About James

Aloha Nui Loa Ka Kou!

My name is James Keali’ipi’lani Kawainui. My ancestors can be traced back in Old Hawaii over 20 generations. They were the wisdom keepers, healers, and mystics of my culture. That energy flows through me in every aspect of my life. I share their knowledge in a modern context to help people overcome the obstacles and challenges of being a human in our constantly moving and changing world.

As far back as my early 20’s, I had an unconscious desire to help people through healing and wanted to be a nurse. Life stepped in and took me on a different course and the idea soon faded as my focus turned to providing and raising a family and I became a carpenter instead. (because the money was better)

For reasons I didn’t understand at the time, in my late 30’s people started showing up and asking for help. I realized that I was able to look at someone or run my hand slightly above their body and know where their pain was and how to help it go away. I wasn’t exactly sure what was going on but slowly more and more people came and asked me for help. The process often left me both confused and in awe of what was going on in front of me. I kept trying to dismiss it and go on with my life.

One evening back in 2000, I was literally “tapped on the back of my head” and a loud, clear voice said, “It’s time to go home!” It was a life defining moment and I’ve never looked back. I had been living on the “mainland” for over 20 years and was married with two grown children. I was an executive in a multi-million dollar corporation where I’d been working for over 17 years. I had 3 departments of people that answered to me and I had what many people would consider a successful and good life. Nevertheless, I walked into my boss’ office the very next day and quit my job.

It took me a few years to understand that my Kūpuna had been trying to talk to me and up to that point I had not been able to hear or understand what they were saying. At first I questioned what was happening, not wanting to believe it was possible to make that kind of connection, but the more it happened, the more I began to take notice. That tap on the head was them getting my attention and telling me that it was time to change my life and how I had been living it.

I sold everything and moved back to Hawaii. I lived in a shack on the beach for over 4 years. I went to sleep with sound of the waves and the song of the whales. Everything I thought I knew about my life began to crumble away. The very fabric of who I was was being ripped apart. Old relationships ended, (some painfully) as new friendships blossomed. Things that I had valued in the past lost their importance. I was being asked to let go. Who would I be without the things that had defined me as a person?

Up to that point, I had lived a pretty unconscious life. I was beginning to learn how to connect to my inner guidance. What it showed me at times was so incredible I had a hard time believing it. I was being taught to surrender, even though at the time I wasn’t sure what that meant. 

I began to practice deep listening. Listening that told me when to go over and talk to someone. When to sit and be quiet. When to move. By listening, I surrendered to the call to leave Hawaii and go to New Zealand. It was there I found my first teacher and the healing practices of the Māori elders. Through my mentor and the teachings, and the deepening of my listening, hearing the voices of my Kūpuna (my ancestors) became cleaer. They told me they had been waiting to talk to me for a long time. I surrendered to the process and found that the more I listened, the more they talked to me and the more I learned to trust and follow their guidance.

When I work with someone, my Kūpuna often tell me what that person is feeling, where their pain is, and how the energy is running through their body. They show me what kind of “story” that person is holding on to and the pain and suffering that are holding that story in place. They guide me to the places on a person’s body that are in pain or where the energy is blocked, and show me how to help release it. What happens is sometimes still a mystery to me. I’ve learned to let that part of me go and trust in the process and their guidance.

I don’t act or look like a traditional Native Hawaiian Healer, (whatever that’s supposed to look like) and I don’t pretend to be one. I’ve taken what I learned, along with the connection I’ve nurtured with my Kūpuna, and talk about it in a way that people can understand, embrace, and incorporate into their lives. It’s taking that ancient wisdom I feel and see inside of me and turning into a form that supports our modern way of life.

I feel blessed by the gift of the love and guidance of my Kūpuna. In every aspect of my life, they show me how to love everyone and everything. They are the reason I am here and why I have dedicated my life to helping people.