Going Green with Andrea Dean

Fans of kirtan (Indian devotional chanting) got a treat last week with Krisha Das on the island. I attended the kirtan at the Kahilu Theater in Waimea (sorry for the fuzzy picture), it was fun to hear him do many of the chants that we all know so well from his albums. Seeing him live is aways entertaining as he intersperses devotional chanting with irreverent humor.


But you don’t have to wait for Krishna Das, Deva Premal, Jai Uttal or any of the other rock stars of the kirtan world to get your chanting. It is really unbelievable how many harmonium players and kirtans we have right here on the Big Island.


Following is a great article that Robert Frutos just wrote about Kirtan on the Big Island:


Kirtan means chanting, singing, or praising the Divine. It is a practice anyone can do. The music does the work for you, carrying you to a state of tremendous joy and mental clarity, resulting in a deepen state of radiant peace. It is one of the easiest ways to access an experience of the Divine Reality. Available to anyone, regardless of age, religion, or culture, all it requires is sincerity and open heart.





There have been various kirtans offered around the Big Island through the years, that have now coalesced into weekly, bi-weekly and monthly offerings. Robert Frutos, a professional photographer/vedic astrologer/healer and minister, has led kirtan around the big island for 8 years. Robert, along with his significant other, Lila Flood are presently offering kirtan at The Light of Aloha Sanctuary near Volcano Village. Every 2nd and 4th Friday, from 6:15 – 7:30 pm they offer kirtan as a way of creating sacred space-in safe and relaxed environment. Shares Robert, “kirtan is a way of coming together and drawing inspiration from the chanting, the music, all our efforts combined, and most importantly-the Divine source.


When the mind becomes calm and heart receptive, kirtan takes us to a place beyond our thoughts, beyond the mental disractions that usual occupy our minds. Kirtan allows us to experience the Divine Presence by taking us to a very deep place within ourselves, to the very core essence of who and what we truly are-Spirit. When we gather to sing like this we are helping and encouraging each other along the spiritual path. The more clarity and inspiration and connectedness with the Divine we experience, the more love, joy, and peace, we begin to feel in our lives, because those qualities are what we are at our deepest core essence and kirtan helps put us in touch with them.





Through the experiencing of Divine love, inner joy, and radiant peace, the experience changes us. And those qualities overflows into the world around us. Into our friendships, our relationships, our community, and beyond. In this way, we are offering and adding our contribution towards making this world a better place. Also, by recognizing and honoring the Divine Presence in the world around us, it dovetails into the Hawaiian spiritual tradition of being aware of, and acknowledging that Spirit pervades all life, that its presence lives and breathes in all things, and it is respected, and honored in the fullness of daily living.





We often hear the word aloha, here in Hawaii. Aloha means so many things-a heartfelt greeting, a blessing, an expression of love. On the deepest level, Aloha translates as Alo, “the presence of God with us,” and ha, means breath, so when they are put together-the significant meaning becomes “the breath of God is in our presence.” So the fullest expression of Aloha, comes from the awareness that the “Breathe of God is in our Presence.” And kirtan helps but us in touch with this experience.


Listed below is a current list of kirtans being offered around the big island:


Kirtan in Volcano
6:15 -7:30 pm
Every 1st and 3rd Friday
for Nov. & Dec., due to Holidays
Every 2nd and 4th Friday, beginning in January
at The Light of Aloha Sanctuary
for directions/info.
call Robert 985-9109 or rfphoto@jps.net


Kirtan at Polestar Gardens (near Pahoa)
every Wednesday
begins at 5:45 pm
w/ vegi potluck dinner following
Also kirtan every 1st Saturday, 7 – 9 pm
no potluck.
Call Marianna for info.
345-1174


Kirtan at Kalani
Starts at 8:pm
Every Monday night.
Contact Robinette for info.
965-8311


Kirtan/Satsang Circle
7:00 pm in Leilani
Every 2nd and 4th Sunday
at Amara & Robert’s home.
for directions/info.
call 982-6755


Sunset Kirtan
On the Beach/Kohala Coast
Every 1st Friday of the month
for directions/info.
call Bridie: 640-6724


Kirtan
Kohala Yoga Community Center
Every 2nd Tuesday of the month, 6 pm
for directions/info.
call Andrea: 889-5806


“When we see the beauty of our own being we are seeing the beauty of the Being that is the

One of which we are all a part. And when we turn towards that One, love is the natural

response of the heart.” – Krishna Das