5x any good to act?

How can I act in accordance with the greatest and highest good for all beings? I am only one person so does it do any good at all to act? Will my actions speak louder than my words and are they in alignment with my values? Where do we go from here?

There are many things I would not like to read about in the news cycle today. Here are some things have stirred my desire to recommit to the power of creative transformation today. I hope you also find some time to rest and nourish your heart wherever today finds you.

1. This Interview with Allan Yu on The Great Discontent the title of this collection came from one of his Mars Maiers sketches #694 (above)

2. Louisiana is set to overturn their split jury law and the LA Times provides some context for the white supremacist roots and impact of the law via Myrtle May

3. Vulnerability, intimacy, and Spiritual Awakening Part One with Tara Brach

4. Wildlife (INIW) River Lot 11 Indigenous Art Park transforms the valley in Edmonton via David Garneau

5. Molly Burch – Wrong For You via Spotify

5x eye on the world

I haven’t posted one of these lists in a while. I am preparing to take a three day social media cleanse, but wanted to collect some things rattling around in my brain first.

1. Rest In Power Esra al-Ghamgam via Shia Rights Watch

2.Mitski – Nobody music video

3. White Feminism is White Supremacy in Heels by Rachel Cargle

4. Dani B’s stunning neon artwork via @sighswoon on Instagram

5. Ghost of A Podcast Episode 7: Career, Feminism, and Agingby the ever insightful Jessica Lanyadoo

5x the creative self

After a long pause I return to these quaint lists of things currently on my mind. This time not because they were asked after, but because it turns out publishing these lists here is a marvelous archive for me to draw on. Hopefully it is also an interesting collection for you to ponder

Enjoy

1. Ursula K. Le Guin on the Inner Preacher vs the Inner Teacher via Brain Pickings

“Art does change people’s minds and hearts. And an artist is a member of a community: the people who may see, hear, read her work. My first responsibility is to my craft, but if what I write may affect other people, obviously I have a responsibility to them too.” – Ursula K. Le Guin

2. Stephen Bachlor on Wonderous Doubt via On Being

3. Busdriver – The Imperfect Cinema via Spotify

4. An Open Letter to Jeffery Straker and Kelly Jo Burke by Cat Haines

5. Angel Olsen via The Great Discontent

5x shadow play

These are a few of the things I have been considering. The list is heavy as is my mind. October has been a difficult mental health month for many of us struggling to exist online, heal, and move forward. The days are getting shorter and the veil is getting thinner. A good time to turn inwards and take stock of the inner ghouls lurking in the shadows of my mind.

1. Take a trip through sonic landscapes with Shirley & The Pyramids via Raz Mataz
2. Alan Watts on shadow work
3. Love After Life via Brain Pickings
4. How to Reach Out to Someone Who is Struggling via On Being
5. Wading Through Water: A Guide for Emotional Healing via Hoodwitch

5 x seeker

I had the great fortune of staying at the Yasodhara Ashram for a month as a karma yogi in their young adult program. It was a beautiful transition between seasons, and deepening thirsty roots that had been forgotten. During my time there I got take a closer look at the motivating forces in my life, and really hone in on how I would like to focus these energies in my next chapter. Entering this community enriched my personal practice deeply, and reignited a deep desire within me to ~know~ more. I'm currently reading Ram Das's book Be Here Now and he talks about the searching feeling of each of us looking into each other's eyes "do you know?" And the ultimate satisfaction of finding someone who Knows. It was encouraging to be in a community of such earnest seekers. I've spent the last couple weeks transitioning back, and here are a few of the things I have been considering as I do. Enjoy ~

1. Oprah Winfrey talks to Thich Nhat Hanh an 20 min excerpt via Super Soul Sunday
2. Kardinsky on the Spiritual Element of Art & The Artist's Three Responsibilities via Brain Pickings
3. Something About Mary via Ascent Magazine
4. Marias: Faith in Womanhood on Netflix
5. Music by Sheenah Ko