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At the height of 10,023 feet, up above the whirling, thick, majestic white and grey clouds, the creation of weather can be seen. A place where one can be solitary with the land and that solitude is bliss. A place where strength, resilience and power collide. A place where one feels the overwhelming sense of being exposed, the vulnerability of being a human standing in the midst of extreme natural forces, and yet simultaneously it’s a place where one feels immortal. The mountain consisted of grey and black stones and rubble. This is where the Haleakala Silversword grows, a plant that only will grow on this island above 6,900 vast feet and somehow thrives in the freezing temperatures and extremely windy slopes of the volcano Haleakala, Maui. A plant that looks like it is from outer space, an alien, finding its way on the dry and barren land. However, upon a closer look, the barren land is fertile and alive. The plant’s silver-green foliage evolved to withstand this harsh environment. An object, a living creature, that shows resistance and resilience in one of the harshest settings on Earth. On this summit in February 2020, I was listening to the wisdom of the silence. The birds and the rustling sounds from the wind were loud enough to hear the message from the volcano itself and the further down in the crater I walked the stronger the longing became to sit and feel the volcano's tangible breath underneath my fleshy body. In the end, my craving took hold of me. I sat. I sat down to listen. To watch and truly open my eyes. I saw other hikers having the same cravings that feeling of deep longing and in a way, confusion. Everything was still as if the wind dropped, the birds stopped tending to their daily business, and all the small insects held their breath. The volcano was whispering, quietly humming a message that only I could hear and in that moment I tuned into the voice. I closed my eyes, I opened my heart. I listened – with the sun warming my upturned face and as it’s comforting rays shone against my gently closed eyes we were there together. I was there to battle against the business of my life, to drop in, surrender and be exactly where I needed to be. The volcano was there, just as it had been for thousands of years, holding the space to love and to be loved. Holding this tiny human being in its safety and warmth, making the world an exciting place to discover. I am afraid that those with whom this story resonates will need to go to Maui to receive the message from the great spirit and experience it for oneself. The endless possibilities of transformation after encountering the power of a spirit like this can be life-changing, as it was for me.