IO refers to mauri or life force. IO is the original source, the origin of Te Kore, the Great Nothingness. IO is the 'field' of life force in which we all live and which constitutes us.

IO is the creative force that contains all forms and levels of intelligence. 

When we are in a very pure state we are full of energy. 

Mauri refers to pure consciousness energy, an energy that is conscious of itself. IO is the purest form of mauri.

When Hineohuone went to the underworld she met whiro (death) first and the each of the tamariki from whiro, 1, to rehua, 10. She conquered each of the tamariki so that she could reach te aomarama and help other human beings to achieve enlightenment. After rehua there is only IO, where understanding is not necessary. When you are in IO you simply have immediate knowing.

Wairua is another term for energy.

Wai means water (intuition) and rua refers to the two energies of the male and the female.  Our wairua speaks to us in our kumera pit, our stomach. It is when papa and rangi interact that we get butterflies in our stomach.

 For the Maori the birds are symbols of IO, they represent angels.

The sun represents enlightenment and the sun path to enlightenment is said to be very fierce, it is not gentle like the moon path, rather it involves facing your demons directly and undergoing extreme forms of purification. 

The lower jaw bone is symbolic of wisdom. When the sun was hit by a jaw bone time slowed down. When we take control of ourselves we take control of our sun, our journey towards enlightenment. Slowing down enough to do so is important.