The Bowl of Light

Hale Makua, whose teachings are the subject of this book, was a full-blooded Hawaiian chief who lent his wisdom to the spiritual seminars held by author Hank Wesselman and his wife Jill over a number of years. Makua, a leader in his native Hawaii by virtue of his royal ancestry and throughout the indigenous world because of his spiritual knowledge, died in 2004 in an auto accident. The author felt it was time for him to share the spiritual teachings of Makua through this book.

CONVERSATIONS REMEMBERED

The book is a series of conversations between Wesselman and Makua, along with the context in which the conversations were held, some being part of the group sessions Wessleman led, and others being private, often held in places of significance on the islands of Hawaii. Since Wessleman tells us Makua did not believe in note taking, we have to assume that Wessleman essentially recalls the chief's words accurately. The design of the book presents the teachings in a way that emphasizes the relationship between these men and feels more natural than a simple stating of what Makua taught, but it does leave open the possibility that there is a lot of Wessleman and less of Makua in these insights. However, I'm willing to accept the proposition that Wesselman and Makua were attuned to each other's thoughts and that the book is essentially the spiritual wisdom of Hale Makua

BASIC TEACHINGS

That aside, I found the teachings here to be very insightful, sometimes original, but often in keeping with the teachings of other spiritual traditions. Makua emphasizes the nature of human beings, as consisting of three separate souls (spiritual soul seed, mental soul, body soul) with the spiritual soul -- the "Aumakua" (what the author also calls the "Oversoul") -- the immortal component, the part of us that is pre- and post-existent beyond our current physical body. In fact, the Aumakua lives in the spirit world; it can "serve us as a portal through which we dream and can travel into the worlds of spirit while we are still embodied here."

He also teaches that everything is made of the same "stuff" and is basically energy. He tells us there is a spirit world co-existent with our own and that spirits, good and bad, can and do influence us. The unseen world is the source for the world in which we are living.

These teachings are arranged by topic in the book, so each is explained both through the purported words of Hale Makua and aided by the understanding and further explanations of Hank Wesselman. Makua goes into some mostly unexplored territory with his teaching about the Ancestors' Grand Plan, Levels of Reality and the existence of evil spirits (the "e'pa") who are not (as in other traditions) souls of humans who have passed on, but another type of entity, akin to the sprites or elementals of folk literature. The book says that these entities are "mental phenomena that reside at the psychic and mental-emotional levels…" He tells us these entities are the origin of alien abductions and other psychic phenomena.

ORGANIZED RELIGION VS. THE NEW MYSTERIES

Makua takes a negative view of organized religion, calling it susceptible to the influences of the evil entities. Wessleman is quick to agree with this interpretation, citing the many wars and massacres caused by religious differences. But the core of the disagreement with organized religion has to do with man's relationship to God. While many religions teach that God is essentially above the abilities of human comprehension, Makua takes it a step further. Makua tells us that we ARE Gods and that we have forgotten our divine nature. He does not intend this to mean we, in our current lives, are God-like, but that we derived from the Source and our mission, through many lifetimes, is to return to the Source. Our journey is an individual one, and our path an internal one. No priest is needed and no "beliefs," shoveled into our heads, can get us to our destination.

The teachings here are not complete because the highest level of spiritual understanding cannot be taught, must not be stated. Unlike the proselytizing religions, which bully us into accepting their list of beliefs, true spiritual attainment is found on one's own. Christianity and Islam have, through the ages in which they have dominated, tried to force acceptance of their belief systems, but I give the Jews a pass on this, since they do not recruit. The time has come for a more mature spirituality that is not coerced or driven by fear. We seem to be approaching a time of rapid decline in membership for organized religion, perhaps a rejection of its simplistic, paternalistic teachings. Makua's concepts are more like the ancient "mystery" religions which, like Makua's restrictions on stating the highest wisdom, maintained that spiritual truths were not for the masses who were not ready to receive them. To reach the highest levels, you must be initiated.

CRITICISMS AND QUESTIONS

To be fair to organized religion, Christianity once had its gnostic branch that believed salvation was based on direct spiritual knowledge, not the rituals of priests, and Islam has had its mystics. We've seen a rise in interest in indigenous belief systems and in the ancient mysteries and shamanism. The author claims to be a modern shaman even as he continues working as an academic. Some have criticized this book because it is written by a non-indigenous, academically-trained person, but I feel that the teachings here have a lot of value and it is bogus to say that one canont absorb and understand the teachings and learnings of another culture

But I wonder why Wesselman did not tell us more about Makua's family and why he has no heirs or family member to carry on the "kahuna" teachings. I found Makua's emphasis on his royal lineage a bit jarring and Wesselman implies that Makua chose him to be the person to receive the teachings because he, Hank Wesselman, also has royalty (European royalty) in his genes. Huh? Are we all limited by our ancestors? He never really explains why royal lineage from societies long gone should carry any importance in our ability to absorb spiritual ideas. Is the author a bit too apologetic about being a non-indigenous person and does he work a little too hard at finding an explanation as to why he, and not a full-blooded Hawaiian, should receive these teachings?

What about the prophecies for 2012 and the many doomsday predictions so beloved of Hollywood producers? Well, Makua sees a time of great change coming, but does not mention any natural disasters. Generally, indigenous people have not adopted the "2012 is Doomsday" scenario but rather see the start of a new world cycle. Makua says this new cycle will stimulate "our dormant capacities for spiritual growth...". What will this mean for our sons and daughters and the future of humans on earth? According to Makua's teachings, this is at least somewhat up to us. We are those souls on our journey, and the way we conduct our lives points the way to the future. Or to put in in a more political phraseology, we are the change we are waiting for.

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The Bowl of Light: Ancestral Wisdom from a Hawaiian Shaman

More Spiritual Wisdom: There are many similarities between these traditional Hawaiian teachings and those of Spiritists from Brazil. Both accept reincarnation and say each lifetime is part of a journey toward perfection. Both accept the presence of spirits who influence us and both say the unseen world is the inspiration for the world we see. Learn more about Spiritism by reading my review of Spiritist literature.

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