Mia Snow

IKE - The world is what you think it is

This means you experience the world through however you perceive your world. 

Basically, if you think something is negative, you will experience it as negative. Or if you think something is positive you will experience it as positive. Is the glass half empty or half full??

How you perceive something will determine how you react or respond to whatever is happening, and this reaction or response creates your reality. 

Often we will react from habit, but we always have the choice to respond consciously and to take responsibility for what we are creating in our lives.

A basic universal principle is that like attracts like. Positive attracts positive, and negative attracts negative. Be aware of what you are thinking. Negative thoughts will attract negative experiences. Positive thoughts will attract positive experiences.

Experiment and see what you can create just with your positive thoughts !

Notice what happens when negative thoughts come in, and don't give yourself a hard time if they do - this may be just a good reminder of how much your thoughts affect your world and your creations, and you can be more aware of dropping the negativity faster next time. 

KALA - There are no limits
 
This may sound absurd as we regularly place limitations on ourselves through beliefs, habits and fears!
 
The Hawaiian perspective of the universe is that nothing is fixed, that everything is in constant change and therefore ANYTHING CAN BE CHANGED. This includes limiting beliefs and habitual actions that may not be serving us to be our most creative and joyful selves.
 
Hawaiian culture suggests that anything is possible if you know how to do it - sometimes it is just a matter of changing the rules that you have imposed on yourself. Instead of looking at life like a game of checkers, why not change the pieces so it becomes a game of chess? Change your own "rules" (beliefs) and you immediately change what is possible.
 
There is ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY TO DO SOMETHING.
 
Sometimes guilt and resentment or fear and doubt become obstacles to your aims in life. A key for releasing these is FORGIVENESS.

If you are experiencing fears or beliefs that you can't do things differently, and this is not serving you to move forward in life, try the following exercise. 

Sit down, breathe deeply into your belly, and ask yourself "What do I need to forgive myself for so that I can be free?" Self forgiveness is a powerful freedom. Also ask who and what else you may need to forgive in your life. Forgiveness is not about forgetting; it is about changing the way the energy of what you are holding effects you.

MAKIA - Energy flows where attention goes

Simply, this means that focus makes things happen, and that like attracts like ... so whatever you are focusing on is what you are telling the universe you want.

This may seem obvious, but it is vitally important to be clear about focusing on what you DO want rather than what you DON'T want.  

Eg.  If you want more $ in your life you need to be focusing on creating more $ rather than focusing on having debts/not having enough $.

For this to work effectively it is important to have your conscious mind and your subconscious mind working together. 

Eg. If you think with your conscious active mind that you want to create a job which fulfills you in all ways, yet your subconscious self believes you don't really deserve anything better, it's going to almost impossible to create what your conscious thinking mind knows it wants.  Sometimes we need to help our subconscious mind develop a new pattern that is not based on fear and conditioning, by giving ourself new supportive experiences for long enough so that we believe - at all levels - that we can create what we want.

Start by thinking about what you really want in your life. 

Then feel how you would feel if this was a reality. Luxuriate in the joy/peace/excitement you are feeling in your body - so much that your whole body and mind begins to believe that it is actually happening NOW. 

The more you can hold onto this feeling, the more you will become a magnet for attracting all of those things you need in order to create whatever you are focusing on in your life. 

Be grateful for any signs that come, because signs show you the universe is supporting you to create what you want.

Follow up any signs with actions to help bring whatever you are focusing on completely into your experience.

Start with smaller things to show yourself you CAN do this.

Enjoy your creating !!

MANAWA - Now is the moment of power

Hawaiians believe strongly that NOW is the only moment which exists. This is extremely helpful for living a more fulfilled, personally truthful and creative life.

You can't get wet by yesterday's rain, and you can't get burnt by tomorrow's sun.
- Serge Kahili King, Mastering the Hidden Self 

Actually, we can't even prove that 'the past' exists: the past is only a memory in our mind that affects us based on how we remember it.

If you allow your full self - your thoughts, your emotions, your reactions and your actions - to be based on what is true for you NOW then you are free to choose anything that truly serves you.

As humans, we tend to operate from patterns; patterns which are often based on belief systems that we take on at a very young age. These beliefs may not be serving you to be your whole self NOW. Take a look at why you do whatever it is you are doing in your life. Take a look on a daily basis. Then explore whether these things are really supporting you to be who you want to be, and to do what you want to do. If they aren't, you are always free to set up some new beliefs, and even some new reactions/actions.

You are not bound by any experience of the past, or by any perception of the future. Therefore you are free to the degree that you realise this and act upon it. 
- Serge Kahili King, Mastering the Hidden Self

ALOHA - Living unconditional love

The simplest word in English to describe Aloha is Love, yet Aloha is so much more than what most of us think of as love. 

As with most Hawaiian words, 'Aloha' has layers of meanings. These layers help us understand Aloha as a state of being that Hawaiians dedicate their lives to living and sharing: a state of being which is about the sharing of joyful life force energy in the present moment. 

Being in Aloha allows you to see that the universe exists because of love in its being and becoming, and that the more love you create in your world the happier you are, the better everything works out, and the better everything actually is.

Aloha requires loving without conditions: accepting and not judging. Love might always be there, but sometimes our fears, anger or doubts cover this up - this often leads to judgement which then causes separation within ourselves and from others and the world. 

It is perfectly Aloha to discern what is and what is not appropriate for you in your life and to act act upon this (which is very different from judging). 

The more we can allow ourselves to be in Aloha the easier it is to think positive thoughts about ourselves and those around us - which in turn creates more love and joy for us all (ie MAKIA: energy flows where attention goes).

Aloha is also used to say "hello", "goodbye" and "love". When said it acknowledges the essence of love in you and in me. 

A study has been carried out with most of the languages in the world to show how the vibration of words effects us. The Hawaiian language was the closest to the perfect sound for the human ear (followed by French),  and the word Aloha was the single closest perfect word for us to hear.

So say it as much as you can and help to share the Aloha !

A great set of daily exercises that will remind you of how to be in Aloha is ...
*  bless everything/everyone that represents what you want
*  trust yourself
*  expect the best
(Exercises courtesy of Aloha International)

MANA - All power comes from within

Mana is used to describe the life force that we all have within us, and the energy or power that we can utilise to create what we want to be experiencing in our lives.

All too often in Western culture we believe that power comes from outside of us eg. from God, from governments, from employers, from our partners, from people we look up to ... If we believe this we give our power away.

Although there are laws in our society governing some of our choices, there is no true power outside of us. This means that no other person can have power over you or your destiny unless you decide to let them have that power.

The power of the universe works directly through you, and your own decisions directly affect what happens in your life. You can attract your experiences in positive or negative ways through your beliefs, your desires, your expectations, your doubts and your fears. When working to consciously create what you want to experience in your life it is very helpful to notice how you might be habitually reacting to situations, and to then choose to respond with awareness in a way that serves you in your life.

You have the power to do whatever you choose. 

Remember what works for you and forget what doesn't.

Hawaiians also believe that all people and things have equal power. If you don't believe this you simply won't experience life like this! Choosing to believe this not only empowers you, but it also empowers others.

The key to creating comes from owning your own authority - recognising that you have the power in your own life, and acting in ways which expresses this. This may involve starting to speak with authority about what it is you believe and know about yourself and what works for you in your life. The more we do this, the more people around us will accept this and be inspired to come into their own power.

Our life force (or Mana) is like energy, and so it never dies. This means that energy or power is always available to you. Doing things like removing any resistances, such as fears or doubts that you have, helps you to access this energy.

You can always increase the energy you have by choosing positive thoughts that fit with the bigger picture you have of your life. Doing things to look after your physical and energetic body (exercise, eating healthily, receiving bodywork) will also increase your Mana/your energy, which will make everything in your life flow easier.

When things are flowing more easily it is easier to be positive, and when you are being positive everything also flows more easily !!

PONO - Effectiveness is the measure of truth

Pono is a state of rightness or goodness; a state that you would like to be living in and operating from, for yourself and for the benefit of others ... whatever that is for you.

Hawaiian culture does not believe in there being a right or wrong - there are merely different ways of doing/looking at/choosing something. Pono reminds you to choose what is effective for you at any moment.

There are so many people and groups in the world attempting to tell us how to think and act, and even what is appropriate for us. Imagine what it would be like if you simply gave yourself permission to start choosing what is right for you in every moment !

Remembering that there is ALWAYS ANOTHER WAY TO DO SOMETHING helps you to be flexible enough to make a choice that will be appropriate for you at any moment, and since what is appropriate for you may change over time (if you are flexible) it is easier to make new choices as you need to.

Perhaps this is a good place to point out that insanity has been described as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result !

So what is effective ??

Basically, if it works for you it is effective. And if it doesn't, THEN CHANGE SOMETHING !

There is no one absolute truth (unless you choose to believe there is - but this could be hugely limiting). What works for you is truth for you.

In an infinite universe there can not be an absolute truth. There is an effective truth at an individual level. All systems are arbitrary so use what works. 
- Serge Kahili King, The Urban Shaman

Remember, you have the power (MANA) to choose what is right for you in your life ... IF you choose to ...