Last time I wrote about Ho’oponopono and asked for thoughts about how to use it in a confrontation about soul reality. Basic Ho’oponopono has four steps: “I’m sorry.” “Please forgive me.” “Thank you.” “I love you.”

I specifically asked what you would do if you were talking about your experiences and you ran into a “hater” who challenged you by saying, “There is no such thing as soul reality. Physical reality is all that there is.” How do you fill in the question marks in the title of this post?

No one wrote back to me with their ideas. This newsletter/blog isn’t seen by a whole lot of people yet and I know all of you are busy with your own work. But I think we need to address the question of how to handle objections to what we do.

Maybe it’s best to continue our own work without taking on outside challenges. Maybe the value of what we do will spread into the culture even if we don’t take an active role. Maybe people will find us when they need us. Maybe…

I have a different view, though. I think the passive assumption that everything will turn out all right if we just take care of ourselves is a recipe for defeat. The people who don’t believe in souls will seem to win the day. But the people who use their knowledge of souls to harm others will be the real winners. They will have a free path for their practices while those who use souls to help others will be stopped.

That’s why I agree with the Huna principle that you must act every time you come upon a situation you can make better. Ho’oponopono is one of the ways we can act.

So here is a sketch of my thoughts on what I would do if I were giving a public presentation and someone in the audience made the comment that the only reality is the physical one. This may or may not be your idea of a hater, but we can be pretty sure that he or she hates the idea of soul reality.

I’m sorry: I would look for the cause of the comment. Then I would apologize for causing fear, doubt, confusion, or hurt and loss. Or whatever the pain behind the comment is.

Please forgive me: I would say, “I didn’t realize this would cause you pain or concern. I hope you will forgive me.”

I love you: I would think, “I see in you and I love in you the spark of the creator.” I would say, “I share your passion for our sovereignty. Beliefs that force us to follow someone else without thinking about ourselves are not a good thing. We need to think for ourselves.”

Thank you: I would say, “What a joy that you’re here and connecting with all of us. I’m glad fate brought us together. Let’s see if we can find a way to co-create a better world.”

So those question marks in the title could be acknowledging, empowering, loving, or thanking the hater. We don’t get to a better place when we hate back. Of course, I would make sure that the other people who came to hear about souls were respected by going on with my presentation.

If you agree, please let me know. If you have other thoughts, I’d love to hear them. We are co-creators of our world.