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Personal and Leadership Development Coaching

Etymology of "Hoʻoponopono" 

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There are many articles and websites addressing what ho'oponopono is and how to incorporate it into your life. Most sites have some of the information; none have all. Even those who grew up in Hawai'i are taught various ways of practicing it, like me. However, my journey is to understand, heal, and be a source of healing for others.

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This is what I've learned.

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Ho'oponopono is about being restored to wholeness. 

​Traditionally, ho'oponopono was used to keep the peace. Before the missionaries came to Hawai'i, there were many villages with ruling chiefs on each island. If a disagreement between family members or neighboring farmers was not immediately addressed, fighting would break out, disrupting these small communities' and their harmony. "Ho'oponopono was used to reconcile disagreements, restoring harmony and peace. It was, in essence, a social work practice". (Shook, 1985).

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Ho'oponopono became a popular new age healing process when Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleaka Hew Lin wrote Zero Limits in 2007. Although it was an interesting read, it's misleading and it is not Ho'oponopono. 

 

According to the Hawaiian dictionary, authored by Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel Elbert, Ho'oponopono is:

 

(a) "To make right: to put in order or shape, correct, revise, adjust, amend, regulate, arrange, rectify, tidy up, make orderly or neat, administer, superintend, supervise, manage, edit, work carefully or neatly; to make ready, as canoe men preparing to catch a wave."

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(b) "Mental and emotional cleansing: family conferences in which relationships were brought back to harmony (hoʻoponopono) through prayer, discussion, confession, repentance, and mutual restitution and forgiveness." 

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So, let's break ho'oponopono down so it is understood.

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Hoʻo is an action, defined as...

"goodness, uprightness, morality, moral qualities, correct or proper procedure, excellence, well-being, prosperity, welfare, benefit, true condition or nature, duty; moral, fitting, proper, righteous, right, upright, just, virtuous, fair, beneficial, successful, in perfect order, accurate, correct, eased, relieved; should, ought, must, necessary."

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Pono pono means...

"to put to right; to put in order or shape, correct, revise, adjust, amend, regulate, arrange, rectify, tidy up, make orderly or neat."

 

To make right, right. Think about it. 

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​Additionally, ho'oponopono is not forgiveness.

However, practicing ho'oponopono helps to diminish the need to forgive.  When we see how our actions have affected others there is nothing to forgive.

 

Most of us become agitated and unsettled when someone does something we believe is harmful. The practice of Ho'oponopono offers us the opportunity to deepen our ability to forgive, not only ourselves but also others. 

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When we see how interconnected we all are and look truthfully at the ripple effect of our actions, words, thoughts can create disharmony and unrest in the people around us, we can begin to understand how to make "right" right. 

 

When we begin to see situations as they really are, without a story or narrative about how or why, we can let go of past hurts. Ho'oponopono is about taking responsibility for our part in what happens in life. By learning to release any judgment of ourselves, and of others, we find there is nothing to forgive. 

 

This is not an easy or simple process, because time doesn't heal all wounds; only willingness does. ​

 

If you are ready to grow in ways that will amaze you, and if you want to experience more freedom and ease in your life through healthy interactions with others, then call 402-318-0631. 

 

Let the adventure begin.

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​References:  ​Shook, E.V. (1985). Ho'oponopono: Contemporary Uses of a Hawaiian problem-solving technique. University of Hawai'i Press.

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For further reading: Ho'oponopono Explained

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