What is Ho'oponopono?

🌺 Ho‘oponopono – Making Things Right 🌺

Ho‘oponopono is a traditional Hawaiian practice of reconciliation, forgiveness, and restoring harmony. At its heart, it is about living in pono—living in balance, with respect, love, and right relationship to ourselves, others, spirit, and the natural world.

Although many people today know ho‘oponopono as a short “four-line prayer,” this is actually a modern, Western interpretation. Traditionally, ho‘oponopono is a deep cultural practice rooted in Hawaiian spirituality, family, and community life.

🌿 What Does Ho‘oponopono Mean?

• Ho‘o – to set in motion, to take action

• Pono – to live in alignment, balance, and virtue

Together, ho‘oponopono means “to make right” - to correct, restore, and bring relationships back into harmony.

🌿 A Bit of History

In 1976, Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona (1913–1992) began teaching a modern form of ho‘oponopono adapted for the Western mindset. Influenced by her Christian and philosophical studies, her version emphasised individual self-help and stress relief.

Later, two of her students - Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len - popularised an even shorter version, known as the “Ho‘oponopono prayer,” which spread widely in the Western world.

While these versions introduced many people to the concept, they are different from the traditional practice, which is far more relational, spiritual, and community-based.

🌿 Traditional Ho‘oponopono

Traditionally, ho‘oponopono was practiced within the ‘ohana (family) to restore harmony among family members and with Akua (spirit). The process went beyond words; it sought to reach the root cause of conflict or disharmony.

It was usually facilitated by a Kupuna (Elder) who was known for living in pono. All participants had to be active, willing, and committed to reconciliation. Ho‘oponopono was often done before healing practices such as Lomilomi, since Hawaiians understood that disharmony in the body often begins with disharmony in relationships.

🌿 The Foundations of Ho‘oponopono

Ho‘oponopono rests upon two guiding Hawaiian values:

• Aloha – a way of being that honors unconditional love for all people and things, recognizing that all life is connected.

• Lōkahi – unity and harmony, created through the balance of three relationships:

  • Kānaka – humankind

  • Akua + Nā ‘Aumākua – spirit and ancestral guides

  • ‘Āina + Moana – land and ocean

When these three are in harmony, both internal and external healing become possible.

🌿 Becoming a Luna Ho‘oponopono

Today, it is possible to train as a Luna Ho‘oponopono (facilitator of ho‘oponopono). Such a person must:

• Live in pono ways

• Embody aloha and lōkahi

• Be pa‘a (firmly grounded with an unshakeable foundation)

A Luna Ho‘oponopono calls upon the guidance of Akua and the ‘Aumākua during sessions. Because healing comes through spirit rather than the mind alone, the person seeking ho‘oponopono must also hold some belief in a higher power (by whatever name they understand it).

🌿 What Happens in a Session

In a one-on-one session, the Luna Ho‘oponopono supports the person in uncovering any pōhaku (stones) that are weighing down their bowl of light (their life). Through pule (prayer) and honest communication, these stones are lifted out, restoring clarity and lightness.

Participants must be willing to take responsibility by making pono choices and practicing aloha in their lives going forward.

In group sessions, each person listens, speaks honestly, seeks understanding, forgives, and lets go. A session is considered complete once the pōhaku have been released and all parties agree not to revisit the conflict. When it is done, it is done. This marks a profound difference from Western talk therapy, where issues may be revisited repeatedly.

🌿 Learning More

• 🎥 Watch: Kumu a‘o Ho‘oponopono Edith Kanaka‘ole speak about Ho'oponopno (4 mins)

• 📖 Read: Nānā I Ke Kumu Helu ‘Ekolu (Look to the Source, Volume 3, 2020) – a deeply valuable resource on ho‘oponopono as a healing practice.

  
  

“We believe that ho‘oponopono, a cultural tradition imbued with goodness, strength, resilience, positivity, hope, and aloha, has the power to heal both family and community conflicts and the historical trauma Hawaiians have lived with for more than two centuries and still face today. While we can practice ho‘oponopono every day to resolve our differences in a positive manner, it also has vast potential for healing in a broader sense. Ho‘oponopono is, as Aunty Lynette says, ‘a way of life, not just a way to resolve family or personal conflicts.’”— Nānā I Ke Kumu Helu ‘Ekolu, p.75

✨ In essence, ho‘oponopono is not just a process—it is a way of living.

It reminds us to walk with aloha, to live in balance with all that surrounds us, and to continually make right within ourselves, with others, and with spirit.