“People show up in our lives as opportunities to reach out in love. In spite of what we see, there is fullness and glory. Our job is to call it forth, to strengthen it, to honor it, to pray for it to rise.”—Michele Longo-O’Donnell 
You may have heard about Dr. Hew Len. He’s a former psychologist assigned to the special ward at the Hawaii State Hospital, a notorious clinic for the criminally insane.
It was so bad that Hew Len’s predecessors all left in despair (usually in less than a month) after making zero inroads in the lives of the seriously disturbed murderers, rapists and you know, the type of dates we hope not to encounter on say, Tinder or Match.com.
Hew Len was different. He rarely left his office. In fact, not once did he meet with any of the inmates, preferring instead to retrieve their files one-by-one and practice the ancient Hawaiian art of ho’oponopono.
Basically, as he explained it, he was healing the part of himself that created such atrocities. It was pointless, he believed, to try to heal others. All he could do was heal himself.
Little by little, nurses started noticing changes. Inmates required less shackling, less pharmaceutical drugs. Some mystery person began tending the gardens, repairing the tennis courts. The atmosphere changed SO MUCH that the prisoners, one by one, were eventually released. After four years, Hawaii’s much-despised clinic for the mentally insane was shuttered forever.
Although ACIM Lesson 78 (Let Miracles Replace All Grievances) doesn’t actually prescribe ho’oponopono, it might as well. It reflects Hew Len’s belief that anything that happens TO us is our responsibility.
Anything we perceive, any person we don’t like is our creation and thus our responsibility. One hundred percent. No exceptions.
It sounds crazy. But it worked for Hew Len and it’s the only thing that can ever heal our lives. We must first heal our perceptions. The world is a projection of our mind and today’s lesson asks us to choose just one lucky individual and use him or her to heal the planet.
Even though I can barely pronounce it and have to frequently look up its spelling, I use ho’oponopono all the time. I’ve successfully turned Mr. Hydes back into Dr. Jekylls.
All it requires is saying these shockingly simple phrases to all ogres on your path:
I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
I love you.
Thank you.
Pam Grout is the author of 19 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank & Grow Rich and her new book, Art & Soul,Reloaded: A Year-Long Apprenticeship to Summon the Muses and Ignite Your Daring, Audacious, Creative Side.
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Happy Monday!
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And happy Monday to you, as well!!
I’ll do it! I have 2 circumstances that need to be healed this week! Cheryl
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Cheryl—you are da bomb when it comes to healing!! Let me know how it goes!!
We use those 4 phrases over and over again. Out daughter Josephine 13 years old loves saying it! Results are amazing. I think it is time for me to say it more!!!!
Here’s to Josephine!!! What a beautiful daughter you have!
Perfect! I practice ho’oponopono daily. I love how you included this practice into how to turn grievances into miracles. Thank you! LOVE!
I’ve had some great results with ho’oponopono.
Yep it sounds crazy alright! So, to heal my relationship with someone who has harmed me (offended, upset, abused etc) I have to ask THEM to forgive ME…..?! I have to tell them that I’m sorry? That’s weird! I mean I understand that I’ve attracted their behaviour into my life but I don’t understand the bit about asking for their forgiveness for something they’ve done. That’s going to take some meditating upon I think….🤔 The story about Dr Hew Len is an incredible example of this practise so Thankyou for sharing it. It looks like I’ll be asking my ex husband for his forgiveness of me as well as practicing forgiving him. This will be interesting! Thankyou for the daily invitation to join the adventure of miracle making. I’m having such fun – even if I don’t always understand the lesson! 😁
Jenny I’m on the same page as you. I’m trying to be open, but I’m having a difficult time understanding why I’m the problem as it pertains to my husband’s binge drinking or my daughter’s addiction to Meth.
Hi Shirley. I don’t know that it’s so much that we ARE the problem. I think it’s more that we have to take responsibility FOR the problem showing up in our lives. I still don’t understand how asking the one who is misbehaving for OUR forgiveness is supposed to work but I guess I’m willing to give it a try. Maybe Pam will be able to explain this one for us in a little more depth in another lesson. Anyway, good luck! 😁🍀🦋
As I understand ho’oponopono, we don’t actually say these phrases out loud. Rather they’re a conditioner within our own minds. Hew Lin never interacted with the people he “healed.”
Dear sweet Shirley–It might be worth a try to silently bless them. If it doesn’t make you feel better, feel free to return to previous thinking. It’s just an experiment!!
Here’s a free pdf file of the book Zero Limits that gives more information about Dr. Hew Len and ho’oponopono. http://files.meetup.com/3684022/ZeroLimitsJoeVitaleINGLES.pdf
Thanks for sharing, Delaine! I love this book. It’s very inspiring!
Thankyou Delaine! I will thoroughly enjoy studying this. Blessings to you 😊🦋
Delaine, thank you so much for sharing this. I’m planning to read it this weekend.
Hi again, Jenny–It’s not that you have to ask for forgiveness to their face, or even in their presence. It’s just a way of working inside on our thoughts and perceptions.
Thanks for the clarification Pam. I figured that the process was an internal one but that it’s useful to have a particular person or situation in mind when you’re saying the words to yourself. So this morning on the tram I did the process in my mind with my ex husband in mind. It felt good actually! I will keep doing this. And I’ll try to remember to do it whenever any difficult person crosses my path 😊
Since none of this is real, your circumstances are created by you from the infinite FP. This is YOUR reality, your creation. In Ho’oponopono, you are addressing your Higher Self, not whoever/whatever done you wrong – you are talking to You. For instance, my nephew has a wee inferiority complex and, every time I would see him, he would slip in some snide, smart-arse remark. Finally, it dawned on me that it was me, somehow creating that, so I ‘cleaned’ it with the four phrases… problem gone, such a relief. Borrowing from various books, mostly Joe Vitale’s Zero Limits, I think about whatever the situation is and say the following out loud: “I’m sorry. I have no idea what, within me, has created this, but here it is, so I must have participated in some way. Please forgive me. Please forgive me for I have been unconscious. I have not known what I have done to make this happen and to create this reality. Thank You. Thank You for my life. Thank You for listening to me, for taking care of this. Thank You for being The Divine and giving me the miracle of my living, breathing being. I love You. I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank You. I love You.” And I am genuinely contrite and grateful in this process, for it is ME creating my world, ME messing with my life unknowingly. The most useful book I’ve found is Luc Bodin’s The Book of Ho’oponopono. Once you get your head around it, this process is invaluable.
Thanks Prospera. I’ll definiteky be giving this a try! 😁
Prospera, thanks for sharing what you use in these situations. Pam, thanks for telling the Ho’oponono story. I have heard it before but had let it drift away from my consciousness. This is great stuff!
actually when you say those 4 simple phrases it is to yourself that you say those phrases. and in doing so you help others as well as yourself. you’re not asking them for forgiveness it is yourself that you ask for forgiveness, etc.
Hi Pam! I’ve been following you and reading your books for quite some time now. I just wanted to say how much I’ve always looked forward to your blog posts and how awesome it is to hear from you on a daily basis now! What a treat! We are so lucky to have you writing everyday and hear your take and explanation on ACIM. Just wanted to say thanks!!
Just want to say thanks for saying thanks! It means a lot to know people are getting something out of it.
Wow – well – all I can say is I will give it a go- anything to help the situation with the curmudgeon type ogre who gives us all hell in apartment number 4. ( I DID say last night- frequently- ” I am entitled to miracles” whilst trying to not get too involved with thoughts about his dreadful behaviour. Ill try anything!
Give it a try! That’s what we’re doing here–playing with these ideas, experimenting. Nothing too serious going on!!
I have a written list of people I who I have been angry with. I started with a couple and, now the list is nearly 100. I put the person’s name on the list, the reason I was upset. Then, every few weeks, I reread the list, forgiving each person and saying a short prayer for them. It is so wonderful to feel that release as I do this.
Scott
What a wonderful practice, Scott!!! Forgiveness revolutionizes our lives.
It has mine and now with you and my reading of Anita Moojani’s “On Being Me” I am becoming new. Thanks.
All forgiveness is self-forgiveness.
This is a magic potion so to speak in my life. I used it to heal betrayal in my marriage, which I thought , (very self-righteously ) did not deserve to be healed.
Healing like this allowed me to speak to the Spirit of the person and by-pass the physical form. It is a beautiful practice, even if it seems hard a times.
Love,
Kate
I love Ho’oponopono and go in and out of remembering to practice it. It’s so easy to use and perfect for forgiveness. Wonderful reminder! Thank you, Pam.
I read this and had to come back to it. It’s a profound modality for healing everything. I believe my daughter introduced me to it many years ago but this brings it to the cellular level of understanding. It reminds me a little of AH and the positive aspects which I used intensely during my last divorce. I felt nothing but love for the man I chose to no longer live with and it turned out to be a kind and gentle separation. I’m going to work on this one a great deal more. Thank you for sharing this information with us. Marlene Herself
In ho’oponopono you don’t even have to say those phrases to people. You have to say it as a meditation, to God, to yourself mostly. Apologizing to yourself for your responsibility in having that negative behavior as part of your reality. Forgiving yourself for making it reality. Because all of your reality is created by you, even the ogres.
It is strange to a lot of people to make that onnection because they feel as if they are being blamed for causing the problem. It is not about the problem though. It is the manifestation of that as part of your reality of your beliefs and focus.
Diane Dobry
i have the book ho’oponopono books (yes 2) one was a small book about it and the second one has a cd with word and maybe even music( i haven’t listen to the cd).
Hey Pam i have started to read a book it is called “the 4-Hour Body” by Tomothy Ferris. have you heard of him? or his book?
I love this method, memorized the prayer, lost my books in sharing them with others; and can’t remember how to use the technique “dew drop” if anyone remembers please let me know…..thanks Pam for the reminder……….Let Love Rule
Iâm sorry.Please forgive me.Thank you.I love you.(this is last)Regards,Beth Denniston— comment-reply@wordpress.com wrote:From: Pam Grout <comment-reply@wordpress.com>To: bdenniston@mytocn.comSubject: [New post] Turning Mr. Hyde back into Dr. JekyllDate: Mon, 19 Mar 2018 16:18:00 +0000
psgrout posted: “âPeople show up in our lives as opportunities to reach out in love. In spite of what we see, there is fullness and glory. Our job is to call it forth, to strengthen it, to honor it, to pray for it to rise.â—Michele Longo-OâDonnell
You may have heard abo”