“The Elements Within” | Anthony Satori
“The most basic work for peace is to return to ourselves and to create harmony among the elements within us — our feelings, our perceptions, and our mental states. That is why the practice of meditation, looking deeply, is so important.”
— Thich Nhat Hanh
“Expansive Consciousness” | Anthony Satori
It presents quite a conundrum, actually. As conscious beings — that is, as actual living incarnations of Consciousness itself — we are truly vast. Beyond immense, in fact. But in terms of our physical place in the universe? We are utterly miniscule. Smaller than the smallest sub-atomic particle measured against the breadth and depth of the ocean. It is a remarkable paradox to hold in one’s mind. It is both exhilarating and humbling, empowering and awe-inspiring, all at the same time.
The solution to this riddle, it seems, is simply to live each day immersed in the humble, quiet gratitude that derives from having been given this extraordinary gift — the gift of a soul, a spirit, a body — the gift of Consciousness, the gift of Life. Strive also, however, to live each day tapped into the vastness of your deep, infinite spiritual Being, channeling this pure, immense source of energy into making yourself a conduit of light, wonder, compassion, and Love.
“The Fire of Primal Energy” | Anthony Satori
“Hear, O children of immortal bliss: you are born to be united with God. Follow the path of the illumined ones and be united with the Spirit of Life. Kindle the fire of kundalini [primal energy] deep in meditation. Bring your mind and breath under control. Drink deep of divine love, and you will attain the unitive state.”
— the Upanishads (Shvetashvatara)
“The Dreaming Itself” | Anthony Satori
“I immediately fell into a blank thoughtless trance wherein it was again revealed to me ‘This thinking has stopped’ and I sighed because I didn’t have to think anymore and felt my whole body sink into a blessedness surely to be believed, completely relaxed and at peace with all the ephemeral world of dream and dreamer and the dreaming itself.”
— Jack Kerouac
“Spring Moon” | Anthony Satori
Some nights, when everything is quiet and the air is warm, I go outside and simply experience how the world feels around me. I allow myself to become fully aware of the stillness, the silence, the way every object becomes transformed from its daylight appearance when it is differently lit by the moon and the stars. I breathe deeply of the air and allow the moonlight to wash over my eyes. The expansiveness of the heavens, the soft glow of the objects in my view, the light chill of the night air on my skin, it all feels peaceful and calming to my spirit. I focus on the beauty and depth of the soft, bluish moonlight, knowing that it is a gentle reflection of the Sun’s rays reaching from behind the shadow of the Earth, traveling millions of miles, bouncing off the surface of the moon, and then arriving, softened but not diminished, exactly where I stand. It is like a whisper, a quiet reminder that the Sun is still there, still shining, even though I cannot see it, in this moment. I breathe deeply. The mystical quality of the moonlight connects me with the still, silent, infinite space within my soul. I feel the deep echo of millions of years of human ancestry experiencing the same awe and wonder while standing beneath the same night sky, and I become more deeply connected to my humanity. I feel a deep inner resonance with the Creative Consciousness of the Universe, the Source of all good things, and I become more profoundly connected to my spirituality. I allow myself to just be, in this moment. A sense of inner calm and clarity gradually expands from within me, permeating my conscious mind, putting me in touch with my more subtle faculties, and heightening my ability to better perceive the beauty and goodness in everything around me.
“Prana (Inner Light)” | Anthony Satori
Ancient writings from the Indus Valley tell us that the universe within us is as vast as the universe outside of us.
“As great as the infinite space beyond, is the space within the lotus of the heart. Both heaven and earth are contained in that inner space, both fire and air, sun and moon, lightning and stars. Whether we know it in this world or know it not, everything is contained in that inner space.” (Chandogya Upanishad, 1.3)
I have always been fascinated by ancient texts, especially ones which strive to tell us something about the spiritual world. Such writings have always felt to me a bit like “messages in a bottle,” sent by people who lived millennia in the past, ancient seekers who discovered certain truths about life that they believed to be of such profound importance that they were willing to employ every means at their disposal to preserve them for later generations to discover.
In some of these texts, the Sanskrit term “Prana” is used to indicate Vital Energy, or Inner Light, referring to the spiritual energy field that vibrates within, around and through us. Prana is our own personal breath of the Divine, our own individual connection to the Source of Life. One of the realizations that these ancient seekers wished to share with us is that every human being holds the ability to connect with the Universal Spirit through meditation, introspection and study. What an insight! It is both empowering and humbling to realize that we each have the potential to explore the vastness of the Universe merely by quieting our thoughts, centering our minds, and remaining still long enough to discover it within ourselves.
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