PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

I was recently introduced to an ancient prayer…from of all places a T.V. show!

It comes all the way from Hawaii…

It’s called Ho’oponopono. (Hoe-oh-po-no-po-no)

It’s a simple prayer…four lines repeated…

with a more complicated goal…

A way to cleanse the spirit and rejuvenate the soul.

The first time I heard it …was around a father who was about to die…

The family used this prayer as a way to say goodbye.

The last message they wanted him to hear…before his life was through

was…I love you…Thank you…Forgive me…and I forgive you too.

The word Ho’oponopono means to make right…or correct

I’ve heard a similar mantra

I’m sorry…Please forgive me…Thank you…and I love you…

has the same effect.

The Hawaiians showed their wisdom.

They knew these four lines should include…

love, the giving and receiving of forgiveness…and finally, gratitude.

Love and gratitude are easy to understand and forgiveness they define…

not as forgetting but as a way of releasing the anger and resentment 

that destroys one's peace of mind.

And I thought how Ho’oponopono would be useful today

in a world where so much hatred and prejudice we are dispensing…

In a world where our conflicts need resolved and our spirits need a cleansing.

I think if anyone in conflict repeated the Ho’oponopono

our world would truly and finally be great…

because nowhere in this Hawaiian prayer does it mention the word hate.

I’m sorry…Please forgive me…Thank you…I love you…

I love you…Thank you…Forgive me…and I forgive you too.

In the Ho’oponopono I’ve gained a new perspective and appreciation…

because if you listen closely…hope is built right in to this prayer's pronunciation.