Huna

Week #16 - the letter "H" again

Growing up, one of my best friends was part Hawaiian.  Her older sister babysat us, our mothers were friends and our fathers worked together.  Ernie, the dad, is Hawaiian through and through and the Hawaiian culture was always a part of their life, and mine.  The language, the stories, the people, the traditions...all caught and held my interest.  I learned hula in my dance class, the episodes of "Sesame Street" and "The Brady Bunch" that occurred in Hawaii were my favorites.  Bits of the culture would pop up from time to time but I never really researched.

Years later, the movie "Lilo and Stitch" was released and my love and fascination was renewed.  I
remembered the word Ohana (family) and it warmed my heart.  I started trying to learn some Hawaiian words and reading snippets of information here and there.  Why had I never done further research into the Polynesian culture?

When I started reading "Evolutionary Witchcraft" by T. Thorn Coyle and working with friends in a study-group format, the word Huna was introduced into my life.  Could this be my connection to the culture that I experienced second-hand through friends? 

In Ritualist and Leadership training, I was introduced to the Po'e Aumakua - the network of souls and the connection between all souls, including those presently living, ancestors, and those of animals, deities, and other beings.  I loved it.  I believe we are all connected and I believe in animism.  This was a term that clicked with me on a very deep level.  This was the big smack upside my head that finally got my butt in gear.

One of the first things I found is that Huna is not a religion that was practiced by the ancient Hawaiians.  Huna is a Hawaiian word adopted by Max Freedom Long in 1936 to describe his theory of metaphysics which he linked to ancient Hawaiian kahuna (experts).  Long initially learned about the teachings of Huna from William Tufts Brigham who had spent forty years living in Hawaii, trying to understand the secrets of the Huna teachings. He had been able to obtain much information but never able to get to the core of the teachings. Long had heard of Brigham's interest in Huna and searched him out. Long felt that Brigham would find the answers to the teachings.

Long studied Brigham's work. He too came across obstacles in his search. The Huna teachings had been passed on by word of mouth. The few kahunas left in Hawaii would not speak with him. In 1935 he made made a fresh translation of the chants and prayers based on the root words. The new translation was the key that unlocked the secret of how the kahunas performed their seemingly magical feats.

Huna is part of the New Age movement and there is controversy over it.  In fact, some sources claim the Hawaiians hate Huna and view the books and teachings of Huna as cultural appropriation.

This made me feel a little weird about Huna but the concepts, based on Hawaiian culture or not, still struck a cord with me.  I am careful to research any idea I adapt from another culture to ensure that I do so in a manner that is respectful and fully informed. 

Some of the key assumptions of Huna as practiced by the ‘kupua’ or adventurer shamanic tradition of Huna have been wonderfully described by Dr Serge Kahili King, Kahu of Aloha International.  I am still learning about Huna and trying to see if it will or will not fite into my personal practice.  Overall, I feel that Huna will influence my practice and that it may even be a core concept.   

The seven principles of Huna:

1. IKE (ee-kay) - The world is what you think it is - You create your own personal experience of reality through your beliefs, expectations, attitudes, desires, fears, judgments, feelings and consistent thoughts. If you change your thinking, you can change your world.
2. KALA - There are no limits - We are all connected. Energetically there are no limits between you and everything and everyone else. Separation is only an illusion. You also have unlimited potential and can create whatever you desire.
   
3. MAKIA (mah-kee-ah) - Energy flows where attention goes - You are feeding and empowering whatever you are dwell upon with your thoughts and feelings. It creates you vibration which attracts to you similar experiences.
   
4. MANAWA (man-ah-wah) - Now is the moment of power - The past only exists as energy in your body. The future only exists as a concept. NOW is where you make the choices that change your life. NOW is when you can change limiting beliefs and dwell on what you want, not what you don’t want.
   
5. ALOHA - To love is to be happy with (someone or something) - The Universe exists because of love. When you acknowledge this and focus on love, gratitude and appreciation, you are happy. When you forget it, you are not. Simple.
   
6. MANA - All power comes from within - The power of the Universe flows through you. You can empower or disempower anything at all including people, things, events, the past, the future, etc. You cannot control other people, but you can control how you react to them.
   
7. PONO - Effectiveness is the measure of truth - The Universe is infinite. The truth is what works for you and may vary from person to person and even from one time in your life to another. All systems are arbitrary because consciousness and perspective changes.
   

The Three Selves (or Four) - another set of assumptions used in Huna is that human behavior and experience can be explained and changed through the interaction of three (sometimes four) selves, aspects or functions:

1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.
2. The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.
3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.
4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.

The Four Levels of Reality - a third set of assumptions coming from the kupua tradition divides all experience into four levels or frameworks of beliefs about reality which can be summarized as follows:

1. Everything is objective (Scientific/Physical reality) - everything is objective and factual. We are bound by physical, scientific laws.
2. Everything is subjective (Psychic reality) - all things are connected, the world is defined not only by facts but by psychic and/or telepathic experiences.
3. Everything is symbolic (Shamanic/Dream reality) - all of our experiences can be viewed and interpreted as symbolic, as a dream.
4. Everything is holistic (Mystical/Holistic reality) - everything in the universe is one. Everything is made up of energy, and all energy is connected.

The Eye of Kanaloa