I am sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you. These four simple phrases can be used for stress reduction, clearing negative energy and dealing with conflicts. Said to purify the body of negative energy and emotions, Ho’oponopono is a simple practice that anyone can benefit from, regardless of age, background or beliefs.
What is Ho’oponopono?
The term “ho’oponopono” means “to make right”. It begins with rectifying an error and making it right with all whom you have relationship. This relationship extends to the natural world of plants, animals and the Earth as well. Forgiveness, Na kala, is another important aspect of the practice. Kala means “to untie, unbind and set free”. The idea is that when we forgive others, we are also forgiving ourselves. This helps clear energetic cords and attachments with those whom you have had negativity.
Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona is the Founder of modern-day ho’oponopono, a Hawaiian practice for healing and forgiveness. She was a Hawaiian Kahuna Lapa’au, which means a “healing specialist” in Hawaiian.
Traditionally, ho’oponopono was conducted by a group of family members, including any members with a dispute. In the 1970’s Simeona adapted this family mutual forgiveness work into a practice that can be used by all people for healing. Her intention was to create a personal self-help technique that could be used individually, as well as the group process.
She is said to have received her understanding of ho’oponopono as a child directly from Source energy, and as an adult she took this and other healing prayers and practices to the West to share with the world. In 1983, Simeona was recognized with the title “Living Treasure of Hawaii” by the State of Hawaii and the Hongwanji Mission in Honolulu.
The Power of Ho’oponopono
Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len was a student of Morrnah Simeona. He co-wrote the book Zero Limits, detailing his work with Ho’oponopono in a psychiatric ward. In the book, he shares that at the Hawaii State Hospital psychiatric ward, the patients were dangerous, and staff was quitting regularly. While he worked there, he reviewed the patient’s files. As he did this, he said the ho’oponopono prayer over and over.
Despite not meeting the patients, Dr. Len found that they were getting better by simply chanting this healing prayer consistently as he studied their files. He chanted the prayer with the intention to do his own inner healing and it ended up helping the patients heal as well. After three years, the staff was coming to work regularly and all of the patients in his ward healed. According to Dr. Len, “I was simply cleaning the part of me that I shared with them.”
These four healing phrases were a once short prayer within the context of much longer prayers and practices. Dr. Len created an updated version called Self I-Dentity Through Ho’oponopono (SITH). He teaches that it’s about taking personal responsibility for everything we think and everything that comes to our attention.
In Dr. Len’s updated version, the order of the phrases is not important. The focus is on repentance, forgiveness, gratitude, and love. You can say it aloud or in your head, and you can offer this prayer by yourself or with others. It’s not necessary to say it to the person, place, or thing with whom you are seeking to heal the energy.
Getting Started with the Gift of Ho’oponopono
As noted previously, the order of the phrases is not important. What matters is that you create an order that resonates deeply for you. It’s about being present and connecting with each phrase.
According to Mabel Katz, a 10-year Ho’oponopono veteran, the purpose behind these phrases is to “clean”. It could also be called “let go and let God”. You focus on letting go of negative thoughts as opposed to focusing on the process. It’s the art of allowing. This doesn’t mean you don’t ask for anything. It simply means not having attachment to the outcome.
I’m sorry: Even if you don’t feel you need to apologize, the very act of doing so can create energetic shifts. In this phrase, you take personal responsibility for mistakes and for any ways you may have hurt others or yourself, including inadvertently or without knowing that you did so.
Please forgive me: You to ask forgiveness of your Higher Self and the Universe. You can visualize people, places, or things you’d like to ask forgiveness of, however, the main focus is on forgiving yourself.
Thank you: Gratitude is a powerful vibration. This is a way to say thank you to the universe for offering forgiveness, as well as offering appreciation for all things.
I love you: Direct this phrase to yourself, to the Universe and to others. It’s another form of gratitude and can open your heart. It’s also a potent way to close the prayer to help move stuck energy when said with intention.
Healing for Families
Ho’oponopono is a wonderful healing tool for children that’s easy to say and remember. Using this prayer with kids also offers them the opportunity to develop empathy. When there’s a conflict, taking time to communicate how they feel and then working with ho’oponopono to clear the issue gives them a tool for managing their emotions in a healthy way, and finding balance when upset. It also provides a container for coming to agreements with others in a safe and thoughtful way.
Pets are receptive to loving energy, so saying the ho’oponopono prayer for them and to them is a gentle way to offer healing for any issues or challenges they might be having. You can even say this healing prayer to your plants, your garden, your home. The intention can create clearing and shifts within and without, and it can be used for anything that you need support around, or simply want to keep the energy clear.
Healing For Everyone
At the University of Hawaii, Manoa, Ho’oponopono was used in conjunction with standard medical therapy in order to control hypertension. Blood pressure of the participants was compared before and after the practice, showing a decrease in Systolic blood pressure as well as Diastolic blood pressure. This is just one example of how this simple yet effective tool can begin to make big changes in your life and health.
Ho’oponopono is for everyone. You can let go, forgive, be in gratitude and rest in love on a daily basis through the continued repetition of four easy phrases. This practice is a gift for families, children, and more. It’s simple and easy to integrate into your daily life so that you can begin to receive the benefits of this Hawaiian-based practice today.
Bloom Post is a freelance writer, ceremonialist, teacher, and author of the books Shaman’s Toolbox: Practical Tools for Powerful Transformation and Plant Spirit Totems. For more information: www.BloomPost.com
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