Winter Wisdom

Winter Wisdom

Wisdom comes with winters.                                                               

Oscar Wilde

When I first got this quote from a friend I struck me because of its beauty, but then I started pondering it and I feel he is right, Mr. Wilde. Wisdom does come with winters. 

Winter is a time when my circles get smaller: because of the cold and dark I feel less inclined to spend time outside and a certain natural rhythm, like an animal going into hibernation, makes me search less for others’ company. I spend more time on my own, taking more time for introspection and reflection. I read more and meditate more. I let life sink in.

And in spring, I emerge with another depth and - hopefully -  a little more wisdom ;-)

The Happiness Network will take a holiday break and be back on January 8th, 2018. I grab the occasion to thank you for this year, and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Meditation Instruction

AA wrote: Ich liebe Pema Chödrön. Sie ist so menschlich. 

Meditation Instruction

Be fully present.
Feel your heart.
And engage in the next moment without an agenda.                                                

Pema Chödrön: Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change

Perhaps I have recommended her books before, but it deserves to be repeated: if you are interested in (Buddhist) meditation, Pema Chödrön is your woman. Her writing style is very down to earth and she explains meditation in a way that everybody can access.

Look at the example above: could the instruction be simpler? Just stop, breathe and be present, then “feel your heart and engage in the next moment without an agenda”. Basically it’s a fresh start – you make a pause, relax, drop whatever was roaming around in your head, and continue with a blank mind.

I love this instruction not only because it’s so simple, but also because it implies that meditation is not just something you do sitting cross-legged on a cushion twenty minutes every morning. It’s like a general way of life: you don’t just rush about your days in an everlasting turmoil of things to do and figure out - instead you train in stopping every now and coming back to yourself. You make it a habit to centre yourself in the here and now, feel your physical being – and continue afresh.

Not Knowing What Next

AA wrote: Fits to my situation like a glove :) Tack tack 💚

Not Knowing What Next 

Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap on the dark

                                                                                      Agnes de Mille

Over and over again I am confronted with how the so-called securities I hold limit my life. I try to keep Socrates’ adage “The only thing I know is that I know nothing” in mind, but far too often old habits kick in and bring me back to my prejudices (positive or negative) about this or that, about him or her.

Today’s quote is meant as a reminder to step out into the groundlessness of not knowing and trying to see the world with fresh eyes. Who wants to “die a little” within a circle of rigidly held views…?

As you step out in your day, try to open your eyes and mind to what is next, without your habitual views and opinions. Life will reward you by showing you its true face - as well as your own.