What Is This Funny Word
In the early phase of my empty-nesting journey, I was curious about everything. One day, I heard about a prayer with a funny-sounding name: Ho’oponopono. This article discusses the powerful meditation prayer. Here, I delve into its history and who introduced it to the masses. Ho’oponopono can enhance your life, and you will read how it has affected mine.
Balancing Life
I often speak about the necessity of balance in our lives. That is what Ho’oponopono does for us; it brings balance to our lives.
Putting Things In Balance
Basically, the word Ho’oponopono roughly translates to causing things to move back into balance. It also means to make things right. In a word, it’s a very zen concept. (In the native Hawaiian language, “pono” means balance.
Reflecting the Same Balance as Nature
Consider how balanced things are in nature. Similarly, our lives should reflect that same balance, and regular use of Ho’oponopono can bring balance to anyone looking to make life-improvements.
Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len
Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len introduced Ho’oponopono to the masses in the early 1980s. He was a Hawaiian practitioner of the ancient prayer. And here is something interesting. Reports say he used Ho’oponopono to heal an entire hospital of mentally ill patients.
Access To Medical Records Only
According to several accounts, Dr. Hew Len cured all the mental patients without visiting them. He explains it as taking responsibility (not blame) and cleaning up negative things of which we are made aware. He only had access to the patient’s medical records, and to date, no one has disproved the occurrence.
Ho’oponopono Prayer
Thank You.
I Love You.
I’m Sorry.
Please Forgive Me.
Getting To The Root
All conflict begins on the inside. However, it often manifests in our personal, familial, and professional relationships. Indeed, conflict can be a valuable teaching tool, so there is nothing wrong with it.
That said, we are severe in judging ourselves about conflicts with others. Yet, to resolve conflicts with others, we must first address our inner conflicts.
Resolving Inner Conflict
Nevertheless, resolving inner conflict takes time, stillness, and self-acceptance. It’s good to remember that. Allow me to compare this to a piano.
During my college years, I took piano lessons and bought an upright acoustic piano. I was still living in New Orleans with its year-round suffocating humidity. For that reason, I had my piano tuned every few months to get a decent sound from it.
Due For A Tuning
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 a professional tuning.
“Girl, that thing is completely out of tune.” I need to schedule an appointment with the tuner,” I said with embarrassment.
“But at least it’s in tune with itself.”
She Stopped In The Middle Of A Song
As Lynne played, she stopped in the middle of a song and said, “But at least it’s in tune with itself.”
Wow! I will always remember that. It was clear that her statement can also apply to our lives.
“At least it is in tune with itself.”
Puts Me in Tune with Myself
Following years of self-criticism, practicing Ho’oponopono puts me in tune with myself. Consequently, I no longer see myself as a “failure.”
I Took Action To Make My Life Right
Of course, there is no truth in believing myself a failure, but life can lie to us and make us feel that way. It kept me from giving myself the grace I showed to others. Therefore, I needed to do something about that. Ho’oponopono was my answer.
Between Ego Lies and the Truth
These days, I use Ho’oponopono to get back in tune with myself. Specifically, it is a way of making things right between the lies my ego whispers in my ear and the truth about my life.
Forgiveness
At its core, Ho’oponopono centers on forgiveness. However, the focus is on healing rather than on sin or wrongdoing. It is to “clean” any energies that would otherwise hinder us from living our lives to the fullest.
Clarity and Intuition
We may be aware of some of those energies but not others. And that is when the Ho’oponopono prayer could benefit us. At least, that is one way it benefits me. In times of solitude, practicing this powerful prayer also strengthens my intuition.
We are in a relationship with ourselves and with others. We are also in a relationship with our situations. Everything is about relationships.
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It’s Relational
As humans, we are in a relationship with ourselves and with others. Plus, we are in a relationship with our situations. In fact, everything in life is about relationships.
Why “Pono” Repeats Twice
The Ho’oponopono prayer can make things right on both sides of every relationship. That is why “pono” repeats twice in its name. It means to make things on both sides of the situation.
Some Issues Are Ancestral
The Ho’oponopono prayer helps clear negative energy from our ancestry. It can free us from things that impact our lives. That is true, even if we weren’t born when certain things occurred.
Can Affect Future Generations
In church, they called it “generational curses.” Remember, this is spiritual warfare, and Ho’oponopono “cleaning” is an effective tool for that.
Brings Up Past Traumas
All conflict resides within. So, addressing them can bring up past traumas to cleanse, even traumas of which we are unaware. Sometimes, my body jolts when practicing Ho’oponopono, and I suspect it indicates spiritual battling that gives me the win.
The Shape Of You
How is your life shaping up? To be fair, not everything in our lives can be traced to our ancestry, but some things in our lives might be.
It is easy to convince someone that my nose shape is from my great-grandmother. But it is hard to convince someone that I may have gotten my fear of heights from her.
Inherited Fears
Yet, 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, for all I know.
Generational things can affect us through adulthood.
Generational Things Can Affect Us
My point is, we never know how generational things still affect our lives into adulthood. That is where practicing Ho’oponopono can help.
To be clear, some phobias are healthy, so I am not advocating that we should try to get rid of every phobia. But if a phobia prevents us from excelling in life, then addressing it is worth considering.
Everything Has Energy
Regardless, everything has energy. And negative energy can manifest in future generations. Everything has both a spiritual and molecular makeup.
Why They are Like That?
Have you ever heard someone say, I don’t understand why they are that way? Or, have you ever said to yourself, I don’t know why I struggle with this? Well, your struggle may have ancestral roots, although it does not have to be inherently 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 of high heights. But this is an example of a possible ancestral thing.
How are things in your life shaping up? Ho’oponopono can help.
Not Every Relationship
One should not feel obliged to use Ho’oponopono for relationships you don’t want to reconcile. You are responsible for releasing negative attitudes toward others. I say that only because holding on to grudges 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. I wish them no ill will and would never hurt them. Those individuals and past conditions are irrelevant to me. Thus, 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 not go near them now.
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!
Use Ho’oponopono for relationships that matter to you.
For Relationships That Matter
For relationships that matter to you, the Ho’oponopono prayer can help with reconciliation. I am referring to situations that are beyond your human understanding. It is a subconscious spiritual battle.
“The conscious mind is clueless about what memories are replaying (11,000,000 per second in the subconscious.” – Dr. Hew Len.
A Biblical Truth
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
For this reason, our affairs are best addressed from a spiritual perspective.
Things That Hinder
Thinking of you, you may have something that is holding you back in some way. It could be a fear of establishing new friendships or romantic partners.
Clarity and Courage
You might fear the unknown, so you stick to what’s safe. This can hold you back from reaching great things. Well, Ho’oponopono may give you clarity and courage. This may seem weird until you imagine fear as being in conflict between you and your invalid fears. In other words, balance your fears with courage.
Limitless Applications
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 on both sides; whatever is right for you.
Stay Open. Stay Curious. Stay Teachable.
Stay Teachable
To wrap up, Ho’oponopono might seem odd to some. And to be clear, my only leverage comes from my experience with it. It is something that I intend to use for the rest of my life.
Also, Ho’oponopono is about forgiveness and cleaning. It aligns with my Christian beliefs, so I am comfortable with it. It’s important to clarify one thing: Ho’oponopono isn’t about sin or wrongdoing.
Not For Everyone
Lastly, I am not naïve. Ho’oponopono is not for everyone; nothing is. However, it is another form of meditation that can enhance your growth journey. I encourage you to try it.
