Huna Articles

Masterworks International 2006
MasterWorks International
INDEX
Hawaiian Viewpoint 3
Huna—Does it really exist 6
Huna Today 8
Man Gods and Nature 9
The Problem of the Three Selves 11
The Aumakua 13
Connectedness 14
The Unihipili 16
Black Magic—White Magic 18
Huna and Golf 20
Hawaiian Temples 21
Many Lives? 22
Ho’oponopono Part 1 24
Ho’oponopono Part 2 26
The Legend of the KIHA 28
Huna Article by Maka'ala Yates 29
Mana 32
Lady Kauai 36
The Kukui Nut 37
Madam Pele 38
All articles are copyright to their original authors © 2006

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Hawaiian Viewpoint
When you hear of the Polynesian viewpoint on life you often hear talk of the three selves. These
are still further referred to as the Upper, Middle and Lower selves where the Upper self relates
to the higher conscious mind, the Middle self to the conscious mind and the Lower self to the
unconscious mind. Whilst this is a common understanding of the Hawaiian perspective, it is, as
you may have noticed, a model of Mind. In the true Hawaiian Huna tradition it was never a
model of mind but rather of the three bodies of man; the physical body; the mind (or mental)
body; and the soul body and their own unique intelligence.
The physical body is central to the Hawaiian belief system. It is through the body, they believe,
that the mind and soul are able to communicate. To this effect the body was a blessed thing and,
through the body, offerings could be made to the gods. These offers were in the form of song;
traditional chants, and dance; in the form of the hula kahiko, which is the old form of hula,
unrelated to the modern dance performed for tourists. The songs, or more specifically, chants
are a way of story telling and continuing the rich oral tradition of the Islands, whilst the hula
kahiko often tells the story of everyday activities such fishing, canoeing or planting, and also
contains more martial elements in some of the men's dances. The body is a thing to be
cherished, fed good food, massaged and played with and most of all - enjoyed! To the ancient
Hawaiians, everything that they did was an act of prayer to their ancestors and to their gods. As
such they walked constantly in the presence of Love and in the Spirit of Aloha which, as well as
being a greeting, means home. When they were happy in them selves and in their contact with
their nature gods then they were indeed home and each one of us seeks that special feeling
wherever we may live. The spirit of Aloha is not just limited to the Hawaiian Island chain.
The mind body was seen as a shadowy body that was filled with 'mind stuff' and could be more
associated with the energy body often spoken of today. In the realm of the mind could lurk
thought forms and invading entities. The mind was something to be careful of and ancient
Hawaiians preferred, whenever possible, to live in their bodies unlike today's modern humans
where the mind tends to dominate.
Then there was the soul body. Created first and being both finer and larger than the physical
body, it was perceived as the source of your vital life force. In the Huna Mua tradition the
connection to the soul can be facilitated with certain awareness techniques and hand placements
on specific areas of the body.
Awareness of all three bodies and also the constant presence of the ancestors, or personal
Aumakuas, who watched over them and guided them and helped out when asked was at the
heart of their everyday lives - a truly expanded state of being compared to the way in which
Western man lives today. Not awareness alone but a profound level of communication between
these three bodies was seen as crucial and gateways exist through which the passage of
information between the bodies can flow. The Huna Mua tradition passes on specialised
gateway clearing practices among other things to ensure that the communication between the
bodies remained clear and also practices to aid the creation of a fourth body - an immortal spirit
body.
My introduction to Huna was not the generally accepted route. I did not attend courses or read
books on the subject. Indeed until a series of bizarre events began to unfold I had never even
heard of Huna and my knowledge of Polynesian life was limited to the pictures of Gaugin and
Elvis Presley's 'Blue Hawaii'. My introduction to Huna can be described as nothing short of a
major initiation.
When a powerful Kahuna, a priest magician, made a promise to his dying apprentice eleven
hundred years on the island of Kauai, it seemed he needed someone in this timeframe and life
time to help him to fulfil that promise, and so myself and a man I barely knew, found ourselves
drawn into a ancient world of divine practices and magic that was to change our lives forever.
In order for him to keep his sacred promise, our personalities and belief systems; indeed
everything that we held to be true about ourselves and our world, had to be cracked wide open
to allow both these ancient beings to take over our lives. We were to be the vehicles through
which the Kahuna could express the deep love for the woman that he took as his apprentice and
who had died before he could ever express how he felt for her, in a culture where love, the spirit
of Aloha, was everything. We were also to be the means whereby he could repair a great harm
that he had perpetrated when he had broken a sacred oath he had taken before his ancestors.
In the process of 'becoming' these two people we were able to allow them to express what they
felt for each other in this realm - the realm of the physical body and emotion. It was not enough,
it seemed, for these two to connect at the level of Spirit; they wanted to relive the feelings of
having a body and all that that entails. For the ancient Hawaiians, the body and emotion were
paramount. Through the building of the breath and strong emotion, personal power or 'mana',
was enhanced. Strong mana was able to create magical workings and connect with the unseen
worlds of the ancestors and to deepen prayer. For these two beings their own personal karma
had to be played out in the realm of the body and that's where we came in.
For weeks we were taken over by these two spirits. In enforced deep trance we became them.
We had their memories, their feelings, their experiences, and as time went on, we too began to
feel the power of the love that they had for each other and the work that they did. For several
weeks our own lives were 'displaced' as we became these two Hawaiians. During this time we
became privy to their healing and manifestation techniques; to their beliefs; and to their power.
This was, as it turns out, to be our reward for the work we were doing and for the total
destruction of our lives at that time. When the time came for these two great spirits to leave us
our ordinary everyday lives were blown apart. We had no work, no friends, but we had been
touched by the intense power of Divine Love and we knew that from that day on we were not
the same people.
I don't know how we kept body and soul together as the intensity of the connection between
these Spirits was played out through us over the weeks, but keep them together we did. We were
somehow cocooned from all but the essentials of everyday reality until their whole story had
emerged, then suddenly it was over. We were both struck by the enormity of what had taken
place and the privilege of playing our part in fulfilling of the promise. It was amazing to us to
experience how love endures over a vast expanse of time and space. It felt to us as if we had in
some way been instrumental in freeing these two souls. It was as if they could not move on until
this promise had been fulfilled.
We, on the other hand, had been emotionally and psychically opened up to an extreme degree
and yet through it all, we had felt supported and sustained by these beings. We truly were taken
to the edge on so many occasions and yet, in hindsight, we realised that we were never asked to
do anything that we could not handle even though it did not always feel like it at the time. In
fact, as the saying goes, 'that which does not kill you, makes you strong.' We had both found a
tremendous strength and belief in true Love - Love that has nothing to do with personality or
projection but which is at the very heart of each of us. Love that is the essential part of all of us.
Love which is a true reflection of the Divine. We had been exposed to the many possibilities of
energy. Our minds had been stretched to encompass the impossible. In fact, if we could allow
ourselves to get out of the way, the most amazing things could, and in fact, did occur. Things
that often bordered on the miraculous.
It was also abundantly clear to us that throughout all of this we had been privy to the most
amazing teaching. As much as this Kahuna wanted to fulfil his promise to his ancestors, he also
wanted the ancient teaching, that was so much a part of him, shared. In this way he could once
again find a state of balance, or 'pono,' after a vengeful act that he perpetrated all those years
ago. It took us a while to get the word out that we were offering this work but gradually we
began to teach it and we are always surprised and delighted at the power of it to make real
changes in
people's lives. We feel his presence and involvement whenever we come together with a group
of people.
We have come to realize that we exist through the grace and mercy of energies that we know
little about at this moment in time. Energies that take us every which way and yet we both
believe that, above all, we are loved and guided. To our entrenched and stubborn minds it often
feels like an onslaught when Life deals you a curve ball and you find yourself wrong-footed and
seemingly ill prepared. It is in those moments that something extraordinary can occur if we only
have the courage to let it unfold.
These two ancient Hawaiians have taught us many valuable lessons. Through their struggles, we
learnt to recognize those same struggles in ourselves. As we let their story unfold through our
lives, we too learnt many of their lessons and felt the same agony and ecstasy as them. To many
with whom we have shared their story, it sounds extremely sad, and yet never to know suffering
is never to know joy. Like the swing of a pendulum, the depths of despair can suddenly give rise
to the most exulted experience of Love.
The present day native Hawaiians that we have had the privilege to share this story and the
teachings with have said they recognise the words of the ancestors in them and we are honoured.
The detailed account of these miraculous events are told in 'A Promise Kept' by Morag
Campbell. Click here to buy now
The Huna Mua teachings are available on DVD audio 'The Huna Training' and in the book
'The Power of Love' by Phil Young and Morag Campbell. Click here to buy now
HUNA – does it really exist ?

By Kihonua
In this article I want to address the ongoing controversy that seems to exist in the Huna
community and that is the question as to whether Huna actually existed as a distinct teaching or
understanding in Hawaii in the form in which it is taught today. The answer to that question in
my experience is YES.
What Huna is, or what a Kahuna was really, was somebody who was able to take the invisible in
the culture (or indeed in any culture) and make it visible and to then use it practically and
pragmatically in his or her own field of endeavour. What I mean by that is that Huna is in a
cultural sense “what you learned at your grandmother’s knee” its all the fundamental beliefs and
assumptions about reality that pervade ANY culture. The reason why this process was perhaps
more useful in Hawaii than in the modern western world is that in Hawaii (and Polynesia in
general) there existed a natural culture that in large part consisted of people who lived close to
nature and who worked with the cycles and seasons of the earth and oceans.
There is a Huna in western culture. It’s predominately a scientific understanding of reality but it
has all sorts of other aspects also. Mostly, we simply live it. We don’t think about it or question
it. How many of you who live in a western culture when you spill salt, take a pinch of it and
throw it over your shoulder? How many of you know the hidden significance of that or was it
just what your parents and grandparents did and so you unhesitatingly do the same. Few people
do know the answers and even fewer seek them out. Such occurrences are invisible, its just part
of the culture. These behaviours can look VERY strange to someone from another culture with
its own but different Huna. Our Western Huna includes all the superstitions, the various and
multi-layered beliefs that we have, as well as the scientific understandings that we accept and
much more besides. We don’t necessarily know how a television or a telephone works, we
simply use them. The Kahunas in any culture are the people who make the invisible visible, the
people who look at the underlying beliefs and assumptions and take them out of the culture, and
then study how they function and their relevance and of course, occasional irrelevance. They
then use that knowledge in a new way in their own field so that they can achieve a higher level
of excellence.
So in Hawaii when someone became a Kahuna they took all of the underlying assumptions in
the society; the things that were invisible that people just accepted, the gods, spirits, aumakua,
the cycles and seasons of nature, kapu laws, how the religion functioned, and made all those
invisible cultural structures visible. They then began to interact using these understandings in a
conscious way so that their communication with the gods and spirits could reach a different
level that would support them in a more profound way in any particular field, be it the making
of canoes, catching fish, wood carving, sailing or navigation, fore telling the future or in prayer,
or agriculture. In a sense a Kahuna reads the unconscious mind of a whole race or culture and
embodies that in their life. They then became true masters of their craft. They became an
acknowledged keeper of the secret. They literally kept the secret of that which was hidden or
woven into the fabric of the culture. Hence the old phrase “let that which is unknown be known”
has a far different meaning than is generally taught or understood. It didn’t mean to teach to all
and everyone openly but was a training motto or maxim used in the various Halau.
Here in the West we have a somewhat different way of thinking about this in that we do have
people who step outside of the culture and who study it, we call them philosophers and
sociologists. The difference between the west and ancient Hawaii is that they don’t then
necessarily use that knowledge to better themselves or to make them more effective in life, in
fact in our modern Halau or Universities, the knowledge that they have discovered often stays in
that rarefied atmosphere without those discoveries being used for the benefit of modern society
in some way. Occasionally of course it does happen that some of this knowledge does filter into
everyday life and change it in some way. Would that we had more modern Kahunas in the
West !!
HUNA TODAY
by Kihonua
Much of what is taught as Hawaiian Huna can hardly be considered as a genuine reflection of
the true teachings. Even a cursory reading of the current books available on Huna will show the
extent to which other spiritual teachings from different cultures have influenced the present day
understanding of what Huna is exactly. The influence of the Theosophical version of the ancient
Indian spiritual teachings is very clearly evident. It is interesting to note that the Theosophists
had a large teaching centre located at what is now Kauai's Hindu temple ( The Temple of San
Marga, 107 Kaholalele Road, Wailua Homesteads ). Even the western magical traditions based
to a great degree on the Kabbalistic mystical teachings have had their effect on Huna teaching
today. It is understandable that any teacher of Huna in this day and age will draw upon their full
experience of spiritual and mystical teachings to hopefully clarify some of the Huna teachings
but the danger is that these other teachings become identifiable as Huna. This is an insult to the
real Huna teaching and to the origins of these other teachings. Huna is unique and distinct from
any other spiritual teaching. Sadly, I notice that even some native Hawaiian teachers are also
teaching a westernized version of Huna.
Any oral tradition, as Huna was, is incredibly vulnerable to distortion and loss over years of
teaching. However, much of the original teaching can be rediscovered through a detailed study
of such chants as the Kumilipo and others that were transcribed during the last century. Even
here though there is a problem as once again your own background of spiritual teaching is going
to make you find the specific version of Huna that you want to. The degree to which our pre-
existing attitudes and beliefs influence any such investigation of the ancient chants must be born
carefully in mind. One of the other difficulties of translation is the same problem that faces
translators of western alchemical treatises written in the middle ages and that is one of
understanding accurately the specific intent of the word symbols used to cloak the real truth
from the spiritually unprepared. The Hawaiian language is incredibly rich in words that have
two or more meanings and the Hawaiians loved plays on words, puns and the use of poetic
metaphor and allegory.
In our own teaching of Huna these are issues that we constantly bear in mind and we seek to
avoid undue contamination of the original teachings. So the message is "student beware!" The
Huna teaching you are getting may simply be NLP, Polarity, New Thought, The Seth teachings,
general New Age philosophy, Theosophical and Western Magical teachings disguised as
Hawaiian Huna. The real Huna teaching has a bitter, piquant flavour that some find hard to
swallow let alone digest. PAU!
MAN, GODS AND NATURE

By Michael Kioni Dudley
published by Na Kane O Ka Malo Press
Reviewed by Michael Pratt
In the introduction to a book called 'On Attention' by Christopher Freemantle I was struck by
this extract
For some of us, Freemantle's most frustrating and incomprehensible assertion was that
conscious forces were trying to assist us, and indeed anyone who made efforts. He steadfastly
refused to elaborate and though we could not understand, we could not forget.
Once, as he was walking East on 78th Street, one of his pupils described a serious problem.
"People don't realise that when they work, conscious forces come to their aid." The pupil heard
an undeniable inner agreement and also a great protest. What conscious forces? How can they
possibly help me? Turning towards his pupil, he continued: "conscious forces are trying to help
you. You are not alone."
There is a lot in this for me. Firstly, there is the factor of incomprehensibility. Our Western
world-view might allow us to accept the idea of God coming to our aid. We have been prepared
for that possibility, one way or another, even if only in theory. But 'conscious forces' ? Surely
not! Indeed, what 'conscious forces' are there that could help outside the living human form ?
A second factor affects me more personally. For all my studies, I realise that I am still very
much concentrating on working on myself. I am working on one side of the equation while on
the other side something is trying to help. That very word, 'trying', moves me because it reminds
me that there is something I could be doing to allow it to help.
How can we approach this from the Hawaiian perspective? There are diverse sources that we
could go to but there is a book that brings these together. It is called Man, Gods and Nature by
Michael Kioni Dudley. This reconstructs the Hawaiian world view, ostensibly to provide roots
for the Hawaiian sovereignty movement but in so doing it equally well provides roots for the
realisation that we are not alone.
Would the Hawaiians find Freemantle's assertion incomprehensible? Certainly not. To quote
Michael Dudley:
The Hawaiian words akua and 'aumakua are often translated as 'god' because they designate
the kind of beings in a spirit world who assist man in his needs.
and it was not just the 'gods' the Hawaiians could turn to, as they:
....saw themselves as reflecting nature, and viewed all nature, including the cosmos itself, as
reflecting them. If a man could think and act, then the material universe should do likewise. The
Hawaiians' world view was filled with conscious beings which formed an interrelating
community with them. They depended upon, cared for, and communicated with the surrounding
world of nature, and it depended on, provided for, protected and communicated with them.
Then there is the implication that assistance is available if efforts are made. What kind of efforts
would these be for the Hawaiian? There is the need for reciprocation:
Recognised consciousness makes demands on the perceiver, demands for correct behaviour and
correct relationship.... Confronting the world about him, he experiences conscious beings at
every turn, and along with this their interpersonal demands
Demands, which can be intensified when these conscious beings are seen to be part of one's
family, because of the:

....difference between coming upon someone recognised as a relative and meeting someone who
is not. In perceiving one who is kin, a person experiences not only an added awareness of
relationship, but also an emotional feeling of belongingness.
The Hawaiian has to give in order to receive. Offerings have to be made. Then there is the need
to maintain the balance of existence by formal observance of one's own part in it, by supporting
the social order, and most importantly, supporting the high chief whose removal " would
decapitate the whole of nature".
Leaving aside the comparison with my opening extract, there is much in Michael Kioni's book
to savour. Many questions are answered. Who are the gods thought to be, for instance? Quite
simply "the souls of the deceased who either are earlier direct ancestors of the individuals they
help, or are leaders or 'holy men' honoured by the whole people". Where did these gods come
from? The Hawaiians created them themselves! In a ritual that was unique to Hawaii, corpses
were given spiritual power that deified them where they lay. What of the human form? It is
composed of matter and spirit, the physical body and the spirits or the spirit consciousnesses of
the soul and the mind.
The book also has chapters on the Hawaiian view of the Universe, Polynesian evolutionary
theory, environmental ethics and the state motto of Hawaii. The latter providing a springboard
to a second book by Michael Kioni, A Call for Hawaiian Sovereignty.
What are my final words from Man, Gods and Nature? They are aloha 'aina, love of the land,
and pono, the goodness or well being that comes with the balance of existence, because they
allow me to finish with another extract, this time from Encounters on the Native Path by June
Huang In Gnosis magazine, Spring 1995:
It would be impossible to outline on comprehensive Native belief system here, simply because
of the number of tribes, cultures, histories and languages. There does seem to be one underlying
sensibility that could be called "Native," though. This is informed by the spirit of the land itself.
The primary perception seems to be that all things in Nature have a spirit and occupy their
proper places in the universe in relation to everything else. Each aspect of nature - elements,
plants, animals, people, directions, wind, thunder - has a quality of energy, a force or gift that
can be called upon for help. Everything should move in harmony and balance with everything
else.
The Problem of the Three Selves

There is a something of an on-going debate among Huna devotees that there is nothing in the
original Hawaiian teaching that indicates that they believed in man having three selves. Max
Freedom Long clearly believed in three selves, yet many people even some Hawaiians seem to
feel this is wrong. In reality the situation is a little more complex than it appears at first glance.
There are three selves in the Hawaiian teaching, the difficulty arises in the particular
conceptualisation of SELF that we believe in as westerners. If you look in the old Lorrin
Andrews dictionary you see that man is considered to have two 'souls'. The Uhane and the
Unihipili. Obviously then Man must be a trinity in that he is self and 2 souls. Its only the
semantics of the issue that prevent us from thinking of this as meaning man has three selves. In
Hawaii the concept of a self as a mental ego was unknown. What we as westerners think of as
the ego the Hawaiians conceptualised as a soul or indwelling entity. The Hawaiian concept of
self was simply that it is who you are and was clearly identified as the body.
When I consider the difference between the Western position and that of the ancient Hawaiians I
am reminded of the question sometimes posed by Western trained psychologists, "Would you
say that you have a body or that you are a body?". The answer of any Hawaiian from the era
preceding Western influence pervading their culture would have always and consistently been 'I
am a body' where as a typical westerners response is most likely to be 'I have a body'. Clearly
the Western response indicates a separation from the body and a shift from identification with
the body as self to the mind or ego as self.
When thinking of the Hawaiian identification of body as self I am reminded that they believed
that thought took place in the na'au (the intestines) a telling concept in relation to this issue of
the fundamental importance of the physical body. I would describe the body as pivotal in the
ancient Huna teaching because the body was the basic self. How many of you reading this could
conceive of thought taking place in your abdomen and not your head. What difference would
that make to the nature of your thoughts and your self-perception. Would you find a better sense
of connection with the world that you live in and the people you associate with ? Perhaps so, it
is certainly worth considering. If the mans two souls are uhane and unihipili then what is the
Hawaiian term for the self. It is au or wau, often preceded by 'o. Na'au - intestines - thought. au -
self or I. na'u - mine belonging to me, interesting isn't it!
In an early Western study by E. Claperede (Notes sur la localisation du Moi, Archives de

Psychologie, XIX, 1924, p.172) he noted that we generally localise the ego at the base of the
forehead, between the eyes (note the synchronicity of this finding with the eastern concept of
the third eye). It is interesting to consider that in certain eastern practices notably the oriental
martial arts of Tai Chi Chuan, Aikido and Judo the cultivation of self awareness within the
lower abdomen is essential for the skilled performance of the movements of the particular art in
question. To move well in the context of these arts requires a practitioner to free themselves
from the dominance of head orientated mental ego. When this state is achieved the movements
exhibited have a power, grace and fluidity that is awesome to behold. This same movement
quality is notable in that it is naturally inherent in the movements of the Hawaiian people in
particular it can be seen in the performance of the Hula and the Hawaiian martial art 'Lua'.
In the Max Freedom Long version of Huna it is clear that the idea of the three selves as higher,
middle and lower is borrowed from the Theosophical, New Thought and popular psychology
teachings of the 1890's through the 1940's. It is well to remember just how influential these
teachings were to the seekers of this era. Max Freedom Long among them. This is not a
criticism of his teaching simply an observation on the derivation of his terminology. To make a
teaching relevant and accessible in any era requires the use of the current understandings of that
period. As a teacher of oriental martial arts, alternative medicine and Huna I am well aware of
the need to make ancient and obscure teaching from foreign cultures accessible and
comprehensible to my western students. The danger lies in subtly altering the original meanings.
Would that we all had direct access to the source teachings to keep ourselves from damaging the
arts and understandings we love so much.
I hope you now have some sense of the real basis of the teaching of the three selves. Finally if
man is a self (au) and has 2 souls (uhane and unihipili/uhinipili) where does the aumakua fit in?
The aumakua is in fact a fourth self.... a created self, an immortal self (see article on the
aumakua). Next months article will focus on the nature of the unihipili and which ladies and
gentlemen is not your lower self nor your unconscious mind........another challenge to accepted
teachings? I doubt it!
On a personal note wouldn't it be great if we could put aside all our head stuff and like the
Hawaiians of old shift our self perception to our lower abdomen and then dialogue in an open
and friendly fashion on all aspects of the Huna teaching. More likely I suspect it would end up
as a kind of friendly combat to the death over opinions, ideology and belief.....as the ego begins
to assert its power.... If you don't agree with my understanding of Huna well ..... as one Huna
teacher said "give up judgement and if you can't do that you had better get yourself a very good
lawyer". ....... Human beings are so perverse! Particularly when the uhane dominates instead of
the bodyself and unihipili.
The Aumakua
By Kihonua
Much confusion reigns around the exact meaning in the Hawaiian Huna teaching concerning the
precise nature of the Aumakua. This problem seems to have become greater since the
publication of Max Freedom Longs books and various other authors since his time. The
Aumakua seems to be perceived in most of the modern huna teaching as being your higher self.
This is a totally inaccurate understanding of the term. In actual fact the Aumakua is the spirit of
a deceased person who stays in contact with the physical earth plane of existence as a guide,
protector and teacher. In ancient Hawaii they would work almost exclusively with descendents
within their own particular Ohana (family clan). Their was no automatic transformation of a
person into an Aumakua at death. There are records of extensive prayer rituals used at and
before death to ensure that someone would in fact transform into an Aumakua. This is the
exoteric or overt layer of the Huna teaching known to everyone in Ancient Hawaii sometimes
referred to as a lower jaw teaching.
The upper jaw or esoteric layer of the teaching concerning the Aumakua was that it was your
work on yourself and the integration between your own body, mind and soul achieved during
your life time that actually determined whether or not you would become an Aumakua. Prayer
and ritual alone were not enough. From this it should be obvious that the Hawaiians believed in
something that we as modern man call the higher self (or soul) but that this phenomena was not
the Aumakua. I will not go into the exact name and teaching concerning the higher self in this
article suffice to say it is not synonymous with the concept of the Aumakua.
In Huna the real meaning of spiritual development was the literally creation and growth of a
fourth body as a part of your total human beingness, the other three being the physical body,
mental body and soul body. This fourth body was called the Aumakua after death however
before death it was generally referred to as the "Kino Kupanaha" meaning the strange or
wondrous body. Initially, it was not thought of as having wondrous powers or insight because it
is born and must undergo a growth and maturation process. It would ultimately evolve into an
extraordinary being but as all growth and evolution is fraught with difficulties much care and
guidance was needed to ensure its growth into a fully fledged Aumakua. That said the process is
a natural one, we all have the possibility to become an Aumakua. This process was far easier for
the people of ancient Hawaii than it is for modern man. In olden times the Hawaiian islands
were a virtual paradise and the Hawaiians themselves lived to a great extent in harmony with
nature and within their own society. Our challenges are greater but the reward is the same true
immortality because the body of an Aumakua is not composed of ordinary matter but an
indestructible alloy of human consciousness and love.
CONNECTEDNESS
by Michael Kaha'i
When I spent some time with Kihonua in Devon, England towards the end of 1994, he asked me
to describe my Soul Body. As I became aware of it in order to answer the question I realised
that I was used to sensing it as if it had a boundary. The boundary between me and the rest of
the world. In framing an answer I had a greater sense of my Soul Body as a concentration of life
energy in a universe of life energy that contained other concentrations.
We covered other topics in discussion and I thought no more about this. Then we had a break
for lunch. I went to eat in Honiton and on my return I stopped on a traffic island in the middle of
the High Street. Waiting for a second to cross the road I emerged into awareness of my Soul
Body and without stopping at the boundary of my self I flooded out into the whole scene before
me or it flooded in to me. Then the traffic cleared, I crossed the road and the experience was a
memory.
It is strange and exciting how themes for personal study arise and develop. The theme of
connectedness grew in importance for me when I returned to everyday life. Kihonua had lent me
some reading material. In an article about Abraham Kawai'i I read the following:
"Attune yourself to everything in existence and life becomes harmonious. Everything comes to
you. The basic principle of Kahuna is an encompassing one - the spiritual understanding that
everything is related to everything. Once you get into this principle of Family, everything is
willing to communicate - everything extends itself to communicate with you." 1
I had come across the idea many times in reading about Huna but this was the first time that I
had a feeling for its significance. The phrase "everything is related to everything" interested me
but it was less potent than the principle of "Family". Here was something I could understand and
extend.
The days passed and I realised that I was starting to attract experiences and references that
related to the theme. One morning I drove to work, parked my car and stepped out to take a brief
walk towards the office block. It was a bright morning. Ah! Suddenly the sun woke me up. Its
warmth caressed me and I emerged into an awareness of me and the sun. We were connected for
a second. Life energy moved within me and I had a profound sense of gratitude. Then I saw
someone I knew and I was back in the ordinary world.
Continuing my reading I came across another relevant passage:
"The world is alive, conscious and able to be communicated with, and it has to be dealt with in
that way." 2
It seemed very important that I should realise this. It is not simply a matter of me becoming
aware, emerging into spirit from the confines of my various selves and then me extending
outwards. I emerge in order to be able to make contact with a world that is waiting to
communicate. Abraham Kawai'i said it, "Everything comes to you." But at first I had missed its
significance. On another occasion, I had just finished work. The routine of the day had loosed its
hold on me. As I walked out into the evening I raised my gaze up. With a deep intake of breathe
I saw that I was not alone. There were no people about but that did not matter. The world was
alive and, although only for a second, I was a part of it. Did I do something or was I called, I
wondered?
In support of this last experience, I came across something from a book with no obvious
Hawaiian or Huna connection: "In my own effort towards concentration, help is also offered by
nature itself, life itself - whenever I can remain permeable to the deeply revealing impressions
that it never ceases to provide. Therefore, my only concern should be to try and stay attentive to
the wordless call from that which is always there, waiting for recognition." 3
So, at this moment in time I can only describe the gathering together of the pieces of this jigsaw.
It is a process that will continue. It is helped by having to express some of it here although I
know that as soon as I have the last full stop in place I will have more questions left than
answers. But there is no better way to be!
References:
1 Abraham Kawai'i is an Hawaiian-born Kahuna. The quote comes from an article called
Keeper of the Secrets
2 Man, Gods and Nature by Michael Kioni Dudley, published by Na Kane O Ka Malo Press
3 The Taste For Things That Are True by Henri Tracol, published by Element Books
The Unihipili
By Kihonua
Max Freedom Long defined the Unihipili as the lower self or sub-conscious mind. In "The
Secret Science Behind Miracles" he describes the Unihipili as a spirit which can grieve but may
not be able to talk, something that covers up something else and hides it, is itself hidden as by a
cover or veil, a spirit which accompanies another, is sticky, acts as a servant to another, a spirit
which does things secretly, silently and very carefully, but does not do certain things because it
is afraid of offending the gods. It desires certain things most earnestly, it is stubborn and
unwilling, disposed to refuse to do as told. All this information was derived from an analysis of
the meanings of the various root words within Unihipili; u, nihi, pili, uhi and so forth.
I have no disagreement with the meanings of the various root words however the description in
no way relates to the modern understanding of the nature of the sub-conscious mind. At the time
of Max Freedom Long's writing the sub-conscious was very much viewed as a kind of dumb
slave mind that was in some way responsible for many of our day to day problems in life. This
perception of the sub-conscious was very much derived from the popularisation of Freudian
psychoanalytic theories. In the last forty years this concept of the sub-conscious has been
modified enormously to the point where the sub-conscious must be viewed as a wise and caring
friend who has access to enormous resources. This shift in perception stems in great part from
the influence of the father of modern hypnotherapy ( and I stress the word modern ) Dr. Milton
Erikson MD. As I have said elsewhere we have to be so very careful in not allowing our current
prejudices and understanding to distort the work and teachings that we care for so much and
wish to share as widely as possible. Nor do I wish to single out Max Freedom Long for criticism
in this respect other Huna teachers such as Serge King are also guilty of their own distortions. I
too must no doubt shoulder some blame in this area also. What is crucial is the willingness to
refine our own understandings as new discoveries and insights evolve.
One of the definitions of Unihipili/Uhinipili is "a grasshopper". Another definition is "spirit of a

dead person, sometimes believed present in the bones or hair of the deceased and kept lovingly".
Another definition is that the word refers to "the flexed position in which Hawaiians were often
buried". It is interesting to realise when considering the real meaning of the term that the flexed
burial position is reminiscent of the shape of a grasshopper. In my understanding the term
Unihipili relates to what most Westerners understand as the Soul. If you consider what part of a
human being most people feel is related to their most essential being, the part that survives death
and was perhaps even present before physical life began then the answer is the soul. It is also
probably true that for most people the soul as our deepest essential self is hidden as if by a cover
or veil. It is attached to us , it does function silently and carefully, it definitely does nothing to
offend the gods and any perceived stubbornness within your experience of your own soul is
quite likely related to its unwillingness to gratify some of your more peculiar egoic needs! In the
Christian Mystical tradition the soul is often spoken of as being the still, small quiet voice
within, a voice that is often drowned out by the noise of the mind with its multitude of hopes,
fears, dreams and desires. A voice perhaps that sounds like the chirping of a grasshopper? A
sound that can easily be drowned out by the sound of the mind. A voice that is nonetheless
stubborn in its persistence in trying to attract attention and yet as soon as you come close will
often go silent? Hmmmm.
My understanding of the teaching of the three selves is that a human being is composed of soul,
body and mind. The ancient Hawaiians perceived the soul as an indwelling entity or spirit and
the mind also with all its levels ( sub-conscious, conscious, super-conscious or any other
classification you prefer) as another indwelling spirit, the body was the ordinary everyday self.
In one way it is a rather strange thing to analyse the Hawaiian concept of the anatomy of man
and his potential for spiritual development from within a culture dominated by the mind. We
must remember that the ancient Hawaiians lived in and through the body in a way that is almost
impossible for us as Westerners to understand let alone experience. This not to say that they had
no understanding of the mind or levels within it but that it did not in any way dominate their
experience of themselves or life in general. To make Huna a teaching of Higher, Middle and
Lower self or super-conscious, conscious and sub-conscious mind is playing the Western mind
game of hierarchical structures which for centuries had led us further and further from the
reality and wonder of our own physical being to a place where the body is the basest part of our
being, the most corrupt, the farthest from our spiritual source. Why else do you think the
Christian missionaries suppressed the extraordinary ancient dance form of Hawaii known as the
Hula (Kahiko). Pau!
Black Magic - White Magic

By Kihonua
There is a lot of confusion over the role of the ana ana or black magician in the Hawaiian
culture. Typified in recent times as a truly dark character who dealt in the sending of death
prayers it is well to remember that even in the late 1860's when Samuel Kamakua (Ka Poe
Kahiko - The people of Old, Bishop Museum Press) was writing about the Hawaiian culture he
remarked that if you were really ill you did not visit a kahuna lapa'au but you went instead to a
kahuna ana ana as they were more adept at dealing with illness and disease. This hardly tallies
with their dark reputation. In even earlier times the role of the ana ana was vitally important in
the ho'oponopono process as a kahuna ana ana or "eater of filth" would be the one who if
required exorcised any possessing spirits or who literally scavenged the thought forms within
the family consciousness that had crystallised into separate entities. These entities would attach
themselves to various family members and even move from one to another causing a great deal
of emotional pain and distress. In the modern stories the ana ana is supposed to capture the
spirits of the dead and then to send them to do his evil bidding and in olden times this was very
much his role in part, the first part only that is! that of capturing any ghosts and helping them to
return to Po. Thereby preventing them from harming the living.
In modern times Magick has been defined by the Aleister Crowley as "the Science and Art of
causing Change to occur in conformity with Will. ANY required Change may be effected by the
application of the proper kind and degree of force in the proper manner through the proper
medium to the proper object". In this definition every intentional act is a Magical Act, by which
criterion we are all magicians to one degree or another. The problem arises with the question
"what is your will?" Many people are so consumed by their passions that they will stop at
nothing to achieve them. They desire power, fame, money, sex etc and they will let nothing
stand in their way even to the point at which other people are harmed (even killed) just so they
can have their way. What few people understand is that even our simple desires if fulfilled by
the intelligent application of will can have unwelcome consequences, perhaps not for us but for
others. The dilemma in this is that it is our conscious will that guides us in our efforts to create
the life we want and in magical terms to be most effective we must align our conscious will with
our 'true will'.
Crowley said that "the most common cause of failure in life is ignorance of one's own True
Will, or of the means by which to fulfil that Will. A man may fancy himself a painter, and waste
his life trying to become one; or he may be really a painter, and yet fail to understand and to
measure the difficulties peculiar to that career" and "A man who is doing this True Will has the
inertia of the Universe to assist him". That is not to say that you cannot manifest your conscious
will but that in exerting your power over conditions you may cause great harm to others which
will be instantly painful to any good magical practitioner in that they will ''feel' that harm deeply
and immediately. Can you still continue along that path? Of course! because you do have free
will. To obtain an understanding of one's true will required to use Crowley's words once more
"obtaining of the Knowledge and Conversation of your Holy Guardian Angel", for guardian
angel please feel free to substitute any other term you wish e.g. Higher Self, Soul, Buddha
Nature or Superconscious mind.
Cont...
disease was no mystery to them. Did some fail in their attempts to discover their true will, yes!
It is inevitable! Did they use their powers indiscriminately yes! Did they ultimately suffer great
penalties, absolutely! that too is a law! Yet that was only a small minority of the black
magicians of old Hawaii The rest sought a much higher calling. Pau!
Huna and Golf?

by Kihonua.
"True gravity is a universal force, an ethical imperative and an overwhelming spiritual
experience.
True gravity is intentional that is once you enter these realms you can not will any result
arbitrarily: you must learn to join your will to the emerging will of God, or to put it another way,
you must place your self in ecological harmony with the awakening world, not the "old-static-
dying-world" but to "the next manifesting plane " as it develops in and around you. Modern
science is a kind of black magic that tries to lord it over nature from a limited and inadequate
consciousness, like all black magic it produces an "occult backlash" that will bring the world
down unless it is tempered and eventually subsumed by the kind of consciousness Shivas was
aspiring for. God intends the fullness of His being in the world, not just a thin slice, so "He will
bring down the modern mind like a fallen species and clear the way for His greater life". …"
The above quote comes from the book Golf in the Kingdom written by Michael Murphy the
founder of Esalen Institute in California and whilst the book is not a book about Huna the above
paragraph is certainly in keeping with the Huna teaching about Power and its potential within
human consciousness for creating harm. The idea of science as black magic is certainly apposite
and it is also true that many people in trying to manifest a new and better life which most likely
includes greater material wealth at the very least often stems from a limited and inadequate
consciousness of the full picture of the past, present and future that is your life. The occult
backlash that occurs explains why very often when working to manifest more money that even
if your income does increase your bills and other outgoings also increase. One rather interesting
way of working with the energy of an occult backlash is to try and manifest greater debt in your
life rather than greater wealth. The only question would be do you have the courage to willingly
and wilfully work with your manifestation techniques to make your life even more difficult? It's
an interesting challenge - care to try?
Hawaiian Temples - Heiau

By Kihonua
Hawaiian Heiau or temples are, to the visiting Westerner used to images of great Egyptian or
Central American temples, at first glance unimpressive. Simply a low stone wall around a
rectangular space. However, it is just the quality of that space which is so important. These are
sacred sites and have been worshipped in for hundreds of years and even today prayer offerings
are still left in the temple walls in the form of stones wrapped in the sacred ti plant leaf or
sometimes in the form of a small precariously balanced pile of stones.
It is worth studying the painting below to see just how the temple looked when the Hawaiian
civilisation was still only marginally affected by Western culture and religious beliefs. A fact
that escapes most casual visitors and indeed scholars is that the Polynesians were a great
seafaring people and that the migratory journeys from Tahiti to the Hawaiian islands took
months. Crucially, you have to take your gods and temples with you!
You do not stop worshipping just because you are in a double hulled canoe a thousand miles
from land. The Hawaiian temples very simply and clearly reflect the shape of the vessels that
was both home and temple to these great early voyagers. It was through the help of the Gods
that the people were able to find and settle new lands in the vast expanse of the Pacific ocean.
To a Hawaiian their temples were both places of worship and also a constant reminder of the
reality of those early voyages.
In terms of their construction look at the tower as related to the mast of the ship, the small
thatched huts as the shelter and the overall rectangular shape as resembling the outline of the
canoe. The heiau acted as a profound link to both the Gods themselves and your own ancestors
from the dim past and those who perhaps died during the long journeys.
What would it mean to you to be able to have that sense of connection with where you come
from both spiritually and physically every time you entered the temple of your faith?
MANY LIVES?
By Kihonua
In the original Huna teaching that part of man and woman which was considered to be immortal
was referred to as the Aumakua. This Hawaiian term has been misinterpreted in many different
teachings, it is not your higher self nor your soul but it is a created self. What in English I often
refer to as your immortal spirit self and its related body; the immortal spirit body. This body
and self is created during your physical lifetime by the work you do to integrate your soul, body
and mind. The Aumakua is composed not of energy, nor of physical matter but of the basic
fabric of the universe by which I mean pure spirit or to give it a more modern terminology the
quantum space of existence. The spirit is the background of all existence it into penetrates every
existing universe or dimension. In Hawaii it was referred to by the term aka.
During your earthly experience it is possible through the expression of your soul nature into the
physical realm and the integration of your mind in harmony with that experience that you begin
to radiate and generate an energy of such intensity that you can truly begin to warp the pristine
fabric of space-time. If you like, you could think of imprinting or etching a design in the mirror
of the universe. Alternatively, you could think of aka or spirit as being an all pervasive universal
watery substance within which the impact of your exquisite personal energies creates a moving
vortex or shape. A shape that is capable of volitional movement but not just a shape, an actual
being with thoughts feelings and emotion, an immortal spirit being that embodies all of your
earthly experience in its highest form. To use the Hawaiian term an Aumakua, an ancestral
spirit, immortal and indestructible.
Indeed as this aumakua does embody your highest principles it is easy to see how some
interpreters have thought of it as the super conscious mind or higher self. In ancient Hawaii the
creation of the immortal spirit body was seen as a natural process. It is a measure of how far we
in the modern world have departed from the ways of nature that for Western man the creation of
the aumakua is something that has to be worked at for years. The modern world does not
encourage soul expression nor is the body venerated, respected and loved in the way it was in
ancient Hawaii. Then there is the problem of the mind, our thoughts have become too powerful,
the inner voices and beliefs drown out the subtle messages from both body and soul. So we
must work, work to integrate and make congruent all the different aspects of our being so that
we too can achieve that unique birthright that we all possess as human being's that of becoming
an immortal spirit being. An Aumakua.
In times gone by in Hawaii the ancestral spirit's were often believed to manifest themselves in
the form of an animal. In fact, the ancestors were often believed to speak to their descendants
through rocks, trees, the animals, fish or indeed other people. This phenomenon was referred to
as “kino lau” or many bodies and referred to the belief that an aumakua as a being a pure spirit
could enter into anything, animate or inanimate and then by attracting a person's attention
communicate with them. Within every Hawaiian family there was often a person whose
specific role was to communicate with the aumakua but not in the normal way that we in the
West might think of that, not as a spiritualist medium but as someone who would allow an
ancestor to take total possession of their body. This is not necessarily a pleasant process as I can
attest to from personal experience, unless you like the feeling that every single cell in your body
is being shaken apart! The other ways the Aumakua speak to us are much less dramatic. When
they enter a rock or an animal, it is so much easier because unlike humans these do not resist.
There is much talk within various new age philosophies and spiritual practices on becoming
more evolved or being more spiritual. You often hear people talking about spiritual
development yet in Hawaiian Huna there is a literal meaning to this phrase, to talk of spiritual
development is to be referring to the actual creation of your immortal spirit body. Through
working on your self to conceive it, to nourish it through its gestation, to give birth to it and then
to nurture it until it reaches full stature.
So an understanding of reincarnation does exist in Hawaiian Huna yet unlike the Asian
teachings it is never you who lived before but that you can have an Aumakua attach them self to
you in a symbiotic link before birth and stay with you through much of your life. In this way
you can experience their memories and help them to perfect themselves. Unlike normal
spiritual possession there is a subtle alignment that goes on during pregnancy which allows the
communication to be so easy as to be unnoticed. In return you benefit from the wisdom, love
and experience of an immortal being. This companion spirit is closer to you than your own skin,
your own soul. Furthermore unlike the Asian teachings it is not a common phenomenon. There
is much more that could be said about this process but enough for now.
Pau!
HO'OPONOPONO
HAWAIIAN FAMILY THERAPY. Part 1

by Kuoha
We in the West tend to think of Therapy as a fairly modern phenomenon and yet for as long as
man has been around on the planet people have come together to talk about their problems in the
hope of finding solutions. However the old saying of 'not airing your dirty linen in public' tends
to keep the discussion of family problems limited; so limited sometimes that even the other
members of the family are often not involved in process. It seems it is often easier to talk to
someone outside the immediate family rather than those whom we share our lives and our living
space with.
Generally speaking therapy today consists of two people meeting together. They are alone. No
one but them is privy to the hours of soul searching discussion, powerful emotionality and quiet
despair that takes place weekly in an environment that is often somewhere between the sanctity
and safety of the confessional box and the homely comfort of the front room of a dear friend.
Most therapists will tell you that often the hardest part of the whole process is not the
confronting of and coming to terms with one's deepest fears and darkest secrets; people will
come to face these when they are able to deal with them appropriately if no force is applied on
the part of the therapist; but the biggest hurdle is the integrating of the new 'you' into an old and
familiar family set-up that has remained stoically unchanged throughout the whole painful
personal process. As most peoples problems arise within the family unit it seems only common
sense that this is the arena where to the problems should be played out and where a resolution
must be sought. Of course family therapy does exist but it is not as readily embraced as the more
solitary pursuit of dealing with one's 'own stuff '. Family therapy can be a minefield however
where, if not guided by a very skilled therapist, one may exit more maimed then when one
entered ! What is it that makes working with other family members so fraught with danger and
how can this process be made as painless as possible ? Well the answer may well lie several
thousand miles from here on a group of tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific ocean and it
roots are buried in a culture that was practising family therapy long before anyone had even
coined the word ' psychoanalysis ' and the concept of the disfunctional family would have been
inconceivable.
To the ancient people of the Hawaiian islands the concept of the Ohana - the extended family
was one that was very real to them. Family meant not only those related by blood but every
living thing and even the gods themselves. Each family had its own Aumakua, or ancestral god
who watched over the family like a great parental spirit - all loving and all seeing.
Cont…..
These strong family links had obvious benefits to all and kept family together in a strong knit
band through all the generations. Ancestor worship was a significant part of their religious
upbringing. Like all families however trouble did occur from time to time. Maybe there was a
falling out between two members or a sickness in the family that did not respond to treatment; in
cases such as this a family elder would consult a Kahuna Lapa'au or healer/priest and he or she
would call a Ho'oponopono or family therapy session.
Everyone had to agree to attend such a gathering and come along willingly as the true desire to
resolve the problem was a pre-requisite for all concerned. The Ho'oponopono differs from
modern therapy in three important ways - the use of prayer and the involvement of the gods in
the process - the act of forgiveness - and where appropriate, restitution.
HO'OPONOPONO
HAWAIIAN FAMILY THERAPY. Part 2

by Kuoha
A typical Ho'oponopono session would begin with the Kahuna offering up a prayer, or Pule, to
the family Aumakua for help and guidance with the problem and insight into its resolution. The
involvement of the deity assured everyone of the seriousness of the task and helped to keep
everyone focused and committed to the process. After the prayer the Kukula Kumuhana, which
is the identifying and naming of the problem, took place. The Hala, or transgression, thus
identified was the problem to which a solution had to be found. Then everyone was given a
chance to speak about how they perceived what was going on and to state their feelings about it.
Everyone was given a voice and each person instructed to direct his or her statement to the
Kahuna and not to other family members. Once everyone had had a say the Kahuna would ask
questions of the various family members in order to clarify certain points or to encourage a
member who may be resisting the process to participate more fully. If at any time things began
to get out of hand and strong emotions were expressed the Kahuna would order Ho'omalu , a
call for silence. All discussion would cease but the participants were still required to stay
present. This cooling off time could last several minutes or much longer.
The Hawaiians believed that emotional outbursts clouded the issue and could lead to further
harm and in a emotionally free and expressive people, ensured that no further damage was done
either to family members or the situation. After a full discussion it would became apparent who
was the perpetrator and who the wronged person in the situation. Maybe something had been
taken from another member without permission or some unkind or untrue statement made about
them. To the Hawaiians, both parties were bound together in a web of negative entanglement
which meant that the initial problem had many added dimensions as the initial hurt was
followed by many reactions ensnaring the two and holding them fast. If the problem was not
resolved they would be held in this impasse indefinitely.
Whatever the cause, the instigator of the problem was then required to fully confess the wrong
doing and ask for forgiveness. The act of asking for forgiveness, Mihi, had to carried out with
honesty and in an open hearted way and once asked for, had to be granted. Not to do so would
be an affront to the Aumakua who of course was always forgiving. The Kahuna would look for
genuine signs of forgiveness from the participants such as spontaneous hugging and weeping.
Once forgiveness had been granted, the business of restitution had to be discussed and the
nature and terms of this agreed upon. After this came Kala which was the loosening of all
negative entanglements. Both the person who had confessed and the person who had forgiven
agreed to release the conflicts and hurts and then, in keeping with the image of the web or net,
the hurts were cut away and the problem released. It was never to be spoken of again unless it
was in positive terms to convey how they had resolved the problem confronting the family.
At this stage if there were further problems to be resolved then the Kahuna would call for a
Ho'omalu to give everyone a chance to rest before focussing on a new problem and then going
through the same process. At the end of the session which could last all day or even several days
the whole thing would be closed with the Kahuna giving a summary of what had taken place
and a re-affirming of the family's strengths and mutual bonds. Then came the Pule
Ho'opau, the closing prayer of gratitude to the gods for their help and guidance and
the asking of a blessing on the family and house. Traditionally it was asked that
the problem be taken away and buried, never to be brought up again ( the depths of
the ocean was a common resting place - the sun being asked to take the problem
and drop it into the sea into which it sank at the end of each day .) The whole affair
was then concluded with a celebratory feast or luau in which all the family
members and the Kahuna took part.
This simple routine is one that we could all follow in the resolution of
interpersonal problems. The invoking of a higher power and the acts of forgiveness
and restitution are great omissions from many modern therapy rooms. So often the
insights gained in the therapeutic process are used as excuses for present
conditions or as great sticks with which to beat up others. The act of confession
and the owning of our wrongdoings coupled with total forgiveness is not new as
we have seen and indeed has always been stated in the Christian Church but as we
grow more and more sophisticated and disregard organised religion we often come
to believe that these teachings are no longer relevant in our lives. Forgiveness is
not a religious commodity but a universal doctrine and whilst to "err may be
human and to forgive divine" let us not forget that god is within us all.
The legend of the "Kiha" (Shooting Breath)

by Brenda Turville
Many, many years ago, there lived upon these islands, the islands of the Kanaka Maoli, the
dreaded and fierce "Kiha." The Kiha were huge reptiles, (nothing like todays geckos, or Mo'o).
They were known to communicate with the humans. Some were good, but others were man-
eaters! Why, it is said that one Kiha could eat a single hale and all who were in it, in just one
bite! You could hear them coming because of the tremendous noise that they make when they
breathe. The Kiha would sleep during the day, and then during the night, they would come and
prey upon the villages for their dinner. In Moloka'i, there once lived a terrible Kiha that
everyone feared. He had eaten plenty of their people and no one was safe at night. The people
hunted and hunted during the day to try to find this Kiha, because the only way that they could
destroy him would be to kill him while he was sleeping. Finally, one day the people found him
buried in a hillside sleeping. They got all the things that they could find that would burn and
placed them upon the the mountain and lit it on fire and killed the mighty Kiha! To this day, the
Kanaka believe that plenty Kiha still exist within these islands. Moloka'i has 12 that have
remained to guard the island. Kaua'i has two. They say to be careful of climbing the mounds in
the woods. If you go to a pond, throw a ti leaf in first. If it sinks, the Kiha is in the pond. If it
floats, you can swim. Dark caves are also favourite places of the Kiha. When people end up
missing in the woods and never return, one can almost be sure that they met their fate by a
hungry Kiha!
Huna Article by Maka'ala Yates

Aloha Everyone,
Because there was a break in the school for the Thanksgiving holiday I decided to write about
my personal involvement on the subject of Hawaiian healing. A young Hawaiian girl doing
some research on lomilomi asked if she could interview me via the e-mail system so in response
to her questions and to share the info with you all this week's newsletter will hopefully bring a
deeper insight to the work I have dedicated my life to. By the way her name is Kara H. who is
from Hana, Maui and is attending BYU in Utah.
Lomilomi has been in my life since the age of 6. As a youngster I was first introduced to this
ancient body work technique by my auntie Phoebe from Nanakuli, HI who coached me with the
hands on techniques much to my dislike. Later in life some of my other family elders presented
other aspects of lomilomi such as ho'oponopono and la'au lapa'au (herbal therapy). It wasn't
until I was 29 years old, however, before I was formally trained by various teachers with more
detailed aspects of Hawaiian healing. All of my teachers where obviously Hawaiian but most of
them were female elders including Auntie Phoebe, Margaret Machado, Morrnah Simeona, Edith
Kanakaole and Iolani Luahine all of whom have since died except for Auntie Margaret. I guess
because most of my teachers were females I bring into my work and teachings a balance of
masculinity and femininity or a gentleness yet firmness approach. I was glad for this because the
women elders made it easier for me to learn where the male elders, although as wise, made it
somewhat difficult for me, not on purpose I'm sure, but due largely in part to their warrior
attitude type of demeanor.
It has been about 25 years since my formal training in lomilomi started but it has never ended as
I continue to expand from the ancient's wisdom. When studying lomilomi, typically the student
is shown some basic procedures that could be labeled as a "system" of techniques when in
reality it is the first of many aspects of true lomilomi therapy. For example, advance lomilomi
teaching encourages the practitioner to be as specific as possible based on what the patient's
needs are. Therefore, as an apprentice I was shown simple generic procedural techniques to use
as a "reference point" until I was able to progress onto the more specific advanced techniques
for advanced pathologies.
As an apprentice in the old days the student couldn't touch a patient until he/she understood the
healing process and was approved by the teacher. Knowing the inner self was just as important
so meditation, chants and effective prayer techniques were also given to assist in the process. It
took me about three years to be able to clearly understand and overcome some of my challenges
required to further study in the ancient arts but having mentors that was sympathetic and
compassionate was really helpful and made the transitions in my life more tolerable. In the old
ways, the more you knew who you were the clearer you were able to be successful in the
Hawaiian healing arts as well as in life itself. It was the responsibility of the teacher, however,
to assist the apprentice and guide them throughout the educational and evolutionary process.
Similarly, it was the responsibility of the student to maintain the standards of practice laid out
by the teacher and to honor the legacy of Hawaiian medicine and those that have passed it on.
Today in Hawaii and abroad there appears to be many diversified approaches to lomilomi. That
is, there seems to be variations or styles used with different lomilomi practitioners. Admittedly
there are some looters that have exploited this revered form of Hawaiian body work therapy but
in truth, there are different perceptions of an ancient art that has been handed down for
generations. For years I wanted to know were there really any differences and/or was there any
common similarities?
My break came in 1976 when I was selected along with 25 others to sail on a double hull canoe
from Hawaii to Tahiti and back. The name of the canoe was called "Hokule'a," which means
"star of gladness" in English and it was a project filmed and documented by the National
Geographic Society. After the successful completion of the voyage John Kruse and I was asked
to take Hokule'a to all the Hawaiian islands to share with the people the experiences and
outcome of this historic voyage. Sort of like a floating classroom for literally thousands of
people. On this year long trek we met with many Kupunas (Hawaiian elders) who readily and
freely shared their mana'o (thoughts) on lomilomi, something unheard of in my lifetime growing
up. Usually, when asked about the old ways and in this case on the subject of lomilomi, the
response would always be "its a family secret" but because of Hokule'a they openly answered all
my questions. What followed after a year of research and curiosity was an incredible exchange
of reality as to what lomilomi was really about from an ancient perspective.
Imagine if you will a village concept of living where everyone's actions and thoughts
contributed positively (or negatively) toward the success of surviving within that community. In
this conceptual village there is a lomilomi Kahuna (a lomilomi practitioner that has achieved
mastery status) that was available to handle the more serious physical problems that family
members or friends were not able to resolve. Now take two unrelated villagers both presenting
with similar physical issues that was treated by the same Kahuna who subscribed or
administered treatments entirely different for each patient because the fact that there were (are)
different dynamics involved with each individual person be it male/female, small frame/big
frame, job description, etc. These two villagers then shares their experiences with family
members and friends and even reproduces some of the treatment techniques which were
eventually passed down through the generations. We now move to present day Hawaii and find
the decendants of these two villagers sharing lomilomi techniques that appears to be different
from each other yet both ideas originated from the same Kahuna. In many cases I have found
this to be true in my research and realized the perception that we have concluded as to what
lomilomi is, which is only part of the whole. Once we realize that the ancients had no limitations
using lomilomi and the expansiveness this technique has we ourselves will overcome our own
limitations especially pertaining to the healing process necessary for each individual.
Lomilomi from my perspective describes a motion or movement that is both physical or

energetic. The hidden meaning (the old Hawaiians spoke in riddles to conceal the information
from infiltrators) of lomilomi is "the ability of the practitioner to communicate deep into the
bones of the individual (without imposing himself/herself), therefore the soul of the person."
There are many elements that a lomilomi practitioner relies upon when treating a patient besides
his/her hands. For example, ho'oponopono concepts were used to deal with the alignment of the
mind and emotions of the person, a "hale pulo'ulo'u" (Hawaiian sweat lodge) was used to
cleanse the body of impurities as well as to allow heat to penetrate through the muscles down to
the bones and internal cleansing was used to prevent or eliminate an organ reflex to muscles
(irritated nerves affecting muscles).
As a teacher of lomilomi it is my objective to bring a broader perspective of this ancient art yet
show how to integrate the concepts into modern day healthcare systems and how this work can
be as specific as possible for specific conditions.
Mahalo. Maka'ala
MANA
By Kristin Zambucka
Never seek anything

truth will seek you when you are ready... Such is the paradox
and as you listen to the secret language of nature you will become a partner in some deep
mystery of life
and you will live totally in the moment rejoicing in the precious here and now
for there is no need to hurry anything
learn from nature.... She knows no time limits
but waits without anxiety while everything unfolds in its own time and in its own way without
the pressures of time or worry or age
and knows that when times stops... You stand in the place of God
and you will hear the hidden dimensions rustling electric in the atmosphere for you will have
touched the infinite
then when you return to the material world... You will find a completely different place
for as you are reborn into the world... The world will be reborn in you
all will change because you observed the simple faith of flowers
Sense the rare treasure locked away on hidden levels

for it waits to be tapped only by those who can truly see with the inner eyes of the soul
it flows as the legendary "water of life" that spirals and channels in varying rhythms through all
things
for there is nothing that isn't alive...
Mountains and plants and rainbows and sun and soil and sea... All vibrate with its mystical
force
and even silent rocks may be charged with its healing presence by holy hands and carry it for
aeons...
and water in all its changing moods is the ancient symbol for this power cold mana
it roars in Wailele, the waterfall
and dances in Ua; the rain
and floats in Uhiwai; the mist
and plays in Kahawai; the gentle stream
and speaks in Moana; the brooding ocean
develop a keen awareness of this supernatural force
read signs and omens in elemental phenomena
watch stars burning in the velvet heavens by night
read the positions of those far beacons for the races of Man are their children
and by day look for shapes in clouds

and the behavior of plants
and the moods of the sea
and garlands of rainbows that circle the talking skies
for all are messengers
and all can speak... If you listen
and know that having attained the highest state of life in human consciousness you are given the
greatest privilege of all... To gather the power called mana and offer it in prayer... Back to its
source; the higher power called God
for the mysterious mana holds the key to answered prayers
drink it in with each breath... for it hums all around you... pulsing under the green mantle of
nature and watching in the eyes of flowers
And gradually a new flowering will take place within you...

if you begin to pray frequently
for you will be encouraged by the ancient urge, long buried...
know that everything should be preceded by prayer.... Then the way is cleared for progress
and answers long sougtht will come to you
even though the alter at which you place your hands may be weatherbeaten rock and not
polished marble... Still the same God will respond to you
Then look to the world of people for other fountains...

give love and compassion and hospitality and trust to all that you meet...
for mana will be returned to you on the river of life
breath your words into God
visualize your desires and offer the picture along with your gift of mana
and see it rising like gilded vapor
and soon the rain of blessings will fall in response
for in a magic moment... The mana flows two ways... to the source and back again
pray constantly to keep your levels of mana high
take your share of the Wai Ola; fabulous food of the spirit
for it is the gift of the creator to his child
you are not forgotten.....
Huna
By Kihonua
Sometimes the challenges facing the seeker upon the path, be it Huna or any other, are oftimes
better expressed in fiction than any didactic factual statements... read on...
"But about my heart at this magic hour stirred the dawn-winds of a thousand ancient sun rises,
and I felt the haunting atmosphere of other days in other places steal up through the mists of
immemorial existences. I thought of the whole great series, each life arising and setting like a
little day, each with it's own dawn and noon and sunset, each with its harvest of failure and
success, of joy and sorrow, of friendships formed and enemies forgiven, of ideals realized or
abandoned - pouring out of the womb of time and slowly bringing the soul through the
discipline of all possible experience towards that perfection which proclaims it one with the
entire universe - the Deity
And a profound weariness fell about my spirit as I went. I became aware of my meagre
enthusiasm. I welcomed the conception of some saviour who should do it all for me. I knew
myself unequal to the gigantic task. In that moment the heroic figure of Julius seemed remote
from reality, a towering outline in the sky, an austere embodiment of legendary myth. The
former passionate certainty that he was right dwindled amid wavering doubts. The perplexities
of life came back upon me with tormenting power. I lost the coherent vision of consistent and
logical beauty that he inspired. It was all too vast for me.
This reaction was natural enough, though for a long time mood chased mood across my troubled
mind, each battling for supremacy. The materialism of the day, proudly strutting with its
boundless assurance and its cock-sure knowledge, regained possession of my thoughts. The
emptiness of scholastic theology no longer seemed so hideously apparent. It was pain to let the
other go, but go it did-though never, perhaps, so completely as I then believed.
By insignificant details the change revealed itself. I recalled that I was due that very afternoon at
a luncheon where "intellectual" folk would explain away the soul with a single of scientific
formula, and where learned heads would wag condescendingly as they murmured "But there is
no evidence to prove that you know…" and Julius rose before me in another light at once Pagan,
dreamer, monster of exploded superstitions, those very hills where he evoked the sylvan deities,
a momentary hallucination...
Then again, quite suddenly, it was the chatterers at the luncheon party who seemed unreal, and
all their clever patter about the "movements" of the day mere shallow verbiage. The hoardings
of the town were blue and yellow with gaudy election posters, but the sky was aflame with the
grand old message of the Sun God, written into eternal hieroglyphics of gold and red upon the
clouds that brushed the hills. The elemental deities stormed thundering by. And, instead of
scholars laying down the letter of their little law, I heard the tones of Concerighé calling across
the centuries the names of great belief, of greater beauty.
And the older pageantry stole back across the world.
Cont…….
Almost it was in me to turn and seek...with him...that soul-knowledge which ran through all the
"sections."... Yet the younger fear oppressed me, the renunciation and suffering involved, the
incessant, tireless striving, with none to help to but one's own unconquerable will - this, and a
host of other feelings that lay beyond expression, bore down upon me with their cold, glacier
power. I thought of Julius with something of reverence akin to terror.... I despised myself. I
also understood why the majority need priests and creeds and formula to help them….The will,
divorced from nature, was so small a thing!"
Lady Kauai
by Kuoha
'Even the Gods are born of woman. And red was the clay and gentle the
hands that first shaped her. And she gives us life, and in life there is death,
and she waits for us at the end, as she was with us in the beginning.'
I was reminded of this again during our visit to Kauai as we flew in with the
Island flanking our right side. The energy of the Island is so feminine, so
healing and sacred. The red earth, rich in iron, just like blood.
I was told a wonderful story this time of how a great waka set sail from New Zealand. Seated on
one side of the boat were the women and on the other side, the men. Some way out from land a
huge storm blew up and the they were all afraid. Suddenly the waka spilt in two. The men
decided that they would return to their homeland but the women decided to continue on and
eventually found the island of Kauai, imbuing it with their soft, gentle energy. I am reminded
too, that the whole Island chain is created by the fire goddess Madame Pele. Powerful and
seductive she represents another face of the feminine.
The fullness of the moon released great energy that enabled the people to plant and build, hunt
and fish and accomplish many things. The waning moon encouraged more introspection and
quiet planning of things to accomplish in the moon's returning light. The seed power of both
men and women alike surged to the power of the moon, and like the moon herself, the female
reproductive cycle waxed and waned to the same rhythm.
' Know that women hold the land for they are of the red earth, Understand women count the
generations and tie them to the beginning and the end. And always remember they flow with the
Tides of Life.'
From the Song of Waitaha

THE KUKUI NUT

by Kuoha
Aleurites moluccana
The Kukui nut tree is the State tree of Hawaii and when you consider the amount of diverse uses
this nut is put to you can understand why.
The Kukui nut or candlenut tree is related to the walnut. The nut itself is high in fatty acids and
can be eaten but only when cooked as the raw nut has a slightly toxic effect. The oil from the
nut is used medicinally as a purgative rather like castor oil, and has a highly beneficial effect on
the skin especially in cases of acne and eczema and burns. It can even be rubbed into the scalp
where it is said to aid in preventing and maybe curing hair loss.
When the shell of the nut is burned it produces a permanent black pigment which is used in
tattooing and this same rich dye can be used to colour tapa cloth.
Perhaps the most obvious use of the Kukui nut is as a traditional lei, where the polished nut are
strung together into a long necklace. The nuts are traditionally either a deep rich brown or black.
Unlike the flower leis these leis are long lasting.
Long ago it was recognised that the oil of the nut burned well and so a primitive, but effective,
lamp could be made by stringing several nuts together and then lighting the bottom one. The oil
in the nut would burn with a bright light for, I believe, about 11 minutes and then it would ignite
the next nut and so on to give several hours of light in the dark Pacific nights. The ability of
these nuts to bring light into the dark places is why Kukui nuts are associated with
'enlightenment' and were the traditional leis of the Hawaiian Royal family.
Madam Pele
by Kuoha
Hawaiians believe that the volcano at Kilauea is inhabited by a family of fire gods, but the most
powerful and most revered of them all is the goddess Pele. It is Pele, they believe, who governs
the activity of the flows of lava. She also has associations with the hula dance and with the
practice of sorcery.
There are many Pele myths and legends but the most common tells of the expulsion of Pele
from her distant homeland (some say she was close to the god fire god, Loo-makua and was for
ever causing fires and some say she made love to her sister's husband) but for whatever reason
she was forced to leave her family and seek a home elsewhere. She was accompanied on her
search for a new home by her many brothers and one sister who is believed to be her favourite.
Her name was Hi'iaka.
After trying several of the islands she finally settles on Hawaii at the crater Moku-a-weoweo
(Land of burning). Here, we are told, she dug down exceedingly deep and did not hit water
which was a testament to her fiery nature.
Pele, when she takes human form, is believed to be extremely beautiful and captivating but also
extremely dangerous. Even today young men travelling the islands are advised against picking
up beautiful women at the side of the road for fear that they might be seduced, and eventually
destroyed by Madam Pele.
The legends tell that whilst on the big island she catches the sound of music coming from the
island of Kauai. She decided to follow the sound and visits the lush island of Kauai where she
finds herself in the middle of a hula festival. Whilst there for a few days she falls in love with
the young chief of the island, Lohiau, whom she is determined to take as her husband. On
leaving the island she tells him to await the arrival of her messenger who will accompany him to
her home which she is preparing for him. However the young Lohiau has been totally captivated
by the glamour of Pele and is devastated at the disappearance of the beautiful woman that he
has fallen in love with. Shortly after her departure he dies of grief. However, Pele's young sister
Hi'iaka, who has been given the task of bringing the man to Pele when he is summoned, catches
the man's spirit and recites the necessary chants to bring the spirit back into his body thus
restoring him to life. She then sets about bringing him to Pele on the island of Hawaii. The gods
are angry at the choice that Pele, who is after all a goddess, has made in choosing a mere mortal
as her mate and send storms and gigantic waves to prevent the two meeting up, thus delaying
the journey immensely.
During the journey to Pele, Hi'aka and Lohiau's affection for each other grows. This of course
enrages the goddess and, being of a jealous and vengeful disposition, she encircles the two with
flames. Hi'aka has a divine body but Lohiau, being human, is consumed. In some legends Hi'aka
restores the man to life yet again and they are reunited.
In the old days many heiaus were erected to the goddess Pele beside lava streams and at the
edge of craters and bodies were offered to the goddess in the hope that their spirits would live
with Pele in her beautiful home beneath the burning pit which is the goddess's physical form.
The spirits of the dead would, thus consumed, go forth as her messengers in the form of bodies
of flame to avenge any infringement of her tapus. Local legends still abound about the swift
retribution visited by Pele on those mortals who dare to offend her. Many lava formations are
seen as evidence of the goddess’s power to overwhelm people and places with molten lava,
providing physical manifestations of her wrath.
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Masterworks International 2006

All articles are copyright to their original authors © 2006

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