"Ho'oponopono"

Now there's a mouthful!

I would like to acknowledge, and thank my good friend (Terry Donald's) wife, Carolyn Holland, for her suggesting to me that I study this ancient, and traditional form of Hawaiian spiritual philosophy. So before I left for my trip here to Maui, I picked up a book titled "Zero Limits" ...which is co-authored by Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. In my blog post (below) I would like to share my interpretations of how the teachings of the Ho'oponopono works. In some cases I will refer to direct passages, or examples from the book, while the rest is entirely of my own interpretation.

                                           "I Am The I"


Ho'oponopono is the (spiritual) teachings of the ancient Hawaiian philosophy of health, happiness, and self worth. It has been called "a profound gift that allows one to develop a working relationship within, and ask that in each moment, that our errors in thought, word, deed, or action be cleansed." The process is essentially about "freedom"... complete freedom... from the past. The philosophy behind this is the "letting go" of negative energies, painful thoughts, or memories, which keep you stuck, or cause an imbalance in your life. Using the Ho'oponopono methods, it serves to change these old thoughts, through a process of repentance and forgiveness... to pure, and perfect thoughts, of love, joy, and happiness. Those shifts in thoughts are taught to be done, "in the moment" that they occur, are recognized, and can be cleaned, cleansed, and released.

The basic principles of understanding are. "I operate my life, (and relationships), according to the following insights."

1) The physical universe is exactly what I "think" it is.
2) If my thoughts are negative, then "they are" my physical reality.
3) If my thoughts are clean and positive, then "I am" full of love and joy.
4) I am 100% responsible for "creating" my world as it is.
5) I am 100% responsible for "correcting" the negative thoughts that make me unhappy.
6) There is no such thing as out there. "Everything" exists ...as thoughts in my mind.

As Dr. Hew Len explains the total responsibility for your life means the "everything" in your life.
Simply because if it is in your life - it is your responsibility. All of it. So to take responsibility
for everything, means loving yourself first! If you want to improve your life then you have to heal yourself first. If you want to improve the lives of others, then you must (also) heal yourself first. For this is the oneness of the Ho'oponopono. Whatever is in your life, whether it belongs to you or someone else...is in your life, and is your responsibility. A lot to grasp I know, (I'm still trying to completely understand it myself), but this is the the philosophy of this powerful teaching. As Dr. Hew Len says "the greatest way to improve yourself ....is to improve your world... All of it."

The truth is there really is no magic to all of this. Mystical perhaps, but it's all about trust, letting go, cleaning, cleansing, and forgetting it. Once you have identified all the negatives that have kept you stuck, you simply recognize it, take 100% responsibility for it being in your life, clean it from your memory, let it go, and trust that the universe will take care of (all) the rest of it.

Sometimes when people come into your life, presenting challenges or problems, the tendency is to try and help them. Ho'oponopono suggests that working to help them does NOT help you. The healing is NOT for them, it is for you, because "you" are 100% responsible for "everything" that is in your world. You are the source of all of your experiences.

If we remember that we came into this life with nothing, and will also leave with nothing, then the purest place we can ever be is at zero... nothing, void, empty, pure, and in a state of complete trust. This is the place where everything is done, and nothing is left undone. Where the universe simply takes over, as it does every day, (in Nature), and you are left to... "just be." A place of pure inspiration!
This is already in you... and will supply you with everything you need. But to "awaken" to this place is to trust it completely. First, as the teachers say, you must clean, and empty all of the (old) memories, exchanging it, and replacing it, with the "pure" inspiration that (simply) takes care of it, and fills it all in. "Problems are just memories replaying. Memories are programs, and they aren't just yours."

The key to practicing Ho'oponopono is to stay focused on going back to zero... in your mind. No memories. No programs. Zero. And then just ...Clean. Clean. Clean! How do you clean in the Ho'oponopono way? The practice seems simple enough but must be done with 100% responsibility, belief, and trust. When a negative thought, memory, problem, person, or challenge arrives in your life you must (first) forgive. "I Forgive You" ...which is said to acknowledge "that something" has gotten into your mind / body system. Next you then say "I'm Sorry " ....which is where you are telling your source (within) that you want forgiveness "inside" yourself.  From there you say "Thank-You"... which is the expression of gratitude, and the resolution to a greater good. The last affirmation "I Love You"... transforms the energy from being stuck, to a place of flowing inspiration. This is the "Spirit" and "Belief" of the Ho'oponopono philosophy... and healing. The inspiration behind the cleaning, the letting go, and the returning to zero, is that you are clear, and living in complete trust. When you are truly there, you WILL know what to do. Even without thinking. It will simply... "Be."

This practice also claims to heal others. Once totally clean, and cleansed yourself, the powers of the mystical Ho'oponopono, will clean and cleanse others as well. This process, and teaching, has been handed down, and shared with, many generations of the Hawaiian people, (and many others), long before the wonders of the Western world's more advanced, and modern medicinal practices.

I must admit, for myself personally, this was a very intriguing read. I like to think that I am of an open mind, so I studied this without judging, and have subsequently given a lot of thought to the philosophy behind these teachings. Some of it, I admit, is hard to grasp. However, I think there is still much to be learned. Obviously something this powerful, and that has been around for this long, is worth further investigation and study. The first thing that I need to do, however, is to get comfortable with just pronouncing it!

Live. Inspired.

Ray Paul