Questions for Kimo:

It's all about getting noticed

in a sea of for sale signs. . .

Recently after discussing Home Staging and merchandising techniques with a fellow AR Home Stager. I made a comment that the property we were discussing was actually merchandised and NOT staged which solicited the comment,

Isn't Home Staging and Real Estate Merchandising essentially the same thing?

My reply was an emphatic, NO it's not! 

But isn't the purpose of merchandising to make a property for sale as appealing as possible to buyers which is what Home Staging is doing?

Yes, but there are major differences that place Staging and Merchandising in opposing trajectories when it comes to the ethos behind the design". At that moment it struck me, why not compile my previous Real Estate Merchandising posts into one Go-To post describing what Real Estate Merchandising is and is not. In celebration of hitting the 100,000 points milestone I though what better way to celebrate than a compilation of my posts describing what I do as a Merchandiser. Cheers!

Getting noticed... What Real Estate Merchandising is and what it isn't:

The TOP TEN Differences Between Real Estate Merchandising and Home Staging:Comparing Golden Delicious to Granny Smith. 

The Devil wears Prada and makes one hell of a Real Estate Merchandiser.

One Little Red Wagon Thats NOT Tied to Other Sinking Ships in the Industry!

Under Contract in Four Days: Why Real Estate Merchandising Gets Buyers Attention!

Is going turn key with a rental unit a good idea?

The Reality, not everyone wants what you got; the benefits of targeting your buyers... Philosophy of a Merchandiser:

Virtually Staged: The Kitchen at 909 Kapiolani, Honolulu HI 96813

Staging a Bedroom, Virtually Speaking: a Design and Merchandising Perspective.

The Master Bedroom: Virtually Redesigning the Boudoir (a la Nipponaise)!

Nu'uanu Hawaii, Virtual Master Suite Make Over Part II: The Master Bath

Sensuality is made manifest by the senses...Materials of a Merchandiser:

Finding the Right Fabric to Make it Fabulous! An upholstery and fabric field guide...

Pillow Talk: the artful placement of pillows vol I. beyond the fringe.

Pillow Talk: The artful placement of pillows vol II. piling practicum

Chairs of Character: A pictoral guide to stylish seating vol I. The British Invasion

Chairs of Character: A pictoral guide to stylish seating vol II. And then there's Mod!

Never under-estimate the power of blah to sour the deal... Understanding the use of Color:

Inspired Color, Hawaiian Style: Natures Paint Swatches Vol IV

Questions for Kimo: What color is Celadon?

Questions for Kimo: What is Windsor Black?

There are dangers lurking beneath the curb:

Ficus microcarpa, also known as Chinese Banyan, Malayan Banyan, Curtain figor Indian Laurel:  

Hawaii, Southern California and many other tropical climes around the world have just the right humidity levels to produce some of natures largest tree varieties of which The Chinese Banyan is excellent example. These gentle giants, with their sprawling canopies that soar as high as 60 feet in the air with a diameter that can reach hundreds of feet, are beautiful to behold and truly awe inspiring. These amazing trees produce aerial roots that over time will reach the earth and start another trunk, eventually expanding the size of the tree exponentially. Often called the "Tree of Life" these massive trees characterized by the tangle of exposed roots and dangling aerials provide safe habitats and sustenance to a multitude of birds, insects and small animals; so much so that they can create an Eco system all their own.  

Unfortunately for sellers and buyers, the Banyan can be the Bane of your home if you do not take precautionary steps to protect your investment from it's unmitigated growth. Paying attention to where a Banyan tree sits on a property is very important as both the canopy and root system can produce some annoying problems that can eventually lead to costly disasters unless nipped at the bud. It is important to remember that the root system and canopy expanse in most trees are roughly the same size. So what you see above your head you can safely bet expands in the same dimension beneath your feet. Banyans have an aggressive root system that quickly expands into porous material in it's never ending search for water. That means materials like concrete septic systems and sewer conduits are very vulnerable to roots that poke into the porous surface of concrete while searching for water. Once a root gets a foot hold in a crack or fissure it expands; cracking and eventually destroying the concrete allowing for more roots to move quickly into pipes and septic systems clogging them up with a jumbled mess of twisted roots. Roots that grow along the surface of the ground can tear up lanais, driveways, and foundations so it's best to keep a healthy distance between your home and any Banyans making sure to cut arieals, pull up seedlings and cut back the canopy if it begins to expand over the roof of the home. 

Banyans that grow too close to the home can cause other annoyances as well. Banyans produce a round berry fruit the size of a large marble that when ripe will drop to the ground or roof. Aside from the constant thud of the berries the seeds can stick in roofing and siding materials and begin to grow; destroying sections of roofing or siding if left unattended over time. In addition Birds who make their home in the canopy love to eat the berries and consequently "poop" at their convenience which means cars, yard items and outdoor furniture can get covered in you know what.

The Banyan Tree is a beautiful and amazing addition to any yard that is large enough to allow it to grow without it over taking the structures on it or beneath it. If you treat the Banyan as a member of the family; grooming it regularly, plucking and pruning and watching where it wanders. The bane can become a blessing; adding spectacular Curb Appeal to your yard.

Don't' Let the Mighty Banyan Be the Bane of Your Home! Curb Appeal Advice

Finding modern design trends in the past...ok, before recorded history...

Hawaii is arguably one of the best places to live in the world largely do to it's incredible scenic landscape and climate. Those of us who call Hawaii home spend much of our leisure time enjoying the great outdoors.  Creating comfortable living environments that transition from indoor to outdoor living is a popular design aesthetic here in the islands and as a designer I am often looking for products that help blur the line between indoor and outdoor living areas.  

I often look for organic shapes in furniture designs that echo the landscape, softening the transition from living room to lanai. Natural materials such as stone and wood are great design features but can be extremely heavy and cumbersome to move about. Recently I stumbled across this product that is as durable and organic in shape as stone but is light enough to move around and large enough to accommodate occasional seating in doors or out.  

The Pebble, designed by EIS Studio of Venice CA, is at once super modern and ultra Neanderthal at the same time, which lends itself to the notion that anyone could be an interior designer with these things and the outcome would look super chic. Each pebble can come in a variety of different colors and materials including cast stone, wood, resin, and fabric. You can pile them in a corner or line them up, arrange them around a table or set them by the koi pond. It's so easy a caveman could do it.

Who Did Your Home Interior? - A Caveman!

The Pebble can add a measure of modernity to your modern style staging project...

The Master Bedroom: Virtually Redesigning the Boudoir (a la Nipponaise)!

Creating a peaceful space away from the hustle and bustle of the outside world is usually the impetus when designing a Master Bedroom. There are many subtle factors that can be utilized in designing a peaceful and relaxing room that when combined, can harmoniously transform a space into the ultimate "Dream Machine". Our clients had been in the process of slowly updating their home room by room and had finally come to the Master Bedroom just in time for their retirement years. They wanted to make sure that they created a space that fit seamlessly into the context of their home and contacted JDS Consulting to help with the design work. Our clients expressed a difficulty in making design choices, mainly because that wanted to make the right choices and had difficulty envisioning what that might be. Virtual design can offer clients the luxury and comfort of seeing just what you might get before you commit.

Our clients had one request concerning accessories in the space and that was to incorporate some family Heirlooms and collection pieces consisting of some Noh and Kabuki Masks, A silk Phoenix Scroll, an antique Ivory lamp and a Buddha sculpture.

Master Bedroom Design A:

In this rendering The Master Bedroom color scheme is a monochromatic taupe with blacks, whites, tans, gold, and red coral as a contrast accent. Keeping to the Asian Modern style of the room we chose Japanese inspired bedroom furniture with clean lines and no pulls or hardware in a charcoal black. The head board is a Japanese gold leaf wood screen and is the focal point of the room. The bed spread is a matching taupe in a diamond quilt pattern. We suggested an armoire with drawers to replace the current gentleman's chest providing more clothing storage and to add height to the space. We suggested adding track lighting on a dimmer above the bed to provide superlative reading and ambient lighting, as well as, spot lighting for the art. The modern area rug is hand knotted wool in a gray and tan circular pattern to reinforce the modern geometric elements in the space. We use a accent floor lamp consisting of bundled branches to add additional interest and ambient light to the accent wall. The clients phoenix scroll hangs to the right, and the clients Buddha rests on the dresser.

 Master Bedroom Design B:

In the second rendering of The Master Bedroom the color scheme is a light gray with greens, browns, gold, and red coral as a contrast accent. This design leans more in the traditional direction of Asian Design but Modern elements are incorporated as well. We selected Asian inspired modern rosewood bedroom furniture with clean lines and a bamboo motif. The head board consists of antique lattice temple doors and draws the eye upward creating the illusion of higher ceilings. We utilized a simple white club chair in both renderings to provide a space to read or meditate. We eplained to our clients that the exact shape is unimportant as long as it falls in the Transitional Modern or Asian style. The Clients Masks and Phoenix Scroll are incorporated in this design and a vent-less gas fireplace has been added to provide warmth on cool nights as the Mistress of the house was prone to chills. The ventless fireplace uses gel fuel which is eco-friendly, as well as, smokeless and cost effective.

JDS Consulting: Hawaii Decor Design & Home Staging provides cost effective design solutions for your design needs.

Hedge rows can add lots of character to your curb appeal. Giving your yard the competitive edge with a flowering hedge row can make your property for sale stand out in a crowd. Aside from offering privacy, sophistication, and textured greenery, hedge rows can cover unsightly chain link fences and add color, fragrance and protection that buyers can appreciate.

If you live in a semi tropical to tropical environment and have a yard in need of some landscaping, you might consider planting some tropical flowering hedge rows to add some practacle pizazz to your yard. Here are some of my favorite hedges that are fast growing, easy to maintain and worth their weight in gold from a curb appeal perspective.

Jasminum Sambac:Here in Hawaii, Jasmine or Pikake(Hawaiian word for Peacock) holds an unrivaled reputation, as the Pikake Lei or flower garland is undoubtedly one of the most highly prized lei's known to modern Hawaii. Noted for it's striking resemblance to Ni'ihau shell leis, The unopened Pikake blossom is strung into pearl like strands and given as a greeting gift at special occasions such as weddings or birthdays. The fragrance of these leis can fill a room or yard and as such the Jasmine plant makes a wonderfull hedge row. There are many varieties of Jasmine but here are the creme de la creme.

Bel of India(pictured): In Hawaii we call this variety of Jasmine, DoublePikake. Highly prized for use in leis and perfumes, this rather rare Jasmine has double pure white blooms with a tinge of pink about 3 cm round and has an intoxicating fragrance. It has abundant shiny dark green leaves and it's creeping vines cover chain link fences wonderfully. It does, however, require yearly pruning to keep the hedge healthy and vegetative.

Grand Duke of Tuscany:Triple Pikake is the name we Hawaiians give this very rare and unbelievably fragrant flower. It is most often used in teas and perfumes. Resembling a densely packed miniature white rose, Triple Pikake blooms in Clusters of 4-5 cm blossoms. This creamy white flower packs an unbelievably amazing sent that will stop even the most obstinate home buyer in their tracks.  

Mealy bugs are the nemisis of Jasmine so take care to isloate infested plants and spritz them in a soapy solution of Dawn and water.

Bougainvillea Spectabilis: The colorful and bright Bougainvillea is native to Brazil but is found widely cultivated throughout the tropical and semi tropical regions of the world. Bougainvilleas are noted for their vibrant color array ranging from fuchsia to orange to white. This woody vine can be grown in a container in a sun-room, green house, or out of doors. Bright light is a requirement for strong sturdy growth as well as for prodigious flowering, and over watering should be avoided. Bougainvilleas can grow very large, quickly and respond well to pruning and shaping. In addition they produce very long thorns making the drought tolerant Bougainvillea the perfect hedge candidate; offering protection and beauty to the yard. Unfortunately, the Bougainvillea has no fragrance to speak of.

Nerium Oleanders:A near relative to Plumeria(Frangipani) and a member of the dogbain family, this fast growing fragrant flowering hedge, can reach a height of 2 to 5 meters with a width of 1.75m if not pruned regularly. Easily trained into a hedge row, Oleanders come in several varieties with long and narrow, dark to medium green leaves producing clustered flowers measuring 6 cm across. Oleanders do not grow with the density of foliage found in Bougainvillea or Jasmine but make a great hedge row, none the less. These drought tolerant plants need little watering and come in several colors ranging from white to pink to red. On the Continent, Oleanders bloom from May to October, in Hawaii they bloom all year long, however, there are fewer blossoms during the Winter months.

Oleander is concidered a poisonous plant to pets but I have never heard of any cat or dog paying any interest to the plant or ingesting it. However, to be on the safe side keep puppies and kittens away from plantings. 

JDS Consulting- Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.

Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2010

Mahalo Realtor Magazine!

Do Your Clients Bathroom or Kitchen Cabinets Need a Face Lift?

Often times a small remodeling budget precludes any cabinet updating save for a few coats of paint. If you have dowdy laminate cabinets, paint usually doesn't make the grade when trying to give an attractive update to an old kitchen or bathroom, mainly because laminate does not hold the paint very well and can peal off easily and or bubble in humid environments. The steam from your shower or boiling pot of pasta can ruin the paint job faster than you can say spaghetti carbonara.

As most sellers are under a tight budget these days a cost effective alternative to cabinet replacement or painting is hardwood veneer laminate. Not only does it improve the look of old cabinets it can add quantifiable value to your property for sale. I recently fell in love with a company called Treefrog that offers a surprising array of amazing exotic and modern hardwood laminates to compliment and enhance any interior space. Of course hardwood veneer laminates can be used in many applications aside from just cabinet refacing. Let your imagination run wild with Zebrawood or Wenge and take your Real Estate Merchandising to a whole new plain of posibilities.

 Learn more at treefrogveneer.com.

JDS Consulting- Hawaii Home Staging and Decor Design. Providing Real Estate Merchandising services including: Home Staging, Interior Decor, Turn Key, Landscaping, Remodeling, & Open House Hosting. Diamond Head, Kahala, Waikiki, Kapahulu, Kailua, Makiki, Tantalus, Hawaii Kai, Manoa, Nu'uanu, Ala Moana, Waialua, Haleiwa, North Shore, Kapolei, Makaha, Honolulu.

www.Staged.Homestead.com  Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

I love Halloween and up to a few years ago it was a month long event in my life; full of parties, entertaining, and dressing up in costumes, you know the whole nine yards.

Unfortunately, as of late I just don't celebrate All Hallows Eve like I used too but, none the less, I would like to share my enthusiasm for the holiday with my online friends; offering some heart felt treats I hope you enjoy. 

So please indulge me for a little while, find your inner child, suspend your sense of reality, and imagine yourself "Trick or Treating" deep in the Wallachian forests of Romania... Suddenly in the long dark shadows of the Carpathian Mountains you stumble upon my haunted castle... don't be afraid, I won't bite...hard.

So you Knock,Knock,Knock...Trick or Treat!
(In a thick and flowing Romanian Accent I answer the castle door)

Ah... children of the night...To all my Friendly Fiends, some thoughtful treats for your candy bag that won't rot your teeth...

I know what your thinking... it's tantamount to getting socks for Christmas but believe me these treats will entertain your brain longer than the sugar high you will get from all the candy your going to eat anyway. 

• The first treat is a most excellent Booook... ok, now open your bag, didn't your parents teach you any manners...ah that's better...yes I know it's Halloween and candy isn't everything"

The Haunted House on the Market:

What do Haunted Houses, Witches, Necrophilia, and a Realtor have in common? You'll find them all in this fascinating novel "Lullaby"by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of "Fight Club". I enjoyed this creative, funny, and poignantly profound novel about the nature of love, power and how human beings confuse the two. The premise of the book is about a journalist who stumbles upon a book of children's bed time stories that has the power to kill. He meets a Realtor who specializes in haunted houses and some witches who have an agenda of their own.

The second treat is a Vat of Brains, ha ha ha ha... Don't say eeeww, again with the manners...no your not supposed to eat it, it's a brain teaser...it's food for thought...that's right brain food.

The Brain in the Vat:

With all the political and societal blah blah blah these days it unnerves me to see our country bickering like the Bikersons; blaming this person or that about the state of our society, Real Estate market, government, planet, etc. There are a multitude of political pundits, talking heads, media personalities, and bloggers all claiming to know the real "truth", trying to out shout one another with their particular perspective as being the one and only correct reality. All the while assailing any other perspective as corrupt, conspiratorial, unqualified, insane, or satanic.

Well that got my brain thinking...

Remember the old horror flicks where the mad scientist cuts open the top of a persons head and removes the brain and suspends it in a vat of life-sustaining liquid, and through electrodes connects it to a computer that provides electrical impulses identical to those the brain would normally receive. The computer would then send electrical input to the brain resulting in the brain sensing a virtual world full of sights, sounds, tastes, etc.

The disembodied brain would think that it had a body, arms, legs, eyes, and could move about in the computer generated environment without any ability to distinguish that in fact it was just a brain in a vat. Well it's not all science fiction. The brain in a vat is also a philosophical tool used in experiments of the mind to examine our collective ideas of knowledge, reality, and truth.

The whole idea behind the brain in a vat concept is the notion that ALL perceived reality is potentially false and what we believe to be FACT is merely a figment of our imagination. In other words if our perceived existence is simply the exchange of electrical impulses from sensory organs to the brain and those impulses can be created without the use of sensory organs which is what happens when we dream, then how can we really know for certain of what the truth really is? Does the brain really have the ability to know for sure it's understanding of reality is in fact real? Can it effectively tell the difference between, reality, dreaming, or whether it's merely floating in a vat in a mad scientists laboratory? The answer is no it can't. Sorry Bill O'Rielly, Bu-aha-ha-ha? Think Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" or the film The Matrix.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Young Frankenstein by the comic genius Mel Brooks this is a topical out take from the film for your enjoyment.

The third Halloween treat is a ghastly ghost story from Hawai'i... it's based on a true story that I have embellished slightly for dramatic purposes... no I don't have any candy... yes I'm sure... if you don't keep quite I'll send you to my neigh-boo-r the Count...No he doesn't have any candy either you little junk food junkies, SILENCE before I turn you all into to toads... don't make me reach through the portcullis...

Lets Talk Ghost Story:

The story begins after midnight on a dark moonless night in Honolulu, May 19th 1959. An ambulance rushed it's way down sleepy Beretainia St. towards Queens' Medical Center, as a young woman, writhing from an apparent nervous break down lay strapped to the gurney in back. The paramedic, hunched over the patient, tapped the excess sedative from the hypodermic and pushed it adroitly into the frantic woman's arm as she struggled against the leather straps that securely bound her.

Babbling incoherently she arched her back as her head strained and convulsed from side to side; her dilated pupils made her eyes look like black coals, bottomless, full of terror. "She had no face!" She cackled, "she...no nothing...nothing there..." her voice trailed off and a few moments later the woman's overwrought neck and back relaxed and she lay motionless as the opiates pumped through her body, quieting the nervous system. Her eyes fluttering shut as her frantic heart began to find it's way back to it's normal beat.  Her clenched jaw relaxed and fell slightly open, simultaneously her grip released what she had been holding in her bloodless fist since the paramedics first found her.

The crumpled ticket stub precipitated to the floor skirting under the gurney. The paramedic reached down and scooped it up. It was saturated with sweat but the blotted lettering was still legible, the paramedic un- crumpled the stub hoping to find a clue as to why the woman went off the deep end in the middle of a movie. During the frenetic call he neglected to see what was posted on the marquee, perhaps it was a horror film. They had found her in the woman's restroom on the floor; her arms pushing her knees tightly to her chest. She was barely breathing, as white as a ghost.

Waiala'e Drive-In Theater 11:00pm, the stub read the rest was torn away. The theater manager said they had heard screams and a desperate pounding coming from the ladies restroom but the door was locked from the inside. When he finally returned with the key they found her alone, passed out. When she came to she gripped the managers hand and frightfully recounted the horror she experienced before lapsing into a catatonic state. "Some-ting bout' a wahine(woman) wid long red hair", the manger tentatively repeated to the ambulance driver as the paramedic pushed the gurney passed the two of them, "some wahine was already in the lua, standing at the mirror ya, combing her long red hair when dis' poor girl go to use the lua, the red hair wahine turn and look at her but she have no...the hum of the ambulance engine drowned out the managers words as the emergency lights flashed against the projection booth wall.

Speeding through the deserted streets cloaked in darkness the sirens wail reverberated into the quiet neighborhoods of downtown Honolulu as the black slope of Diamond Head and its imposing presence diminished slowly behind them. Scratching his head, the paramedic looked toward the driver who intently stared at him through the rearview mirror. The ambulance rambled through a red light and continued down the empty street.

"Mujina", the driver eventually blurted out nervously. The paramedic looked inquisitively at his partner, vaguely remembering stories from his youth told by the Kupuna about the ghostly Mujina but it was just folklore, tall tales to scare the Keiki. "My Tutu talk story ya..."the Ambulance pitched to the left as it turned right onto Punchbowl St.

"In Japan", he continued his eyes staring toward the port au chair at the hospital entrance."they call em' Noppera-bo, they look human but not quite... Shape shifters ya, look human but no face". The ambulance turned abruptly into the hospital drive, "No eyes, no nose, no mouth, ya... this girl got a real shock whatever she saw... scared her real good...almost to death ya bra. The paramedic finished buckeling the last strap on the straight jacket as the rear ambulance doors flew open. Two hulking orderlies grabbed the gurney as the retractable carriage clattered open and dropped errect to the pavement.  The wheels, twirling, repositioned themselves in the the direction of the psychiatric ward, as the two hulks passed slowly through the empty hospital hallways.

The faceless ghost known as a Mujina or Noppera-bo has been spotted several times in places as far away as Hilo on the Big Island. Since the Waiala'e Drive-in Theater demolition in the 1980's the Noppera-bo has been spotted at the women's restroom in Macy's at the Kahala Mall, Zippy's Restaurant and other lua's located near the old Kahala cemetery. It is beleived that the malignant entities purpose is to frighten it's victims and will wait for the perfect opportunity to do so. So watch out ladies next time you go to the toilet you never know who might be waiting for you. Boo!

Spooky Fun & Tasty Treats: Happy Halloween!

Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009

Before western contact mental illness was virtually unheard of in Hawaii. There are several accounting factors for this including: a culture that was very open, accepting, loving, nurturing, and more apt to respect ability and natural talent over discriminating views toward gender or sexual preference. However, the primary reason for the astounding mental stability of the native Hawaiian population is the tradition known as Ho'oponopono; the literal translation of which means "to make right".

In ancient Hawaii there were three distinct classes: the Ali'i or chiefly class of nobles and royalty; the Maka'ainana, the commoners; and the Kahuna which was a broad selection of professional specialists that included master crafts-persons, healers, herbalists, hula dancers, agricultural geneticists, net makers, canoe builders, architects, interior designers, doctors, genealogists, navigators, soothsayers, priests, psychiatrists, kapa cloth makers, feather workers, and the list goes on. Over many centuries a multitude of specialized professions developed as the needs of the community dictated. These highly skilled and knowledgeable professionals formed hui's or guilds so that they could transfer their knowledge and skills to only the most qualified students who would, in some cases, be hand picked during childhood.

In ancient Hawaiian society children were closely observed virtually from birth by the Kahuna and their interests and abilities were duly noted. Those children, who displayed particular talent or precosiousness in any of the various diciplines would be introduced to rudimentary instruction. If the child excelled he would be enrolled into that particular field and would spend many years learning the many aspects involved in his or her trade. Only the most skilled and accomplished students would graduate and receive a master accreditation. These master Kahuna were the ones that were bestowed with the Huna or secret of the trade which allowed them their miraculous abilities. Missionary ignorance and influence resulted in laws being passed that made some Kahuna practices illegal and it wasn't until the mid 1970's that laws condemning the Kahuna were lifted completely from the law books.

One such Kahuna designation was the Kahuna La'au Lapa'au or the psychiatric and homeopathic specialist. The knowledge of the Kahuna La'au Lapa'au embodied the spiritual, as well as, a well source of information garnered from a millennium of observation. Hawaiian psychiatric understanding was very similar to Carl Jung's but superior in many ways due to the extensive "clinical" research passed down over the centuries and the virtual absence of mental diseases in Hawaii. Ho'oponopono or the process of "making things right" is an astounding psychiatric marvel that relies on a profound community based interaction with the afflicted and not drugs as is popular today. The root of mental illness was addressed as a community issue and required the full participation of the patients family and community. It required the entire community's participation in what might be considered an intervention of intense scrutiny that necessitated every-ones personal accountability, not only the patient's. The intervention would last some times for days at a time were no one could leave until the disease was dispelled; Aloha was the foundation for this healing.

To find out more about this fascinating aspect of Hawaiian homeopathic healing please join us -

Ho‘oponopono Workshop 

Presented by: Keala o Kalani*

Date:        Sunday, September 27, 2009

Location:  McKinley High School Library

Time:        9 am to 4 pm (registration at 8:45 am).

Contact:   Ramsay Taum, ramsay@sustainhawaii.org ; 808.394.5557

This Ho'oponopono workshop will feature the Hawaiian practice of healing, balance and stress release as it was updated and taught by Kahuna La'au Lapa'au Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona.  This is presented as a community service which means there are no fees.*

Please feel free to pass this on to those you think might enjoy or benefit from this special gift passed on by Auntie Morrnah.

This workshop is not affiliated with McKinley High School so please direct any inquiries directly to Kumu Ramsay Taum via email or phone, 394-5557. Space is limited.  The room tends be very cool so a sweater or light jacket is recommended.

O ka maluhia no me oe. E malama pono.

Ramsay Taum

e-mail: ramsay@sustainhawaii.org

* There is no cost for this seminar; donations are welcomed.

Keala o Kalani is a 501(c)(3) Hawaii private non-profit.

 Before Zoloft there was Ho'oponopono: Hawaii's Practice of Healing Mental Illness!

Kimo Stowell Copyright ©2009