pond – Maui Goddess Project

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.

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