Ho'oponopono- Making things right

Ho'opononpono in Hawaiian means to make right, to correct; to bring into harmony that which is not in harmony. It is told that in the old Hawaiian days, a Ho'oponopono was done any time there was a conflict in the community. Without a state of harmony in the community, everyone would suffer imbalance and possibly disease. An elder, or Kupuna, was called upon to act as an impartial mediator for the ho'oponopono. Each individual involved in the conflict was called on to participate. One by one, each person gave his/her opinion about the situation. No one could interrupt while a person was talking, and everyone had an opportunity to speak his/her mind. After voicing opinions, each person had the opportunity to offer a solution to the problem. This process continued until everyone in the group agreed to a solution. After coming to a consensual decision, a prayer of thanks was offered. A feast was then held to celebrate the return to harmony. The divisive issue was never mentioned again. If a ho'oponopono could not be obtained through resolution, then the disgruntled individuals were told to leave the community because their disharmony was damaging to the general community. If these individuals could later resolve the conflict, then and only then were they allowed to participate in community life. Harmony should be this important to our own lives. We must be able to reach harmony within ourselves and with others to maintain balance and peace in our daily lives.

Some ancients believed that you are born with a metaphorical calabash, a wooden bowl. From this bowl, your personal power and goodness emanated in the form of light. They thought that when one encountered a conflict with another, it was like putting a stone into your calabash of light. The more stones in one's calabash, the less light that individual was able to shine. Removing stones from the bowl of light freed an individual from the burden represented by the stone. If one continued to harbor his/her burdens, then more troubles would accumulate, and it would become more difficult to release old burdens. This story illustrated that you are responsible for your own actions and reactions in life.