And here’s one more:
An Irishman Finds Aloha
Ten years ago, I began the study of myself through the use of
Ho’oponopono. I came into the understanding of this Hawaiian problem
solving process after years of study in Asian systems of healing, martial
arts, and energy work.
I had been through what could be called the wringer in terms of my
search for what could be understood as enlightenment, and being Irish, I
am always looking for the proof of the pudding (meaning seeing results
versus smokescreens of words). Being raised in South Boston,
Massachusetts (a tough as nails, Irish working-class neighborhood where
the sounds of gunfire and police sirens were like inner city birdcalls),
chances of discovering metaphysical understandings of the universe didn’t
often come up. So, upon finding an opportunity to attend a free lecture, I
jumped at the chance to check out this Hawaiian understanding of life.
What I found was very different. Many systems utilize and move
energy (like moving pieces on a chessboard). Ho’oponopono, however,
awakened me to how to erase the negative elements that manifest as
problematic situations inside myself (thus removing the chess pieces
altogether). I was intrigued, to say the least. Many of the concepts at the
time flew over my head, as all of the ideas were new to me. But at the
end of the lecture, I figured I would give the two free tools that were
given out as a gift a chance and began to use them as much as I could
during the day and throughout my massage practice to see if the proof of
the pudding was in the eating.
In the past, I practiced Tui Na, a form of Chinese medical massage,
and over time, my viewpoint began to shift in terms of my
understanding of treatments. Before doing the tools, I had a set
understanding of what was wrong within a person based on the Asian
traditions of energy and meridians. But as I used the tools, I noticed that
my understanding of the how or why changed and that it did not
correspond with my prior training, as I would be treating areas that had110 Zero Limitsccc_zero_077-112_evid.qxd 5/4/07 2:21 PM Page 110