Musings

Might our culture’s obsession with capturing everything on video be a futile attempt to grasp infinity, to grasp the divine? 

Infinity cannot be grasped. Infinity cannot be clung to. It can only be experienced. If some say it is here, or lo it is there, do not believe them.

Recently I decided to take a break from social (shout out to my producer who posts on my behalf) and spend more time practicing the embodiment of  physical, social, emotional, and spiritual connection with my loved ones. It’s been going pretty well and has lots of learning curves as well. 

 A friend texted me and told me that some of my companions shared stories of our recent jam session that we hosted in our home on Instagram. My friend said it looked cool and part of me felt a desire to go to watch these stories. But then I remembered, “oh wait, I was there.” I was there and present and alight and being there and experiencing that was better than any picture could ever begin to capture. 

This isn’t to say that taking pictures is bad. After all, social media is a proxy for connection and we take pictures to remember, to have some record that proves we were here. But if we confuse the picture for the real thing, it’s like confusing the zen monk who points at the moon for the moon itself. And it would be a shame if we didn’t, every once in a while, remember to look at the moon.

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Speaking of wondrous things, this week I’ll be exploring the mystery of Romance, both its history as a concept, how it shows up in our lives as men and women and how and why we often get carried away by it, myself included :)

I was really blessed to be with a group of friends this weekend in upstate New York. We just vibed and made music and celebrated a good friend's birthday. I especially love the way that those who were partnered showed up with each other. They were both empowered and affectionate towards one another and to see them model this was so inspiring. 

On the pod this week, I’ll speak with Thomas Jordan who is a love therapist and who guides individuals to prepare themselves to be in relationship. It was really special to speak with him.

I’ll also be releasing a video essay on the history of Romance which has a peculiar origin story based in old French poems, the classic fairy tale of Tristan and Iseult, and of course, human beings’ relentless search for the divine. Enjoy!

Cool book I just finished reading

“Only Don’t Know: Selected Teaching Letters of Zen Master Seung Sahn"

Muh summary: 

A real deep dive in getting comfortable with the unknown. Prepare yourself for some funky deep paradoxical ish.