MAKIA - Energy Flows Where Attention Goes
"What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create."
~ Buddha
MAKIA, a central principle in Huna philosophy, underscores the power of focus and intention in shaping our reality. In traditional Hawaiian culture, MAKIA is both a spiritual guideline and a practical approach to everyday life. The Hawaiians understand the importance of focused intention in all activities, from navigating the vast oceans to cultivating taro fields. They believe that by maintaining a clear focus and positive intentions, they can manifest successful outcomes in their endeavors.
Mālama i ka 'ōlelo, i kuleana e kipa mai ai.
(Take care of the words, they have a right to visit.)
Hawaiian Proverb
In Hawaiian tradition, words convey mana (spiritual energy). They believe that speaking with intention can influence and shape the world around them. This aligns perfectly with MAKIA’s focus on the directed flow of energy. Hawaiians practice MAKIA by aligning their thoughts and words with their desired outcomes, knowing that their energy will follow their attention. This principle is evident in their meticulous preparations for long sea voyages, where they focus their collective energy and intentions on safe travels and bountiful discoveries. Similarly, in agriculture, they direct their thoughts and efforts toward the health and growth of their crops, believing that their focused intention can nurture the land and yield abundant harvests.
By embracing MAKIA, we harness the ability to influence their reality through deliberate focus and intention. We understand that spoken words and thoughts have profound power to manifest physically and influence reality. This principle emphasizes the responsibility that comes with this power, guiding Hawaiians to choose their words and focus wisely, as these elements play a crucial role in creating their lived experiences.
Intentional Living: MAKIA teaches that living with intention is crucial. By clearly defining what we want to achieve, we can align our thoughts and actions to realize these outcomes. It encourages setting specific, clear goals and regularly visualizing them to reinforce commitment and focus.
Mindfulness and Concentration: This component emphasizes the importance of being present in the moment and fully engaged in our current activities. By concentrating our energy on the here and now, we prevent energy dispersion and enhance our effectiveness and efficiency in any task.
Selective Attention: MAKIA involves selectively focusing our attention on thoughts and actions that contribute to our goals, effectively filtering out distractions and negativity. This selective attention supports more productive behaviors and positive emotional states.
Manifestation Through Words and Thoughts: Recognizing the creative power of words and thoughts, MAKIA teaches that positive affirmations and constructive speech are vital tools for manifestation. This aspect of MAKIA aligns with the belief that our words and thoughts are seeds that grow into the reality we experience.
In daily life, MAKIA is practiced through mindful living and conscious decision-making. Hawaiians apply this principle by staying mentally and spiritually aligned with their core values and goals, ensuring that every action and thought contributes positively to their intentions. This practice involves regular reflection and meditation, enabling individuals to maintain clarity and purpose in their daily pursuits.
Reflective Exercises:
Two key exercises are associated with MAKIA, and one homework assignment is assigned for our session when we discuss the principle.
Life Path Reflection helps you recognize how focused intentions and energy (or lack thereof) have shaped your journey. Many find it easier and more helpful to use a journal and create a timeline as they work through it.
Focus and Manifest offers a series of journaling prompts that help you explore and enhance the principles of selective attention, manifestation through words and thoughts, and aligning actions with core values, using the power of MAKIA to shape a more intentional and fulfilling life.
PROMPT QUESTIONS
Set aside dedicated time for reflection and writing. Ensure you are in a quiet, comfortable space to focus without interruptions. These prompts encourage deeper reflection on how your focused intentions have shaped your life experiences, specifically through selective attention and goal achievement, manifestation through words and thoughts, and aligning actions with core values. They will help you assess the effectiveness of these practices in your present life and consider how you might develop them going forward.
Prompt 1. Selective Attention and Goal Achievement: Think about how you manage distractions and stay focused on what matters most - specifically - how you currently prioritize and direct your attention toward your goals. How has selective attention helped you achieve specific goals? Describe areas where you see an opportunity to more closely align with MAKIA to enhance your focus and ensure continued success moving forward?"
Prompt 2. Manifestation Through Words and Thoughts: Reflect on how (if at all) you use affirmations and positive thinking in your daily life. How do positive affirmations and constructive speech shape your reality? Provide examples of times when your words and thoughts directly influenced an outcome. How can you refine this practice to better support your goals and aspirations in the future?
Prompt 3: Aligning Actions with Core Values: Reflect on your decision-making process and how you stay true to your core values and authentic self. How does this alignment enhance your sense of purpose and fulfillment in life? Describe your strategies to maintain this alignment and its impact on your overall well-being. Are there any areas where your actions could better align with your values?
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT
This homework exercise is designed to help you reflect on how you currently use selective attention to achieve your goals and to prepare you for a visualization exercise that will bring the constructs of MAKIA into sharper focus. : In our next session, we will engage in a guided visualization exercise to further enhance your selective attention and goal achievement. This exercise will help you bring the constructs of MAKIA into sharper focus and provide a powerful tool for manifesting your goals.
Reflect on how you currently prioritize and direct your attention toward your goals. How has selective attention helped you achieve specific goals? Describe the process and outcomes. Moving forward, what strategies can you implement to enhance your focus and ensure continued success?
Write about a specific goal you have and what makes it important to you right now. How would you assess the time/attention / focus you’re currently giving to it? What distractions or barriers seem to be getting in the way of making meaningful progress? Do you have any techniques in place for setting specific priorities such as creating the space (physical, emotional, relational) to focus?
Bring your notes along with you to our next session and we’ll craft some visualization and other daily tricks and tips to help you build your practice of MAKIA!
EXERCISE: Life Path Reflection
The Life Path Reflection exercise helps you recognize how your focused intentions and energy have shaped your life's journey. By exploring key moments, you can gain insights into how the principle of MAKIA has influenced both your successes and challenges. Set aside some quiet time to reflect on your life. Use a journal or a blank document to capture your thoughts. Break down your life into significant phases or periods, such as childhood, adolescence, early adulthood, mid-life, and the present. For each phase, consider the following prompts to guide your reflection.
STEP ONE: What key moments in my life stand out? These could be achievements, turning points, or significant challenges. It helps to list out the significant events, achievements, and turning points. Consider moments that brought you great joy as well as challenges and obstacles you overcame.
STEP TWO: What were my intentions during these significant moments? How did my focus and energy contribute to the outcomes? For each key moment, reflect on the goals and desires you held and the intention and focus you directed toward them at that time.
STEP THREE: How did my energy and mindset contribute to these successes? Select one or two instances where your intentions and focus directly lead to positive outcomes. Describe those moments, reflecting on how your mindset, words, and actions aligned to manifest these outcomes. Reflecting back, can you pinpoint how your energy and mindset contributed to these successes?
STEP FOUR: What challenges have I faced, and how did maintaining a focused intention help me overcome them? What did I learn from them? Consider one or two moments that were more difficult for you and how you worked to overcome them and move forward from them. Looking back - can you find a connection to your ability to be intentional and focus on the issue either helped (or hindered) you in those moments.
STEP FIVE: What lessons have I learned from these experiences? Consider the lessons you’ve learned from both positive and challenging experiences. Reflect on how the principle of MAKIA played a role in your personal growth - and - how perhaps there were opportunities to embrace it to create a stronger flow of energy along your journey.
STEP SIX: How can I apply the principle of MAKIA to my future goals and aspirations? What steps can I take to ensure my focus and intentions remain aligned with my desired outcomes? Think of a current goal you have - how can you leverage what you’ve learned about your reflections and how you can more effectively apply MAKIA to your goals? These could be achievements, turning points, or significant challenges. It helps to list out the significant events, achievements, and turning points. Consider moments that brought you great joy as well as challenges and obstacles you overcame.
Tools & Practices
Here are some ideas of how you can bring the principles of MAKIA into your daily life.
Tools & Practices
Here are some ideas of how you can bring the principles of MAKIA into your daily life.
Additional Resources
Here are a few additional resources to support your exploration of the constructs of MAKIA.
