Living aloha in Lakebay

Peter Ruble

According to Lana Generao, owner of Aha Hui Lanakila, in Lakebay, this crystal grid harnesses energy from group meditation and transfers it into the atmosphere. It was designed by James Atherton, who designed the Sombrero atop El Sombrero restaurant in Key Center. Photo by Peter Ruble, KP News

Nestled on the corner of Bass Lane Road near Jackson Lake is a sanctuary called Aha Hui Lanakila.

What appears on the surface as an ordinary house in the woods is purported to be an energy vortex where physical and mental ailments can be healed.

The Halau, or school, is always open and students from around the world are able to learn reiki and other aspects of natural healing in person or online.

The Rev. Lana Generao, Ph.D., brought Aha Hui Lanakila to Lakebay two years ago.

The sanctuary was a dream she held since she was 2 years old. During her journey, she met the Dalai Lama, as a 20-year-old who suggested that she start meditation. From this platform, she was able to open up her “third eye.” Opening your third eye, she said, involves calming the pituitary gland to allow your brain to secrete serotonin and melatonin.

“This is a calling,” said Generao, who walked away from a promising career as an attorney to pursue her path of enlightenment. “The ancestors have called us. We need to come back to a community and get away from things that enslave us,” she said.

According to Generao, her Hawaiian philosophy of living, or “living aloha,” is better cultivated on the Key Peninsula than in Hawaii, which has fallen victim to a lot of urban sprawl. “The trees have a vibration that’s in synch with yours,” said Generao. “It blows my mind how many people don’t know about the Key Peninsula.”

Generao enjoys the approximation to Jackson Lake, which allows her to take her students kayaking.

According to Generao, Aha Hui Lanakila is the only school of its nature that teaches traditional Japanese reiki. She said that other schools teach an Americanized version. With traditional Japanese reiki, she is able to send healing balls of energy to people anywhere in the world. She has used the energy to heal serious physical ailments in people while communicating with them through Skype. She said she has also helped heal methamphetamine addicts on the Key Peninsula.

“Reiki is energy healing,” said Generao. “It’s the spark that makes the grass grow.”

Generao said that reiki involves the channeling of a healing, life force energy. Recent scientific experiments have proven the existence of this energy and its connection to physical and mental well-being. The technique of reiki helps reduce stress and improve the immune system. In Americanized versions, this energy is usually transferred through massage. In the traditional Japanese version, the energy can be transferred through vibrations without and physical touching, she said.

Generao has a long-term vision for her sanctuary that includes providing residence for more people to become part of a communal form of living. “Eventually we’d like to put up a yurt and tiny houses. People could come here and live right next to nature,” she said.

Aha Hui Lanakila is always open, and Generao welcomes visitors at any time. “Come on over and leave everything in the driveway,” Generao said.

For information, visit spreadaloha.org.