| Within the Hawaiian lexicon, the word "Aloha" is imbibed with many meanings. It might mean hello, good-bye, love, caring, affection, compassion or even "to know the unknowable".
As many Hawaiian words and phrases carry deeper hidden means, or "kauna", so it is true with "Aloha". It might be said that "Aloha" is really more of a feeling than something you can pin down with a specific definition.
Go as deep as you can into its meaning, almost like a meditation, and you realize you have only just begun your journey of understanding. Under layers of true oneness and caring, deep within Aloha is also the quality of forgiveness. As with the practice of Ho'oponopono (the healing practice of "setting things right"), true healing begins with forgiveness, and culminates in restoring Aloha. Forgiveness is an essential part of Aloha, it paves the way by letting go of any past wrong-doing. Aloha in its literal sense means “the presence of breath” or "breath on the face", describing that deep sense of caring and trust that comes when two people are so close together that their breath can be felt on each other's face.
That is the physical expression of Aloha. When there is true caring and understanding such that you can invite someone into your embrace, then there is only love. All blame, hatred, isolation, hurt, et cetera has been forgiven, and what is left is pure acceptance, oneness, love... Aloha.
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