Rembrant, 1650s, An Old Man in an Armchair,
Circumstance, Mind

What to Do with Exhaustion

What should we do in times of exhaustion? Perhaps ‘nothing’, is not the right answer. With quotes from F. Scott Fitzgerald, Joseph Addison & Charles Mackay.

Konstantin Flavitsky, 1864, Princess Tarakanova
Meaning, Mind

The Day Begins in Silence

When we carry painful thoughts, a moment in silence can be a moment in hell. Can we tolerate sitting with stillness? Quotes from Seneca, Steinbeck & Eliot.

Utagawa Hiroshige, 1857, New Year's Eve Foxfires at the Changing Tree, Ōji
Circumstance

New Year, New King

A New Year in ancient Babylon. The particulars of the ceremonial pomp may be different, but the idea of a new year is the same. A look at the humbling of the king and what the coming of a new year means for us today. With quotes from Hal Borland, T. S. Eliot & more.

John Singer Sargent, 1882, El Jaleo
Circumstance, Meaning

Embracing Our Roles

What is our role? Like actors gracing the stage, every day we wake to a role; or to be more accurate, various roles. Quotes from Shakespeare, Herbert & more.

Caravaggio, 1597-99, Narcissus
Circumstance, Meaning

Get out of Your Own Way

Get out of your own way. Once the obstruction is released there is life that will flow. And this is the truth. Life still exists beyond what hinders us. With quotes from Tolstoy, Descartes, Schuller & Seneca.

Antonina Rzhevskaya, 1897, A Merry Moment
Meaning, Virtue

The Glow of Enthusiasm

Fatalism is a dead-end road and enthusiasm isn’t something we can ever afford to abandon. With quotes from Bishop Doane, R.W Emerson, D. Carnegie & F. Guizot.

Leonid Pasternak, 1928, Portrait of Rilke
Exploring Philosophy, Meaning

Rainer Maria Rilke on Letting in Sadness

In late 1902, a young officer cadet began corresponding with poet Rainer Maria Rilke. ‘Letters to a Young Poet’ is a collection of Rilke’s letters to the young aspiring writer. In Letter No. 8, Rilke addresses the transformative nature of sadness.