It’s a truth universally acknowledged, that a writer in possession of a blog, must be in want of publishing a book 🙂 I went the self publishing route and did it. My mini guide to healing love addiction is now available on Amazon.
In the quote below Zen Buddhist Ruben L.F. Habito says that when we meditate (or are being mindful), that expansive feeling of calm, oneness and peace that we experience is us reuniting with the Divine, God, higher self. Could it be that being in this state as much as we can and acting from this place as often as possible is the biggest life achievement, even life purpose? I need to add this to my Life Purpose mind map.
We are invited to sit in silence, and to immerse ourselves in the vast and boundless ocean of “to be,” and to know that with this, there is nothing else we could ever want, there is nothing else we could ever need in life. We can just continue our lives keeping ourselves dipped in that ocean and immersed in the living waters that flow from there. Whatever we would need in life would come from that abundant source, in whatever situation we may encounter from here on.
Many of us believe that we are our thoughts, or rather many of us don’t stop to think whether what our minds are telling us in the form of thoughts is true or not, because the belief that thoughts are us is so ingrained in us. And so many of us ruminate, get stuck in the cycle of repetitive thoughts, usually negative, going on a mental merry-go-round, repeating the same thoughts and feeling the same (negative) feelings, like a broken record.
By letting the problem replay over and over in your mind, you are engaging in a process which is called “rumination.” Rumination refers to the tendency to repetitively think about the causes, situational factors, and consequences of one’s negative emotional experience (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991). Rumination: Problem Solving Gone Wrong | Psychology Todaywww.psychologytoday.com › overcoming-self-sabotage
What is worse is that neuroscience tells us that the more we do it, the more we reinforce related neural pathways, or in other words the deeper the groove of our mental record, the worse off mentally we are and ruminating (and descending into resulting emotional darkness) becomes something we engage in regularly and automatically. It can even evolve into a mental health illness:
Rumination is sometimes referred to as a “silent” mental health problem because its impact is often underestimated. But it plays a big part in anything from obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) to eating disorders. Rumination: The danger of dwelling – BBC News – BBC.comwww.bbc.com › news › magazine-24444431
This is pretty advanced and only best to try if you have an established meditation practice, are familiar with ego death or have experienced it before. If you are stuck in the emptiness practice, this is also a good next step.
It is what it says on the tin. As we meditate, we learn to watch the river of thoughts. In the “watch the watcher” practice we take it up a notch and attempt to see who is watching. It is explained very well below:
I am reposting this post – I decided to stop at 60 entries starting from day 0. I lost track of the days a couple of times 🙂
We’ve now been in the lockdown for more than 12 weeks since March 23. I wanted to document my days and what I was doing, so that when it is over, I can reflect on what I learnt.
The lockdown is continuing and there may be a second wave, however it feels like the worst is over. I am lucky of course, safe at home and financially ok. My thoughts go to everyone affected, health wise or economically.
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I’ve been writing a quarantine diary to stay sane 🙂 limited to 5 or 7 lines a day.
For the last year I’ve been practicing non doing and living a simple, slow life. A spiritual quarantine of sorts. Monk life. One of my friends has sent me the following meme, which she said reminded her of me. It made me laugh. Translation is below. It is a good reminder that we can always further our stillness and non doing practice. Why? Only in stillness we can hear our soul and see the next steps of our path…
There is something about aerial strap (men) artists… Remember this post from before? Cirque du Soleil did a cool thing and posted several clip compilations of their shows on Youtube. Luzia, the show that I wanted to go see in London and never managed (regretfully), features an amazing aerial strap performance from Ben Courtenay. OMG. Remember to breathe 😊 His performance starts from 49:49.
After losing two friends and an uncle to suicide, Zen priest Ittetsu Nemoto made it his life’s mission to support those struggling with depression and suicidal behavior. My Soul Drifts Light upon a Sea of Trees follows three of the hundreds of people Nemoto has counseled as their lives are transformed by his holistic, community-based approach to suicide prevention.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37MExjDnn1Y&feature=emb_title
In the first couple of weeks of The Great Lockdown, I have spent too much time on the news feeds obsessively reading the news and feeding my fears of uncertainty and missing out. Once the panic subsided, I have cut the news intake to preserve my sanity. I now try to check the news no more than once a day and sometimes forget to do so. I started collecting positive news in the midst of the pandemic. Here are some that caught my attention. Add links in the comment if you have others to share. Stay safe and stay sane, fellow nomads! Continue reading
that moment when you’ve worked very hard on something and suddenly someone jumps up front and center just as the last piece is put in and it’s photo…
credit.
 | lolkin on On being and purpose |
| Life purpose –… on On being and purpose | |
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 | Anthony Garner on On being and purpose |
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