Hawai’ian spirituality has its roots in ancient Polynesia. The ancestors of the people of Hawai’i were Polynesian explorers, considered to be the greatest explorers and navigators of the ancient world. They came to the Hawai’ian islands some 2000 years ago by boat, guided by Makani, the life-giving spirit of the air, in what we call the trade winds. Wind is the source of life in Polynesian spirituality, associated with the breath, also called Ha, and bringing the god Lono, the god of fertility and healing, as well as the spirit of aloha, the foundation of Hawai’ian culture. Aloha means “with breath,” and is commonly translated as “love.”

Kahuna is a Hawai’ian term used to indicate a person who is a master of their craft, usually someone who embodies knowledge of the old ways, whether it be canoe building, playing music, hula dancing, healing, soul work, or any other valued skill passed down through generations. Some of the kahuna who are masters in the art of healing are shaman, who work with mana, or life force energy, and who use chant, music and dance to reach altered states of consciousness in order to travel between the worlds, retrieving souls, helping spirits cross over, and doing healing work. The chanting, dancing, and drumming, which is central to Hawai’ian spirituality, is an expression of the intention and desire to blend energy with, and express oneness with, the natural world, the wind, the rhythm of the ocean waves, Pele's voice in the rumbling volcano, and the sounds of birds and other animals. Through this practice, the Kahuna can connect with the underlying energies of the islands, the spiritual energies, and from these sources, draw mana to help others.

Some of the concepts central to Hawai’ian spirituality are:

Aloha: The true root meaning of this word is very similar to “Namaste," a Sanskrit word translated as I bow before the god within you. Alo means “in the presence of," and ha means “breath of life,” so an aloha greeting acknowledges the presence of the creator within both people, and the oneness and love that exists within and between them.

Ohana: This word refers to family, as in extended family, mother, father, children, brothers and sisters, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandparents and all ancestors, as well as all things in creation, on earth, in the sea, and in the sky.

Amakua: The source, or origin spirit. Each family began as an Amakua, the original spirit of the family line. The Amakua is ritually fed and nurtured by the family, and prayed to daily. The Amakua connection is considered vital to the health and well-being of the family. The Amakua is present at birth and death, and guides the soul through these transitions. Every family has an Amakua spirit, which connects all family members as one.

I’AO: Infinite Light, the Eternal Creator. The original parent of Hawai’ian gods and goddesses.

Mana: Subtle life force energy emanating from all things in creation, same as chi, or prana. Kahuna healers store and direct mana to establish balance and help others.

Pono: Balance and harmony, alignment with source. Right actions, right thoughts, and right words maintain pono. When all things maintain proper interaction, balance and harmony are realized through the free flow of mana.

Serge Kahili is a Hawaiian healer who practices Huna, a modern healing system based on ancient Hawaiian spirituality. Huna means hidden, and refers to esoteric, highly protected Hawaiian practices of spirituality and healing. Kahili is the founder of Aloha International, a group dedicated to teaching these powerful practices, and sharing the highly effective methods of healing and good living, in pono, and with the aloha spirit.

According to Serge Kahili, www.alohainternational.org, there are seven basic principles or assumptions of Huna, and they are:

1. The World Is What You Think It Is

2. There are no limits.

3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

4. Now Is The Moment Of Power

5. To Love Is To Be Happy With

6. All Power Comes From Within

7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth

Kahili also describes the four aspects of the self, essentially archetypes, that effect human behavior and experience, and through which healing and balance can be maintained. They are described below, along with their functions.

1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua), inspires.

2. The Conscious Self (Lono) imagines.

3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) remembers.

4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) wills.

These can be seen to correspond with the lower, middle, and upper worlds so widespread in shamanism, and adds an inner world as well. He goes on to describe how the Huna practitioner learns to navigate these different selves, in order to align and balance them. He also describes four different dimensions or levels of reality which are mastered by the Huna practitioner in order to effectively help others. These are:

1. Everything is objective (Scientific reality).

2. Everything is subjective (Psychic reality).

3. Everything is symbolic (Shamanic reality).

4. Everything is holistic (Mystical reality).

The ability to switch views between these four levels allows the Huna practitioner to integrate all experiences, and be flexible and fluid in all realms, with all beings. In this way the shaman is like a bridge between the worlds, and can relate to all viewpoints, maximizing the ability to help others.

Kahili describes a powerful technique of working with mana to maintain pono, and live joyfully, with the Aloha spirit. This technique is one that is inherent in many indigenous cultures, and here is presented in simple, direct, Western terms. From www.alohainternational.org: “The way to tune into this Power [mana] and have it work for you is so simple that you might be tempted to pass it off as being too easy to be true. Please don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. Take the time to try it out. This is the most powerful technique in the world, and although it is extremely simple it may not prove easy, because you must remember to do it and you have to do it a lot. It is a secret which has been given to humanity over and over again, and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this: Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want!”

Now that is a very simple idea, yet revolutionary and infinitely powerful. It directly corresponds to the idea that Energy flows where attention goes. Kahili goes on to describe this process, defining the process of blessing as; “To bless something means to give recognition or emphasis to a positive quality, characteristic or condition, with the intent that what is recognized or emphasized will increase, endure or come into being.” He describes three reasons why this is highly effective. 1. Positive focus of the mind generates positive creative force from the universe 2. When your energy moves outward you become open to more power flowing through you 3. When you bless for the benefit of others you tend to bypass subconscious fears about what you want, yet the act of blessing and energizing for the benefit of another automatically increases the same good in your life, for you are affirming the energy of this good thing, which effectively increases it, because Energy flows where attention goes (repeated intentionally in order to emphasize the importance of this statement). He gives a list of things to acknowledge and bless in order to bring all the things you want into your life:

Health: Bless healthy people, animals, and even plants; everything which is well made or well constructed; and everything that expresses abundant energy.

Happiness: Bless all that is good, or the good that is in all people and all things; all the signs of happiness that you see, hear or feel in people or animals; and all potentials for happiness that you notice around you.

Prosperity: Bless all the signs of prosperity in your environment, including everything that money helped to make or do; all the money that you have in any form; and all the money that circulates in the world.

Success: Bless all signs of achievement and completion (such as buildings, bridges, and sports events); all arrivals at destinations (of ships, planes, trains, cars and people); all signs of forward movement or persistence; and all signs of enjoyment or fun.

Confidence: Bless all signs of confidence in people and animals; all signs of strength in people, animals and objects (including steel and concrete); all signs of stability (like mountains and tall trees); and all signs of purposeful power (including big machines, power lines).

Love and Friendship: Bless all signs of caring and nurturing, compassion and support; all harmonious relationships in nature and architecture; everything that is connected to or gently touching something else; all signs of cooperation, as in games or work; and all signs of laughter and fun.

Inner Peace: Bless all signs of quietness, calmness, tranquility, and serenity (such as quiet water or still air); all distant views (horizons, stars, the moon); all signs of beauty of sight, sound or touch; clear colors and shapes; the details of natural or human-made objects.

Spiritual Growth: Bless all signs of growth, development and change in Nature; the transitions of dawn and twilight; the movement of sun, moon, planets and stars; the flight of birds in the sky; and the movement of wind and sea. Living with this kind of awareness, with this attitude of blessing and gratitude, corresponds to the Mayan concept of Ayni, as discussed earlier, meaning reciprocity or exchange of energy. These ideas are presented here in a modern format, yet they are based on ancient Hawai’ian spirituality, bringing us this timeless wisdom in a fresh way. The Aloha spirit is a laid-back approach to life, one that is in harmony with the rhythms of nature, and in sync with all of life, and we can learn much from these ways.