This is a research paper I wrote years ago for a class. I like the content and want to share it as it has meaning to all energy work we do as well and is an example how native cultures are using the body, mind and spirit concept. Warning - it is a long post but worth reading!
Copyright © Simone Blaise 2012. All rights reserved.
Many indigenous populations of the
world still practice a form of healing which involves the people’s ancient
rituals and spiritual beliefs. In
contrast to our western concept of medicine where the physicians focus on the
symptoms and the particular dysfunction of the body, the ancient healing
traditions usually look at the patient as a whole, as well as at his
environment in an attempt to find the cause of an illness. The Hawaiian healing tradition is just one
example that may not be as widely known as other common Native American
practices.
Max Freedom Long brought the spiritual
and mystical tradition to the West in the 1920, and called it Huna which is the Hawaiian word for
“secret” (Berney, 2000, p. 14). The
Hawaiians did not use that name for their concept. When Max Freedom Long came to the Hawaiian Islands, his curiosity was spiked by what seemed
secret healing rituals. He started to
investigate and research further but was faced with resistance by the natives. When we explore the history of the Hawaiians
further, it becomes clear why they wanted to keep their mystical and spiritual
knowledge a “hidden secret” – huna.
About 2,000 years ago, the
Polynesians used their sophisticated navigation system to sail across the ocean
and settle at the Hawaiian Islands. Since the islands consisted mainly of
volcanic rocks, there was not much fauna or flora to find, so the Polynesians
brought what they needed to survive to the island by boat over long distances
(Wong, 1994, p. 358). Before the arrival
of Westerners, the Hawaiians had a system of rules called kapu that promoted cleanliness and order; they ate a healthy and
balanced diet of natural foods and were more physically active. They also resolved psychological problems and
interpersonal conflicts through specific group rituals which will be described
later in this paper (Hope & Hope, 2003, p. 2). To be healthy meant for the Hawaiians to have
enough mana, the sacred vital life
force, which is comparable to the Chinese idea of chi. Mana “must be kept in pono
or harmony and lokahi or unity with
the cosmos” (Hope & Hope, 2003, p. 2).
Their medicine people were called kahunas,
the name meaning caregiver in a broader sense.
It is important to note that kahunas
could be male or female. Serge King
gives in his internet article a good idea of what a kahuna was:
“They
were experts of old Hawaii,
experts of religion, health, crafts, science, psychology and magic. “Kahuna” was a title like M.D. or Ph.D., and
additional descriptive words were used to designate the field of expertise.
Just
as the word “doctor” by itself is generally taken to mean a medical doctor, so
the use of “kahuna” by itself generally designated a priest or healer. They underwent extensive and intensive
training before they were recognized as experts.” (King, What is a Kahuna?, 2001)
In 1798 Captain Cook discovered the Hawaiian Islands.
Since the Hawaiians had never seen white people and were impressed by
their tools, they treated and honored them as kahunas but soon came to realize that they were just regular human
beings. Unfortunately, the western immigrants
brought with them western diseases which were transmitted to the Hawaiians
through their cultural greeting practice of hona
(kiss) and the share of ha (breathe). Since the immune resistance was not armored
for those new illnesses, the mortality rate of the Hawaiians increased
dramatically (Hope & Hope, 2003, p. 2).
In the 19th century, Hawaiian King Kamehameha dissolved the kapu system which yet again made the
Hawaiians more vulnerable to outside influences. At the beginning of the 20th
century, kahunas and native healers
were outlawed to practice; this led the Hawaiian healers to practice in secrecy
until in 1919 the Hawaiian Medicine Board licensed kahuna healers. This
licensing was against the cultural idea of passing down the tradition from
generation to generation within a family or by calling. (Hope & Hope, 2003,
p. 2). In the 1960’s kahunas had been outlawed for a couple
of years again until in 1973 their practice was legalized.
During my research, it was shocking
to read about the decline of the native Hawaiian population since the time when
the Westerners discovered the islands in the 18th century. The numbers have declined from approximately
400,000 to a population of about 7,000 in 2003.
Many degenerative diseases have been brought to the islands by
immigrants. Several studies have been
done that show today the native population with ancient Hawaiian roots display
high risk behaviors such as obesity, drug and alcohol abuse, mental health
problems, and the mortality rate of them is alarmingly high (Hope & Hope,
2003, p.1). “Many consider the conflict
between western medicine and traditional Hawaiian healing practices.”
(Hilgencamp & Pescaia, 2003, p. 34).
The purpose of this paper is not only to introduce Huna and explain its practice and modality and how it can be used
by everyone, but to show that the inclusion of the ancient Hawaiian healing
practice in Western medicine may help to improve specifically the health of the
native Hawaiian population. It is
important for the holistic health of these people to respect their cultural and
spiritual needs.
It is interesting to note when you are
researching huna that most of the
people who have written about it are not native Hawaiians, the first
person bringing it to the West being Max Freedom Long. Some argue he has distorted the system or
that the practice has not existed as such among the Hawaiians (King, “Huna and
the Hawaiians”, 2001). Dr. Kaehr has
written a whole book questioning the origin of Long’s huna theory. She questions
the authenticity of his claims and traveled to the Hawaiian
Islands for her research. What she found out was that the locals either
had never heard of huna or refused to
talk about Hawaiian practices (Kaehr, 2002, pp.77-78). She also went to the museum where William
Tufts Brigham used to be the curator, the man who Long claimed to have met and
who had told Long all the mysterious healing stories which had started Long’s
research. Surprisingly, there were no signs of huna nor did anyone know about Max Freedom Long at the museum (Kaehr,
2002, p.70). However, she states the
real proof of disputing Long comes from her communication with Long with the
help of a Ouija board, which makes her questionable as a credible researcher
(Kaehr, 2002).
Serge King proves through some of his
research into the word of Huna that
Long did not make up the word. He says:
“That ka ‘ike huna, the esoteric
knowledge of using the power of the mind to influence nature and events, was
practiced by Hawaiians, there is no doubt” (King. “Huna and Hawaiians”, 2001.). However, he adds, that this does not
necessarily mean that Hawaiians used the word of huna for their esoteric knowledge. Serge King is what we call a
modern kahuna and a Hawaiian shaman
who has been “adopted” by an Hawaiian shaman family named Kahili which handed
down some of the Hawaiian Huna Kupua traditions to him (King, 1990, p.
4). Although he yet again is not a
native Hawaiian, he may be the person who received the most authentic training.
It is my opinion that the seed of the
concept is Hawaiian and has been adjusted by westerners such as Long and King
to fit the western spirituality and culture.
The depth of the mystery lies in the Hawaiian language and its use, and
sometimes direct English translations are not possible which may impact some of
the real magic lying in the words (Paul Waters, N.D., Principles of Huna). However, what is the most important is that
the concept of huna is so universal
that it can be used by people no matter what their spiritual background is, since
it accentuates the connection of body, mind and spirit. That it is of Hawaiian ancient origin makes it
more interesting.
To better understand the basic
concept of the ideas in huna,
according to Serge King, it is helpful to understand the seven basic principles. As we will see, in combination with the concept
of the three selves, this Hawaiian system support the idea of the strong
connection between body, mind and spirit:
- IKE –
The World Is What You Think It
is. This is referring to the power
of thoughts which we all know can manifest in our body, in a positive or
negative way. King stresses as part of this principle the importance of
dreams and that many shamans believe that we dream up our life the way it
is going to go (King, 1990, p. 25).
- KALA
– There Are No Limits. This
principle relates to the idea that everything is possible and that
everything is connected. The
infinite waves of energy are connecting human beings to everyone and
everything around us. However, King
stresses since this is a very overwhelming fact, the illusion of
separateness is very useful to avoid fear and anxiety (King, 1990, pp.
58-61).
- MAKIA
– Energy Flows Where Attention Goes.
As an example, King uses techniques such as meditation and hypnosis
which help us to reconnect with our innermost self and to establish more
positive beliefs and ideas. He
reminds the reader that everything is actually energy – which relates to
the second principle (King, 1990, p. 65).
- MANAWA
– Now Is The Moment Of Power. We do
not have any control over the past, we are not able to change it but we
can influence the future by acting in the present moment. How we act, think and feel in the
present moment influences our karma and how we see our reality. (King,
1990, p.65). This coincides in my
practice of mindfulness meditation where the present moment is the moment
to act.
- ALOHA
– To Love Is To Be Happy With. King
expresses that there is a difference of the concept of love as we
understand it in the west such as a form of desire and the Hawaiian aloha,
being affection and sharing of joy and compassion. He says as judgment decreases, love
increases and that “everything is alive, aware and responsive”. Aloha relates not only to love for other
human beings but also to love for nature (plants, rocks, water) and
animals (King, 1990, pp. 70-72)
- MANA
– All Power Comes From Within. In
other words, nothing happens to us without our own participation. We create our own reality through our
beliefs and thoughts. In some cases
we give someone else the authority to make decisions for us – yet we made
that decision to give the other person the power (King, 1990, pp. 74-76)
- PONO
– Effectiveness Is the Measure Of Truth.
It is interesting to note here that the word pono as it was
referred to earlier in the introduction means goodness, rightness,
appropriateness (King, The Ethics of
Huna, 2001), and harmony as mentioned by Hope (2003). The concept is best explained by Paul
Waters: “..., use the means that determine the ends you desire. If you want peace on earth, use peaceful
means to achieve it. If you want to
harmonize your relationship with your significant other, use loving means
to produce it.” (Waters, Principles of Huna, N.D.)
All these principles show that the
individual is responsible for his or her own reality. Sometimes, however, he or she is not aware of
the beliefs that create those negative experiences. How these beliefs come into being and how we
control our actions can be well explained by the system of the Three Selves in huna.
In huna, each individual consists of three different selves, levels of
consciousness or minds (Lawrence, Huna
Healing: The Elements of the Individual, 1997). At first sight, it very
much reminds one of the concept developed by Sigmund Freud in the 20th
century of the ego, id and superego, as well as the idea of the subconscious. However, in huna there is an additional spiritual aspect which has been ignored
by the west (Paltin, 1986, p. 213). Although
there seem to be parallels, with further investigation the western ideas of the
three selves or souls differ slightly from those of huna. It is important to
remember that this concept is very ancient and just has been uncovered by the
west within the last two centuries.
The three selves are named
differently by Long and King, yet the ideas are the same. Most of the authors writing about huna,
however are using the terms used by Long.
- Basic or Low Self, the in western psychology the
subconscious is in Hawaiian
unihipili
(Long, 1948, p.47) or Ku (King, Huna Kupua, 2001)
- Middle Self, conscious level, in Hawaiian uhane (Long, 1948, p. 47) or Lono (King, Huna Kupua, 2001)
- The High Self, the Cosmic Self
or the God within (Cronick, Glenn, The Huna
Pathway To Our Inner Selves, 2003), in Hawaiian it is called Aumakua (Long, 1948, p. 47) or Kane (King, Huna Kupua, 2001)
- King adds
fourth self in this article, but not in his book Urban Shaman called the core self, or Kanaloa, which he says wills (King, Huna Kupua, 2001).
Since there was not a fourth one in any of the other books and
articles, it can regarded as part of the middle self and the conscious
level as it is concerned with the will power.
It is
interesting to note that King’s naming of the three selves correspond with
Hawaiian deities. Kane, Lono and Ku were deities that Hawaiians believed could
manifest in different elements (Berney, 2000, p.33). According to Kaehr (2002), the deities are
related to each of the functions of the three selves. While Kane was seen as
the vital force, Ku was regarded as the war god and Lono the god of peace
(Kaehr, 2002, p.33). Before we go into
more detail of the different aspects of each of the selves, it is important to
mention that although those entities are separate, they interact with each
other and even overlap in some cases. They
are in constant interaction with each other.
Each self is located in a specific region of the body. Unihipili
or basic self is located in the
area of the solar plexus and the diaphragm, although Cronick (2003) and Berney
(2000) point out that it is present throughout the whole body, which will
become clearer when we explore its function.
Uhane or middle self dwells in
the brain while Aumakua or high self
is floats above the crown of the head Cronick, 2003), but is connected
energetically with the unihipili
through aka cords, meridians, wires or
“pipelines” that hold and transport the vital life force energy mana, both of which will be described later in
more detail.
The concept of the basic self or subconscious plays a very
important role in our being since it controls all our bodily functions that we
are not aware of most of the time, such as breath, heart beat, digestion, the
function of the organs, muscles and the lymphatic system. “The Kahunas likened this Unihipili to a
powerful animal, part of the primal nature, and in need of training, discipline
and guidance” (Cronick, The Huna Pathway
to Our Inner Selves, 2003). Psychologically,
this is the self where all our memories are stored and where we form our
beliefs and habits. The input received
by the middle self or Uhane is
programmed or ingrained into the unihipili
(Paltin. 1986, p. 214). It becomes clear
that the basic self may be responsible for many of our automatic reactions to
stressful situations by drawing on past memories of similar experiences.
Derrick recommends to regard the unihipili as a friend to better
understand why we react emotionally or physically to certain situations the way
we do (Derrick, Hawaiian Style Theology, N.D.).
He points out that sometimes our unconscious is running our life without
our conscious awareness. “Reflex is a
reaction to an emotion or feeling that the subconscious feels and needs to act
upon. This often happens without the
conscious mind realizing it, or attempting to prevent it” (Derrick, N.D.).
According to
Cronick, the basic self responds most easily to “emotionally charged, gentle
guidance” (Cronick, 2003). Although the
basic self cannot be controlled (Cronick, 2003), through the gentle guidance
and change of perspective, however, by the middle self or Uhane, negative beliefs and thought patterns can be changed to a more positive response. In this regard, this unihipili is like an inner child, which very easily gets scared or
angry, but needs loving attention, and uhane
is the gentle parent. According to
Berney, the basic self uses “a basic form of logic and acts according to its
basic assumptions, often ones that were established in early childhood”
(Berney, 2000, p. 42), which also supports the idea of the inner child. At the
same time, the unihipili holds the
energetic connection to the aumakua
which the uhane does not possess,
just like children seem to have still a closer connection to God and spirit
than we as adults have. The way that unihipili communicates with us is often
through dreams, to let us know what it feels about certain situations,
therefore it is “the mind that never sleeps” (Berney, 2000, p.41). It also uses this way of communication often
to transmit messages from the high self.
Unihipili is the self we or a kahuna works with to break destructive
habits, thought patterns or beliefs or in case of traumas.
Uhane can be
described as the logic, conscious awareness, our “awake” mind (Berney, 2000,
p.40). It uses language and pictures to
communicate and is often also called reason (Cronick, 2003). Hoffman adds its role as goal setter,
decision maker, planner, initiator and choice maker (Hoffman, 1981, p.64). The middle self only functions for limited amount
of time, during the waking hours, and then needs to rest. It is this self that continues our stream of
thoughts throughout the day and holds those many inner monologues, the inner
chatter in our mind (Berney, 2000, p.39). “It takes in sensory information from
the body and makes decisions about behavior based on these data using its own
logic, as well as the Basic Self’s memories and basic assumptions. The Middle
Self can feel love and other emotions to some extent but tends to operate most
often in the realm of logic” (Berney, 2000, pp.39-40). Another important feature of the uhane is that it can distance itself
from the body which allows it to stand aside and get a new, more logical
perspective of the whole situation. A
medical student told me once that she literally stepped her self outside of the
body during anatomy classes, she would not have been able to participate in
class otherwise since she was so horrified.
This feature can be very useful in some cases such as traumatic
experiences, and helps to explain how people use their logical mind in case of
emergency to provide help to people in need while risking one’s own life. One example would be to get people out of a
house on fire.
The concept of the middle self indeed
has parallels to Freud’s ego as it is often compared to our personality which
relates more to materialistic things. Uhane contains the power of our will,
yet it is very dependent on unihipili
in the sense that often times when we have physical ailments such as injuries
from a fall off a bike, we need to take care of the physical and emotional
needs of the basic self first, continuing to rationalize or finding logic in
what happened is not very useful at that point.
The middle and the basic self
interact with each other constantly, and sometimes do not work in harmony
together which Berney illustrates in two examples. Reading a book for class we often get very
easily distracted by simple physical needs such as going to the bathroom,
hunger or exhaustion, especially when our basic self does not feel emotionally
engaged by the subject, we get distracted.
On the other hand, if we read a mystery novel, sometimes our basic self
keeps the middle self so engaged that it does not care about the physical
needs, and we read deep into the night although our logic tells us we need to
rest to get up early in the morning.
This just shows how the selves interact with each other, and sometimes
are in conflict. (Berney, 2000, p.45)
The Aumakua, the High Self, the God within, was according to the
Hawaiians often an ancestral spirit which worked long with the spirit guides,
guardians and angels to help the human being to get through life (Berney, 2000,
p.43). It is referred to by Long as
“utterly trustworthy parental spirits”, the dualistic aspect of father and
mother, which loves us unconditionally (Long, 1948, p. 143). It is this High Self that is called upon for
healing, for understanding a situation or for connecting with the cosmic
realm. Although it only wants the best
for the individual, it does not interfere with the free will of the middle
self. It is important to note that it
only interferes in a situation when called upon and when it is given enough mana (vital life force) to act. It is the transformer between us and the
cosmos. (Berney, 2000, p.44). The High
Self is our inner voice that gives us guidance and the premonitions we get. It is always available to us unless it is
blocked by negative assumptions or harmful fears in the Basic Self area
(Berney, 2000, p. 44), which will be described later. It will always help you to find the means of
help if asked for. (Berney, 2000, p. 44)
The high self is connected to a group
of other evolved spirits, which consists of the High Selves of all beings
according to Berney, called Po ‘e Aumakua
or Great Company of High Selves, something that Jung referred to as the
universal consciousness. It usually is
called on for larger societal or global changes (Berney, 2000, p. 90 and
Cronick, 2003).
Max Freedom Long described Mana, as the vital life force,
comparable to what Chinese medicine calls Chi
and in the yogic tradition is called prana. The Hawaiians believed that some individuals
or things had stronger mana than
others. This included also certain spots in nature such as rocks or plants,
waterfalls, etc. In many instances, the mana was symbolized as water or brought
into connection with the breath ha. When
a human being stops breathing, he or she is considered dead (Lawrence, 1997). Knowing that our body consists of more than
90% of water, it is clear how important the free flow of mana becomes. But mana is more than that, it is in words
and pictures we hold in our mind, good and bad thoughts that we send to our
basic self (Lawrence,
1997). There is a constant flow of mana within and outside of us. “The Hawaiians considered the power of a
leader as much a manifestation of mana
as the healing essence in a dose of medicine”. (Berney, 2000, p. 52) Some people subdivide the categories of mana according to its origin. In this regard, mana is the vital life force that controls the physical functions
of our body, generated by unihipili
or the basic self (Paltin, 2003, p. 213).
Uhane uses mana mana which has higher voltage and
is described by Lawrence as will power or
conscious force (Lawrence,
1997). He stresses that the middle self
still needs to send the mana mana to
the basic self to produce mana in
order to willfully move the physical body, as well as when it wants to connect
with the high self (Lawrence, 1997). In
this action, the two forms of mana
have to work together. Aumakua uses mana loa, “the highest voltage of energy” (Paltin, 1986, p. 213). Mana
loa is sometimes referred to as the spiritual energy or on the physical
plane as the energy of healing (Lawrence,
1997). As we can see, the seven principles
relate to the flow of mana and the
interaction between the selves and how they influence each other.
The substance containing mana is called aka which is also often described as “shadowy body”, and we in the
West may refer to as aura or etheric/astral body (Berney, 2000, p. 60). Each of the three selves is surrounded by an aka body as well as any thought we send
out or have (Berney, 2000, p. 60). Aka is described by Long as a “sticky and
stretchy substance” since it connects us with everything and everyone around us
energetically. According to Lawrence (1997), the aka body contains the blue print of the
structure of the body which the kahunas
connect with during instant healings by sending mana (or even mana loa)
to the aka body of the ill or injured
person. Long describes similar instances
(Long, 1948, p. 143).
The three selves are interconnected
with each other by aka cords,
energetic wires, braided by fine aka
threads, which conduct the flow of mana (Berney,
p. 60 and Derrick, N.D.). We are sending
out aka threads every time we are
contacting someone or something, in any form or way, such as touch, thought, or
by communicating with them orally or even in writing. If I am thinking of someone who is in another
country at this moment, I am sending out an aka
thread that connects me with this person.
Through this kind of wire the mana
or energy I am sending with this thought will flow to this person, this could
be positively or negatively charged. The
same kind of connection happens when we touch, see or hear something. The west is familiar with this concept,
through certain sayings such as: “Tying the knot”, “cutting the ties”, or “Cut
them loose” (Derrick, N.D.), referring to the relationships that
people form. Aka cords can be between people, but also between people and animals,
plants, places or objects (Berney, 2000).
This would explain the concept of déjà vu, when we feel we have been to
a place before, but know it has not been recently, it may be an aka cord left over from a memory we have
from our early childhood or even a past life.
For the body to be in balance the
three selves need to work together in harmony and the flow of mana needs to be smooth. However, sometimes old beliefs, fears or
guilt we hold in our basic self as memories block the free flow of mana between the middle and the basic
self, and from the basic self to the high self (Berney, 2000, p. 64). These blocks or complexes make a person feel “stuck”
or unconnected to spirit. “When fear and
guilt become fixed habits, the unihipili (basic
self) may refuse to contact the aumakua (high
self). The individual then is faced with
the problem of being at the mercy of the irrational unconscious self.”(Patlin,
1986, p. 214) Many times the reason of a
blockage is having failed to ask a person we hurt for forgiveness (Paltin,
1986, p. 214)
In case of a block or complex, the
basic self cannot send enough mana to
the high self in order to connect. The
complexes or blocks can be visualized as a blockage (almost like a blood
aneurism) in the aka cords between
the selves. Paltin compares the blocks
created of fear and guilt to neurosis (Paltin, 1986, p. 214). The basic self hinders or even stops the flow
of mana and refuses to connect with
the high self, when it feels ashamed or embarrassed about something and does
not feel worthy to connect with the high self, which for example is the case when
the individual has done something he or she considers to be “wrong” or against
certain social expectations. Those
blocks have often been formed in childhood through parental influence. One
example is the tremendous sense of failure when a man loses his job, since he
was brought up with the idea that as the head of the household he has to bring
in the money to support his family.
As mentioned earlier, the kahuna played the role of the healer in
Hawaiian communities. He or she uses different
kind of rituals to assist a sick or injured individual, such as applying massages
or doing “laying on of hands”, using hypnosis, meditation or prayer and
medicinal plants to help the suffering (Paltin, 1986, p. 214). In some cases the kahuna used ritual bathing with certain herbs as cleansing (Long,
1948, p. 367). There are so many
different rituals that one could fill more than one book with them. Due to the
confined parameters of this paper, a few of the most important healing aspects
will be explained, specifically those which can be easily applied by lay people
such as us.
As we have
seen, in order for the selves to be in harmony with each other, they need to
have free and clear aka cords or
“communication channels” (Paltin, 1986, p. 214) between each other. If there is a block or complex formed by
guilt, fear or old habits, mana
cannot flow freely. There are different
ways of clearing the path. The kahuna may help to clear the blockage by
using meditation, prayer or other forms of rituals, or by offering the
transmission of the patient’s wish with the interjection of kahuna’s own mana (Paltin, 1986, p. 214).
In order to
understand our emotions of guilt or fear that cause the blockages, it is
important to become more aware of our self, of what is going on inside (Berney,
2000, p. 65). The recognition of what
pushes our buttons will help us to understand our fears and guilt which need to
be released, by forgiving ourselves.
Berney also stresses that it is important to let go of memories of
unhappy experiences and patterns from the recent past as well as events from
our childhood or even former life times (Berney, 2000, p. 65). Sometimes the best way to achieve this may be
through hypnosis. As a next step we need
to let go of those complexes and blocks, by asking a person we have hurt in the
past for forgiveness, changing old patterns and habits, releasing judgment by
assuming a non-judgmental attitude. It is important to release fear, guilt or
the sense of being a victim. Berney
stresses that this is an ongoing process of developing greater and greater
awareness of our self. Most of these complexes and blockages can be removed
over time by simply changing one’s attitude and outlook on life. (Berney, 2000,
pp. 77-111)
Paltin mentions an interesting case
of a German woman living in Hawaii,
who had severe attacks of asthma, low back pain, rocking behavior and auditory
and visual hallucinations of her deceased husband. She suffered from depression and had
experienced many tragic events in her life such as death of her children,
divorce, and loss of her second husband and her son on sea. None of the western medical testing such as
CT scans, x-rays and such showed any causes for her medical problems. She eventually was referred to a kahuna. After a complete anamnesis, the female kahuna
performed a cleansing ritual and assured the patient that the symptoms would
improve. In the time following, she felt
less depressed, she did not have any asthma attacks anymore and had less
doctors visit regarding her lower back pain (which had been caused by an industrial
accident). Someone had to help her to release all the blocks she had
accumulated over her lifetime through the tragic events. (Paltin, 1986, p. 214)
Unnecessary aka cords can restrain the flow of mana as well. We built so many aka cords over the period of
our life to people, places, objects, etc. that we easily lose track of
them. Some fall off by themselves, some
we stay attached to, even if they are not for our best interest anymore and as
soon as we realize that, we should attempt to remove these unnecessary
connections, since some of them may drain our energy rather than raising it.
(Berney, 2000, p. 131)
Berney suggest a ritual that I have
heard about from a friend as well. It is
the ritual cutting of the unnecessary aka
cords. The ritual starts with deep
breathing, setting of intentions and harmonizing the selves by inviting them to
join in and assist in the process. Berney
is using Archangel Michael for help as well as spirit guides (Berney, 2000, p.
178), but I prefer the version of my friend, Henry Clemmons, a student at Naropa University
in Colorado,
who described the ritual as follows:
“Write
down the aka cords or ties you would like to get rid of on a piece of
paper. Put it down. Visualize picking up all these cords with
your left arm, by almost scooping them up in front of your abdomen, as if you
had an armful of cords. Then picture
your right hand being a sharp sword, lift it and cut off your armful of aka
cords. Once you have let go of the
cords, it is now important to heal over the area where the aka cords used to be
plugged into the person’s body, this can be done by laying on of hands and
visualizing the flow of mana into the area.” (Reference: personal conversation
with Henry Clemmons, 1/14/06)
Once the blocks and unnecessary aka cords have been removed, one can
begin to recharge with the vital force, “the water of life” – mana.
Mana can be effectively
gathered by conscious breathing. The
Hawaiians believed a prayer was ineffective without the proper use of breath as
it would have no means to manifest (Berney, p.119). Deep, conscious breathing was done in sets of
four, a sacred number in the Hawaiian tradition of huna. The breaths should not
be forced. The sequence of the four
breaths may be repeated with pauses in between until the desired amount of mana has been accumulated. The flow of mana may cause the hands to start tingling which becomes stronger
after some time. Once there is enough mana the hands should be raised holding
the energy almost like a ball, then palms up. The middle self wills the flow of
mana to go to the high self. We can formulate a prayer with which we offer
the mana to the high self, and asking it for help. (Berney, 2000, p. 120)
This ritual
of conscious breathing is the start for a prayer called the Ha rite. The Ha Rite is a ritualized form of a huna prayer, ha referring
in Hawaiian to breath as well as to the sacred number four (Berney, 2000, p.
126). It is kind of the preparation for the
prayer, “to set the mood”. It has to be formulated with intention as it is
otherwise rendered to be ineffective (Berney, 2000, p.65). This form of prayer action includes
everything that makes a prayer successful: “prayer formulation, deep breathing
to create mana, visualization (of the
wish to be manifested), and cooperation among the three selves.” (Berney, 2000,
p. 65)
To sum it up, in order for the prayer to be
transmitted to the high self to ask for help, all blocks have to be removed
from the aka cords, the intention has
to be set clearly, the prayer has to be formulated clearly and mana has to be accumulated before it can
be sent from the middle self (consciousness) via the basic self (subconscious)
to the high self. The ha rite is a form of preparation to open
the communication between the selves.
Ho ‘oponopono – Ritual or Meeting of Setting Things Right in Relationships
Relationships and family are very
important to the Hawaiians. Often unhealthy relationships are the source of a
person’s illness, or so they believe. It
is important to note that Hawaiians regarded often close friends as family as
well (Berney, 2000, p. 114). In order to
set things right, kahunas may
function as counselors or mediators “to resolve conflicts and balance
relationships” (Hilgenkamp, 2003, p. 37).
In some cases, they may call together a family conference when a person
is sick, and try to “set things right” by discussion, prayer, confession,
repentance, mutual restitution and forgiveness. (Berney, 2000, p.114)
This form of
healing ritual can be so useful for all of us, but most definitely would
provide the Hawaiians treated in western hospitals with the kind of spiritual,
cultural (and psychological) practice that will help them heal.
In conclusion, the Hawaiian tradition
of huna is a form of healing which
includes body, mind and spirit, as well as the environment, behavioral patterns
and habits of an individual. The huna rituals are so universal that they
can be used by anyone, regardless of his or her religious beliefs. It is a combination of psycho-immunology and
spirituality rather than a form of religion.
The aspects of the seven principles support the idea of having a more
positive attitude about ourselves, life in general and about others. Therefore the practice of huna is very beneficial for us
westerners as well.
There have been many publications
about the tradition, some of them are considered to be very “new age” rather
than coming from an ancient source.
However, the sources used in this paper repeatedly reflected the same
basic ideas and can be regarded as serious.
As has been mentioned in the
introduction, the native Hawaiians are dealing with many afflictions and
destructive behaviors such as drug and alcohol abuse as well as obesity which I
believe stem from psychological issues.
If western medicine opened its doors to kahunas in order to either learn from them or to integrate their
practices in the treatment of Hawaiians, I strongly believe that their destructive
behavior would subside and their mortality rate would decrease
significantly.
Bibliography
Berney, Charlotte (2000). Fundamentals of Hawaiian Mysticism. Berkeley, CA:
The Crossing Press.
Cronick, Glenn (2003). The Huna Pathway To Our Inner Selves. Retrieved
4/20/06 by Simone Blaise from
http://216.198.243.200/tylersword/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=629
Derrick, John (Keoni Kale)
(N.D.). General Introduction to Huna. Retrieved
3/27/06 by Simone Blaise from
http://www.onehawaii.org/Pages/Culture/HunaIntroduction.php
Hilgenkamp, Kathryn &
Pescaia, Colleen (2003). “Traditional Hawaiian Healing and Western Influence”.
In: Californian Journal Of Health
Promotion, Vol. 1 Special Issue: Hawaii,
pp.34-39.
Hoffman, Enid (1981). Huna, A Beginners Guide. Atglen,
PA: Whitford Press.
Hope, Bradley E. & Hope,
Janette H. (2003). “Native Hawaiian Health in Hawaii: Historical Highlights. In: Californian Journal Of Health Promotion,
Vol. 1 Special Issue: Hawaii,
pp. 1-9.
Kaehr, Shelley (2002). Origins of Huna: Secret Behind the Secret
Science. Out of this World
Publishing.
King, Serge Kahili (1990). Urban Shaman: A Handbook for Personal and
Planetary Transformation Based on the Hawaiian
Way of the Adventurer. New York, NY: Fireside Book.
King, Serge Kahili (2001). The Ethics of Huna. Retrieved 3/31/06 by
Simone Blaise from
King, Serge Kahili (2001). Huna and the Hawaiians. Retrieved
3/31/06 by Simone Blaise from
King, Serge Kahili (2001). What is a Kahuna? Retrieved 3/31/06 by
Simone Blaise from
http://www.huna.org/html/kahuna.html
King, Serge Kahili (2001). Huna Kupua. Retrieved 3/31/06 by Simone
Blaise from
Long, Max Freedom (1948)
Secret Science Behind Miracles. Marina Del Rey, CA:
DeVorss & Co.
Paltin, Samuel, MD (1986).
“Huna of Hawaii:
A System of Psychological Theory and Practice.” In: Hawaiian Medical Journal – Vol.45, No. 6, pp. 213 -218.
Wong, Robert (December 1994).
“Hawaiian Medicine”. In: Hawaii Medical Journal, Vol. 53. pp. 358-359.
Clemmons, Henry. Reference
acquired through personal conversation on January 13, 2006
