Surf's Up!

Surf's Up! in Honoli'i on the Hamakua Coast of The Big Island of Hawai'i

"Surf's Up!" - Little did I know what that actually meant. Sure, someone is yelling that the waves are big enough to warrant leaving whatever one that surfs had been busy doing. For those who spend their lives on the water, in the surf, "Surf's Up!" has an urgency to it that is second to none. But how urgent and important it really is, I only found out when I was sitting on the board 'waiting for the right one' myself. The lake I grew up at and on, 'only' provided wind surfing, but that was stellar, albeit very rare at a time that feels like a thousand years ago. Friends of mine were sail makers and boat builders turning to making sails for surf boards and shaping foam into bulky boards.

It was all swell in a part of Germany that took its affluence onto the lakes. 'Lakes', because there were two of them close to each other. Both provided for excellent sailing and wind surfing conditions. The one I was growing up at and on would even require some human sacrifices every once in a while. Usually, there was one to three fatalities a year from sailing. The majority of them not occurring during the chock regattas that took place. These were generally exemplary in safety measures - with divers and first responders on boats. The lot of the deaths took place when folks took out onto the lake at the cusp of a 'storm warning', of which there were on average one per month during season. It would have to be seen to be believed just how quickly the conditions on the lake would change. From flat like a mirror with pristine wind conditions, to a raging water world that did not take prisoners. When the storm warning went off, the locals knew to get out of there as fast as possible. But there are always some folks, to whom all warnings meant nothing when their bell tolled.

When I arrived in the Hawai'ian Archipelago, this knowledge traveled with me. Although there are many 'things' I have great respect for - including Human Beings - my number one respect goes to the Ocean and after nearly a quarter century of living in the middle of it, to the Pacific Ocean. Given that I could afford to live there again, I would go back to Maui in a whiffy - to be able to sit there and watch certain folks surf 'Jaws'. Alas, I don't see that ever happening again. That train has left the station, when 'investors' took over the islands.

Now, back to the Surfing Jesus, as way too many friends of mine called the person in the above image. And while meant as a joke, there is something to it. When You go 'out there', especially with a large surf's up, You will leave Your life behind at shore. From that moment on, Kai - as the Hawai'ians call the God to others known as 'Pacific Ocean' - takes over the control. No matter how well You might believe to handle Your board, the last word is with Kai. During these times I found out that the attitude the surf crowd displayed on shore was wiped away in the waves. Surfers - especially the ones on Maui - are well known to party like the rock stars they have partially become. It seems to be the only adequate life style fitting to surfing big waves. But all that vanishes when the tip of the board enters the water.

Some people say that surfing is a religion. Worshiping the God Kai - maker of waves. It is therefore, that the Surfing Jesus is not that far off from the actual sacrificing one's own life for something that is greater than oneself. Because out there, the individual is replaced by the waves and the board painting a wake line into the faces of the swell. Nothing else matters then. This is a prime example of Being The Universe - the ego is dissolved in a situation that renders 'thinking' moot. You become Your board dancing on the waves and sometimes You will be dancing without Your board above the waves. Like in the picture above.

Now, as we have looked into this practical aspect of the image, I like to take it to the next level. A much deeper level at that. I chose this image for a very good reason. When You look at it from a higher understanding, it reveals a stark connection to Life per se. Taking it in from this perspective, a number of 'things' become apparent. For one, Life itself is like Surf's Up! It is not a flat, steady line through a segment of time. It is wave after wave after wave. And the excitement of the Surfer Dude/Dudina is reminiscent of the high surf in Your Life. When You are riding what is called 'The Gravy Train' - dancing joyfully with Life in times of high Energy. Parallel to this vibration is the absence of high Energy, the absence of waves that can be surfed. A time without surfable waves - a time in which nothing really goes.

Nothing to lift You up above the normal level of Life. No turbulences, but a flat line of what could be called 'depression'. However, that in itself is also part of waves - as a wave consists of crests and troughs - and when we find ourselves in such a through, or depression, we can be sure that it won't be permanent. It is rather part of the pattern and rhythm of Life - the unfolding of The Universe. In that, the image shows what Life is really about. You may like my take on this, because it is so obvious a reflection of the deeper truth in Life.

Life's Up! is the quintessence of comparing the world of surfing with surfing the World. So, grab Your spiritual surf board and get going if You are not already out there. Being down, to be without funds, to be without joy is just the same as a day without waves. It is then, that You tend to Your board, tend to Your own wellbeing - knowing that the next set will come. That it is not an if, but a when.

Have Your spiritual board waxed and ready - Life's Up!