A Divine Encounter
How talking to the Universe can lead you to unexpected experiences.
Heads up, I might be writing more than usual this week, as I feel the desire to write about my travelling experiences while in Hawaii for the next five days.
We arrived in Honolulu on Friday night. It was dark, so I didn’t see much when we were flying overhead and then driving to the hotel. As soon as we left the airport I could feel the warm, humid air, and I knew I had made the right decision to tag along on this trip.
The next morning, we woke up and headed downstairs to wander out for breakast. It wasn’t a long wander, as breakfast was in a building adjacent to the hotel, and as we made our way out we were greeted by a double rainbow with a moon sandwiched in between. It was beautiful! I understand why they call this the “rainbow state”. 🌈
The first day was just about settling in and finding my ground. I came here with my Dad who is working all week, so after breakfast I took the day to explore the area around the hotel.
He recommended I go to the Ala Moana mall which I told him I wanted to avoid because I didn’t want to spend my time in a mall on my first day, let alone be susceptible to the dangers of spending all my money! He said it was an outdoor mall though, so I decided to check it out. I must say, it’s definitely nice! Very open and bright, and quite lovely.
We don’t have Target in Canada and the last time I was in the United States I found some good items there. So I sauntered in and found some things I could use both here and back home, including a beach towel…which I definitely need here.
As I left Target, I realized it was not the same way I had come in and knew I was officially lost. I asked the Universe to guide me out of the mall so that I could find my way back to the hotel. Then I turned a corner…
Instantly, I saw an orgonite with the symbol “om” on it. 🕉️ It was filled with crystals representing the seven layers of the chakra system. Funny, I thought. I had seen the “om” symbol tattooed on a man in Target just moments earlier and have had the idea to get it tattooed on myself recently (maybe even while I’m in Hawaii), so I felt strongly guided to go into the store.
It turned out to be a Tibetan shop brimming with crystals, tapestries, clothing, and other items you would typically find in a metaphysical store. Ahh, it felt like home to me. 😌
The man running the store came up to me as I was looking at other orgonites and asked if I was looking for anything specific. I told him that I had noticed the coloured orgonite in the window with the om symbol on it, and so he went to go retrieve it.
He asked me if I knew about the chakras in which I replied with a big “yes”! I told him I practice Reiki and he became very happy about that, telling me that he had a gift for me. He proceeded to get a little package of quartz crystals that had the Reiki symbols on them. Wow. Another synchronicity, I thought. The night before, while on the plane, I had been drawing the Reiki symbols in my notebook while organizing notes for future Reiki classes I intend to teach. I thanked him very much for the gift.
We were talking about the chakras and chakra healing when we naturally gravitated towards the Tibetan singing bowls. He asked me if I had ever used one. I replied with saying no but that I had always wanted to. I have been considering buying a crystal or Tibetan singing bowl for a while now but never seriously researched which one would be best for me.
The man, who eventually introduced himself as Lobsang, was a young, but wise, Tibetan man. He told me he would show me how to use the singing bowl and I felt very delighted and honoured that he offered! Lobsang asked me to lay my left hand flat and to place the sound bowl in my palm. With my right hand, he asked me to hold the puja stick as if I was writing with a pencil. Then, he instructed me to apply pressure to the rim of the bowl with the puja stick, keeping my wrist moving in a circular motion.
I did as he instructed and sure enough, the bowl started singing. My wrist was flowing in motion and the sound was so beautiful, so powerful, that my whole body became covered in goosebumps and I felt emotions well up inside of me. I immediately felt connected to the bowl and the magic that it shared through its vibrations.
Lobsang seemed surprised that it worked so well and continued to tell me that most people can’t do it their first time and have to practice with both the motion and the pressure. That only affirmed the connection I felt with the bowl.
He started telling me a story about the mantra printed on the bowl that led to a half an hour story about Buddha. A story about Buddha’s discovery of suffering and how he had compassion for all sentient beings. A story about letting go of anger, not being lazy or overly comfortable in life, and being elusive to envy.
There were three times during his story that I felt extreme sadness and almost felt tears leak from my eyes. At those times, without me even saying anything to Lobsang, he affirmed the feelings I was experiencing by saying something like “and Buddha felt sad”. His story had me immersed in Buddha’s experience and it felt as if I was feeling what he had felt back in that time when he discovered his world of gold and jewels was not how the rest of the world experienced life.
As he was telling me this story, I had the singing bowl in my hand the whole time. I’ve never cared so less about the cost of something before. I didn’t ask him how much it would cost to buy (and singing bowls can be expensive) and told him I would take it with me.
He asked why I was here. To be honest, I was thinking the same thing as I was wandering over to the mall that morning. My life back home feels like a vacation already, so why did I feel the need to tag along on this trip at this time. Because I feel things deeply, I needed a deeper meaning than just a tropical vacation.
I told him I had jumped on an opporunity to come out here with my Dad while he was working on the submarines in town. But other than that, I didn’t really know why I was here. Lobsang said he felt like I was meant to be here for the elements that Hawaii has to offer; the rock from the volcanoes, the water in the ocean, and the jungle forest. He suggested I go for a hike in the forest and a swim in the ocean. He said that he felt like whatever I was meant to experience here in this magical place was to prepare me for a fresh start back home. I found that quite interesting as we’re entering the autumn equinox, just experienced a full moon lunar eclipse, and I have so many wonderful new things waiting for me at home. I resonated with his message.
After our chat, more people came into the store that he had to tend to, so I explored the store a bit more, adding things to my shopping bag, and left with both my purchased items and many gifts from Lobsang; both physical and spiritual. My trust in the Universe to guide me in the right direction led me to a metaphysical store, a Tibetan man, a story about Buddha, and some magical tools to take home with me. I am so very grateful for my connection to Source, Spirit, the Universe.
I ended the day on the Ala Moana beach and spent the evening with my Dad when he got off work. We went to Mai Tai’s for a a bite, a drink, and some live music. It was a perfect first day on the O’ahu island.
Namaste.
With Gratitude,
What a beautiful Singing Bowl!