Recently Hawaii commemorated 50 years of statehood. I didn't say celebrated because there were no parades or fireworks. The only public events were a conference with panel discussions about tourism's future, alternative energy and Native Hawaiian rights and a protest by a group of native Hawaiians who want sovereignty.

By Hawaiians do have much to celebrate about their history and culture that predates it's entry into the Union. In this article, I want to examine one aspect of their native religion called Huna.

Huna is a name recently given to the healing and mystical practices of ancient Hawaii. Huna  means "the hidden secrets." An expert in Huna was called a kahuna, literally translated as "keeper of balance." Balance refers to the balance of the three divine qualities of love, wisdom and power. Older names for these practices were ho'omana and ho'omanamana, meaning the making of mana or energy.

Huna was developed in isolated communities called "ohana." The chiefs (ali'i) controlled communities with the help of kahuna, who maintained stability by enforcing a strict kapu (taboo) system, honoring the ancestors (kupuna), guardian spirits (aumakua) and gods (akua). Most chiefly families were considered to be kalani - descendents of gods - and their word was law.

A kahuna was an expert, trained from childhood for many years. As there was no written language; knowledge was primarily transmitted verbally. Important information was usually taught in chants. Mistakes in chanting were believed to insult the gods or ancestors, the chiefs or the gods, and a forgetful chanter could be severely punished. This encouraged exact learning.

Unlike the complexity and chaos of our modern Western societies, life in a Hawaiian ohana was simple and stable, based on common values of pono (righteousness) and na (harmony). Many of the old Hawaiian kapu customs and rituals would seem silly to Westerners. For example, it was a crime for a woman to eat most species of banana and it was generally believed that the gods would kill an offender. If not, she might be punished severely anyway.

Huna was created and preserved by people living in small communities. Huna from different parts of Hawaii are different. The heart of Huna Kalani, aloha (love, harmony - literally - "We breathe together") offers a basis for creating a huna suitable for our own world where everyone would live in peaceful community, with love and joy, in balance with nature.

Unlike the complex mystical systems developed in ancient cultures such as Egypt, China and India, Huna is simple to understand and use. However, even in Hawaii there remains much secrecy about Huna. Few native kahuna will teach non-Hawaiians and few native Hawaiians will admit to knowing much about this ancient wisdom. As a Hawaiian friend said,  The haole (white immigrants) stole our land and they stole our children; now they want to steal our soul!

In spite of this, some teachings about Huna are being introduced to Westerners. One of these teachings is the practice of Ho'oponopono, a powerful set of magic words that can transform yourself and others. They are: "I am sorry." "Please forgive me." "I thank you." and "I love you." The next time you are upset with someone, try reciting these expression over and over again with feeling and witness the magic of Huna.

http://www.huna.org/
www.hooponopono.org