For many in Hawaiʻi, having a “blessing” performed is a common local tradition for occasions such as moving into a new residence, purchase of a new home or property, opening of a new business, and the like. The Hawaiian word for a “blessing” is “pōmaikaʻi”; and while it’s great to have such blessings bestowed upon, it won't always mean that the persons, spaces, and intentions are aligned to proliferate those “blessings”. People, places, and spaces are often subject to various energies and outside intentions that may block and interfere with the positivity and abundance that is desired to be created. As such, in Hawaiian culture, it was more commonplace to cleanse, clear, and purge in order to create an aligned and intentional result.
The ʻŌkupu Aʻe is a type of ceremony that includes cleansing and energetic alignment of places and spaces to cultivate and manifest the desired blessings. ʻŌkupu means: to sprout as seeds. Aʻe means: upward. The imagery here describes the upward sprouting of a plant’s seed; the germination and bursting forth of life.
This is not a “traditional Hawaiian ceremony”. Kahu Brutus has training and education in different spiritual modalities and Hawaiian culture. The ʻŌkupu Aʻe ceremony is a blending of these teachings and practices, infused with Hawaiian values. Spiritual Response Therapy (SRT) is used to cleanse and clear the desired space(s). Hawaiian oli (chant) is ritualistically conducted to ground and guide participants in the “planting” of their seed vision and intentions. Lastly, water is interwoven into the ceremony and used as a catalyst for sparking the growth of the seed vision.
Photos by Kris Labang Photography