8.21.23

Thought

Tsundoku is the Japanese practice of accumulating books on your shelf with the intention of reading them, but never getting around to it. Counter intuitively, the books can still serve as a reminder - of all that we don’t know:

Read books are far less valuable than unread ones. [Your] library should contain as much of what you do not know as your financial means, mortgage rates, and the currently tight real-estate market allows you to put there. You will accumulate more knowledge and more books as you grow older, and the growing number of unread books on the shelves will look at you menacingly. Indeed, the more you know, the larger the rows of unread books. Let us call this collection of unread books an antilibrary.

— Nassim Nicholas Taleb, The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable

Quote

Essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson on self determinism:

"The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be."

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful I got to hang out in the California sun this week.  

What are you grateful for?

Happy Monday,

Val

8.14.23

Thought

If you look deeply into a flower, you see that a flower is made only of nonflower elements. In that flower there is a cloud. Of course we know a cloud isn’t a flower, but without a cloud, a flower can’t be. If there’s no cloud, there’s no rain, and no flower can grow. You don’t have to be a dreamer to see a cloud floating in a flower. It’s really there. Sunlight is also there. Sunlight isn’t flower, but without sunlight no flower is possible.

If we continue to look deeply into the flower, we see many other things, like the earth and the minerals. Without them a flower cannot be. So it’s a fact that a flower is made only of nonflower elements. A flower can’t be by herself alone. A flower can only inter-be with everything else. You can’t remove the sunlight, the soil, or the cloud from the flower.

—Thich Nhat Hanh. No Mud, No Lotus

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Philosopher Socrates on the myth of knowledge:

"The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing."

Intention of the Day

Today I intend to live a life of powerful gratitude with every step and breath that I take.

What’s your intention today?

Happy Monday,

Val

8.7.23

Thought

On cultivating an appreciation for the mundane:

The great lesson from the true mystics, from the Zen monks, and now also from the Humanistic and Transpersonal psychologists – that the sacred is in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbors, friends, and family, in one’s own backyard – that for which we have been seeking for so long is already present, already within us.

— Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

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Buddhist monk and writer Thich Nhat Hanh on present mindfulness:

"The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments."  

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful that last weekend I got to see family I haven’t seen in ages as we celebrated my aunt and uncle’s 40th wedding anniversary.

What are you grateful for?

Happy Monday,

Val

7.31.23

Thought

There is an innate wisdom within all of us that can help guide us through life if we tap into it:

 …not a matter of belief or doctrine, but rather of direct experience. It is about awakening to the true nature of reality, and realizing our own innate wisdom and compassion. It is about letting go of our attachment to the ego, and embracing the interdependence and interconnectedness of all things. It is about finding freedom from our own self-created suffering, and living with an open heart and an awakened mind.

— Alan Watts, The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are

Quote

Thought leader Christian D. Larson on belief:

"Believe in yourself and all that you are. Know that there is something inside you that is greater than any obstacle."

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful that I had the chance to hold my newborn niece for the first time last weekend. 

What are you grateful for?

Happy Monday,

Val

7.24.23

Thought

Famed psychologist Carl Jung proposed that there is a shared unconscious among all humans, made up of archetypes and universal symbols inherited from our ancestors:

The collective unconscious is like a deep ocean, full of life and mystery. It is the realm of the gods and the ancestors, the place where the past and the future meet. It is a source of wisdom and guidance, a map of the soul that can help us navigate the complexities of life.

— Carl Jung, The Red Book

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Writer and professor Joseph Campbell on surrender:

"We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us."

Meditation of the Day

Thich Nhat Hanh’s simple “In-Out” exercise:

Breathing in, I calm my body.

Breathing out, I smile.

Dwelling in the present moment.

I know this is a wonderful moment!

Happy Monday,

Val

7.17.23

Thought

Non-attachment — engaging with flexibility and with no fixation on achieving specific outcomes:

Non-attachment is the practice of letting go of our attachment to our ideas, our views, our perceptions, and our opinions. When we let go of these things, we open ourselves up to new perspectives and new possibilities. We become more flexible, more adaptable, and more open-minded.

— Thich Nhat Hanh, The Art of Power 

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Author Helen Keller on perception:

"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart."

Last Week Follow Up

First off - thank you all for the responses you send me each week! I received one question in particular from last week’s email that I wanted to address here:

“About today’s meditation from Rumi - do you have ideas how to seek and find all the barriers you have built within yourself against love? What are your thoughts about seeking and finding those barriers?”

One practice that has been immensely helpful to me is trying to drop the idea of “should”. That people “should” act a certain way or that things are “supposed” to happen exactly according to my plan. I find that when I’m able to get rid of “should” and settle into the present moment, the barriers fall away and all that’s left is love.

What are some practices you use to drop the barriers within?

Happy Monday,

Val

7.10.23

Thought

“Kintsugi” is the practice of repairing broken pottery with lacquer mixed with powdered precious metals, celebrating the history and beauty of the object:

...the vicissitudes of existence over time, to which all humans are susceptible, could not be clearer than in the breaks, the knocks, and the shattering to which ceramic ware too is subject. This poignancy or aesthetic of existence has been known in Japan as mono no aware, a compassionate sensitivity, or perhaps identification with, [things] outside oneself.

— Christy Bartlett, Flickwerk: The Aesthetics of Mended Japanese Ceramics

 Quote

Poet Rumi on egoic barriers:

 "Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Intention of the Day

My intention today is to speak with loving kindness to all I encounter.

What is your intention today?

Happy Monday,

Val

7.3.23

Thought

Living life as an artist is a practice.

You are either engaging in the practice

or you’re not.

It makes no sense to say you’re not good at it.

It’s like saying, “I’m not good at being a monk.”

You are either living as a monk or you’re not.

We tend to think of the artist’s work as the output.

The real work of the artist

is a way of being in the world.

-Rick Rubin. The Creative Act

Quote

Spiritual leader Buddha on the nature of existence:  

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful that the sun was shining through the windows when I woke up today.

What are you grateful for?

Happy Monday,

Val