Who's Helping Who?
At times, my patients' situations have uncannily resembled my own. Before Ho'oponopono, I would note the seeming similarity but not investigate further.
Imagine my shock at hearing Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, a psychologist who teaches ho'oponopono, tell me that patients don't come to me to be healed. Instead, they come to give me another opportunity to "clean", to make things right.
Basic to Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono is the idea that what we think are "problems" in others is actually skewed vision on our part. Our vision is skewed because of unconscious memories or data in us distorting our view of something perfect: the patient's core being. Actually, we ourselves are perfect too -- and were it not for this memory stuff hanging around, we would be able to see and experience this.
According to Ho'oponopono, the easiest way to deal with this is to accept 100% responsibility for whatever shows up in our lives -- including our offices. It is only there because we carry unconscious data (shared with our patients) that is complex, ancient, and impossible for our brains to unravel. The patients present opportunities to do the ho'oponopono process on this in ourselves, allowing it to be transmuted, zapped back to nothingness.
Transmuted by what? Divinity, the only one who really knows what is going on. Some will chafe at this, but nearly everyone can imagine the existence of a power greater than we are. However we experience that will do.
So, not only are patients coming to help US rather than the other way 'round, but also WE are not the ones in charge of what happens.
In the words of Dr. Hew Len:
"Ho'oponopono is really very simple. For the ancient Hawaiians, all problems begin as thought. But having a thought is not the problem. So what's the problem? The problem is that all our thoughts are imbued with painful memories, memories of persons, places, or things.
When you do Ho'oponopono, what happens is that the Divinity takes the painful thought and neutralizes or purifies it. You don't purify the person, place, or thing. You neutralize the energy you associate with that person, place, or thing. So the first stage of Ho'oponopono is the purification of that energy.
Now something wonderful happens. Not only does that energy get neutralized; it also gets released, so there's a brand new slate. Buddhists call it the Void.
The final step is that you allow the Divinity to come in and fill the void with light. To do Ho'oponopono, you don't have to know what the problem or error is. All you have to do is notice any problem you are experiencing physically, mentally, emotionally, whatever. Once you notice, your responsibility is to immediately begin to clean, to say, “I'm sorry. Please forgive me.” "
Yes, these ideas take some getting used to. But what relief is possible! I can listen carefully to my patient's (or anyone else's) pain, do what seems medically appropriate, and allow Divinity to transmute whatever's coming up. It means I can hear rather than react, and can allow the other person to be as s/he is. I can simply say "thank you" inside, seeing each moment as an opportunity rather than a test of my competence. As I clean my own "stuff", it comes off others too.
There's much more, of course, and there are many ways to learn.
There are live teaching seminars, found through The Foundation of I, Inc.
Also there are telesminars, including one coming up 7/15/08 with Dr. Hew Len and Mabel Katz .
Who's helping who, indeed? It's a very different point of view, but allows for a lot of compassion on both ends -- with a healthy dose of humility too.
Be well,
Pam
Peace Begins with Me
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