Mana for the Doctor's Soul

Physicians and other healthcare professionals naturally extend compassion to others; they want to ease suffering. This deep urge calls many into Medicine as their vocation, despite realizing that the path will be difficult. Compassion for others is part of our very nature.  We're often uncomfortable or unfamiliar with extending this same compassion towards ourselves, though. We may have grown up in families who valued outer achievements over inner experience. We know how to work hard, and push through pain. We've few (or no) real-world models for approaching life in any other way, or even imagining that we deserve love and compassion ourselves. While serving these up generously for others, we don't even include ourselves at the table.  Enter an onslaught of online information about self-compassion, as if it's the answer for every ailment. Since our whole world seems to be starving for compassion, the topic's popularity makes sense. Naturally, my physician clients st...

  "Mana, my young friend, is a power that holds the secret to your very existence. Mana on its own has neither definite shape nor form, yet it is in everything that exists. Mana is the power that holds this world of ours together. Mana is pure energy. It is virtually impossible for anyone to explain what Mana really is because it is of spirit essence. Mana cannot be seen by the naked eye. It must be absorbed by a positive feeling. It is Mana that helps wash away the illusionary values you place on life. It is the sustenance of the wise." -- from "Second Chance," by Sydney Banks. (pg 68-69) The above quote comes from the author's character, Mamma Lila, a Hawaiian elder who some considered "plain crazy." Nonetheless, she had the gift of 'ike papalua, or being able to see multiple realities at the same time. She had been guided in this understanding from childhood by her grandfather, who was a wise and well-known kahuna.  Such capabilities exist in al...

From the formless, into form I am expanding the subject area of this blog beyond Ho'oponopono alone, although Ho'oponopono remains a beautiful part of my life. For all the peace Ho'oponopono brings in this world, it is still a formed practice. By their very nature, all formed practices can become niduses of argument. People react, judge, examine and shred with fine-toothed combs, quibbling over each point. They debate what various aspects "mean," especially in the case of religions. They draw lines between themselves and others -- with self (of course) being "right," and others being "wrong." Ho'oponopono has certainly been an inflammatory subject like that. For my support of teachers like Morrnah Simeona and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, I have been criticized by native Hawaiians who feel these teachings and practices disrespect or even attempt to steal their culture. Or they describe it as a watered-down, fake approximation of the "real...

This is a very brief video conversation with Morrnah Simeona and Dr. Ihaleakala Lew Len. Morrnah passed into spirit in Germany, in 1992. The sincerity in both of them comes through for me. Morrnah became known for "updating" the ancient Ho'oponopono process of correcting errors and making things right, for modern times. She termed her method "Self-I-dentity Through Ho'oponopono." They speak of allowing Divinity to help each of us heal ourselves and our relationships through repentance, forgiveness, and transmutation -- the last of which, only Divinity can do. They point out that Divinity created us, not any other person. The traditional Ho'oponopono process involved an entire group of people, moderated by an elder who might make suggestions to dissipate family conflict. Here, Morrnah explains that her amendments rely on each person's bonding directly with Divinity, rather than relying on any other human to solve his or her problems. Further, she ...

Something has been bothering me, and I want to share it here.  Ho'oponopono has a rich tradition of restoring harmony in families experiencing conflict -- and it long predates Christian missionaries ever visiting Hawaii. Traditionally, the practice required gathering the entire family (including children!) together for an extended and honest discussion of their difficulties, in the context of prayer, sincere listening, repentance, and forgiveness. A family or community elder guided and arbitrated the process, making sure that explosive emotions were contained. Otherwise, the proceedings themselves could traumatize the group further. All layers of feeling and action were examined, though. And as needed, contrition and restitution were encouraged, planned for, and carried out. You couldn't just dismiss someone's feelings about you -- you had to truly take in and consider them, and see how your own behavior was impacting others. I am sure many of these sessions brought out...

I've just enjoyed a 1987 video of Morrnah Simeona and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len conversing about Ho'oponopono, through Zerolag.biz . What a wonderful gift for a Thanksgiving weekend! Zerolag.biz is making this vintage 29-minute video ren table for $1.00, until Sunday evening 11/29/15. In it, Morrnah describes her familiarity with traditional Ho'oponopono, which translates from Hawaiian as "making things right."  Morrnah shares that Self-Identity Through Ho'oponopono is her own process, updated for modern times. She remarks that she knew this in previous lifetimes as well. Morrnah believed we all have MANY lifetimes, and that their memory traces come with us wherever we go. In fact, this residue is the root cause of all problems everywhere.  The entire conversation is beautiful to me, as it encompasses the parts of the Self, our relationship with Divinity, healing, and health issues like diabetes, addiction, and schizophrenia. It was filmed in Alaska, and...

A fool and her luggage are soon parted. -- Pam Pappas MD Ho'oponopono is a process which can be used in ALL of life, not just sometimes.  It can cleanse memories or data from us, which would otherwise show up as problems. The trick is to remember to DO IT. Even the most caring and genuine among us can sometimes forget. Ordinarily, Ho'oponopono preparations before an airplane trip would include gently talking with your Inner Child (or Unihipili) about where you're going -- and making sure s/he is willing to come too. You ' d cover all the legs of the journey, offering protection and care. You ' d do your "HA" breathing, to make sure all parts of you are connected and energized before setting out; you might use a specific cleaning tool as inspired, multiple times before leaving. Think of how you'd prepare a small child for such a trip, and you've got it. Usually I clean with each of the steps beforehand, from door to door -- and talk with the ...