Ho’oponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice for emotional healing and for opening the heart to the connection with our True Self.
It’s become famous through the book “Zero Limits” by Joe Vitale, which is a delightful read if you want to learn some anecdotes related to the practice and to dive more into its origins.
The mantra is made of 4 basic building blocks, four simple phrases that contain all the fundamental elements of Spiritual Awakening: the love for yourself and others, the compassion in front of any suffering, the ability to forgive yourself and others, and the state of gratitude.
Traditionally you will see the phrases recited starting from pain to love:
I am sorry, please forgive, thank you, I love you.
In this meditation I preferred to start from “love” instead, because for me it’s like a calling for the Spirit. In general, you may want to repeat the phrases in the order that you “feel” more: for instance, if you feel sad or down, you may start with “I am sorry.” If you feel grateful, you may begin with “Thank you”.
You can also focus on some of the words, without repeating all of them. Just follow your intuition and do what feels best.
In the beginning, I suggest you really evoke in your heart the vibration of each word or phrase. After some time of practice, you will find that it begins to happen effortlessly… that’s when you will probably slide down in a refreshing trance-like state of healing. For some of you, it may even happen the very first time.
Let your heart sing with every breath you take in and out. Let the breathing become extremely slow, deep and relaxed… that’s all you need to do to call the powerful forces of healing to your doorstep.
Some clarifications on the phrases:
“I love you”
I like to use this as a calling to my Higher Self, or to my Spirit.
But it can also be your Higher Self who is speaking to your “little you”.
If you are suffering, or if you are feeling resistance, it may very well be the voice of your Spirit saying “I love you, you are good, everything is going to be fine. I love you for what you are, because you are perfect and unique. I love you when you fail and when you succeed, because you are beautiful just the way you are”
“I am sorry”
Who is sorry? And for what? You are now declaring your choice to acknowledge your mistakes and to do something different. You are taking responsibility for what you experience, and for the experiences you don’t prefer you say “I am sorry”, thus seeding the intent to move towards a better version of yourself.
“Please forgive me”
Here you may be talking to your Higher Self, or to God, asking for forgiveness. But you may also be talking to someone you hurt; it really depends on the situation.
It’s important to remember though that you can fully receive forgiveness only when you forgive yourself, which is usually the most challenging part.
“Thank you”
When you say “thank you” you are most of all expressing faith in the positive change. You are contacting the feeling that you are supported and loved, that everything is going to find its balance.
You may also be thankful for the simple fact of existing and experiencing life, which is a very powerful vibration to embrace, one capable of sending great gifts at your doorstep.