Serge Kahili King: The Aloha Philosophy of an Urban Shaman. Maui Style LivingMaui. By Tom Blackburn-Rodrigues

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1 Maui Style LivingMaui Serge Kahili King: The Aloha Philosophy of an Urban Shaman By Tom Blackburn-Rodrigues S erge King, has a Ph.D. in psychology, is the executive director of Aloha International, and has traveled the world writing and teaching about self-development and Hawaiian culture. King has family living on Maui and has been visiting the island on a regular basis for many years. He is also the author of Kahuna Healing, Urban Shaman, and many other books, tapes and videos on Hawaiian philosophy and culture. Yet, he does not look like a man who has influenced hundreds of thousands of people to live a better life with the work he and his wife Gloria carry out through their organization which he describes as a non-profit, world-wide network of peacemakers dedicated to the practice and promotion of the Aloha Spirit. In fact, he looks more like a happy Leprechaun, with a graying shock of hair, youthful appearance and an impish smile that emerges when he talks about how simple the answers are to the problems that often bedevil individuals, families, communities and the world. He has been teaching formally since 1973, the same year he created The Aloha Project as a way to join the people of the world together in a spirit of Aloha to bring about physical, emotional, mental, environmental, social, and spiritual harmony based on the wisdom found in Hawaiian philosophy and culture. Raised on Kauai as the adopted Hawaiian grandson of the family that had raised his father, Dr. King was initiated into the Hawaiian teachings of Huna and trained in the Kupua tradition by his grandfather, who was a Kupua, or a specialized healer who works with the powers of the mind and the forces of nature. The understanding of Huna, as taught by King, comes from the Kupua family Kahili. However, while Dr. King was a young man when he was introduced to Huna a Hawaiian word meaning secret, but which also refers to the esoteric wisdom of Polynesia it was not until he journeyed to Africa that he would bring together the shaman knowledge that would lead him to his life s work. The Years in Africa That story begins in Glendale, Arizona, at Thunderbird University where King was finishing up his advanced degree studies in business after receiving a BA in Asian Studies at another school. King wanted to work abroad and during corporate recruiting interviews Catholic Relief Services offered him a position. The only hitch was that he would not be going to Asia or to Latin America where he had hoped to be sent, but instead he was going to Africa, a place he freely admits he knew nothing about. I can t stand not knowing something about a thing, he said. So, since I knew nothing about Africa I immediately said yes and then went home to tell my wife. Of course, I had no idea what she would say. I recall that I said to her, Honey, we re going to Africa, and this wonderful woman responded, without any hesitation at all, Africa, how do I pack for Africa? That decision led to work as a program director on community development projects for Catholic Relief Services in West Africa from 1964 to Among the countries King worked in were Benin, Togo, Senegal, Gambia and Moratemia. It was while in Africa, that an African trader approached King and claimed to have known King s father when the man had been a very young boy. As King tells it, It turns out that that my father had been to West Africa when he was a young man as part of a movie making thing, and people had come down with malaria, he was abandoned to die and he was brought to health by an old woman in a village. This is what he (the man) told me and I had completely forgotten about it until that moment. The man said he knew my father and he invited me to be his apprentice. Because of that connection I did become his apprentice through the rest of the time we were in Africa. Understand that this kind of training is not sit down in the classroom training. This is training that occurs in the course of events. I had to do a lot of traveling in the bush because of my work and every once in a while he d pop up and take me on an adventure of some kind, in which I would learn things. So, this occurred over the course of 6 and-a-half years. Up to that point in his life, King had no plans to teach. It was a very international work. Even though it was in an apparently isolated place in West Africa, I did projects that 1 real estate maui style

2 Serge King, has a Ph.D. in psychology, is the executive director of Aloha International, and has traveled the world writing and teaching about self-development and Hawaiian culture. involved organizations in Europe, in the Middle East; we worked with the Chinese sometimes on projects, just a lot of international work. As this international awareness grew in me the realization came that more and more people who used to live in villages were moving into the cities. The urbanization of the world was happening, but they were not carrying the traditional knowledge with this movement. And this traditional knowledge was so awesomely effective at helping people to heal. So, it was toward the end of my stay in Africa where I made the specific decision to bring this knowledge this shamatic knowledge out of the villages and into the cities. I wanted to teach people how to do those things and bring it back to the cities where they lived and could apply it. A lot of my work, which has been absolutely fascinating, and still is, is how to adapt those concepts, to make the concepts basic enough that it doesn t matter where you are, you can still apply it. real estate maui style 2

3 Maui Style LivingMaui The Journey to Hawaii At first King choose to settle in Los Angeles to be near communications, modern infrastructure and a major international airport. While he experienced initial success, he and his wife found themselves increasingly returning to Kauai. After their fourth trip in one year they decided to take the plunge and live permanently on the island where Dr. King had his spiritual home and had first become aware of Hawaiian Shamanism. He has lived on Kauai for the past 19 years and says, as soon as we moved everything expanded like crazy and rapidly started becoming the international organization and teaching that I had envisioned before I left Africa. being too easy to be true. Please don't let yourself be fooled by appearances. Take the time to try it out. This is the most powerful technique in the world, and although it is extremely simple it may not prove easy, because you must remember to do it and you have to do it a lot. It is a secret that has been given to humanity over and over again, and here it is once more in another form. The secret is this: Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want! Huna The 7 Principles of Huna are Ike, Kala, Makia, Manawa, Aloha, Mana, and Pono. The basic assumptions of Huna as expressed in Dr. King s Aloha Philosophy are: The Spirit of Aloha When asked about bringing his teachings to a level where they could be understood more widely. Dr. King responds that a simple translation without getting into the roots is that, Loving is being happy with someone or something. This just clears away so much of the misunderstandings and confusion and hurts and pains that most people associate with love. Love s got nothing to do with those things. All the hurt and pain that people associate comes from fear and anger. Love is the happy part. So that s what you concentrate on developing. In Dr. King s view, The spirit or the essence of this is the simple fact that loving is being happy and increasing happiness. On his website, Dr. King expands on this concept by writing that, The Aloha Spirit is a well-known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so famous. However, it also refers to a powerful way to resolve any problem, accomplish any goal, and to achieve any state of mind or body that you desire. He continues, In the Hawaiian language, aloha stands for more that just hello or goodbye or love. Its deeper meaning is the joyful (oha) sharing (alo) of life energy (ha) in the present (alo). "The secret is this: Bless everyone and everything that represents what you want." 1. The World Is What You Think It Is. 2. There are no limits. 3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes. 4. Now Is The Moment Of Power. 5. To Love Is To Be Happy With 6. All Power Comes From Within. 7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth. The Three Selves (or Four) Another set of assumptions used in Huna is that human behavior and experience can be explained and changed through the interaction of three (sometimes four) selves, aspects or functions: 1. The High Self (Kane, Aumakua, Spiritual Mind), has the function of creativity, is motivated by harmony, and uses energy. 2. The Conscious Self (Lono) has the function of reasoning, is motivated by power, and uses imagination. 3. The Subconscious Self (Ku) has the function of memory, is motivated by happiness, and uses sensation. 4. The Core Self (Kanaloa) has the function of will, is motivated by experience, and uses confidence. The Four Levels of Reality A third set of assumptions coming from the Kupua tradition divides all experience into four levels or frameworks of beliefs about reality, which can be summarized as follows: The Universal Power of Mana Dr. King states in his writings that, As you share this energy (of aloha) you become attuned to the Universal Power that the Hawaiians call mana. And the loving use of this incredible Power is the secret for attaining true health, happiness, prosperity and success. The way to tune into this Power and have it work for you is so simple that you might be tempted to pass it off as 1. Everything is objective. 2. Everything is subjective. 3. Everything is symbolic. 4. Everything is holistic. Peace Peace, according to Dr. King, is a harmonious state of mind, body and society in which conflict is either absent or 3 real estate maui style

4 resolved without violence and in which relationships are mutually empowering and cooperative. A peacemaker, then, is one who facilitates this kind of state. King teaches that, we can find peacemakers in the healing professions among nurses, doctors, faith and psychic healers, traditional and neoshamans, and therapists of all sorts. There are peacemakers among spiritual advisors, counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. Peacemakers exist in the ranks of management consultants, negotiators, government agencies and businesses that foster peace by providing the means for it through technology and services. Politics makes strange bedfellows and some of them are true peacemakers. Believe it or not, the military services also have real peacemakers. The test of a peacemaker is not his or her profession or avocation, but rather the intent, the approach, and the results. The intent has to do with what you are trying to accomplish. If, as a healer, your intent is only to kill a virus or prove the effectiveness of a technique, you are not a peacemaker even if a state of peace in the patient c o m e s about. The Aloha Project Dr. King conceived of the Aloha project at the beginning of his teaching and writing career as a way to join the people of the world together in a spirit of Aloha. Included in the Aloha Project is the Aloha Fellowship, which is described in informational materials as a growing network of people of all ages and walks of life who believe it is possible for individuals working together to transform the earth into a paradise of love, peace and happiness. Like all of Dr. King s efforts, it is not difficult to become a member of the Aloha Fellowship. All one need do is fill out their name, address and and sign the pledge to, do my best to make the world a better place. Other elements of the Aloha Project include The Booklet Plan, which distributes free of charge The Little Pink Book of Aloha and Help Yourself with Dynamind. Since it was introduced in 1975, over 200,000 copies of the Aloha Project booklets have been distributed. Help Yourself with Dynamind explains a fast, simple and effective healing technique that has been used for physical, emotional and mental problems in the United States and Europe since The three final aspects of the Aloha Project encompass The Healing Plan, which teaches that you can be a healer if you know any kind of technique that can help another person to experience harmony of body, mind, or spirit. There is also The Teaching Plan, that says one does not have to study forever before you can be teacher. You can be a teacher for the Aloha Project if you have any kind of information that can help other people experience more harmony of mind, body or spirit. The third final aspect of the Aloha Project is The Hula Plan. Here, Hawaiian Hula is recognized as one of the best forms of dance in the world for teaching people how to experience harmony of body, mind, and spirit. The real hula of Hawaii, in its Kahiko (ancient) and auana (modern) forms can be a path to spiritual development as a source of joy to beholders and dancers alike. Aloha International Aloha International is the primary organizational means used by Dr. King to spread his knowledge of the alternative healing real estate maui style 4

5 King was a young man when he was introduced to Huna a Hawaiian word meaning secret, but which also refers to the esoteric wisdom of Polynesia. 5 real estate maui style Huna The 7 Principles of Huna are Ike, Kala, Makia, Manawa, Aloha, Mana, and Pono. The basic assumptions of Huna as expressed in Dr. King s Aloha Philosophy are: 1. The World Is What You Think It Is. 2. There are no limits. 3. Energy Flows Where Attention Goes. 4. Now Is The Moment Of Power. 5. To Love Is To Be Happy With 6. All Power Comes From Within. 7. Effectiveness Is The Measure Of Truth. of body, mind and circumstances by expanding the spirit of aloha and the knowledge of Huna. It has its heartquarters on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and claims over ten thousand members living in more than twenty-five countries around the globe. Among the activities of Aloha International are: The free distribution of The Aloha Spirit, a booklet describing the power of blessing. Copies are available on huna@huna.org, or you can send in your airmail address for a free printed copy. At the Hawaiian Museum, operated by Aloha International and also on Kauai, free Hawaiian Talk Story teaching sessions are held every Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM. Dr. King and his staff relate the legends and myths of Ancient Hawaii and discuss many aspects of Hawaiian history and culture. The Museum also features cultural displays, classes and events. Hula classes are held on Tuesdays and on Thursday a Healing Circle is held to gather with like-minded, caring people for self healing and for combining efforts to help others around the world. The techniques used for healing are based on Hawaiian and other traditions. In addition, Aloha International maintains extensive information on the healing techniques of Dr. King through free online and print newsletters with articles, information and techniques related to Huna, shamanism and self help. It also claims to have the world's largest selection of Huna-related books, booklets, audio and videotapes, and shaman tools. For more information on the areas touched on in this article, or to order any of the materials mentioned, go online to huna@huna.org. REMS