Mana for the Doctor's Soul

Our Lady of Guadalupe -- in January Happy New Year, everyone -- especially on this day marking both Martin Luther King's birthday and President Barack Obama's second inauguration.  For me, it's a day of both freedom and peace.  Maybe all days can have those qualities, if we look carefully.  Still, this one feels special to me somehow. Some of you may have heard about the several nights of below-freezing weather we recently had in the Phoenix area.  I know many of you live where there's snow on the ground -- but central Arizona is not that place.  We're in the desert, with saguaro cacti and wildflowers galore.  January is usually when others want to visit us -- golf tournaments, horse shows, fancy car auctions -- all in the Valley of the Sun.  Once the weather predictions came through, people were frantic to protect their plants and outside water pipes.  Nurseries ran out of garden cloth.  Those of us who were slow to alert had to rel...

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...

The deadliest wildfires in Australia's history have destroyed many acres, homes, and lives this week. In the midst of such horror, Divine Inspiration comes through in the above photo of a tired, parched koala being offered a drink by volunteer fireman David Tree. Taken by another volunteer with a cell phone camera, the photo captures a moment of uncomplicated Love in action. The koala was walking on scorched paws in a charred forest near Melbourne. Seeing that she was in trouble, the fireman pulled over his truck. The koala "plonked herself down, as if to say, 'I'm beat', " recounted Tree. He offered her a drink from a water bottle -- and "the most amazing part was when she grabbed my hand. I will never forget that." Now nicknamed "Sam", she is recuperating at Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter in Victoria state. Although badly burned, she is healing well -- and even has a protective new boyfriend named "Bob". Burned also, he apparentl...

Sometimes despite our best intentions and Ho'oponopono cleaning, outer situations don't change. In fact they may even seem to deteriorate. This can be extremely frustrating, leading us to think that nothing we do -- including Ho'oponopono -- "works." Maybe we expect that if we clean (or share our supposed wisdom), others will do as we think they should do. When they don't, we get agitated. There's a precious balance between doing what we realistically can in support of others, and expecting them to follow our suggestions. It can be hard to maintain this balance. A situation in my family has been causing great pain, and I've been asked for my thoughts. I've been cleaning, and sharing when it seems right. But for the most part, my words fall on deaf ears. The question is recovery from alcoholism, a condition which eventually leads to death. My upset is a complex blend of concern, love, indignation, fear, anger, and incredulity that others don't ...

Families can be challenging and loving all at the same time. We may practice ho'oponopono for many months or years with no seeming "results". Perplexing behavior patterns may appear as enduring as granite. And then change can blow through in an instant. For example, my family has dealt with alcoholism for many years -- just not openly or effectively. Long-suppressed forces erupted on Election Day, leading to hospitalization for one family member and hopefully recovery for all. It started with someone driving erratically, scaring people enough to call police . . . leading to eventual commitment for evaluation and treatment. It was as if something in this person demanded to be heard, manifesting enough craziness for people to finally "do something". Alcoholism often induces learned helplessness in family members; it had in mine until we were up against a wall. The scenario was wrenching, and yet I am grateful. I had nearly lost hope. We are working through the ...

What would you do in a storm? Would you be willing to lay down with a lion? Hurricane Ike recently slammed into Texas -- and stories of survival are surfacing from the flood. One in particular has amazed me: that of a lioness named Shackle and her owner taking shelter in church. It seems Shackle lived in a zoo on Bolivar Peninsula, which was flattened by the hurricane. Michael Ray Kujawa was driving to safety with her, but saw stranded cars and trucks ahead. He knew they were in deep trouble. Heading for the church, he was met by residents who helped the lion wade inside. Though water crept up to people's waists, and two-by-fours came floating through broken windows, Shackle stayed calm as a kitten. The people locked her in the sanctuary overnight, where she took reign on the altar. And when morning came, everyone was still alive. They fed Shackle pork roast for breakfast . . . but when she roared, the National Guard stood at attention. "They worked pretty well together, actu...

Much of my daily work involves people who, for one reason or another, really don't care for themselves very much. This includes people in the role of "healer", "doctor", "nurse", and "therapist" as well as "patient". Some may even feel extreme self-loathing and self-hatred -- but for most of us this is masked. Some escape these painful feelings through non-stop work, figuring that even if we aren't worth loving, we can at least be admired through our accomplishments. It's a compromise. Other escapes include addiction to substances, or chasing after others to supply the love we feel we're missing. None of this ever fills our bottomless need. Theories about how we arrive in such painful, desolate places are plentiful. More fruitful questions might be: "What can I do about this? How do I learn to first care for -- and eventually love -- myself?" The short answer is that it takes a decision, and then moment-to-mom...