Ho’oponopono technique
The technique assumes that everything we know as ‘reality’ is experienced individuals within our own minds. What you feel, hear, see and even the things or people you know are influenced by your internal experience. Your perception is your reality.
With that in mind, everything around you requires your participation, as you are fully responsible for what you think and feel. Have you noticed that we can often be our own worst enemies? This is because each thought can activate a mechanism that recreates an (albeit illusory) world of problems. The main purpose of ho’oponopono is to seek the cure to these problems through forgiveness. Not necessarily the forgiveness of others, the primary objective is the forgiveness of oneself.
This is done with the understanding that what happens to you doesn’t matter, but what you do with what has happened is the primary concern. If your mind and thoughts have caused you pain and trauma, they are also able to heal them.
There are four simple steps to this method, and the order is not that important. Repentance, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Love are the only forces at work – but these forces have amazing power.
The best part of the modern version of Ho’oponopono is you can do it yourself, you don’t need anyone else to be there, you don’t need anyone to hear you. You can ‘say’ the words in your head. The power is in the feeling and in the willingness of the Universe to forgive and love.
I’m sorry
Please forgive me
I love you
Thank you
Why these phrases?
Step 1: I’m sorry- you are responsible for everything in your mind, even if it seems to be ‘out there’. Once you realise that, it’s very natural to feel sorry. I know I do. If I hear of a flood, or a fire, I am so full of remorse that something in my consciousness has created that I’m also so very sorry that someone I know has become ill, or even passed away at some level I take responsibility for causing this.
This realisation can be painful and uncomfortable, and you will likely resist accepting responsibility for the ‘out there’ kind of problems until you start to practice this method on your more obvious ‘in here’ problems and see results.
So choose something that you already know you’ve caused for yourself? Over-weight? Addicted to nicotine, alcohol, sugar or some other substance? Do you have anger issues? Health problems? Start there and say you’re sorry. That’s the whole step: I’M SORRY. Although I think it is more powerful if you say it more clearly: “I realise that I am responsible for the (issue) in my life and I feel terrible remorse that something in my consciousness has caused this.”
This implies that you take responsibility for everything created and that you ask for forgiveness for not being aware of how things have been created, even then you do not need to understand how, just to express regret.
Step 2: Please forgive me – don’t worry about who you’re asking. Just ask! PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Say it over and over. Mean it. Remember your remorse from step 1 as you ask to be forgiven.
Step 3: Thank You – Say ‘THANK YOU’, again it doesn’t really matter who or what you’re thanking. Thank your body for all it does for you. Thank yourself for being the best you can be. Thank your friends, family, colleagues. Thank Mother Earth. Thank the Universe. Thank whatever it was that just forgave you. Just keep saying THANK YOU.
Step 4: I love you – This can also be step 1. Say I LOVE YOU. Say it to your body, say it to the universe. Say I LOVE YOU to the air you breathe, to the house that shelters you. Say I LOVE YOU to your challenges. Say it over and over. Mean it. Feel it. There is nothing as powerful as Love.
That’s it. The whole practice in a nutshell. Simple and amazingly effective.
What are the Benefits?
Repeating these 4 simple phrases helps to develop self-love and self-esteem when we need it the most, and given the black-mirror, dystopian reality we find ourselves in, this could be the perfect balm to soothe your mind and soul!
The power of meditative prayer is amplified when practiced with a group. That’s why we are facilitating this as a virtual group experience. You don’t need to log onto anything or be anywhere specific. Just make the commitment and carve out the time.
We start on the 18th of August at 8am, and will practice for 8 minutes each day for 30 days, this is completely free and my inspiration for curating this shared experience is to bring us together and create some peace for ourselves, and the collective in these uncertain times.
Very simply you just repeat the 4 above steps for 8 minutes. You can do that eyes closed in meditation; you can also do it in front of a mirror with eye contact with yourself. If necessary, you can even do it on your commute as an internal mantra. If 8am doesn’t work, you can choose another time that does – bear in mind you won’t be joining the collective meditation (you will still get significant benefit). Are you in a different time zone? It will still be 8am your time, and our hope is that we have enough people from around the world that sign up that someone in your time zone will be practising at the same time as you. So far we have nine countries already represented!
I will be doing some of the sessions live with a Q and A at the end, also there is a WhatsApp accountability and support group that you are welcome to join. Use either the link or the QR code below to join:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/G3t2LiBC4CuFdFS6yxtp6I
