“If we can accept that we are the sum total of all past thoughts, emotions, words, deeds, and actions, and that our present lives and choices are colored or shaded by this memory bank of the past, then we begin to see how a process of correcting or setting aright can change our lives, our families, and our society.” – Morrnah Nālamakū Simeona, from Dewdrops of Wisdom
If you’ve researched hoʻoponopono at any depth, you may have come across some controversy. I’m going to briefly address that here. I hope this simple explanation will suffice for the purpose of this article – deeper research can easily be done on your own. If you wish to skip this explanation then begin reading just below the four “approximate” symbols: ~~~~.
In pre-contact Hawaiʻi, hoʻoponopono was a process that kahuna (an expert or master of an art or craft) may have used for manifesting things in the phenomenal world: instant healing, weather change, increased food production, etc. In essence, the process involved holding a very clear idea of a desired outcome in mind, super-charging it with life force energy, then sending it off to be manifested by unseen forces. In a very simplistic way, it could be thought of as being similar to the process of Law of Attraction.
But because hoʻoponopono was so foreign to the strict religious colonizers who later forbad many aspects of the Hawaiian culture, hoʻoponopono in its purest form went underground to avoid its disappearance all together.
Fast forward to the mid-20th century and Aunty Morrnah Nālamakū Simeona, one of the last kāhuna – if not the very last – trained in the traditional way. Aunty Morrnah had no qualms about adapting traditional Hawaiian concepts to contemporary applications and began to modify the traditional Hawaiian forgiveness and reconciliation aspect of hoʻoponopono to meet the realities of the modern day. Her version of hoʻoponopono was influenced by her philosophical studies of India, China, and Edgar Cayce as well as her Christian education.
The controversy lies in which of the hoʻoponopono techniques, if either, are recognized as legitimate Hawaiian practices. I’ve learned and practiced both and speak from my experience when I say they are each very powerful techniques that bring results. Whether they are legitimate Hawaiian practices or not, I leave to the experts to determine.
It is the latter form of hoʻoponopono that I’m writing about today.
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Amongst other teachings, Aunty Morrnah presented five hoʻoponopono techniques in the last 25 years of her life which were all based on the ancient form:
- Long Form
- Brief Form
- Conception
- Mahiki
- Quickie
Before undertaking any of the hoʻoponopono practices, Aunty would first say to the would-be practitioner, “Know Thyself.” She said, “The ancient ones knew and believed in the ‘I AM the I’ concept…that the Divinity (ALOHA) resides within each one’s being and expresses as the triune mind:
- U-NIHI-PILI or ‘Low Self’ or Subconscious Mind. The emotional, feeling, animalistic expressions of Mind. The memory bank which stores all memory of feelings, attitudes, thoughts, actions, experienced or directed to … as a child, student, adult, old age. Grosser vibration, low frequency. It represents the ‘memory bank’ or your ‘internal computer.’ The extension of an individual’s vibration impressed on to objects, places, and persons. It can create a physical or mental problem for patient when psychoanalysis or diagnosis is made by a doctor.
- U-HANE or ‘Middle Self’ or Conscious Mind. Area of Mind that has the reasoning power to discriminate, to make choices, to express will-power. It is the ‘teacher,’ guide of Unihi-pili. It vibrates at a higher frequency level than Low Self.
- AU-MA-KUA or ‘High Self’ or Super-conscious Mind. Connection between the individual and the Cosmos, Creator, or God. High frequency of vibration. It guides and protects the individual and has only love and concern. Allows freedom, free will. Referred to as ‘parental father.’ It can be referred to as a personal, family ‘god.’”
The Objectives of hoʻoponopono are:
- To release and cut (oki) all “aka cords” or connections with imbalancing, inharmonious, negative situations.
- To achieve Balance (Kaulike) and Peace of Mind (Maluhia), “within and without” and among others and nature.
- Healing manifestation: Spiritually and mentally, then ultimately, physically and materially.
- In “exorcism” (Ho’omahiki), helps the release of earthbound spirit or spirits from individuals, places, situations, objects.
- Reincarnation: Release (Ho`okino Hou ia) of individual, etc., from unhappy, negative experiences in past lives; resolving and removing trauma from “memory bank” without creating stress. The Law of Cause and Effect predominates in all of Life and Lifetimes.
The Applications of hoʻoponopono include:
- Adult or Child with average disorders, malfunctions, etc.
- Dying patient, (Family get-together: a Must.)
- Accident, suicide, drowning victim, combat war victims.
- Disagreement between two or more individuals (family, business, etc.)
- Victim of a “curse” (Anai) by individual, group, priest, or Kahuna Anā Anā.
- Uhane hele: sleeping sickness.
- Deceased.
- Misuse of the Laws of God; misuse of the Laws of Nature.
- Possessions by “spirits”… (Uhane Noho) Exorcism.
- Embarking on a new career; venture for removal of blocks that may interfere or create problems spiritually, mentally and physically.
- Tracing one’s “roots” or “ancestral tree.”
- In cases of abortion and miscarriages.
- Before going to hospital; convalescent home, etc.
- For: Institution; co-workers; superiors or anyone whom one may become involved with; (absentee treatment: Unhappy or traumatic experiences together in past lives can create problem in the present day association with above said individuals) … thus helping to sever “aka cords” and establish or create harmonious.
What Aunty Morrnah taught works at the noahuna (esoteric or secret) understanding of reality. Hoʻoponopono brings one into complete connection with ALOHA – Divinity, the life force energy of the universe – by reversing ego’s propensity to separate itself from others and the phenomenal world. In Buddhism, this is called egolessness or emptiness.
Egolessness through hoʻoponopono is attained through the Inner Connection, Clearing, Breathing Practice, Opening Prayer, and Repentance Prayer that make up the beginning of the hoʻoponopono practice.
Science has proven that all existence – at its smallest qualifier – is pure energy; energy that is vibrating at different rates of speed. Everything has a quality of vibration; including thoughts, spoken words, and actions. Our thoughts, words, and actions vibrate out into the endless ocean of energy of which we are a part like waves and boomerang back into our lives things that are similar in quality to those thoughts, words, and actions. At some point, this becomes karma. But more immediately, it is creation. We are creating the circumstances in our lives with every thought, word, and action. And the power of that creative ability is multiplied equal to the number of people thinking, saying, and doing the same things.
When we imagine what world war three would be like at the same time millions of other people are doing the same thing, we, collectively, are creating what we fear in a very powerful way.
If hoʻoponpono is practiced diligently, it becomes the Hawaiian method of clearing lifetimes of karma. If we practice hoʻoponopono at times when our thoughts, words, and actions have not yet fully manifested, we cut both the karma from those thoughts, words, or actions and the creation process of bringing potentially negative circumstances into our lives.
In the noahuna level of hoʻoponopono, we’re giving up our ground – comfort in what we’re familiar with – and trading it in for groundlessness.
“The bad news is you’re falling through the air, nothing to hang on to, no parachute. The good news is, there’s no ground.” – Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
Groundlessness is the truth of life that we readily ignore. Ego NEEDS solidity and confirmation to feel good about itself yet the only thing in life that is solid, reliable, or permanent is ALOHA, pure isness. Groundlessness – ALOHA – then becomes the ground on which we can rely.
In hoʻoponopono, we are connecting with ALOHA – our inherent nature – and bringing all people and things into that connection with us.
If there was ever a time in our lives to use a technique to bring peace and care for all people and the environment, it seems to me this is most certainly that time. And hoʻoponopono the technique.
