The Power of Poetry
Plus my interview with Krista Tippett & 5 more powerful recommendations
Morning rituals are really important.
They help you transition from sleep state to waking state.
They enable to you reconnect with yourself.
They set the course for your day.
I thought I had my morning ritual all figured out:
Meditation! Coffee! Reading and journaling!
But I was wrong.
I was missing something.
And now that I’m practicing it, it’s changing everything.
My journaling typically involves any number of approaches. I write about everyday things going on in my life. I reflect on deeper things swirling within me. I scribble down quotes from the soulful book I’m reading. I chronicle my dreams. Or I try to make connections between stuff that’s happening and discern where it might be leading me. There are other things I do too, I’m sure.
But a couple weeks ago, I spontaneously decided to experiment with another form of journaling:
What if my journaling was less about guiding my own ideas and more about letting ideas flow through me?
In other words, what if instead of little old individual small self being in charge, I allowed universal Big Self to take the wheel?
I started experimented with opening up. Letting things flow. Becoming a conduit. A channel. Unfiltered. Unedited.
The result?
I’ve been writing these little poem-like things every morning (I already was convinced of the Power of Poetry, but this feels like poetry plus—if you can call it that—something greater). I’m still not sure how it all works out. I’m probably just making it up. But that’s fine—because every day I feel like I’m being given this clear, concise, wise little message.
So I’m going to keep experimenting and keep listening.
And I thought I’d share a batch with you (I’ve been posting them on Substack Notes, but the algorithm doesn’t seem to be a fan so you probably haven’t seen them). Read them all now, or read one a day for the next week. I hope they help you like they’re helping me!
After the poems, make sure to read on to see six powerful things I want you to know about!
Sunday
Welcome to another day of life.
Live it to the full. Each one is a gift.
You have a role to play in every single interaction you have.
Spread joy, play, curiosity, wonder.
The world is short on these. But everyone has them to give.
Go to places you didn’t expect. Be the light there.
Monday
Stop with the filter. Be pure.
Let love speak through you.
You are a conduit of love and healing, remember.
Be that. In each moment. Don’t over-analyze.
Paint pictures for everyone to enjoy.
Leave doors open everywhere for people to find god.
Tuesday
Spread joy.
This is your gift to give.
Many are searching and do not know where to find it.
But you walk around with an endless supply!
Why hold it in? Why not generously share?
Give it away.
Go broke.
Your bank account will be full again tomorrow.
Wednesday
When your hands are full and clenched, what can you receive?
Show up empty-handed to this new day.
Let grace invade your life.
Thursday
You keep looking at your watch,
but it won’t tell you the time.
Only your heart can do that.
Are you listening to its invitation to give yourself fully to this moment?
Friday
The shades are drawn in so many.
But you—you let the light shine through
For all to enjoy.
Open up!
Saturday
You have not ‘succeeded’
Because a MIGHTY KINDNESS
Has kept you from
Settling for fool’s
Gold.
Sunday, Again
When you walked through that doorway
You did not arrive
At the destination you hoped.
But now you can see
Three other doors
Leading to
Greater things than you could ever imagine for
Yourself.
Some Powerful Things You Need to Know About
The Power of Ritual
My dear friend Casper ter Kuile has been talking about the power of ritual for a while now. But just recently he began a Youtube series on ritual, starting with this fun, calm video about the tradition of Candlemas and a glimpse into how you might be able to practice the ritual yourself. My favorite line:
May you have the eyes to see that no visitor arrives without a gift and that no guest leaves without a blessing.
The Power of Friendship
I laughed. I cried. I laughed and cried again. Bridget Everett’s Somebody Somewhere is the best show on TV right now (though its third and likely final season concluded last year). This Vulture article captures it well:
Somebody Somewhere is tiny: a gorgeous, introspective, intimate story about a woman with devastatingly mundane problems whose chief obstacle is her own aching sense of grief and dislocation.
I couldn’t get enough of the delightful, faithful friendship of Everett’s character Sam and her bestie Joel, played by the hilarious Jeff Hiller. Again and again, this show filled me with gratitude for the incredible friends I’ve had the chance to be in community with through the different phases of my life. Plus, the show has karaoke!
The Powers of the Misunderstood and Underestimated
You must be living under a rock if you haven’t heard about the top-rated podcast, The Telepathy Tapes, a groundbreaking series hosted by Ky Dickens that “explores the profound abilities of non-speakers with autism—individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated.”
I devoured the series when I first came across it a couple months ago, both because it was a privilege to learn about a community that I know almost nothing about and because everything this podcast explores about consciousness resonates with my direct experience through meditation as well as my consciousness research over the past five years (not to mention experiences I’ve had as a end of life companion). The too often scoffed at idea that consciousness precedes matter—not the other way around as modern science believes—is consistent with the Vedic worldview of ancient India, which is the lineage of the style of meditation I teach.
Listen to the podcast. Support the to-be-made documentary. Order the cool merch!
The Power of Pilgrimage
A couple weekends ago, Cherie and I went to a screening of The Way, My Way, a movie about a stubborn, cranky old Austrailian man’s transformational journey on the Camino de Santiago, the ancient pilgrimage trail in northern Spain. I thoroughly enjoyed the slow, playful, scenic journey. It brought back memories of my 2002 trek (I’m an early adopter, I know!) on a portion of the Camino, but what else is that I feel—is that a subtle itch I feel to get back on The Way and do the whole thing this time?!
Playing now in theaters near you.
The Power of Spirituality
This nice little NPR piece invites you to get curious about your own spirituality, whether you have a religious background, a current faith practice, or consider yourself spiritual but not religious. Ruth Tam invites you to ask yourself these four questions:
What does "something greater" mean to you?
Where do your spiritual beliefs come from?
What activities connect you to your spirituality?
What else can you do to strengthen your spiritual connection?
The Power of Questions
A few weeks ago in my The Forgotten Ways of Making Change post, I mentioned that I used to have a podcast (2016-2018) called RePlacing Church where I explored (1) emerging expressions of spiritual community and (2) place-based communities of love and belonging. As I mentioned, my 99th (and final!) installment was with Krista Tippett, the Peabody Award-winning broadcaster, NYT bestselling author, and founder and host of On Being.
It’s been a minute, but I thought it would be fun to dust off and revisit this 2018 conversation, in part because it doesn’t live anywhere on the internet (I eventually removed the podcast and since then someone has pirated the website!).
Krista is all about the power of questions, three of which guide her work:
What does it mean to be human?
How do we want to live?
And who will we be to each other?
There are plenty of other places you can find interviews with Krista on the internet, but if you’re curious about the unique conversation we had, give this a listen. It’s been a while so I will too! My old notes tell me we cover the following:
Making space for solitude and rest
Her background in journalism and evolution into her present work
Her journey of faith and public theology
The life-giving power of friendship and community
Lessons learned and future ambitions
Let me know what you think:)
Episode #99: Krista Tippett on Being
As always, I’d love to hear from you in the comments!
-Ben