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Note: Due to the inconsistencies of fonts displayed on the web, the common diacritical marks have been changed to avoid confusion. The glottal stop is shown as an apostrophe (') and the stressed vowels have been left unmarked.

WHAT ARE MANA CARDS?
     Mana is a spiritual power that flows through the universe. When you possess great mana, your body, mind, and spirit radiate health and wholeness. Mana Cards connect you with the wisdom found in Hawaiian symbols and stories so that your mana may increase. The cards help you to explore your spiritual path or relationships, clarify goals, and manifest dreams. You can also use the cards to learn about Hawaiian culture.
     Each of the forty-four Mana Cards has a Hawaiian and an English name, an image that symbolizes its essence (surrounded by its various forms), a brief chant that activates its message, a teaching, and an interpretation. There are forty-four cards because the number four and multiples of four were considered sacred by ancient Hawaiians. The sacred invites you to transcend the realm of the ordinary in order to gain a new perspective. In this regard, Mana Cards are a sacred tool for divination, the process of interpreting symbols, to discover hidden knowledge about yourself and the world around you.
     Divination (hailona) was, and still is, a very important part of Hawaiian culture. In ancient Hawai'i, divination was primarily practiced by kahuna, priests highly educated and trained in a variety of specialties. Ancient Hawaiian divination included observing many different things: stone basins filled with water, the water of green coconuts, 'awa (a mildly hallucinogenic plant used in ceremonies and for healing), bubbles, flowers in rain water, special fires called kuni, gourds, animal parts, the flight pattern of birds, the behavior of animals and fish, fetal placentas, birth position, umbilical cords, birth months, moles and markings on the body, body sensations, smells, stones, dreams, clouds, rainbows, and other natural signs. Contemporary practices include opening the Bible randomly (wehe i ka Paipala), lot casting, dice and stone throwing, among others.
     Whatever tool you use for divination, it is important that you allow yourself to see things through a different perspective. A different perspective provides you with possibilities and opportunities that allow your mana to flow. As mana begins to flow, your consciousness will expand.
     In addition to using divination, Hawaiians also expand their consciousness by using language. Hawaiian culture has a strong oral tradition that includes stories, songs, and chants that are rich with hidden meanings called kaona. The hidden meaning of a word or expression, its kaona, can be discovered by breaking words into its root syllables, combining the syllables, and examining the meanings. These meanings are believed to provide insights into the nature of the universe. Closely related words may also contain clues for unraveling a kaona. The words related to each of the symbols in the Mana Cards have been examined in this way. Many of the teachings discuss a symbol's kaona in order to offer you a deeper understanding of the card's meaning and to help you decode the timeless wisdom that has been embedded within the Hawaiian language.  
   In the Hawaiian oral tradition, some stories continually change, while others are repeated exactly. Similarly, each time Mana Cards are arranged, the meaning of a symbol may change or stay the same, depending on where it appears in the spread and on the question that has been asked. The cards can be interpreted in many different ways, for several reasons. First, the way that you interpret a card will be influenced by your unique situation and experiences. Second, hidden meanings may be discovered when their message is appropriate to your situation. Third, Hawaiian culture is comprised of a variety of influences and traditions; each of these may use the symbol that the card is based upon somewhat differently. Fourth, Hawaiian culture itself is changing and evolving. It is not static and, like the human beings who create and are created by it, the culture changes over time.
    The word culture comes from "cultivate," which means to grow, to nurture. Culture also describes a way of life. The more that Hawaiian culture is shared, the stronger it becomes. The survival of traditional Hawaiian culture requires that the fragile Hawaiian ecosystem and resources be protected. Powerful yet vulnerable, traditional Hawaiian culture consists of beliefs and practices that facilitate a sustainable relationship with the earth.
     For example, taro cultivation (spelled and pronounced kalo in Hawaiian) was very important in ancient Hawaiian culture. Taro was one of the main sources of food in the Hawaiian diet and is one of the most nutritious foods known. Every part of the plant is used, including the starchy tuber which is used to make poi. Nearly 300 different kinds of taro have been identified in Hawai'i. However, due to over development and the impact of other cultures, today fewer than 400 acres of taro are being cultivated in Hawai'i. The scarcity of taro cultivation in the islands symbolizes the loss of a way of life that facilitates a harmonious relationship between people and the earth.
     The relationship of humans, land, and taro is discussed in the Hawaiian creation chant, Kumulipo. The chant says that Papa and Wakea, the earth-mother and sky-father, gave birth to the islands, the first taro plant, and the first human. Therefore, ancient Hawaiians believed that taro was their older sibling. The heart-shaped leaves of the taro plant symbolize the important connection humans have with taro, one another, and the earth. Taro cultivation is a way of caring for the land and replenishing Hawaiian culture. It is an example of aloha 'aina, which means "love of the land."
     'Aloha 'aina assures humans that the earth will care for them just as they care for her. Ancient Hawaiians gave the earth and the taro the same care and respect they offered to their elder family members, for that is exactly what she was, and still is. Like an elder family member, the earth offers her wisdom to those who are willing and open enough to receive it. The source underlying the wisdom of Hawaiian culture is the same source that inspired the creation of the Mana Cards. You may connect with this source through the cards or directly. That source is in the spirit of Hawai'i Nei. You can find it in her skies, her lands, her waters. You can find it in her fish, birds, animals, and plants. You can find it in her caretakers and teachers, past and present. It is to that source that this work is offered.