The healing power of the Hawaiian Ho'oponopono Prayer

One of my great joys is seeing the same message in many different ways and this is why I've enjoyed the recent discussions about the Ho'oponopono prayer.

The Ho'oponopono prayer is also known as the Hawaiian practice for forgiveness and is a spiritual practice of four simple phrases - so simple that the ease of integrating them into daily life can cause us to doubt the power of the healing process they initiate.  

I'm sorry.

Please Forgive me.

Thankyou.

I love you. 

The peace of mind this simple, yet powerful method, creates is evident in the interviews with Dr Hew Len (who is also known as Ihaleakala Hew Len) and Morrnah Simeona (Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona), who, as far as I can tell, made this Hawaiian prayer famous. They spoke of our connection with our Divine Creator and the purpose of the prayer being to clear any thoughts or energies that obstruct our direct and full relationship with the Divine (including all those things we perceive to be outside of us or unrelated to us). Once cleared, all that remains is the perfect expression of the Divine through us.

Of course the thoughts and unwanted energies that obstruct our Divine expression are the ones we experience as negative feelings (or bad feelings), negative memories (or bad memories), negative energy, anger issues, terrible remorse, the burden of blame, tendency for violence, unrelenting guilt, depression, anxiety and persistent self doubt.  These are all aberrations of our true Self and thus are illusions of truth.  

Dr Hew Len encouraged all who would listen to take responsibility for issues, all issues that feel discordant within us (many people call these life blocks or spiritual blocks).  He correctly pointed out that there is no separation between any of us or anything and that all our life experiences are determined by the energy within us.  I would add that the state of the energy we feel within us is a direct measure of our relationship with Divine/Love.

The only requirement for the prayer to work is our willingness to strengthen our connection with our Divine source of being.  This is why the Ho-oponopono prayer is well known as a Hawaiian practice of reconciliation.   By using the prayer we are expressing our willingness to reconcile our relationship with the Divine, with our Divine Creator, the source of our being.

Here Joe Vitale tells the story of Dr Hew Len (6 mins).

A beautiful interview, very old interview, with Morrnah Simeona and Dr Hew Len (29 mins).

Dr Hew Len talks about the prayer having three functions: Repentance, forgiveness and transmutation. To me prayer is a conversation with God/the Divine/Source that addresses these functions by saying:

Me: I’m sorry (for forgetting who I really am)

God: (we are always one)

Me: Please forgive me (I know deep down in my heart that we are one).

God: (you are already forgiven and you are loved, let yourself feel the love)

Me: Thankyou (for always loving me even when I forget who I am).

God: (I will always love you)

Me: I Love you (too!).

[the words in brackets are the unspoken words whose messages are conveyed energetically]

I've found it to be a very beautiful way to invite in and strengthen my relationship with Love/God/the Divine/The Universe/Source (God cares not what you call Him. God knows who He is. - D:Day1.13, A Course of Love).  Of course, this prayer becomes exponentially more powerful for true forgiveness when we know that suffering is an illusion and that there is another way.  When we know that Love is real; that it can be chosen over suffering and chaos; that we can join with Love and that Love is all that is real. 

Of course I'm talking about Love as the energy of God - not conditional, man-made love.

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is Love (1 John 4:7-8) 

God's love is your love. Your love is the love of God. God is love. (D:Day13.4, A Course of Love) 

The simplicity of the statements in the Ho-oponopono prayer  are what make them one of the most powerful approaches to healing you'll ever try.  Especially, if you practise the prayer with willingness to be reconciled with God/Love/the Source of your being.  

True spiritual teachings encourages us to reconcile our relationship with God by giving up our perception of separation where we think we need to do it all on our own, with our material resources and logical, mental determination.   We're each encouraged to return to our true Self by inviting our loving relationship with our Divine Creator into our physical life experience.  The Ho-oponopono prayer does this beautifully. 

 o0o

Artwork by Andrew Yanush