Spring, Rebirth and Sexuality: A Huna Perspective

By Dr. Matthew B. James

Spring is here and nature is in full rebirth. Along with the return of warmth, flowers and budding plants, we experience a heightened awareness of sexuality that is all part of nature’s grand plan.

Scientific research has documented that spring fever is more than a myth. The lengthening of days and increased sunlight is thought to cause the pineal gland in our brains to produce less melatonin, a hormone linked to dark or dim light and sleep. This explains in part the “reawakening” we feel as spring bursts forth after months of cold dreary, and short days.

Spring is considered a season of new possibilities, relationships and rebirth. It is a good time to ponder the feminine and the masculine qualities we each hold, and to nurture both.

Huna, the ancient Hawaiian tradition of my lineage and life experience, offers an interesting way to think about male and female energy.

Ho'omana is the ancient Hawaiian system for living. Ho'o means "to make." Mana is "energy." Taken together, Ho'omana means to make life-force energy.

Huna means "secret" or "hidden wisdom" and is the term used for the modern approach to ho’omana. This Hawaiian system of empowerment teaches people how to get in touch with their life-force energy, how to move it, and how to understand their connection with the environment and with others.

In the Huna tradition, women carried all the mana, energy, in the lineage. The masculine side directed the energy, because energy undirected simply disperses into the universe.

In addition to learning how to build up our mana, we also must learn how to direct it. This means being able to recognize and direct our feminine energy, which is more nurturing, and our masculine energy, which is more expressive and directive.

When we recognize this balance within ourselves, it allows us to be more understanding and accepting of the feminine and masculine energy in our spouses, partners and friends.

Huna tradition also teaches that people are comprised of four aspects — physical, spiritual, emotional and mental. Spiritual evolution in the Huna system involves the maturing and integration of each aspect.

So what does all this have to do with spring fever and our renewed interest in sexuality, romance and attraction? Huna helps us understand how differences and similarities in the four areas play out in our relationships

• The Spiritual Level: It is important to have alignment with your partner on spiritual matters. This doesn’t mean that you have to have the same religion, but it is helpful to share similar values and beliefs. If you are of differing religions, having similar levels of devotion to your faith, as well as agreements around going to services together and raising children is useful.

• The Mental Level: Here it is helpful to have some differences. Having a partner who challenges the mind keeps us growing, and it keeps the spark alive as well.

• The Emotional Level: It can be difficult to describe feelings. They just are, so having a partner who reacts in a similar way and understands how we feel is vitally important for healthy relationships.

• The Physical Level: Opposition in the physical realm is part of what creates the spark. One partner (not necessarily the woman) usually carries more of the feminine energy, and the other carries more of the masculine energy. Like the poles of a battery, these differences create a flow of energy.

Learning about your own and your partner’s makeup, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually, is a key to sustaining healthy bonds.

Learning to understand and direct the energy within yourself is critical to living a life that is, in the Hawaiian language, Pono — right with ourselves. When we are Pono, that empowers us to be right in our relationships with others.

About the Author: Matthew B. James, Ph.D., international trainer, lecturer, and educator, is President of American Pacific University and the Empowerment Partnership. His work is dedicated to creating personal transformation by teaching the ancient science of consciousness and energy healing, Huna, with cutting edge therapeutic techniques. To reach Dr. James, please e-mail him at info@Huna.com or to attend his next Huna event visit http://www.huna.com