AN ANCIENT SCIENCE: The science that is now called Huna is a very old science. We believe that it may be as old as 35,000 years old, and is a part of the original teachings of the peoples of the earth which were centered here in Hawaii on a continent which now, no longer exists. All that remains physically of that land are the mountain peaks of the island chain called Hawaii.
Long after the original teachings of the peoples of the earth were codified, and were spread out all over the world, the continent disappeared. The teachings continued in Hawaii and in other parts of the world.
For a long time prior to 750 A.D., there flourished a system of personal development, healing, and spiritual discipline that was known by "everyone." The system was a balanced system -- one that honored men and women equally. There were almost no secrets; in fact, there were so few secrets that the information that comprised the techniques wasn't even organized or formally taught. It just formed the background of "how it was" in the world.
THE PROMISE OF HUNA: The teaching which is now called Huna was originally called Ho'omana. Ho'o means to make. Mana means life force, equivalent to Ki (as in Aikido), Chi (as in Tai Chi) or Shakti in the Sanskrit language. Taken together the word Ho'omana means empowerment or to empower. The purpose of the original teaching was, then, learning the ways to increase life force.
WHAT IS A KAHUNA: "Ka" means "the," or "light," and Huna means "secret," but it doesn't mean secret in the sense that it did when you were a kid. It means secret in the sense of "esoteric," or "hidden." For example, if you were going to have a meaningful conversation with a Quantum Physicist, you'd probably have to study Quantum Physics for 4 or 5 years. So Huna means knowledge which is not secret as much as hidden from view. Huna means knowledge which is "concealed," or wisdom which is "protected like a treasure." If we divide the word differently (a common practice in discovering the deeper meanings of Hawaiian words), "Kahu" means "honored servant" or "high servant who takes charge of persons, property, or knowledge." "Na" means to care for, to settle difficulties, in a legal sense; quiet, pacified, as an aggrieved child; calmed, quieted, as one's passions -- calm and centered.
The original teachings were hidden inside of the chants and the Hulahula (Hula dances), and they have waited. They have waited, hidden, for a long, long time. The newer arrivals adopted chants and Hulahula which contained mysteries hidden to them but which were simply waiting for a rebirth of the original teachings
So whereas there was the tradition of the Holy Guardian Spirit in Hermetics, Alchemy and the Native American Tradition, so also in Huna we have the tradition of the Higher Self.
ESOTERIC STUDIES: As you begin your study of Huna, or whatever esoteric discipline you choose, please consider the following:
The spirit of any esoteric training does not lie solely in the information being taught, but in the influences that come from the teacher and which, over time, tune the pupil to higher and higher levels of vibration. An esoteric school is different from all other schools in that, although its intent is to communicate wisdom, its real power lies in its contacts with the unseen, and in essence inner worlds. Unless it has these contacts, it cannot give its pupils the power to put the intellectual theory into practice. All of the different schools of the original teachings generally share the same principles but they differ very much in how they gather their power and in their ability to apply and share that power.
Any training in esoteric studies should increase positive character traits in the initiate. Above all, it should bring increasing balance of the mind. If it does not do this there is something wrong. What could possibly be the purpose if a student experiences the heavens open to him, and yet loses his reason, his livelihood, and his friends? To put it clearly, training in Huna should not cause a person to loose his job, relationships, and all that is dear to him. The result of any esoteric study is, and should always be Balance. Remember that you have four parts to your personality: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual; and any method of training should take into account all four of these. It should then bring them into balance if it is to produce the stability that comes from having symmetry and harmony in life.
This certainly was not my imagination! it was very real!
