Ho’oponopono is more than a forgiveness and healing mantra or ritual. Ho’oponopono, when embraced in its fullness, is a mindset and a way of being in the world. It is beautiful in its simplicity and profound in its ambit.

Based on an ancestral Hawaiian shamanic ritual, Ho’oponopono seeks to cleanse the consciousness of negative memories, unconscious fears, and dysfunctional programming – permitting forgiveness, peace and love. It is not a matter of forgetting or suppressing memories, fears and programming – but to release oneself from their control.

Sweet Tides Meditation practice incorporates this teaching as a way of orienting one’s thinking, relative to many situations, grievances, events and relationships. The Ho’oponopono mantra consists of repeating the phrase: I’m sorry; Forgive me; Thank you; I love you. Ho’oponopono teaches that when we forgive others, we forgive ourselves. And when we judge others, we judge ourselves. This is a spiritual truth, familiar to, or similar to, various religious traditions. The Gospel of Matthew reads: “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged” (Matt 7:1 NRSV). And “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy” (Matt 5:7 NRSV).

“The objective of Ho’oponopono is to connect you to your inner divinity through your soul” (Bodin et al., 2016, p.11). When a person embraces the Ho’oponopono mindset, they resort to it for everything. Each morning, with Ho’oponopono, one might ask their higher self or the divinity within to cleanse them of anything that could be problematic in the interactions the day might bring.

By regular practice of Ho’oponopono, you will experience increases in gratitude, forgiveness, joy and humility as well as increased self-love and self-esteem. Sweet Tides Meditation is committed to helping people to improve their emotional and physical wellness and balance. The utilisation of Ho’oponopono is an important part of this practice.