The ho’oponopono symbol comes in several flavours. Each of these expresses a phase of ho’oponopono’s psychic cleansing. These are the symbols taught at workshops by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len.
There is nothing wrong with them. Yet, as Alfred Korzybski is known to have said ‘The Map is not the Territory’.
A symbol is just that – a symbol – the representation of something (rather like the sign for a woman’s public lavatory isn’t made of women, lavatory basins, or is a place to urinate).
Universal Symbol for a Woman’s Public Toilet
The symbol suggests the woman’s gender, yet fails to indicate its purpose. It’s up to the viewer to fill in this detail for themselves.
The original symbol used by Hawaiians to denote an individual was (according to the founder of today’s ho’oponopono movement), simply a triangle contained within a rectangle.
An Hawaiian symbol for a person as described by Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona
I rather like this depiction because it shows the way in which wavelengths (vibrations) become longer at the base of the triangle. That the apex links to something greater (the rectangle), and that it’s undifferentiated within the triangle (indicating how the various elements that make it up are at once subservient to the Divinity which contains them, and may (to some extent) travel between levels (in the same way that your own consciousness may be uplifted to great heights at one moment, and at an other rooted to earthly concerns or pursuits.
The rectangle represents the four cornered stability of Divinity, and the area beyond it the vast unknowable.
Dr Hew Len’s adaptation of the symbol makes it far easier for our Western minds to understand.
The rectangle now forms the head of the structure, and the Superconscious (Amakua), Subconscious (Unhipili), and Conscious Mind (Uhane), are all differentiated into separate sections.
Although Divinity is at the symbol’s top, it should be noted that it lives outside of the person. In various other esoteric systems it hovers above the level of our physical heads.
We do not own it (in the same way that we’re wed to our subconscious, which is ours alone).
The Psyche (as described by Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len)
When we are in alignment, Divinity is felt to permeate all layers (It does so at all times, yet sometimes is obscured as we will see below).
Someone who is inspired by Divinity, is capable of seeing and treating the world reverently because they know it’s simply a part of them.
Our subconscious is a wonderful life-long friend. Together with consciousness it forms a part of our soul.
Its purpose is to remember, so that we don’t have to search for our keys, or learn how to drive each time we get into our cars. In old times this was also applied to the practical sides to fishing, cooking and much of celebrating our cultures. This remains true today.
However, our subconscious can ‘worry’ overmuch, and even produce psychological illnesses.
When this occurs (in ho’oponopono) we say that our subconscious has blocked the inspiration from Divinity which is our birthright.
Whenever a memory is invoked, it blocks your access to intuition.
The only way to get beyond this is to clean (and discharge any Karmic-Data which is obscuring the path to Divinity’s inspiration.
The Subconscious prepares your body for changes and requests permission to execute them via the Superconscious, right up to Divinity.
The superconscious is similar to the collective unconscious in the Analytical Psychology of Carl Jung. It’s also the home of all of our ancestors.
The Superconscious has direct access to Divinity, knows its language and can communicate effectively with it.
If Divinity agrees, it will remove the troublesome emotions surrounding the memories in the subconscious, and fill the void left with white light.The restoration of peace due to the intervention of Divinity.
When this has occurred, living in inspiration (at least around this area of life) is restored.
These are the traditional symbols of ho’oponopono, as well as the more modern version.
Although only symbols, and so not the ‘thing itself’ they are powerful sigils, and not to be abused or mistreated.
