Mouna Farm, Arts and Cultural Village

This February, I spent a month working at Mouna Farm, arts and cultural village in Waianae, Hawaii. The farm is a type of spiritual retreat, filled with art, books, temples, and beauty. Mouna means “inner silence” in sanskrit, so the farm is based on finding your own inner peace. It’s kind of hard to put into words what the farm is like until you see it. Tucked away in the Waianae valley, Mouna is surrounded by the spectacular Waianae mountain range and is full of vegetation and beauty from the second you walk in. There are plumeria trees (the flower that the traditional Hawaiian lei is made out of), banana trees, neem trees (a medicinal tree that’s sacred on the farm), and hundreds of other plants, bursting with color and life throughout the 6 acres. The farm was founded by the owner Sooriya, a holy man from Sri Lanka, who brought his love for people to Hawaii. He is well known copper artist in the area. His art is showcased throughout the community and his workshop on the farm is filled with creative ideas. Sooriya’s mission in life is helping others, whether it’s through feeding people, something those on the farm take very seriously, or creating a beautiful space.

One thing that was really special about Mouna was the land itself. The farm sits at the base of a small mountain (we call it our mountain) and for some reason, the farm has very fertile soil in comparison to other parts of the valley. If you go to farms on the other side of the mountain/valley the soil is completely different! There’s something very magical about Mouna. I don’t know if it’s the farm alone or the whole West side of the island, but there’s something about it that feels very ancient and alive. The native Hawaiian people are very spiritual and respectful of their land, worshiping mountains and the ocean for their mana (energy flow) and greatness, so maybe that rubbed off on my a little. Or maybe being in a place so raw, beautiful, and old taught me how to respect the land in a new way.

Food is a very important part of the farm; it’s not only important in nourishing the body and soul, but helps to bring people together. During my stay, Sooriya was actually in Sri Lanka to celebrate a festival with his family and to feed over a thousand people! That sentiment was shown during our meals. Every night we prepared massive vegan dinners to feed everyone on the farm- which, while I was there, was upwards of 20 people at a meal!!! Dinner ranged from dahl and curry to tacos to soup. For lunch we would eat leftovers and make massive salads with veggies gathered from the fields. Meal times were special because it brought everyone together to have some of the most delicious food I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating.

The farm has many amenities, including a large kitchen, a small second hand library FILLED with different ideas and teachings, a sun garden with a giant sundial and thousands of flowers, decorated temples, and the homes of those working on the farm. The space for the volunteers/WWOOFers is called Shady Grove, a funky outdoor living community with outdoor showers, a composting toilet, a giant canopy filled with art and furniture to hang out it, a fire pit, and our tent village. The space was our own and was so much fun to live in. During my stay, I got to live and work with so many incredible souls! It was incredible to have such a feeling of community and comfort all sharing that space. We had bon-fires together; played music and napped outside in our hammocks together. We spent all of our time together and got to go on a lot of fun adventures- but that’s for another post!

We put in a lot of hard work on the farm. In the mornings, we worked from 7:30-10:30, took a long break during the heat of the day, then came back to work from 3-6. That break during the middle of the day was the perfect way to soak up the sun! Mouna is less than a mile from Po’Kai beach, so we spent most of our days walking to and from the beach to swim, snorkel, and nap in the sun. Sunday’s were our days off, so we took that time to venture out of Waianae and explore. It was a great opportunity to see new parts of the island, to go on hikes, or check out beaches that were a little farther out of the way.

I can go on for days about every little thing on the farm. My experience here really shifted the way that I think and the way that I treat people. I enjoyed every second of being there and learned so so much about life, love, and permaculture. I’m so grateful to everyone that shared this experience with me and I’ll seriously cherish the memories I made for the rest of my life. I’m so lucky to have found Mouna farm and I hope that every one of you gets the chance to find your own Mouna.

Stay curious and happy travels!