Journey for a Tomorrow

When the author was a child, her German grandmother would call her ‘my Hawaiian maiden’, which Cornelia thought was simply because of her long, sun-sparkled brown hair. In elementary school, she came across the book The Life of Lili’uokalani, the Last Queen of Hawaii. At first, the book delighted her until the end, which revealed that Queen Lili’uokalani loved her people so much she willingly gave up her throne so they could become Americans. Saddened by this, and somehow feeling something was not right with the story, Cornelia went home to her mother and asked if it was true, only to be told that she would most likely learn the truth of such things when she grew up. In college, Cornelia began to uncover that truth. She learned that around 1893 the Hawaiian kingdom was overthrown, its queen was put under house arrest and the islands became annexed to the United States. As the decades passed, Hawaii became a desired destination, not just for the military or holidaymakers but those who sought healing of mind, body and spirit. The siren call of the islands was still strong and reaching out to those who could feel its aloha spirit.

This book tells the tale of Cornelia’s journey, as a young woman in 1986, to discover the spirits of Hawaii and to answer a call, which her mentor Victor H. Anderson intimated was a vital part of her spiritual growth. Cornelia had many adventures as she traveled around the sacred sites with a friend – a few of which were quite hair-raising! But her pilgrimage and purpose was always to seek out the ancient gods of Hawaii and ask for their help in preserving our world. She was swept up into a cosmic quest that continues to this day, in which we all have a part to play. Her spiritual journey was filled with lessons, culminating in a transformational experience at the mouth of a living volcano. This is her story; where it goes next is up to everyone.

A Petition for Tomorrow follows on from Victor H. Anderson: An American Shaman, which explores the teachings and history of the creator of the Feri tradition, and Transpiration, a book of Cornelia’s poems that also includes stories of her childhood and her discovery of alternative spirituality in 1970s San Francisco.