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There is a peace beyond understanding — a stillness that exists before words, before memories, before the identity we think is “me.” That place is called Zero. And to reach it, not through force but by permission, there is a path so gentle that most overlook it: cleaning.

This is the essence of Ho’oponopono — the sacred Hawaiian practice of healing through taking 100% responsibility. It’s not a religion. It’s not even a belief system. It is a process — a way of relating to the world through cleansing memory, judgment, and control from our inner space.

This blog is not written to convince. It is offered in the energy of “I love you”, with the intention that something inside you may remember what it means to be free.

The Roots of Ho’oponopono: Returning to Harmony

“Ho’oponopono” translates roughly to “to make right” or “to correct an error.” Traditionally, it was practiced in Hawaiian families as a communal process of resolving conflict, guided by a kahuna or elder.

But in the 1970s, Morrnah Nalamaku Simeona, a Hawaiian kahuna lapaʻau (healer), adapted the practice into a personal spiritual process that could be done internally, by oneself, without group involvement. She taught that all healing begins inside — that what we see “out there” is just a projection of data replaying from within.

Her student, Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len, carried this torch forward. A psychologist by training, he applied Ho’oponopono in one of the most unlikely places: a ward for the criminally insane.

The Story That Shocked the World

Dr. Hew Len was hired to work at the Hawaii State Hospital, where inmates had committed severe crimes under psychiatric distress. The atmosphere was toxic: therapists quit frequently, staff called in sick to avoid shifts, and even walking down the halls was dangerous.

And yet, Dr. Len never met with a single inmate. Instead, he sat in his office and reviewed their files, one by one. But he didn’t analyze, diagnose, or strategize.

He cleaned.

He said, “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you,” over and over. He took full responsibility for what appeared in his awareness — even though he hadn’t committed the crimes or caused the suffering.

Within months, things began to shift. Inmates became calmer. Medication was reduced. Staff returned to work joyfully. After four years, the entire ward was shut down — not because of failure, but because it was no longer needed.

How?

“I was simply cleaning the data I shared with them,” he said. “When I healed the part of me that created them, they changed.”

100% Responsibility: The Key to Transformation

Most people take partial responsibility:

“I’ll own my half.”

“It’s not my fault.”

“They made me angry.”

But in Ho’oponopono, there is no one else. There’s no “them.” If you experience it — if it enters your awareness — you are responsible for it. Not to blame. But to clean.

This is not easy for the ego. The ego wants to understand, defend, control. But Ho’oponopono is not a technique of the ego. It’s a permission slip for Divinity to cleanse the programs running in the subconscious mind.

The Four Sacred Phrases (Explained Deeply)

At the core of Ho’oponopono are four phrases. Simple, but not shallow. When spoken with sincerity, they carry deep vibrational clearing:

1. “I’m sorry.”

You recognize that something — a thought, memory, energy — has entered your system. You don’t need to know what it is or where it came from. You acknowledge its presence.

🔹 Example: You feel irritation toward your child. Instead of reacting, you pause and say internally, “I’m sorry.” You're not saying the child did something wrong — you're recognizing that this irritation is within you.

2. “Please forgive me.”

You're not asking someone else for forgiveness. You’re asking the Divine to forgive you for holding on to this memory. You're asking for purification.

🔹 Example: A bill arrives and triggers anxiety. You say, “Please forgive me,” not because the bill is wrong, but because fear is replaying — and you’re willing to release it.

3. “Thank you.”

This is the expression of faith. You thank the Divine in advance for the healing that is already happening. Gratitude opens the field.

🔹 Example: You remember a painful breakup and say, “Thank you.” Not because it was good or right, but because you trust that its residue is now being cleaned.

4. “I love you.”

This phrase is the master key. Love transforms. It doesn’t fix — it dissolves. You say “I love you” to everything: your body, the pain, the confusion, the world.

🔹 Example: Before entering a crowded space, you say, “I love you” to the room, to the energy, to the people — even if you don’t know them. You align yourself with love first.

What Does It Mean to Clean?

Cleaning is the ongoing practice of letting go. You clean on everything:

Memories

Emotions

Reactions

Situations

People

You don’t need to know what you’re cleaning. In fact, the less you try to “figure it out,” the more effective it becomes. You’re letting go of control and asking Divinity to erase the data that keeps you stuck.

“It’s like pressing the delete key on your keyboard,” Dr. Hew Len said. “You don’t have to know what was written — just that it no longer serves.”

Real-Life Examples of Cleaning

Before a Difficult Conversation

You’re nervous about speaking to your boss. You clean on the anxiety.
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”
You silently repeat these phrases, not to change your boss — but to cleanse your reaction.

With Money Troubles

You notice your bank balance and feel panic. Instead of diving into fear, you clean:
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”
You’re cleaning on the belief in scarcity — the data of lack.

Family Conflict

Your sibling brings up old wounds. Rather than engaging, you clean:
“I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Thank you. I love you.”
The more you clean, the less personal the pain becomes — and harmony often returns.

Daily Mundane Moments

Before eating: “I love you” to your food.
Before writing: “Thank you” to your creativity.
Before sleep: “I’m sorry” to your body for the stress you carried today.

Zero: The Space of Divine Inspiration

Dr. Hew Len taught that the mind is either:

Playing memory (data), or

Receiving inspiration (Divine).

Most people are stuck in memory — repeating the same emotions, reactions, and thoughts.

When you clean, you return to Zero — a place of stillness where inspiration can flow. You’re no longer reacting. You’re available for life to move through you.

“Peace begins with me,” he often said. “If I’m at peace, the world around me is too.”

Ego vs. Divinity: Letting Go of Knowing

The ego always asks:

“How does this work?”

“When will I see results?”

“What if they don’t change?”

Divinity says:

“Just clean.”

“I will handle the rest.”

“Let go.”

This is not passive. It’s the most active form of surrender. You clean not to get a result, but to become free.

The Legacy of Dr. Hew Len

Dr. Hew Len was a quiet man. He didn’t brand himself. He didn’t build an empire. He traveled, he cleaned, he laughed often.

He reminded people that truth is simple. That we don’t need more knowledge — we need less noise. His teachings were not about being special, but about being clean.

He often said:

“There is no out there. Everything you see is inside you. Clean it.”

thoughts...

You Are the Doorway

If this blog stirred something in you — a memory, a resistance, a hope — that too is data. You can clean on it now. Right now.

You don’t need credentials, spiritual knowledge, or rituals. You need only a willingness to release what no longer serves.

As you repeat:

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

…you are aligning with the deepest truth:

Peace begins with you.

And in that peace, others are set free — not because you fixed them, but because you cleaned the part of you that created them in the first place.

Final Invitation:

Print this page. Say the phrases out loud. Walk through your day as a cleaner, not a controller. Let Ho’oponopono be your way home — not to a better version of you, but to Zero.

A place where you are free.