Ho'oponopono: Place of Refuge, Way of Forgiveness, and Process for Peace

Pu'uhonua O Honaunau: Place of Refuge

I've just returned from the Big Island of Hawaii, where I had the good fortune to attend IZI LLC's Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono Basic II seminar.  It felt very important to me to be there, since they have not offered this class in many years.

I always learn deeply from Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, both through his words and example.   He shared many aspects that were new to me, such as soul restoration and additional ways to clean.  And yet, the primary reason to be there did not seem to be gaining "information."  Instead, it seemed to be the process of cleaning itself, especially for the land we were on.   

Over the 2 days, he asked multiple people to speak.  When he came to me, I had no words . . . just a feeling of absolute stillness and peace.  Having come through a challenging last few months, this was a great relief for me!  I tried my best to express it, and hope it came through.  

What was happening for me most of all was the feeling of communion with the wind, water, birds, plants, flowers, and earth.  I found myself wandering out to the grass, walking on it gently in bare feet and saying "thank you."   I know this sounds strange.  Fly all that way to go talk with the land?  It happened.

There were whales, too.  Spouting, spy-hopping, flipper-flapping humpback whales, doing what they've done for eons.  It filled me with such love I cannot describe.  On top of it, a full moon by the gently lapping sea.  I still feel the breeze, and hear the waves.

What I want to say about Ho'oponopono for me, is that it is not about getting more wealth, happiness, relationships, jobs, or business.  It may well pave the way for these things, and many people focus on them in speaking about Ho'oponopono.  Yet these attributes are not its main purpose.

For me, Ho'oponopono is a process between my triune self and my Creator.  It's about communion, being who I truly am, and letting go of all the stuff I've accumulated that is not really me.  It's about humility and gratitude for being alive in this time, able to make amends for all my impatience, errors, judgments, and opinions about the way I think things "should" be. 

I don't mean becoming passive or hopeless.  I mean embracing the full catastrophe of life, as Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD has written.  It means responding as best I can in each moment -- in my Ho'oponopono cleaning and in peace, allowing Divine Inspiration to come through.  There are many ways to live in peace; Ho'oponopono is this for me.  It is a guide for living life.  Somehow, joy seems to be coming naturally all on its own as I practice.

Perhaps we humans need to be enticed into such a practice at first, with hopes of what it can bring us.  Some books, products, and seminars about Ho'oponopono are advertised this way.  One example is Joe Vitale, who has helped publicize Ho'oponopono widely.  I met many people at the seminar who live in the Islands, yet had not even heard of Ho'oponopono until reading Vitale's (and Dr. Hew Len's) book, "Zero Limits."  

I am grateful, even though my first learning about Ho'oponopono came through Victoria Shook's book using it for conflict resolution in groups.  So even I had needed a "why". 

While on the Big Island, I wanted to visit a place that's special to me: Pu'uhonua O Honaunau, the Place of Refuge.  In ancient times, Hawaiians who broke kapu laws were punished by death.   But if one could could escape his or her pursuers and reach the nearest Pu'uhonua, s/he could be saved.  A large wall divides the Place of Refuge from the Royal Grounds; the bones of chiefs buried there give it mana, or power.  It is a very peaceful place to me, even though there was certainly conflict and pain on the land at one time.

I asked a woman concierge at the hotel how long it might take us to drive to Honaunau?  She immediately asked, "Why would you want to go there?"  I smiled and said, "For me it is a place of forgiveness and peace."  She calmed and answered, "50 minutes."  Her question surprised me, but maybe I surprised her by not being more interested in the shops at Waikoloa.  :-)

If only it took 50 minutes for any of us these days to reach a place of refuge and peace, would the trip not be worth it?  Perhaps this also is what Ho'oponopono is to me.  Thank you Dr. Hew Len, Joe Vitale, Mabel Katz, and all who are cleaning in this way.  Thank you especially to Morrnah Simeona, the kahuna who simplified these processes so that many more of us can use them.

Peace begins with me,
Pam

Ho'oponopono Cleaning: An Easier Way to Clarity and Peace

One of Ho'oponopono's main teachings is that when we clean, the right and perfect thing comes for us and everyone else.   

Yet when the seemingly "wrong" thing lands on our doorstep, this can be hard to accept.  Our human minds insist on logic -- linear cause and effect.  We forget that healing might be a journey or a process.  If Ho'oponopono "works", we think our lives should always be easy.

I'm coming to realize that "easy" does not mean without challenge.  Instead, "easy" relates more to our own attitude and perceptions than it does to outer circumstances.

In the last 6 weeks or so, I've been dealing with a painful situation concerning my office.  I won't disclose all the details.  Just know things were distressing enough to make me want to move.

What's surprising is that I didn't completely melt down and give up.  I continued Ho'oponopono cleaning throughout this time, even with all the anger, fear, and hurt that arose.   It definitely wasn't "easy." 

Some nights, I couldn't sleep.  I would wake up at 2-3 a.m., and end up reading Mabel Katz's The Easiest Way.   This book is always on my bedside, along with my Ho'oponopono tools and training manuals.  Reading Mabel's stories gave me a feeling of companionship, when I was otherwise feeling alone.  Reading Morrnah's meditations and the words of Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len did the same.

I cleaned while consulting attorneys, searching for new office space, and meeting and speaking with all the other practitioners involved.   I cleaned while terminating the old lease and negotiating a new one.  Then came the tasks of finding movers, changing phone service, creating messages for my patients, packing, and . . . well, you get the picture.

I noticed that I could focus on what needed to be done, rather than feeling embroiled in personal drama.  My previous way (not the "easiest" one!) would have been trying to figure out "why" this was happening . . . which would drain my energy and distract from the things I actually could do.  

This time, I could simply notice what was taking place, clean, and act as inspired.  I've often been puzzled when hearing Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len say that when you're inspired, you just "do" -- without wondering whether it's the right decision or not.  There are other decisions I've agonized over, trying to ferret out every possible eventuality before moving ahead.   But with the cleaning this time, that didn't happen.  Also, the right people to help me, showed up.  

Of course there were and are still times of tension and stress.  I clean with these as they arrive.   Also I was and am wearing my Ho'oponopono "embracer" which keeps reminding me to say "thank you" and "I love you," no matter what comes.

I don't know "why" any of this happened -- but Divinity does.  I can only guess that I was there to clean, and then was done in that particular situation.  But I don't really know.

Dr. Hew Len tells a similarly sudden story about resigning from his part-time job at Hawaii State Hospital.  After he'd been working there for several years, Morrnah told him he was done there.  He knew she surely did her cleaning, just as he did.  "And so, I ended it.  I didn't even attend the going away party the staff gave me," he said.  I'm sure there must have been some details to clean up, but the decision to move on came clearly.

Some would say events don't happen TO you, they happen FOR you (to grow).  I can say that through Ho'oponopono, my attitude towards "what happens" has shifted profoundly over the last several years.  In fact, these recent events provided an acid test!  :-)  Even so, my feeling was simply to let go of what wasn't working, while caring enough for myself and my patients to find something better.  Without the need to blame or fight with anybody. 

What happened as a result, you wonder?  

Well, my office is now in a stable, calming, beautiful place, shared with several other like-minded practitioners.   The office is called "Optimal You," and embodies the idea that mental health is much more than absence of diagnosable illness.  It also includes a feeling of well-being, resilience to stress, healthy relationships, recognizing one’s own potential, ability to work joyfully and productively, and contributing to one’s community.  Experiencing (at least sometimes) a sense of spiritual peace is part of it too.  

It means a great deal to me to work with others who feel similarly, and who hold these ideals in their daily activities.  This provides a very healing environment for patients as well.  And it all gives me a feeling of hope, even in the midst of what appeared to be chaos.   

I believe Ho'oponopono cleaning has a lot to do with this outcome, even though I can't "prove" it.

Any suffering I experienced over the last several weeks had to do with my unwillingness or forgetting to let God help me.  When I did not choose to clean (and got upset instead), I suffered.  When I kept cleaning and did as inspired, the way seemed smooth -- not necessarily "easy," but doable.  After all, there were a lot of boxes to schlepp, and a whole office to reorganize on the other end!  One can experience poise and clarity, even when surrounded by cardboard boxes and furniture that doesn't yet know where it goes. 

The physical move is done now, and the doors are open once again.  I look forward to practicing and cleaning in this new space -- whoever and whatever  shows up.  And whenever I forget, I have my reminders.

Thank you dear Divinity, Morrnah, Dr. Hew Len, and Mabel, for showing me an easier way.

Peace begins with me
Pam

Lee Lipsenthal MD: Ho'oponopono Light from Within

To me, some people are living, breathing examples of Ho'oponopono.  This can surely last after they pass on.  Some have been to seminars to learn about the process, and others have come to this on their own.

Some people naturally come to an acceptance that we are not "in control" of outcomes, but can certainly practice peace in every moment -- no matter what.  Not all of us get this lesson so easily, even while actively doing Ho'oponopono.

A comparison between my own recent activities and the attitude of a dear friend and colleague will illustrate.  I supposedly practice Ho'oponopono; he doesn't.  It's definitely in him anyway.

A couple of weeks ago I was in San Diego for a session with my current homeopathic training program, California Center for Homeopathic Education.  The session contained several classroom days, a graduation evening, and also a quiz for which I needed to study.

Imagine my growing concern when, around 4pm on the 100+ degree afternoon of 9/8/11, I was working in my hotel room . . . and it started to get hot.  Also, my computer flashed a warning that it was now on battery power, needing electricity soon.  This seemed very odd, since it was plugged into the wall. 

In my academic fervor, I was NOT Ho'oponopono cleaning.

My insistent human brain thought something might be wrong with the electrical receptacle, so I chose another.  And another.  These were no help at all.

After unsuccessfully trying all the lamps in the room, I had a diagnosis:  electricity off.  Brilliant -- and still not a single "thank you" or other Ho'oponopono cleaning tool came to my mind.  I was lost in space for sure.

The phone was still working, and I called the front desk to let them know that my room was without electricity.  A kindly voice on the other end replied, "Ma'am, the electricity is out over all of San Diego County.  We're trying to find out what happened, and we're sorry for your inconvenience."  

In my human self-referential state, I'd had no idea anything was happening to anyone else.  I had been ensconced with my books and computer for hours -- isolated from the rest of the world.  And I shamefully admit: forgetting to clean. 

I wandered through very dark hallways to the stairs, and climbed down to the lobby where others were milling about.  Word was, the outage extended from San Diego north to the LA area, east to Yuma, AZ, and south to Mexicali, Mexico.

Thankfully, my world could expand beyond room 312 of the Hilton Garden Inn.  I started to clean.   Lightswitch!  :-)

As the sun went down, the hotel staff mentioned how lucky I was to be here already.  All the traffic lights being out left gridlock on the freeways and streets.  The airport was closed.  Also, no restaurants could serve patrons.  Fortunately, I'd eaten a late lunch.  There was plenty of water, though, and people in the bar were happy to sample more exotic concoctions.

Still having studying to do, I used the last remaining daylight for review -- with Ho'oponopono cleaning now added.  How had this precious process slipped out of my mind before?  I don't know, but it had.

Suddenly the woman behind the desk came up to where I was sitting in the darkening lobby.  "Would you like a glow stick?"  she offered.  "You just crack it and it gives light for at least 12 hours!"  This seemed absolutely wonderful to me.

I'm sure Dr. Rajan Sankaran would love the image of a student poring over his "Sensation in Homeopathy" text with a glow stick -- but that is exactly how I studied that evening.  Just like Abraham Lincoln with his candle flame, but probably much safer.

Somewhere in the wee hours of the next morning, electricity returned.  And I was grateful for the MANY reminders to clean.

On the other hand, my friend and colleague Lee Lipsenthal MD is a beautiful contrast to these lapses shared above.  He has worked with Dean Ornish MD, and has taught physicians all over how to find balance and calm in their busy medical lives.  I have enjoyed working with him in many locales -- including Molokai, Hawaii for a "Healer Within" retreat in late May 2009.

Lee has personally helped thousands of people along their healing paths -- sometimes through quieter methods such as HeartMath meditations.   His more lively, invigorating processes include shamanic journeying with holotropic breathwork.  Through this latter, he helped me make inner peace with my father.  He also brought dance back into my life after several years without it.  Following a week of properly healthy organic food, we ate sloppy Molokai hamburgers in celebration!  It was marvelous to laugh and get ketchup all over ourselves.

But not long after after our Hawaiian adventure, Lee was diagnosed with stage 4, metastatic esophageal cancer.  Nobody saw that one coming.

For most everyone else, it was a time of shock and disbelief.  But maintaining his sense of peace, Lee wrote, connected, and meditated, between rounds of chemo and radiation -- even though suffering all the pain that goes with those treatments.  He spoke his message of living each day with grace to many, many people, including the American Academy of Family Physicians.

For a time it seemed he had beaten the odds.  He continued his teaching and traveling.  I spoke with him in late July, for the mundane reason of needing a receipt . . . . not realizing he'd just learned  that the cancer was back until he said so.  We talked about what he wanted to do, and what mattered most to him.  He continued to write on Huffington Post, and completed a book due for publication later this fall:  Enjoy Every Sandwich.  His love for songwriter Warren Zevon inspired the title. 

This past Tuesday, Lee passed on to his next great adventure -- leaving behind his physician wife Kathy, his children Will and Cheryl, his parents, and friends the world over.  He recently created a video for Enjoy Every Sandwich that expresses his inner peace and amazement with life.  To me, Lee embodied Ho'oponopono -- certainly better than I did in the story above.  It wasn't always that way for him, but his example gives me great hope for myself and the rest of us, waking up.

Here's the video:


Thank you, dear Lee.  I send you wishes for the peace that passes understanding -- but you already know what that is.  I send wishes of healing peace to your family and all the rest of us who love you, too.  Your light is still shining, here -- and it's far, far brighter than any glow-stick.

Peace begins with me,
Pam

Ho'oponopono, Haboobs, and Being Citizens of the World

The last several months have seen really rough natural events all over the world -- earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, flooding, and hurricanes.

Here in Arizona, we have all-time high temperatures of 117 degrees (today) and major dust storms that paralyze highways and cities.   The proper name for these storms, which occur naturally in the Sonoran and Saharan Deserts, is "haboob".  It comes from an Arabic term meaning "strong wind."

Unfortunately, using this word also stirs hornets' nests in certain Arizonans -- who insist that we don't have anything like those storms they have in the Middle East.

Seriously.

“I am insulted," wrote Gilbert Arizona resident Don Yonts to the Arizona Republic, "that local TV news crews are now calling this kind of storm a haboob,” This was after a particularly fierce, mile-high dust storm swept through the state on July 5. “How do they think our soldiers feel coming back to Arizona and hearing some Middle Eastern term?”

Thankfully there are also those who recognize that we're citizens of the world, linked even by the type of storms we have.  David Wilson of Goodyear AZ wrote:  "according to his [Yonts, above] logic, the following words of foreign origin should also not be used as they may insult him and our armed forces? Typhoon, shawl, pajamas, and kiosk. Also, we should not teach "algebra," use the "zero" or wear "khaki" pants."

Thanks, David.

Ho'oponopono is a process that honors our connections, even those to which we are blind.  There is both shared responsibility and shared benefit in it.  We are united in the memories which materialize in our lives as "problems" . . . and we have no idea who also may be sharing these.  Count on it, though:  whoever shows up in our lives, is one of these people.

And count on it also:  whatever we clean in ourselves, comes off of everyone else too.  That's the shared benefit.

The first time I saw Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len after my initial Ho'oponopono training, he said to me, "Ah, you're giving me another chance."  At first I didn't understand what he meant.  Then he taught me this notion that people who keep showing up are giving us another chance to make amends.

I felt bad, thinking maybe I was bugging him -- bringing back old "stuff" that I didn't even know I carried with me.  I feel great love for this man; I don't mean to make anything worse for him!  But then he said this is the perfect thing to do, a good kind of "bugging," if it's bugging at all.   My showing up allows him to do his cleaning -- and me to do mine.

"A lot of people might come to one Ho'oponopono seminar," he said.  "But the ones who keep coming back, those are the ones to watch out for."  :-)

So I could see from my behavior [attending so very many Ho'oponopono trainings!] that I must have an awful lot of cleaning to do.  Being a doctor, I have a lot of people to clean with also.  Lord knows what kind of karma I'm carrying.

It seems no accident at all that haboobs happen in the Middle East as well as deserts here in Arizona.  For sure we share memories, and now blood.  Some of my patients are Muslim, and they are fasting for the holy month of Ramadan.  I thank them for the cleaning they're doing, in their own way.

I saw something today on the news that tore at my heart: a hospital in Tripoli, Libya where patients had been abandoned amidst chaos.    It was all about clashes between rebel forces and those still loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.  Piles of bodies left behind, some still living . . . in pain, needing care.  Doctors shot, still in their scrubs -- bodies dumped in a canal.   Nobody knows who did the killing.

One of my colleagues is in Libya, with the International Medical Corps.  I can only imagine what he's seeing, the situations he's dealing with, and the many people he's assisting.  Most likely, he's feeling like he can never do enough.  He is very brave, and I am grateful to him.

I'm cleaning.  Truly, we are all connected.

Peace begins with me,

Pam

You Can Lead a Horse to Blue Solar Water, But Can You Make Him Drink?

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink."
-English idiom

Sometimes cartoonists say the darndest things.

Patrick McDonnell, creator of the comic strip "Mutts" above, really hits home for me . . . and maybe all of us at some level.

But as a case in point, let's take doctors.

We work with patients -- educating, helping, treating, prescribing, sometimes operating on, and doing all kinds of other procedures too.  

Sometimes the patient accepts the prescription, suggestion, recommendation, or diagnostic test.  Many times -- at least 50% or more in some sources -- they don't. 

We wonder, why would a patient spend time and money to see us, and then not follow through with suggestions they receive?  There are papers galore examining this question . . . but that's not the miracle in the comic above.

The miracle is that the "horse" drinks at all -- even if it's Blue Solar Water.  And that in the cartoon, Mooch (the tuxedo cat with attitude) attributes this result to his own ministrations.  What would Mooch say if the horse continued to balk?

So many times we run into this paradigm, in both medicine and Ho'oponopono.  We do our cleaning, and sometimes "it works":  we get the raise, the romantic partner, the contract, the car, the house, whatever.   Of course this has to be because "we" are brilliant, are doing it "right", or have our you-know-what together, etc.

We forget that more is going on than meets the eye.

As patients, we have millions of reasons why we won't fully "drink" the medicinal water -- whatever it may be (allopathy, homeopathy, surgery, meditation, St. John's Wort, you name it.)  We also have many reasons why we do, but I think they have more to do with US than with our doctors.

I can recall plenty of times I've patted myself on the back just like Mooch above, when actually my "horse" was thirsty and simply ready to do the work.  This doesn't mean my participation wasn't useful or timely -- just that the seeming "success" isn't because of ME.  I apply my science and my art (my "tools") as best I can, and I am as present with my patient as I can be.  S/he then does what s/he does with these things.  It may be to "drink", or not.

The bottom line is, I am not in charge.  This is a very hard truth for most of us, physicians included. 

It can be especially painful when someone is suffering, and we think we know how to heal them.  We forget that all healing is ultimately self-healing -- and that the patient's own inner resources (which are part of Divinity) do that miraculous work.  We doctors try to best leverage these things in the patient's favor, but it's true nevertheless. 

Likewise in Ho'oponopono, we clean with moment-to-moment situations, using whatever tools or processes we know.  Amazingly then, the right and perfect next step shows up -- and the next, and the next, and the next.  We are not "in charge," and the best thing we can do is our cleaning.  Sometimes we're inspired to speak up, to do, or to act.  We are clear, and we do.  If not, we clean.

Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len has often said, "If you wonder whether you're inspired, you're not. Keep cleaning."   :-)  

Thank you dear Mooch.  I love you.  You're helping me let go of my hero complex, and simply do what's in front of me to do.  As a dear friend of mine in North Carolina (fellow psychiatrist Dr. Julia Lunsford) would say, "That's a gracious plenty." 

Peace begins with me,
Pam

Ho'oponopono and Business: "Just Get on the Bike"

Do you remember learning to ride a bike?  Who taught you?  Did it come easy, or was it hard to get the hang of it?

For me, it was tough.  My parents had given me a Huffy 2-wheel bicycle for Christmas, and I was so excited.  I could just imagine flying down the street, the wind in my hair -- it was the call of freedom for me.  But every time I tried, I kept falling down.  I just could not get the balance right;  I would try to pedal briefly, and then, boom!   The driveway would rise up to meet me.

My father and mother both got exasperated with their clumsy child.  Looking back on it, I can't imagine how a parent would go about teaching teach such a skill, though.  It seems like one of those things you just have to get into your own body -- and once you have it, it stays.

Still, I was afraid I would never have the kind of fun I saw other kids having, riding their bikes to school.  It was also a matter of pride, even though school was only a few blocks from my house.  :-)

I wouldn't give up, no matter how many skinned knees I got (and there were plenty).

One day, I begged my dad to try again.  So he ran along behind me as usual, holding the bike up. I pedaled as fast as I could, determined that THIS time, I would make it.  There were a few wobbles, but I kept going -- it seemed a lot longer than usual this time.

Suddenly I looked behind me, and Dad wasn't there.  He was standing WAY behind me -- and I was still upright, on my own!   I kept going a little farther, and then hit the brakes.  I put my feet on the ground, one on either side of the bike, and laughed.   Dad was laughing too.  "You little dickens," he said.

Then I got back on, and found I could ride all by myself!  It was as if my body had always known how to do this.

One minute I couldn't, and the next minute, I could.  It felt like breaking through a fierce barrier -- "I can't" is often this way, for so many of us.  I will never forget that feeling of freedom and joy.   After this I remember many wonderful excursions up and down my street: a nice, not-too-steep hill providing all the adventure a 7-year-old could want.

Now, what could this possibly have to do with Ho'oponopono, you wonder?

A couple of weeks ago I was part of a conference call with Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len and Kamaile Rafaelovich  about money and building your business.  

Like everything else in creation, businesses have 3-part self-identities that can be talked with, engaged with, and cleaned with.   Kamaile shared that the business is a person, and has its own purpose -- regardless of our expectations of it.   We can say "I love you" to the company, and be its caretaker.  (Or, we can whine and complain, but that doesn't help the situation any -- meaning, no cleaning gets done while we're doing that.)

The whole idea of Ho'oponopono with businesses, explained Dr. Hew Len, is to let go of blocks within ourselves -- and apply our Ho'oponopono tools to whatever our experience of that business might be.   Through this cleaning, the right people and situations show up -- in order to "bug" us in the most perfect way.  These, in turn, offer us countless choices to let go of data or memories that are replaying.

However, we never know what is "really" happening in any one moment, or exactly what we're cleaning.  The only thing we do know is that it's something within us, since we're there.   :-)   Just like us, our businesses have subconscious aspects that are full of memories coming up for release.  

Specifically with our businesses, we can clean with the office space we're using, the bank accounts, checks, receipts,  and all customers (or patients) who come.  So, when entering invoices, payments, and bills (yes! even the bills!) into Quickbooks, I clean with each submission, saying "Thank you."  I do the same when taking checks to the bank. 

I asked Kamaile and Dr. Hew Len if they could please suggest a special cleaning tool to use with my business, which helps people heal themselves.  After a brief pause, Dr. Hew Len said he saw "Just get on the bike."   Kamaile saw a vision of a bike hanging in mid air, with its wheels whirring. :-)  They shared that simply saying, "Get on the bike," is like telepathy between the conscious and subconscious, starting the cleaning process.   Once you "get on the bike," all is initiated and moves on its own.  

They had no idea of the story I told you above, or what it would mean to me.  It's a perfect cleaning tool for me though, and I use it every day before going into the office.   This tool starts things I can't possibly understand -- but with my previous history with my father and bike riding, it touches my heart also.

Other Ho'oponopono conversations like this will be scheduled in the future, covering all kinds of subjects.  Other long-time Ho'oponopono practitioners were also on the line, offering their own experiences.  I found the whole conversation very helpful, and full of laughter too.  If interested, you can check out www.zerolag.biz for more information -- I'll enjoy being on more of them myself.

Peace begins with me,
Pam

Ho'oponopono: Can You Hear Me Now?

"It's the memory that hears, not you.  If I do my cleaning, Inspiration shows up." 

~Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len

Last weekend I had the good fortune to attend a Ho'oponopono training with Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len and Dr. Kikikipa Kretzer in Los Angeles.   Each time I attend, my experience is a little bit different, and I hear more.        

One of the things I heard this time (which could have been said before, but I had missed it!), was Dr. Hew Len repeating the above about "hearing."  We think we hear accurately, but we don't.

Our ears deliver air pressure changes and bone vibration, which is transformed into neurological impulses  by our auditory nerves.  Our brain receives and processes these.  It matches these impulses with what it has already experienced before, checking to see if they signal danger or not.  Perhaps it might be food, or a territorial threat.  It interprets these impulses and passes them along to the rest of our body, accordingly.  

Though it only takes milliseconds, interpretation is still involved  -- and that makes all the difference.  Because the basic impulses are processed through our memory-rich minds, we can distort whole interactions in those milliseconds, never realizing we're doing it.  We can't help it, because it's the way we're engineered.  Our brains/minds are built to compare and file things into some kind of order, so that our world makes sense to us.

Unfortunately, the "sense" created may be way, way off from the original message transmitted.  Sometimes we can tell how sick we are, by the "sense" we create.  In homeopathy, the more rigid it is, the more stuck (and ill) we are.  Ho'oponopono sees this not as being "sick", but as simply being full of memories that throw us off course. 

Regardless, the only way to deal with this situation, explained Dr. Hew Len patiently, is to take 100% responsibility for our memories (or our filing system, as I'm mentioning here), recognizing that it is flawed.  As beings we are perfect.  It's the memories, or data in us that gums up the works.

We can take 100% responsibility, and then can choose to clean.  We can say to our Inner Child, "I'm sorry [for being unconscious, for the error in me]."  If we befriend and care for our Inner Child (or Subsconscious), it can connect with our Superconscious, so that all 3 parts of us -- Conscious, Subconscious, and Superconscious -- are aligned.  "Mother, Father, Child as One."

Then whatever memories might be ready for cleaning can be churned up from the Subconscious.  We don't consciously know what they are.  But our Superconscious, always in perfect harmony with Divinity, can receive and order these memories in the best way possible so that Divinity can do Its work -- forgiving and transmuting them into pure light.  Zero.  Then Divinity fills up the space with "Mana," or divine energy.

Not a bad exchange, I'd say.  :-)

Perhaps we can better comprehend need for this with so-called "bad" memories -- the ones we judge as "toxic", painful, angering, etc.  But someone in the group wanted to know if we need to clean with "good" memories too?   Wouldn't these be okay to keep -- since they make us feel "good"?

"There's no such thing as a good memory," replied Dr. Hew Len.  "You have to give up the world, even good memories.  All of them take us back to another time -- we're not present."

"Only when we're nothing ["Zero"] can Inspiration show up," he went further.  "No thought is contented.  When the mind is in memory, it suffers, and the Subconscious (Inner Child) suffers."

I took notes, because I knew I wouldn't remember correctly.  It's too much wisdom in a gulp.  My mind wants to think it knows, but it doesn't.  "You have to get clueless," he shared.  Coming from a man who admits to having thousands of questions himself, this need for becoming clueless comes through even more powerfully for me.

Some people also wonder if there's any possible chance to get completely clean [of memories, etc]?  "You've got to start," Dr. Hew Len replied, "or you will never be free.  The process cannot start unless you begin."

Finally I feel it's not cleaning to get somewhere, or to "do" anything, but it's assuming my task without complaint.  With dignity and peace, even -- at least for now.  I'm glad I have my notes, memories though they be.  They can remind me to start again.  And again, and again, and again.  I'm sure glad Divinity is patient with me.

Peace begins with me,
Pam