Ooo, ooo! Ya know when you have one of those synchronistic thunderclap moments when puzzle pieces fall into place and you close a circle of understanding that you didn't even realize was still left open? I had one of those moments in hula class this evening and, at the risk of boring you silly, I have to write this down.
In my previous post on the Tao, I sorted out that connection with the unfathomable - the wondrous divinity of natural beauty or true compassion - produces a peace and a radiance in people that shines from the inside out, and that phenomenon is a manifestation of love.
Tonight our kumu hula was explaining that the word "Aloha" means love, but its literal meaning adds great significance. "Alo" means 'face to face with' or 'in the presence of', and "ha" means 'breath, spiritual life force'. So literally, Aloha means "in the presence of the breath of the divine". Kumu pointed out that there is an implied reverence and wonder in the meaning of "Aloha" that often gets lost in modern usage.
My jaw almost hit the floor. That peace and radiance I feel and see in the presence of the ungraspable *is* love made manifest; it is the true meaning of...
... Aloha ...
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