What In The Heck Kind Of Funny Word Is This?
Ho’oponopono. I am trying to remember how I came across this funny-sounding word, but it wasn’t until I became an empty nester. Being curious, I clicked on the video to learn about it. At first, I thought it was a prank. You can never be too sure these days because there is so much online, too much information. But that is a story for another time. Last month, I wrote about Mindfulness Meditation. This month, I will talk about a powerful meditation prayer called Ho’oponopono. I plan to delve into its history and how it got to the masses. Ho’oponopono can enhance your life. And you will read how it has affected mine.
Staying Upright
For many years, I have spoken about the necessity of having balance in our lives. That is what Ho’oponopono does for us; it brings balance to our lives.
“The word Ho’oponopono roughly translates to “cause things to move back in balance” or to “make things right.” It’s a very zen concept. (In the native Hawaiian language, “pono” means balance, in the sense of “life.” – See the reference in the link below.
Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len and Sandra Rolus
Ho’oponopono was brought to the masses in the early 1980s by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, a Hawaiian master of the practice. He is known for using this prayer to heal an entire hospital of mentally ill individuals.
The accounts say they had to close the hospital because Dr. Hew Len cured all the mental patients without seeing them. He only had access to their medical records. I don’t know if that happened, but I invite you to research the topic further.
Ho’oponopono Prayer
Thank You, I Love You, I’m Sorry, Please Forgive Me
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Ho’oponopono Gets To The Root Of All Conflict
All conflict begins on the inside. However, it often manifests in our personal, familial, and professional relationships. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with conflict. Conflict can be a valuable teaching tool. The problem is when we pile on self-judgment concerning our conflicts with ourselves or others. Just know that resolving inner conflict takes time, stillness, and self-acceptance. Would you allow me to compare this to a piano?
Get Back In Tune With Yourself
During my college years, I lived in New Orleans and took piano lessons, so I bought an upright acoustic piano. For those unfamiliar with the climate there, it has a suffocating humidity, so I had my piano tuned every 2-3 months. One day, my friend Lynne, a great pianist and a trained classical flutist, came over. I cringed as she sat at my piano because I knew it was due for professional tuning.
“Girl, that thing is really out of tune. I need to schedule an appointment with the tuner.”, I said with embarrassment.
She Stopped In The Middle Of A Song
As she played, she stopped in the middle of a song and said, “But at least it is in tune with itself.”
Wow! I will never forget that because immediately, I thought how applicable her statement was, in general. “At least it is in tune with itself.”
Practicing Ho’oponopono puts me in tune with myself. Years of self-criticism and what I deemed “failure” caused me not to give myself the compassion I showed others. And I needed to do something about that.
Ho’ponopono Is About Forgiveness
At its core, Ho’oponopono is about forgiveness, but not necessarily in terms of sin or wrongdoing. It is to “clean” any energies that would otherwise hinder us from living our lives to the fullest. We may be aware of some of those energies but unaware of others. And that is when the Ho’oponopono prayer could benefit us.
It’s Relational
We are relational beings, whether we want to be or not, and we are in a relationship with ourselves and a relationship with others. Plus, we are in a relationship with our situations. That is how it is supposed to be. The Ho’oponopono prayer makes things right on both sides, which is why “pono” repeats twice in its name. It means to make things doubly right.
Some Issues May Be Ancestral
The Ho’oponopono prayer of meditation can clean up ancestral and generational things that may be impacting us negatively. When we direct the invocation at any negative energies in our family line, we forgive everyone involved though we were not yet born.
It Could Affect Generations
There are things from our ancestry that have manifested in our lives. In church, they called it “generational curses.” Remember, this is spiritual warfare, so cleaning happens on a subconscious level. That is where all conflict resides. However, I have found that addressing those energies through intentional meditation is more effective than praying because, if done correctly, it centers us and brings up those past traumas for cleansing.
The Shape Of My Nose
It would be easy to convince someone that I got my nose shape from my Great-Grandmother (five generations back). But it is hard to convince someone that I may have gotten my fear of heights from that woman. But I don’t see the difference. If I can inherit her nose, I can inherit her fears of heights. She may have fallen from a tree when she was a little girl. Maybe someone threatened to throw off a bridge. Who knows?
Everything Has an Energy Attachment
Regardless, there are energies attached to everything we experience. And those energies can pass down and manifest generations later. Everything has both a spiritual and molecular makeup.
I Don’t Understand Why They are Like That
Have you ever heard someone say, I don’t understand why they are like that? Or, have you ever said to yourself, I don’t know why I struggle with this or that? Well, your struggle may have ancestral roots. And it does not have to be evil.
A Non-Evil Example
My fear of heights is not bad, but it bothers me. I know that I have never fallen from a high place. I am unaware of any childhood experience around the fear of heights, but this is an example of a possible ancestral thing.
You Don’t Have To Care About Every Relationship
One should not feel obliged to use Ho’oponopono for relationships you don’t want to reconcile. You are only responsible for ensuring you do not harbor negative energy toward people in your past because that could hurt you.
Don’t Waste Your Meditation
It is your God-given right to stop caring about specific people or situations. I have several of those. While I wish them no ill and would never hurt them, those individuals and past conditions are irrelevant to me. Therefore, I don’t waste my meditation on them. I see it like food. For example, there were foods that I loved as a child, but I would go nowhere near now. It’s all good.
Freedom and Peace of Mind are Everything
I would do anything to enjoy peace of mind and freedom. Thus, I don’t leave room for negative energies in my body, mind, or spirit. So, Ho’oponopono it is!
Do It For Relationships That Matter
That said, for those relationships that matter to you, you can use the Ho’oponopono prayer. I am referring to all those things that are far beyond your understanding. Lastly, it does not matter if it.
“The Conscious Mind is clueless as to what memories are replaying (11,000,000 per second) in the subconscious.” – Dr. Hew Len.
A Biblical Truth To Know
A Bible verse I learned many years ago says,
We wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6:12; The Bible
Our affairs are best addressed spiritually for this reason.
For Things That Don’t Hinder Your Growth
But let me add that we don’t have to “clean” everything if we are okay with it. Recently, I challenged myself in that area, but it is not something that I view as a curse or bothersome. It just is. In other words, I have no reason to eliminate my fear of heights.
What Fears Are In Your Way?
On the other hand, you may have something that is holding you back in some way. It could be a fear of establishing new friendships or romantic partners. You could have a fear of spiders and not know why. You may even fear everything unfamiliar, so you always play it safe and stay close to our “home base.”
The Applications For Ho’oponopono Are Limitless
You can use the Ho’oponopono prayer for anything you deem bothersome and that you feel you need to rid yourself of. Remember, it is for making things right; whatever is right for you.
Stay open. Stay Teachable
In closing, I can tell you that my only leverage here is my own experience with Ho’oponopono. It is something that I intend to use for the rest of my life. Besides, since it is about forgiveness, it aligns with my Christian beliefs. So, I am all good with it. I am not so naïve to think that it is for everyone. Nothing is.
Ho’oponopono is another form of meditation that can enhance your growth journey, and I encourage you to try it.
