FLINT AND STEEL FREEWRITING FRIDAY PROMPT

How The Universe Led Me to Kuan Yin

Following the signs and synchronicities allowed me to reconnect to my compassionate self through Kuan Yin.

After four years of being in China, I started delving deep into spirituality, yoga, and meditation. I told the Universe I was ready to explore my spiritual side more and get back in touch with my spirit guides and Higher Self.

After communicating this intention, a few weeks after, one student of mine mentioned he was very fond of Kuan Yin, a Buddhist deity, who is believed to bring boundless compassion and love to all sentient beings. Since I was just getting acquainted with Buddhism, I didn’t resonate too much with it at the time.

A few days later, someone else mentioned Kuan Yin again in a different context. I wasn’t sure where I’ve heard the name before, but then I remembered my student who expressed his devotion earlier that week. I made a mental note of finding out more information on her, which I still didn’t do because I got distracted by other trivial things.

At the same time, my friend and I were planning a weekend away in nature. We felt the need for a recharge after some tumultuous months. I usually trust him to make great choices when it comes to places to visit, so I didn’t really inquire about the location. As long as there were mountains and forests involved, it was fine by me. I just wanted to take a mental break and disconnect from the daily routine.

The night before our trip I was listening to music on YouTube when a beautiful song by Brahmaji popped up in my feed. I was intrigued because I wasn’t acquainted with his music, so I clicked on the video. There was something very ethereal and calming about it.

What actually caught my attention and made me click on it was the thumbnail photo. I scrolled through the comments and I read it was a representation of no one other but Kuan Yin. At this point, I started seeing the deity appearing in my life as synchronicity. So that night, for the first time in weeks since I’ve first heard the deity’s name, I started wondering why does Kuan Yin keep on showing up in my life.

I meditated on it for a while that night. I absolutely love meditating late at night because it’s very quiet since most people are asleep. And thus, I can better connect to my Higher Self. During my meditation, I felt incredibly blissful and I mentally saw a forest, almost like an urge, I should go see something or someone there.

The next day I woke up but was feeling very groggy. I told my friend I didn’t really want to go anymore, that I wanted to continue sleeping. But fortunately, I realized what the mental health benefit of going away for two days would be.

So I decided to go after all. The place was called Yandang Mountain; it was a few kilometers away so we took a bus. Please bear in mind I didn’t do any research on the place prior to our trip there. After getting settled in our hotel, we went for our carefree walk in Mother Nature. China definitely has the most amazing and breathtaking sceneries I have ever seen.

After soaking it all in, I started feeling more energized and joyful. I was amazed by Yandang’s beauty and sense of peace that surrounded the place. It’s like I stepped into a whole other dimension. A dimension where all the worries, doubts, and fears have suddenly vanished, leaving room to pure bliss only.

After walking a few kilometers, we stopped for a rest on a bench near a cave. We weren’t sure whether the cave was open to visiting, but after a while, we saw a few people going in. I have always been claustrophobic and was feeling quite tired as well, but I thought that since we were already there, we might as well enter the cave.

As we walked in, the cold breeze of the cave engulfed us. It took a while for my eyes to get accustomed to the darkness. There was a big Buddha statue on our left. We burned some incense. When I turned around, I saw some stairs that led to a lower level. As I went down the narrow stairs, my heart was pounding like crazy since the niche was much darker and smaller. But for some reason, I felt I should keep going.

We descended and saw an altar with some cushions on the floor where one could kneel to pray. As I looked up, I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was Kuan Yin’s statue. It took me a few seconds to process it. What were the odds? I was in such awe at the whole thing, my eyes filled with tears of joy and gratitude.

And yes, one might think that since China has many Buddhist temples, there was a high chance for a statue of Kuan Yin to be found there. But the thing is, I have been to many temples before during my time there and I have never encountered Kuan Yin before. I would have remembered if I had.

After getting out of the cave, we saw the sign right in front of us that we missed when we first entered, which actually said Kuan Yin’s cave. I was so amazed, it was the most synchronistic moment of my life so far!

Ever since I felt like I had a very special connection with Kuan Yin. Her mantras are extremely soothing and always fill me with joy, gratitude, and compassion whenever I listen or chant them.

The funniest thing, or perhaps I should call it synchronistic, is that a few days ago, after a yoga session, I had a thought I should write about my encounter with Kuan Yin on Medium, but I dismissed it. It’s as if I never learn my lesson when it comes to listening to the Universe’s guidance.

And yesterday I saw beautiful Ellies’s writing prompt and I realized it was a sign I should do so. Thank you so much, Ellie Jacobson; you are absolutely wonderful!! I am very grateful you gave me the opportunity to be part of your wonderful community at Flint and Steel and to reconnect with my creative writing through your prompts!

I would love to know where has the Universe guided you through signs and synchronicities!

Thank you for reading! I appreciate you!