The Age of Huna

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.