Seven Principles of Huna (pronounced “hoo-nah”), is a system popularized in the mid‑20th century by Max Freedom Long and later Serge Kahili King, inspired by Hawaiian mysticism. The following principles, based on Hawaiian words, form the backbone of the system:
1. IKE — (“The world is what you think it is”)
Reality is shaped by our thoughts — your beliefs determine your experience. The color associated with this principle is white. The power animal associated with this principle is the dolphin—actually, any sea mammal—but we usually use the dolphin. The idea that “the world is what you think it is” means that we have the ability, by changing our thoughts, to change our experience of the world. All of shamanism is based on this idea. It has to do with beliefs and thinking. If you can change your belief—if you can change your thinking—you can change your experience.
2. KALA — (“There are no limits”)
What we perceive as barriers often only exist in the mind. With intention, anything is possible. The color associated with this principle is red, and the power animal is the bird. It can be any kind of bird, but “bird” is the symbol associated with this principle. The idea that “there are no limits” means a couple of things: Anything is possible, if you can figure out how to do it. We are all connected with everything around us. We influence the universe, and the universe influences us. Nothing is totally and completely separate. Sometimes we say that separation is a useful illusion that enables us to do certain things—but basically, everything is interconnected. Everything influences everything else.
3. MAKIA — (“Energy flows where attention goes”)
By focusing your attention, you direct your energy. Whatever you concentrate on grows. The color is orange. The power animal is the cat—either a house cat or a lion, tiger, leopard—any kind of cat. This is a very important principle because it says that wherever you direct your attention, your energy flows—your physical energy, your mental energy, your emotional energy. If you can keep focusing your attention, then you start attracting energy from the world around you. This increases the effect of whatever you’re focusing on. Whether it’s healing the body, manifesting better circumstances, learning from nature, or helping to alter society—whatever it is, energy flows where your attention goes.
4. MANAWA — (“Now is the moment of power”)
True change happens in the present — the only time you can act. The color is yellow. The power animal is the ox—though it can also be a buffalo, an elephant, or a deer, but usually it’s the ox. This idea says that all power exists in the present moment. There is no power in the past that has any effect on you, and no power in the future that has any effect on you. Here is where all power is. From here is where we change things.
Here is where we plant seeds for the future. Here is where we harvest the crops of the past. Here is where we change things.
5. ALOHA (“To love is to be happy with”)
Love is defined as happiness with something or someone — a form of acceptance and unity. We can also say: love is the source of power. The color is green. The power animal is the horse, in any one of its forms. Aloha means that to love is to be happy with. The “Aloha spirit” you may have heard associated with Hawaii is fundamental to the healing process. When you are loving someone—or something—you are doing so to the degree that you are happy with it. There is something about it that you love. This can apply not only to people but to careers, vocations, nature, or anything else. You love it to the degree that you are happy with it. If there is something about it that you do not like, then you don’t love that part of it. If you want to increase goodness, you love it more. If you want to improve a relationship, increase the love in that relationship—not by trying to change the person, but by loving the good in that person even more, so that you amplify and increase that love and that goodness.
6. MANA — (“All power comes from within”)
Personal power is innate — no external source empowers you unless you allow it. The color is blue. The power animal is the bear, of any kind. The principle that all power comes from within is a recognition that we all come from the same place—we all come from spirit. It is the spirit within us that is the origin of power. All the power for our lives comes from within us. All the power for change in our lives comes from within us. When we are doing healing or helping others, we are helping to stimulate and draw out their power. When we feel weak, helpless, or that others have more power than we do, we are using our own power to think that way. This principle asks us to recognize that the source of power is spirit, and spirit is within each one of us.
7. PONO (“Effectiveness is the measure of truth”)
Truth is determined by what works — outcomes are the ultimate test. This also means there is always another way to do anything. The color is purple or violet. The animal is the wolf—though sometimes the fox, coyote, or dog—usually, the wolf. This principle teaches that all systems are arbitrary. They’re all made up—systems of philosophy, systems of thought, ideas about the universe—including this one! This allows you to use whatever good is in any system for whatever purpose you choose. In shamanism, it’s always for a healing purpose. The core idea is: use what works. It’s not better to work with the mind than with the body or the physical world. The better way is the way that produces healing and goodness. “Pono” not only means effectiveness and success—it also means goodness. These are the seven principles on which this knowledge is based. They form a powerful, adaptable philosophy of healing, awareness, and life itself.
In the Spirit of Discovery, The Guide
