4.7.25

Thought

One evening, contrary to my custom, I drank black coffee and could not sleep. Ideas rose in crowds; I felt them collide until pairs interlocked, so to speak, making a stable combination. It seems, in such cases, that one is present at his own unconscious work, made partially perceptible to the overexcited consciousness, yet without having changed its nature. Then we vaguely comprehend what distinguishes the two mechanisms or, if you wish, the working methods of the two egos. 

— Henri Poincaré on Intuition in Problem Solving

Quote

Victor Hugo on optimism: 

“Even the darkest night will end, and the sun will rise.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to seek clarity in my thoughts, decisions and interactions today.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

3.31.25

Thought

Our normal waking consciousness, rational consciousness, as we call it, is but one special type of consciousness, whilst all about it, parted from it by the filmiest of screens, there lie potential forms of consciousness entirely different. We may go through life without suspecting their existence; but apply the requisite stimulus, and at a touch they are there in all their completeness, definite types of mentality which probably somewhere have their field of application and adaptation.

— William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience

Quote

Ralph Waldo Emerson on speed: 

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to strive for balance in my work, rest and play today.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

3.24.25

Thought

To me, moving into more naturalism was a freedom. I thought, if I want to I could paint a portrait; this is what I mean by freedom. Tomorrow if I want, I could get up, I could do a drawing of someone, I could draw my mother from memory, I could even paint a strange little abstract picture. It would all fit into my concept of painting as an art. A lot of painters can't do that - their concept is completely different. It's too narrow; they make it much too narrow. A lot of them, like Frank Stella, who told me so, can't draw at all. But there are probably older painters, English abstract painters, who were trained to draw. Anybody who'd been in art school before I had must have done a considerable amount of drawing. To me, a lot of painters were trapping themselves; they were picking such a narrow aspect of painting and specializing in it.

And it's a trap. Now there's nothing wrong with the trap if you have the courage to just leave it, but that takes a lot of courage.

—David Hockney

Quote

John Dewey on learning: 

“We do not learn from experience... we learn from reflecting on experience.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to release any resentment or grudges I’m holding onto today.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

3.17.25

Thought

Knowing others is intelligence;

knowing yourself is true wisdom.

Mastering others is strength;

mastering yourself is true power.

―Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

Quote

Oliver Wendell Holmes on growth: 

“The greatest thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to approach today with patience and trust in the timing of life.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

3.10.25

Thought

Nagarjuna, the second century Buddhist teacher, said, "Thanks to emptiness, everything is possible." Emptiness is another term for non-self; when we say things are empty, it means they are without a separate self.

Non-self and impermanence are two sides of reality; impermanence is looking at reality in terms of time, and non-self is looking at reality in terms of space. When we look deeply into our fears, we can see our desire for permanence and our fear of change. But impermanence and non-self are not something negative. 

Impermanence means transformation at every moment. Therefore we can say, "Thanks to impermanence, everything is possible." 

— Thich Nhat Hanh, How to See

Quote

Jon Kabat-Zinn on presence: 

“The best way to capture moments is to pay attention. This is how we cultivate mindfulness.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to stay present and fully engaged in whatever I’m doing today.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

3.3.25

Thought

If we are wreaking havoc on ourselves and the world, and if our best intentions lead to paradoxical outcomes, it is because we have become mesmerised by a mechanistic, reductionist way of thinking, the product of a brain system which evolved not to help us understand, but merely to manipulate the world: that of the left hemisphere. We have become blind to what the subtler, more intelligent and more perceptive right hemisphere sees.

Consequently we no longer seem to have the faintest idea who we are, what the world is, or how we relate to it. Indeed there is a sense in which we no longer live in a world at all, but exist in a simulacrum of our own making.

–Iain McGilchrist, The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World

Quote

Cicero on gratitude: 

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful for challenges that push me to be better and work harder.

What are you grateful for today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

2.17.25

Thought

The arts can do a better job than psychology of educating us in the archetypal realm, because the arts can portray the mysterious import of the archetype without reducing it to an explanation or a method. A good movie showing a scene of Western settlers, for instance, caught in the ford of a river and surrounded by an attacking enemy, could impress upon our imaginations the emotions, thoughts, and meanings attached to that archetypal situation better than an abstract theory of entrapment. We may find ourselves in such a 'ford' one day, in a shallow passage through a career or a relationship, with similar emotions and dilemmas, and we may be guided by the movie scene not to get out of our predicament, but to remain trusting and confident in the challenge. ... Just as the so-called primitive is educated into ancient patterns of behaviour through story and ritual, so the arts offer us a way through our predicaments with the tempered light of imagination instead of the blazing lamp of enlightenment.

– Thomas Moore, The Re-Enchantment of Everyday Life

Quote

Osho on flow: 

“Don’t seek, don’t search, don’t ask, don’t knock, don’t demand—relax. If you relax, it comes. If you relax, it is there. If you relax, you start vibrating with it.”

Moment of Gratitude

I’m grateful for every step towards realization on my projects.

What are you grateful for today? 

Happy Monday,

Val

2.10.25

Thought

There is in every person an inward sea, and in that sea there is an island and on that island there is an altar and standing guard before that altar is the "angel with the flaming sword." Nothing can get by that angel to be placed upon that altar unless it has the mark of your inner authority. Nothing passes "the angel with the flaming sword" to be placed upon your altar unless it be a part of "the fluid area of your consent." This is your crucial link with the Eternal.

– Howard Thurman, Meditations of the Heart  

Quote

Joyce Meyer on patience: 

“Patience is not simply the ability to wait—it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.”

Intention of the Day 

My intention is to prioritize what really matters today and to let go of distractions.

What’s your intention today? 

Happy Monday,

Val