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“Alooooohaaaa!!!” Not exactly the kind of greeting one usually hears in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but what better way to begin a day with a real live Hawaiian kahuna? On Saturday, June 12, thirty-five pastors, nurses, massage therapists, and practitioners of a variety of healing arts participated in a workshop on “Laulima - Practicing the Presence of the Breath of God: Native Hawaiian Laying on of Hands Healing” given by Harry Uhane Jim, a native Hawaiian practitioner of indigenous healing methods for 35 years.
Reminding participants that “Aloha” actually means, not simply “Hello,” but “The presence of God is in our midst,” he described what he does as, essentially, expressing “grace-receiving gratitude.” The point is not so much that the healer “does” anything, but rather that he or she becomes available to God, who does the actual work through the touch of the healer. Combining traditional Hawaiian thought and the Gospel in a seamless whole (with much laughter, echoing Teilhard de Chardin’s statement that “Joy is the surest sign of the presence of God”), Harry reminded the group that “You are never alone. If evil is in the room, just tell it, ‘Look behind you and see that guy Jesus. Now go outside.’”
In the afternoon, participants had the opportunity to practice what they had learned, and the general consensus was that, after a long day of instruction, people felt more energized and relaxed than when they had begun. |
