Can we trust our eyes?

"We don't see people as they actually are. We see our reactions to them." ~ Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len

Most of the time I am not seeing clearly. This is one of the most life-changing realizations Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono brings home to me. When I look at others, what am I seeing? According to Dr. Hew Len, mostly my own dusty memories.

And those often distort and complicate things.

Dr. Hew Len echoes one of my classical homeopathy teachers, Dr. Rajan Sankaran of Mumbai India, when he reminds us that there is no "out there" at all.

Please understand: getting this has bugged me. I'm a psychiatrist, trained to value my observational abilities. The conventional psychiatry paradigm includes a distinct "I" who objectively views people and events "outside" of me. And then I classify my observations through the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM IV-TR).

Neat. Simple. Often wrong, even among other psychiatrists. Always wrong, according to Ho'oponopono and Dr. Sankaran. Our observations, no matter how objective they seem to us, are always skewed by our inner delusions -- another way of saying, "memories".

It's important to note the "TR" included in the DSM-IV title: it means "Text Revision." The book delineating how psychiatrists, psychologists, and other therapists are to view the patients they treat, is continually being revised.

Is nothing sacred? Nothing really real?

I acknowledge these clashes, and have struggled with them. This system classifying and naming mental illness that I have learned and used for so many years attempts to describe something we don't really understand at all. According to ho'oponopono, there could be innumerable layers on top of what we think we're seeing -- each distorting it a little more. Dr. Sankaran has a little different idea about this, but the end result is: we're still skewed.

Views of Ho'oponopono can be complicated also. However, Saul Maraney, an acquaintance in South Africa, created a video several months ago that in less than 10 minutes, simplifies this. With a very scenic and cleansing backdrop, Maraney describes the history, viewpoint, and process of Self-Identity through Ho'oponopono, as revised and taught by Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona and the Foundation of I, Inc. You'll hear a few ho'oponopono phrases in the background, as Maraney narrates. Enjoy. For me it's a step towards peace -- even while it thoroughly undoes my world.

Ho'oponopono Simplified
by Saul Maraney, South Africa

Peace Begins with Me,
Pam