Mana for the Doctor's Soul

You may have seen this photo on the news today.  Patrolling Polish soldiers found this little girl abandoned on the side of a road in southern Afghanistan. How frightening it must have been to go near the towel in which she was wrapped, no one else around for a mile!  The soldiers knew the risk of hidden roadside bombs along the route to their Waghez military base.   But they were brave enough to look within.    They named her "Pola" (after Poland), and brought her to a medical center on their base.  They also bought her some formula and a bib.  :-) I cannot imagine the pain her mother could be suffering, to have left her daughter this way -- or to have had her taken from her.  Who knows what led up to this infant being left behind?    Those who practice Ho'oponopono may also find something useful here.  In many trainings I've heard how we so often abandon own inner child, or Unihipili, and do not take care of it.  We may not even realize this is happenin

Seeing this quote today, I'm inspired to share it on this blog.  It applies to all of us, no matter what our religious or cultural backgrounds might be. Practitioners of Ho'oponopono also speak of taking "100% responsibility" for everything showing up in our lives.  Next to understanding about one's personal identity and connection with Divinity, this may be the most important concept in Ho'oponopono.   Yet for many it can be confusing.  It seems to ask us to take on much more than we feel is ours.  What about personal boundaries, after all?  What do WE have to do with riots in the Middle East, or genocide in African nations? And what about codependency -- a state of blurring between what's ours to do, and what belongs to others?  In codependency, we try to control the alcoholics or addicts in our lives rather than deal with our own issues.  12-step programs warn against taking other people's inventories, and rightly so. So how do we understa

Many people think that in order to do Ho'oponopono properly, we must direct our cleaning efforts towards particular problems that arise in our lives.  Examples might be traffic jams, financial crises, health issues, or arguments with family members. I used to think this too.  Thus, I wanted to know specifically how to "clean" with whatever problem was happening, when it was happening.   What particular process or tool should be used for each? More importantly, I wanted to know exactly "what" I was cleaning with at any particular time -- in order to pick the right tool, of course.  And if I was doing it well enough, the problem should clear up, right?  :-) I must have thought my intellectual mind was in charge of things, even though I had many times read Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len's article, "Who's in Charge?" . From that article:   "Memories replaying dictate what the Subconscious Mind experiences. The Subconscious Mind

Someone wrote me not long ago asking about relating to our Inner Child -- or Unihipili -- in Ho'oponopono.  We're encouraged to ask this part of us to "clean," even when we're asleep or otherwise engaged.  We can become an inner team this way, aligning all parts of us with Divinity. It's a very good question, since the person was wondering whether this would be establishing a relationship under false or exploitative pretenses  -- just to get the Inner Child to "do" something for us. In Ho'oponopono, the Inner Child is the part of us containing all the unconscious memories which can surface as problems like illness, miscommunication, money issues, relationship discord, etc.  The Inner Child also runs our bodies -- and needs care from the mothering part of us, the Uhane. If we don't clean, our Inner Child continues to suffer.  If we choose to clean (as our Uhane can start the process by saying "I love you") it can let the painf

My house needs painting; a spa renewal, even.  The sun is relentless here in Arizona, and summer is knocking on the door. You're never quite ready when The Heat arrives, as it's so often abrupt.  You go to bed in pleasant springtime warmth, and the next morning . . . . BLAM!   An oven greets you on opening the door.  My body sometimes protests these changes (which still feel less painful than humidity back east).  Yet my house endures all kinds of weather -- including hail, monsoon rains,  freezing, and desert inferno -- without complaint. Signs of wear have been showing up though: some flaking paint, and some color fading where the sun scorches it most intensely.   My home has cared for me well in the 6 years I've lived here.  It's time to return the favor, so I've been interviewing painters and getting estimates for the work.  (while Ho'oponopono cleaning, of course).  The folks coming over don't realize they're teachers, but they are. One fell

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 fo