If you are reading this blog post directly from NaiaLewis.com, you should check out my latest product, iMahina. It is an app (web-based) inspired by my ancestors, grounded in knowledge found in Native Hawaiian traditions of observation to correlate levels of productivity, in nature and oneself, with the moon.

I began to rethink my driving question after I experienced my father’s death. My brother was his primary caretaker, but our entire family orbited closely in his final weeks. I observed everything within my father’s body and in the broader household, moving and vibrating in a repeating pattern of constriction and release: intensity and calm. I came to see the managing of immediate tasks, the delegation of ongoing responsibilities, and the relationship between conversation and silence to be a dance between people and emotion, with space and time.

This is an original episode from Salted Logic - the podcast - from when the show was called And Still the Waters rise. DJ Spooky (aka Paul Miller) waxes rhapsodic about hip-hop, climate change, and politics. This was recorded just days after #45 aka Donald Trump had been elected. We were all in shock. This is an interesting journey into the past. Everything we spoke about is relevant today. Curious? Take a listen.

In hopes of inspiring us all to be KIAʻI, guardians, of each other as well as our sacred spaces the world over, Salted Logic is offering free downloads of its digital media to support a smooth transition into our new online lives. In this time of COVID-19 it is more important than ever to ensure social cohesion.

Native Hawaiian artist Naiʻa Lewis shares with us the manaʻo and mana behind the beautiful artwork Hānai ʻAi o Haumea, showcased on the cover of the wāhine report.

When I was 18 I changed my name. For my entire life I had felt like my name wasnʻt the right fit. Not bad. Just not on point. When I decided to formally change my name I let the idea simmer. I waited for a sign. A message from the universe. I didn’t want to “pick” a name from a book or simply create a name with a trippy spelling. I wasn’t trying to stand out. I wanted to fit in–with myself. My purpose was calling me. My ancestors were too.

I see you (you guys know who you are), and through you I see myself in new ways, from different angles; from a place that is other but still connected. This isn’t the good part, however. When we take the time to see what others see in us we shake up our own narratives; this can then assist in identifying our internally driven stories that are untrue or do not serve us anymore.

I have invested a great deal of time and spiritual energy working to build a relationship with my inner goddess. Much of the effort has been around understanding and expressing my creativity, emotional intelligence, sexuality, and genealogical legacy––as well as how to do this within a social landscape that remains binary and therefore too limited in answers.

Many cultures believe that hair has sacred qualities. A physical element that holds mana as well as memories. At times in my life I have cut my hair to release me from the past. With the death of my father this year, I had thought about cutting it in his honor, an act that would have been common practice by my ancestors.

Crazy hair days. They happen often. For me, at least. But these kinds of days are not necessarily bad; an unkempt hairdo doesnʻt have to mean I am out-of-sorts.  As my hair is usually representative of my inner lioness, letting her roar to her fullest capabilities on a regular basis is wise–essential even.