Customer Reviews

The Sacred Power of Huna: Spirituality and Shamanism in Hawai?i

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If you want to learn about Hawaiian spirituality, would you rather learn directly from Hawaiians, or from someone raised in a different culture interpreting what Hawaiians may have said? No matter how good the intentions of an author or how advanced her degrees, she cannot help but filter the information she receives. That is why I prefer to read books written by Hawaiians.

Unfortunately, in this book the author says that she is revealing Hawaiian kahuna information for the first time, so someone who is new to this field may not realize there are actually many books written by Hawaiians on the kahuna tradition. For example, on page 127 the author says that she covers a topic that "has never been written about before." She then quotes a book by Mary Kawena Pukui, who was raised in the lineage of the Pele kahuna. The book is Nana I Ke Kumu (Look to the Source) volume I. Wouldn't it be better to read the book written by the Hawaiian rather than a book written by a European about a book written by a Hawaiian?

On page xv the author says she discovered information that had been kept hidden and secret, and writes, "I have had a deep conflict for many years now about whether this information--which has been so carefully preserved and deliberately kept hidden down the ages--should be displayed at all. Yet I am convinced now is the right time." In other words, she did not have permission to share this information. Revealing secrets without permission is what Hawaiians call hewa, a great wrong.

Another question we must ask is whether the author actually based her work on conversations with kahuna. For example, on page 25 she attributes a quote to an unnamed person she calls a kahuna. However, in the author's Ph.D. dissertation (on file at the University of Hawai'i library) she attributes the same quote to kumu hula Roselle Bailey. Perhaps to the casual reader it does not seem to make much difference if one is a kahuna or a kumu, but to Hawaiians it does. And even to the person new to Hawaiian kahuna tradition, one might wonder if the information in this book is authentic when there are these types of inaccuracies.

If you are looking for a book of New Age philosophy, this one is as good as any. If, however, you seek traditional Hawaiian wisdom, read the books written by Hawaiians recognized by other Hawaiians for their teachings. In addition to the book mentioned above, three that are a good start are Tales from the Night Rainbow, Change We Must: My Spiritual Journey, and Kamalamalama - the Light of Knowledge.

This emotionally gripping read takes self development out of the head and into the heart. Somehow this book captures the images of paradise associated with Hawaii and repackages them into a socially and spiritually relevant erudite map of the soul. We are encouraged to see the empowerment we are resisting, and how to use our creative mind to be an unfettered balanced human-being. The Kahuna model embraces essentially the mystical traditions of Polynesia providing a template for living outside the box. The author teaches Huna based techniques available through her website [...] and seems to be speaking from a deeper soul level than her academic background which is of high pedigree. Dr. Morrell knows the subject and comes across as living it with an effortless innocence that is refreshing and hits the spot for me as a somewhat jaded graduate of the New Age. Other books on Hawaiian shamanism fall short in that they are either breathy and over-enthusiastic or lack a proper academic grounding. The quality of writing is much better in this book than in the many others I have read on Huna, and so is the quality of the information. It is nice to be surprised by info on a little researched spiritual tradition that by its nature - an oral and lived one - thankfully defies fossilisation - can a rainbow ever fossilise? I think not and this is one of the clearest rainbow reads I've had in a while and the crock of gold spills out onto every page.

THE SACRED POWER OF THE HUNA provides a wealth of scientific and anthropological information in a delightfully engaging page-turner of a book. Author Rima Morrell shares her own personal experiences with the ways of Hawaiian kahuna along with her translations of ancient Hawaiian chants, and shares some of the key similarities and differences between beliefs and practices of Hawaiian kahunas and those of other ancient indigenous peoples, such as the Hopi. Morrell explains how so much ancient Hawaiian knowledge was kept secret for so long, as she brings us on her journey of discovery. Morrell's juicy style of writing breathes fresh life into such fascinating topics as fire walking, the death prayer, Hawaiian lunar astrology, and shamanic power of the erotic Hawaiian hula dance. Most importantly, Morrell describes the practical process by which we can each create our reality by being aware of our high, middle and low selves. I highly recommend this wonderful book to anyone interested in Hawaii, shamanism, and spiritual growth!

The author provides an anthropological account of Huna- anthropological in the worst sense of the word, in my opinion. While she pays lipservice to the pitfalls of colonial romanticization of native Others, I found her account of "Hawaiian spirituality" to fall into that same trap. As others have pointed out, she provides some interesting linguistic interpretations, but the whole thing had an intrepid-New-Agey-European-explorer feel to it that I found really off-putting. In fact, nowhere in the book do I recall her pointing out that so-called Huna was in fact founded by non-Hawaiian folks. Strange, considering she has a doctorate in something called Hawaiian Shamanism.

Go beyond the tourist notions of Hawaii and into the deeper treasure of the mystical Polynesian experience. Learn about the ancient Kingdom that was before it became an American state. Dr. Morrell has the only Ph.D. in the world in Hawaiian Shamanism... from a credible University in England. A good book to learn Hawaiian culture beyond the hula dances.

Without doubt this book is impressive in its analysis of the Hawaiian language and culture. However, there is little real info on the actual practicalities of the Huna system other than to say that it can achieve various conditions.
For me anyway, a far more insightful book is the original "Kahuna magic" by Brad Steigier and which describes Max Freedom Long's work. More to get your teeth into as such, than the poetic description of Dr Morrell.It doesn't ramble on the subject and gets to the extraordinary info quicker.
In comparing Morrel's book with Steiger, I would say Romantic vs Descriptive.

This books has replaced others as my favorite to recommend to people as a good first Huna book to read. The writing is clear and excellent and the material is presented in a most interesting manner.

I came across the Ancient Hawaiian healing process of Ho'oponopono while reading another author's book. I was immediately intrigued with Huna... it was an Ancient spiritual tradition I had previously not known of, but that rang with similarity to some of the other spiritual teachings I was studying. I was eager to learn more, so I searched for the right source of information to explore the concepts further and found it in this book, The Sacred Power of Huna. I found the combination of Dr. Morrell's knowledge of the topic, her "westerner's sensibility", and her personal experiences exploring and immersing herself in Hawaiian culture and the study of Huna to be a perfect combination to explain and educate me in this profound and mystical traditional knowledge. I had an interesting experience as I read the first chapters... I felt a subtle recognition, a quiet understanding - almost a longing - as if some deeply buried knowledge was being awakened for me. That was a very powerful indicator that I needed to read on...

As a novice student of Huna, I find Dr. Morrell's knowledge and explanation of Hawaiian culture and its ancient shamanistic teachings to be quite compelling. Her book serves well as both introduction and reference into the intricate yet beautiful simplicity of Huna wisdom. I was fascinated to learn about such enlightening topics as the true meaning and shamanism of the traditional hula dance, the symbolism of color and the rainbow, and the special significance of the phase of the moon at the time of your birth, the Hawaiian Moon Cycle. It is an amazing journey into spirituality and our levels of consciousness - one that completely transformed my view of Hawaii and its native culture. The author truly does convey the Sacred Power of Huna to us, her readers and students.

Thank you, Dr. Morrell, for creating such a knowledgeable and in-depth exploration into this wonderful spiritual tradition. I look forward to reading more and increasing my awareness and understanding.

Let me be clear: If you have learned Huna and it works for you, great. What Hawaiians take issue with is just the fact that anyone claims it is authentically Hawaiian in any way. It is absolutely not.

I have not read this book and do not intend to. It very well could hold some new age truths for some, but we Hawaiians have seen this kind of book before. Right off the bat, Hawai'i did not have shamans, and Huna is not Hawaiian. What Rima Morrell found in Hawai'i was an age old farce called Huna, fabricated decades ago by Max Freedom Long, a foreigner whose penchant for writing metaphysical novels allowed him to create one of the longest lasting lies in history. It has been perpetuated by others who put their own "secret" spin on the idea to sell books and classes from which they reap small fortunes. And therein lies yet another way any thinking person can identify the deceptive invention that is Huna: real Hawaiian kahuna do not charge money for their expertise.

Further, if one is diligent and concerned about to where and who they hand the health of their spirit, one can read almost any authentic, truly academic book on Hawaiian spirituality (written by Hawaiians and/or contributed by them), even dig through myriad archives and speak with old, wise Hawaiian elders, and they will never hear of a practice called Huna.

We Hawaiians have lived among and been taught through these resources. It is amazing to us that when a Hawaiian says that Huna is not Hawaiian, we are met with such defiance, resistance, and a refusal to believe. And yet, some of you will believe without proof and advocate the ravings of those not closely associated with our culture. Does this make sense to you?

This book was exactly want I have been searching for .The information has been of so much help to me to develope shamanism into my daily practice as a massage therapist. It helped me understand some of my abilities to help people heal, to feel others emotions and I have gained knowledge about my sensitivities of others pain and feelings. It has given me great guidance and has opened my eyes to things around me that I was not noticing better. I am changing for the better since reading this book and I will have to share this with friends..