Happy Alohalidays from Antarctica! Blissings for a wonderful Winter / Summer Solstice Season to All! Mahalo for your beautiful birthday wishes—as well as continued blessings on my miraculous journey for health and healing.
As I begin remission in gratitude for the healing powers of dance, plants, music, mindfulness, meditation and so much more, I am ready for my reemergence from the chrysalis! And invite you to join me on the next curiosity quest in this weird, wild and wonderful world.
This year, I celebrated my singularity, survival and another spin around our star in Antarctica while fulfilling my remission mission to #DanceThePlanet for Self and Climate Care Awareness!
Following five years being bedridden with a debilitating neuro disease—plus three years of intense integration post-plant medicine—I discovered such an abundance of insights about the sacred symbiosis of our inner and outer environments that I now feel called to share it with the world.
With the #DanceThePlanet Project, I ecstatically express my intention to invite and inspire individual empowerment towards conscious creation and consumption while enjoying our Earth and everything in it.
—Conscious Creator + Empower Mentor, Star Zen Wave
Born on the shores of Kaua’i where the sands meet the sea, I’ve been practicing mindfulness in motion (which I dubbed Dynamic Dance) to help heal myself while gaining strength, endurance and empowerment in the process.
Science has shown us that dance leads to longevity, so with Dynamic Dance (done alone or with others—pets love it, too!), the body is free to lead the way without judgment. All in a present and substance-free space full of substance! Even when disabled, we can imagine ourselves dancing—and watching others stimulates our mirror neurons to respond in return, strengthening our neuro pathways towards healing, growth and joy.
With this mission, I also aspire and commit to reduce my carbon danceprint in all areas of my life through sustainable (and ultimately regenerative) practices—all while in perpetual motion to mindfully explore our macro and microcosmic worlds.
—Saying-It-Out-Loud-to-The-Universe, Star Zen Wave
This new endeavor to share what I’ve discovered through the power of dance, plants, music, mindfulness and meditation begins with filming the documentary DanceArctica: A Heroine’s Journey to the Ends of the Earth.
On this voyage, I also intend to illuminate Earth’s need for attention towards towards her fragile ecosystems, particularly in the Antarctic —not unlike my personal journey to wellness and wisdom following a wake-up call to change.
In alignment with this intention, our amazing Universe also gifted us with a total solar eclipse on this year’s ReBirthday—this time practically off-planet in the awe-inspiring Antarctic! This marked the third and final solar eclipse in my lifetime on 4 December due to a rare synchronization in the Metonic cycle.
So as an amateur astronomer since age eight and avid eclipse / celestial-event chaser receiving this exceptional opportunity, I just had to heed the challenge! (Some of you may remember my six-week solo backpacking adventure to Australia 19 years ago for my 24th orbit in 2002, as well as being blessed with other eclipse expeditions beginning with the first Ozora Festival in Hungary in 1999.)
Connecting through Chile to hitch a ride aboard Hurtigruten’s hybrid sustainable science expedition ship alongside the fantastic folks from at Sky & Telescope, professional naturalists and citizen scientists from around the globe, we explored this wondrous world with the utmost respect and care for the terrain, wildlife and waters as we traversed the newly-recognized Southern Ocean and beyond—all whilst practicing strict pandemic protocols, sustainable practices and other protective procedures to limit our impact on this precious and pristine environment.
Life is definitely a dance, and while there’s no way to physically exist without making some sort of impact, I hope to make a positive and enriching one as I experience, explore and express my creativity for those who cannot.
—Dynamic Dancer, Star Zen Wave
I’ll be sharing more details on this expedition, as well as ways to responsibly and joyfully tour our world via my vlog in the days to come, yet to learn more specifics on the MS Roald Amundsen as well as The Hurtigruten Foundation’s efforts to explore more mindfully, please visit their website for details.
In an abridged version, the entire experience was truly a magnificently majestic and magical moment in space and time that I feel immensely blissful, blessed and grateful for. My intention is to share this extraordinary adventure with all of you through the lens of my personal transformation story in my dance, plant and music medicine documentary, DanceArctica: A Heroine’s Journey to the Ends of the Earth.
I especially wish to acknowledge the talents and support of the spectacular Leslie Barbaro, another amazing adventurer who bravely accompanied me to capture this ambitious quest on camera! Thank you again for all your Aloha!
We all possess the power to change our worlds by being the change we wish to see. It all begins within and with our individual daily choices—choices to conjure and connect with the courage to change and learn and Love and grow that can then ripple out—and flow even more so with sustainable support, connection and community.
As Jane Goodall expressed (in the mantra on my mirror!)…
You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
—The Extraordinary Awesome Earth Enthusiast, Jane Goodall
Should anyone care to contribute to help make a difference with this vision, support this cause and create jobs for other mindful creators to work on this monumental mission, a 501(c)3 nonprofit Foundation is being established to raise tax-deductible donations for the extensive post-production process.
In the meantime, I am accepting contributions via Venmo @StarZenWaveCreationsLLC which is licensed as a healing and humanitarian arts entity in the States of Hawai’i and Delaware. I have been working with survivors for nearly three decades, and am grateful for your generous support so I may continue this calling as just one individual in remission with a mission!
Your generous funding will help transform the DanceArctica documentary dream into a reality to show that true healing is attainable—while also paving the way to make future projects possible.
And if you are unfamiliar with the science of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) that is at the foundation of this process and would like to learn more about this powerful tool for living, please click HERE to get the skinny.
In addition to the documentary, I am investing everything I have into manifesting the mission’s vision. Some of the projects that are currently in development include:
- Continuing my Mindfulness training and work alongside trauma, abuse, addiction and chronic illness survivors
- Exploring the latest neuroscience to design and develop new Mindfulness-based techniques such as Dynamic Dance Medicine and other movement meditations for healing
- Healing Through Haiku, an illustrated book of inspirational poetry with guided practices (see the BLOG for the dharma talk transcript sneak peek)
- Establishing and managing a online presence and vlog to make all these endeavors accessible across the world
- Creating original artwork and musical compositions using Nature and science-based sound healing frequencies (check out this NIH-published study as well as MIT and Harvard research findings, along with my SoundCloud in 432 Hz)
- Interviewing individual experts in the science, spirituality, psychology, philosophy and creative communities
- Supporting plant medicine research, development and policy progression for respectful, responsible and ethical use of these sacred medicines
- Sharing fun ways to mindfully create and consume through the joys of plant-based nutrition, saving $ while saving the planet, caring for ourselves as we commune with Nature and many more subjects in sustainably and beyond
- Working locally with community in grass-roots ways to connect people with resources and resources with each other
- And finally, providing Kaua’i-based trauma-informed / substance-free / sober-safe groups, workshops, dances and retreats for mindful individuals as well as virtual and vicarious ventures complete with scholarships for those chronically ill, bedridden or otherwise limited in their abilities to connect with others and Nature.
To follow along on this expedition of expansion, much of the current content will be available via INSTAGRAM; please also stay posted for an updated Patreon page, YouTube channel, wedbite and other avenues to remain involved as these projects evolve!
And as always, I commit to continue donating 10% of all profits to charitable organizations and causes I believe in, such as YWCA Kaua’i and Malama Kaua’i. These are just two of the amazing charities that have personally helped me on my journey to wellness as a survivor and thriver through many life challenges—experiences that in the end I am grateful for as they have helped shape who I am and choose to be today, inspiring my individual empowerment to heal and grow and evolve in healthy ways as I commit to giving back to our community and beyond from a place of Self and Universal Love, compassion and abundance.
Special shout-outs are also in store for my Sangha sisters and brothers and others with The Present Center for Mindfulness & Healing for always believing in me with their kindness, compassion, inspiration and encouragement! Aloha Love to you!
Finally, I give gratitude for The Force of Nature, my Creator and the Powers of The Universe that made all of this possible as I keep handing my compass over to my High Herself and Power with surrender and trust and acceptance in the outcome! And to my beauteous sister, Ann, for all of her support, strength, courage and Love. You inspire me!
—Grateful Giver of Gratitude, Star Zen Wave
And so many more of you to acknowledge in the days to come! I haven’t forgotten any of you as I’m just getting going!!! Thank you to everyone for your understanding, support and patience as I focused on my personal process towards this meaningful work.
With so much rapidly evolving, I am also accepting applications for additional support should anyone wish to intern, donate or trade their talents towards this purpose as we await further funding for paid positions. I know in my heart that all will align in divine time with the most amazing individuals on this planet, so if you too feel called to collaborate or contribute to this collective cause, please private message me to participate!
However our stars align, many blissings for a beautiful day and beyond, and Happy Alohalidays to you and yours!!!
Now the next Great Adventure awaits us All. Be it bearing witness to a Sun or Moon or Star rise; going within to learn and know and Love and grow; or beginning your own business with passion and purpose.
—Inner + Outer World Explorer, Star Zen Wave
We need not wait for a wake up call to awaken. What would you do if given another chance? Dance is in our DNA and Earth is Our Dancefloor—and I choose to dance with every chance while caring for her, myself and others with kindness, compassion and Love from a place of abunDANCE! Hope you can come dance with me through this amazing existential experience as we go beyond beyond!
So where shall we go next? I have a few ideas…
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Mahalo for your time! To learn more about Star’s past, present and future, browse her BIO and stay tuned on INSTAGRAM!
Image by Leslie Barbaro