Writer: Hoku Lani
Subject: The Ancient Sacred Form
Link: Tumblr / 27.03.2026
The Ancient Sacred Form
I am descended from a long line of witches, mystics and healers. All of us Hawaiians have it within our blood; however, most would never admit it, fail to recognize, or are too busy living in this time. I will share some of the pre-Western influence of Hawaii. Please read and offer your comments or opinions.
I will start with the ancient form of hula, called kahiko. It represents the ancient form that existed before significant Western contact. This is hula in its most sacred, ceremonial form. The movements are strong and deliberate, often performed in the low ʻai haʻa stance that keeps dancers connected to the earth’s power. That’s correct, elemental Magick.
The sound of kahiko comes from human voices chanting oli, accompanied only by traditional percussion instruments. The commanding pahu drum, the resonant ipu gourd, and other implements were played by the dancers themselves. No melody, no Western instruments. Dancers wear clothing made from natural materials – kapa bark cloth, fresh ti leaves, and woven lauhala. Everything connects them to the ʻāina, or islands, our land.
Ancient Hawaiian sea rituals often involved purification ceremonies, where participants would enter the ocean to cleanse themselves of past evils and set new intentions. These rituals were deeply spiritual, recognizing the sacredness of water and its connection to life and healing.
These days, when you go to any number of beaches, you’ll see locals making the sign of a cross on their chest as a way of asking a made-up entity to protect them while in the sea. This was not always the case as we used to make the signs of our aumakua, a personal or family god or goddess that originated as a deified ancestor, and which takes on physical forms such as spirit vehicles. An ‘aumakua may manifest as a shark, owl, bird, octopus, or inanimate objects such as plants or rocks. The word ʻaumakua means ancestor gods and is derived from the Hawaiian words “au”, which means period of time or era, and “makua”, meaning parent, parent generation, or ancestor generation.
So I ask, if have always been drawn to the sea, practice holistic medicine, perform rituals to honor Ancient Goddesses and Gods, practice casting of my negative energy, through Sea Magick, communicate with ancestral deities, I conclude I have more in common with sorcerers and witches than I do with a carpenter who died nailed to a cross, or any of the Abrahamic religions.
Proudly, I proclaim I am a follower of ancient arts and gladly say Salvete Lamia and Ave Satanas.