PTo seek happiness and serenity in life, Ho’oponopono can help. Sometimes it is actually necessary stop and put everything back into perspective. A meditation practice originating from the Pacific that starts from a fundamental concept: mistakes are made, “crying over spilled milk” isn’t helpful. In other words, compared to us Westerners who ruminate on the mistake we made and what we could have done to avoid it, Hawaiian philosophy is based on forgiveness and acceptance to move forward. Putting guilt aside.
Looking for happiness and serenity? From the Pacific, Ho’oponopono
If the Swedes focus more on sweetness to find a moment of pause and reflection in their life, with their coffee break called fika, on the other side of the world the question becomes more internal. Ho’oponopono is linked to happiness and serenity. This philosophy of Polynesian origin also landed in Hawaii where it has spread, so much so that it has become a lifestyle of the archipelago.
At the base is a thought that should be adopted especially in the West: stop being victims of guilt. When we make a mistake, we Westerners tend to ruminate on it, understand where we went wrong and take into consideration any behavior we should have taken to avoid making mistakes. The starting point of the philosophy coming from the Pacific is instead the exact opposite: the error is normal and common, so there is nothing to complain about. But you can apologize and make amends. Accepting the mistake but above all accepting that we can make mistakes could be the best way to be happy.
How to put things right again
On the other hand the same word “ho’oponopono” in Hawaiian means “to make things right”. A concept that already contains within itself the idea of a second chance and that everything can be fixed. A real philosophy of life, in the sense that it has a current of thought to follow, it starts from the assumption that we can all make mistakes, sooner or later it happens to everyone and for this reason we should treat each other with greater benevolence. The important thing is to recognize it, forgive yourself and forgive and seek a remedy to move forward.
The concept of forgiveness is similar to Catholicism but in the Hawaiian meaning it goes further: not only because in this philosophy the confession is made to oneself and not to a priest, but above all because it starts from the assumption that anger, pain, guilt and all negative emotions are generally not good for you. If it was once thought that a mistake could unleash the wrath of the Gods, today it very often causes the accumulation of a negative baggage of emotions that is not good for one’s body. Learning to forgive yourself therefore becomes fundamental for your physical health.
Another fundamental concept of Hawaiian philosophy is that everything starts from the personal internal energy that you possess. Fate, bad luck, karma are not allowed in this theory: the person with his inner energy is placed at the center which arises from the cosmic one and from the force of nature. From this perspective, therefore, everyone is responsible for their actions and, if mistakes are revealed, we are forgiven.
I’m sorry, forgive me, thank you, I love you: the Ho’oponopono mantra
How to put all this into practice? Starting first of all from a mantra: I’m sorry, forgive me, thank you, I love you. As a mantra this should be repeated, out loud or even in the mind, but truly believing it, truly understanding its real meaning. This helps to fully realize that what happens is truly in our hands.
Another fundamental aspect of ho’oponopono is re-establish a dialogue with one’s self, that deep, often forgotten inner part. Listening to this part, which is the purest and most innocent, allows us to achieve happiness but also to no longer judge ourselves, therefore accepting any mistakes.
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