry - Object Reading and Flashes].

These flashes bring details as Latin name if already classified, local name, traditional names and alternative names in different languages, which when I think of it must be a lesser form of xenoglossy. Other pieces of information that I often get is the biochemical composition of the plant, its potential use as remedy against aliments, and its historical use if any.

The ability also provides information into plant physiology, and a special perceptiveness when it comes to noticing anything with and connected to plant life, which I use to check and control if it seems reasonable. When it comes to information of ancient Norwegian and Sami herbalism, I feel is shared with me from my great grandmother which was lifetime herbalist and healer, as her ancestors before her. 

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