The task of the teacher Part II

I am, and to a different degree, my husband is also, living with the illness called MCS or Chemical Sensitivities. At the base of things, or as a corner stone of HO'OMOKU the story "What is HO'OMOKU" begins,   "Storyteller and teacher Mokihana Calizar and her husband Pete Little open the door to The Safety Pin Cafe, where story is at the heart of service in a fragrance-free and chemical-free setting.*   Building from that heart of story, the tables welcome their community in a journey based on na waiwai Hawaii, Hawaiian values. With the poi bowl readied, the 'aumakua (ancestors seen and unseen) welcomed with 'oli (chant), and the families of this Whidbey Island community seated and welcomed, we ask for permission to share/teach and learn what we need to learn."

What I need to share/teach and learn has begun, now that our opening ceremony has called on the Ancestors to grow island. 

Airing out the hand-stitched letters of the word H O ' O M O KU on the fence, at home in the woods ... preparation time

The July Friday HO'OMOKU gatherings focus on Malama, or Malama. 

Malama. 1. to take care of, care for, preserve; to keep or observe, as a taboo; to conduct, as a service; to serve, honor, as God; care, preservation, support; fidelity; loyalty; custodian, caretaker
Malama. (with no additional emphasis on the first 'a') 1. Light, month 2. Perhaps (Rare) - Hawaiian Dictionary, Pukui & Elbert

"Chemical sensitivity (a.k.a. multiple chemical sensitivity; or environmental illness) is a condition characterized by an acute intolerance to low levels of chemicals, molds, and other substances[including fragrances and scented products]. Exposure to extremely low levels of an offending substance can cause a wide variety of symptoms, ranging in severity from mild to completely debilitating, and can even be life-threatening. Each sufferer’s triggers and reactions will be unique to their biochemistry and injury, and both their symptom set and reactivity level may change over time (getting better or worse depending on subsequent exposures and treatments, or lack thereof). Chemical sensitivity can affect multiple organ systems and is often progressive if lifestyle changes are not implemented. There have been several reported deaths from this illness... - Chemical Sensitivities (MCS) What is it?

  ..."Though developing the condition of chemical intolerance is traumatic enough, the social isolation and rejection/blame that often comes with the diagnosis can be too much for some to handle. Suicide rates are high among sufferers of chemical sensitivity. There are no government programs in place to help people with this recognized disability other than SSDI/SSI which are generally not sufficient for monthly expenses, let alone medical bills."

* To share and teach in a face-to-face group setting is a huge step of trust for me. The reality of living with MCS described in Julie Genser's essay above is accurate and applicable to me and Pete. We have lived through many debilitating and life-threatening episodes in the past decade. Social isolation and rejection? We experience that regularly.

Time, adaptation and learning to malama (care for) our dear selves, by remembering the practices of my Hawaiian roots and this home place ISLAND EARTH, is a daring experiment. To HO'OMOKU ... activate a new and wiser version of our kuleana (personal responsibility) Pete and I must create a small public place from which to share and teach. Over the past three years we have been doing that on the land called the South Whidbey TILTH. Now we know this place in the Lushootseed language, and it translates to "Prairie front."

• This post is being written to remind any and all students of this requirement: COME FRAGRANCE FREE. 
• Read and inform yourself about MCS, and if any questions or remain for you, please consider how invested you are to come and be with us at HO'OMOKU. 

• We live a Wee Economy. Read how we created a life on wheels to rebuild our lives.

"A tiny home and a reassembling life brings you back to basics. We learn with each of our moves about what to throw, what to keep and how to keep what we have. Folks who live in small spaces either come with a working reality of a zen-centered approach to stuff, or learn the face-to-face reality of living with less space. When we lived on the Ledge, friends offered us a place to park ourselves and our new home in an idyllic setting. We arrived with more stuff than we could keep within our vardo. A rented pick-up truck and our 'Scout' the Subaru carried the chattels of our minimizing life. We have been travellers for more than a decade. Each of our moves (prior to the on-set of severe MCS) included the sorting of what would come with or be left with friends, family or folks we might never meet. We began building VardoForTwo from the space of a basement kitchenette with the abundant outside cooking space and a space room that became a storage space and place for Pete to keep his work-and-building clothes. Life on the Ledge allowed us to remember how to breathe deeply after a long spell of survival only life. It was a beautiful feeling, and we did bliss out from the blessing of oxygen-rich air, an electrical outlet that fed our needs, friends who were willing to share and learn about our new needs. Spring and Summer allowed us to set up outdoor cooking space beneath the huge canopy of Tall Ones...

READ our first blog VARDO FOR TWO to learn how we have rebuilt a life

To commit to being in the weekly study group, you will be asked to dig deep and it does start with being willing and able to be free of even the lowest level of triggering scents.

If you have any question about being fragrance free, call Mokihana or Pete before coming.

Mokihana's cellphone 808 398-6654
Pete's cellphone 425 232-6830