Tag: mauigoddessproject

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

Cutting to the Core of it All

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Meet the beautiful Sarine and the lovely ladies that came fully prepared to support her clothing line Cut 2 a T Hawaii. It was so amazing to answer the call to photograph Sarine’s custom tops, leggings and bodysuits. The clothing was so fun to capture as each piece had so much personality and something unique about it. The beautiful backdrop of Kealia Boardwalk made for stunning lighting and great areas for the girls to bust out yoga poses & relax. It was so wonderful to promote the sisterhood we all share through each woman embracing the other and enjoying the moment. Please support all of these ladies in their endeavors and find Sarine at the Swap Meet in Kahului to check out her clothes. When she isn’t busy designing, you can find her serenading a crowd somewhere on the island as well.

Mahalo for having me….

I honor the goddesses in all of you ~ Sarine, Melanie, Cameron, Allarah, & Brandy

 

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

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.

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