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Music for the Soul

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Meet Laura…. she is an amazingly talented musician who is on the brink of making her dreams come true. We met casually at a job and I knew instantly she had this Goddess power just waiting to be seen. I offered her a Maui Goddess Session in hopes to remind her just how beautiful she is and that it is time for her to let the world honor her talents as well. Her voice has a quality of its own that touches the depths of the heart and as we traveled along in our session, she sang….

I was so impressed with her self composed lyrics and tunes. I took her to the Old Maui High School building and the angel like lighting along with mind blowing acoustics allowed her to really just be free to express herself.

Thank you Laura for all that you bring to me, this project, the island and the planet. I wish you the absolute best on your journey and I have a feeling I should have gotten your autograph while I had the chance.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Laura

Much Aloha to You Always,

Desiree

A Look Back at 2017

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Maui Goddess Project is celebrating its first year of adorning, honoring and empowering women through visual imagery and connection. I am blown away by all of the beauty that unfolded and how touched I was by each story that was shared. I am looking forward to what 2018 brings to the women who are awaiting their sessions and the continuation of this very special project.

I honor all of the Goddesses in Each and Every One of You and All of those to Come!!!!

Much Aloha Always ~ Desiree

Manawahine

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I have had a long time friendship with the lovely Kate Griffiths, who is the creator of the Maui Mama Magazine. As a mother of two, this magazine became a monthly ritual for me for tips, advice and support especially throughout those younger years. Kate wrote me about contributing to the front page of the upcoming issue because the theme is Manawahine, the Power/Essence of the Woman/Girl as it seemed to be a perfect fit for Maui Goddess Project.

She connected me with a beautiful family of local girls and we set out to create imagery honoring the message of Mana Wahine. The super cute 8 and 4 year old daughters of Mama Pili were giggly, loving and very playful as we walked along the serene setting of Kealia Pond Boardwalk. I kept thinking I should have the girls give me strong, tight lipped faces with fists to show power and strength but it just didn’t seem right. As I watched the sisters help each other and explore together and interact kindly with their mother, I realized that this is our feminine power. Women are wired to have compassion, gentleness and to hold space for these to emotions with ease & grace requires immense amounts of internal strength. The imagery that we have been shown through mass media of what strength is and should be, isn’t all that power and strength actually entails.

Enjoy these photos of what the Feminine Strength can look like from the Maui Goddess Project perspective and continue to let this Manawahine in all of us shine.

Mahalo Kate for making this magical connection happen.

Dare to Follow Your Heart

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I met Taylor through an email that she sent about creating a modeling portfolio for herself. In the shuffle of life, I put her on my calendar as a Maui Goddess Project Session without another thought. When I went back and looked through the email, it dawned on me that she was seeking something else, a photo shoot for her career not exactly the “Adorn, Honor and See” vision of Maui Goddess Project. We sorted things out and off we went to Kealia Pond Reserve.

It was a fairly stormy Birthday day for Taylor and she had been through a rough couple of days prior to our photo session. As she shared about her life, I saw so much of my younger self in her. I related to her Maui journey and all that lies ahead. It was no coincidence that we had crossed paths and I knew that we were actually going to heal together by the pond that day. Our professional, career driven session evolved into a need to honor this sweet girl and empower her to follow her passion. In the 15 minutes we drove together another Maui Goddess Project Session was upon me to spontaneously create with this young woman who was on the brink of a creating a new life for herself.

We really connected on a heart level and I guided her to soften and show me who she is. Each moment she was able to let go and enjoy all that was around her. Thank you Taylor for allowing me the opportunity to capture these sweet moments. I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful life ahead full of anything and everything you dream up.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Taylor

Much Aloha,
Desiree

Wise Woman on the Mountain

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Being that I live on the slopes of Haleakala, I was very excited when Naomi Love asked if her goddess session could take place practically in my own backyard. This amazing woman reached out to me and when I asked her what gifts does she wanted to highlight for our session, she responded with…”How do I explain all that I offer?…” I became extremely curious and looked up her work online and let me just say WOW! If you are a woman and have any kind of need regarding anything feminine, she is your goddess gal. She works with healing women on every kind of level you can imagine from conscious conception, womb massage, herbs specifically for women’s health and shamanic work. I just sat that evening for a moment after looking her up  completely honored to be the one who was going to be given the opportunity to capture her magic and essence.

We met together on a crisp morning in Kula and headed out to walk on Thompson Road. She drummed, rattled and saged an old, unrooted tree. We talked about healing the feminine story and uplifting one another. Her calm and sweet voice was ever so soothing as we conversated about continuing with the work that lies ahead for both of us. She was called to a powerful rock on the hillside and wild-harvested fennel that we came across on our walk. The light that day was so angelic and graceful.

Thank you Naomi Love for all that you are tapped into and all that you are sharing through your work in this lifetime. It is absolutely priceless and I am very glad to be integrated into your world.

Please look Naomi Love up if you are curious about this AMAZING woman at http://www.wisewombmedicinepath.com

I Honor the Goddess in You ~ Naomi Love

Much Aloha,

Desiree

Bee The Change You wish to See

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This beautiful goddess Kerry has been in and around my Maui life for quite sometime now. We have catered large weddings together, been around the Waldorf school together as she was a nanny for children there and we have belly danced at Dance Church for an event or two. We have pretty much crossed paths many times so it was such an honor to receive a message from her that she wanted to be a part of Maui Goddess Project. She had a clear message and vision for her session that was very powerful and beautiful. Kerry has been facing her fear of Bees and had a once in a lifetime encounter with one at Sufi camp. She told me the bee sat on her hand for a long meditative moment and her fear of being that close to a bee completely softened. She also received a message from the bees to work hard at her passions and find the work that is like smelling the flowers at the same time.

On Halloween evening, we met at 3rd Day Nursery in Kula so she could express her love for bees among the lovely succulents and flowers. She had spent the day with the very talented Melissa Bruck, who had adorned her with striking bee inspired body paint. Our time together creating the story was wonderful and very fulfilling.

Thank you Kerry for all that you are and offer. I have been very fortunate to have you in my world.

I honor the Goddess in You~ Kerry

Much Aloha,
Desiree

The Journey of Seeking

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This is the beautiful Jeannine who approached me about participating in the Maui Goddess Project as a means to honor the Four Elements. She has been on a journey of self discovery and wanted to incorporate her heritage as well as the message of her company, The Seeking Root. We decided to walk through the Waihou Springs Reserve and enjoyed the trees, fallen leaves and sunlight that would peek through on occasion. It was peaceful and we connected over shamanism and listening to our intuition. To find out more about what services she offers check out The Seeking Root at http://www.theseekingroot.com

Thank you Jeannine for opening your heart and making the photo shoot very creative.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Jeannine

Much Aloha ~ Desiree

 

 

 

 

 

The Warrior Within

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I have worked along side Rachel for years and have also witnessed the last couple of difficult ones with her battle with cancer. It is always a shock when someone you know receives this news and it definitely brings things into perspective. She told me how much her community surrounded her with love & support and she was happy to tell me that she has been cancer free for over a year now. When I saw her back to work, I got a vision of her as a beautiful warrior, done with battle, and showing me what actual surrender is like. The fight is only half of the battle, the other is surrendering part of one’s self to truly gain victory. When she accepted my offer to participate in Maui Goddess Project, I was thrilled. As I tuned into where the photos needed to happen, I received yet another vision of her in a sacred, healing heiau here on island. This heiau is a place that is specifically for healing and rejuvenation. I honored what I saw and took her there. We had such an unforgettable experience together as the heiau was peaceful, warm and filled with blessings. She charged up her crystals, laid on the land and received an unexpected prayer and mini healing session from a woman who showed up while we were there. We were both moved to tears and left that sacred place knowing we were supposed to be there at that exact time, in that exact place. I then took her to a beautiful stream where she showed me the warrior inside and cleansed herself, a sword and swam with the beautiful dragonflies that showed up. I could not believe all of the magic that surrounded us that day. It was beyond anything that I could have planned or expected. When I asked Rachel how she felt now at this point in her life, she expressed that she felt lighter, more grateful and happy for the opportunity to continue on her journey. Thank you Rachel for our beautiful day together and being the wonderful soul that you are.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Rachel

Much Aloha to You,

Desiree

Sound Bath of the Wind

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I was very honored to get the opportunity to meet the amazing Rachael Webb since I have been inspired by her sound healing work for quite sometime. I was even more excited when she wanted to integrate her crystal singing bowls and crystal lyre into our Maui Goddess Project session. The story of her finding her voice and journey with sound once arriving to Maui is so beautiful. She has the gift of truly setting a tone that is incredibly serene and I was loving listening to it as the gusting winds of Kipahulu bathed us at the same time. We blessed the pond of Alelele with her crystal bowls and lyre then headed to the waterfall. She said a prayer as we entered the jungle, played with sacred geometry, held space for us with a white sage blessing and gave rose petal offerings to the falls. Days like yesterday remind me to continue this passion as the beauty that comes from this project never seizes to amaze me. Thank you Rachael for all that you offer to me, our community and the universe.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Rachael

Mahalo ~ Desiree

The Heart of a Mother

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I have known Lisa and Azuray since Azuray was around 5 years old. We all met on Maui and it was a sad day when they moved off island to Nevada City. We had the joyous opportunity to reconnect with them during our stay this summer over in California. Lisa has always been an inspiring dancer, drummer, gardener, mother and friend to me so I was so excited when she agreed to participate in the Maui Goddess Project. It was so amazing to see her daughter Azuray inspired when I offered her a session as well. They have such a sweet bond and we enjoyed ourselves on their 10 acre property tucked back in the woods. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and keeping the project going. You ladies are so special to me and my family.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Lisa

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Azuray

Much Aloha ~ Desiree