In "The Seven Dawns of the Aumakua, " author Moke Kupihea discovers his Hawaiian spiritual tradition. As a young boy he seeks out his "kupuna, " the old men of the mountains, who become his "kahu--"his ancestral guardians--and teach him to understand that the world of ancestral voices still speaks, if only in a whisper, and that learning to hear these voices is the key for returning Hawaii to its proud spiritual path.

Valeri presents an overview of Hawaiian religious culture, in which hierarchies of social beings and their actions are mirrored by the cosmological hierarchy of the gods. As the sacrifice is performed, the worshipper is incorporated into the god of his class. Thus he draws on divine power to sustain the social order of which his action is a part, and in which his own place is determined by the degree of his resemblance to his god. The key to Hawaiian society—and a central focus for Valeri—is the complex and encompassing sacrificial ritual that is the responsibility of the king, for it displays in concrete actions all the concepts of pre-Western Hawaiian society. By interpreting and understanding this ritual cycle, Valeri contends, we can interpret all of Hawaiian religious culture.

Researching Hawaiian stories and speaking with Kahuna trainees resulted in this beautifully colored deck of 36 cards and an illustrated book of guidelines. When all 36 cards are laid out in a "reading", they reveal personal patterns in present events. By observing the relationships of various cards and colors in the spread -- and by understanding what they represent -- we can see deeper, archetypal levels within ourselves, learn to refocus diluted energy patterns, and be more in touch with our natural intuitions.

Everyone will lose a loved one in their lifetime and most will find any way they can to cope with that loss. On a typically beautiful Hawaiian day, two unlikely best friends, Kalani and Billy, decided to sail to Kauai for a wild and adventure filled weekend with their girlfriends. The trip began smooth enough and the weekend was the most memorable adventure any of them had at this point in their lives. On the return trip however disaster struck in the form of a concentrated sea storm which sunk the boat leaving but one survivor. Alone, but not, in the Pacific Ocean, visitors appeared in the form of a beautiful Green Sea Turtle, a Red Footed Boobie bird and lastly by an Oceanic White Tip shark. "My Aumakua" is a wonderful adventure through life, love, friendship, loss and the beauty of the Hawaiian culture and spirit. JDO

Collecting Aumkua #1-2 and MANA DOUBLE FEATURE #1- Geckoman: One Small Deed