Tag: ceremony

Maui Goddess Project Chelsea Vitiligo Love

Love Yourself Inside & Out

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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

 

Embrace your Human~ness

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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

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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

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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

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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

A Refreshing Cleanse

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Maui Goddess Project is still here….

This lovely goddess Kira had been patiently waiting for our session to happen as it had been postponed due to two hurricane scares and children becoming sick. It is the reality that we deal with as life continues to unfold all around us. The morning that we finally were able to go into Iao Valley was the most beautiful day the island had seen in a long time. It was as if the universe was giving us a gift for our patience.

Kira and I hiked back into the sunlit valley connecting on many levels. She is an amazing dancer and yoga teacher as well as a mama. We came upon a tree that was next to a small gazing pond and we began to honor that place and sink into it. I captured Kira making offerings and prayers to our surroundings. She gracefully offered yoga and cleansed in the crystal clear waters of Iao Valley.

It was such a magical time. I joined her in a refreshing dip and remembered just how blessed I am to have the opportunity to create with goddesses week to week.

Thank you Kira for all that you do and all that you are.

I Honor the Goddess in You Kira

Much Aloha Always ~ Desiree

A Rose is Absolutely a Rose

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Many of you may have seen Rose before as the face of Infinity Photography Hawaii for years as she was the model for one of my favorite stylized wedding photo shoots years ago. We randomly crossed paths again at an event on Lanai where I got the opportunity to thank her for unknowingly supporting my dreams. She then shared with me how she is pursuing more of her musical interests and has been out and about performing regularly all over Maui. I was so happy to hear this and I suggested we give her some fresh photos and a Maui Goddess Project Session. We met at the iconic Old Maui High to play with the rain and an array of cute outfits she had chosen for the afternoon. We had some great laughs together and she is such a sweet woman. She was just as fun to photograph at Old Maui High as she was years ago. I am so blessed to be able to share these times with women going after their passions and I hope these images help them along the way. If you wish to hear the beautiful voice of Rose Renee, look her up online under Rose Renee Music. You won’t be disappointed.

I honor the Goddess in You ~ Rose

Much Aloha to you Always,

Desiree

 

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

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