HUNA - THE WORKABLE PSYCHO-RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE POLYNESIANS - part VI

PART VI.

THE EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH TO HUNA.

THE PROOF of the pudding is in the eating. The proof of the correctness of the reconstructed Huna system is its workability. Huna worked for the kahunas. It should work for us.

A long and detailed explanation of how the conclusions concerning the elements of Huna were reached, may be of academic interest in years to come, but at this time experimental groups have agreed to accept all conclusions as tentative and see if they are workable in practice. Additions and corrections to conclusions can best be made during and through, experimentation.

Very little has been learned about the methods used in former years to train the kahunas. In Hawaii the children were sometimes taken to the mountains by their kahuna teachers and taught the lore. But the only thing recorded was that the training began at about the age of thirteen, and that its first stage of success was indicated when the youngster could hold in his (or her) hand a small piece of fragile pumice stone, say a "prayer" and cause the stone to crumble into dusty particles without using physical force.

In beginning her Instruction of W. R. Stewart, the Berber kahuna gave daily talks on the legendary history of the tribe and began at the top of the theories by discussing the concepts of God, then of each level of consciousness and being below, bringing consciousness down to its deepest immersion in matter and starting it on the upward swing. At the beginning period of the training she took the young Englishman and her daughter to hilltops and there showed them how to contact the Aumakua level and the beings who directed lower forms of life [Akua Makua]. One day she asked that birds be instructed to gather at the hilltop, and very shortly a large number of birds of various kinds gathered. She asked the Akua Makua to show itself as a form and they saw a dim outline of something that had a human face but a large bird like body.

Snakes were called together, on another day, and within an hour a surprising number of them were to be observed on the rocks or soil or in the bushes. They did not come near the three who sat on the crest of the hill, and departed swiftly as at a given signal. No Aumakua was seen at that time.

Stewart was unable to explain, in later years when telling of his experiences, why his teacher had not foreseen the danger of a stray bullet, the bullet which killed her before her instructions had reached the practical stage of. training of her pupils. He expressed the opinion that she had failed to ask to be shown the future, not anticipating a danger so remote.

An interesting point in the preliminary teaching of Huna theory was explained by this teacher. She said that it was taught that in the course of evolution the animal called man became ready, and then a god came down and assumed the place of a Uhane, living inside the animal body, training the Unihipili, and causing changes in the brain to enable inductive reason to be also the "will." The animal mate of the first human was soon put into a deep sleep and the Aumakua into male - and female parts, the female part entering the female body. The teacher thought this old Huna legend was the original of the Adam and Eve story. She pointed out the significance of the division of the Aaumakua, by saying that when it was divided into two parts to rule over two animals of opposite sexes, it lost its god-like powers. It could no longer see the future without help from above, nor could it change matter or directly control nature. This was, she thought, the original idea of a god incarnating in a man animal, and so making the supreme sacrifice of itself, to make possible the salvation or continuing upward evolution, of living things on the earth.

When Stewart mentioned the idea of "soul mates," she said that all consciousness was male-female. Human bodies are presided over by a mated pair of low selves came together only superficially. The middle selves could think identical thoughts and could come more closely together. As Aumakuas, perfect union could be attained through an interblending of aka bodies and a union of consciousness. This interblending, she said, enabled the creative work of the highest order to take place. It was her practice to "pray" that her Aumakua Mother-Father parts come together to hear her further requests and take action of a "magical" nature on them.

Continuing her account of theory, he pointed out the fact that all telepathic and other actions of mind or aka body materials was greatly easier and more perfect on the level of the Aumakuas, thus became possible for all Aumakuas to form a single interlocking unit (we would say, a Christ Consciousness or Universal Mind in our new Christian religions), but at the same time, paradoxically, the unit Poe Aumakua retained their individuality. Because of this close association of Aumakua units, the thoughts of people on the earth level were considered in their relations to others, and their combined thoughts evaluated to make their futures. The future of each person is dependent on what his associates, or even strangers, do as their individual futures unfold. In other words, our futures are made for us in relation to our associates and through some form of cooperation of the Aumakuas of ourselves and associates. This rapidly becomes such an involved mechanism that we are forced to remember that we can have but a very vague understanding at best of the Aumakua and its powers and form of mentation.

It is because of this inability to understand the Aumakua level and its ways of doing things, that we make wild guesses, and these guesses become fresh dogmas which gradually snow under the basic things.

In Hawaii from the time that Dr. Brigham began the present investigation, no kahuna ever revealed the Huna lore to any extent. They spoke of the two lower selves and of the Aumakua, which they referred to as one of the gods or "the god." Not GOD. W. R. Stewart made a study of the common and religious secret (Polynesian) language in order to understand his Berber teacher, and thus was told in detail the exact meaning of important words. But in Hawaii neither Dr. Brigham (nor later, the writer) could have understood the native words, even if used to explain Huna. (Of course, there were no counterpart words in English known to the kahunas which would have enabled them to describe the lore.)

Missionaries arriving In Hawaii in 1820, soon made a dictionary of Hawaiian words, but at that time there were no words in English for such things as the three selves and their aka bodies and the three voltages of mana, nor for thought forms or invisible threads of aka substance. The words for the low, middle and Aumakua were, respectively, unihipili, uhane and aumakua. In the dictionary (still in use today) these were assigned the meaning of some variety of ghost or spirit of one deceased. The three terms used for the three mana voltages, low, middle and high, were, respectively, mana, rnana-mana, and mana loa. These were translated, in the order given, (1) "supernatural power," (2) "to branch out and form several divisions" (which was the symbolic stepping UP of voltage), (3) "strongest or divine supernatural power." (Of interest here is the use of mana with the causative: ho`omana, which means, "to worship." This is another example of the kahuna use of words as symbols of more complicated mechanisms. This "worship" is the act of generating an extra supply of low voltage mana, then making contact with the Aumakua, and presenting the prayer thought forms, with the supply of mana, to be stepped up in voltage and used to materialize the prayer into fact.)

It was not until late in the investigation of Huna that the writer discovered how badly the words used by the kahunas had been mis-translated and misunderstood. It was only then that fresh translations from the roots of the words, and studies of the symbol meanings of terms, gave an insight into the significance of observed practices. In no long time the system was uncovered in outline. Later, the information held by W. R. Stewart added greatly to the outline, especially in its theory and in the matter of the origins of Huna.

Until a little headway had been made in the West toward developing the psycho-sciences, it would have been all but impossible to reconstruct Huna. However, with a partial understanding of the sub-conscious and conscious as parts of mind, of manas of two voltages, and of mesmeric and hypnotic forces of suggestion, it was possible to see that in the beliefs and practicesof the kahunas (and words used by them) there were to be found definite parallels for our psychological ideas. At first an attempt was made to fit the kahuna ideas into the modern ones, but soon it was realized that the task must be reversed and modern ideas changed and expanded to fit those of the kahunas. The same thing occurred in examining the materials of Psychic Science and those Huna ideas retained in recognizable form in religions.

In the New Testament there were many passages which, when Huna was understood, could be made to fit neatly into the Huna meaning. But before Huna is understood, the meaning was not such that it could be used to add clear and definitive parts to the old lore. For instance:

In Luke 8:5 to 16, we read the parable of the sower and that the disciples were told, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand." A study of these several passages would seem to promise a glimpse of the mysteries. With a knowledge of Huna one can open up the possible meaning of the parable.

In the parable the sower scattered seeds, some of which fell in good soil and grew, some of which fell on barren rock and withered, and some of which fell among thorns and were crowded out. In kahuna lore we have the idea of the thought-forms of prayer. These have to be carefully constructed to. include no thought of doubt or fear or of a contaminating negative nature. This prayer must be planted in the correct place, or aka body of the Aumakua. If it is scattered elsewhere it falls on barren rock. If the prayer includes doubts and fears, these can be said to "crowd out" the desirable thought forms.

In Hawaiian, the word for "seed" (a symbol of the thought forms) is ano, ano, This word and its root, ano, give several meanings when translated. The following list of meanings taken from the Hawaiian dictionary will show how this word can be used as a symbol to cover much of the mechanism of creating and offering a thought form prayer.

1. "A solemn stillness. A sacred place." (Note that this sacred place is the Aumakua to which the prayer is directed.)

2. "Expression of certainty of something doing or to be done." (Note the faith indicated here.)

3. "Now, at this present time, immediately." (Note the idea of the instant reaction of the Aumakua in answering the correctly made prayer.)

4. "Seed or seeds." (Note: This is the basic symbol of thought forms in a prayer.)

5. (Root ano alone). "The meaning of a word or phrase. Likeness or image of a thing. The moral quality of an action, as good or evil, or the moral state of the heart. To change or transform. To change the external appearance. To set apart or consecrate for a special purpose. Doubt or fear." (Note how these several meanings can indicate some phase of the making of the prayer thought forms. The guilt complexes are implicated in the "moral" element. The image of the thing or circumstances desired, is found in the thought form prayer, which is transformed or changed into the answer to prayer, by the Aumakua. In making a prayer the element of fear or doubt must always be present and can never be safely ignored, for if there is a thought form of doubt or fear mingled with the prayer inadvertenfly. It is a sowing on barren rocks or among thistles.)

Similar studies of many Hawaiian words used by the kahunas have been a great help in understanding how they thought and what they believed.

Our experimental groups will have to blaze a pioneer trail through the wilderness ahead. Fortunately the mechanisms of Huna are simple enough to be understood, and the materials upon which they rest are sufficiently logical in nature as not to cause their rejection before they are examined and compared. There is no necessity to affront our reasoning selves by a denial of the reality of the world about us. To understand the ability to see into the future we do not need to try to see time and space as a single fourth-dimensional entity . Free will and predestination need no longer be stumbling blocks. The dogmas of "sin" boll down to simple concepts, and take on new meanings since we know the nature of the complex.

An experimenter may be of any religion or hold any set of scientific convictions, but will, of necessity have to set his or her previously gathered convictions to one side while considering Huna and experimenting with it. This ability to be of an open mind is important.

As few of us have a natural ability to use or produce the simple movements of thought forms, aka body materials, or manas, these abilities must be lea learned.

There is, of course, nothing to prevent an immediate effort to contact the Aumakua and obtain fire-immunity or instant healing, but it is thought that, for the average person, this effort should at least be made parallel to growth in simpler abilities.

Fortunately for us, these first steps are not new or incredible.

There is a fine literature to tell us the experiences of others in learning to use telepathy and mind reading. We need only study those accounts and read into them the elements from Huna which better explain their mechanisms. Any library will have at least a few books on these subjects. Upton Sinclair's, Mental Radio, Eileen Garrett's, Telepathy, and Dunninger's, What's On Your Mind, are excellent, as are several others. Dr. Rhine's on Extra Sensory Perception are heavier but useful. Experiments along these lines, a daily practice is indicated, will also bring some clairvoyance, in which distant scenes may be observed or visions of the future may well up from storage in the Unihipili (or come directly from the Aumakua through the Unihipili.) Psychic abilities of other kinds may also begin to show themselves, and even the presence of those on the "other side" may be noticed.

For those who wish to invite dreams of the future, and through them an early but unpredictable, contact with the Aumakua, Dunn's book, An Experiment With Time, will give a simple method which has repeatedly been demonstrated by readers on first trial.

Everything is grist for the experimenter's mill. He may invent new practices to develop his abilities. There are few limitations in this new field where each individual is a pioneer.

A slightly different development is needed to be able to cause the Unihipili to protrude a part of its aka body to a slight, or greater, distance. The kahunas speak of this as "sticking out a finger" of the aka body.

With this "finger" must be projected a fractional part of the five senses, which are naturally resident in the aka body (and which are removed from the physical body at death). These senses are usually tightly integrated with the organs of sense in the physical body, and it is only after some practice that most of us can protrude a "finger" containing some shadowy body sensory organs.

This training can be begun by trying patiently to get the Unihipili to go out and get an impression of some object, concealed in a paper box or container, then bring the impression back to show the Uhane. The order is, "Go sense it, and then come back and show me what it is." (One experimenter found that his Unihipili went out to see what was in his row of small cardboard boxes, but did not understand that it had to make an image of things seen, to show to the Uhane.)

The Unihipili is much like a dog who chases a ball, but does not bring it to his master until patiently coaxed. The Unihipili is like an animal and must be treated with kindness and coaxed. If suggestion or auto suggestion is used in this training, it must be acceptable to the Unihipili or it will reject it and refuse to take part in the work. If the work is made into a game, it will go much better.

Under hypnotic influence or when in a trance condition, individuals have often been able to see with the eyes closed, or through the skin. The shadowy body of the Unihipili can be projected to a distance during sleep to use the five senses in observing distant things. (See Astral Projection by Carrington and Muldoon.) The blind now are taught successfully to project "fingers" of the shadowy body to sense the location and nature of obstacles placed before them. (This adds to the theory that an echo of sound is caught by a mysteriously quickened sense of hearing and used to locate and identify the obstacles. Sound only helps in projecting the "finger" in the right way. The failure to sense obstacles in a snow storm with a silent fall of snowflakes, may not be the fault of the silence. It may be the difficulty caused by the multiplication of small moving objects between the blind person and larger obstacles.) A "finger" can best be projected following the guidance of a shadowy thread or sound track, but can also be projected at random without them.)

In this projection practice, the experimental groups just formed at the time of this writing, used sets of five small pill boxes, placing a variety of small objects in them, and mixing the boxes around with closed eyes. Fingers were laid on the boxes or they were looked at from a short distance. Several experimenters learned almost at once to project a "finger" and get a sensory impression of the contents of these boxes. No one was perfect, but one young lady successfully picked out a box containing keys five times in succession. Another correctly identified five out of six objects in one try. Objects were twice correctly identified on first try from across a room. It is most exciting to find that one has these abilities and to watch them begin to develop and show themselves. (It will be still more exciting when one can place a hand over a flame and not be burned, or cause instant healing.)

As experimental groups progress in their training, there will come the fascinating effort to see if we can contact the Aumakua and get apports, materializations , the physical phenomena of the seance room, but WITHOUT the mediation of spirits working through mediums.

Experiments will be made with the curious properties of the mana force, especially as it is projected "fingers" partly filled with ectoplasm substance, (slightly densified or thickened shadowy aka material) body. Baron Eugene Ferson demonstrated some of the curious properties of this mana force of ours. His books may be found in some libraries. Other studies of the force may be found recorded in Nandor Fodor's excellent Encyclopedia of Psychic Science, or in some of the many books on . psychic phenomena. The kahunas made use of this mana in several ways, and we may be able to do much with it. The mana is increased in the body by a simple act of will. A variation of the Ferson method works well. In it one stands with hands outstretched at the sides at shoulder level, and with feet well apart. One then makes the affirmation, "I am accumulating a large extra charge of bodily mana. I feel It tingle in my hands." One soon learns the trick, or rather one's Unihipili learns it, and the presence of the extra charge creates a tingle in the extremities. If a person or animal is stood before one so charged, and facing away from him, hands may be placed on the person's shoulders or on the animal's rump, and, when drawn away slowly will exert a strong magnetic pull on the person or animal. [Max took Baron Ferson's course, The Science of Being while still a young man in Honolulu. He and a friend of his experimented with Ferson's techniques. Max obtained a small puppy, and built up a surcharge of mana, and was able to pull the puppy backwards across his linoleum floor in his kitchen several times before the puppy grew tired of the "trick", and turned around and bit him!] There is much in this corner of the field yet to explore.

Normal health and mental balance are necessary qualifications for anyone who proposes to carry on experiments. If the work leads into psychic experiences where the spirits of the dead, (or unihipili spirits) are seen or felt, great caution should be observed, and the help of an experienced medium obtained if further work in this direction is to be carried out. While lack of fear is in itself a protective element, one should know when to let well enough alone. Obsession is possible.

Deep breathing exercises often help to get one ready to begin experiments. Accounts of the uses of this simple mechanism will be found in many of the books on telepathy and mind reading. Deep breathing with a willed effort to accumulate an extra charge of mana is good if one is to use any form of auto suggestion to try to get the Unihipili to act as desired. The breathing is an excelent stimulus to accompany auto suggestion, as are spoken words of command.

The yogi of India have learned to breathe deeply for a time and suggest themselves into a deep trance condition. It is probable that an excess charge of mana may be taken by the Uhane and raised in voltage to use as a power in giving suggestion to the Unihipili. The low and middle selves are driven apart by the impact of a very large charge of vital force from without. This may come from a mesmerist and need not be accompanied by the transfer of thought forms in suggestion. Hypnosis, on the other hand, uses far less vital force and either worded or silently projected thought forms of suggestions. The kahunas in Hawaii in the old days used their wills to cause very large charges of vital force (low voltage) to enter wooden sticks. They could toss these sticks at the enemy during battle and, upon contact, rendered the one touched unconscious. The American Indians had medicine men who could accumulate such a charge of vital force that at contact through a finger placed on the chest of a strong brave, the brave would be rendered unconscious. In raising the dead, a large supply of mana is poured from the hands into the dead body and the Aumakua is asked to restore the conditions necessary to life. The low and middle selves belonging to the body are called and commanded to make their way back into the body. Dr. Brigham watched this process and made note of the odd fact that the spirits (lower selves) were ordered to reenter the body through one of the great toes.

Incredible as such operations may seem to us, we must take care not to crystalize our ideas of Huna. We do not know where the limit of actions may lie, nor what limitations are natural to the Aumakua. By no means should we put an arbitrary limit on phenomena until there is evidential reason for doing so.

The reconstructed system of Huna is a religion, as it always was in its original form. Religion is a belief in Higher Beings and a Supreme Being, as we accept the idea of religion today. But in essence religion is the science of man and his relation to Higher Beings. Huna includes all that relates to the knowledge of man and his three selves, and all that the Uhane can grasp of the nature of God, even all that the Aumakua can reveal concerning Beings higher than itself.

We will try to reconstruct Huna in its works, philosophy and organization. We will have our Church, and our healers or "priests," classified according to their degrees abilities and duties. We will have our laity. We will have everything but the old cult of secrecy. Surely humanity has advanced to the point where all are entitled to know as much of any truth as they are able to grasp.

The new church, the "Huna Fellowship," is being incorporated as a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of California,

How long it will take to complete the experimental work is hard to predict. At this writing it is just being organized. Word will have to be spread of the project and its materials. Many shoulders must be put to the wheel.

Membership in the Huna Fellowship will be open to all applicants of sound mind and morals, regardless of religious or racial affiliations. Experimental members will give what time and talent they have to experimentation. Sustaining members will offer their various contributions and help, and encourage the experimenters. Associate members will do what they can, watch progress sympathically, and spread the news of the rediscovery of the Huna system. All members will be eligible for such benefits as may be made available when and if healers are developed.

In due time it is anticipated that a foundation will be established for, or within, the organization, and places be provided for church use and hospitalization.

As there is no necessity for the denial of the reality of physical or social ills, in so far as Huna is concerned, these things can be approached in the ordinary way. It is only when ordinary remedial means fail that recourse must be taken to the psycho-religious healing practices of Huna. Of course, the day may come when people learn to contact the Aumakua for themselves, and will heal all their ills through its help, but that day is hard to imagine.

In practice, physicians of the several schools, psychologists, and healers will work together. Much of the healing done by the kahunas was of the slow or psychological kind. This form of healing may turn out to be a great help to medical, surgical and manipulative healing.

Patients applying for healing will probably present medical records, then be conditioned by psychologists to get them free from guilt and other hindering complexes. This will save the time of those who will then contact the Aumakua and construct the prayer for instant (or less than instant) healing. There must be no retrogression. All available knowledge must be used wherever possible.

One definite innovation, however, will come in the healing of social tangles and circumstantial ills. Healing in this classification will begin directly with the use of psychological conditioning after a preliminary study of the individual case. A decision will bereached by the joint efforts of patient and psychologist as to just what changes in conditions are to be requested. After that the healer will take over to complete the work of presenting the prayer for a changed "future" to the Aumakua. Work under this classification is of far more importance than would appear at first glance. It has many ramifications. Its implications are great and vital to health and happiness.

The prospect before us seems very bright indeed. At last we have before us a basic psycho-religious system which seems to be a serviceable restoration of Huna. We can be certain that this system was not merely a jumble of dogmas and superstitions. In it we have at last a system known to have worked right up to modern times in the hands of the kahuna fire-walkers and healers.

Even more encouraging is the fact that we have the scientific knowledge which may help us begin bringing the ancient basic system to further perfection and workability. We inherited Mathematics and Astronomy from the elder races, and we have been able to bring both to much higher stages of development.

In any event, a start is being made. It may be that too few will take an interest in the project to forward it to completion. It is possible that it will have to be dropped now, and left to some future generation to take up and carry forward. On the other hand, if there are a sufficient number who can see the shining possibilities and who will set to work with a will, spreading the information about Huna and the experimental project, there could result, in a very short time, an organization of such size and scope that undertakings which are impossible at the moment will quickly become accomplishments.

It is greatly to be hoped that wide interest and eager enthusiasm will enable the work to move swiftly forward on such a scale that, in some one of many experimental groups, the way back to the workable Huna will quickly be demonstrated. There are so many who need help. Some cannot wait too long for it to come. Love and compassion urge us to make haste.


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from HUNA - THE WORKABLE PSYCHO-RELIGIOUS SYSTEM OF THE POLYNESIANS
by Max Freedom Long

published in 1945 and out of print since 1949

This excerpt brought to you by the "Go Thunk Yourself(TM)" Self-Help Series.