Great guide to Hawaiian spirituality

Aloha everyone! Thank you for all your wonderful comments regarding these book reviews. Be sure to thank Bill Buley (editor), since it was his wonderful idea!

On this week’s book, we gotta say, we are in awe! We have sold many books on “Hawaiian spirituality,” but “Cunningham’s Guide to Hawaiian Magic & Spirituality” by Scott Cunningham is an exceptionally in-depth and wide-ranging book on the history of Hawaii’s native spiritual and indigenous beliefs and customs.

In Mr. Cunningham’s own words, “This book is rooted in fact, not wild speculation or romantic fantasy. Fortunately, truth is far more wondrous than fiction.”

Scott Cunningham, who has written many books on alternative religious subjects, dedicated over 20 years of his life studying the beliefs and practices of the pre-Christian Hawaiians before writing this book. Part one is about the people and the deities; part two goes into traditional Hawaiian culture and religion and part three continues into the magic and spirituality.

He will enchant you with the depth of his knowledge and yet his book is easy-to-read. He takes us through subjects such as “kapu,” “mana” and the “kahuna”, deities such as Pele, Kane, and Lono, as well as the lesser-known aspects, such as omens, dream prophecy, the spiritual power of stones, plants, colors, and even ghosts, night marchers and menehune. The book is full of helpful pictures that excellently compliment the subject at hand, and even more helpful is the glossary in the back which provides detailed definitions or translations of Hawaiian words.

Whether you are well-versed in the subject of Hawaiian spiritual culture or just starting to learn, this is a wonderful guide and an easy to understand primer. When folks ask if we have any books on Hawaiian spirituality, it is the top one we recommend.

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Ed and Cynthia Justus are the owners of The Bookstore in Hanapepe.