Published:
11/16/2010 05:06pm
Huna: Connecting with Ancient Wisdom
How many of us know who our ancestors were, let alone how they lived and what they believed?
It seems that with each passing generation, we become more disconnected from traditional beliefs that gave life meaning and order for thousands of years.
Many people have given up on the religions of their parents. Others are so busy pursuing a career, making a living or raising a family that they don’t take the time to practice or understand the traditions of their lineage.
There is a longing to find our roots, to connect with those who came before us. This longing is behind the surging interest in indigenous beliefs and traditions that do not view mind, body and spirit as separate, but connected.
Huna is the ancient Hawaiian understanding of energy, healing and life that I teach and have learned through my lineage and experience. It is believed to date back 35,000 years to the original teachings of the peoples of the earth.
As such, Huna provides a direct link to some the most ancient wisdom of our distant ancestors. These teachings remain as viable today as they have been for indigenous people who practiced them over thousands of years.
People who study Huna report new joy, satisfaction and peace in their lives. They have more energy and a deeper sense of spirituality. The have learned how to let go of negative thoughts and emotions. They have discovered how to truly forgive others and found a more peaceful existence full of new possibilities.
Huna is more than just a self-help or motivational program. The longer I study this ancient system, the more I am astounded that ideas sometimes viewed as novel have in fact existed for millennia.
Our Hawaiian ancestors knew, for example, how to harness the energy inherit in nature and to live in peace with themselves, each other and their environment. They looked at the world with open eyes, seeking knowledge and not prejudging other belief systems. And they practiced an idea that is at the core of success in business today — that we are each personally responsible for creating positive change in our lives.
The original “secret”
Huna means "secret" or “hidden wisdom.” It is the term used for the modern approach to the ancient Hawaiian system for living originally known as Ho'omana.
In Hawaiian, Ho'o means "to make." Mana is "energy." Taken together, Ho'omana means to make life-force energy. It teaches people how to get in touch with their life-force energy, how to move it, and how to understand their connection with the environment and with others.
Like many ancient indigenous teachings worldwide, the practice of Ho'omana came into conflict with modern belief systems that sought to displace it. There was a time when the landowners of Hawaii attempted to abolish the ancient Hawaiian ways and these beliefs and practices were forced underground.
Teaching Huna was illegal in the State of Hawaii until as recently as the late 1980s. Thankfully that mindset has changed as more and more people come to the islands to learn about this amazing approach to life. I say amazing because these ancient teachings hold the wisdom we often find in modern personal growth courses.
For instance, the Law of Attraction featured in hit film The Secret — the idea that we draw to our lives the things, good or bad, that occupy our thoughts — is part Huna. But Huna also covers three other universal laws found in spiritual paths worldwide. Broadly defined, these are:
The law of cause and effect — To gain maximum power, you take responsibility for everything that is happening in your universe.
The law of perception as projection — In some way, shape or form, the world you see outside yourself is a projection of who and what you are.
The law of cycles and rhythms — Everything we experience is part of the natural flow of three universal forms of energy: birth, growth and completion or death.
Studying Huna teaches you how to live your life in peace in accordance with these laws.
Open-minded empowerment
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