An overview of the ancient Hawaiian healing technique ho'oponopono.
The trend towards alternative forms of healing is becoming more and more of a popular trend. There was a time, not too long ago, when people who engaged in alternative healing forms were generally considered far outside the mainstream. Alternative healing is probably still considered unusual but not to the extent that it once was, and today millions of people practice nontraditional forms of healing to one extent or another.
One fairly popular form of alternative healing is hooponopono. Hooponopono is a Hawaiian technique thats been applied to solving problems for generations. The premise of hooponopono methodology is based on connecting with an ultimate source power and asking this power for help with resolving life problems and difficulties. Though there is an emphasis on higher source connection, hooponopono is not a form of organized religion. No sort of worship rituals or belief rituals are present within ho'oponopono.
Morrnah Simeona is credited with establishing modern day ho'oponopono. Simeona was designated a Kahuna Lapa'au. Translated, Kahuna means keeper of the secret, and Lapaau means specialist in healing. Simeona then was essentially a Hawaiian version of a shaman. Simeona was highly regarded for her hooponopono teachings, and was asked to teach the method at the United Nations, the World Health Organization, and other bodies. Simeona died in the 1990s. Dr. Ihaleakala Len Hew was a student of Simeonas, and has since taken on a position of leadership in the hooponopono movement.
Hooponopono is not some magic form, nor is it a means for asking for and receiving any materialistic possession that one should want. Performing hooponopono wont make the perfect life suddenly appear, and it certainly wont suddenly materialize an expensive sports car into one's driveway. Its thought within hooponopono that outcomes are dictated by source power, and that these outcomes both in timing and result are ideal.
Like any method that emphasizes spiritual connectivity, hooponopono has its critics. Some people simply cant get around the idea of the existence of realities beyond what can be experienced by the senses, let alone being able to tap into these realities and gain from them. Other people may consider hooponopono to be a form of an illegitimate magic bean that promises the happiness and satisfaction that seems out of reach for many. Still others believe that at least some degree of suffering is a normal part of life. But while hooponopono is criticized by some, there are many who trust and embrace the ho'oponopono method and the results it produces.
