The 7 Principles of Huna: A Compassionate Path Towards Forgiveness and Inner Peace

We carry more than we realise. Old regrets, hurtful words, family tension, disappointment, grief, anger, or the quiet belief that we should have done better, all these have heavy resonances that draw down our physical, mental and emotional states often sapping our energy and will. These experiences stagnate deeply within us and affect how we see ourselves, our relationships, and the future.

The seven principles of Huna offer a gentle framework for coming back to yourself with greater awareness, compassion, and choice. Rather than being another set of ‘rules’ to follow, these beautiful principles can be used as reflection tools to help better understand and also clear the heavier aspects of our past experiences.

At their heart, these principles can support us empaths through a softening: a willingness to release what no longer serves, to forgive where forgiveness feels right and safe, and to offer yourself the same understanding you so freely give to others.

A helpful companion to these reflections is the beautiful modernised Ho‘oponopono practice:

I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

These words carry an almost magical quality, helping to dissolve and release heavy energies stuck within us and also within others. They can be spoken quietly to yourself, to a memory, to a difficult emotion, to a relationship, or simply to the part of you that has been carrying pain for a long time.

Respect For the Gift Of The Ancients

The seven principles of Huna have been inspired by Hawaiian ideas and spiritual traditions so it is important to hold these and the intent with which you use them with reverence and respect.

These 7 principles are derived from traditional Hawaiian Huna within which Ho‘oponopono is a Hawaiian process of reconciliation that involves restoring right relationship, truth-telling, forgiveness, and, where possible, making amends.

The principles below can be approached as gentle invitations to greater self-awareness, kindness, forgiveness, and emotional wellbeing with the possibility of shifting heavier energies that block these things.

1. Ike: The world is what you think it is

Ike invites us to become aware of the thoughts, meanings, and stories shaping our experience.

When something painful happens, our minds often try to make sense of it. We may tell ourselves, “It was all my fault,” “I am not good enough,” “Nobody understands me,” or “I will never get over this.” These thoughts can feel completely true in the moment, especially if they are connected to old wounds.

Ike does not ask us to deny our pain or pretend that difficult experiences did not happen. Instead, it asks us to gently notice the meaning we are giving to what happened. Because, sometimes the story we carry is harsher than the truth.

You may not have known then what you know now. You may have been doing your best with the understanding, support, capacity, and circumstances available to you at the time. Recognising this does not erase responsibility when an apology or repair is needed. It simply creates room for compassion alongside accountability.

When self-blame arises, you might pause and say:

“I’m sorry for the pain I have carried.
Please forgive me for judging myself so harshly.
Thank you for helping me see this with more kindness.
I love you.”

Ike can also invite us to extend the same thinking to people who we perceive have harmed or done wrong by us. You might say:

“I’m sorry for the pain I have carried.
Please forgive me for judging you so harshly.
Thank you for helping me see this with more kindness.
I love you.”

A gentle question to sit with:

“Is there another, kinder way I could understand this experience?”

2. Kala: There are no limits

Kala is often expressed as the idea that there are no limits. In everyday life, it can remind us that healing, growth, and change may still be possible - even if we cannot yet see exactly how.

There are real limits in life, and it is important to honour them. We cannot control other people’s choices. We cannot change the past. We cannot necessarily make pain disappear instantaneously. Yet we may be able to change how we care for ourselves now, how we respond to our feelings, and what we choose to carry forward.

Sometimes the greatest limitation is the belief that we are permanently defined by a mistake, a painful chapter, or someone else’s opinion of us or action toward us.

You are more than what happened to you. You are more than the worst thing you have done. You are more than the version of yourself that was simply trying to survive.

Kala opens a door to possibility:

“Perhaps I can heal.”
“Perhaps I can learn.”
“Perhaps I can forgive myself one small piece at a time.”
“Perhaps I do not have to carry this forever.”

“Perhaps I can change the way I am perceiving this.”

When you feel stuck, repeat the Ho‘oponopono phrases slowly, allowing them to settle deeply as you say them:

“I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.”

You do not have to force forgiveness - only to be willing to begin with kindness.

3. Makia: Energy flows where attention goes

Makia reminds us that what we focus on often grows stronger in our emotional world.

If we repeatedly return to an old hurt, regret, betrayal, or worry, it can begin to take up more and more space within us. This does not mean we should suppress our feelings or push painful memories away. Healing requires honesty. It is important to acknowledge what hurts.

But after we have acknowledged the pain, we can gently choose what else deserves our attention.

Rather than focussing on that past ‘wrong’, we can place some of our energy into rest, supportive relationships, gratitude, nourishing routines, meaningful work, creativity, laughter, connection, and hope. We can notice the small moments that remind us life is still moving and that we are still here.

Forgiveness is not always a single decision. Sometimes it is the repeated choice to stop feeding the wound every moment of the day.

When your attention is caught in an old story, you might place your hand over your heart and say:

“I’m sorry this has been painful.
Please forgive me for holding on so tightly.
Thank you for what this has taught me.
I love you, and I am learning to return to my true self.”

A gentle redirect to ask when old unwanted thoughts arise: “What would I like to give more of my energy to today?”

4. Manawa: Now is the moment of power

Manawa reminds us that the present moment is where our power lives.

The past may explain why you feel the way you do, but it does not have to decide every step you take next. The future may feel uncertain, but you do not need to solve your whole life today. You only need to meet this moment with as much care and compassion as you can.

When you are caught in regret, you may find yourself replaying what you wish you had said or done. When you are caught in anxiety, you may find yourself trying to predict every possible outcome. Manawa gently brings you back to the only place where you can breathe, choose, and care for yourself: here, now.

Take a breath.

Feel your feet on the floor.

Notice the support beneath you.

Ask: “What do I need in this moment?”

Perhaps you need rest. Perhaps you need to cry. Perhaps you need to speak to someone you trust. Perhaps you need to set a boundary, take a walk, drink some water, make an appointment for some Reiki, or offer yourself permission to pause.

In the present moment, say:

“I’m sorry for the ways I have abandoned myself.
Please forgive me.
Thank you for this moment and this new choice.
I love you.”

5. Aloha: To love is to be happy with

Aloha is often described in modern Huna teachings as love, kindness, connection, and an appreciation for life.

For many people, love is easier to offer outwardly than inwardly. Do you find that you are easily patient with a friend who is struggling, understanding with a loved one who makes a mistake, and gentle with someone who is grieving - yet hold yourself to impossible standards?  Aloha invites us to turn some of that kindness inward.

Self-forgiveness isn’t about excusing harmful behaviour or avoiding responsibility. If you have caused harm, self-forgiveness may include recognising it honestly, making amends where appropriate, learning from the experience, and choosing to act differently in the future.

Carrying lifelong shame does not help anyone. Shame often keeps us stuck. Compassion can help us take responsibility while still believing we are worthy of healing.

Aloha also reminds us that forgiveness does not require you to stay connected to someone who has hurt you. You can release the hope that the past will be different while still protecting yourself in the present. You can wish someone peace without giving them access to you.

Try offering yourself these words:

“I’m sorry for the pain you have endured.
Please forgive me for believing you had to earn love.
Thank you for continuing to show up.
I love you exactly as you are, and I am learning to care for you.”

A gentle reflection: “What would it look like to treat myself as someone worthy of love?”

6. Mana: All power comes from within

Mana reminds us of our inner capacity to respond, choose, seek support, and create change.

There are many things in life we cannot control. We cannot control another person’s willingness to apologise. We cannot force someone to understand our pain. We cannot undo a past decision. We cannot always prevent loss or disappointment.

But we can choose how we care for ourselves now. We can choose the support we seek. We can choose whether to continue a harmful pattern. We can choose to speak honestly, ask for help, set boundaries, take one small step, or begin again.

Personal power is not always loud or dramatic. Sometimes it looks like saying, “I need help.” Sometimes it looks like ending a conversation. Sometimes it looks like making a nourishing meal, resting when exhausted, or being brave enough to allow yourself to feel what you feel.

When you feel powerless, remind yourself:

“I’m sorry I have forgotten my own strength.
Please forgive me for doubting myself.
Thank you for the wisdom and support available to me.
I love you, and I am ready to take one small step.”

A question to move you forward: “What is one influence or step forward I can make with kindness today?”

7. Pono: Effectiveness is the measure of truth

Pono is often shared in modern Huna as the idea that effectiveness is the measure of truth. Put simply, it encourages us to notice whether what we are doing is actually helping.

Sometimes we hold onto habits, beliefs, coping strategies, or relationship patterns because they once protected us. Perhaps shutting down helped you feel safe. Perhaps people-pleasing helped you avoid conflict or harsh self-criticism felt like a way to prevent mistakes.

These patterns may have made sense at one time, maybe in your childhood. But your adult self can now ask, gently and without judgment: “Is this still helping me?”

If the answer is no, you can acknowledge and thank the old pattern for trying to protect you, then choose something more supportive.

Pono also encourages us to balance forgiveness with truth. Forgiveness is not pretending that harm was acceptable. It is not tolerating repeated disrespect nor is it rushing yourself because others think you should be “over it.” True healing is individual, honest, and often gradual.

You may say:

“I’m sorry for the ways I have coped that no longer serve me.
Please forgive me.
Thank you for showing me a different path.
I love you enough to choose what supports my wellbeing.”

Ask today: “What is one small change that would better support my peace, health, and wellbeing?”

A daily forgiveness practice

You may wish to use the seven principles as a simple daily check-in. There is no need to do them all at once. Choose the one that meets you where you are.

• Ike: What story am I telling myself, and can I make room for a kinder perspective?

• Kala: Where might healing or possibility still be available to me?

• Makia: What am I giving my attention and energy to today?

• Manawa: What do I need right now?

• Aloha: What would self-love and compassion look like in this moment?

• Mana: What is within my power to influence?

• Pono: Is the way I am responding helping me move towards peace?

Then place a hand on your heart, take a gentle breath, and repeat:

I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

You might say these words once, or repeat them slowly for a few minutes. You may direct them to yourself, to your younger self, to a relationship, to a memory, or to the emotional weight you are ready to release.

There is no need to force a particular feeling. You may feel peaceful, emotional, resistant, numb, relieved, or nothing at all. All of these responses are okay. The practice is simply an invitation to meet whatever is present with care.

Forgiveness is a process, not a deadline

Forgiveness can be deeply personal. It may come quickly, gradually, in layers, or not in the form you expected. Forgiveness sometimes means letting go of the hope that a person will become who you needed them to be. Sometimes it means releasing blame toward yourself. Sometimes it means accepting that you can remember what happened and still choose to live fully.

You are not required to forgive someone in order to prove that you are loving, spiritual, or healed. You are also not required to remain in contact with someone who has harmed you or constantly drains your energy or resources. Safety, boundaries, support, and truth matter.

Self-forgiveness is not forgetting. It is not denying responsibility. It is the willingness to see yourself as a whole person - someone who has made mistakes, carried pain, learned, survived, and still deserves compassion. Forgiveness for others or for certain occurrences is these things extended outwards.

Perhaps most importantly, forgiving ourselves and others in this lifetime negates the need for karmic working out of these energies and experiences in future lifetimes and allows for more rapid progression of our soul on its ascension journey.

May these beautiful principles be a loving reminder that healing does not require perfection. It begins, again and again, with a small moment of present awareness and the choice to be kinder to yourself.

I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

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Ready to Take the Next Step?

The Ho‘oponopono phrases and the path of forgiveness may sound beautifully simple:

I’m sorry.
Please forgive me.
Thank you.
I love you.

Yet when you are living with a painful memory, a difficult relationship, self-blame, grief, anger, or a pattern that feels hard to release, it can be difficult to know where to begin.

The steps are simple - but you may still be asking "how can I truly apply them to my life and my situation right now?”

A Ho‘oponopono and Forgiveness Session with Love in Action Reiki offers a gentle, supportive space to explore that question. Together, we can look at what you may be holding, what forgiveness means for you, and where self-compassion, emotional release, clearer boundaries, or a new perspective may be needed.

This is not about rushing forgiveness, excusing what has happened, or forcing yourself to “move on.” It is about creating space for understanding, healing, and a kinder relationship with yourself - at a pace that feels right for you.

If you feel ready to begin, or simply need a safe space to explore what forgiveness might look like in your own life, a Ho‘oponopono and Forgiveness Session may be a beautiful place to start.

Blessings to you

Susie

If you feel called to explore this more, you can go here to book a session: