Hawaiian Shamanistic Healing: Medicine Ways to Cultivate the Aloha Spirit

The general topics covered are the physical, the spiritual, the hidden language of life, sacred space, rituals, rites, and prayer, as well as a few others. Chapters begin with a quote in Hawaiian with a translation. There are exercises at the end of each chapter which are not overly enlightening. There's a glossary of Hawaiian terms and spiritual terms.

The book is slow to start. As you move through the chapters you begin to feel more of the genuineness of the Hawaiian beliefs. In the beginning there are a number of overdone clichés. The start of the book is Hawaiian light. The writing is more about the typical spiritual language and ideas. Their language is overly flowery. Example page 14 "The journey of a shaman or healer is a most exquisite one in which the activity of trust becomes our most valuable attribute cultivated in order to survive the many challenges that will forge our faith, give us strength and teach us how to thrive in love along the way." With the exaggerated language it reads as less than genuine.

The exercises are actually a little vague on what you're supposed to do. In one exercise the description is to begin the day by facing the Sun and raising your hands Palms open as to recognize the Miracles of the day of 16. There's no description as to what you should be doing what your focus should be. However, the further into the book you go the better it gets. The exercises get better and more descriptive. The connection to the Hawaiian belief system is better described and incorporated in the writing. One chapter has eight principles of Hawaiian healing and another outlines a variety of rites.

There are gems throughout the book like this:
Pg 10 your personal beliefs are your blind spots to higher consciousness. when you hold a belief it becomes a limited container for a personal experience.

Pg 225 prayer is an act of devotion, a holy communion with our personal divinity. This means to connect deeply with the infinite power source of all life- the grace that resides within all beings and animates all things.

At first glance this book seems light on Hawaiian and depth. But diving a little deeper in the reader will find a connection with the author's interpretation of Hawaiian beliefs. This is very much a book of shamanic practices. The twist on it is that it takes it from the perspective of the Hawaiian belief systems.

~review by Eileen Troemel

Authors: Wayne Keolohi Powell and Patricia Lynn Miller
Llewellyn Publications 2018
pp. 270