four * tradewinds, honing, outer reef, full moon

tradewinds * four of winds

Tropical smells waft precociously upon prevailing winds, augmenting the already audacious harmony between “island style” wind and waves. Working in paradise, our mother ocean sits in the lap of luxury and takes favorable conditions, and an average swell, and turns it into perfection. And she doesn’t do it alone. She works with swell, the right tide and plenty O’ sunshine. The surfer is put on display, and is in turn “fit for framing.” This pleasant enough sea breeze offers real opportunity to expand upon “wide open faces.” She is your ally as she “holds up her lip” and “allows you to enter within.” While she hides her most precious “kona wind jewels,” you are freed up to ride wild in her spasmodic “sprayground.”

Some say there is no such thing, as “too much of a good thing.” We anger at any degree of restraint, and accept nothing that disrupts our belief in our freedom to surf. We are “surf hounds,” and always have our “surf blitz” on, determined to maximize our take of waves. We don’t want to think what “woulda” or “coulda” been. Good surf is “here today and gone tomorrow.” We believe in “heaven here, on this ocean and earth.” It’s nothing short of torment if the conditions aren’t there. If crowded and virtually unridable, and with no swell and the wrong tide, it all adds up to, “you shoulda been here yesterday.”

painting by Flavio Caporali

Don’t be the lagwagon. Only a spoiled “surf brat” takes things for granted. Are you stuck in aloha shirt and slacks, “the emperor who wore no surf trunks?” Feeling insecure, do you ask yourself, “am I a surfer or just a part timer?” Some have a hard time making sense of us, and we in turn often have difficulty in relating to “nonsurfers.” At loggerheads, we summon our loyalties and, “ask not what I can do for myself as a surfer, but what can I do for my company, friends, and family tree?” Sometimes an impossible mix, the real question is, “am I deserving?” Held back by guilt, and even shame, I am caught up in my head, and neglect the once high hopes I held for myself as a surfer. Stalemate is at hand and compromise is unlikely. For some a coverup is necessary, which again can be just another paradox or contradiction which voids the surf spoils to be had. As dithering blonde, we can’t balance reality.

Life is not a part time job. Make difficult choices and seasonal adjustments. Become indebted to our mother ocean and her true Nature. Luxuriate in her ocean ambience. Revel in her majesty. Her beauty is more than “fin” deep. See the big scheme of things. Bask in her glory. The mundane pales in comparison. Put yourself in position to have an epic day. Don’t take things for granted. Surfing is necessary daily renewal. Get on it. Surf a tradewinds spot. Don’t abuse your good fortune. She has no timeline. Regular daily maintenance is required. Be true to yourself. “Beware of any job which requires new shoes.” If need be, “turn turtle” and reserve comment. The appropriate tact and best approach is to know when conditions are in your favor. Look for signs that say, “no shirt, no shoes… no problem.”

honing * four of waves

“Dead ahead” surfing leaves no room for indecision. Once you are committed there is no turning back. Adrenaline rush pumping waves with “line drive intensity” leave you in overdrive. Huge waves honing across outer reefs make for high performance and “experts only” surfing. “Ferocious spinning waves” demand “total concentration across razor sharp reefs, and over menacing rock ledges.” Waves come roaring out of the “deep blue,” one on top of, and after another, humping over and across the “groaning” reef. “Neptune’s chargers” are lined up, corduroy to the horizon, in an unending procession. “Freight trains” are focused, wrapping into the bay and onto the point. Stout waves call for sharp cuts and decisive bottom turns. It’s goin’ off and you find yourself caught up in the excitement, always driving hard down the line. Others are concerned about your safety, but you know there is no getting off the “wavy train.” Fine tuned athlete on fine tuned board, you have made the commitment and are ready to cash in on your beach break bonanza. The unbroken, but makeable walls, require the cleanest of lines.

Illustration Olivier Longuet

Your wave is gonna knock you out, if you are not “on it.” There is a caution against overconfidence or an excess of boldness. Looks can be deceiving. She’s not very playful. Your lack of confidence in the wave and yourself, to hold up, only leaves you in an emotional tug o’ war. She is taut and perhaps too much of a good thing, and your only life line is nothing less than a tightrope. “Indecision’s buggin’ me,” but confusion don’t play. Your fear of over commitment is only your fear to reveal your true emotions. Others keep their distance despite being wont to help you. Never the scenic driver, you are manic and too driven, yet she’s way too racy, even for you. Never satisfied, and always needing more, disharmony is inevitable as you know her “waves aren’t makeable.” Her emotional swings find you “jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.” Inner misery follows as your dilemma is to be “stuffed or slammed?” It’s a bittersweet escape from the “survival surf” and her emotional upheaval. She packs a wallop.

Nonetheless, you “gotta keep on tuckin’ and go.” You’re on your own now and want to scream, but keeping your emotional composure is an imperative. “Should I hold my line or bail?” Look at things fair and square. “Not trusting in wave or woman?” Be mindful. Sometimes the “no go is the best go.” Take up the challenge and keep romantic encounters at bay. Know what you’re getting into. Even a “supercharger” can meet his match. Wait for things to mellow out. Is your “equipment honed to a T?” Are you in top shape? Speculation pays off. Make the money. Do you have the “necessary clarity?” Make the wave. Feel the stoke again. Set your rail and fly. Revel in her beauty and exhilaration. It’s revitalizing. “Being out on the ocean alone and having to make decisions regarding one’s survival,” is nothing short of “true grit.” Violate propriety. Sometimes you just gotta commit, and “do it.”

outer reef * four of rocks

“Men who ride mountains” have a deep connection with the sea. Out to sea and out beyond the fold, it’s a whole different game. You are “outward bound” and alone, and all one. Sitting eye to eye with the wide open ocean, you await your big wave beauty as the beast. It’s your personal “alone time,” upon the “silence and solitariness” of the watery expanse. It’s a secret love affair, your own “private indigo,” and your escape from the mundane. All the elements come together in “majestic solitude” as you are “out there,” alone and lost, in the silent reverie of the sea. Still, you stake your claim alongside the said, “watering shoal for underground maverick characters,” not unlike yourself, in hopes of falling in with one of the “near death wish” waves enroute. Not much for waiting, “moving mandalas” soon cannonball across the outer reef with a “deafening roar,” exploding all around us, literally blowing up “the proving grounds.” Now, after the gauntlet has been thrown down, it’s a race to the drawbridge. It’s “high risk and high return,” and things don’t always go as planned. Things can get a “little loco” as there is no second guessing when you are “running with the bulls.” Pushing your limits and exhausting all your resources, her “surging summit” demands the finest equipment and is the ultimate test. Surfing is the “sport of kings,” but with her deep water, third reef waves, you had best leave your crown at the door.

Pure Blue by Remi Bertoche

Ignorance is not bliss. You can’t “guesstimate” from the beach or the rocks. Know thine reef. Her disguises are “in effect,” and often little is known of her. Confusing and disruptive, she plays rough and will expose any weakness. Any lack of preparation will be painfully evident. It’s a battle of wits, with doubt and uncertainty her game of choice. Boulders await below, and you can’t postpone the outcome. With wind and speed bumps at work above, separation from board is likely. You’re a “one time tourist” and not a “real” big wave surfer. It’s just not your cup of tea, and not how you thought it would be. You did your best to stay afloat and under control, and keep things manageable and in order. You were guilty of excess ambition and estranged from reality. Not up to the task, the roof caved in, and the bottom fell out from under you. You underestimated the severity of your deep water wipeout. You suffered a loss of sleep in anticipation of being held under. In the eerie silence you had a restless sleep. With the growing din through the night you knew she would serve up more than you could chew on. Blocked by your fears of squandering waves or opportunity, your materialistic side won out. Judgment day came and went as your fall from grace befell you. Avarice at its best, you were greed with envy.

Let go of your illusion. “Shut hole” or stay on the rocks. There is a right time and place for everything. Be careful. Catch a wave and go in. You must work from a solid foundation. Have a good board and good equipment. Be on the money. Surf Money Trees. Perseverance, hard work and training pays off. That is the difference between dare devils and accomplished big wave riders. It’s difficult to keep your balance while on high. Big waves teach us about commitment. It’s not for the sheepish. Get “farther out” and “closer to god.” Gain in standing. Surprise yourself and “face the beast.” Happiness is not “dependent upon overcoming the outer limits and inner tension of big wave surfing.” Making the wave is about keeping your commitment. It’s for “surf goats” only. Align with the Divine and your inner divinity. Get into “R & B.” Find your “inner rhythm,” and balance about, accordingly. Hold that above all else. It’s not the water, it’s the “wave” that “runs through it.” Be one with the wave, of life.

Sanur Reef Moonrise Ron Croci

full moon * four of rays

Emotional waters run high with extreme tides and big tidal fluctuations. Between backwash and double ups it’s an emotional struggle to keep things on an even keel. High highs and low lows are emotionally draining and require extra precautions and vigilance. With resources drained, limitations become evident. Mixed up swell is ominous warning that things are awash. Insecurities are made painfully clear, and behavior intensifies. With exposed “tidal pools,” intimacy can be overwhelming. With tide in flux and ocean moody, situations exacerbate, and we start to get that “uneasy feeling.” It’s a “heavy duty” session, with us feeling almost invasive upon entering her seas. In turn our distrust infuriates her. For “better or worse,” it’s beyond us to seek out spiritual guidance or ask of divine intervention.

Full Moon Cove by John Olvey

Harvest your vigilance and count your blessings. This is not a time for complacency. Be watchful and lean on your emotional reserves. Your harvest is due to your hard work. Devote time to the process of opening up within. Do not let up. Stay grounded. Do not be above it all. The “man in the moon” knows too well, the woman in you. Keep the faith, and trust. Shoot for the moon. Draw upon your experience as a weatherman. Your “midas” touch is a necessary “element.” Go night surfing under the midnight sun and “full moon rising.” Accentuate your senses. Less seeing is more “feeling.” Shoot the pier. You can pull it off. You have a magic stick. “Noninterference is the first law of spirituality,” just watch out for the pilings. Show your thankfulness for celestial illumination. Exalt in the glory of her goodness. Ceremony and ritual are necessary coronation. Give recognition for all favors and help received. “Thanks and praise” go full circle and help ensure fulfillment. Be secure in your fertility. Observance, and acknowledgement of goodness, provides a basis for future generosity and fruitfulness. Is there a breach of security? Be the “light” detector. Our foundation stays intact if we know where loyalties lie

and whom to rely on. Our security is in our solidarity. It’s all about “us.” The harvest moon draws us towards merger. Fulfill all requirements before you assume power. Rise up. Peace and joy come from investing in life, and others.

Moonlight wave by Zen Del Rio