Hawaii Offers Spiritual Healing

There is something mystical about Hawaii that calls to people from all over the world.

One of the first astronauts to circle the globe recognized it from outer space.

As he looked down on Planet Earth, he remembers being deeply effected by two things he saw.

Smoke from the burning of the Amazon jungle filled him with despair and what he called the "exquisite emerald jewels in the middle of the Pacific Ocean," (Hawaii) filled him with joy. Garrison Keillor, of the radio program Prairie Home Companion, said while airing one of his shows from Hawaii, "When you return home from a vacation to Hawaii you just want to be a better person." After 9/11, Hawaii's governor gifted hundreds of surviving family members with a trip to Hawaii for purposes of healing. Many of them reported that they reconnected with their spirituality for the first time after the trauma while in Hawaii.

The call to Hawaii is stronger than any other single place on earth. Each year an international survey asks respondents to list their top ten fantasies of a lifetime. Year after year the list has only one fantasy that is a place, and that place is Hawaii.

It is not massive advertising of an idyllic island paradise that calls people to Hawaii from all over the world. Rather, it is the spiritual energy of this unique place which comes from three sources.

First is the position of Hawaii as a vortex of spiritual energy along the leylines of the earth. These lines of energy have been mapped and calibrated. Sacred sites identified by humans throughout history consistently fall along these lines with particularly powerful areas of energy openings occurring at special locations. An especially powerful opening is located in the vicinity of the volcano on the Island of Hawaii. Many have singled out this island, in particular, as having uniquely healing powers.

The Hawaiian Islands also have a naturally healing feng shui. Feng shui is an ancient Chinese art literally meaning, "wind" and "water." The focus of feng shui is on enhancing chi or life force energy. This is done by achieving balanced and harmonious energy in your environment. Nature is an important aspect of feng shui and Hawaii's natural elements offer optimal opportunities for balance and harmony. The islands are surrounded by crystal blue water, with a backdrop of emerald green mountains. The trade winds of Hawaii keep the air clear of pollution and assure not only a comfortable climate but also soothe and moisten the skin. On top of that is almost constant sunshine. The result is an environment, which invites openness, is nurturing and supportive and is visually healing.

Finally the spirituality of the native Hawaiian culture has implanted itself on the land and its people. We find it through aloha (the generosity and loving spirit of the Hawaiian people), aina (their loving and mutually nourishing relationship with the land) and mana (the spiritual energy that they attribute to all things).

Aloha Foremost among these qualities is the aloha spirit. It is more than a friendly greeting reserved for tourists---it's a way of life. Jack London wrote "In what land save this one is the commonest form of greeting not ‘Good day,' nor ‘How d'ye do', but ‘love'? That greeting is Aloha---love, I love you, my love to you."

This spirit of aloha, of generosity, forgiveness and love, comes from the native Hawaiian people. Remarkably it has survived in spite of over 200 years of oppression. Hawaiians struggle with self-esteem issues, experience severe health problems and have their share of social dysfunction. But the soul of the Hawaiian people has prevailed and they often offer us a model of peace and understanding.

The spirit of aloha of the Hawaiian people has infused itself deeply into the culture and personality of Hawaii. It diminishes the wounding aspects of Western culture---the fierce independence, competitiveness and materialism which isolate and diminish us in ways we don't fully understand. This aloha spirit is one of the enduring appeals of Hawaii that pulls people here in response to that deep longing that has no name.

Mana Accompanying the aloha spirit, but a separate and distinct concept which contributes to the magic of Hawaii, is mana (spirituality) Renowned chanter John Lake describes the concept of mana as recognition that there is an omnipotent force that is the first source. As the first source, it is embodied in all that is. Early Hawaiian culture saw a vast number of things as sacred, ranging from rocks to names to ancestors bones. What was sacred had power that could support or extinguish life.

The Hawaiian culture exhibits this belief in many ways. These include the tradition of opening and closing meetings with a pule (Hawaiian prayer) or chant. They also pray before beginning any healing activity.

The long-held belief of the people of these islands is that a supernatural, divine power is present in all that is, all that we say and do, and it contributes to the universal appeal of Hawaii.

Aina Finally, that belief in the spirituality of all things has had its effect on the land, the aina. One of the Hawaiian creation legends described nature and humans as siblings, created simultaneously. They were to be mutually supportive and loving.

Today, Hawaiian tradition maintains that relationship with the land by asking permission of a plant before picking it and using flower leis to honor and celebrate. And their chants and hula often reflect that mutually supportive relationship with nature.

Thus, although there are many beautiful places around the world, the position of the islands at a powerful energy vortex, the natural feng shui of the environment and the gentle spiritual nature of the Hawaiian people makes Hawaii a place of healing and transformation.

By Laura Crites