(2) Ho’oponopono : The Unihipili or subconscious mind, key to everything.

If we were to realize how many things in our lives we are not aware of, we would understand that in fact we have control over very few things in our daily lives, and this would undoubtedly encourage us to be humble. We’re prepared to do anything to defend the boundaries of our ego, which we call our “personality”, but when something suddenly breaks: a stroke, a burn-out, a separation, a cancer, a problem of any kind, we always blame the outside world.

Do we really have to wait for it to break?

The proof is that once it’s definitely broken, there’s nothing left, even though nothing on the outside has changed. Something has just happened beyond our awareness: an abuse of our own body, an incompatibility in relationships, a contradiction in our values, ignoring a warning signal, etc. What happened? Lack of humility, lack of listening, lack of communication. How many times in the course of a day do we listen to the speechless language of our subconscious? We may spend hours on social networks, which represent our external nervous system, but how much time do we spend communicating with our internal nervous system?

We think of our body as a car. It’s when it makes noise, breaks down or dies that we realize we need to take a close look at what’s going on. The body is the same, it moves on legs, it breathes, it eats, it digests, everything is transparent, invisible, it works by itself. But who manages all that? We wouldn’t be able to do it. And what’s more, it’s marvelously well done. To the point where It’s one of the only things we have faith in: our bodies working properly. No need to ask: is it divine? Do I need to believe something? What is breathing? Where does cell renewal come from? Why is there a balance between red and white blood cells? We take life for granted, and usually not even in a spirit of gratitude…

Towards the unity of the “world”.

This “faithful servant” is also the one who makes sure that the planets don’t fall on top of each other, that we have the oxygen we need to breathe, that governs the laws of gravity and attraction, the spectrum of colors, the action of sight, hearing and sensation. If you look at it, the unconscious is inside, but it’s also everywhere, because we don’t need to be aware of all the natural phenomena that surround us and occur in our bodies in order to continue living.

The unconscious is multidimensional, and its actions are unthinkable to our conscious mind. It is both our unconsciousness and our zone of powerlessness. So what powers are left to the conscious part of our existence? I say ‘the conscious part of our existence’ because to consider that everything is located in our brain and in our head is a theory that has yet to be proven. We could, for example, consider that this part of us is nothing more than a modem or an antenna and that, in the end, we are immersed in the network and that the boundary between our interior and our exterior is just an illusion.

There’s no point in making a decision, it would serve no purpose, but if we’re content to remain neutral, we need to ask the question in practical terms. To do this, we need to ask ourselves what the attributions of the conscious domain are and of the domain that escapes our consciousness. Let’s stop thinking in terms of space and start thinking in terms of action and operation. It is clear that there is a part that we think we are in control and a part that is totally beyond. The part in control has a limited binary management task, it would be incapable of taking charge of all the operation that occur below the level of consciousness. It would be humanly impossible. It is therefore important to understand that succeeding in making the unconscious conscious (which is the objective of therapies) is an illusion.

How can we negotiate with the subconscious?

It is not in these terms that we need to reason, we should consider attributions and communication. Like Yin and Yang, the two zones have distinct but complementary action. In order for the exchanges between these two parts of life to take place harmoniously, we need to abandon an authoritarian conception of control. A comparison of their respective roles is enough to show us that the conscious mind is not in a position of power compared with the subconscious and that a negotiation is the only solution.

What should be the logic of this negotiation, and what should the conscious mind say to this silent, invisible partner which possesses such skills and such power?

1) I recognize the enormous amount of work you are doing.

2) I know that I wouldn’t be able to live without what you do.

3) I’m not here to control you but to cooperate with you.

4) I’ve understood that my role is simply to talk with you about my projects and objectives.

Gratitude and respect

Our relationship with the subconscious is an old one, based on mistrust. You only must look at religion, hypnosis and suggestion to see that the collaboration between these two components of our reality is far from trusting and respectful.

All religions tend to consider what lies beneath consciousness as a dangerous territory, inhabited by demons. They speak of the “sacred heart” and of the “prayer of the heart”, without recognizing that the beating of this organ plunges into the unknown in the same way as anything considered “taboo”.

The roots of hypnosis take a less rigid view of things, but they tend to suggest viewing conscious and unconscious minds communication in much the same way as a burglar enters a house. You put the watchdog to sleep before entering.

Suggestion would give an impression of a little more neutrality, but we notice that it considers the subconscious as a stupid creature or a robot that can only be programmed or reprogrammed by repetition.

These 3 attitudes reflect a total lack of respect and gratitude towards the part of reality which operates below the threshold of our consciousness.

If even the tiniest exchange goes wrong in this invisible zone, the overall harmony of our lives can plunge into chaos or nothingness. All illnesses and problems result from a lack of harmony between what is happening at the conscious and subconscious levels. The conscious mind is just a pinhead when it comes to attributions, so why should it give itself the leading role and consider itself superior?

Ho’oponopono-Aloha, the return ‘home

To re-establish this relationship, Ho’oponopono-Aloha proposes a non-violent approach that begins with a lucid recognition of all the tasks our invisible partner performs to support our presence here. Doesn’t this perfect work that goes on day and night deserve our gratitude? Whatever we call this discreet management body, it’s essential that we recognize its place and express our deep gratitude fo the job done. Perhaps this is where we need to locate the first recipient of the famous Ho’oponopono “Thank you”.

Is it not to this part of life that we should ask forgiveness: neither robot, nor watchdog, nor mechanical part of ourselves, should we not first address to it the “Forgive me” that we think we should address to others?

Finally, can we imagine that this part, which is constantly working for our interests but also for the interests of the whole universe, will refuse to accept our sudden realization and our repentance?

Therein lies the secret of these 4 sentences of the ho’oponopono, which are not a mantra. It is the magic formula of humility that allows us to “return home”, in other words to the original harmony. The end of a hierarchical relationship, non-violent communication, based on complementarity and mutual respect : “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”