The Book of Ho’oponopono: The Hawaiian Practice of Forgiveness and Healing

A Simple But Profound Practice

Before I read The Book of Ho’oponopono, I had heard about the technique from a few different sources. It is a deceptively simple practice. You use a set of four phrases to heal the energy around a situation or challenge:
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”

This short but excellent book begins by explaining the practice and its origins. There are plenty of anecdotes and quotes, and the narrative soon sweeps you away on a journey of greater understanding. The second chapter is titled “From the Psychological World to Quantum Reality,” and encompasses neuro-linguistic programming, psychogenealogy, and past lives. Lest this sound a bit too “out there,” let me just say that the concepts are interwoven in ways that make sense and allow the reader to ground the information in his or her own life.

I like the description of our fears, values, and old beliefs as “erroneous memories.” These false perceptions are the origins of the problems we encounter in our lives. “Because you remain stuck within the same negative thought patterns, you continue to attract the same contentious situations.” Using Ho’oponopono allows you to free up the energies that were mired in these erroneous memories.

While the book undoubtedly sounds like it centers on spiritual topics, it actually includes quite a bit of science, as well. The authors are well-informed about recent studies in psychology, genetics, and other topics that relate to our patterns and behavior. They do also include the connection between Ho’oponopono and shamanism, prayer (again with scientific studies to back up their assertions), and quantum metaphysics. The authors weave all of these disparate topics together seamlessly, and ultimately describe Ho’oponopono as “an art of living, not a therapy.”

In Chapter 3, the authors talk about how this ancient technique works well with various philosophies and religions. They touch on the Law of Attraction and how Ho’oponopono helps you to become a conscious creator. “You can go to great lengths when you are vibrating with all your love and gratitude toward the little unexpected things in life. The more thankful you are for what you have and how it fulfills you, the more abundance will nurture you. The more love you give to life, the more it will return.”
The final chapter briefly sets the stage for how you can take Ho’oponopono into your daily life. It encourages the reader to take the technique and make it his or her own.
The Book of Ho’oponopono was translated from the original French version. The translator has done a wonderful job with the translation. The text reads smoothly and retains what I imagine is the somewhat poetic language of the original. The three authors, while they each have their own style and specialties, have done well in crafting the book so that it reads smoothly and as a unified text.

While I was reading the book, I tried the Ho’oponopono technique for myself, and found it to be very effective. I’ve since added it to my own spiritual practice, and I love how it is so simple and portable, yet the effects can be seen almost immediately, both within my own psyche and in the changes in my outer-world experience. Read this book, and then try it for yourself!

~review by Nikki Starcat Shields

Authors: Luc Bodin, Nathalie Bodin Lamboy, and Jean Graciet
Destiny Books, 2016 (English translation)
pp.150, $14.95