How can the teachings of Hawaii help us connect to our ancestors and our spirit guides? How can we use these teachings to get ourselves unstuck from self-defeating patterns? How can we find peace in family conflict or relationship issues? In this article I would like to discuss how Ho’oponopono and Hawaiian spirituality show us the way to live our lives from a place of empowerment and freedom, with the support of our spirit guides, and the inspiration of our spirit.
Na wai ho'i ka 'ole ke akamai he ala nui i ma'a i ka hele ia 'E o'u mau Makua?
Who would not be wise on the trail so long walked upon by our ancestors?
Sometimes, along the path, it often seems like we get stuck in certain places in our lives, and nothing seems to be changing. This can be discouraging, but these times that are the most frustrating are often the times when we are close to a breakthrough.
If you are in a place of feeling stuck~ angry, hurt, sad, or fearful, sometimes it is helpful to ask yourself ~ Would you rather be right, or be happy? Sometimes we are so invested in proving our point and making a case for our version of the story that we limit ourselves from growing and moving forward, and we end up in a place of conflict. Inner conflict in our mind, body and spirit, and outer conflict in our relationships. We begin to long for more out of life. We begin to long to feel happy.
In these times, we need to look at the situation from a different point of view. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could receive the advice of someone who knows exactly what we need, and who can see what is coming, and can prepare us for the future?
What if that person existed inside of us, and all we needed to do was open up to it?
Ho’oponopono – Clearing the Path
Ho’oponopono is a way of connecting to your High Self, so that you can see things from a different perspective. In ho’oponopono we can also ask our ancestors to help us with seeing things in a different light. Our ancestors are watching us as we encounter these challenges, and they are always there to guide us, however we have to align our energy with a higher vibration in order to connect with the spirit helpers around us. If we are weighed down by lower vibrational energies, such as limiting beliefs, guilt, resentment, fear, worry, or arrogance, it is hard for us to hear the soft, quiet voices of our guides. If we are not present in the moment, we may miss the subtle ways they are sending us messages through the environment.
In ho’oponopono we must humble ourselves and admit that we have to take responsibility for the part we are playing in our lives. We need to be humble enough to admit that maybe we don’t know everything, and maybe we might even be wrong about a few things.
In these tough times, when we are most frustrated and feeling stuck, we must do our ho'oponopono, and let go of guilt, resentment and judgment, in order to have a clear connection to our Higher Self and to our ancestors. We must admit that some Higher part of us called in this particular challenge, in order for us to grow and evolve in this lifetime. We must meet the challenge with a sense of willingness to participate fully in our lives, and with a sense of acceptance for what is.
When we have acknowledged this, we can then lift these issues up to a Higher power, and breathe. Our breath is the connecting chord to our spirit, and so when we breathe, our body comes into alignment with our High Self. We look at what thoughts we are having that are not coming from a place of love, and we re-frame these thoughts into thoughts of love. We commit to letting go of judgment. And we ask for a Higher power to support us in our efforts.
In the beginning of doing ho’oponopono, it is hard to see that anything is actually happening, but I assure you, if we keep at it, we are rewarded! It takes some time, but little by little things begin to look different, feel different, and little miracles begin to show up in our lives. After a while, we are back in a state of flow, and we can see that life is just a series of experiences that are perfectly, immaculately designed to enrich and grow our soul! With a deep connection to our High Self, and our ancestors, we can walk with dignity, knowing that we are not alone, and our spirit is huge, watching over us, helping us create our reality in every moment.
In this state of mind, we can rise above the feelings of hurt, abandonment, fear, and anger, and we can meet our conflicts and triggers in life from a place of dignity. We can also approach our relationships in a way that also allows others their dignity. We can approach our lives from a place of grounded security, understanding that we have everything we need within us to handle any situation. We can then begin to live life in the moment. And as each moment leads to the next, we begin to feel that everything has been set up for us already by our own High Self, with our ancestral guardians, and all we really need to do is stay aligned, and step into it! Our ‘Aumakua has everything all laid out for us.
When we are present in the moment, our spirit guides will begin to show us messages of all forms: sounds, visions, bodily sensations, animals or changes in the weather all may be ways that our spirit guides communicate with us.
When we are in the moment, we are guided more by instinct and by inspiration, because the connection between the body and High Self is clear. We “just know” in that moment, what it is we need to do next.
‘Aumakua – Our Higher Self and our Spirit Guides
In my studies of Hawaiian healing, I was introduced to the concept of ‘Aumakua. In Hawaiian culture, the concept of family is not limited to the ones who are here in bodies. Our family extends to those in spirit. I was made aware that the spirits of our ancestors are connected to our spirit. We are not separate. Our High Self is connected to the High Selves of all our ancestors, and all these over-souls are connected through space and time, living as a soul family, in another dimension.
There is this idea that we have a spirit, a Higher Self, that can take on form in a body, and come to earth, lifetime after life time. This larger part of ourselves grows as we develop ourselves in each lifetime. It is our super conscious awareness, and it attaches to our body at birth, and then leaves our body after death.
Kahuna Hale Makua - ‘Aumakua Teachings
I would like to share some of the teachings of Hale Makua, a kahuna from the Big Island who shared his wisdom with Hank Wesselman, who then wrote the book "The Bowl of Light". "When the seed of light derived from our 'Aumakua arrives with the first Ha (breath of life) and takes up residence within us, it's like a probe," Makua said. "The 'unihipili (body soul) is already present in the new physical body, having been sourced to us by our mother and father." "Our 'Aumakua itself is our spiritual dream body, our distinct and separate immortal soul - our Higher Self that always lives in the spirit world. This can serve us as a portal through which we can dream and can travel into the worlds of spirit while we are still embodied here. Through the gift of our light that comes into us in each lifetime, it becomes a part of each of us here." "When our physical body dies, our energetic aspect, our kino aka that carries the composite of the three embodied souls, detaches. It then exists for a period of time independent of the physical body in a free state, thus maintaining its integration as a personal pattern for as long as it needs." "The breath is the connecting link between the energy body and the physical body, and when we release our last breath at life's end, we release our Ha, and our soul cluster is free. Slowly at first, and then with increasing speed, our energetic body, along with our soul cluster, loses its attachment to this world, and returns to its 'Aumakua. At that point, the personal self in whom we have invested so much time during life is subsumed into our immortal soul-field --into our real self." taken from the Bowl of Light, by Hank Wesselman
Hale Makua teaches us that our ‘unihipili is the soul of the body. This is the part of our consciousness that receives all the information from the DNA of the parents we have chosen. We choose our body, our time and place of birth, and our parents, in order to evolve our High self, our ‘Aumakua. This evolution of our individual soul helps the whole collective of souls in our family to evolve. It is immaculately designed for the Highest good of all. This is what Hale Makua refers to as the “Grand Ancestral Plan”.
Opening up to Divine Inspiration Our Higher Self is always available to us, as our ancestors and spirit guides are also always available to us. We just need to come into a state of vibration where we can open to feel our Higher Self. Our ancestors meet us in the realm of the High Self. In Hawaiian Healing, they teach that the High Self communicates through the body. That is why we keep the body clear of any heavy energies, and we take good care of our physical bodies. Our body must be clear and attuned to the messages coming in.
When we bring ourselves into alignment with the consciousness of our High Self, we can access the help of our ancestors. When we come from this place in prayer, our prayers can move mountains! Our ancestors prayed for us for many, many years, as it is the wish of every generation for the younger ones to have an easier journey than our own. You could say that the quality of life that we enjoy now is a result of all the lessons, determination, and answered prayers of our ancestors. And this is something that is still taking place every moment of our lives.
In reading the teachings of Hale Makua, we are reminded that there is a larger part of ourselves that is in a higher place, beyond the small dramas in our lives, and it is looking on with compassion at all times. We can connect to this “observer” part of ourselves at any time, and rise above the drama here on earth, and align ourselves with the grand ancestral plan!
Aligning with the grand ancestral plan involves coming into the moment and receiving the blessing of your ancestors. We all are all connected in spirit, and there is a Divine plan to our lives. Everything that happens in your life leads you to his moment, and every moment holds great power. Everything we do in this life affects future generations. And everything we do is witnessed by the ones who have walked before us. And when we live in harmony with our Higher self, we also live in harmony with them. When we live in this way, they bless us in many ways.
So let us look to our ancestors with respect and honour. Let us forgive them for their errors, and thank them for their efforts. Let's acknowledge them for their presence, with an awareness that we are surrounded by realities that we cannot see or touch of taste in this moment, and yet they are just as real. And, let us each take our seat at the table, as divine, empowered representations of our Highest Self, brought into human form, to serve the Highest good of all beings. Your soul is seated among many, all one family, all connected and united in love. ~ Aloha 'Aumakua!