Getting to Know Hawaiian Goddess Pele

I was recently visiting Oahu, and of course, I tuned into lore about the famous Hawaiian Goddess, Pele. She's still an enigma to me, but I look forward to getting to know Her better.

Goddess of the Volcano

Pele's symbol is the volcano, which perfectly illustrates Her nature of being both creator and destroyer. A volcano, when it erupts, destroys all in the path of its lava. But once it cools, it forms new earth.

Pele is a lot like Kali in that She shows you what's not working in your life and helps to burn it away. In some cases, literally. I knew a woman who lived in Hawaii whose farm went up in flames. Being attuned to the Divine, she took this as a sign that it was time for something new, and headed to Montana and beyond to find her new life.

Pele isn't a sweet and gentle Goddess, though She does have your best interests at heart. It may seem rough for Her to destroy aspects of your life, but if you look back, you'll likely see that this needed to happen for you to move forward.

Honoring Pele

I was warned not to take lava rocks from the island, as it would invoke Pele's Curse. Bad luck is said to befall anyone who takes lava from Hawaii, and many people have mailed their lava rocks back in an effort to stop the very-real bad luck.

I was careful not to take any lava, and I left her a small offering on the beach at Chinaman's Hat.

Pele is a great Goddess to work with if you have emotional baggage or situations that are no longer working for you and you need a swift kick in the butt to move forward!