Huna Article
Huna International
Huna and the Nature of the Self
by Pete Dalton
The adventurer view is one of multiple perspectives on any particular topic and in what follows I offer some
ideas on the nature of the self.
Your self exists within the Hu and the Na, the masculine energy of movement and the feminine energy of
stillness. So the self consists of activity and inactivity ever shifting, as a wave, and changing, never
completely fixed and part of the changing nature of the universe in which we dwell. Centuries ago scientists
posited the atom as the solid building block of matter and the material world as fixed. Now we have the idea
of a quantum universe exhibiting multitudinous possibilities simultaneously and a world in flux beyond the
visible. To exist within this ebb and flow is surely an exciting place to be.
A canny adventurer carries the notion that the self is whatever you believe it to be, for every idea and
notion is an invention and a perspective. Of course, your beliefs begin from the moment you exist, or maybe
from your ancestors before you, and you also make up rules and take on the rules and beliefs of
others--parents, teachers, friends, things around you, things you read about and hear, your own collective
mythology. You are open to choose your beliefs, although sometimes you don't notice that you've made this
choice or it's not one you feel good about. Your body-mind or Ku aspect provides an unfaltering memory store
of the habits and beliefs that you feel make you... you. Remember, these are just ideas and can be as
transient as smoke drifting from a fire. Consider for a moment if you will: to what extent are your beliefs
serving you?
Of course, there is a tendency to talk about different selves as though we are comprised of many separate
parts. It can indeed appear that way and separation can sometimes be an illusion of the utmost utility. Move
beyond this to experience the adventure of connectivity and interrelatedness and your "authentic" self
becomes everything you are, do, think, feel and experience--inside and outside your body. As the Hermetic
axiom states 'as above so below'. So ask yourself: are you dreaming big enough about what you truly are? If
you are, how awesome is that?
The adventurer knows only too well the mighty power of focus, both in shaping the direction of the path we
take and in defining who we are. Focus is like a laser beam aimed at a specific target to the exclusion of
everything else. Focus charged with intent is a sublimely powerful combination. At any given moment, who you
are is defined by what is included within your scope of attention. So, where is your focus and do you like
where you are aimed?
I suggest that now is a pretty important time and place to be, wouldn't you agree? In fact, I am guessing
that you are here right now. 'Now' is the point at which we experience everything. All possibilities of what
you think of yourself or 'selfness' exist in the present moment. Now is truly the moment of power, the point
at which you take action and from where you create who you are momentby moment by moment. What choices are
you making about who you are right now and who are you creating?
The adventurer values above all everything related to love. The adventurer lives within the beauty of the
Aloha Spirit. Love is the primary force within you and around you. One root meaning of Aloha is 'the joyful
sharing of life energy in the present'. Love connects all and holds the key to what it means to be alive.
Love brings out the best of your self. You feel you have found a sense of purpose when you are happy with
who you are. The sense of gratitude for who you are and for everything around you enables to experience an
effortless connection to everything that supports that happiness. Living within love, you experience the
sense of feeling right and it is from here that your heart and spirit truly sings about the wonder of being
you. So contemplate, what truly makes your heart sing?
Consider the notion that all power comes from within and you are in control of what you express as your
authentic 'self'. You have the power to choose. If you don't consider what you are expressing to be
'authentic' and that bothers you, you have the power to make different choices and express something else.
Are you happy with the self that you are expressing?
Being an exceedingly pragmatic individual, the adventurer will seek to define the authentic self only to the
extent that it is of practical benefit to do so. If deemed beneficial, the adventurer, with the end goal in
mind, will use appropriate means to get there. And there are many different ways, philosophies and tools to
draw upon to achieve something, whether familiar or new. Sometimes using something new can prove to be the
most effective way, and, of course, this life is an adventure, so novelty is certainly allowed! Consider if
you will: are the definitions you use serving you well? And, if you want to make changes, are you using
whatever is most effective to do so?
Of course, we also have another way of looking at the self as comprised of specific aspects: Lono--the
conscious aspect; Ku--the subconscious body mind aspect; and Kane--the higher self. These three aspects
provide important motivations for this thing we call the self: pleasure, resolution and harmony,
respectively. And amidst all the postulating, stances and perspectives we might take, perhaps the clue is in
another aspect of the self: Kanaloa or core self. Is it any surprise that this core aspect has the simple
yet profound motivation of being and the enjoyment of being? Could this point towards the fundamental nature
of the self?
Ultimately, we are here and we are here now. And to that end you can be the adventurer and enjoy the biggest
adventure of all, which unfolds each and every day, whether you are aware of it or not. That is the
adventure of being alive, the adventure of being you. And sometimes just stopping to take a moment to
notice, to truly notice, that you are alive and that you are the adventure, is a thing of beauty--something
to truly make your heart sing.
Pete Dalton ©2019
Pete Dalton is an Alakai of Huna International living in the UK. For more information on his work visit
his website www.urbanhuna.org
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