IN THE BEGINNINGS…
Long
before the Warrior clans of Tahitians reached Hawaii’s shores in 1299 A.D., and
certainly before the traders and missionaries from the West discovered this
strategic cluster of islands, the Ancient Hawaiians had evolved into a society
that had it’s own spiritual values and practices in place. These values refined
in their simplicity and pragmatism, reflected the natural sensibilities that had
also developed in other isolated pockets of the globe. These Universal values
shared a heightened awareness of the Self being connected to every part of
everything. And the Ancient Hawaiians nurtured the teachings and daily
practices of One-ness and Self-greatness, known as the Aloha Spirit and that the
connection to One-ness included those dearly departed, from the physical
dimension, having “changed address,” from human to spirit-wholeness, as is the
simple Hawaiian reference for changing from physical to spirit transition, and
onto the new beginnings…to include serving as spiritual guides.
A
journey that started many life-times ago, and in the now, one continues free
will, choosing to embrace, nurture and practice the timeless values for daily
experiences rooted in Aloha-love, the ancient teachings promoting respect,
goodness for self and others, all the while placing self in alignment with one
of several Universal laws. And to “reconnect” to the Universal laws and one’s
true identity.
E KANAWAI MOAKA’AKA, the law of attraction &
manifestation, and literally in Hawaiian to also mean the “Smiling law.” As in
the teachings taught to the kamali’i-children, that the Universe “smiles” upon
the manifestation without judgments, so great importance for responsibilities
upon creations and decisions are passed on to the Children, beginning with
their own “bowl of light,” experiences and other values contained in the ancient
teachings of HO’OPONO PONO KE ALA.
HO’OPONOPONO
& HO’OPONO PONO KE ALA
Ho’oponopono (noted as one word) is the more
familiar method for “making right, the wrongs,” in the “problem-solving” process
heavily influenced by religious missionary doctrines, and western based
mental-health concepts for “conflict resolutions.” The missionaries in their
eagerness to colonize the Hawaiians, was said to have adopted the method upon
realizing the influence it served within the Hawaiian family structure. And,
over time they managed to institute their religious values, causing changes,
upon the Hawaiian influences, with each new generation of Hawaiians.
The second form (noted as two
words+) is the method based in the essence of traditional Hawaiian Spirituality,
and within the ancient teachings identified as
Ho’opono Pono Ke Ala – “making right, more right, the path.”
Herein, the implication is the
Aloha Spirit
value for promoting the “wellness
and rightness at the
onset.
In the
Hawaiian aloha
mind-set it was understood that one
choosing to accept “wellness” at the onset,
would receive it sooner than
not, so the concept for “wellness,” suited the
aloha Values and the practice
was eagerly promoted and embraced. This form having existed prior to western
and missionary influences, is virtually an unfamiliar
practice
by most
Hawaiians
today.
Ho’opono Pono – “making right,
more right,” was generally recognized as a form of weekly counseling used within
Hawaiian family structures, and facilitated by a kupuna-elder family member.
These family gatherings helped to promote, instill, and maintain positive,
aloha-loving, and spiritual values within the family, as well as affecting
wellness within the social structure of the villages.
Over a period of time, with western and missionary
influences, the values in the Ho’opono Pono method changed to include negative
aspects for guilt’s, faults, blames, and ridicules, requiring unlimited,
frequent focus on forgiveness.
Eventually, family members, overwhelmed by
negative influences cease to hold Ho’oponopono gatherings within the family.
Many became reliant upon Church
elders or family elders who became “acceptable Christians,” and encouraged to
administer Ho’oponopono counseling in desperate situations, causing motives for
secrecies.
Today, this Christian form
of Ho’oponopono is the one most Hawaiians remember being taught and used by
their Kupuna, if indeed it was used at all.
Ho’opono Pono Ke Ala –
the ancient Hawaiian counseling method for “making
right, more right the path,” utilizes the philosophy and practice of
Aloha Lokahi- love and unity, the all encompassing and important aspect of
the Aloha Spirit value system that Hawaiians wholeheartedly embraced
within themselves and culture during the era from 242 AD to 1299 AD, prior to
the arrival of the Tahitian warrior chief Pa’ao.
Hawaiians once so enlightened by the Aloha
Spirit concepts and practices believed that all things, all conditions, all
people, and all of nature were/ are in PONO- excellence, rightness. And
thought, that “changes” are normal occurrences indicating needs for
adjustments in making Pono more Pono
– right, more right in the never-ending
flow for growth and changes. In administering Ho’opono Pono, kupuna-elders
used the practice of Mo’olelo –story telling more than direct
counseling. Mo’olelo style
established a neutral, conducive atmosphere and enabled
the kupuna to communicate knowledge and values in a “non-confrontational”
manner, while increasing awareness and wellness rooted in the Aloha
Spirit. With this nurtured life-style method, the need for direct counseling
was minimal.
However, with the continuation of
foreign arrivals with their foreign values setting new standards in the Hawaiian
life-style, minimizing the Aloha Spiritual influences, and forever
changing the harmonious Hawaiian life-style with forced doctrines of
separations through physical presence of Chiefs and ruling classes amongst
the people, was the first wave for induction and take-over by
the powerful forces of Chief Pa’ao in 1300 AD.
The second wave for take over
occurred with the Western and European contact, bringing ships, sailors,
metal, guns, disease, and Christian missionaries to save the heathen souls, and
survey the lands for land divisions and ownership, with the eventual and
illegal overthrow of the Hawaiian nation and imprisoning Hawaii’s last Queen
Lili’uokalani in 1893. At present, native Hawaiians – Kanaka Maoli, along with
their Hawaiian supporters actively demonstrate in public for Sovereignty
restitutions from the United States Government.
As each successive event crested over Hawaii, the native people were forced into
acceptance by the first, gave in/ caved in through conformity
during the second, and then after the third, with a few exceptions, willingly
chose the beliefs and values which steered them further from the Hawaiian ideals
of Aloha Lokahi-love and unity, Aloha Spirit. Fragments of this
idealism did manage to survive through the teachings and practiced examples from
some of the kupuna-elders, who passed it on to a few in the next generation.
Today, within our global
communities, the need for growth, enlightenment peace and joy are more necessary
than ever before, and the needs must be embraced, and filled within Self,
individually, and can be…there are no
“accidents,” only
the “timeless and opportune moments,” to experience the
desired experiences
that we each spirituality, physically, and
energetically create and manifest
for ourselves. We can do it!! We came gifted
with all
the energetic and genetic coding
perfectly intact, once we get over ourselves, and reconnect into
our internal guidance system or align with our gang of ancestors, angels,
and guides. There are no secrets, no exotic rituals, no Huna-isms to
Spiritual Self-greatness, just a willing mind, and heart ready to
re-connect to the ancient and internal wisdoms of Aloha Lokahi-love & unity.
HUNA
HUNA
is a belief system recognized throughout Europe and parts of the United States
as a form of Hawaiian religion steeped in enough exotic magic for
healings and destructions, to have created a large following in the mid 1930’s
for it’s creator, Max Freedom Long.
Mr. Long, arrived in
Hawaii as a young school teacher in 1917, and taught school on the Big Island
for several years. Many of his students were native Hawaiian ancestry,
and he spent much time drilling them with questions about their cultural
practices, receiving little responses beyond a respectful smile and head
shaking. This gave Mr. Long reason to suspect that Hawaiians knew little
to nothing about their history, or simply choosing to divulge nothing about
their secret, exotic practices.
Little
did he realize that it was against the law for Hawaiians to practice or
carry on any form of business in Hawaiian, write in Hawaiian, converse in
Hawaiian, engage in any Hawaiian healing practices, art or Hawaiian dance forms.
Mr. Long’s interest in the Occult, along with his wife’s authoring books
on murder mysteries peaked his imagination to write several articles of his
interest and version of Kahuna practice and magic. Therein, sealing his
career as a writer for his soaring imagination into the exotic and magical world
of Hawaiian Spiritual practices, he termed as Kahuna-ism. This lead him
to adopt a name and title from another religious practice referred to as
HUNA, from the Berber people of North Africa. Mr. Long believed that both
races were interconnected, and shared the same religious practices. However, he
used just enough Hawaiian words, and descriptions to keep his version of
HUNA connected to Hawaii, much to the delight and interest of his
followers.
The word,
HUNA
in Hawaiian means
something very small, and not any more significant than a grain of salt.
However, with Mr. Long’s imaginations, he managed to make some huge salt mines,
from a little ol’ grain of salt. And his “imagination” has sparked many others
to developing HUNA-ISMS even further today. Hmmm, most interesting!
REF; Book titled, HO’OPONO, a Night Rainbow Book by; Pali J. Lee and John K.
Willis
Tales from the Night Rainbow...by
Pali J. Lee and John K. Willis (contact;
taysheart13@hotmail.com)
one of many letters of inquiry on the
subject of HUNA;
Hi Aunty,
I hope you don't mind me writing to you. I'm very new to Hawaiian
Spiritualism. I recently attended a workshop where the instructor
mentioned a book called "the Urban Shaman" by Dr. Serge Kahili King. In
the book he talks about the 7 Huna Principles and they resonate a lot with me.
Is your teachings similar or related to the Huna philosophy? Is it the
same roots? Are there many different "branches" or philosophies in
Hawaiian Spiritualism? Do you know Dr. King?
I'm hoping to attend your
Big Island Retreat, and am excited about experiencing Hawaii in a very Spiritual
way. I understand that the Big Island is known as the "healing island"
ever evolving with the birthing of new land from the lava & fires of the goddess
Pele. I can't wait to visit your island.
I hope to hear from you
soon! Warmest regards, Michelle
Aloha Michelle,
"Huna" is not an origin from
the Hawaiian culture. It's roots derive from the Berber Tribe of North
Africa. Dr. Serge King (not a Hawaiian) carries forward the claims of HUNA
as a Hawaiian philosophy, (not sure if he still does) as did Max Freedom Long who started it. Not
surprising since both have built their marketing programs, and income based in
this method of "cultural slimming" by attaching it to the Hawaiian culture
rather than to the North African tribes. No doubt, Dr. King has over the
years refined much of their philosophy with Hawaiian influences by
incorporating as many Hawaiian words as possible for his needed creditability. I
have heard that he claims to have received the teachings of HUNA from a Hawaiian
family that he was adopted into. Frankly, considering that HUNA is from
Africa, it's a bit of a stretch that a Hawaiian family would know of HUNA, much
less teach it, especially during a time (20+) years ago.
So, since HUNA is not
Hawaiian, I don't know how much of our Hawaiian philosophy has been
tweaked-incorporated into their "made up" version, beyond the usage of Hawaiian
words. As for Hawaiian Spirituality, there are many "expressions" of Hawaiian
Spirituality, such as the one that is rooted in our Aloha Spirit philosophy in
the teachings of "Ho'opono Pono Ke Ala," with origin in Hawaiian lineage.
And by the way, I think it's
a good thing that you did resonate with some of Dr. King's Huna principles!!
Perhaps, with more such experiences told to Dr. King, he may one day promote
"integrity" upon his teachings as it being "Universal" and thereby
eliminate
unnecessary and misleading attachments, as Max Freedom Long had done before him.
Thanks for your letter
asking about HUNA. Letters as yours creates the importance for me as a
Hawaiian to address this subject and possibly set things in proper order. I feel
it's so important that others are not "mislead" and that "cultural slimming"
attached to my culture is not promoted. Today, (unlike
20+ years ago), my people have a "voice," and the self-confidence along with the
education and awareness to "set things right-Pono."
And today, many come from
all over the world to seek what we are about, along with following their soul
journey to the beauty, magic and healings of our islands...to a calling...to
an island home from time before time....
So, with the greatest of
pleasure, I look forward to meeting you upon your arrival to this healing
island...Hawaii!! Blessings, Aunty
Ae