Huna - Ancient Hawaiian Healing

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.

Introduction and Purpose

History and Origin

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 19^th century, Hawaiian King Kamehameha dissolved the kapu system which yet again made the Hawaiians more vulnerable to outside influences.  At the beginning of the 20^th 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 18^th 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.

Controversy about the Origin and Authenticity of Huna

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.

Concept of Huna

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:

1. 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).
2. 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).
3. 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). 
4. 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.
5. 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)
6. 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)
7. 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.

Three Selves

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 20^th 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 Basic Self – Unihipili

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.

Middle Self – Uhane

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)

High Self – Aumakua

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).

Mana, Vital Life Force and Aka, Shadowy Bodies

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.

Blocks and Complexes

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.

Huna Practice: The Role of the Kahuna and how we can use it

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.

Releasing blocks and complexes

            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)

Cutting Aka Cords

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)

Gathering Mana and the Ha Rite

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. 

Conclusion

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

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Clemmons, Henry. Reference acquired through personal conversation on January 13, 2006