“Spirit Hawk” | Anthony Satori
“We are like islands in the sea, separate on the surface, but connected in the deep.”
– William James
“Pinecone” | Anthony Satori
There is a word in Sanskrit: “atha.” It is pronounced “aht-hah.” It is the very first word Patanjali wrote in his ancient collection of the Yoga Sutras. It is a prayer, a request to the Universe for an auspicious, purposeful beginning to the endeavor at hand, and also for a sound, satisfying, successful conclusion to the venture. The prayer does not merely apply to the execution of the endeavor itself, however, but also to the quality of effect that it will have once it is released into the outside world. So, in essence, “atha” is a prayer that is meant not only to guide the virtuous manifestation of one’s creative vision, but also to guide and protect the product of one’s heart and one’s hand beyond its completion, onward into its future effect on the outside world. This makes it an especially powerful word, and a truly valuable and humble prayer to utter over any earnest endeavor of the heart and spirit. When I first discovered this word, I realized that, long before knowing the word, in my heart and mind I had always said such a prayer over the artworks that I create and the words that I write. How wonderful, now, to have a word for it!
As if this weren’t enough, however, there is another beautiful secret hiding within this word. And it is this: literally translated, “atha” means, “now.” It is a prayer meant to encompass the beginning, middle, end, and limitless future of an endeavor, and yet it is all contained in the word, “now.” How extraordinary to cover such a wide expanse of time in the simple “present” tense! In my interpretation, this indicates that this special prayer not only serves as a blessing over a particular venture, but it also contains a pure expression of something even bigger. It suggests that all events, all time, all actions and consequences are somehow also contained within one single, present, eternal moment. It suggests that our prayers, our connection to the Universe – to God, a Higher Power, the compassionate creative consciousness – is a connection that exists within a different realm, a higher realm, a place that exists outside of time and space. Here, everything that has happened, everything that is happening, and everything that will happen are all already existing, simultaneously. This is the spirit world. This is eternity. This is the mind of God.
And the beauty of this, for me, is that when we make a prayer like “atha,” we are praying with that part of our own Being which lives in this other mystical realm. When we pray like this, we are connecting with the spirit of God within us, and with our own inner eternal Self. And there is probably no activity that we can engage in which is more profound and more beautiful than this. I believe that any time we cultivate and nourish this connection that we have been given, we are further discovering our true nature, we are connecting more deeply with our own eternal Self, and we are making the conscious choice to remember our divinity.
“Heaven-Born Things” | Anthony Satori
“What springs from earth dissolves to earth again, and heaven-born things fly to their native seat.”
– Marcus Aurelius
We are immortal spiritual beings. Never doubt this. Never forget it. We are visiting this physical realm for just a brief moment, temporarily experiencing the wonder and challenge of living in physical bodies made up of water, heat, and stardust. But where we truly live is another realm: the spiritual realm. It is here that we know our true selves: Beings of Pure Consciousness, Light, and Love. It is here that we commune with our collective higher mind, where we have access to endless self-realized power and joy, where we see and love God directly, and where we are seen and loved directly by God, in return.
Make the most of this physical experience while you are here. It is not to be discounted. It is a gift to be cherished. Do your best to live a life of purpose, gratitude, and love. And then, when the time comes, take solace in the knowledge that we will shed these atoms and cells, gratefully returning them to the earth from which they came, and we will fly to our native seat in heaven.
“Mystic Salt” | Anthony Satori
Behold the humble salt packet. Salt has been, at various times, used as a seasoning, a form of currency, a food preservative, and as a spiritual charm/talisman believed to bring good luck and to provide protection from evil spirits. Salt is a vital nutrient for our health: without it we simply cannot live. It is an essential element of our oceans, home to over two-thirds of the living creatures on this planet. And it has been culturally and economically instrumental throughout human history. Is there anything salt cannot do?
