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Showing posts from December, 2008

Putting Ourselves First: Self-ish or Self-Care?

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Listening to Ho'oponopono teleseminars with Mabel Katz and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len , we often hear about the need to "put ourselves first". What does this really mean? Cartoonist Mark Parisi (see his " Off the Mark " comic above) shows us one possible interpretation -- and it looks like those stampeding have taken the book title to heart. We often find humor in exaggerating troublesome concepts. With this, Parisi hits the nail on the head! People can derive widely different ideas from hearing the same phrase. For some, being told to "put ourselves first" might justify narcissistically exploiting others as if they exist only to satisfy our needs. Or, it could suggest ignoring the legitimate needs of others when they inconvenience us. I don't know that such interpretations express the true spirit of Ho'oponopono , since we can't hurt others without also hurting ourselves. In fact, some of Dr. Hew Len's most memorable telesem

Thinking vs Cleaning: from Darkness into Light

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It is Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. From this night forward on our calendar, days lengthen and contain more light. What a gift, that out of darkness comes light! And how profoundly Ho'oponopono is changing me. Through learning from Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, Mabel Katz, Kamaile, and others, many of my previously rigid attitudes have started to slip away. From darkness, into light. I noticed this in the optometrist's office the other day, when I went for my annual eye exam. The doctor, a solid, no-nonsense woman, went about her business in checking me over. "Oh," she remarked, "I can see there was a time you wore your contacts too long." Blood vessels were growing on my cornea -- a sign of irritation. "Those will never go away," she said. "If they grow across your pupil, you won't be able to see." "Blood vessels are tricky," she continued. People who smoke, for instance, damage retinal blood vessels the same wa

Being Clear ~ Being Peace ~ Being Present

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Jimmy Piver's new blog, " Here to Be Clear ," is a gift to all of us. In it, he shares his life while applying his understanding of Ho'oponopono, Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie, and more. Recently he posted about dealing with his own emotions during his wife's suffering and trip to the Emergency Room. Ho'oponopono holds that whatever we experience on the "outside" is also in us -- a huge difference from our usual perceptions, which say that problems are "out there", not within. It's very hard to remain present with someone's pain. Jimmy did help his wife get the medical care she needed. But he also used Ho'oponopono cleaning tools such as mentally saying "I love you", "Peace of I", "Thank you," and "Ice Blue" (said to be especially helpful for painful situations). They were able to return home a few hours later, and his wife was resting well the next morning. Did Ho'oponopono "do&qu

Ho'oponopono: the Original 12-Step Process?

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Recent family events have led me to review my 12-Step work in Al-Anon . It's a coming back to center on important principles that have helped me before. Some of the similarities between this and Ho'oponopono are striking. For instance, the first 3 "Steps" in Al-Anon say: 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol -- that our lives had become unmanageable. 2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity. 3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. We make moral inventory of ourselves, taking responsibility for our wrongs; we humbly ask God to remove our shortcomings. Through prayer and meditation we seek to improve our conscious contact with God, praying for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. For some, Step One is extremely hard; so is the thought that any power but us will really be there for us. Learning to trust

Cultivating Gratitude, for Those of Us Who Sometimes Forget

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There are days when nothing seems to go right -- and when maybe, like the "sat on" bird above, we might question even getting out of bed. Cultivating gratitude during these times can be a real challenge, and yet Ho'oponopono encourages saying "thank you" even in the midst of problems. Needing some help with exactly this, I was fortunate to come across a wonderful poem written by one of my colleagues, Martina Nicholson MD. It spoke to me so deeply I wanted to share it here. With her permission, here it is: CULTIVATING GRATITUDE by Martina Nicholson, MD "You don't have to like it." On my knees, I thank You for the hardest things, This floor, This sink full of dirty dishes, This house of unmade beds. I am sorry for the grumpy way I woke up this morning, Absent praise. I thank You for the tiniest goodnesses, The cyclamen on the porch With flames like Pentecost, The swirl of dust motes In the morning light. I thank You for the sunlight, And the cold wi