A Message of Peace from the Symbol of World Peace & Freedom
Lady Freedom was recognized by the state of Hawai’i as the Symbol of World Peace and Freedom by the House of Representatives House Resolution #406 in 1989.
The Lady has graced the top of the United States Capitol dome in Washington DC since the Civil War in 1863. Unlike the many blind-folded female statues around the world that adorn government buildings, Lady Freedom’s eyes are wide open. She is free to see all, yet so few see her. Is it not time?
“To be free within is to be free without.” These are words spoken by Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, kahuna lapaʻau Hawaiian healer and original kumu (teacher) of the ho’oponopono prayer and life-way.
Morrnah is also responsible for raising Lady Freedom’s plaster mold, which was in pieces, from the basement of the Smithsonian Institute to be where she is now — inside the Capitol Building’s Visitors Center.
Kumu Ramsay Taum, one-time student of Morrnah’s, accompanied her in those early years and assisted her with her work and her vision as the Lady Freedom Project Administer. He is the one Hawaiian person learned from Morrnah personally, and who carries on her teachings to this day. We can hear her in his message that follows….
“Focus less on the externalities which are really films being cast on the screen outside of us, and (they are) played on the projectors of our minds. We end up watching the movies we have (created and) directed…. (Listen) Her message is so valuable right now: ‘The seeds of thought are watered by the emotions of heart, and every word we express is given life on the life-giving breath of ‘Ha.
In olelo hawai'i we say ‘Eia ka manawa’ - The time is now.”
O ka Maluhia no me oe - Ka Maluhia O ka “I”
Peace to you - The peace of I
Author
Kristen Farquhar
Photo
Katya Miller
Kumu Ramsay Taum