I know that the mind can’t do it alone. Emotions tell us how it feels, the body provides energy and the foundation from which to act, and the spirit offers a vision of where to go and why it matters. Mind and emotions, body and spirit, they all have wisdom to share. I know that one reason dating culture is zonked right now is because there’s too much emphasis on “What do I want? What can I get?” and not enough emphasis on “What do I value? What can I give?” I know that optimizing for fun and...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
I've tossed around three or four different topics for this edition of the newsletter and none demand my full attention, so I trust that. I've been relaxing into greater self-trust lately. Self-trust looks like recognizing that there are things that only I can see, only I can express, and joyfully allowing that expression to emerge. It looks like leaving tomorrow's concerns to be handled tomorrow, and focusing on what is in front of me today. It looks like flow and ease regardless of my...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Giorgio de Chirico, The Enigma of the Hour The world would have you think that mystery is in short supply. Look at how we've conquered nature and outer space and our own minds. But there's so much mystery, maybe too much to comprehend. I particularly appreciate art that dances with mystery. L O S T did it until the end, Sleep No More does it (RIP), Omega Mystery School did it. Every story has an element of mystery - what's gonna happen? Wonder, surprise, revelation. It's a beautiful process...
4 months ago • 1 min read
I want to riff on two memes I shared that popped off on Twitter. First up, enlightened Drake. The human mind is so powerful in its ability to create stories out of the mere existence of other people. I looked around the room during the retreat and I noticed that a few taller, stronger, more assertive men activated me. How dare they be these things I am not! Everyone you interact with can show you something about yourself. What you admire, you desire. There's a beauty in going about your day...
5 months ago • 2 min read
I found my north star a few weeks ago. Throughout the retreat, different tools and practices helped me understand how I want to interface with my tasks and with other people. From one practice, I surfaced a yearning for collaboration between the centers of love, security, and creativity in my body. The phrase "loving creative discipline" makes these centers light up like a Broadway stage. Another practice showed me that I am a king. I've always felt more aligned with the magician archetype,...
5 months ago • 1 min read
Gustave Courbet, Self-Portrait with Upraised Arm, 1840 Instant relief is always at your fingertips. Want a boost? Here's some food / drugs / porn / attention. There's an app for that. There's a million apps for that. How many industries would collapse if everyone understood that you can just be with the feeling? You can just be sad or scared or angry or lonely or uncertain. Step aside, phone. The world's ultimate entertainment is even more addictive. It's the mind, with its oh-so-neat and...
6 months ago • 2 min read
Max Nonnenbruch, The Archer Sometimes my way feels full of contradictions. I execute quickly and slowly. I write concisely and directly, but also obliquely. I've enjoyed my special interest for years but only recently have come to understand the importance of articulating it thoughtfully and carefully, full of care. I'm coming to understand how much of society is structured by masculine-oriented games. Status, money, power - but for what? I think we're going to die, I don't buy the...
6 months ago • 1 min read
self-portrait I am back from Vibeclipse and other festivities and I'm thinking about the life is meaningful / life is meaningless meme. I want to be in the middle way there. To me that looks like: Make the main thing the main thing, and enjoy it! Take my life seriously, and hold the possibilities lightly. Love myself in every moment. Connect with others at whatever distance feels right. Give my gift as best as I understand it. What if this moment was perfect? What stories make that obviously...
6 months ago • 1 min read
"I decided to open the closed window." – "Flow," Colors (Code Geass opening song) Code Geass is the anime equivalent of L O S T: captivating and astounding and complex and overwrought and beautiful and clever and profound. L O S T, of course, is the television equivalent of life itself. Code Geass has a conceit where the main guy, Lelouch, receives the power to command any other individual, once per person. He's also the anonymous masked leader of a resistance movement against an oppressive...
7 months ago • 4 min read
