This is a follow up to my last post where I shared that I had just returned from a beautiful trip to Hawaii and now I would like to expand upon “The Spirit of Aloha”.  As we move into the holiday time of year, we are inundated with the marketing of the season luring us to buy a multitude of material things yet the deeper meaning includes gratitude, reflection, giving and acknowledgement of our blessings. I found this passage describing the deeper meaning of Aloha and it once again struck me how we are all unified at the core of our roots.

THE DEEPER MEANING OF ALOHA
by Curby Rule

For those who follow the path of Huna, or are fortunate enough to live in Hawai’i, it is common for us to use the word Aloha. We use it in greetings and farewells and in expressing love. But the word means even more; it is a way of life.

Besides these common meanings, the word Aloha holds within itself all one needs to know to interact rightfully in the natural world. These insights describe an attitude or way of life sometimes called “The Aloha Spirit” or “The Way of Aloha”.

The spirit of Aloha was an important lesson taught to the children of the past because it was about the world of which they were a part. One early teaching goes like this:

Aloha is being a part of all, and all being a part of me. When there is pain – it is my pain. When there is joy – it is also mine. I respect all that is as part of the Creator and part of me. I will not willfully harm anyone or anything. When food is needed I will take only my need and explain why it is being taken. The earth, the sky, the sea are mine to care for, to cherish and to protect. This is Hawaiian – this is Aloha!

As the child grew, the need for a fundamental code of ethics was taught. This code is found within a deeper layer of the meaning of the word Aloha. The code is derived from one of the acronymic meanings of Aloha.

A, ala, watchful, alertness
L, lokahi, working with unity
O, oia’i’o, truthful honesty
H, ha’aha’a, humility
A, ahonui, patient perseverance

The kahuna David Bray interprets this code as “Come forward, be in unity and harmony with your real self, God, and mankind. Be honest, truthful, patient, kind to all life forms, and humble.” He also stated that to the Hawaiian of old, Aloha meant “God in us.”

So far, within Aloha, we have found an explanation of our place in the world and a code of ethics to help us with our interactions in the world. The only thing we are missing is our “prime directive” while we are here, and that too can be found within the root words that make up Aloha.

alo, 1. sharing 2. in the present
oha, joyous affection, joy
ha, life energy, life, breath

Using Hawaiian language grammatical rules, we will translate this literally as “The joyful sharing of life energy in the present” or simply “Joyfully sharing life”.

In closing, I’d like to bring to mind another old saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words” and point out that Aloha is a perfect example that in the Hawaiian language sometimes the opposite of this saying is true as well. So, the next time you greet a friend with “Aloha,” hold its meanings close to your heart and think of the picture you’re painting. It is indeed a beautiful world.

As we move into this Christmas season, may we slow down enough to reflect on our lives and what is most important. May we give thanks for all we have and reach out to touch others. In the spirit of love and with a vision of a beautiful world, I extend The Spirit of Aloha!

Please send me your feedback and leave a link back to your own blog too.

Until the New Year,

Karen