HAWAIIAN ENERGETIC HEALING:
Maintaining Ancient Traditions in a Modern World
Throughout time, ancient and native societies have relied upon their beliefs and utilized the resources of the world around them for survival and for healing. Their relationship with their gods and their understanding of nature provided them with the necessary tools for daily life.
The ancient Hawaiians had an intimate, interactive relationship with their deities – each relied upon the other. They understood the importance of combining spirituality with sensible materialism and that harmony and unity was within themselves and humankind.
Many of us are familiar with the Native American shamans. The Hawaiian equivalents are the Kahuna. The kahuna were the priests and those who were masters in their field. The kahuna maintain traditions taught and handed down through generations of a family’s lineage. This ancient knowledge represents a way of living and being. Each lineage held their understandings as sacred, passing them on orally and by example of living to the next generation.
With the passing of time, as with other ancient traditions, few members of current generations were learning and following the “old ways.” One kahuna with the gift of healing and sight, Nelita Kapaaloha Po’okui Lonokahikini Peleiholani Kukuia Laakea Cook Kenway Anderson, upon realizing that no native Hawaiian was stepping up to carry on the traditions, chose to teach non-Hawaiians so that her family’s lineage of what is believed to be 25 generations would not be lost.
From amongst her non-Hawaiian students, Nelita selected Edward Kaleolani Spencer to be the steward of her family’s teachings. Nelita gave Edward the Hawaiian name she heard for him, Kaleolani, and “graduated” him to Kahu O Mana, keeper and protector of the Mana. Upon Nelita’s passing, Kaleolani chose the phrase Hawaiian Energetics to describe the traditions of Nelita’s lineage, putting it into modern, relatable language and began carrying on her teachings.
Hawaiian Energetics is hands-on healing based in Nelita’s family lineage of Kahuna HaHa. As a medical Kahuna, she utilized and directed the elemental energies – fire, air, water and earth – to promote balance and well-being in a person’s body. These elemental energies are the building blocks of our physical existence.
Through their philosophy, spiritual beliefs and daily living, the ancient Hawaiians developed an intimate understanding of the elements and how they related to the body, environment and the world around them. This understanding extended to the balance and relationship of the elements to the body’s organs and systems.
Daily life presents challenges and choices that can lead to distress and imbalance. Healing occurs when these imbalances are corrected and the elemental energies flow freely and in appropriate volume throughout the body.
The ancient teachings speak of three bodies – the physical, the etheric and the astral. Each body has its own needs and functions. Together, they make up who we are as a person. Thus, the health and balance of the three bodies is critical to our well-being. To understand the healing process, it helps to have an understanding of the three bodies.
It is through the physical body that we experience the world in which we live. The physical body is tactile and experiences sensations – taste, smell, touch, thought. It requires nutrients, fluid, rest and protection to maintain its health and functionality. The physical body moves us through our daily life and tasks.
The etheric body is considered the powerhouse for the physical body. The etheric body also maintains the communication between all three of the bodies. Electro-magnetic in nature, the etheric body contains all four of the elemental energies, regulating their flow to the physical body as needed. The etheric body replenishes itself from the surrounding environment, which abounds in elemental energies.
The astral body is the most challenging to comprehend. It is the body that provides us with direction and purpose as we live our physical life. The astral body gathers information and power from the original resource of creation – referred to by the Hawaiians as Mana – giving us vision. This vision can lead to positive movement and in turn to enlightenment and fullness of living – one of the objectives of the astral body. Additionally, when illness or injury occurs, the astral body provides divine inspiration and information that is utilized in conjunction with the etheric and physical bodies to promote healing within all three.
The ancient medical healers learned to listen and observe the three bodies, understanding the relationship of one to the other and the importance of the balance of the elemental energies in maintaining health. When deficiencies of an elemental energy were observed, the medical Kahuna would work with an individual to restore the proper balance, quality and flow of the element and in so doing, restore the person’s health.
In this tradition, practitioners of Hawaiian Energetics listen to the words of their client as well as to the body itself, paying attention to the volume and flow of the elemental energies through the body. They then work with the information gathered to restore an optimal balance to the client’s body, using the elemental energies and Mana as their tools. As a recipient of this work, each individual’s experience varies, but at the very least, most people experience a deep sense of peace and well-being.
Not only a healing modality, Hawaiian Energetics teaches us to live a life of Aloha, enabling us to gain deeper insight into our own being and purpose and finding the kahuna within ourselves. As Kahuna David Kaonohiokala Bray describes it in The Kahuna Religion of Hawaii (Borderland Sciences, CA, 1990), Aloha “means ‘Come forward, be in unity and harmony with your real self, God, and mankind. Be honest, truthful, patient, kind to all forms of life, and humble.’”
Today’s students of Hawaiian Energetics include, massage therapists, lawyers, doctors, artists, healers and anyone seeking to expand their knowledge and self-awareness. Expanding one’s understanding of self allows us to grow and live a fuller existence, to be a better version of ourselves. Bringing the qualities of the elements and Mana into our daily life adds a deeper richness to our experiences as we walk our paths. Living in this manner promotes healing of one’s self and can be healing to those around us. This is the Hawaiian way – to be full and complete within self and the world around you.
From San Diego to New York, Chicago to Atlanta and Washington, DC, Hawaiian Energetics practitioners and teachers continue this multi-generational tradition, keeping alive the ancient wisdoms, healing themselves and their clients.