ARTICLES | SPIRITUAL GROWTH | LIFE LESSONS
Ho’oponopono: The Hawaiian Forgiveness Prayer
How I Took Responsibility and Healed Myself
One evening, a few years ago, while in a state of distress from an argument with family, I was browsing through Youtube in search of something to soothe my mind and bring me peace. That’s when I came upon a video by Joe Vitale on healing yourself through Ho’oponopono — a Hawaiian forgiveness prayer.
As I sat watching his teaching, my mind kept saying — This is so silly. How can a few words bring me peace? But I’d listened to other teachings by Joe Vitale in the past and decided that if he believes this would bring me peace, then I would give it a try.
My journey began with this simple prayer said repeatedly as I fell asleep at night:
I’m sorry Please forgive me I love you Thank you
What I also learned is that this prayer can be said by anyone, regardless of their personal belief system because as you pray, you can pray to whomever gives you comfort: Father God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna, the Great Spirit, your Higher Self, the Divine, your ancestors, etc. or no deity at all. Just saying the words connects you to every living thing on this planet, in the cosmos, and the entire Universe. And once connected, by saying you are sorry and asking forgiveness, you are not only taking responsibility for any wrongs you may have done, but the wrongs of your entire ancestry.
Vanice Toassa gives an even better explanation as she offers the original and complete Ho’oponopono prayer:
“Divine Creator, Father, Mother, Son, all in One. If I, my family, my relatives and ancestors, offend your family, relatives and ancestors, in thoughts, facts, or deeds, from the beginning of our creation to the present, We ask your forgiveness. Let this clear, purify, release and cut off all negative memories, blockages, energies and vibrations. Transmute these undesirable energies into pure light and so it is.”
And so this became my nightly ritual. I tried not to think of any one person who I’d wronged or who’d wronged me. I left it up to the Divine to weave a web of all the wrongs, strengthen those fragile strands, and then allow the gentle breeze of forgiveness resound throughout that web. I would awaken in the mornings still reciting those four simple sentences in my head. Remarkably, after only completing this ritual for a few nights, my heart became light, my distress dissolved, and I was able to treat my family with loving-kindness once again. I didn’t wait for anyone to apologize to me. I took that responsibility upon myself.
I’ve used this prayer constantly in my life since then. It has allowed me to heal my heart and mind. I’m now even using it with slightly more intent to heal the entire world around me. With all of the anger, discontent, destructive behavior, divisiveness, and hatred in the world, it is my sincere desire that some day, I will transmute all of those negative things into positive ones.
©2020 Lori Carlson. All Rights Reserved.
If you enjoyed this article, consider becoming a Member. Members get access to all the stories published in Medium. A small portion of your membership fee goes to support Ravyne Hawke if you sign up using her referral link.
Lori Carlson writes poetry, fiction, personal essays, creative non-fiction, and articles. She focuses on Spirituality, Life Lessons, Self-Awareness, Relationships, Mental Health, and LGBTQ+. She is the Owner/Editor of Promptly Written and Not For Bedtime Stories. You can find her older stories on her creative writing blog, Ravyne’s Nest and random ramblings on her personal blog, A Delicious Torment.
