Satori - An Intuitive Illumination

A poetic experience of phrases and words, and the quest for inner truth.

Photo by Samuel Berner on Unsplash

I recently embarked on a two-day silence retreat at home, a profound continuation of my inner journey, which I began to explore in my previous post, “The Metamorphosis of the Mind.” As I walked in nature, I’ve been feeling the subtle stirrings of a shift in energy. This transformation is palpable, and I sense it’s unfolding around me. Navigating this change, I’m humbling opening my heart to the sparks of energy, and a voice that rises up from the deep core as a dynamic, unfolding process. I’m seeking to understand what’s being asked of me now, discern the subtle whispers of my soul, and align myself with the emerging energies.

The natural world is my guiding force, a compass that recalibrates my senses and awakens a more profound connection within. Walking among the trees, plants, birds, and water, I feel the veil between worlds lift, and I’m invited into the sacred. I also uncover mysteries about our unique way of belonging to the world of Other.

Satori (in Japanese Buddhist) means the experience of awakening or the true nature of reality, begins to flow, and the language of the wild opens up to me. My body feels like it’s entering a portal, yet empty. I’m ready to receive in the stillness, in the silence. I just love this mystical dialogue. The words don’t have to make sense, but within me, they ask for clarity. They are ancient, timeless truths that unfold.

Satori

There is no house without a door.
There is no warm water without fire.
There is no fire without wind.
Fire indiscriminately burns everything without distinction between good and evil.
Ignorance is the mud, knowledge the water.

The mind is both an ocean of torment and a source of liberation.
To sit in meditation is to be like the animals in the forest.
Fear is simply a product of imagination to the mind.
There is no fear in the inner eye.

All things contain their own seeds.
Keep the seed in a box; it will not multiply.
Sow it, and you'll get a thousand seeds.
From one candle, a thousand candles are lit.

With one breath one is born; with a single breath one departs.
The body is a nest for the soul; for the body to dwell in the house.
Sometimes, we are unaware of walking, sitting or talking.
At times, all feelings cease.

It's raining! Why do we hold an umbrella? To prevent rain from
touching you. The rain is an illusion; the umbrella is the Truth; the 
mind is the handle. There is Truth in everything.

You cannot see your reflection in water that stirs; You can see it in steady water. 
Without a steady mind, we are not aware of our defects.
To a steady mind everything appears steady and in the Self.
We perceive that others are like ourselves.

©Yolanda Valdés, 2025

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May the flow be with you now and always!🙏🏽

With love,

Yoli

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The Art of Flow is a journal that nurtures connection, inner alignment, reveals clarity, and unwavering self-love, with practical insights to help you live in harmony with life’s flow.