Advice From The Islands

Hawaiian Boat Blessing

2012-01-27T10:34:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: How would one do a Hawaiian christening/blessing of a new boat?

ANSWER: No one knows exactly how the ancient Hawaiians blessed their boats, but a typical modern Hawaiian-style blessing could be as follows:

1. Fill a small bowl with fresh water (salt water is used for cleansing).
2. Obtain a long leaf (ti leaf if possible, fern leaf is next best, but any leaf will do).
3. Hang some kind of lei over the gangway or entrance to the boat (flowers or leaves, real or symbolic. In Hawaii maile vine would be used if possible).
4. Announce to all present the purpose of the blessing.
5. Cut or undo the lei (this is like cutting the navel cord).
6. Dip the leaf in the bowl and sprinkle all areas of the boat while giving some sort of blessing ("May this boat be blessed with love, power, and success" (in Hawaiian: E ho'omaika'i i keia wa'a me ke aloha, me ka mana, me ka pono).
7. Have everyone present hold hands on or near the boat and give a personal blessing for the boat and the owners/operators.
8. End the blessing with a song, a chant, or a simple "Thank you" and a hug.
9. Finish with a luau, a "pupu" (snack) party, or some kind of refreshments.

Healing Radioactivity

2012-01-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: With the ongoing recent events in Japan I was wondering what recommendations you could share about working with healing that situation from the perspective of Huna. Have been sending Reiki the past few days to specific groups of people and the earth, and have previously used your suggestions in the Shamanic Healing in the Wake of Katrina article for many things with positive results.

ANSWER: From the perspective of assuming that everything is alive, aware, and responsive, we can talk to the earth and rocks telepathically, we can dream a good dream for them, and we can grok them and gently relax. Working with radioactive materials is essentially the same, but requires fearlessness, a high degree of focus, and working as well with the humans involved, both the victims and the helpers.

Relationship Technique

2011-12-09T11:34:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I'm striving to create the relationship I want, so I ask if there was one technique you could recommend (for creating this relationship) what would it be. I've tried Dynamind, as well as a number from the Urban shaman book.

ANSWER: To manifest something, we must remember that we cannot control the world, but we can influence it. The first step in manifesting a good relationship is focus on the benefits you want from it, more than requiring a particular person to provide those benefits. The second step is to turn yourself into the kind of person that someone who can provide those benefits would want as a partner.

Cannabis for healing

2011-11-29T10:48:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: What is your opinion about the use of cannabis in healing. Do you think it is useful? Also if you know, please tell me the real meaning of the Hawaiian word 'pakalolo'.

ANSWER: It is possible for cannabis to aid healing because it helps relieve physical tension, the primary factor behind all illness. However, the side effects of increased sensory sensitivity, the tendency for many users to slip into dream states, and the tension-producing effects of inhaling the smoke also have to be taken into consideration.

"Pakalolo" is a modern Hawaiian word composed of "paka" - a Hawaiianized form of the word "tobacco", and "lolo" (with a macron over both letters "o") - meaning "paralyzed, numb, feeble-minded, crazy." Thus, "crazy (or numbing) tobacco."

Choices

2011-11-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: When I have a choice between doing one of two things, like staying with a person or staying at a job, and not staying, how can I know which is the right choice to make?

ANSWER: There is no way to tell which is the "right" choice, because the future is not fixed, and future effects come out of future choices. However, you can get a good idea of what might happen if you make a choice based on current patterns of thinking and feeling.

1. Find some time to be quiet and alone and relax as deeply as you can. A simple way would be to spend at least one to five minutes looking at things or objects with lots of curves or circles.
2. Think of what you like about the current situation, and about what you don't like, for one to five minutes.
3. Now imagine two doorways to the future - one is for a future where you stay in the situation, and one is for a future where you don't stay. Each one will take you six months or one year or five years into the future; it's up to you. Imagine each door in great detail.
4. When you are ready, step through one of the doors and pay attention to what you see and how you feel. Then come back and go through the other door.
5. This will give you an idea of what may happen if patterns and habits in the present do not change. It is not a prediction, but a projection. It will give you information that will allow you to either change yourself, or change the situation. You still have to make the decision.

One Right Way?

2011-10-20T12:04:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: Why do so many people insist that there must be one truth, or one right way of doing things?

ANSWER: Because the human conscious mind gets confused by too many different points of view, or too many things to do, or too many different ways of doing the same thing. And the more insecure a person feels, the less he or she can tolerate differences.

Normally, most people are most able to deal with two things at the same time, and three or four things in sequence. Four in particular is a comfortable number, which is why so many important things in our lives are divided into four categories. There are four seasons, usually four choices in multiple-choice questions, four major psychological types in a lot of systems, four major world religions in books on religion, and on and on.

Large numbers are frequently handled by dividing them into groups of three or four. The twelve months of the year are often divided into thirds or quarters. The incredibly complex variety of biological life on earth is divided into eight categories: Domain; Kingdom; Phylum; Class; Order; Family; Genus; Species; with the last four more commonly referred to, and the last two most commonly used.

So, even in a universe of infinite possibilities our human nature likes to organize experience for the purpose of efficiency, effectiveness, and primarily comfort. And the more insecure--meaning disconnected--we feel, the more simple we like that organization to be. This is what gives rise to ideas and desires for one truth, one life, one government, one leader, one language, one path, and one right way of doing things.

Huna and Food

2011-08-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What is the Huna point of view on food? Are there foods to avoid or foods to prefer?

ANSWER: If the world is what you think it is, then food is what you think it is. Some kind of food is necessary for our energy system (even if you are a breatharian), but the kind of food that is good for you is highly dependent on your culture, your family habits, your personal preferences, and the current state of your body.

In some cultures the people thrive on fat (ex: Inuit), in others on insects (parts of Africa), in others on mostly protein (Masai), in others on fruits and vegetables (India), in others on mostly starch (China), in others on a wide mix (Europe).

Regardless of the type of food, the main food problem that people have everywhere is too little or too much. Too litttle, and the body has to call on reserves of fat and muscle until the body doesn't have enough food to survive. Too much, whatever the type, and the body has to convert it to fat for storage, which can lead to many different physical problems.

Complicating the issue are mental attitudes and emotional reactions that affect the foods you choose and the way your body handles food.

So, back to the Huna point of view. Eat in a way that makes you feel good physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. And forgive yourself when you don't.

Clearing the effects of old memories

2011-07-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: Could you please tell me how to remove the old aka of other people from second-hand clothing, bedding and furniture?

ANSWER: I understand what you mean, but it would be more accurate to call it "old memories." And the problem is not the memories themselves, but their emotional content. The best way to deal with them is to clean the items first, then hold or touch them and fill them with your own strong emotional energy, in the form of love, blessings, appreciation, or whatever you find is appropriate. To help make it more clear, you can use imagination to fill them with pure light (white, pink, blue, or whatever feels good to you). The important thing is the combination of high energy and new focus. Fifteen to thirty seconds for each item ought to be enough, depending on what you feel from them.

Boredom

2011-06-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What is boredom, psychologically?

ANSWER: I think that boredom is one symptom of withdrawal from the world, underlaid with a sense of helplessness. People use many different means of coping with the problem of feeling helpless. Some use anger and its variations to compensate for it, some give up their authority and responsibility to others - not necessarily people - to help ease the feeling, and some withdraw. Even withdrawal has its variations, however, and boredom is probably the mildest form. When withdrawal is accompanied by anger, it usually results in depression. When it is accompanied by fear, it can result in some form of autism.

Communication with the dead

2011-06-09T11:04:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What are your teachings on contacting the dead? And can the dead contact the
living - in dreams etc? I do not mean via seances or ouija boards or the like, but spontaneously either during sleep or even awake, because the living are thinking about
the departed, or vice versa.

ANSWER: According to Huna, everything is alive, aware, and responsive. This assumes that those we call dead are still alive, just not in our dimension (range of frequencies) that we call life. Huna also says that energy flows where attention goes, regardless of dimension, so yes, those called dead can contact the living, and the living can contact those called dead.

Spontaneously, this can happen while awake or asleep, but very rarely when we (the "living") are focused on some activity or task. And the dead communicate mostly through intuition, feelings, images, memories, sudden ideas, or by attracting our attention to something in our outer world. In some cases we might respond to such communication by subconsciously using our own energy to create a visible form or by moving objects.

Conventional or Alternative Healing Help

2011-05-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: When some kind of unusual pain or disfunction happens to your body, when do you decide to see a doctor and when do you rely on alternative healing without seeking a doctor?

ANSWER: Good question, but not easy to answer. It depends a lot on how familiar you are with conventional and alternative forms of treatment, and mostly on how severe the problem is. For non-life-threatening problems I immediately apply simple stress-reduction techniques. If they work within an hour, I'm done. If not, I seek other options, depending on what I'm most comfortable and/or familiar with. If it is or appears to be life-threatening, I seek the first available help that knows how to deal with that kind of problem.

For instance, if I suddenly get pain, numbness, stiffness, injury, burns, or infection that are not apparently serious, I first use alternative techniques that I know very well and that work very well FOR ME. If something happens that is major, like a compound fracture or a life-threatening disease, I go to ER immediately, with or without someone's help, and use alternative techniques during the conventional treatment to help speed up the healing process.

As an example, at one time in my life I came within an hour of dying from pneumonia and dehydration. The very first treatment was water followed by antibiotics and bed rest. During the healing process, which lasted for three months, I added special breathing, imagination, shaman journeys, chicken soup, acupuncture, radionics, and healing energy from friends and family. At the end I felt healthier than ever before. It was my experience that I felt the most help from the water, the antibiotics, the shaman journeys, and the radionics.

The final point is this: in any kind of healing, use everything that works.

Death Prayer

2011-05-10T20:07:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I have been reading some books by Max Freedom Long, and he mentions there was a Hawaiian "Death Prayer." I wonder if unwittingly I uttered one myself a few years ago? An elderly neighbor with rheumatoid arthritis and taking steroids acted in a nasty way to my son when I sent him to ask for help to get my asthmatic cat to the vet and I said, "I hope one day that she knows what to be unable to breathe like my cat." Four days later she suddenly died from pneumonia. Did I kill her?

ANSWER: Please don't feel responsible for your neighbor's death. No one has the power to kill someone else by saying a few mean words, not even if they do it every day. If that were true, world leaders, financial executives, and serial killers would be falling over dead all the time.

People die when Spirit decides it is time to leave this life. As long as you did not purposely do something physical to contribute to her death, you cannot be responsible.

Alternate Help

2011-04-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: We are all contributing ripples to the Conscious Revolution, but what if a radical surge could tip the balance and make a change really happen? Is this a realistic possibility, or do you think it'll be a gradual shift as we are forced to adapt to survive climate and political/religious change? And do you believe there would be 'alternate worldly' support once that global conscious line is crossed!?

ANSWER: The future of life is just as unknown as that of the stock market, but it's always best to keep a positive outlook in order to take advantage of current patterns that reflect what we want and encourage or strengthen them to make positive change happen as fast as possible. I do believe that changing one dream changes all related dreams, and that we can get inspiration and energy from alternate realities where others (and perhaps other versions of ourselves) are already doing what we want to do.

The Higher Self

2011-04-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

QUESTION: I have read that the Higher Self is something like a guardian angel. Does this mean that it is supposed to protect us from harm and keep us out of trouble? Also, isn't it supposed to make sure that we stay on our path?

ANSWER: According to my tradition, your life's purpose will be carried out regardless of personal circumstances. The Higher Self does not keep you from harm - otherwise the world as we know it would be very different - but it does assist you in coping with things over which you have no control, whether you are a child or an adult. As an outside observer it may not seem like the assistance is adequate, but we are not puppets of our Higher Selves, and our conscious and subconscious fears, desires, and beliefs always play a role in modifying circumstances.

Huna is Hawaiian

2011-03-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I love Huna, but lately I've come across several writers who say that Huna is not Hawaiian and that the ancients never practiced any form of it. What's the scoop?

ANSWER: Well, there's good news and there's bad news. The good news is that Huna was practiced by the ancient Hawaiians (please read my article "Huna and Hawaiians" at http://www.huna.org/html/hunahaw.html). The bad news is that Max Long's version of Huna was not practiced by the ancient Hawaiians. He created a very good system based on Hawaiian words from a nineteenth century dictionary - the only one available at the time - combined with ideas from psychology and theosophy. At the time he was here it was against the law to be a kahuna or call oneself a kahuna, so he was never able to learn from Hawaiians directly. In spite of that, his system is workable and has helped many people.

Unexpected Happiness

2011-03-09T17:01:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: Since taking your course I feel little increments of happiness and I am grateful. But what makes happiness suddenly seep in? Is it a decision? I don't remember being able to make that decision.

ANSWER: Some people like to say that happiness is a choice, and to some extent that's true, but every so often feelings of happiness catch us by surprise. I believe that this happens when - for whatever reason - we are in total harmony with ourselves and our environment. If it does happen, treat it like a beautiful sunset, without regretting its passage, but appreciating the fact that it happened.

When the teacher is ready the student appears

2011-02-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I was working as a theatre director in London, with a particular passion for actor training and craft. Actors aren't treated so well, and constantly under scrutiny and judgement, so there was always a sense of undoing that injustice in my work and restoring their sense of creative power and bringing them back to their bodies. However I started to feel incapable of doing this. It's like I realised the scale of the problem, that this wasn't just about actors, this was also about me and a lot of the world. I felt like an ill equipped fraud trying to get the actors to be 'present', purifying where they were reacting from, and removing ego from the rehearsal room when I was truly as egotistical and in my mind as any of the worst of them. Years later I still do not feel ready to teach people what I know to be good when I have not yet achieved the state I am trying to help them reach. Do you have any advice?

ANSWER: The core concept is this: if you wait until you have fully resolved all the issues that you are trying to help others resolve, you will never be in a position to help others at all. Think about the fact that acting coaches and directors are not required to be Oscar winners in order to teach and direct, any more than sports coaches must be as good as the athletes they train. In order for there to be good teachers and guides for helping to make the world a better place, there have to be people willing to be imperfect, willing to risk mistakes, and willing to help. You can always teach what you know to be good, even before you have mastered it yourself. And, because of free will, after you have shared what you know, you cannot be responsible for how - or even whether - it will be used by your students.

Senseless Violence?

2011-02-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: In your book, "Urban Shaman," you say that everything that happens has a good purpose. I can understand that natural disasters can have the purpose of attracting our attention to certain parts of the world and their problems, but what about parents who kill their children and those who shoot or blow up innocent people? What could be the good reasons for this kind of violence that seems to be growing?

ANSWER: If you study history, you will discover that it is not the violence that is growing, but the news coverage of such events.

Nevertheless, you do pose one of the most difficult questions to answer. The simple fact is that there is no way for us to know.

When events happen, good or bad, we have the choice of assuming that they are meaningless, that they are accidental, or that they have some larger purpose that we are not aware of. The effects of assuming the first one tends to be anger, frustration, helplessness,
fear, depression and despair, none of which do anyone any good. The effects of the second one tend to be fear, sadness, sympathy, compassion, and healing. The effects of the last one tend to be the same as the previous one without the fear. No one knows the "real" answer, if there is one. In Huna, when there is no clear answer to a particular question, we choose the assumptions that provide the most benefit.

Communicating with the land

2011-02-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: In a Huna lecture you mentioned the possibility of learning from the land. I'm not sure I fully understand how to achieve it. Should I work with the stones, touch the trees, walk barefoot ? What would you suggest to be the most appropriate way to communicate with the land ?

ANSWER: You don't have to walk barefoot to learn from the land. All you have to do is combine knowledge and feeling. Learn all you can intellectually about the land, practice awareness of the land with all your senses, practice talking to it and listening to it as if it
were alive, and practice imagining how you could apply what you learn to other areas of life. Then apply it.

Dealing with a history of abuse

2011-01-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I am excited to learn about Dynamind (DMT) because my brothers, sister, and I have a history of abuse. (My sister and I both have endured mental, physical, and sexual abuse). How can DMT help us in moving forward with our lives? We are all somewhat 'stuck' and it seems as if every time something good comes into our lives it is either "hurt" or damaged". How can we live a happily abundant life in spite of the pain we endured as children?

ANSWER: With Dynamind you can change your emotional feelings and reactions to the history of abuse by working with each memory you can handle. As the feelings of fear and anger are relieved, along with their accompanying physical sensations, you will find yourself becoming more and more free of the past and able to create a new and better future. (for info on Dynamind see http://www.alohainternational.org/html/dynamind.pdf).

2011-01-06T10:26:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: How can I get rid of my depression?

ANSWER: Depression is not something that you get rid of, because it is not a "thing" that's inside you, it's a behavior and the feeling that results from that behavior.

Depression is a state of helpless anger. Natural anger is an attempt gather energy and focus on changing something that a person doesn't like. Although it can be useful at times when it's applied briefly, anger requires tension and that makes it less efficient that other ways of solving problems.

Depression enters in for some people when there is anger, but, in the mind of the person concerned, no way to use that energy to solve a problem. Some part of the person decides that something that needs changing can't be changed. This creates a feeling of helplessness, which results in suppressing the anger, which leads to the feeling of depression. When the feelings of helplessness and anger are strong enough, this can lead to feeling depressed about everything. Further complications can be thoughts of suicide, emotional withdrawal from life, and various forms of autism.

Excessive tension is the key element, so the first step toward healing is tension relief. This is why there has been so much success with walking, exercise, and reduced sleep combined with physical activity as treatments. Massage would seem to be very helpful, but it must be noted that if you only relieve the tension there is the underlying anger to deal with. Mind-Body techniques like EFT, Psych-K, and Dynamind can be very helpful. And some people heal themselves by simply changing their mind about being helpless and taking some positive action toward solving the problem.

Acceptance

2010-12-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I listen to teachings that tell me to accept whatever happens and just get on with my life, but I don't understand. How can I accept something that causes me emotional or physical pain?

ANSWER: The problem with "accepting" something is due to the many meanings given to this word in English. Most problematic is the meaning of "to tolerate or submit to something unpleasant or undesired." Adding to the problem is the meaning of "to receive something as adequate, valid, or suitable." And an unspoken, but extremely common meaning given to this word is "to let something you don't like hang around forever."

Naturally, these meanings make the idea of acceptance sound like stupidity. Who in their right mind would want to do that, unless you "accept" a philosophy of predestination or unchangeable fate.

So, why would a teacher (me, for instance) recommend that you accept whatever happens and move on? This is based on another meaning of the word: "to take upon oneself a responsibility or liability." This does not mean to take responsibility for it happening, it means taking responsibility for doing something about it.

Some people prefer to use the word "acknowledge" instead of "accept," but the implication is different. You can acknowledge something without doing anything about it, but if you accept it in the meaning just given, doing something about it is the next related step.

There are two things you can do about something, once you have accepted its existence:

1. Consciously change the situation, if you can. You cannot control any situation, but you can always change something about the situation You may not be able to change the whole thing, but the more knowledge, skill, energy and persistence you can bring to bear on it, the more effective your efforts will be.

2. Conscious change yourself. This means to stop resisting the situation (ongoing emotional or physical resistance makes anything harder to change), get centered in the present moment, and keep a focus on what you want, instead of on what you don't want. To the degree you can do this, magic happens. In other words, situations have a very strong tendency to change themselves when you stop resisting them and hold a positive focus of intent or desire.

Drugs and Spirituality

2010-12-07T16:20:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: Do you have any information on the Huna point of view about drugs, and the spiritual advantanges and disadvantages of using them?

ANSWER: We do not have any published material related to your questions, but I can give you a brief answer.

First of all, we must define what we mean by the word, "spiritual," since many people are confused about that. For the purposes of this reply, let us call it "a desirable state of heightened conscious awareness and body functioning which is characterized by a loving communication with one's self and one's environment."

Using this definition, drugs can be either advantageous or disadvantageous, depending on

a) whether they are of the earth or synthesized

b) the amount taken

c) the circumstances under which they are taken

d) the attitudes and expectations of the person taking them.

Drugs of any kind (including caffeine and alcohol), as well as more potent natural sources like peyote and marijuana, are spiritually disadvantageous whenever they lower awareness, interfere with body functioning, and/or decrease one's sense of loving communication. I would also add, whenever they increase one's sense of powerlessness or exaggerate one's sense of power over the environment. Both of these, however, are the result of lowered or restricted awareness.

The most potentially disadvantageous drugs are the synthesized ones (LSD, etc.) taken in large doses, with or without supervision. Two reasons for this are that the body is not equipped to assimilate them properly, and the conscious mind is forced to deal with aspects of the self that it is not prepared to handle, yet it must deal with them until the drug has worn off. Even a "good trip" in such a case will have deleterious after effects on the body and the mind. "Large doses," of course, is a subjective phrase that only makes sense in relation to a particular individual.

In small, controlled amounts in the right setting and under the careful supervision of one who is already spiritually aware, many kinds of drugs can be used to help spiritual and psychic development. This has been the case through many ages in many cultures. However, under these conditions drugs are used as an intermediary tool, which is discarded as soon as the trainee or apprentice is able to reach the same states without their help.

What is most unfortunate at the present time is the careless and overabundant used of a wide array of drugs for recreation, for escape, for no more than symptom relief, or simply out of habit. Such use is definitely spiritually disadvantageous, under our definition, for the people involved. To cite one example, coffee in small amounts has the potential for heightening awareness and body function in a way that could help spiritual and psychic development, but when drunk excessively it has the opposite effect.

Significantly, from my personal experience, I can let you know that neither Korean, Mongolian, nor Hawaiian shamans have found it necessary to use drugs to develop their shamanic abilities. As we say in Huna, there is always another way to do anything. While drugs of different kinds may possibly help spiritual development, they are not needed and they can even get in the way.

Hawaiian Creation Stories

2010-11-29T16:10:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: Why are Hawaiians always referring to Papa and Wakea as their "ancestors and the "creators" - like the primary beings, the "first gods" - when there is a whole list of ancestors of THESE two out there? And sometimes Hawaiians name completely different beings as ancestors and/or creators. Which source is correct?

ANSWER: One of the most important things to remember about Hawaiians is that they are not now and never have been a homogenous people, in spite of being of Polynesian origin. Hawaii was populated by different family groups at different times from different places,

bringing with them different religions, and different creation stories.

There are creation stories associated with Kane, Ku, Lono, Kanaloa, Wakea and Papa, Haloa, Haumea (as mother of Pele), the Kumulipo, and others. It is in the nature of the Western mind to put creation into a sequential framework based on a linear model of time. It is in the nature of the Hawaiian mind to put creation into a contextual framework based on a non-linear model of time.

So, a Western mind tends to ask, "Which creation story is the right one?" and a Hawaiian mind tends to ask, "Which creation story is the most appropriate for my present purpose?" The Western mind seems to be very uncomfortable with paradox, while the Hawaiian mind

not only tolerates it, but seems to thrive on it.

Strange experiences

2010-11-17T18:38:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I have been experiencing some really unreal things. When I have been doing massage, I feel as though sometimes I am going into a sort of a trance and I hear chanting and have to stop myself from chanting out loud myself. Sometimes I want to tell someone something but it seems to pass my lips in Hawaiian and I don't speak Hawaiian fluently so I am not sure what to do. Can you help?

ANSWER: Here's the way I look at it. We all have parallel existences, but they aren't really parallel. Sometimes these lives get really close or even cross each other. When that happens we can have experiences like you are having. These are potentially times of great creativity if we can hold our own focus. If our own focus is weak, that is, if we are not deeply involved in our own life with strong purpose or goals, and if the other life is strongly focused, then it may feel like something else is taking over. This isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't necessarily good, either. I would recommend that you strengthen your own focus by making some clear decisions about your own life and being, and at the same time stay open to whatever good ideas and inspirations might come from this other experience.

Memory loss

2010-11-09T12:29:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I wonder if I could ask your advice about something? My elderly parents both had Alzheimer's disease, and I'm a little apprehensive about possibly inheriting it myself. Is there anything that I could do to prevent that from happening? I've been blessing my mind and encouraging it to keep working well. Can you suggest other Huna techniques that would be helpful?

ANSWER: The basic Huna/Hawaiian view is that all illness and disfunction is rooted in excessive build-up of tension. We do know that memory loss is definitely related to stress levels. We also know that as people keep learning new things the brain keeps making new

connections (dendrites) and as people stop learning the connections break down.

So, what is recommended to help keep your brain healthy is to maintain your energy flow

(cf. piko-piko), reduce stress on a regular basis (cf. Dynamind or Kahi Loa), practice some form of deep relaxation on a regular basis also (cf. Stillpoint or lomi), and learn something new every day.

Hawaiian shaman

2010-10-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: My goal is to eventually grow into and become a Hawaiian Shaman. Are there certain criteria that have to be met and courses that need to be taken in order to become a Hawaiian Shaman?

ANSWER: You can become a shaman by learning to think and act like a shaman. You can also learn to be a Hawaiian-style shaman by studying and practicing the techniques used by Hawaiian shamans as well as the culture it is based on. The term "Hawaiian shaman," though, would properly be only used for people of Hawaiian ancestry who are shamans. If Huna is the basis for your shamanism, you could be a Huna shaman regardless of your background.

Buddhism and Huna

2010-10-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: The Buddhist way of life and thinking has a lot of appeal to me on several levels, mainly because of the peaceful state of mind many of the practitioners seem able to maintain. I have also been very attracted to the things I have read in your books which seem to be practical and spiritual at the same time. The Buddhist ways of meditation and the excercises you describe seem to be quite different. Is there any emphasis within Huna on personal enlightenment? I find myself at a crossroads and do not wish to go in the 'wrong' direction.

ANSWER: First of all, don't be worried about taking a wrong direction. The universe doesn't have a road map.

Second of all, you really don't have to make a choice between Buddhism and Huna. Huna is a practical philosophy that can be used to accomplish anything, even personal enlightment (once you've defined what that means to you). While Huna can be a way of life, it can also just be a set of tools that you use when needed.

Follow the path that gives you the greatest satisfaction, and pick and choose anything from any other system that helps you gain that.

A problem with deafness

2010-09-24T12:31:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I am confused by the idea that the world is what you think it is. Specifically, my son has a problem with deafness. A medical doctor who is an audiologist says that it is a genetic problem. An energy healer says that the main problem is fear of hearing something. I am inclined to think that the problem is emotional. I tried using Dynamind for a month using a statement that my son would be able to hear without a hearing aid, but there were no results. Please advise.

ANSWER: The world is what you think it is, but that includes the beliefs of your Ku as well as your Lono. The physical world, the emotional world, and the mental world are all real and have to be dealt with.

The physical world represents strong habitual beliefs that sometimes need the help of physical intervention. It was good to consult a medical doctor, but if he said it was a genetic problem, that means he doesn't know what's wrong, because genetic science is not advanced enough to pinpoint a genetic defect in the DNA what would result in deafness.

As for Dynamind, it only works when tension, emotions, and beliefs are the primary problems. It cannot do anything if the problem is primarily a physical defect or lack, or if the statement does not relate to a sensation in the body.

So, let's assume that the problem is related to a mixture of anger and fear, and let us assume that there is no conscious memory of any event that might have caused those feelings. Here is what I suggest:

1. Five minutes of thinking or quietly saying to your son, "Whatever this is related to, let's forgive it completely, because it doesn't matter any more." Do this as frequently as you can, but at least daily.

2. Then as many rounds of Dynamind as you have time for, using this statement until you notice some change: "(name)'s ear may be afraid of something and that can change. We want this fear to go away, we want (name) to hear very clearly."

It's possible that there may be many layers of tension to clear awy, so it may or may not take a long time to get results. I would guess that after a month there ought to be some noticeable change if the problem is primarily emotional.

Reincarnation

2010-08-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What is the Huna view on reincarnation? Can dreams be soul memories since there really is no time and space?

ANSWER: The first principle of Huna says that the world is what you think it is, so obviously beliefs about reincarnation depend on basic assumptions about life. If you believe in linear time and one life per person, then reincarnation is a fallacy and soul memories are a fantasy. If you believe in cyclic time and cyclic lives, then reincarnation is natural and dreams can be soul memories. If you believe in simultaneous time and lives as dreams, then sequential reincarnation is a very limited concept and all dreams are real. If you believe that time, space, and life as we know it are all illusions, then reincarnation is just a word and dreams cannot be soul memories.

And if you are able to change your basic assumptions according to need and circumstance, then you can believe in reincarnation on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; not believe in it on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays; and be open-minded about it on Sunday.

A Bit About Dreams

2010-08-10T12:55:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: How can you tell the difference between a dream and reality; is there any relationship between dreams and reality; and what role do feelings play in dreams?

ANSWER: First, from a shamanic point of view, "reality" is just a name for the dream you are currently experiencing.

Second, experience in one reality can affect experience in another reality (or, one dream can affect another dream).

Third, feelings are just feedback. They give you information that can guide you into changing feelings that you don't want, in any dream.

Psychic Reading Problems

2010-07-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I am a psychic reader and I would like your Huna perspective on several problems that I often encounter. First, how would you interpret dreams, especially when they are about other people? Second, what can I do when I get energy overload? Third, how can I connect to universal energy? And fourth, how can I avoid picking up a clientʻs condition? I have tried protection, but it doesnʻt work very well.

ANSWER: 1. Regarding dreams, they are always by you and about you, and sometimes they may also be about other people. If you dream about anger, assume itʻs a symbol of your own anger about something and then you can heal it. 2. For the energy overload, it can be very helpful to have a long talk with your body about the benefits of letting the energy go through, or shifting frequency so that it doesnʻt affect you (like radio waves that our body normally doesnʻt pay attention to). 3. We are all connected to universal energy all the time. Most people donʻt even realize it; some people feel it, but donʻt understand it; and some people use it. To connect with it, all you have to do is to think of it and imagine it flowing into and through you. 4. Regarding clients, what happens sometimes is that out of empathy our body mimics the clientʻs condition. There is no actual transfer of anything except information. You can tell your body not to mimic.

Multiple Personalities and Huna

2010-06-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I am wondering how the three aspects of the self (Ku, Lono, Kane) may play a role in the phenomenon that is sometimes called "split" or multiple personalities in psychology. Does Huna (or you) have any explanation for this?

ANSWER: For those not familiar with the terms, in the Kahili tradition of Huna "Ku" is somewhat analogous to the subconscious, "Lono" to the conscious mind, and "Kane" to the superconscious. The basic concept is that every problem produced by the Ku is actually an attempt to solve the problem of how to move toward pleasure and away from pain or, if Lono rles interfere, how to move toward a lesser pain. In relation to multiple personalities, Ku has memories of all the roles we play or have played in our life, all the roles we've seen or heard or read about, and all the roles our ancestors have used. So, when a particular role seems to be the best solution to a problem that Lono cannot or will not resolve, AND when Lono has inhibitions or rules about playing that role, then Ku may adopt that role in particular situations and suppress Lono's ability to recall that shift when the emergency role is no longer needed.

The Age of Huna

2010-04-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: How old is Huna?

ANSWER: As old as humanity. Huna is not unique to Hawaii, although the combination of ideas as a coherent philosophy may be. Here is a quote related to the fifth principle from "Memorabilia of Socrates," by Xenophon, written in the 4th century B.C.:

(Critobulus has asked Socrates how to make a friend) "It is reported," replied Socrates, "that there are some words so powerful that they who know them make themselves loved by pronouncing them." "And where can one learn these words?" added Critobulus. "Have you not read in Homer," answered Socrates, "what the Syrens said to enchant Ulysses? The beginning of it is thus--'Oh stay! Oh pride of Greece, Ulysses, stay!' -- "I begin to understand," said Critobulus, "and seeing this charm, which is so powerful to enchant and captivate the mind, is nothing but praise, you mean that we ought to praise a man in such a manner that he may not distrust we laugh at him, otherwise, instead of gaining his affection, we shall incur his hate."

Shamanic Initiation

2010-04-09T11:38:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: Today I had a session from an American Indian shaman (Mandan tribe). I told him about my Huna work. He asked me if I'd had an initiation ceremony, and I told him I hadn't. He explained to me that having no initiation means having no "license" from the spiritual world to act as a shaman. He said I should try to get one, otherwise I would never use my full potential. What is your opinion on that and how about Huna tradition? Is there any initiation ceremony available? My Huna teacher never mentioned it.

ANSWER: Shamans in different cultures have different rules about becoming a shaman. Among the Buryats of Mongolia, for instance, the most common way is to apprentice to a practicing shaman. They have no formal initiation, but you are considered ready to practice as full-fledged shaman when you have a particular type of spiritual experience. Other shamans in Siberia are inspired by spirit, or simply choose the path on their own. In Hawaiian tradition, it is common to be an apprentice until you can demonstrate the required skills, after which there may be a sort of "graduation" ceremony, but no formal initiation. Other Hawaiian shamans are inspired directly by spirit without a human teacher. If you follow a particular tradition, then you need to follow that tradition's rules. If you intend to become a Mandan shaman, it sounds like you need an initiation ceremony. If you intend to be a "neo-shaman" without a particular tradition, then you make up your own rules. In the end, though, what really matters is whether you can think like a shaman thinks and do what a shaman does.

Two for One

2010-02-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: Please, is there a way to use Dynamind for working with entities? And what is your opinion on food restrictions?

ANSWER: First, to work with an entity using Dynamind (DMT) locate one place in your body where you feel the presence of the entity, or a symptom of that presence, and make a statement like this: "I feel the presence of the entity in my (stomach, chest, etc.) as (an ache, a pain, a numbness, etc.) and that can change. I want that feeling to go away." Then tap and breathe. Repeat as needed, even when the symptoms, or the location of the symptoms, change.

Second, food is energy, and the real problem is either eating too much or not enough for the energy you need. In my tradition we eat anything we want in moderation according to our energy needs. Personally, I do very well on a low carb/high protein diet, but different people have different metabolisms and have to discover their own body's best way to eat.

A Spiritual Response To Negativity

2010-01-21T10:25:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I have been a spiritual reader for many years. Sometimes I run into a problem with tingling in my feet and low energy, especially when I am around people, like my body is absorbing their negative energy. It leaves me tired and drained to a point of not being able to read. I was wondering if you ever heard of this? I have been searching for the solution for four years now. I went to doctors, but was told that everything medical is okay.

ANSWER: According to my tradition, people do not drain you of energy, but your body may tense up around them and this may cause symptoms like you describe, plus dehydration and it's effects. You may want to try a technique called "Lovelight" when you are around people. It is similar to the "White Light of Protection," except that it is used for harmony instead of protection, and that is much more effective. Just imagine yourself surrounded by a light of any color you choose, and mentally tell that light to harmonize the energies around you. In addition to that you may want to try drinking more water when you are around people in order to help neutralize the tension effects.

2010-01-06T17:41:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: Where does Huna come from?

ANSWER: Huna is a Hawaiian word whose basic meaning is "something hard to see," and it is commonly used by Hawaiians to refer to esoteric knowledge, as in the phrase, "no'eau huna," meaning "hidden wisdom." It's application as a term for a whole system of esoteric knowledge and practice is modern. The first person to use it this way was Max Freedom Long. I have used it (with amused tolerance from my Hawaiian uncle) to describe the Kahili family tradition. In this tradition it is a set of observations about the nature of reality. In its present form of seven ideas or principles it was supposed to have come originally from the Pleaides and was incorporated into Hawaiian culture, although not all Hawaiians accept all seven ideas.

These same ideas can be found scattered around the world as part of different philosophies and cultures, because other people have made similar observations, but the only places I have found all seven ideas together are in the Gospels and in the Book of Proverbs.

Programming for Prosperity

2009-12-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: I have been programming for prosperity for quite a while, but I still feel like I'm blocked. What can I do?

ANSWER: Sometimes, when a path seems blocked and focusing on what you want doesn't seem to work, it's because we need to change something within ourselves. When money is concerned, it usually means we have to raise our sense of self esteem and self worth.

Improving self esteem and self worth is a lifelong process. Basically, it consists of continually improving your sense of worth and value in relation to everything else in your life. Practically, a good way to carry this out is to work at eliminating all self criticism and self doubt, and increasing self respect and appreciation. As always, the only tools we have for doing this are words, imagination, feelings, and behavior.

Dehydration

2009-11-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

QUESTION: You seem to emphasize the importance of hydration in many of your workshops, and the effects that dehydration can have on our bodies and minds. Aside from feeling thirsty, how can I tell if I am dehydrated?

ANSWER: By the time you feel thirsty (dry mouth and/or throat) you are probably already very dehydrated. There are two more classic indicators: one is to pinch the skin on the back of your hand - the more slowly it goes back to normal, the more dehydrated you are; the other is to check your urine - the more yellow and smelly it is, the more dehydrated you are. There are a lot of other possible indicators, but the problem is that they may be caused by a lot of other things besides dehydration. Personally, whenever I experience any of the following symptoms, the first thing I do is drink a glass of water: pain in my body on waking up, irritability, fatigue, racing thoughts, confusion, anxiety, insomnia. If I get any relief from the water I assume that dehydration is probably the main problem, and if I don't get any relief, I look for another cause. Before going to the medicine cabinet, calling a doctor, or using any of my many healing techniques, I also try deep breathing for a while, drinking a glass of milk, and taking a pinch of salt or a low-cal sports drink. These approaches work very well for me, but you will have to find out what works for you.

Child Discipline

2009-09-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What can I do to discipline my five-year-old daughter who learned terrible habits from my ex?

ANSWER: The most important thing to remember is that she is a five-year-old human being. As a human being her most basic non-physical needs are for acceptance and effectiveness. To the degree that these needs are filled from her point of view she will be in harmony with her environment. If she doesn't get enough acceptance she will try to replace it with effectiveness (usually as "power plays," "control tricks," or over-achievement). If she doesn't feel effective enough she will try to replace this with being more acceptable (submissive, dependent, or emotionally manipulative are usual ways). As a five-year-old she doesn't have a lot of experience to work with, so she will copy behavior learned from the other parent, from other children, and from television. The behavior she will learn best is that which helps her get what she wants, but she may have a limited number of resources to learn from. So the next most important thing to remember is that the root meaning of the word "discipline" is "to teach." You will need a lot of patience, but her behavior will improve to the extent that you teach her at an emotional level that she is loved, and teach her in a practical way how to be more effective in dealing with people and situations.

Past Lives

2009-08-26T18:47:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: How can I remember past lives and prove they are real?

ANSWER: Your belief is your only proof. If you believe enough, any evidence will be proof. If you don't believe, no amount of evidence will be proof enough. The easy way out is to believe in them when it is helpful to do so, and don't believe in them when it isn't.

Assuming they are real, look at places and cultures that interest you greatly, languages you learn easily, and talents you have that your family doesn't share. Studying these can trigger memories. Also, try dream recall, guided meditation, hypnosis, and self hypnosis.

2009-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What exactly is "shamanic healing?"

ANSWER: Here is one view. Shamanic healing is any form of healing in which the real objective is to heal spiritual relationships. The shamanic universe is a spiritual one, in the sense that everything is a spirit, including the universe itself, and everything is in some kind of relationship. Problems arise when two or more spirits get out of harmony. Because everything is related, two "idea spirits" in disharmony (i.e., conflicting ideas) can induce disharmony in one or more "body spirits" (i.e., body organs or functions), and vice versa. By healing the relationships (resolving conflicts) between ideas or body parts, harmony is restored for all concerned.

Although shamans are usually associated with dramatic ritual or trance techniques, in actuality they use whatever works. Common sense advice, herbs and medicine, massage and other physical interventions, psychotherapy and hypnotherapy - all these and more can be part of the shaman's repertoire, in addition to dramatic ritual and trance.

How to Send Healing

2009-07-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I've been asked to "send healing" for people and situations around the world, but how do I do this?

ANSWER: There are many techniques from different traditions and teachings, but all of them usually involve some combination of energy, words, and images. The words and images express your intent, and the energy gives power to your intent. The fundamental assumption behind all of this is that good thoughts can support good causes over great distances, just like prayer. So here is a basic process that anyone can use:

1. Take one very deep breath;

2. Say what you want (ex: "Let there be the right amount of rain needed in Texas");

3. See what you want (ex: rain clouds moving over Texas and releasing the right amount of rain);

4. Take another deep breath to finish.

Affirmations

2009-07-10T13:11:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: Do affirmations really work?

ANSWER: By themselves, affirmations really don't do anything. They are not "magical spells" that cause things to happen. In fact, the verbal part of a spell has little importance.

An affirmation affirms or asserts that something exists or is true. That's all. Because of that, it also puts your attention on what you are affirming, and helps take your attention off the opposite. Repeating an affirmation, therefore, helps keep your mind on what you want, and not on what you don't want. Do that enough and you establish a habit of thought. Choose words for an affirmation that trigger positive mental and physical associations, and you establish mental, emotional, and physical habits. So, affirmations really don't work... but they do.

Cold Sore

2009-07-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I got a cold sore and I know it was directly related to being angry with someone, but why did my body choose that expression and how can I reprogram it to not do that any more?

ANSWER: Your body uses memory, sensory awareness, and energy to react to all your mental and physical behavior. When you get angry, all your biosystems are highly activated, especially in the area of your body where you might habitually respond to whatever made you angry. This could result in angry words or fight/flight reactions. If you suppress the anger, however, your body tightens the muscles or organs in the habit areas to block memory, sensory awareness or energy/movement reactions. This tension distorts body functions and triggers further reactions that we call disease or illness. So, with suppressed anger, for instance, some people get headaches, skin problems, arthritis, tumors, or many other conditions. You can reprogram your body to react with a different symptom when you suppress emotions by using affirmations, visualization, and self hypnosis, for example, but suppressed emotions will always cause tension and result eventually in symptoms of some kind. The best approach for this is to reprogram your mind to react differently to unpleasant situations. As a very general but workable guideline, increasing your self esteem and confidence really helps to do this.

Improving Intuition

2009-06-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: How can I increase my intuition?

ANSWER: You may find this surprising, but the best way to increase or improve your intuition is to increase your sensory awareness, especially of things that interest you. This is because the more experience you have with something, the more sensitive you are to the most subtle information broadcast by whatever you put your attention on. If your interest is in engines or electronics, you will intuitively know how to fix them. If your interest is in people, you will intuitively know their fears and desires, problems and solutions.

2009-05-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: You have said that each of the three selves has its own form of pleasure that motivates its behavior. Can you say a little more about that?

ANSWER: Basically, in teaching Huna we assume that each individual has three "selves" or "aspects." We can call them Ku, Lono, and Aumakua, or simply Body, Mind, and Spirit. We also assume that the primary motivator for each one is toward some form of pleasure, and the secondary motivator is away from some form of pain. So, the Body moves toward the experience or expectation of physically and emotionally pleasurable sensations, and away from painful sensations. The Mind moves toward the experience or expectation of mental and emotional pleasure from the resolution of problems, which is evident in such things as the playing and creating of games, or the desire to solve problems in any field, and therefore it moves away from problems that seem to be unsolvable. Our Spirit moves toward the emotional pleasure of harmony, evident, for example, in the love of beauty in all its forms, and moves away from disharmony. This theory gives us a very effective basis for understanding and changing behavior.

Dream Changing

2009-05-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: In your classes you have stated that "if you can change your dreams, you can change your life." How do you do that?"

ANSWER: There are three effective ways to change your dreams in order to change your life (this does not include changing your life in order to change your dreams). These methods can be applied while you are asleep or awake, although for most people it is easier to do it while you are awake. The first thing you do is to recall the dream. Then you can apply one of these techniques: a) pick a point in the dream when you feel angry, fearful, or helpless, and use your imagination to change your reaction; b) pick a point in the dream and change the story so that it comes out the way you want it to; c) let the dream continue past the point where you woke up - this one may take awhile, but it will always resolve itself in a positive way if you stick with it long enough. In all three methods, the more sensory involvement (sight, sound, touch) and positive emotion you can add, the better the results. It works because when you change the memory of the dream, you are also changing the attitudes and expectations that gave rise to the dream in the first place.

Effective Affirmations

2009-05-07T12:36:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: How effective are affirmations for manifesting? And does emotion make any difference?

ANSWER: Affirmations can be very effective, once you understand how they work. And adding emotional energy to them makes them even more effective. The first thing to understand is that affirmations don't manifest anything on their own. What they can do very well, however is help to keep your attention on what you want. One drawback is that, if you only use verbal or written words, it can take a whole lot of repetitions before anything changes inside of you that allows the manifestation to take place. If you add emotion to the words, the energy influences your subconscious and the subconscious or anyone or anything involved, so that even though you may still have to do a lot of repetitions, you usually won't need as many. One further point is that even so-called negative affirmations can work if the intention is positive. A friend of mine with bad asthma used "I do not have asthma, I never have had asthma, I never will have asthma." It took him six months of emotional repetition, but it worked.

Spirit Guides

2009-04-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: My spirit guides used to give me good advice, but lately they've been telling me to do things that I know are wrong. Now I'm afraid some negative entities are just pretending to be my guides. How can I tell the difference, and what can I do about it?

ANSWER: Here are some guidelines that will help. If they don't help enough, it may be a good idea to seek professional help from someone who understands your beliefs about guides. Guideline #1 - Don't ever take orders from inner voices, no matter who they claim to be. You can listen to advice from any source you want, but reserve final decisions for yourself. Guideline #2 - Good advice is always given to increase good. If you get advice that encourages you to cause pain and suffering, it's not coming from a good source. Guideline # 3 - You have a right to reject advice. You can either not act on it, or "fire" the advisor. There is a big difference between hearing advice and following advice. And you can always order the advisor to come up with better advice or be gone (the more relaxed you body is, the easier it is to use this guideline).

Huna and Serious Healing

2009-04-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: What is the Huna approach to dealing with a serious illness?

ANSWER: The Huna approach to dealing with a serious illness is to use everything available to get well. That means using techniques and practices from all four levels of reality to whatever degree they are helpful. To use an example, someone I know very well came down with a very bad case of pneumonia. On a first level he used the help of a medical doctor who did some tests and prescribed antibiotics. At that level he also used herbs, massage, vitamins, and good nutrition. On a second level he used affirmations, self hypnosis, visualization, bioenergetics, acupuncture, and the healing prayers and sendings of family and friends. On a third level he used radionics, ritual, and shaman journeys. On a fourth level he grokked healthy memories, people, animals, and plants. The result was that in 90 days he was healthier than ever. The point is, Huna is all about effectiveness. If it works, it's Huna.

On Happiness

2009-03-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

Question: How can I be happy?

Answer: The usual approach is to wait until something happens that you like, and then passively enjoy it until something happens that you don't like. Of course, this makes your happiness completely dependent on your encounter with people, events, and circumstances. Another approach is to actively seek out what you enjoy, and avoid what you don't enjoy. However, this keeps you moving in and out of relationships and circumstances as you decide things are enjoyable or not, and tends to make your life unstable, as well as making it hard for others to relate to you.

Since happiness is a subjective experience that comes from your personal decisions about what is enjoyable or not, you can increase your happiness by changing your decisions. One easy way is to extend your tolerance for what is acceptable in circumstances and other people's behavior. Another very effective way to increase happiness is to cut down on comparing things, because most unhappiness comes from making negative comparisons. And if you want to be happy all the time, then practice unconditional love. It may or may not be possible to live in a state of unconditional love all the time, but the closer you get to it, the happier you will be.

Power Animals

2009-02-26T10:59:00.001-08:00

Question: What are "power animals?" Do they really exist?

Answer: "Power animal" is a term that has several meanings, depending on the cultural context. In general, it is a term used by shamans or their equivalents, but for some it refers to an actual animal used as a totem or a teacher, and for others is an animal that appears as a guide or teacher in another world. Whether or not the latter really exists depends on your view of the world. If you do not believe in alternate realities, then an encounter with a power animal during meditation or dreaming is obviously a product of one's subconscious. If you do believe in alternate realities, as shamans do, then it is an experience as real as any other.

Reaching the Higher Self

2009-02-19T16:10:00.000-08:00

Question: Why does Huna teach that we have to do through the subconscious to reach the Higher Self, especially when the subconscious may have doubts, fears, and beliefs that would interfere with the process?

Answer: First of all, it is only Max Long's version of Huna that says we have to go through the subconscious to reach the Higher Self. This idea is not based on Hawaiian cultural practice and it is not what my Hawaiian family taught me. Hawaiians have always spoken directly to God, nature spirits, and ancestors. Those who were brought up in Huna also spoke directly to the High Self. The three selves, of course, are not separate entities, but three aspects of one wholeness, so there is no chain of command and all selves are involved in every communication. However, the ancient teachers of Huna found that conscious communication with the subconscious or the High Self helps to focus and energize one's desires and intentions.

2009-02-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

Question: There should be information available in the universe about how to create what I want, even if no one has created it yet. How do I access such information, and is this the best way to go?

Answer: Since this is an infinite universe, all knowledge is potentially available through any source. Potentially, you could learn everything you want to know from a paper cup. Getting into the right state of mind to communicate with a paper cup is the tricky part. Getting the information you want from your Ku, through all your filters of fear and doubt, would be the tricky part, too. If often takes less energy, less time, and less trouble to get information from someone who already has it (or at least some version of it).

Aloha from Serge

How and Why I Started This Blog

2009-02-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

I've known about blogs for a long time, and every once in a while I've considered doing one, but when it came time to take some action I couldn't think of anything I wanted to say that wasn't covered in my books and articles. And then one day, the day before yesterday, in fact, I was giving someone some advice by email, then saving a copy in case the same advice might be useful to someone else, when it suddenly came to me that this would be a perfect reason for me to do a useful kind of blog.

Over many years I have given advice in print and by email on health, personal development, success, prosperity, spirituality, Hawaiian culture and Huna, and I've kept copies of most of it "just in case." Well, "case" has arrived, and so begins my blog called "Advice From The Islands."