Hawaiian Culture and Holistic Addiction Recovery

Why We Call It Honu House

Local legend tells of the mythical guardian of the Hawaiian Islands, people, and culture: the Honu, or sea turtle. Once upon a time, legends say, a mystical Honu named Honu-po’o-kea appeared on the black sand beach at Punalu’u – not far from where Honu House sits today – looking for a place to build a nest. Together with her partner, Honu-‘ea, she dug a nest and laid an egg.

They covered the nest and dug into the black sand to create a freshwater spring. Before long, the egg hatched, and the magical turtle Kauila was born. Kauila – capable of transforming into a human girl watched over the children who came to play in the protected waters of the spring, and the fresh water from the spring gave life and vitality to the people of Punalu’u.

That’s how we see Honu House: a safe place to commune with nature, experience the spiritual power of the islands, and draw life-giving sustenance from breath of life and nature itself.

But that’s not the only reason we call our holistic healing center Honu House. Like most things Hawaiian, honu has multiple meanings that resonate on multiple levels, from the spiritual, to the secular, to the practical.

Where Myth and Metaphor Become Reality: The Honu House

The Honu is an excellent, fearless, intrepid navigator. No matter how far they swim, they always find their way back home.

At Honu House, we give you the skills to find your way home, no matter how far from home you are when you arrive.

The Honu carry their home – and their protection – along with them, wherever they go, in the form of their shell. In that way, the Honu is always at home, and always safe.

At Honu House, we reconnect you with the inner strength and confidence you need to feel safe and feel at home no matter where you are, and no matter what happens.

The Honu never moves backward: it’s always moving forward, and it never tires, slowly navigating its way through the ocean, never getting lost, always returning home.

At Honu House, we give you the tools you need to move forward in your life, away from the problems of addiction and drug use, toward sobriety, along the wisdom to persevere, secure in the knowledge you have everything you need – right now, within yourself – to find your way back to the real you, and find your way back home.

The Honu represents protection, healing, endurance, guidance, and returning home to oneself.

Honu House is a place where people come home to themselves.

We strive to embody both the myth and the reality of the Honu in every way: we offer guidance, protection, and the slow, steady healing of the protecting spirit of the Honu.