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Giving Freely

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Here's a quote on giving by Charles Fillmore.

“A gift of reservations is not a gift; it is a bribe. There is no promise of increase unless we give freely, let go of the gift entirely, and recognize the universal scope of the law. Then the gift has a chance to go out and to come back multiplied. There is no telling how far the blessing may travel before it comes back, but it is beautiful and encouraging fact that the longer it is in returning, the more hands it is passing through and the more hearts it is blessing. All these hands and hearts add something to it in substance, and it is increased all the more when it does return.”

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That quote reminded me of these quotes about water:

In every glass of water we drink, some of the water has already passed through fishes, trees, bacteria, worms in the soil, and many other organisms, including people.
~Elliot A Norse


All the water that will ever be is, right now.
~National Geographic,
October 1993


Between earth and earth's atmosphere, the amount of water remains constant; there is never a drop more, never a drop less. This is a story of circular infinity, of a planet birthing itself.
~Linda Hogan

And that reminded me of the recent post about being in the "flow" and waterfalls. Which brings me to what I'd like to talk about today:

I'm wondering if it might possibly be true that the energy of money, the flow of generosity and kindness, all the receiving and the giving we do falls also into that same category of neither diminishing nor increasing.

Could it be that we just pass energy around much the same way that water gets passed around? Could it be that there are dry seasons and wet seasons? That (when it comes to prosperity) some of us are the Willows and Sycamores, and others of us are Baobabs and Barrel Cactus? That there are deserts and wetlands? And that however the energy flows to us and through us, we are each one doing the best that we can, and are beautiful in our own unique ways, and exactly perfect how we are in this now moment? What if giving has nothing at all to do with receiving more and everything to do with having already received plenty?

Assuming that is the case, and the metaphor is appropriate, I have some questions for you:
  1. Have you noticed that your prosperity does indeed have "wet" and "dry" seasons? Or is there more of a tendency for it to remain pretty evenly dispersed?

  2. Do you "store up" what comes in (like the baobab or the cactus)? Or do you absorb it and use it right away?

  3. Are you more comfortable with "wet feet" like the Sycamore? Or, do dry periods stimulate and invigorate you?

  4. What stimulates you to grow? What encourages you to dig deep and expand your boundaries? If you were to write a "horticultural" profile of your ideal financial "environment" what would it be? Wetlands? Rain forest? High plains? Desert savanna? Tropical island? What?

The Road To Hell

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Our intentions carry us a long way. If all we do day-in and day-out is bitch about how much life sucks, and don't take any action to resolve it then guess what your having for breakfast the next day? A big order of suck-ass leftovers.

~Matt Westgate


I grew up with the precept: "The road to hell is paved with good intentions." And when I read the above quote, that's exactly what came into my mind. And, yesterday, it occured to me that it's exactly where I am with our current project. Not in those exact words, but in the spirit of the quote.

For example: I have been wiffle-waffling and pussy-footing all around this issue of giving and receiving, making grand statements to myself of what I'm planning to give and then, at the last minute, changing my mind, or losing my confidence, or flat out forgetting.

Here's my "intention" for this project: I would like to be "She From Who All Blessings Flow." In my dreams, I wander the earth like a Wizard from Earthsea mending the broken, finding the lost, and healing the sick. In my office, I have stacks of books that I talk about giving away. I have plans to teach Reiki and share what I know about animal communication and healing.

And so far: all of the above has been just a lot of bla bla bla. While I'm not (recently) bitching too much about how life sucks, I have been doing quite a bit of grumbling to myself about how I'm not sure about "giving and receiving," that I have "issues," and how I don't know how to get "there" from "here." And, if only my life was somehow different, if only I could do "real" magic, if only this and if only that...

Holding that thought in mind: I walked into work yesterday and having said "Hello" to a fellow coworker, I took the time to really look at her, and really listen to her body language, to "give" her my full attention. Then I asked her, "So, what do you need?" After the usual banter about more money... to win the lottery... etc... she said that what she really needed was someone to do her taxes for her, and did I know anyone. Simple, nothing complicated, just a basic tax form.

And I thought to myself... here's my opportunity to put my money where my mouth is. So, I said, "I'll do it for you. We can sit down together, it won't be very hard. Just get the forms from the library and we'll get it done." She offered to pay me, and I said "Hell no. It's really easy. No big deal."

The next person I talked to was a coworker who is always pretending to be happy to see me, when, in reality, he's just full of himself and couldn't care less if I live or die. We have a sort of running joke that started one day when he was telling me how much he "loved" me, and I just wasn't believing it, sounded like just a lot of bla bla bla to me... and I wasn't in the mood for phony baloney conversation, so I said, "You don't love me. If I quit my job - if I died tomorrow, you wouldn't even notice that I wasn't here. Months - even years would go by and you'd never mention my name even one time." So, now whenever he sees me, we joke about how he really does care whether or not I live or die, and I'm still not buying it.

Anyway.. he was admiring my jacket and asked me if I'd "will" it to him. And I said, "You really like it? That much? Ok. You can have it." And I took the jacket off and gave it to him. It turns out that the jacket didn't fit, and so he gave it back to me... but I have to tell you how freeing it felt to just give him the shirt off my back. I felt unbelievably light when I did it!

So, these are my "stories of giving" from yesterday. How about you? Do you have stories of giving?

Stories of Giving and Transformation

Friday, March 28, 2008

I found this article really interesting. It's kind of long, and if you want to download it as a Microsoft Word document you can click here. Some of it doesn't really apply to our project, but much of it does. I am hoping you find it as thought provoking and interesting as I did. I'd very much like to hear your thoughts on it!

Stories of Giving and Transformation

(Keynote address given to approximately 80 leaders, directors and volunteers of food distribution programs from across Western North Carolina.)

by

Craig White,
Center for Participatory Change

What I’m going to talk about today is giving. How we do it, and how we think about it, and the stories we tell about it.

But first, I’ve got a couple questions for you. I’d like to know—who here has been involved in any way in a food distribution project—the Manna Food Bank, or food pantries, or soup kitchens, anything like that, raise your hand? Okay, good, I’m in the right place. Next question—who here has, at some point in their life, been on the receiving end of that relationship—getting a food box, going to a soup kitchen, whatever? Raise your hands? I’m raising mine on this one too.

Thank you. First let me say, those people that raised their hands both times, those are your experts, they’re worth listening to.

Second, I invite you to reflect on how that felt—if you raised your hand for the first question, publicly acknowledging your contribution to feeding hungry people, how did that feel? If you raised your hand for the second question—publicly acknowledging, in this room full of strangers, that you have received some sort of food assistance at some point in your life—how did that feel? And if that second question was true for you but you chose not to raise your hand—how did that feel?

Two simple questions, but it brings up a lot of stuff, doesn’t it? That’s why I want to talk about giving.

Your giving

I also want to call your attention to how you are feeling physically: satisfied, full. Many, many people in North Carolina take that feeling for granted. You don’t.

You know that there are people in our region—there are people within just a few miles of us, here, today—that will go to bed hungry tonight. Some of you, at one time or another, have been hungry yourselves. Well, okay, we all know there are hungry people in the world, it’s too bad, right?

No. It’s worse than too bad. Whether you are looking at one of our counties…or our nation…or our world as a whole, you know this truth: There is enough. There are enough resources on this planet that no person needs to go to bed hungry. The fact that people are hungry—that millions of people are hungry, in this day—is fundamentally wrong. It is wrong. There is no excuse, no policy, no political system, no economic structure, that makes hunger okay.

Y’all do something about it. You can’t feed every hungry child in the world, none of us can, but many, many people look at the fact that they can’t do everything and let that keep them from doing anything. Not you. You do something. In your organizations, in your food pantries, in your community centers, in your churches, in this food bank, you do everything you can to see that nobody that you can help will go hungry.

I want to honor you for that. Deeply. Your giving of your time, your energy, your money, your wisdom to food distribution programs. You have also given your time, your energy, your wisdom, your learning, to this series of trainings, some of you as trainers, some of you as participants. You have made yourselves more effective…more resourceful…more experienced…better advocates…better fundraisers…better at giving.

Your giving makes a difference…the difference between being hungry and being fed…between being sick and being well…sometimes the difference between life and death. Your giving is important, and I honor you for it.


Stories
What are the stories we tell about giving?


I learned two different stories about giving while I was growing up. Stories are important, you know? Stories are the way we understand ourselves and the way we understand the world around us. Personal stories. Family stories. Stories of place. You could even say that everything we do, from birth to death, is the story that we are telling the world about who we are and how we fit into Creation. Stories have power.

So I learned two different stories about giving. Giving was a big part of my life, growing up. Not that we ever called it that. It was just the way things were between the families that lived on our long dirt road.

We got eggs from Geneva, she was an elderly woman who lived alone with her chickens. When the car wouldn’t start, we didn’t call AAA, we called Old Man Wentzell. My brother and sister and I wore hand-me-down clothes from families with older kids.

In return, the neighbors enjoyed corn and beans and raspberries from our garden. When our car finally died, we gave it to the Wentzells for spare parts. My mom looked after other families’ children. And she would make custard to give to Geneva on the way home from church, staying to chat while we kids chased the chickens.

All of that was giving. Lesson number one is, tangible forms of giving count for a lot when you’re poor—clothes, food, firewood, childcare, car repair.

Lesson number two is, the intangible forms of giving count just as much. For example…Geneva was old and she lived by herself. Spending time with my mom every Sunday, watching three children laughing and falling over each other chasing chickens, was a tremendous gift to her. In fact, even though we are talking about families where meeting basic needs of food and clothing and shelter was an issue, I still might say that those intangible things we gave each other were the more important: dignity, friendship, belonging, knowing somebody cares how you’re doing, being needed by somebody else. The intangible forms of giving are important!

Now, I don’t want to give the impression we were living in some dirt road utopia. In fact, a lot of our families didn’t even like each other. But for people without a lot of money, this system of giving and giving back was essential in getting ahead, and sometimes just in getting by.

Is this sounding familiar to anybody? Raise your hands?

If this doesn’t sound real familiar to you, let me explain: It wasn’t a straightforward economic exchange—you give me the eggs, I give you the firewood. It was just we helped out other people when we could, we shared when we had extra, and we knew they’d help us out when they could.

So that’s the first story I learned about giving. When I talk about it now, I use the word reciprocity, which means giving and receiving at the same time, giving and getting back are the same action. But I want to be clear we didn’t talk about it that way then, we didn’t talk about it at all, we just did it, because it was what people do.


Second story of giving


The other story I learned about giving was more explicit; people talked about giving, and it had the name of charity, and where we mostly talked about that was in church.

Now, as an adult, I have studied religion, and I have found that giving is part of the ideals of most spiritual traditions. Usually there’s an emphasis on selflessness, or self-sacrifice. There’s the Christian ideal of charity—giving out of plenty; “I was hungry, and you gave me food.”—and the central example of giving is the self-sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. In the Jewish tradition, there’s the concept of mitzvah—which means giving to others in such a way that you receive no human recognition or acknowledgement—if somebody knows you did it, it’s not a true mitzvah. The Muslim ideas, in the Quran, about generosity and selfless giving, even to the point of giving up everything for others, as a way of emphasizing that nothing is ours but what is given to us by God, by Allah. In many nature religions, the model for giving is the Earth, who meets all of our needs with her generous bounty, and we are called to treat other living creatures with the same generosity.

Very different religions, right? But this common ideal of selfless giving.

I point out those ideals to make the point that in my experience, in my church, there was a gap between those ideals and the reality. Talking about charity, the text was the Bible, which says a great deal about our relationship with the poor… the subtext, however, was ‘Praise God that we aren’t poor.’ There was a lot of talk about helping the less fortunate, and a lot of pride and self congratulation that we were not among the less fortunate.

The way they told the story, it was clear that charity was only one-way giving. It was not selfless; it was tainted with self-aggrandizement, with paternalism, and with pride. It was rooted in what I would call today the dynamics of class privilege and oppression. To be a giver was to be superior, a benefactor, a good Christian. To be on the receiving end meant that you were inferior, lesser, the humble beneficiary of Christian charity.

There was a big gap between the ideal and the reality. Is this story sounding at all familiar to anyone?

Of course as a child I had no problem with this! I proudly gave pennies of my allowance to the church and its missionary efforts, and I knew that helping those less fortunate people meant I was a good person.

And then, one Thanksgiving… a group of ladies from the church came to our house with a big basket of food for my family.

A group of ladies from the church came to our house with a basket of food for my family. And with that simple—well intended, and generous—act… because of the way they defined giving… they redefined my family. Now we were the less fortunate.

Well. My mother told them, “No thank you, go on and take that basket to somebody who needs it.” I think she even added in a couple of cans of food. Because Mom understood that kind of giving. Remember: the intangibles are important. To take that basket, in the context of the way they were telling the story, would be to confirm their belief in their own superiority… and the righteousness of their very public charity. My mother was being asked to take a basket of food in exchange for her family’s dignity. We just weren’t that hungry.

It’s not that we were too proud to take a gift. That’s often how that dynamic gets described, when poor people won’t take charity, oh, they’re too proud. It’s not that—it’s that my mother knew a bad deal when she saw one, and to exchange her family’s dignity for a lousy box of food was no deal!

The issue is the lack of reciprocity. We were already part of a network of giving, right?…neighbors helping neighbors, giving and giving back, giving that upholds and strengthens the dignity, the generosity, the resourcefulness of everyone involved. But that one way giving, the type of charity I saw from those church ladies—that ignored our network, denied our resourcefulness, eliminated our opportunity to be generous, and stole our dignity.


Foundations and nonprofits


This came up for me again very recently, when I attended a foundation luncheon where the speakers, one after another, talked about helping the ‘less fortunate.’

Less fortunate. Less fortunate. At the time, I was mostly annoyed at the implication that wealth and poverty are simply a matter of good or bad luck—with no recognition of the systems of privilege and oppression that have shaped our history.

And later, thinking about it, I realized that euphemism for poverty—the less fortunate—also obscures the kind of reciprocal giving I grew up with, just like those church ladies did.

The way they’re telling the story of giving, charity requires a belief that the recipient is less fortunate than the giver. It cannot be an exchange between equals. So to maintain that fiction, the giver needs to make invisible the creativity, generosity, and resourcefulness of the people they wish to ‘help.’

It shouldn’t be surprising, actually—we know that the whole system of foundations and nonprofits was developed at a certain point in our history, and by a certain segment of our population, who were not a bunch of country folk on an old dirt road. So the story of giving that got built into those systems is not the story of reciprocity, but the story of charity.

I want to be as clear as I can about what I am saying. As somebody who grew up poor, and who has worked with foundations and nonprofits for all my adult life: I fear that often our institutionalized forms of charitable giving are making invisible an entire system of poor people’s reciprocal giving. For my family, that system of giving had far more direct impact on alleviating the conditions of poverty—meeting basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, heat, dignity—than any foundation or nonprofit ever did—and it troubles me deeply to see it ignored, dismissed, or made invisible.

From the looks I’m getting, there are some folks here who know exactly where I’m coming from…and other folks who I am making uncomfortable…thank you for not throwing anything…yet…

Again, I want to be clear: I am not speaking to simply criticize foundations and nonprofits—those institutions are my life! I am speaking in an attempt to heal them.

I’ve got three concerns with this story of one-way charity, whether we’re talking about the church ladies or the attitudes about giving that have been built into the foundation sector.
One-way giving that is oriented around pride, self-congratulation, self-satisfaction, feelings of superiority…is exactly the opposite of what our spiritual traditions call us to practice. I’ve already talked about that.


One way giving is bad for the recipients, because it ignores or denies various kinds of reciprocal giving. I’ve already talked about that.


But one way giving is also bad for the givers. I haven’t talked about that.


It is bad because it reinforces…it does not challenge…it reinforces the privileged status of privileged people. And I count myself here. Me playing Lady Bountiful reinforces the status and the privilege that I get from being white, from being a man, from being middle class (now), from being educated, from being a professional. My every act of charitable giving reinforces my belief—and everyone’s belief—that I am among the more fortunate.


The high cost of privilege


So why is that bad? Well… remember the intangibles. In this case, it’s what a friend of mine calls ‘the high cost of privilege.’ The high cost of privilege.

I deeply believe that there is a moral and spiritual cost to having too much money, when so many are in poverty. There is a spiritual cost for having too much power, when so many are forced to be powerless. There is a spiritual cost to having more opportunities and advantages than I can ever use, when so many are denied opportunity.

Most of the time I would rather turn my back on that, and deny it. Oppression and privilege are deeply, historically rooted in our society, they aren’t things I can change! But there is a still, small voice inside of me that knows the truth. That knows this isn’t okay…and yet I benefit from it…and so do I pay a cost.

The high cost of privilege. That is a hard thing to name. The high cost of privilege. That is a profoundly uncomfortable thing to name. The high cost of privilege. That is a transformative thing to name.

Transformative because it strips away the illusion of one way giving, of charity. Because at the heart of it, I believe that is what I find at the heart of my urge to give. My giving is not about a thank you note or a tax deduction or getting my name in the annual report. It is not, truly, about puffing myself up with pride.

At the core, my spirit calls me to unity, not superiority; my spirit calls me to equality, not privilege; my spirit calls me to be one among the many, not one above the rest. My urge to give is, at heart, a desperate urge to deny the lines of privilege and oppression that divide us, a desperate urge to touch my brother and my sister, a desperate attempt to connect with the other spirits making this journey around me. That is the heart of giving.

Talk about reciprocity! I give you a box of food…and you give me the chance to take one more small step toward spiritual wholeness. Tell me, who has received the greater gift?


All giving is reciprocal


I think this is the true story: that all giving is reciprocal. Not just country folk exchanging eggs for hand-me-downs and car repair. But all giving is reciprocal.

If those church ladies had been able to acknowledge that their scorn for the less fortunate was rooted in their fear of one day finding themselves poor…if those church ladies had been willing to act out of true humility, instead of false pride…if those church ladies had been trying to connect with my mother, instead of just ‘help’ her…then their gift of food could have been a transformative one. Not for us, the recipients, because we were already part of a network of reciprocal giving…but it could have been transformative for them.

All giving is reciprocal. I don’t know…Perhaps it is a stretch to believe that the families, individuals and corporations that endow foundations…or give to nonprofits…or give through nonprofits…are also seeking, in some way, that they may not even recognize… to heal the spiritual damage caused by having too much. Perhaps that’s a stretch. But… perhaps it is not.

I told you that your giving is important. And now I am telling you that the story of your giving is also important—the story you tell yourselves, the story you tell each other, the story you tell to… and about… the people who receive your food.

I give you a basket of food…while I am telling a story that lifts me up, and puts you down…and I am doing harm, to you, and to myself.

I give you a basket of food… while I am telling the story of reciprocity, and recognizing the great gift you give to me in receiving it… and I am transformed.

The same action. It is the story that makes the difference.

I think I’m supposed to leave you with some advice. Well, I don’t have any advice. All I can offer you is my struggle: my struggle to be honest with myself about my experience of privilege…my struggle to recognize the cost of that privilege…my struggle to remember that all giving is reciprocal…my struggle to recognize what I give and what I receive, in every act of giving… and my commitment to honor the urge for connection, the urge to wholeness, that I find at the heart of giving.

You have given me your time, and I have given you my story. Thank you.

The Giving Game

Thursday, March 27, 2008

I found something that I think is really cool and might be a great way to work this month's project. It's called the Giving Game. The Giving Game is based on the concept of Pay It Forward. It involves acts of kindness, a game card (which you can print yourself for free) and the Giving Game website.

It's free to play, I couldn't find any hidden loopholes or money traps, and the concept sounds really interesting. Here are some direct links:

Here is a partial listing of their ideas on giving:

  • Leave your newspaper at a coffee shop for someone else to read
  • Cut an elderly person's grass at no charge
  • Donate money or books to a local library
  • Offer to baby sit for a mother who needs a day away from the kids. Give her money to buy her lunch while she is out
  • Drop off a bag of groceries with a friend who has been recently laid off
  • Leave a $20 tip for an $8 dollar meal
  • Scrape a stranger's windshield on a snowy day
  • Put money in a parking meter by a stranger's car when you see the time running out
  • Send someone a tape or CD of music they will enjoy
  • Send money to someone who is experiencing financial difficulties

Most of these ideas fall into the category of Random Acts of Kindness, a project that we worked a while back. What makes this different, is that you can track your generosity online and watch the ripple effect. So, how about it guys, should we Sign Up to Play Now?

Receiving

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

We've had some discussion about receiving during this project on giving. And it occured to me that giving and receiving are as connected to one another as water is to a river. I'm not sure that you can have one without the other.

What if there is no natural separation between giving and receiving? What if our perception that giving and receiving were two different things acts to create something that looks like this?

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Or, on a good day, maybe this?

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Maybe your barriers aren't quite so profound,
maybe your giving and receiving looks more like this?
Remote, inaccessible, arduous?

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Or this?

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What do you think it would be required to find yourself in a space of giving and receiving that was as smooth and beautiful as this?

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Or as luxurious and bountiful as this?

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So, which one are you? Which do you want to be?
What is one way that you can think of to get there from here?

The Law of Giving and Receiving

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure that you give will be the measure you get back.” (Luke 6:38)


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Giving and receiving are the ways we participate in establishing balance in the manifestation of prosperity. Giving and receiving cause a flow of substance in soul and body which manifest in every area of our lives. Practicing giving and receiving will release the flow of abundant good in our consciousness.

On Giving by Kahlil Gibran

Monday, March 24, 2008

Then said a rich man, "Speak to us of Giving."

And he (the prophet) answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself?

Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable?

There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.

And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism.

And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue. They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Though the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.

It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding. And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving.

And is there aught you would withhold? All you have shall some day be given. Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'.

You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving." The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish.

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Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you. And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.

And what desert greater shall there be than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving? And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed?

See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.

And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings. For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.

The Greatest Gift

Sunday, March 23, 2008


The greatest gift I can conceive of having from anyone is to be seen by them, heard by them, to be understood and touched by them. The greatest gift I can give is to see, hear, understand and to touch another person. When this is done I feel contact has been made.

~Virginia Sati

Taking Inventory

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Giving You My Heart ForeverToday is the first day of our newest project, Our Big Give. I thought it might be a good idea to start out by taking inventory. Here are some questions to get us started:

  • What do you find easiest to give?
  • What do you find yourself giving most often? time? energy? money? advice? love? help? stuff?
  • Is there something you don't often (or never) give, and would LIKE to be giving?
  • What stops you?
  • Sometimes it's really difficult to give. Do you find that to be true? Is this generally true? Or just true in certain areas of your life? Or does giving come easy?
  • What would you NOT want to give away?

Our Big Give

Friday, March 21, 2008

Welcome to our newest project! For the next 30 days we will be exploring the concept that giving opens the way to receiving.

handing over money


Giving. It's an important aspect of every religious and spiritual belief system. It is also the basis for the Holidays that we celebrate. The only one I can think of that doesn't center around giving is New Years Day. Have you ever watched Extreme Home Makeover? Are you following Oprah's Big Give? Generosity of spirit is even rewarded on reality television.

Metaphysicians will tell you that by giving, you open the way for receiving. Economists will tell you that charitable giving creates wealth and economic growth (I'll be sharing that article with you as the project progresses). Native people talk about the giveaway and how important it is to be grateful and reciprocal. When working with magic, it's a widely held belief that what you give out comes back threefold.

Giving is fundamental to life. What do we call it when someone new comes into this world? Giving birth! The sun gives us warmth and life. We don't pay for that! Nor will we need to rent the light of the full moon in order to enjoy it tonight.

What we are going to be working on for the next 30 days is finding our way into that generous flow of energy where we know that our needs are met, where there is no lack, where we can freely share because there is more where that came from, giving with no worries about what we will receive in return.

Ho'oponopono Project Summary

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Here is an overview of our 30 Day Ho'oponopono project. This post provides links to pertinent aspects of this project, so that you won't have to sift through the archives.To find out more about this project, you can take a look at why we thought Ho'oponopono would be a good idea.

If you would like to try this project for yourself, you could start on Day One - What is Ho'oponopono? and then continue on through Day Thirty - Wrapping Things Up. Or, you could browse through the posts and work the project in no particular order.

This is an active blog, and if you post, we will notice and reply.. and give you the benefit of our own experience and our support if it seems pertinent or appropriate. Feel free to post your thoughts, ideas, results, joys and disappointments as you go. Our only stipulation is that you not post anonymously, and that the comments be appropriate to either the project or the subject at hand. Even though we love you, comment spam is deleted when discovered. You will find complete listing of the day by day links at the bottom of this post.

The basic summary of our results can be found here: Ho'oponopono, How did we do? and individual comments and feedback can be read here.

We do have a recommended reading list if you are interested in expanding your understanding. I don't know how up to date it is, but there are a lot of really good books listed. Feel free to add titles and authors that you would recommend. There is also a collection of our favorite affirmations, prayers, poems, and etc. Or you can just go to Way Cool Quotes and find a bunch more.

As promised, here is the complete listing of all the posts for our 30 days of Ho'oponopono:

Ho'oponopono: How did we do?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The feedback we received on this project gave it a 100% thumbs up.

Ho'oponopono


This is what we had to say about the project in response to the question of how the project impacted our lives, and did we feel a measurable benefit:
  • My finances are doing surprisingly well. I've had unexpected income, and found money, and other help from family and friends.
  • For me, the best part of the project has been how much better I feel emotionally, and how much growth I've had spiritually.
  • My life is humming along. There have been a number of health challenges in my family this month... so that has been somewhat stressful, but I'm just doing the "love - thank you" thing, and whatever else I can think of that's helpful, and it hasn't been nearly as stressful as it might have been otherwise.
  • It's an interestingly uplifting feeling to take the responsibility for creating your own environment, and the meetings you have with other people, and what problems arise.
  • This is such a good way to remember that love feeling, and I think any good practice that accomplishes that for me is worth doing all the time as part of my life.
  • This flows easily for me. Actually, my finances are fine, and not really any different than they were. There seems to always be the right amount for whatever comes up that we need.
  • I found this project to be deeply moving and satisfying on so many levels, I am having difficulty finding the true words.
  • There has been no "extra" money but no lack for what was needed.
  • I've definitely noticed a difference in diffusing negative energy. When I'm starting to feel irritated or upset, if I stop and practice, "I'm sorry, please forgive me, I love you and thank you". It truly DOES change my emotional state instantly.
  • Each time I put it to use, it worked! I had several big cans of worms open up during the month that seemingly miraculously worked themselves out and that was very exciting!!!
  • My finances are the same if not better than the month prior, and like I said, several huge problems "took care of themselves" by me using this and without the normal ritual of hair pulling and stressing.

In answer to the question as to how easy it was to "work" or "do" Ho'oponopono every day, the responses varied.

  • I did "work" the project every day - if I remembered. Key word being "if".
  • For me, it was much harder at the beginning than it was at the end. I think I needed to find a rhythm and a way that resonated best with me.
  • I found that this was one of the easier projects for me to do on a daily basis... even though I was sick through much of it, I was still doing it.
  • I found it difficult at the beginning, found my rythmn, my words that were true for me, and then it became not easy but meaningful.
  • I did have trouble remembering to work it on a daily basis.
  • I am disappointed in myself for not logging on daily and committing myself more to the project because I did see that it worked very well with very little effort.

Here's what we had to say about whether or not we would recommend this project to others:

  • Yes, I would recommend this technique, and I will continue with the practice.
  • I would definitely recommend this project to other people. I really think it helps to recognize that in the fabric of the universe, the threads of where we cross with other people make us stronger as a whole.
  • I really feel an amazing shift in my conciousness from this project and would recommend it to anyone who would care to listen.
  • I will definitly continue using it in my daily life.
  • I definitely recommend this form of consciousness and plan to keep it as a part of my life.

Our suggestions, ideas, and other thoughts on the process and the project was as follows:

  • What I found works best (for me) is to simply allow myself to feel love for whoever or whatever the situation... and then simply say "Thank you".
  • I did get really tired apologizing for everything and when I dispensed with that and went for the "thank you" it "felt" better.
  • After awhile I also gave up the "I'm sorry" unless it felt right at the moment for a particular person, moment, thing.
  • I have to agree, it felt a little forced to apologize to people and situations that I felt were clearly being antagonistic..I guess I need practice in NOT seeing those things as negative, but as lessons and be grateful. Sigh. It's tough trying to undo years of programmed thinking!!!
  • The one thing I had trouble remembering was the order in which to say it - "I love you, I'm sorry" - it often came out "I'm sorry I love you", which is funny but not terribly productive, lol.

I also want to say that I am deeply grateful and appreciative to everyone who worked this project with me, and to those who just popped in every now and then as well.

Thank you, I love you.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Monday, March 17, 2008

Host unlimited photos at slide.com for FREE!

Magic, mystery, the luck of the Irish, and a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
What more could we ask for?

But Wait There's More! Alot More!

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Saul Maraney visited our project and offered this link. I thought it might be potentially helpful, and so (as per his guidelines) am posting it here in it's entirety. For those of you who like affirmations and positive statements, you've just hit the jackpot!

Saul Maraney's Notes of Zero Limits -
By Dr. Joe Vitale and Dr Hew Len 9 March 2008

In this Photo, Saul Maraney (Left) and Dr Ihaleakala Hew Len (Right).

  1. When I notice a problem. I ask MYSELF: “What is going on inside of ME that I have caused this problem? And how can I rectify this problem in ME?”
  2. My work is to clean myself. As I clean myself, the world gets clean, because I am the world. All outside of ME is a projection and illusion.
  3. It is my responsibility to fix everything I experience from the inside of ME by connecting to The Divine. I say “I love You” to The Divine to fix everything on the outside.
  4. I am cleaning MY memories.
  5. The pain inside of ME is a SHARED memory. Dr Hew Len knew that it was a program that caused the patients to act in the way they did. They had no control. They were caught up in a program. As I feel a problem, I clean.
  6. I am cleaning the old memories stored in MY Subconscious mind.
  7. The four statements I say over and over in MY mind, addressing the Divine to stop my mental chatter:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  8. I constantly clean on everything as I have no idea what is a memory, and what is an inspiration. I constantly clean to get to a place of Zero limits.
  9. Our minds only have a tiny view of the world.
  10. Our brain tells us what to do BEFORE we consciously decide to do it. This mean that intentions come from MY unconscious mind, THEN enter my conscious awareness.
  11. Extensive experiments have shown that a surge of activity in the brain reliably appears about 1/3 of a second BEFORE the intention.
  12. It is proven that I CANNOT control the origin of the signal that nudges ME to take action.
    “NO intention is ever hatched in consciousness”
  13. Intentions are premonitions: “They are icons that flash in the corner of consciousness to indicate what may be about to occur.”
  14. I have realized that intentions aren’t MY choice at all.
  15. Only 2 laws dictate MY experience: Inspiration from Divinity (new) and memories stored in the Subconscious (old).
  16. Zero is the residence of ME and Divinity. It is the place from where and from Whom all Blessings, wealth and peace flow.
  17. I am looking past inspiration and going to Source – Zero.
  18. I love and forgive and give thanks for MY concerns.
  19. By cleaning MY memories, The Divine has a chance to come through with inspiration.
  20. Money problems are simply memories replaying. These are memories that displace Zero (ME). To return to Zero, I require Divinity to erase the memories behind MY money concerns.
  21. Money concerns are a program.
  22. I am cleaning on the memory problems so that it disappears. I am returning to peace.
  23. Intention is a limp rag compared to inspiration.
  24. I give in to inspiration.
  25. Inspiration comes suddenly, within a few seconds.
  26. I receive ideas that come from inspiration.
  27. Rather than state intentions, I seize opportunities.
  28. When I come from the Zero State where there are Zero limits I don’t need intentions, I simply receive and act on inspirations, and miracles happen.
  29. Free will takes place AFTER I have the impulse to do something, BEFORE I actually do it.
  30. By CONSTANTLY cleaning all thoughts, whether inspiration or memory, I will be better able to choose what is right in the moment.
  31. Money problems are programs from MY memory, not inspiration from The Divine.
  32. I need to love MY memory programs, UNTIL they dissolve, and all that remains is Divinity.
  33. Everything I see and experience is inside ME.
  34. If I want to change anything, I do it INSIDE ME.
  35. I take 100% responsibility for MY whole life.
  36. Whenever I experience a problem, I am always there.
  37. I am responsible for it all.
  38. I understand that people are acting from a memory / program. To help them, I have to remove the program. And the only way to do that is by cleaning:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  39. I am making right.
  40. I am RELEASING the energy of these painful thoughts (memories) which cause imbalance.
  41. All problem solving is done WITHIN MYSELF.
  42. I am erasing MY memories and programs.
  43. Everything that appears in MY life is only a PROJECTION of my programs.
  44. All in alignment:
    * Subconscious (Child)
    * Conscious (Mother)
    * Super-conscious (Father)
  45. All thoughts are imbued with painful memories.
  46. The intellect working alone cannot solve these problems, because the intellect only manages. I want to release all MY old memories.
  47. With Ho’oponopono, The Divinity TAKES the painful memories, neutralizes and erases them.
  48. I am NEUTRALIZING the energy I associate with people and things.
  49. Once the energy gets neutralized, the energy then gets released and there is a brand new state.
  50. I am allowing The Divinity to come in and fill the void with light.
  51. Whenever I notice a problem I clean.
  52. By asking for FORGIVENESS I clear the path for healing to manifest.
  53. What blocks well-being is a lack of love, FORGIVENESS opens the door to allow it back in.
  54. I am 100% responsible for everything in MY life.
  55. I need to be 100% responsible.
  56. If I want to solve a problem, I need to work on MYSELF.
  57. When someone irritates ME. I ask myself: “What is going on inside of ME that is causing this person to irritate ME?”
  58. I am SORRY for whatever is going on, please FORGIVE ME.
  59. If someone has a sore back. I ask myself: “What is going on inside of me that shows up as this person’s back pain?”
  60. I work on MYSELF.
  61. At heart, we are all Divine.
  62. Programs are CAUGHT, and I need to clean them.
  63. I am petitioning Love to rectify errors in ME by saying. “I AM SORRY. Please FORGIVE me for whatever is going on inside of me that has manifested as this problem.”
  64. Love’s responsibility is to then TRANSMUTE the errors within ME that manifest as the problem.
  65. Each problem is an opportunity to clean.
  66. Problems are JUST replayed memories of the past showing up to give me one more chance to see them from the eyes of Love, and to act from INSPIRATION.
  67. I am taking full responsibility for MY life.
  68. I have to take full responsibility for what people in MY life are experiencing.
  69. “I Love You” is the code that unlocks the healing.
  70. I use “I Love You” on ME. Everyone’s problems are MY problems.
  71. I need to heal ME.
  72. I am the source of all the experiences.
  73. I am acting from either memory (thinking) or inspiration (receiving).
  74. If memories are playing, I won’t hear the inspiration.
  75. Programs are like a BELIEF. My challenge is to CLEAR all the programs so that I am back at the Zero State, where inspiration can come through.
  76. All memories are SHARED.
  77. My job is to clean the memory, so that it will leave ME and the other person as well.
  78. Ho’oponopono takes commitment.
  79. The Divine is NOT an order taker.
  80. It takes CONSTANT focusing on cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.
  81. I am DISSOLVING the limiting programs that I see and feel.
  82. MY mind doesn’t have any idea of what is going on.
  83. There are only 15 bits of information available to MY conscious mind, while there are 15 million bits present at any one time.
  84. I must let go and TRUST.
  85. I am staying in THIS moment.
  86. When I say: “I Love You”, I am trying to clean anything in this moment.
  87. When I say: “I Love You”, I am EVOKING the spirit of Love to heal within ME what is creating or attracting my outer circumstances.
  88. I am HEALING within ME the HIDDEN program that we are BOTH participating in.
  89. I am aiming to achieve PEACE.
  90. There is NO out here. The ONLY place to look is inside ME.
  91. I do not plan; I TRUST Divinity.
  92. I love, acknowledge and appreciate EVERYTHING.
  93. I say: “I Love You”, to APPEAL to The Divine Creator to CANCEL the memories in MY subconscious mind to Zero, and to REPLACE them in MY soul and the souls of all with Divinity’s thoughts, words, deeds and actions.
  94. I am being 100% responsible.
  95. Divinity is TRANSFORMING the stuck energy.
  96. I clean myself and ask: “What’s going on in ME that this came up in them?”
  97. My conscious mind DOESN’T have a clue of what is going on!
  98. I am taking my mind BACK to Zero, with NO data on it.
  99. Ho’oponopono is a process of CONSTANT, INCESSANT Zeroing, so that I can be back at Zero.
  100. ONLY at Zero can creation (inspiration) take place.
  101. I ask MYSELF: “What is it that I have to clear that I don’t know? I have No idea of what is going on!”
  102. My mind can ONLY serve memory or inspiration. And only ONE at a time.
  103. Divine Inspiration is WITHIN ME.
  104. All of ME is in alignment:
    * Super-conscious (Father) - Amakua;
    * Conscious (Mother) – Uhane;
    * Subconscious (Child) - Unihipili
  105. When I am at Zero, EVERYTHING is available.
  106. I am created in the IMAGE of The Divine: Void and Infinite.
  107. I am LETTING GO of MY memories.
  108. If I have a problem with someone else, it means that there is a MEMORY coming up that I am REACTING to. It is NOT the other person.
  109. I am asking this question of Divinity: “What is going on in ME, that I have caused this person’s pain?”
  110. Then I ask: “How can I RECTIFY this problem within ME?”
  111. I work on ME, NOT on other people.
  112. If an idea is still there after three cleanings. I ACT upon it.
  113. I don’t plan, I TRUST The Divine to take care of the problems (memories).
  114. If something is in MY experience I need to clean on it.
  115. ALL experiences are SHARED.
  116. I create EVERYTHING in MY reality.
  117. I attracted MY situation, and I am FORGIVING myself and the energy surrounding the problem.
  118. I am SHIFTING the energy inside of ME.
  119. I love MYSELF to love others.
  120. I am remembering who I TRULY am.
  121. MY true nature is to LOVE.
  122. New clients flock to ME.
  123. Success is flowing to ME easily.
  124. am cleaning and clearing MYSELF.
  125. I am 100% responsible for ALL MY life.
  126. I am CONSTANTLY cleaning and clearing the memories from MY subconscious mind.
  127. I have CHANGED the way I approach life.
  128. I have had a SHIFT in MY body and mindset.
  129. I always try to see all the GOOD (not bad).
  130. I am focusing on positive aspects.
  131. I have CHANGED MY perception.
  132. I am CLEANING out the old to make room for the NEW.
  133. I am reaching the Zero State by taking 100% responsibility, APOLOGISING for anything going on in ME that I am not aware of, and asking for FORGIVENESS.
  134. I am EMPTYING MY mind and going BACK to Zero.
  135. The Universe works with CIRCLES.
  136. I am working in a CIRCULAR direction.
  137. I am LETTING GO, and going back to ZERO.
  138. I say “I am SORRY” because I feel responsible for what is going on in MY consciousness right now.
  139. I feel very connected.
  140. My life is about CONSTANT cleansing. When I cleanse I get back to Zero, and MY life runs smoothly.
  141. I am wiping MY slate clean.
  142. I clean so that MY nonsense (memories) are dispersed.
  143. Zero is HOME base.
  144. I keep MY cleaning work to myself.
  145. People only need MY Love to change.
  146. Ho’oponopono is a healing and FORGIVENESS methodology and philosophy.
  147. Read person’s name, get clarity and oneness. Express love for the other person:
    “I ask for FORGIVENESS for any wrongdoing, consciously OR unconsciously from the past to the present of MYSELF and MY ancestors, to them and their predecessors, all they way back to the BEGINNING of time and micro-biotic life.”
  148. I say this so that we can all get back to our TRUE relationship IN and OF Divinity.
  149. I drink water BEFORE every meal and CLEAR clutter.
  150. Ho’oponopono has AWAKENED ME to HOW to ERASE the negative elements INSIDE MYSELF that manifest as problematic situations.
  151. By taking 100% RESPONSIBILITY, situations CAN shift.
  152. I am beginning to realize who I am.
  153. There will ALWAYS be stuff coming up. I say that I am 100% responsible (without guilt) and simply clean, let go, and let The Divine take over.
  154. I do not waste time with: How?, When?, Who? – I ONLY do! And by doing so, I get out of the way of MYSELF. I am letting go of the problems INSIDE MYSELF.
  155. I continue WITHOUT any judgment against MYSELF.
  156. I am ACHIEVING an array of results from my Ho’oponopono cleaning.
  157. I hold the errors of the world in MY SOUL (as does everyone).
  158. Reason / intellect causes: Madness, Confusion and Uncertainty.
  159. Memories are PROBLEMS.
  160. I am cleansing and erasing the memories in MY subconscious mind to FIND the Divinity WITHIN MYSELF.
  161. Everyone is ALREADY perfect, the PROBLEMS are the memories.
  162. The PROBLEM is the error memory playing in MY subconscious mind, which I SHARE with other people.
  163. Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono is a PROBLEM SOLVING PROCESS of REPENTENCE, FORGIVENESS and TRASMUTATION that anyone can apply to THEMSELVES. It is process of PETITIONING DIVINITY to convert error memories in our subconscious to Zero.
  164. The conscious mind is CLUELESS – it has NO idea of what is going on.
  165. So I APPEAL to DIVINITY (Who knows all) to convert whatever memories are playing in MY Unihipili (subconscious mind) to Zero.
  166. Expectations and intentions do NOT have any impact on Divinity. Divinity will do WHATEVER and WHENEVER in IT’S own time.
  167. To OPEN the way for the INFLOW of The Divine, requires FIRST canceling memories.
  168. As long as memories (blocks / limitations) are present in MY Subconscious, they BLOCK Divinity from giving ME MY daily Inspiration.
  169. As I clean I get CLOSER to experiencing the bliss of the Zero-Limits state of being.
  170. I ACT upon the ideas that come MY way.
  171. Ideas appear in MY mind, and I act upon them.
  172. It is MORE IMPORTANT to keep cleaning than anything else; - As I do, ideas are GIVEN to ME.
  173. Ceeport = Clean, Erase, Erase, while RETURNING back to Port, “The Zero-State”.
  174. Cleaning is the ONLY way to get QUICKER results.
  175. I am receiving GREATER wealth. – I am keeping my eye on “the baseball” (The Divinity). I must stay FOCUSED on going back to Zero – NO Memories and NO programs.
    ALL I’m here to do is clean.
  176. I LET GO and let Divinity do what’s best for ME.
  177. Intentions are LIMITATIONS. I am cleaning and LETTING GO of them.
  178. I’ll ALWAYS have problems, so I clean, clean, clean.
  179. What are problems?
  180. Problems are memories REPLAYING;
  181. Memories are PROGRAMS;
  182. They’re NOT just mine – they are SHARED;
  183. The way to RELEASE the memory is to SEND LOVE to The Divinity.
  184. Divinity hears and responds in the way BEST for ALL, at the TIME Best for ALL.
  185. I choose but I DON’T decide.
  186. DIVINITY DECIDES.
  187. I Clean, Clean, Clean…
  188. I don’t try to sell; - ALL I DO IS CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN.
  189. ALL day I clean. I don’t intend anything and I have NO expectations.
  190. I am TOTALLY responsible for ALL MY life. It is all IN ME, NO exceptions!
  191. I need to clean on it, OR it DOESN’T get cleaned.
  192. IF its in MY experience, its up for ME to clean.
  193. When I CLEAR memories, what comes through is inspiration.
  194. I know that INNNER cleaning leads to OUTER results, and that I CAN’T decide what the OUTER results will be. I CAN choose, But I CAN’T decide.
  195. I’m just here to clean, so that The Divine can INSPIRE ME to DO what I was sent here to DO.
  196. use the Eraser end of a pencil to help CLEAN. It is a PSYCHOLOGICAL TRIGGER to CLEAR memory.
  197. Dunk MY bank account in MY mind in a glass of WATER with FRUIT in it, and see what happens…
  198. People do things for THEM, ALL I have to do is clean.
  199. I have been REMINDED of the way HOME.
  200. MY TRUE SELF is: Incredible, Eternal, Limitless, Total, Complete, Empty, ZERO – FROM WHICH ALL PEACE EMINATES – “HOME”.
  201. Wherever there is a problem, I am there.
  202. I am EXHUMING my HIDDEN memories and judgments for CLEANING and TRANSFORMATION.
  203. Something in ME has CHANGED.
  204. MY memories need great PERSISTANCE and DILLIGENCE to HEAL.
  205. Healing HAS HAPPENED for ME.
  206. With the rubber side of a pencil Tap and Say: “Dew-Drop”
  207. I am DISSOLVING conflict.
  208. The PURPOSE of life is to be RESTORED BACK to LOVE, Moment by Moment.
  209. To FULFILL this purpose, I ACKNOWLEDGE that I am 100% RESPONSIBLE for CREATING MY life the way it IS.
  210. I have come to see that it is MY THOUGHTS that CREATE MY life the way it is, Moment to Moment.
  211. The problems are NOT: People, Places or Situations, BUT rather the THOUGHTS OF THEM.
  212. I have come to appreciate that there is NO out-there!
  213. The QUALITY of MY life has SHIFTED dramatically!
  214. I CONTINUESLY DO the Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono Process of REPENTENCE, FORGIVENESS and TRANSMUTATION for WHATEVER is going on IN ME that I experience consciously OR un-consciously.
  215. I take 100% REPONSIBILITY for MYSELF to clean with the stuff in ME that CAUSED the problems that I experience.
  216. I am PERFECT! – What is imperfect is the memories (CRAP) that REACT and REPLAY as: Judgment, Resentment, Anger, Irritation and the Rest of the BAGGAGE that is carried in MY soul.
  217. People being open is a REFLECTION of ME!
  218. I am CHANGING MY INNER in order to change MY OUTER.
  219. I look WITHIN MYSELF so see what is WITHIN ME that is SHARING the experience that
  220. I see on the OUTSIDE.
  221. I DON’T deal with the person / problem, I deal with the FEELINGS I EXPERIENCE.
  222. AS I clean what is WITHIN ME, they will TOO get CLEAR and HEAL.
  223. I have begun to realize that I AM RESPONSIBLE for what EVERYONE says and does, simply because they are IN MY EXPERIENCE.
  224. IF I create my OWN reality, THEN I created ALL that I see, EVEN the parts that I DON’T like.
  225. It DOESN’T matter what people do; IT MATTERS WHAT I DO!
  226. I CLEAR the SHARED ENERGY by saying to The Divine:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  227. I DON’T do the healing to get anything! – I do it to CLEAR THE SHARED ENERGY, so that no-one has to experience it EVER again.
  228. Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono is a CLEANSING PROCESS and I NEVER STOP doing it.
  229. IF something comes up in MY awareness, THEN its up for ME to CLEAN and HEAL.
  230. I have to clean EVERTHING that is part of MY life experience.
  231. IF I am the creator of MY OWN experience, then THIS is something I’m RESPONSIBLE for TOO.
  232. The Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono Process is ALL LOVE, it is CONTINUES and I am TOTTALY RESPONSIBLE.
  233. I say these statements to Divinity to clean ME:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  234. The Divinity is ALREADY showering LOVE on ME at Zero; - But I’m not yet there. By saying:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
    I am CLEANING the programs in ME that are PREVENTING ME from being at The Zero State.
  235. The Divine DOESN’T need ME to do Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono; I need to do it!
  236. The ONLY way to HEAL someone is by CLEANING ME. The people with problems in MY reality are SHARING a program with ME. They COUGHT it like a virus of the mind. THEY ARE NOT TO BLAME!
  237. ALL I can do is clean ME, because as I clean ME, THEY GET CLEAN.
  238. As I clean the programs we SHARE, they get LIFTED from ALL human kind.
  239. ALL I do is clean, clean, clean…
  240. CLEANING is the most heartfelt thing I can do, the REST is up to Divinity.
    I create EVERY situation that’s part of MY reality, and because its part of MY experience, I need to clean it.
  241. AS I HEAL MYSELF, the person with the problem and everyone who SHARES the program will get BETTER.
  242. I know that choice is a LIMITATION. I experience MAGIC and MIRACLES and I feel EXHILIRATED by life.
  243. EVERTHING IS ALIVE.
  244. I am BUBBLING OVER with ENERGY.
  245. I do NOT try to control MY life. I HAVE TO LET GO. ALL I do is CLEAN and ERASE and have the INTENTION to get BACK to Zero.
  246. I have a BOUNCE in MY step.
  247. EVERYTHING I create is a child of ME. – I MUST LOVE ALL MY “CHILDREN”.
  248. In the past I tried to solve problems, BUT today I LET THEM BE. I now clean the memories that CAUSED them.
  249. AS I clean, MY problems get RESOLVED.
  250. I DON’T try to change people, I work on MYSELF.
  251. BEACAUSE I sense and feel other people’s pain – means that I SHARE the SAME PROGRAM, and I have to clean it, and as I do, the problem will come OFF me and them TOO.
  252. GRATITUDE, REVERENCE and TRANSMUTATION can TRANSFORM ANYTHING.
    These phrases are like the MAGIC WORDS that OPEN the combination lock of The Universe.
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  253. When I say these phrases, I am OPENING MYSELF UP to The Divine to CLEAN ME and ERASE ALL PROGRAMS (MEMORIES) that are PREVENTING ME from being ME NOW.
  254. There are memories (programs) in the world that people CATCH life a virus.
  255. When someone has it, and I notice it, it means that I have it TOO.
  256. The idea is to take 100% RESPONSIBILITY.
  257. When I clean MYSELF, I clean the memory (program) from EVERYONE.
  258. I have a lot of cleaning to do to get to Zero.
  259. ALL anyone of us wants is to be LOVED!
  260. MY ONLY OPTION IN LIFE IS TO CLEAN.
  261. Because I want to come from LOVE and INSPIRATION.
  262. IF I am CLEAR, when INSPIRATION COMES I just act, I DON’T have to think about it.
  263. When I clean MY memories I DON’T have choice, I JUST have INSPIRATION, and I ACT ON IT WITHOUT THINKING. IT JUST IS!
  264. Everyone has there OWN instrument to play. NO-ONE is the same.
  265. I need to play MY OWN part, and NOT anyone else’s.
  266. ALL I am doing is being MYSELF. – I am playing MY part in the Universe’s script.
  267. When I play MY role, the world WORKS!
  268. I have TOTAL FREE WILL. I am creating AS I am breathing, BUT to live at Zero, I need to LET GO of ALL memories.
  269. MY conscious mind will TRY to UNDERSTAND it all, BUT MY conscious mind is aware of ONLY 15 bits of information, while there are 15 million bits HAPPENING ALL the time.
  270. MY conscious mind DOESN’T have a clue of what’s really going on.
  271. Memories keep money AWAY. IF I am CLEAR about money I WILL have it.
  272. The Universe WILL give ME money IF I ACCEPT it. It is MY memories that keep money from ME, and ME from seeing it.
  273. When I am at Zero I have ZERO limits, and money can NOW come to ME…BUT…When I am in memory, I prevent it.
  274. There are MANY memories around money, and AS I clean them, I clean them for EVERYONE.
  275. When I bring MY cleaner self, the place where I am FEELS it.
  276. I GIVE money freely. – “It’s ONLY money”.
  277. The Universe REWARDS ME for my generosity. I GIVE and the Universe gives ME BACK INPIRATION.
  278. I get back INSPIRATION.
  279. As long as I stay OPEN to ideas from The Universe, they KEEP COMING.
  280. By cleaning and LETTING GO of MY needs, IDEAS come to me.
  281. ALL everybody wants is to be LOVED. I MUST love other people.
  282. I MUST love people because they are PART of MY life, and by loving THEM, I am
  283. HELPING erase, clean and clear the memories activated in THEIR life.
  284. Whatever I perceive as MY problem IS NOT the REAL ISSUE, it is JUST MY conscious INTERPRETATION of events. What is really happening is OUT of MY awareness. MY story is only the STARTING place.
  285. I just KEEP saying “I Love You” to The Divine, TRUSTING that whatever needs to be cleaned WILL be cleaned.
  286. When someone has a SPLIT name, it CREATES a SPLIT personality. Everyone needs to own their birth name.
  287. I am beginning to RELAX and feel WHOLE AGAIN.
  288. Therapists think they are there to HELP or SAVE people. But in reality, their job is to heal THEMSELVES of the programs (memories) they see in their patients.
  289. As these memories get CANCELLED in the therapist, they get CANCELLED in the patient.
  290. It is IMPORTANT that I love the people I am with.
  291. BECAUSE the people that I see are a MIRROR OF ME, and what they EXPERIENCE is SHARED by ME.
  292. By cleaning the SHARED program, we will BOTH get well.
  293. We think that we are conscious actors, BUT we are WRONG! In some respect we are PUPPETS with The Divine as the ENERGY in us PULLING our strings.
  294. I live in a BELIEF driven world. Whatever I believe WILL work. It will get ME through the day, and it will FRAME MY experiences into PERCEPTIONS that make SENSE to ME.
  295. Ho’oponopono and intentions ONLY work when I get OUT of MY OWN way.
  296. MY mind gets in the WAY of the NATURAL FLOW of things.
  297. A mind FULL of memories is the INTERFERENCE to EXPERIENCING the BLISS of this moment.
  298. I use clearing methods to take OUT the INTERFERENCE of The Divine Plan.
  299. MY NUDGES are SENT to ME from The Divine. MY anxiety over it is the interference.
  300. By TAKING AWAY the interference, I’m BACK to being ME with The Divine…i.e.… Puppet and Puppet Master AGAIN.
  301. I came to this world with a Gift WITHIN MYSELF. Once I have REMOVED the interference preventing ME from ACTING on MY GIFT, I will ACT on it.
  302. I will be the puppet of The Divine WHILE being the puppeteer of MY life.
  303. MY ONLY choice is to go WITH the flow.
  304. I TAKE action WHILE OBEYING a Higher Order.
  305. I ACT on ideas WITHOUT interference from MY mind.
  306. I LET the results be what they are, KNOWING and TRUSTING that it IS all part of The Universe’s BIGGER picture.
  307. I LET GO WHILE TAKING ACTION.
  308. EVERONE has their GIFT and part to play.
  309. I am NOT resisting MY role.
  310. It’s NOT food that is dangerous; it is what I THINK about it that is.
  311. BEFORE I eat anything, I say in MY MIND to the food: “I Love You”.
  312. The KEY for Dr Hew Len is LOVE EVERYTHING. When I love something, it CHANGES.
  313. Everything BEGINS with THOUGHT, and the great healer is LOVE.
  314. I am taking 100% RESPONSIBILITY for MY life and what I experience.
  315. I know that what I see in others is in ME.
  316. There is NOTHING OUT THERE, it is ALL in ME.
  317. Whatever I experience, I experience INSIDE MYSELF.
  318. I experience people in ME, so they DON’T exist UNLESS I look in MYSELF.
  319. Cleaning is the way HOME.
  320. NO-ONE can PREDICT their next thought, because thoughts themselves ARISE from the UNCONSCIOUS.
  321. I have NO control over MY thoughts, MY ONLY CHOICE is to act (or not) once they appear.
  322. I am cleaning MY unconscious SO I get BETTER thoughts.
  323. I am cleaning in order to CLEAR OUT the STOREHOUSE of programs in MY mind.
  324. As I clean, the thoughts that ARISE get MORE POSSITIVE, PREDICTIVE and LOVING.
  325. By TAKING 100% REPSONSIBILITY and getting to Zero, I REALISE that other people’s memories (programs) are MY programs.
  326. he very fact that people SHARE ideas with ME, means that I SHARE it with them.
  327. AS I get CLEAR of my programs, so will other people.
  328. I am ATTEMPTING to do NON-STOP cleaning and erasing of anything BETWEEN ME and Zero.
  329. I know that WHEN I come from Zero, SYNCRONISITY happens.
  330. By being at Zero, I ALLOW The Divine to INSPIRE ME.
  331. The Divine has ALL the POWER. – NOT ME.
  332. I clean so that I can hear the DIVINE and obey.
  333. NO self-help expert has a clue of what they are doing.
  334. Dr Len’s work has TAUGHT ME to LET GO and TRUST The Divine, while CONSTANTLY cleaning ALL thoughts that surface in the WAY of hearing The Divine.
  335. By CONSTANTLY cleaning, I can CLEAR the weeds of memory SO THAT I can better HANDLE life with EASE and GRACE.
  336. I know The Divine is NOT a concierge. I DON’T ask for things, I JUST clean.
  337. I KEEP cleaning.
  338. I am RESPONSIBLE for EVERYTHING in MY life, and the way to HEAL anything is with the simple:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  339. I see MYSELF as the SOURCE of MY experiences.
  340. “I am SORRY for whatever is going on IN ME, that I experienced this.”
  341. Dr Hew Len’s THEME is that NOTHING is OUTSIDE of us.
  342. I am 100% responsible.
  343. I ask for FORGIVENESS for whatever is in ME that is CAUSING the outer circumstance.
  344. I am RECONNECTING to The Divine by saying:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  345. The rest is to TRUST The Divine because AS I HEAL, so does the outer.
  346. EVERTHING WITHOUT EXCEPTION IS INSIDE ME.
  347. I know the REAL source of POWER is INSIRATION.
  348. I am AGREEING to life, NOT contradicting it.
  349. I am GOING WITH THE FLOW, while CONSTNTLY cleaning whatever comes up.
  350. I am LETTING GO, and LETTING The Divine operate THROUGH ME.
  351. By cleaning, I see a complete CHANGE for the BETTER.
  352. I am cleaning MY own toxic thoughts and REPLACING them with LOVE.
  353. There IS NOTHING wrong with people… The ONLY thing wrong are MY error memories.
  354. I LOVE EVERYTHING.
  355. The Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono Process involves taking 100% RESPONSIBILITY for MYSELF, and ALLOWING the REMOVAL of negative and unwanted energies in ME.
  356. I am at ease and ENJOYING MYSELF.
  357. I LAUGH A LOT, have FUN and ENJOY what I am doing.
  358. Things have begun to SHIFT for ME.
  359. MY life is IMPROVING WITHOUT CONSCIOUS EFFORT.
  360. I clean whatever is going on in ME.
  361. I help people by working on MYSELF.
  362. I CONTINUESLY clean, and TAKE ACTION on the IDEAS and OPPORTUNITIES that come MY way.
  363. I know that wherever I will be in the FUTURE, will be FAR BETTER than what I can IMAGINE now.
  364. I am MORE INTERESTED in THIS moment than the next one.
  365. AS I pay attention to THIS moment, all the future ones unfold QUITE NICELY.
  366. When I LET GO of MY ego and its desires, I ALLOW The Divine to GUIDE ME.
  367. I have realized that MY INTENTIONS ARE LIMITATIONS because I CAN’T COTROLL EVERYTHING.
  368. I know that when I SURRENDER control to a Higher Power, MIRACALES tend to happen.
  369. I am beginning to LET GO and TRUST.
  370. I am beginning to practice MY CONNECTION with The Divine.
  371. I am learning to RECOGNISE INSPIRATION when it comes, and I ACT on it.
  372. I realize that I have choice, BUT I am NOT in control of MY mind.
  373. I know that the greatest thing I can do is AGREE to each moment.
  374. In this stage, MIRRACLES HAPPEN, and as they do, they constantly ASTONISH me.
  375. Once an AWAKENING takes place, there’s NO looking back.
  376. ALL I can do is KEEP cleaning to EXPERIENCE the BLISS of THIS moment.
  377. We will always have problems, and Self I-Dentity through Ho’oponopono is a Process that WORKS to SOLVE them.
  378. As long as I keep cleaning, I RETURN to the place of Zero Limits.
  379. I am tuning into LOVE by saying NON-STOP:
    * I love You
    * I’m sorry
    * Please forgive me
    * Thank you
  380. AS I keep cleaning, I keep tuning into PURE INSPIRATION.
  381. AS I ACT on inspiration, better MIRACLES than I could have ever imagined take place.
  382. ALL I HAVE TO DO IS KEEP AT IT, as Ho’oponopono TAKES TIME.

-oOo-

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Download your FREE Exclusive Ho’oponopono Interview with Mabel Katz Today!

Still wrapping things up.

Thank you for being patient while I work on getting the Ho'oponopono project finished up. As soon as the project summary is complete and posted, I'll be working on the framework for our next project. I am hoping to get us started on Friday, March 21.

It has been suggested that for our upcoming project, we investigate the concept of giving. This idea really resonates with me, as I tend to take in more than I give out, bite off more than I can chew, cling to my money to the point of keeping my checks "safe" in my purse instead of deposited in the bank. Tithing is mentioned in almost every religious tradition, Oprah is doing "The Big Give," and so the subject also seems timely and relevant.

"Our Big Give" is still in it's formative stages and your suggestions and your input is greatly appreciated. What would you want to call this particular project? Are there specifics you'd like to see covered? What is most helpful to you? Meditations? Tasks? Questions? Stories? Talk to me guys!

Karla's Question about Ho'oponopono

Saturday, March 15, 2008

I wanted to ask. Do you ever think it's healthy to BE angry and irritated? For instance, if there is a situation that affects alot of people that needs change, do you find that the energy to initiate change for the better is sometimes sparked by a negative emotion, such as feeling unjustness or dishonor or helplessness?

I was discussing this project with my sister who is in the midst of negotiating at a hospital between a newly formed union and administration. There is a critical need for change..the health and well being of a community is at stake. Patient care is often compromised by shortcomings of the current structure. It's not just about money and benefits, it's a much larger scope. So her question is, "When we enter a meeting with intention that management will concede to our requests and sign off and this will be over...and they don't budge...how do we react?"

I tried to picture using Ho'oponopono, tried to explain the project. But it seemed difficult. What would you advise?

Wrapping Things Up

Friday, March 14, 2008


Our 30 days of this current project have come to a close, and it's time now to log on and give us a report of your experience with Ho'oponopono. Here are some questions to get you thinking and give ideas of what you might want to tell us about how this project worked for you.

  • Did you find it easy to "work" the project every day? or was that impossible? Were you hit and miss? Did you start out good and then peter out over time?
  • Did you love it or hate it? Was it boring? Interesting? Fun? Stupid? What?
  • What about your finances? Are they better? worse? the same?
  • The other aspects of your life? Has your live improved in any measureable way? in any non-measurable way?
  • What was the best part of the project? the most interesting? the most helpful?
  • Is there any aspect of this current project that you will continue to implement in your daily life?
  • Would you recommend this technique to others?
  • Is there anything else you would like to share with us about your experiences in this month's project?

An Ho'oponopono Forum

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Today is the last day of our Ho'oponopono project. Time to start thinking about what (if any) effect it had on your life, your finances, etc. Tomorrow I will be posting specific questions for us to answer as we begin to wrap up the project.

In the mean time, I did find an active forum with other people who are practicing Ho'oponopono. I thought you guys might enjoy checking it out. It's at Powerful Intentions. There was a long thread about expecting results with a number of different viewpoints, and I found it interesting. If you happen to go there, I'd be interested in reading your observations and feedback.

PS: I posted this yesterday, but forgot to change the date stamp on it - so it was lost somewhere in the February posts... sorry about that!

Heart of Stone

Wednesday, March 12, 2008


Even stones have a love,
a love that seeks the ground.

~Meister Eckhart

Love is fundamental

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Love is the fundamental impulse of life.

love is fundamental"Love has always been carefully eliminated from the realist and positivist concepts of the world; but sooner or later we shall have to acknowledge that it is the fundamental impulse of life, or, if you prefer, the one natural medium in which the rising course of evolution can proceed. With love omitted, there is truly nothing ahead of us except the forbidding prospect of standardization and enslavement ~ the doom of ants and termites. It is through love and within love that we must look for the deepening of our deepest self, in the life-giving coming together of mankind."

~Teilhard de Chardin

And it all begins with ourselves,
ONLY LOVE HEALS

X It Out

Monday, March 10, 2008

The "X" inside of a box “is a canceling process that goes deep into the heart - touch with your right thumb to activate its presence in your life.”

– Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len


Loving You!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

The ego has played many games over the course of your life. It has imagined that love was only attainable from outside of itself. It has spent thousands of hours in the hot pursuit of love only to find that love from the outside world seems to vanish like mirages in the desert. The only love that is sustainable is the love that is your natural inherent state of being, that which is flowing from within you.

In order to feel more of this love that is who you are, you may need to let go of limiting and contracted thoughts and beliefs you have about yourself. So many people have been led into falsely believing that something is wrong with them, and that they are not loveable. Therefore, they do not fully love themselves or others because their love vibration is obscured by these false notions.

The truth is that you are love, loveable, and so loved because you exist. It’s time to say good-bye to these old ego games, and embrace the divine love that you truly are.



-oOo-

I'm not sure where this came from, so cannot give credit to the author.
I love you - whoever you are - and I'm sorry.

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