Tag Archives: Hawaiian ancestral traditions

BEST Mantra for 2025: Ho’oponopono

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2025 looks to be a turbulent year, at least politically, and it’s going to take the positive intentions of ho’oponopono to counteract this impending toxicity.

We’re also impacted by the energies of the rare black moon in Capricorn. Today is the second new moon of December which is sometimes called a “black moon,” just as the second of two full moons in a month is referred to as a “blue moon”.

We can anticipate positive amplified new beginnings, shadow work and self-reflection, heightened manifestation and transformations, and spiritual protection.

This is a perfect time to activate ho’oponopono.

Photo of Kauai by Pascal Ingelrest on Pexels.com

Ho’oponopono, the ancient practice of forgiveness, works by focusing on self-reflection and
by repeating a simple mantra:

I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you.

This will cleanse negative energy within oneself and promote healing and reconciliation with others.

Ho’oponopono is based on the principle of taking total responsibility for one’s own experiences and the belief that we are all interconnected. By working on ourselves, we can positively impact the situations and people around us.

The word ho’oponopono roughly translates to “cause things to move back in balance” or to “make things right.” It’s a very zen concept. In native Hawaiian language, “pono” means balance, in the sense of life.

There are a few haoles (non-native, mostly white people) who seek to monetarily capitalize on this Hawaiian ritual by charging money to become certified in ho’oponopono. This is a pretty disgusting form of cultural appropriation and wholly unneccesary. The beauty of this practice is in its simplicity. Anyone can access the healing benefits by repeating the four sentences, silently or out loud.

I’m sorry
please forgive me
thank you
I love you

What I’m Reading: The Bowl of Light

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Aloha and mahalo…

Year’s end often brings reflection and this book about light is a gratifying metaphor for ending 2022 and starting fresh with a full bowl of love and light in 2023.

The symbol of a bowl of light holds a relevant message to help us explore our limitations, how we can commit to releasing them, and learn to live in harmony.

I wrote about this book in Giving Thanks and since then, I received it as a thoughtful gift and I’m enjoying it so much that I wanted to share it with everyone.

In 1996, a revered Hawaiian elder befriended an American anthropologist, and from their rare and intimate rapport, something miraculous emerged. Through the words and teachings of the kahuna wisdom-keeper Hale Makua, Dr. Wesselman was gifted with an enhanced perspective into the sacred knowledge of ancient Hawaii.

Author Hank Wesselman, PhD, is a paleoanthropologist and shamanic teacher who has worked with noted anthropologists investigating the mysteries of human origins in Africa.

Before his passing, elder Makua encouraged Dr. Wesselman to convey much of what had passed between them to the wider world, giving him permission to share his spiritual knowledge, including:

The Bowl of Light—how we can restore our natural divine radiance
• The three directives of the spiritual warrior—love with humility, live with reverence, and know with self-discipline
• Rituals for communing with nature, receiving wisdom from the spirit world, purifying our consciousness, and more
• The Ancestral Grand Plan—exploring the path our ancestors set in motion millennia ago, and how the Plan is playing out across the world today

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Along with the the ancient Hawaiian practice of Ho’oponopono about forgiveness, there’s a lot of wisdom we can gain from native Hawaiian culture.

“I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you.”

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I started to research more of the island’s ancestral traditions and discovered the Huna Principles from Kauai, one of the most beautiful places on this planet.

Ho’ihi . . . Respect

The seven principles of Huna were passed down as part of another Hawaiian family’s oral tradition – the Kahili family of Kauai and these have been presented in a contemporary form by Serge Kahili King. The story of the Bowl of Light provides an illustration of these Huna principles in action as follows:

Ike: Awareness

The story teaches us to become aware of how the choices we make can affect us for better or worse. It is valuable to become aware of the extent that your own bowl is comprised of stones or light. Awareness provides the starting point for change.

Kala: Freedom

We can limit and constrain ourselves to such a point that it is as though we stop growing, we get stuck. When we experience, and hang onto, emotions such as fear, anger and jealousy, it is like we are dropping another stone into our bowl which means we experience less light. We can also free ourselves from such limitations and flourish. We have the ability to release limitations.

Makia: Focus

We choose where to focus- either towards empowering feelings and behaviours or away from feelings and behaviours that disempower us. The choice is ours in any given moment.

Manawa: Presence

The light is always there, even if at times it seems to be fully obscured by stones. If we so choose, change can be quick and it is never too late to change. We can simply turn the bowl upside down and let go of the all the stones and make room for the light.

Aloha: Love

Love and heart-centered practices increase our strength and well-being. To love is to be happy with – we experience light to the extent that we focus on aloha – light and stone cannot occupy the same space. To the extent that we have light in our bowl, we are connected to our true nature and spirit. We are all connected and our own individual light contributes to lighting the world for everyone.

Mana: Power

We have the power to make changes in our life for the better. It is up to us to take responsibility and be the authority in our own life.

Pono: Effectiveness

The tale is a metaphor for living effectively. It reminds us how we can be pono – in a state of harmony with oneself, others, nature and life itself.

Pete Dalton ©2020.  This article first appeared on Aloha International.