Ho’oponopono is known as ‘the Hawaiian forgiveness process’. Literally it  ‘to make things doubly right’. That’s right as in calm, centred, balanced, at one, at peace, free from conflict and stress. There are many versions of Ho’oponopono, and no one way is good or bad, right or wrong.

Ho'oponopono

 

There is a huge body of psychological research into the problems associated with unforgiveness and bitterness. It can interfere with your hormonal system and your immune system; it can also affect you blood pressure and even your heart. The problem is that there’s a lot less information on how to actually forgive – it’s easier said than done. Which is where the Hawaiian approach is invaluable.

If you’re not familiar with the Hawaiian language, the word itself is a bit of a mouthful to cope with. Here’s how to make it easy. In Hawaiian, pono means right. That’s right as in ‘I feel right with the world’, or  ‘I’m in my flow’ or  ‘I feel in harmony’. When you double a word, it doubles the intensity of the meaning. So ponopono means doubly right, in super-flow. Ho’o just means to make, so the whole word, Ho’oponopono, means to make things totally right. or to put myself in super flow. And when you make things totally right, peaceful, at one with yourself and another human being, then you have reached the essence of forgiveness.

I use ho’oponopono every day to cleanse my energy and heal my relationships with the world at large. When my father died it was a huge help in dealing with my grief. When my mother became psychotic in her dementia, ho’oponopono enabled me to stay loving and centred in my relationship with her. It is powerful in releasing us from old relationships which still control us, and for opening up the space to new ones.

I teach and use ho’oponopono both on its own and within the wider context of Huna, and you can use it on its own to deal with all manner of situations. To find out more, just get in touch.