Ho’oponopono
You may have wondered what is Ho-oponopono? Not only is it difficult to pronounce but what does it mean? Well… I thought the same thing when I first heard it a few years ago. Being open minded, it sparked my curiosity enough to investigate further. Unlike my other daily rituals, which include morning meditation and daily affirmations, this “Hawaiian” healing method exposed me to a whole new approach in dealing with life’s problems.
Before I dive into the theory and practice of Ho’oponopono, I would like to add that despite its uniqueness, this technique has worked for me and others I know. It is a tool I continuously use in dealing with health issues, relationship problems, and other circumstances that leave me feeling overwhelmed and stressed. Yet in order to see results, it does require commitment! I know that it might seem difficult to understand, so I will do my best to present it in the simplest way.
The Myth
The Myth
Ho’oponopono gained widespread attention when a spiritual teacher by the name of Joe Vitale heard about a Therapist in Hawaii who healed an entire ward of insane patients without ever seeing them. In this state hospital, the staff and visitors would walk with their backs against the wall in fear of being attacked by the patients. Subsequently, employees would call in sick on a regular basis or simply just quit. When this therapist agreed to look at the cases, he began examining the file of each patient and then applying the healing practice. After a few months, there seemed to be a shift in the hospital. The staff turnaround was nonexistent. Patients that needed to be restrained were now allowed to walk freely, and those who were heavily sedated where having their medications reduced.
Over the 4 year period, these patients showed such improvement in behavior that they were allowed to be free! With the entire ward healed, the facility was eventually closed. Joe was so intrigued by this story that he embarked on a mission to find this mystery therapist. It was a process that took a few years, but he eventually located the legendary man responsible for this transformation.
Now I should mention, there are some critics who claim that this story is not entirely accurate. Although this therapist did work in the Hawaiian Mental Ward, the patients apparently were never freed and allowed to integrate back into society. Yet throughout all my research, I was surprised to learn how many people seemed to find this method effective in solving their own problems, including myself. With that in mind, the accuracy of this “myth” becomes less insignificant when one realizes the healing power that Ho’oponopono offers.
The Therapist
The Therapist
So who was this urban legend and more importantly what did he do to create this healing throughout the ward? As Joe Vitale began his quest to find this Shaman, he eventually discovered the man… Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. Joe learned that this psychologist had used a method called “Self-Identity through Ho’oponopono” to heal each one of those patients. Dr. Hew Len, himself, had learned this technique from a native Hawaiian Kahuna by the name of Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, who was able to cure his own daughter from shingles. After spending a few years with her studying her methods, he created an updated approach using her original 12 steps.
As Joe Vitale’s curiosity deepened, he wanted to know the Million Dollar Question. He asked Dr. Hew Len, “If you didn’t see ANY patient, what were you doing that caused these people to change?” Dr. Hew Len’s humble response was….”I simply cleaned the part of me that I shared with them.” At the time Joe Vitale did not understand what that meant, and quite frankly when I first read this, neither did I! What could Dr. Hew Len possibly share with these patients who were insane? The answer becomes clearer once we understand exactly what Ho’oponopono is and how it works.
What is Ho’oponopono
What is Ho’oponopono
In his book, “Zero Limits” Joe Vitale explains in detail the methods he learned from Dr. Hew Len. The zero limit is about “returning to that zero state where nothing exists but anything is possible.” When I first began researching Ho’oponopono, I was clearly confused by that statement. But as I continued to investigate… it began to make sense. I was already aware of how busy our minds are. Dr. Hew Len went on to explain that a only a few bits of information is available to our conscious mind, while millions of bits are happening at any one moment. We have no chance of understanding all of it. What Ho’oponopono offers is a way to get passed all the “chatter of the mind, where divinity exists.” This might sound a bit heavy, so let me try to explain.
This Hawaiian method is a process of letting go of toxic energy (in the form of memories), thus allowing divine thoughts, words and deeds to enter. When our thoughts are positive, they create a positive reality. Likewise, when they are cancerous our reality becomes cancerous. In other words, there is no such thing as “out there”…it all begins with our minds. Ho’oponopono suggests that “problems” are nothing more than replayed memories showing up again to give us another chance to see it through the eyes of love. Simply put, each problem is NOT an ordeal but an opportunity to heal a past memory.
Ho’oponopono states that as each situation arises, we have a choice to react to that memory or “clean it.” Whether it may be a health issue, financial or relationship problem, we can improve it by looking inside our self and applying the cleaning process. By erasing this “hidden program,” we can achieve inner peace and outward results.
How Ho’oponopono Works
How Ho’oponopono Works
So how does this mystical process actually work? If problems are memories playing out in our subconscious mind, than they don’t have anything to do with anyone, or any situation. When they arise, we have to ask our self “what is it in me that caused this to happen?” This may seem difficult to grasp, especially when it appears in someone else. But in reality, “everything is shared,” meaning someone else’s experience is our experience as well. Ho’oponopono offers us the opportunity to clean those memories and return to a zero state. As Dr. Hew Len famously asked a room full of people at one of his lectures:
Healing begins from the inside out. So how did Dr. Hew Len heal those patients? He did it by understanding that we are 100% percent responsible for everything we hear, see, taste or touch! If it showed up in our life…..then it is up to us to clean it. Others’ problems are simply a mirror or reflection of us. You cure others by healing you. I admit this may be difficult for some to accept, I know it was for me! ”How can I be responsible for someone else’s actions?” When I see something I don’t like it’s because I recognize it within myself. As Dr. Hew Len worked on each patient’s file, he cleaned “the pain” within himself which in turned healed them. So how do we clean?
How to use Ho’oponopono
How to use Ho’oponopono
We have two ways to live our life…from old memories replaying in our subconscious mind or new inspiration. In order to receive inspiration, we first have to clean all the memories. Inspiration appears when we reach that zero state. In our lifetime we have moments of this divine state, but most of the time it’s replayed memories. The beautiful thing about Ho’oponopono is that you don’t have to know the root of the problem, once you notice it…just begin cleaning. If you can feel it…you can heal it! When using this method, it is important to understand what we are saying. In healing these painful memories from our past, we are appealing to our subconscious (as some call the “inner child” within us). In essence we are attempting to replace these “erroneous” thoughts with pure love.
We begin by saying
“I love you dear memories… and I am grateful for the opportunity to free all of you and me”
(4-Phrases)
I love you
I’m Sorry
Please Forgive Me
Thank you
Some may wonder why are we apologizing or asking for forgiveness. The words “I love you” release the energy trapped in our subconscious mind and return them to a divine state. “I’m Sorry” signifies that we sympathize with all of the painful memories that have been trapped there since the beginning of time. “Please Forgive Me” for being unaware, up until this moment, of all the pain and suffering these memories caused. And “Thank You” shows gratitude for the cleaning that is about to take place. It’s worth mentioning that the order of these 4 phrases is not significant, they can be used in any sequence. You can use this cleaning method by saying it out-loud or repeating it silently in your mind over and over again.
Putting Ho’oponopono to the Test!
Putting Ho’oponopono to the Test!
When Joe Vitale first discovered this method, he was struggling with his weight. As he presented his concern to Dr. Hew Len, he was informed that weight is a memory replaying….”clean the memory and the problem will disappear.” He was told to ask himself, ”what is going on within me that is causing me to feel________ (emotion),” followed by the 4 Phrases.
After learning about Ho’Oponopono, I began to view problems through a different lens. The first situation that I decided to clean had to do with my husband’s business. During that time, coincidentally or not, we had 3 clients named “Richard.” It seemed odd to me, but I didn’t pay it too much attention. Interestingly enough, all three became very difficult to work with and extremely uncooperative. This was my opportunity to see if this thing really worked. I began by saying “I am sorry for the erroneous thoughts that have caused a problem for me and my husband in dealing with “Richard.” I then repeated the 4 phrases over and over again in my mind. It must have been 2 weeks of inner cleaning that one by one, each situation with “Richard” was peacefully dissolved.
Similarly, I was able to diffuse a disagreement with my own brother that caused a rift in the family, using this healing. When I pulled a back muscle, I immediately began to clean the memory. More recently, I happened to see the aftermath of two different car accidents at the same intersection, on two separate days. I quickly realized that I needed to clean that memory too. And when one of my kids was bullied at school, Ho’oponopono worked like magic in clearing the energy between the two.
Love Yourself
Love Yourself
They say “when the student is ready, the teacher appears.” Since you read this until the end, you are probably open to the opportunity of learning. When we clear out the old… we make way for the new! By erasing the old memories and returning to a zero state, we allow inspiration and creativity to flow through us. In practicing self love, we evoke love in others. It is similar to the Movie “Pay it Forward,” where a young boy created an amazing concept. He decided to help any stranger that needed it, and in return he asked them pay forward the good deed to someone else. The result was a chain reaction of strangers helping out one another without expecting anything in return.
Ho’oponopono works in a similar way. By taking 100% responsibility for everything we experience, we not only heal our-self but those around us as well. In a world where 0 to 60 seems to be the popular trend, healing comes from moving back from 60 to 0. By saying “I love you” to everything that comes our way, we cause a ripple effect of healing in all those around us.
