Huna is the name given to the Hawaiian traditional teachings. Huna means 'Secret' in the sense that how to balance Hu,(chaos), and Na, (order) requires initiation into the mysteries. The mysteries in all traditions are the set of assumptions about the world that worked. We know they worked because we are here now. Our ancestors were not foolish or dim, or inclined to believe in superstitious rubbish, they could not afford to. For them it was not a matter of ideology, dogma, or great leaps of faith, that all came later. They were practical, sophisticated people who had to accurately observe nature to survive. The main assumption they made, what is often called the Shamanistic world view, goes like this: THE WORLD IS ALIVE AND THEREFORE WE CAN COMMUNICATE WITH IT. IF WE ACT AS THOUGH IT IS ALIVE, IT BEHAVES AS THOUGH IT IS.
This has been rediscovered in our time in the realm of quantum physics and is referred to as the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, (Wave/Particle dualism) and refers to the fact that the act of observation ( ie. measuring or communicating) with a particle changes the particle.
In Hawaii the old ways lingered and recent years have seen something of a revival of their ancient teachings, known as Huna, which means secret. When the missionaries arrived in 1820 mental illness was unknown on the island, but with the suppression of the ancient ways, lethal new diseases and alcohol abuse, the Kahunas, the equivalent of shamen, almost died out and the people's problems multiplied.?In 1920 Max Freedom Long arrived on Big Island in Hawaii as a school teacher and became intrigued by the mysterious healings he witnessed and stories of great deeds he heard about. He had studied psychology and was convinced that the Kahunas had an understanding of the unconscious mind, recently 'discovered' by Freud. After many years of trying to penetrate the secrets of Huna, he gave up and returned to America.?Max was lying in bed back home one night when he had a sudden insight; what if the clue he was looking for was hidden in the language? Having made endless notes during his 10 years in Hawaii, he set to work straight away. Immediately this new approach bore fruit and he unravelled the concept of the 3 minds, and the techniques by which the Kahunas performed their magic.
The 3 minds are:
Another powerful interpretation of Huna is taught by Serge Kahili King in the form of these principles:
I was taught by Tad James in the lineage of the late great 'Uncle George Na'ope, a National Treasure of Hawaii, who did so much to revive the Hula dance tradition. His teachers were Papa and Daddy Bray. Morna Simeona, although also passed on, is known internationally for the Ho'o Pono Pono forgiveness technique used as part of the Truth and Reconciliation process in South Africa. I have taught this technique to soldiers returning from Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, The Falklands, and Northern Ireland, also many homeless people who have benefitted enormously from it. We are deeply grateful to these and many others for bringing this invaluable knowledge to us 'haoles'.