Blog

Holding Space Brings Grace

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

Wai is an angel walking this Earth. We met through our work in weddings and over time we have shared our hopes & dreams. She listened as I shared by passion about Maui Goddess Project and I listened as she shared her longing to hold ceremonies for people. The ceremonies she desires to hold are sacred and she desires to tie in the natural elements where the ceremony is held as she speaks softly about love, honesty and being present in the moment. She is versed in offering wedding ceremonies but she can also hold space for the other side of our relationships… the endings. I was honored to capture her essence when she was preparing for ceremony at White Rock and afternoon ago, and I look forward to the time when she will facilitate a ceremony for me someday. She is birthing this offering now so if you want to reach out to her find her on Instagram @waiwedshawaii.

Wai ~ I honor the Goddess in You

Fire & Water

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

This last few months on Maui has changed our little island forever. Our sweet Lahaina town burned to the ground in a wildfire. We lost people, animals and historical sites. It’s been devastating. During this time, I re-connected with Isla. We met on my property about a year ago and just this last week, we made some time to do Maui Goddess Project together. When I asked her if she felt strongly about a location for the photo session, she said that we needed to go into Iao Valley to cool down and balance out all of the fire energy. I couldn’t have agreed with her more, so we did just that… headed into Iao to the sacred waters. We hiked into the valley under dark clouds and cold air. We shared about relationships, lovers, lost loved ones, body shame and connected on how important it is to become more radically honest not only with ourselves but with others. After certain shares the winds would shift and the clouds did lighten. When Isla went into the water with her grandfathers cloak, the sun broke through with the warmest heat that we soaked in together. I noticed in that moment, that we can find balance with just like nature with the heat of the sun and the coldness of fresh water. It felt as though her grandfathers love embraced us right then and there. The magic continued and as we left, we BOTH felt safe, peaceful and renewed. This is exactly what I hope to offer in every Maui Goddess Project Session…. a space that brings in messages of hope and love.

I Honor the Goddess in You Isla ~ Much love always, Desi

Embodied like Rachel

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

This beautiful goddess embraces the art of music & movement fully. She has a heart of gold as well. We integrated her session within a couple’s session with her husband and it was incredible to witness her inner beauty shine. It you haven’t come across Rachel’s dance programs, you should! She is a gifted dancer with silk fans and offers workshops throughout the year. Being in touch with our bodies and honoring them through movement is very powerful… especially with a mentor like Rachel. Thank you for being a part of Maui Goddess Project.

I honor the Goddess in You Rachel

The Magical & Mystical Mia

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

I love the potent community of magical women on Maui that come my way. Mia & I crossed paths at a Sacred Temple and quickly connected on a deep level. She & I share common conscious world views and we have had the opportunity to create together whenever we are in each others presence. We went on an adventure with the guys of WOLFCHILD to the west side of Maui. We were part of filming a music video for the musicians and while the sun was shifting over the Olowalu jetty, I began taking some candid pictures of Mia. Her beautiful curly hair was softly blowing in the wind that afternoon. The golden light just lit her up and I asked her to sink into a yoga pose out at this point over looking the ocean. The moment was powerful and graceful just like Mia. I am forever grateful for the impromptu happenings that come my way with this project and my openness to magic. If you want to know more about Mia, find her on Instagram @mysticmiiia … She just started a jewelry line that is worth your support!

Mia ~ I honor the Goddess in You ~ Always…

Love Yourself Inside & Out

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

Chelsea & I connected in the Facebook world when she asked for a portrait session. I was the lucky one she messaged back and we talked, I realized she had an incredible story to show. She lives with a skin condition called Vitiligo in which her pigmentation began to change around age 9. She was very embarrassed by the condition as it came in and had a heavy heart about exposing herself to classmates & other community in fear of being bullied. In this day & age, we all know how real this issue of bullying is and how deeply it has effected our youth. Now that Chelsea is in full blown adulthood, she has had a shift in her heart and is ready to show how much she loves herself,  especially her Vitiligo. We followed through with this photo session to raise awareness about this skin condition and encourage others to embrace what life hands to them. As Chelsea & I walked the beach and she shared her story, I was so completely honored to be the chosen one to bring her message through in the form of imagery. I expressed to her that she was a perfect fit for Maui Goddess Project which allows women to see their beauty EXACTLY how they are. She also resonated with this deeply. We had high winds and rain surrounding us on all sides, yet we had sunshine and calm conditions right where we decided to photograph. It was truly, truly magical. We both opened our hearts to each other and I was so filled with joy that Chelsea was able to express self love with such grace & ease.

Chelsea… I can’t thank you enough for your bravery, courage,  and self -love.  You were able to show these attributes in such an exceptional way and I am sure these photos will make an impact on the Vitiligo community.  It is the beginning of something great for all humans who live with skin like yours. My hope it that this photo shoot will help to shift their beliefs from Vitiligo being something wrong into the belief that it is incredibly beautiful because it is!!!!

Cheslea ~ I Honor the Goddess in You

Much Aloha…. Desiree

Maui Goddess Project Chelsea Vitiligo Love Maui Goddess Project Chelsea Vitiligo Love

The Time for ReBirth is Now

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

As we approach 2020, the general feeling that I get for humanity as a whole is that it is time for totally truth and disclosure. Our true freedom will come as long as we are in our purest form of truth through our words & actions. Ariel and I continue to come together at very pivotal moments to nurture each other through Maui Goddess Project. She reached out and was ready to portray her truth with a fresh water cleanse in Iao Valley with a dear soul sister of hers, Ariana. The three of us went deep into the valley and just let the messages come. We were surrounded by our ancestors which we felt in the Ti Leaf and random rainbows appeared in the photographs during this time. The girls pulled cards and the last one pulled was a picture of goddesses together with the title “Conscious Connection”. Not at all a coincidence. Ariel went into the water to honor herself after writing things she wanted to let go of with a small fire ceremony. She vowed to love herself first and foremost so that she can call in the partnership that can nourish her. It was one magical moment after another and we all cleansed in the water together at the end. We came out feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. I am always so deeply moved by this project and feel grateful for the opportunity to continue to offer it.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Ariel & Ariana

Much Aloha Always

Embrace your Human~ness

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

This beautiful goddess Joy & I have been waiting awhile for the right time for this Maui Goddess Project Session. Months and months have passed since our initial conversation and shortly after the powerful Scorpio New Moon, we met at the forests edge in Makawao. The sun was gently shining and there was a peace about the woods. When I met Joy, we began talking about her intentions for the session and she expressed that she was simply in the flow. I was feeling the same way and just as I sat her under a sunlight ray  peeking through the trees, another Goddess that she knew appeared. Phoebe was having a morning run also processing the New Moon and stopped to join us for a bit. These are the moments when I just relish in the magic of Maui Goddess Project. Both women sat under the golden light giving one another encouragement, love, understanding that was so incredibly powerful and necessary in that moment. We all bonded and I took photos showing the authentic sisterhood that these two goddesses shared so naturally. Phoebe left and Joy & I continued deeper into the forest. We discovered that we are both on the path of fully accepting our souls choice to come to the Earth, be a part of the human experience and go through all the lessons that come with that choice. It isn’t easy at all… It seems easy when we try to think beyond our choices to be here in our form on the planet and yet the beauty is living fully and being a part of it all. As we left the forest, I am sure that Joy & I both came out changed women… women ready to support one another, accept our paths and enjoy life to its fullest.

I Honor the Goddess in You ~ Joy

Much Aloha to you Always,

Desiree

Keep on Shining

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

Kira is such an amazing supporter of Maui Goddess Project. She reached out to participate again so we began the process of setting our intentions and being open to the location of where the session should take place. She wanted to go to these gorgeous ocean side pools to bring out her inner mermaid. Kira offers reiki and crystal healing. She also helps people to heal through movement and dance. I love being with her as she is always sending out powerful prayers for us all and the children while dancing around joyfully. It is nice to be around that kind of goddess energy. Thank you so much Kira for your continued support and love.

I see the Goddess in You ~ Kira

Lots of Aloha to you Always,

Desiree

Out of the Ashes She Rises

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

I know for me, 2018 started in quite a dark place. Letting go of dreams that I had planned on seeing into fruition crumble and die, left me feeling as though my life was at its lowest. Brittney is a special friend that had also been living a similar experience as I. Living on the island for over a decade now, I run into people here and there through all of my different jobs. I knew Brittney as a model on Maui and then she & I photographed the Color Run group shots randomly side by side on day many years ago. After that, I felt like she disappeared for a few years. She magically resurfaced again recently on a photo shoot that we were invited to cover together and I was so pleased to see her again.  She let me know she had been off island for a while and was back on Maui to reclaim her life here. I found out she grew up on Maui and during our small chat, I intuitively felt that she needed a Maui Goddess Project Session. I waited a few months and reached out to her after having a vision of her walking in beautiful green grass. When she responded to my message with as much excitement as I had hearing back from her, we co-created her Goddess session together. She knew of a special spot and she brought the clothing she wanted to wear. As I photographed her, I admired just how beautiful she is inside and out. We really connected about many things that had gone on in our lives and as we engaged during the shoot, I realized that both of us had overcome tremendous life changes and we both were in much better places now for it. Thank you Brittney for allowing me the opportunity to support your hopes and dreams. You equally did the same for me.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Brittney

Much Aloha Always…..

The Holy & Sacred Elixir

Published on by mauigoddessprojectLeave a comment

As women, we all experience the rite of passage into womanhood at some point in our early adolescents. We bleed for the first time and it is our initiation into great responsibility, beauty and sacrifice… the gift of creating life & healing the Earth. Our society has shifted out of honoring this time for women and now we are slowly going back into honoring our moon cycles and celebrating in ceremony. I met Arielle after a long wait and she knew she wanted to photograph her experience deep in the jungle honoring her moon cycle. I was so supportive of this having a daughter and wanting all young women to not feel shame around their bleed time. Arielle was so peaceful and beautiful when she had blood on her fingertips, her third eye and then offering it to the river. The Earth in that moment became still with us and it felt as if it was honoring Arielle in return. We saged our bodies and our surroundings. She drummed softly as the waterfall rushed on. As I watch fellow women reach deep within themselves to share these potent stories, I am honored to pass them along to empower all of you. Do what you can to honor your cycle. Rest, dance, be free and remind our young maidens to embrace this gift and cherish it. It is one of our gifts to heal each other and the Earth.  Arielle works with herbs to help with our cycles and emotions during that time. Check out her salves at Mahina Medicina or reach out to her on her Instagram at @mama.mahina.

I Honor the Goddess in You ~ Arielle

Much Aloha to You Always