Learning About Hoʻoponopono

Discover the rich history of Hoʻoponopono and learn about its application to childhood trauma and resentment in the present. Hoʻoponopono is a forgiveness practice that can benefit people struggling with resentment, anger, self-doubt, guilt, etc... and there is a practice included towards the end of the talk.

Transcript

Hey,

So glad you're here.

Today we're gonna talk about hoʻoponopono,

Which is an ancient Hawaiian spiritual practice.

And the main focus of hoʻoponopono is forgiveness.

Forgiveness of a transgression,

A misunderstanding,

Or a conflict in a relationship.

And hoʻoponopono has been such a central part of Hawaiian culture for a few centuries now.

And according to some,

According to an article called,

Understanding Hoʻoponopono,

The practice has varied slightly,

Depending on what region of Hawaii you were in,

Who you learned it from.

But the central idea is forgiveness.

The central concept is that by healing the energetic imbalance within a relationship,

We're able to sort of cut the cord of resentment between ourselves and another person.

And the word hoʻoponopono literally means to realign,

To put back into balance.

And the end of the word,

Pono,

Means to be aligned.

There isn't an exact translation for that word,

Pono,

In English.

But the closest that we can get is to be realigned.

To be comfortable in your own skin and comfortable with the world around you.

And the reason why this practice is so relevant is because you and I,

We talk a lot about childhood and how our family dynamics early on can affect the way that we function into teenage life and adult life.

And at the heart of hoʻoponopono is a real willingness to forgive other people and clear yourself,

Clean yourself energetically.

And a lot of us are searching for that,

But we don't have any practical way to practice that,

To put that into practice in everyday life.

Hoʻoponopono was initially practiced by specific spiritual teachers who had learned the process from another teacher and would almost do house calls,

In a sense,

In Hawaiian culture.

And they would come to the house,

They would have you sit down,

And perhaps the person who you were having a conflict with,

They would sit down as well.

And it would be resolved in such a manner that spiritually it was very powerful,

But you needed somebody to be there.

Now the modern version of hoʻoponopono,

To the best of my understanding,

Has a function where you can perform this on your own.

You can practice this,

And it's actually very practical.

So based on what I've read,

The four steps of hoʻoponopono were coined by Dr.

Ihalikala Hewlen.

And Dr.

Len was a student of Mourna Simeona.

Now Mourna Simeona was influenced by Christianity,

As well as the Eastern world of spirituality,

When she taught Dr.

Len.

Dr.

Len's four steps,

Please forgive me,

I'm sorry,

I love you,

Thank you,

Mean that hoʻoponopono is accessible.

It's accessible to you,

Accessible to me.

Anybody can do this,

Because whatever language you speak,

These four steps can be translated into.

And we use these to focus on ourselves,

And we repeat this mantra,

Or we can focus on another person and repeat this mantra while thinking about them.

The beautiful thing about hoʻoponopono is not just its history,

Its significance culturally to the Hawaiian people,

But it's that it gives you the power.

You choose who you want to become,

What you're going to feel about a specific situation.

Forgiveness is a gift that we give ourselves.

It doesn't mean that we suddenly judge everything that somebody did against us as okay.

It doesn't mean that we're allowing this to happen.

It means that we're not going to let this situation run our lives,

And that we've decided our own health,

Our own mental and physical health,

Is more important than any resentment we might hold towards another person.

And talking about this in the context of childhood trauma is really relevant.

A lot of people who struggle with CPTSD don't realize when you've grown up in dire circumstances as a child,

You develop this deep reservoir of resentment towards your parents,

Towards extended family,

Basically towards anyone whose actions impacted you in that way.

And this resentment is healthy.

Why?

Because it comes as a result of us feeling wronged.

And anger is a sign that something needs to change.

The problem is that things did not change,

Or if they changed,

It was temporary.

It wasn't a sustained meaningful change.

And now we live with this prolonged resentment.

Ho'oponopono is a way to clear that blockage,

That emotional blockage that we carry within ourselves.

In Hawaii,

People interpret the energetic tie between person to person as a connection.

And they call this connection the aka connection.

Aka,

Aka,

Which is how it's spelled,

Literally means sticky stuff.

And Hawaiians are completely correct in that when we move throughout day-to-day life,

When we interact with people,

We collect these connections.

We collect baggage from other people.

Whether we realize it or not,

All the stimulation that we receive as human beings has us carry this weight.

And ho'oponopono,

Chanting this,

Basically completes the cycle of this relationship.

Why?

Because you start with,

I'm sorry.

You acknowledge that you have had a part in this baggage.

Please forgive me.

I love you.

Thank you.

Some say that in the Western world,

We tend to just stop at,

I'm sorry,

And we think that's enough.

But ho'oponopono has us close this loop by humbling ourselves,

Asking for forgiveness from the person that we think has hurt us.

And so just putting that into perspective,

It means that we take control and we take charge of our own suffering.

And that's the only way that we can stop suffering is by taking control,

Taking responsibility for our suffering in the first place.

And the forgiveness that we experience here doesn't mean,

Again,

That we justify anybody else's behavior.

But in ancient Hawaii,

This was known as a mantra for reconciliation,

Known as ohana.

That's a traditional ho'oponopono prayer.

When forgiving yourself,

When forgiving other people,

There is no residual thing that you have to carry.

You don't have to to have these people and these situations live in your mind.

By practicing this,

You're able to actually let go of these situations,

Of these people,

And let them be free,

And let yourself be free.

We've talked about this for quite a bit,

But I want to try it with you.

So just think.

I'm sure that we all have somebody we feel has done us dirty in some way.

Bring that person to mind.

Or it can be a group of people.

It can be one person.

If you made a mistake,

If you feel guilty,

If you feel shame,

Try this with yourself.

Now,

I'll have the music come in,

And we'll try a short practice of ho'oponopono.

So while I chant these words,

You can chant along mentally,

Out loud,

While thinking of someone who you need to forgive,

Or that you want forgiveness from.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

Please forgive me.

I'm sorry.

I love you.

Thank you.

So just take a moment now.

Open your eyes if you had them closed and pay attention to how you feel.

If you notice a clearing,

An emotional release.

Have your feelings about this person,

This situation,

Changed?

Think about this and remember that you can always come back to those four phrases and to this practice of forgiveness.

Thank you for joining me.

Reviews

Incredibly concise, helpful and thoughtful interpretation of Ho'oponopono. Thank you. 🙏🏽✨️💖

Excellent. Loved the teaching and the meditation. Thank You. 💖♾️❤️‍🩹

I did not know much about this. I'm grateful to know now. Thank you, Anthony 🙏🏻

Thanks so very much, I only discovered ho’oponopopo the other day and I love it! 🌈💝

Anthony this is the best explanation of this practice I’ve heard. Profoundly moving when practiced and very “clearing” for me. I use it to ask forgiveness of those whom I have played my part in wounding (both in my past & present) as a maladaptive way of coping with CPSD. Thank you this beautiful presentation, you are such a gift 🌈✨🙏💚

Is this both for those you want to permanently cut energetic cords with (no contact or only the necessary superficial contact) and those you want to keep a meaningful relationship with (just to loose the excess baggage, without losing any part of the connection)?
Thank you again 😊 🙏 💚 ✨

Just what I needed to hear today… My higher self sent me here so I could feel the miracle