Discovering the Depths of Ho'oponopono
Beyond the Four Phrases: Unveiling the Rich Tradition and Modern Adaptations of a Hawaiian Healing Practice
Many people believe Ho’oponopono is a simple prayer consisting of four phrases: “I’m sorry; Please forgive me; Thank you; I love you.” However, this version of Ho’oponopono is a modern adaptation that was popularized for mass consumption by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len in collaboration with Joe Vitale during the mid to late 2000s. While these phrases are effective in their own right, they represent only a small part of the broader and more intricate practice of traditional Ho'oponopono.
The Traditional Ho'oponopono
In its original form, Ho’oponopono is a deeply rooted Hawaiian practice that involves far more than the simplified four-phrase prayer. Traditional Ho’oponopono is a comprehensive spiritual and communal process designed to restore and maintain harmony within families, communities, and oneself. It often involves a mediator and can encompass a wide variety of rituals, prayers, and discussions aimed at resolving conflicts and healing relationships.
Key Elements of Traditional Ho’oponopono
Mediation and Guidance: Traditional Ho’oponopono often requires a kahuna lapaʻau (a healing priest) or an elder to guide the process. This mediator helps facilitate the discussion and ensures that all participants are heard and understood.
Community Involvement: Unlike the modern individual-focused version, traditional Ho’oponopono places a strong emphasis on community involvement. The practice is typically conducted in a group setting where family members or community members come together to address collective issues.
Structured Process: The traditional practice follows a structured process that includes several stages:
Hoʻomaka: The opening prayer or invocation to call upon spiritual support.
Hoʻomaikaʻi: Acknowledging and expressing gratitude for the presence of the divine.
Hoʻokuʻu: Releasing negative feelings and seeking mutual forgiveness.
Pule Hoʻopau: The closing prayer to seal the process.
Emotional Expression and Catharsis: Participants are encouraged to openly express their emotions, grievances, and regrets. This emotional release is seen as essential for genuine healing and reconciliation.
Maintenance of Harmony: The ultimate goal of traditional Ho’oponopono is to restore harmony and balance within the group. It is not just about resolving a specific issue but about maintaining long-term peace and understanding.
Morrnah Simeona’s Updated Ho’oponopono
In the 1980s, Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, a Hawaiian kahuna lapaʻau, introduced an updated version of Ho’oponopono that adapted the traditional practice for contemporary use. Her modern approach maintained the core principles but made it more accessible for individual self-healing and spiritual cleansing.
Key Elements of Morrnah's Updated Ho'oponopono
Self-Identity Through Ho’oponopono (SITH): Morrnah’s system, known as Self-Identity Through Ho’oponopono (SITH), emphasizes personal responsibility. According to this philosophy, individuals are responsible for everything in their lives because it is created from their memories, thoughts, and actions.
12-Step Process: Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono did not use “I’m sorry; Please forgive me; Thank you; I love you,” as a mantra. Instead, a lengthy 12-step forgiveness and reconciliation process was read aloud as a group or individually.
Cleaning Processes: Morrnah introduced shortcut “cleaning” processes that involve connecting with the Divine to erase negative memories and replace them with love. This process is typically done internally rather than through group practice, athough the 12-step process is inherently cleaning.
Universal Application: Unlike traditional Ho’oponopono, which focuses on resolving specific interpersonal issues within a community, Morrnah’s approach can be applied universally to all aspects of life, including health, finances, relationships, and personal development.
Educational Outreach: Morrnah traveled internationally to teach her updated version of Ho'oponopono, spreading its principles to a global audience and integrating it with other spiritual and healing practices. After Morrnah passed, the SITH organization continued to conduct Ho’oponopon workshops, many led by Dr. Len.
Evolution of SITH and Additional Cleaning Tools: Dr. Len and some of his students and teachers later modified and expanded the modern system introduced by Morrnah to include numerous cleaning shortcuts. These cleaning shortcuts would clean “memories” if used intentionally, and they included words, phrases, and even actions or foods. For example, eating strawberries or blueberries intentionally is a Ho’oponopono cleaning practice. The foods do not need to be healthy in the physical sense; e.g. waffles were eventually put on the updated and ever growing cleaning list.
Modern Popular Adaptation: The Four Phrases
The modern version of Ho’oponopono, popularized by Dr. Len and Joe Vitale in the 2000s, focuses on personal responsibility and self-healing. The four phrases—”I’m sorry; Please forgive me; Thank you; I love you”—serve as a mantra for individuals to address their own internal conflicts and emotions. This adaptation has made the practice accessible to a global audience and has been embraced for its simplicity and effectiveness in promoting personal well-being.
What many modern practitioners of Ho’oponopono don’t understand is that these four phrases or mantras are actually just a few of a number of cleaning tools, and they are simply a small part of the overall Ho’oponopono system that was developed by Morrnah Simeona.
Why Use Other Ho’oponopono Techniques?
While the simplified four-phrase version of Ho’oponopono has gained widespread popularity and can be a powerful tool for personal healing, it is important to recognize that the traditional practice is far more complex and rich.
Understanding the full scope of traditional Ho’oponopono, as well as Morrnah Simeona’s updated version, allows for a deeper appreciation of its cultural significance and its potential for fostering communal harmony and reconciliation.
The full Ho’oponopono philosophy, 12-step process, and other practices from Ho’oponopono provide a rich spiritual tapestry for personal growth as well as collective healing.
The danger is in using the four phrases as shortcuts to try to “manifest” stuff for yourself, which is ego-focused and creates more “memories” that need to be cleaned. While some Ho’oponopono teachers promise amazing lives by practicing the phrases, the goal should not be more “stuff” but a deeper connection with the Divine.
The true Ho’oponopono cleaning process, in short, is to get out of the way and “let go and let God” as we return to our pure spiritual essences. This allows our true selves to emerge along with our life purpose.
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