Uli, also known as Uliuli, is the Mother of creation, as she is the wife of the Creator, Kane. She represents the female aspect of creation and is referred to as the Goddess of the Sun, Ka Wahine Ke La, Na Wahine o kea o, the resplendent Lady of the Sky and the Goddess of Serenity.
Only the most exalted kahunas could address her as Na na I A e which they had to use with great humility and reverence.
Uli’s Symbol
In the most ancient traditions of Hawaiian shamanism, or huna, Uli is symbolized as a round circle with two round eyes. When you meditate on the symbol, Uli is believed to send her calming and peaceful energy to clear any emotional, physical and mental obstacles. As the goddess of the life force or mana, she eases soothing and relaxing energy into the system, be it a physical body, a place or a problem, to smooth things out.
Mana or energy falls under Uli’s domain as without the goddess or feminine energy, Man, who represents physical form, is not motivated to take action without mana or energy. Uli is also thought to be the guardian of ancient Hawaiian symbols which were discovered in a parchment found around 1860 AD.
These symbols, including, hers are believed to shift consciousness when used in meditation, as well as charging the body’s life force, known in other cultures as chi, ki or prana.
Uli and Kane
Together, Uli and Kane produced three sons, Lono, the God of Fertility and Music, Ku, the God of Strength and war, and Kanaloa, the God of the Oceans and one of the water-givers, who are the primal deities in the Hawaiian pantheon of Gods. They also had three girls, Laka, Hina and Tapo who married the three boys. Laka ruled over music and dance Hina had many roles but popularly is referred to as the Goddess of the Moon and of Fishermen and Tapo was the Goddess of Light.
Just as Kane released living breath into men, Uli directed the living water that flowed in the breath of life into the women of the earth. The ancients also viewed Uli as the Goddess who perceived everything, both righteous and unrighteous, and used her all-seeing eye to know what rested within the hearts of ordinary men.
Initiation
Huna, or the ancient Hawaiian shamanism, means “secret” and its teachings were closely guarded especially in the 1800s when the ancient traditions were almost eradicated by the missionaries. It is gaining momentum globally and shares linkages with other esoteric practices around the world.
Uli’s symbol, like other ancient Hawaiian symbols, is thought to cause a shift in consciousness. However, to fully understand and access different dimensions of energy of power, huna believes in a process of initiation, a process of study with an elder and finding internal balance and responsibility, before being fully exposed to the secret body of knowledge.
The uninitiated can still make use of the symbol but its healing effect will only be limited to the individual. As the guardian of these symbols, Uli also ensures that the symbols are only used for purposes of good and are properly handled with respect and love.
Meditate on Uli’s symbol
When you meditate on Uli’s symbol, you invoke her name and you should feel the universal life force enter through the crown. In some aspects of Huna teachings, meditation is accompanied by a series of breathing exercises and visualization to picture being filled with living energy. Some recommended ten sets of 4 deep breaths each, preferably at a rhythm to match that of the beating heart.
Kahunas believed strongly in hours of meditation and breathwork before proceeding with prayers to the Aumakua or Higher Self, with such techniques facilitating the individual to perform healing or to change the fabric of the future. It is similar in intent to prayer, affirmations, the Law of Attraction or whatever form of manifestation one believes in, except that there is a greater emphasis on firstly uniting the different parts of self – the lower, conscious, subconscious and higher selves - to facilitate manifestation.
Another version of Uli
Bear in mind that there are different interpretations of the Hawaiian pantheon of Gods. This comes about because Hawaiian mythology is an oral tradition and few written sources have been preserved. In these other traditions, Uli as the Mother of Creation, is sometimes referred to as Hina or Ina and a lower goddess, Uli, is known as the goddess of magic and sorcery as well as healing.
In this school of thought, Uli is wife or sister to the underworld god, Manua, and her name means dark color and omen. Her most common form is the ulili or tattler bird, but she also takes the form of the plover, the bird which guided the first Polynesians to Hawaii. Her color was purple while the color for the Goddess of Creation was white.
It is important to appreciate the reverence with which the Hawaiians regarded their gods. As Huna gains in popularity, we will hear more about the roles these ancient Gods will play in our lives.
