The Healing Magic of Ho'oponopono
A powerful practice for bringing deep healing to any situation
Healing for the Soul
There are a lot of healing techniques for ailments of the body. Medicines, surgeries, healthy diets, and other scientific treatments can all contribute to physical wellness.
But what do we do when the mental, emotional, or energetic body has been damaged?
We encounter these wounds of the spirit every day, in our own bodies and others… as well as in the spaces and places where traumas have occurred.
What if I were to tell you there’s a technique for healing and clearing that doesn’t require anything but your consciousness to work?
It’s been used to clear spaces of trauma and negative energy as well as to heal anxiety, trauma, heartbreak, and psychological imbalances so severe they required hospitalization.
Healing using the ho’oponopono healing technique is so simple, powerful, and effective, it really does feel like magic.
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In one of the most poignant scenes of my spiritual novel The Heretic, the main character Lily uses the ho’oponopono healing mantra to clear a space after something terrible happened that caused the place to feel angry and disturbed.
How often do we encounter a place in the world—or in our own bodies, for that matter—that just doesn’t feel right?
In Hawai’ian, the word *ho’oponopono literally means “to make right.”
I’ve used it on grumpy people on bad days.
I’ve used it on terrible situations that make me feel helpless.
I’ve used it on places that have been turned by dark energies.
I’ve used it to help integrate new energies into my consciousness.
And I use it regularly when I don’t know what else to do.
And while there are levels and layers of training possible to master the magic of this technique, you don’t have train, get certified, or even build up competency before you see results.
You can start right away…
You just have to do it.
The Miracle at Hawai’i State Prison
In the mid-1980s, Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len worked at the Hawai’i State Hospital for the criminally insane. The patients there were disturbed beyond normal functioning and couldn’t operate in everyday life outside the hospital.
Dr. Hew Len had trained in the ancient and powerful Hawai’ian healing technique ho’oponopono, and without even seeing the patients, he used this simple technique every day until everyone was cured.
He created a special office where he could sit and review files, and day in and day out—he read each of the files, repeating the phrases “I love you…” and “I’m sorry…” over and over again.
After a few months, the patients who were shackled were allowed to walk freely, and some of the patients were able to be taken off their medications.
The staff had always had high turnover and people often called in sick, but slowly they began to love coming to work.
After four years of repeating the ho’oponopono mantras every day, all the patients—even the hopeless cases—were healed and released back into society.
This incredible story was popularized in the book Zero Limits by author and spiritual teacher, Joe Vitale, who worked closely with Dr. Hew Len after the story began to circulate in spiritual circles.
But the ancient Hawai’ian healing method of ho’oponopono was originally adapted for the modern world and taught by Hawai’ian Kahuna Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona—an amazing woman and a pioneer in consciousness studies, who taught Dr. Hew Len the magic that cured his patients.
While Morrnah’s ho’oponopono method was made up of 12 steps, including Hawai’ian healing prayers and special breathing techniques, Dr. Hew Len found that the simple practice of simply repeating the ho’oponopono healing mantra created profound results.
The Ho’oponopono Healing Mantra
Fundamentally, ho’oponopono is a cleansing practice that clears out old stories, karma, wounds, traumas, and memories to make room for Love.
This healing mantra works with our unconscious mind to bring us back to a zero state, clearing out our patterns to make room for the Divine.
In the words of Dr. Hew Len:
“It is in the void, at zero, Divine Love resides, providing inspiration for perfect relationships, perfect health and perfect wealth. The responsibility and the function of the Conscious Mind or the Intellect, is to initiate the cleaning, to care for the Subconscious, teach it the cleansing process, and to ask Divinity for directions.”
Dr. Hew Len’s miraculous ho’oponopono technique is as simple as repeating these four cleansing phrases:
I love you
I’m sorry
Thank you
Please forgive me
The precise words are important, but you can say these phrases in any order… at any time… for any problem!
As you say the ho’oponopono healing mantra, you’re actually clearing everything that is not Love from your system.
I Love You
Saying “I love you” is like a code to unlock healing.
You’re saying “I love you” to everything—to the person or problem you are struggling with, to whatever feelings are arising, to the world that created these circumstances, to yourself and anyone else in your space.
Love brings us back to a zero state—a space where the pure essence of your Divine Self can play.
I’m Sorry
The phrase “I’m sorry” recognizes that your system can become cluttered with unhelpful energies and takes responsibility for releasing whatever has become stuck.
It’s an acknowledgement that something needs to be cleared.
In ho’oponopono, we take total responsibility for whatever arises in our lives.
As part of the healing mantra, simply saying “I’m sorry” might mean:
I’m sorry for whatever is inside of me that is creating this difficulty.
or…
I’m sorry for whatever patterns I have taken on from society or inherited from my ancestors.
or even…
I’m sorry because I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry” is a profound acknowledgment of responsibility for our lives.
Please Forgive Me
When you say “Please forgive me” as part of the ho’oponopono healing mantra you’re actually asking Love to help you forgive yourself.
Only you can offer yourself the forgiveness you need.
This little prayer is a huge step toward forgiving yourself for whatever unhelpful patterns or energies you’ve been running… or more accurately, whatever unhelpful patterns or energies have been running you, that are ready to be cleared.
Thank You
Finally, “Thank you” acknowledges the amazing power of this process.
As you presence gratitude for the amazing clearing taking place, you say “Thank you” to Life for the Love that is being created in you through this practice.
You cultivate profound and powerful gratitude.
Cultivating Your Healing Practice
You can say the phrases of the ho’oponopono healing mantra in any order you want.
Sink into the feelings as you say the words.
I love you…
I’m sorry…
Thank you…
Please forgive me…
Take a deep breath and let go of all thoughts and attachments.
I’m sorry…
Please forgive me…
I love you…
Thank you…
Allow these cleansing energies to flood your entire system.
Please forgive me…
I love you…
Thank you…
I’m sorry…
You can say these phrases even if you don’t mean them and they’ll still hold some power…
Thank you…
Please forgive me…
I’m sorry…
I love you…
But for the biggest impact, feel each phrase deeply as you say it.
I love you…
Thank you…
Please forgive me…
I’m sorry…
→ That’s where you’ll experience the quickest, most profound transformation.
You can say the ho’oponopono healing mantra before an important meeting or conversation, when you’re having difficulties with a person or circumstance, when you’re not feeling well and don’t know how to move forward, when someone in your life is having a hard time, or for any other reason you can think of.
Over time, as you practice repeating the ho’oponopono healing mantra in your head, you can actually get to a place where you are saying it all the time in the background, so that you’re constantly clearing your system and your space to make room for Divine Love.
Thank you…
I love you…
I’m sorry…
Please forgive me…
Personal Questions for Deeper Exploration
What areas of your life could use a little healing?
What does it feel like in your body when you are deeply present with the ho’oponopono healing mantra?
What do you notice opening up as you practice using the ho’oponopono healing mantra in daily life?
Loved this Allysha - Ho'oponopono is a powerful manta, prayer and meditation.
And the answer to your question is ... family gathering! But I admit, I looked it up. 💜
My husband, daughter and I were very excited to be in one of Dr. Hew Lin's workshops years ago. While standing in line, early for the workshop we were just observing others around us. All of a sudden, I noticed Dr. Hew Lin walking along the walls of the facility. He was alone, and moving his hands, mouthing the prayer. He was preparing the location for all of us ahead of time. Such a loving person. He mentioned during the workshop that he could teach the concept in 20 minutes. But people in general had so much blocking their thought process, that we needed to clear it before we could let the teaching in. I understand. Thank you, Allysha.