Dr. Janez Drnovsek, President of Slovenia with Dr. Rima Morrell, Presidential Palace, Llubljana, Slovenia, Dec. 2006.

March 2008

Well, this is quite a roller-coaster year, everything we left undone last year seems to be rising up and needing to be dealt with - quite a few people are finding that.

The President of Slovenia and a greater spirituality

In February I was very sad to find out from a friend in Slovenia that my friend, Dr. Janez Drnovsek, the former President of the Republic had died. I had interviewed him and we had a real connection. When we first met he burst out laughing and laughing for several minutes. He was really warm towards me (I thought he was always that way but apparently has a reputation for being cold) and I believe uniquely for a writer, even invited me to lunch in a castle, in the same dining room where he introduced President Bush to Vladimir Putin. He later entertained Prince Andrew of England and Prince Willem Alexander and Princess Maxima of the Netherlands there. It was a wonderful lunch, he was very intense, yet always courteous, a true statesman. We spoke about many things, some of which I will keep confidential. Yet he also trusted me to write what I want without going through his aides in the office, which is a great honour. In the grounds of Brdo castle, as the pine trees loomed in the mist, we said goodbye and I am sorry that we will never meet again.

Dr. Drnovsek was a man who was very successful in the world, he spoke six languages, helped found a country, was a master politican and statesman, and author of a scholarly book on the break-up of the former Yugoslavia, of which he was also President. After his terminal illness was diagnosed in 2001 he changed. He moved out of the Presidential Palace to a house in the mountains, changed his diet and spoke about the importance of using our intuition. He also set up a charity, made many visits to hospitals and even monasteries and wrote three spiritual books, which are not available in English yet, but are best-sellers in Slovenia and Croatia. He described the difference between his writings before and afterwards as that between 'my knowledge' and 'eternal knowledge'.

He was a man who went in his own way, which some people did not like after his 'remarkable spiritual conversion', but he was always true to himself and spoke out for what he believed in. Some people called him the Western Gandhi, and indeed in his last year in office he spoke at a conference on Gandhi in New Delhi and much of his life was very similar - he loved to meditate, ate simple vegan food and most importantly he really cared about the world, both people and animals. That became really clear at our lunch. His efforts didn't always work (Darfur is still an ongoing problem) but he did his best, and his intentions were always good. I would say that he was a man on the side of the angels who heard and followed the inner voice - so valuable in a political leader, and sadly so rare today. His last blog was written a few days before his death:

The President's last blog

''We are afraid of death?''
Because we are attached to material existence.

''But every existence is material!?
It can also be spiritual.

''What kind of existence is spiritual existence?''
The one that transcends the material one.

''How can it transcend it?''
By transcending attachment to it.

''Even attachment to life?''
Even attachment to life!

''If we are not attached to life, then we are at peace?''
Then we are at peace. We are not afraid even of death, let alone anything else.

''Is this the meaning we seek?'We seek such peace.
If we don't find it we are prisoners of fears and worries.

''But, does life without attachment to material truly make sense?''
Do fears and worries make sense?

''Besides being at peace, there must be something else that gives meaning to our existence!?'Indeed...kindness.

''Kindness?'
We must create good. That gives meaning to our lives.

''Thus peace and kindness?''
Peace and kindness!

Peace and kindness. Those were his last written words. "pocivaj v miru", go well into the light Mr. President.

Barack Obama and Hawaii

Another man on the side of the angels in politics is Barack Obama. I first heard about him on my trip to Central America last year, where the young Americans were so inspired by his speeches and said he was a leader like no other ... I'm not normally a betting girl but when I returned I placed a rather large bet that he would be the next US President. And if you are American do vote for him.

I have been following the run-up to the American presidential elections (how I loved these, when I used to live in America I was even able to go into the voting booth with an American scientist friend). I really missed not being in Hawaii for this round of voting. Not only did Barack Obama study in the same university in Hawaii as me, his mother also has a Ph.D. in Anthropology and believed in a greater spiritual reality, but not one that can be easily defined. I know many people in Hawaii who know him and his family. We both lived in Jakarta, Indonesia and used to hang out in the swimming pool at the American Embassy, so we have a lot in common ... I feel he would be a wonderful President, not least because of the brilliance of his book 'Dreams from my Father'. Not only is it very well written, I would highly recommend it, but it shows great insights and connections between different spheres, again so rare in a leader today Whereas Hillary Clinton is associated with her husband who apologized to the Hawaiians for the overthrow of their government in 1993, Barack Obama also supports the Hawaiian right to self-determination, so that in itself would get my vote.

Other News

Not much other news. Glad to have finished Travelling Magicallyand starting a new book. I've never found it so hard to write a book, but by the end I was really enjoying it. The new one is going far more easily. I guess I must have changed a lot in the ten years since I wrote the first version of TM. Also the 60 page resource section took up a lot of time, but it's great, lots of really useful stuff. Great to catch up with friends again and back to belly-dancing, hiking and other good stuff ...

Aloha,

Rima

December 2007

Well, doing some last-minute adjustments to my new book Travelling Magically as the publisher has changed, so they have a new way of doing things ... Judy Piatkus sold her outfit to Little, Brown, apparently they have very good distribution so hopefully everything will work out for the best, my book is advertised in W.H.Smiths already! The Huna books have been good steady sellers, and I get a regular flow of emails (thank you)! hopefully this one will sell more as the potential readership is far wider - travel is the biggest industry in the world. I say it's for flashpackers, backpackers, gappers, career-breakers empty-nesters - anyone who wants more verve and meaning in their life! I've really enjoyed reading some travel books for it, and there's even a whole new genre of 'spiritual travel' which has grown up since I first wrote it in the mid-nineties - why do Aquarians often seem to be ahead of their time???

Excited to find my first book The Sacred Power of Huna, is the 'conference book' for the International Assocation of Defense Counsels of America at their meeting on the Big Island in February, so a copy will be distributed to every delegate. They commented it was 'an anthropological perspective on the religion and customs of Hawaiian culture - an interesting read that is sure to lend itself to a lively and fun discussion. The book’s exploration of Hawaiian language and philosophy is a window into the universal mysteries of the human mind and soul. It is an easy read and sheds light on the magic we all will feel when we visit the islands known as Hawaii'. I'm sure learning more about Huna will be really good for defence lawyers - and their clients - and I'm really glad it's been described as an 'easy read' - that was my goal in writing it.

Looking forward to doing some skiing in Scotland, can't wait! To have a day on the slopes then nice open fire and company at night, nothing better! I must say Scotland does do Christmas and New Year jolly well ... Nice and cold now of course in Britain, I didn't used to like the winter until I changed my attitude, now I love it, although autumn still remains my favourite season.

Teaching a Huna course in London from January until March, so if there's anything you'd like more of in your life give me a call and come along.

A very happy celebration to everyone.

Aloha, Rima

October 2007

John Lennon Northern Lights Festival

Enjoyed one of the best weekends of my life at the Northern Lights festival in the very north of Scotland at the end of September. It was wonderful, wonderful. Perfect weather, with the sun shining on the north sea in the day and turning it into scoops of molten gold under the full moon at night. I went camping, and hung out with John Lennon's relatives and friends (he's always been a bit of a hero of mine). The same woman sold me sweets in the local village shop who sold them to John! Danced to the quarrymen, his original group in a cave by the sea and chatted to them afterwards. Danced to a rather Germanic Beatles Tribute band and saw Donnie Munro of Runrig, my favourite British musician today (he reminds me of Hawaiian music in his heart-piercing love for the land and his native language, Gaelic). I was also lucky enough to spend several hours in a car with him chatting, on the way back to Skye in a wonderful ride through the highlands, and hear more about the island from his native view. Everything flowed, and I even got the awful virus on my computer fixed effortlessly and new programmes installed for the grand price of a tenner! Just goes to show it's really good to have time off - it was my first time off since May. And I'm really glad now for the virus, or I might have thought I 'should' have carried on doing my book!

September 2007

Hard-working Summer of Writing

What a year! Have written my third book for publication, Travelling Magically: How to turn your journey into a life-changing experience, to be pubished by Piatkus. I'm excited about it, and it's been great fun writing, enabling to see a pattern to my early travels and spiritual quest I was maybe unaware of at the time. On a more mundane level it's enabled me to get in touch with some people again I met on my trips, also thank to the 'net which of course wasn't in use then. It has been great, finding out what everyone's up to now. It's much more personal than my other books, and holds the principles of Huna without necessarily stating them directly, so hopefully there'll be a wide market, particularly as it's the only 'how-to' travel book in the world. You will be able to order it from the website soon - when you order from me directly, not only do you get a signed and dedicated copy with my energy to help you expand your trip, but you also help support my chosen career path, so a twin win situation!It was actually the hardest-working summer of my life, including even when I finished the Ph.D! Gave talks on Huna and the charityin the Festival of Life in Islington, and I gave some oracle card readings. Met some lovely people - hiya! and had some visitors here up in Scotland.

Lots of Beauty

One interesting thing about this year is the weather has always been sunny wherever I've been! Interesting, because waaaay back in 99 I used 'sunshine' as a moniker on one email address. This year it's been lovely in London when I've been there and grotty when I've been away on Skye this summer, where we had a wonderful summer, and then good again in London when I got back in September, and bad on Skye. Interesting! But nice! And yes, a lovely October on Skye. Saw an otter in the ocean two minutes walk below the croft the other day when I was meditating. It was almost too beautiful, the blue sea seemed like it was in suspension and it blended into the blue sky. The only sound was the noise of the waterfall. You could have been in any century, anywhere in the world. Isn't it wonderful that beauty, and learning, aren't restricted to Hawaii?

Aloha,

Rima

June 2007

Had a lovely trip to the Pacific, even if it was not quite what I expected! Ate some lovely raw food in Los Angeles, bathed in the Pacific and Caribbean oceans and visited some old temples. Also had a wonderful trip down a river, and swimming behind the boat with crocodiles in the water, lizards walking on the water and toucans in the emerald trees. In America, got some insight on something that happened in India in the last century. So it was all perfect in the end, even if it didn't seem it at the time.

March 2007

Well, looking forward to going back to the Pacific, so photo above bringing back memories. It's snowing right now in Britain so some silky sand and sea will be wonderful. Not sure exactly where I'm going yet, but more fun that way! Been commissioned to revise my book Travelling Magically for publication in Britain, Australia and New Zealand in December 2007, so got a good excuse, not to mention more Polynesian books of course.

An interesting time in Britain, a bit like swimming through treacle in that things I want to move fast are actually going quite slowly. I really want to get away but about six separate things are holding me back. A bit annoying as I have to be back for lambing, but maybe there are experiences/ meetings I'm really meant to have in April that just wouldn't have been there in March. Huna is very much about making the best of whatever situation you find yourself in.

Spent a bit of time in Cambridge and been skiing in Aviemore in Scotland, which was great, even if very white, and got me thinking more about all the meanings of white of which I wrote about in the last chapter in The Sacred Power of Huna. Many thoughts too about water and emotion and all sorts of things. Wishing everyone a wonderful spring - or autumn - wherever you are in the world.

Onwards and upwards!

Aloha,

Rima