IO - Manawaora - Te Kore

The Knowing I Learned To Silence!

I have always had a knowing within me.

There were things I would sense or understand before I could explain how I knew them.

No words. No evidence.Sometimes no logical reason.

I just knew.

But over time, I learned to doubt it.

I heard things like:

“What a know-all.”

“You think you know everything.”

Often these words came from people I loved, and because their opinions mattered to me, I began to question myself.

Maybe I'm wrong.Maybe I shouldn't say anything.

Eventually, staying quiet felt safer.

The knowing hadn't disappeared. I had simply learned to silence it.

Looking back, I can see that this became a way of protecting myself from judgement.

And this is where my understanding of IO begins.

Manawaora — The Heart of Life Breath

Within my understanding, it sits behind the belly button, at the Pito.

The Pito reminds me of our first connection to life — before words, judgement or expectations.

There was simply life.

Nourished, connected and growing, until we took our first breath.

For me, moving toward Manawaora is a return to that simplicity.

Beneath the noise of other people's opinions.

Back to breath.

Back to life.

Back to myself.

Te Kore — Divine Knowing

This is where my understanding of Te Kore goes deeper.

Te Kore is a space of potential, and for me it is also where I experience a connection to divine knowing — the essence of Source.

A knowing that exists before explanation, evidence or judgement.

This doesn't mean I am always right. I am human. I get things wrong and I continue to learn.

But I am discovering that being open to learning does not mean abandoning my own knowing.

There is a difference between believing we know everything and trusting a quiet connection to something deeper.

Returning to the Knowing

For me, IO → Manawaora → Te Kore is a movement deeper inward.

IO connects me to the divine knowing of Source.

Manawaora brings me back to the Heart of Life Breath.

Te Kore gives me the stillness to experience that connection.

The vowel can be expressed aloud or quietly within, allowing awareness to move inward toward the heart and deeper still.

I no longer need to prove what I know or make myself smaller because someone else doesn't understand.

I listen.

I breathe.

I remain open.

And after years of silencing my knowing, I have learned to trust it again.

Not because I know everything, but because I learnt to recognise the difference between ego and a deeper knowing.

For me, IO → Manawaora → Te Kore is a return to Source.

A return to life breath.

A return to knowing.

A return to myself.

AU E IO

RETURN TO MAURI • RETURN TO SELF

This is part of my evolving understanding of AU E IO, shaped through my lived experience, reflection and the people and teachings that have guided my journey. I share it with respect and humility, as my understanding rather than a definitive representation of Māori knowledge.