1.01.2019

Madam Pele in all her glory

Informant: Male/66/Caucasian
Location: West Maui

It was in the summer of 1984 and my first trip to Hawaii with my Great Aunt who had retired recently. We booked a flight/hotel deal and first landed in Honolulu for a couple of days. I can't recall which islands came after that on our trip, but this encounter with Madame Pele happened on Maui just after a snorkeling trip over a reef.

Seems to me the bay was fairly large and had a rip tide that day. I had a boogie board, fins, and snorkeling mask as I bobbed along backwards watching the sea life and corals when I looked up and was almost pulled out of the bay and was suddenly in deep water. I swam sideways to my left to get out of the riptide and then was only a few feet above the coral. It tired me out even at that shallow depth swimming back to shore. I made it to shore, but was very tired even at 32 years old and knowing how to swim.

I came up the hill where my Great Aunt was sitting and watching me quite concerned whether I was going to get back okay. I sat down on the blanket to rest and still had my snorkeling mask on my forehead holding the flippers when Madame Pele made contact with me. I did not see her, but heard her speak to me telepathically. She identified herself right away and knew I had a great respect for her even though she was only an island myth up to that point with me. I read some years before of people having seen her and a white dog together but didn't believe or disbelieve them.

I know she's telepathic because she scanned my Great Aunt and said or thought to me, "Your Aunt Grace is a non-believer. Would you like to have some fun with her tonight at the Luau?" I said, or rather, thought,"Sure...I'm game, what do we do?" Pele said "When you drive into the Luau , the moment your wheel leaves the road I am going to stop the wind from blowing at the Luau. Have your aunt pick the moment as I will be watching. When you leave, the moment your wheel touches the pavement I will start the wind blowing again! Let Grace decide when the time is right." I agreed and told my aunt what just transpired with Madame Pele. Pele has a marvelous sense of humor from what I experienced with her even though my aunt was a skeptic. I thought to Pele', "We're going to the Luau in your honor tonight to celebrate our new friendship!" Aunt Grace never thought much of any paranormal or new age material period and referred to it all as "That old Hoo-Doo stuff."

All this took place about mid afternoon perhaps around 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. I turned in the snorkeling equipment and we went to lunch afterwards for a quick bite before the Luau that night. We wanted to drive by it in the daylight rather than miss the turnoff at night. We drove by the Luau location but did not pull in. We did some sightseeing for a couple of hours and around dusk we headed for the Luau. It was still daylight and fading fast when we arrived. I told my Aunt that Pele was waiting and watching and the wind would stop the moment we drove into the Luau. I waited on Grace to call it and she said "Now...go now! No WAIT!" I said "Make up your mind this time!" She hesitated a few moments watching the wind blow and said."Now...GO NOW!" The instant the front wheel left the asphalt and onto the Luau property the wind suddenly died down as if someone had unplugged a giant fan! It was truly amazing to see.

As we found a parking spot and walked into the activities going on watching the native Hawaiians mingling and getting ready to take the pig out of the pit. Someone was taking photos and as I was standing among some Hawaiian guys I heard one of them say "This is weird how the wind has stopped over the luau but is blowing further out!" I said "What you are seeing is the hand of Pele at work! This is Madame Pele's doing." They all looked at me askance but couldn't get over the wind behaving so strangely. I told them it would start back up again when we left after the luau was over. Anyway, we had a great time and soon it was time to leave. We were in the last group to leave and I stopped on the gravel road and said "Okay Grace, it's your call. When the tire touches the asphalt the wind will start up again! Call it." She looked around again at the windless area and back at the road and said "Go now!" As soon as the wheel touched the pavement the wind suddenly blew strong again and did so all night long. Aunt Grace became a believer that night.

A second encounter with Madame Pele occurred later when Mauna Loa erupted while I was back at home in East Tennessee. While we were at Kilauea, we wanted to see the crater and hopefully some lava. There came a cold blowing rain and all we saw was steam and fog. Everyone fled to the Sheraton to get something warm to drink and sit by the fire. I was naturally disappointed as I wanted to see Pele "In Her Glory" with the lava and an eruption. I didn't say anything about it other than to my Aunt Grace and we flew home a few days later.

One night I was asleep in bed in the wee hours of the night when I felt some benevolent energy lift me up and out of the body and up high into the night sky. It pulled me Westward and over the United States and half way across the Pacific Ocean it seemed until I was parked above Mauna Loa in the dark. I could see the lights of cities and communities in the distance with me being twice the height of the volcano. I thought "What in the world am I doing here in Hawaii above Mauna Loa?" Then a voice I recognized as Pele said "NOW Behold Pele IN HER GLORY!" At that moment Mauna Loa let loose with a terrible blast and lava spewed up in the air like a giant 4th of July rocket. I was awe struck and humbled at the same time. Excited as I could be, I said "Thank you my friend Pele'!" I woke up in bed crying.

After I woke up, I walked into the kitchen and saw my aunt Grace sitting at the table in morning daylight where it was yet darkness in Hawaii....I said "Mauna Loa just erupted...you know...that huge volcano above Kilauea."  She asked me how I knew that. I said "Pele took me over there and showed me just as it went off a few minutes ago!"  Just then the radio announced "This just in from Hawaii: Mauna Loa has erupted in a fiery display of nature!" Aunt  Grace thought I heard it on the radio. I said "How could I have heard it on the radio if it just now is being announced?"