To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you
~Lewis B. Smedes
Ho’oponopono is a Hawaiian forgiveness ritual where you take responsibility for the situation whether you felt you caused it or not. Dr. Hew Len, teacher of Ho’oponopono explains that total responsibility for life means everything in your life, simply because it is in your life. If you take responsibility for your life, everything you see, hear, taste, touch or in any way experience, is your responsibility because it’s your life.
It is always about the “Self”…when you cleanse the self with I’m sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you…it’s not about the other person or animal at all, it’s between you and the divine. All of your experiences live within you. When you shift within, everything automatically shifts around you. When Dr. Hew Len cured a hospital of mentally ill patients, he never met any of them, but the case came into his life experience and he took responsibility for the experience by cleansing himself with Ho’oponopono.
This blessing will soften the tension and energy around tough situations. It will allow the emotions and energy inside you to move and not become stagnant. This will be helpful in shifting relationships spouses, veterinarians and other health professionals who differ in opinion with you especially regarding care options and releasing guilt and shame associated with the end of life process. It is beneficial to bless the self with the ritual in relation to the experience of other people or animals who may be directly or accidentally involved in the illness, injury or demise of your animal.
Ho’oponpono is always “I’m sorry…Please forgive me…Thank you…I love you.”…although I always like to start and end it with “I love you”. Remember it is always about you so remind yourself “Peace Begins With Me.“.