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Sloww Sunday Newsletter 012 (April 12, 2020) — Ikigai, Living from Surrender, the Coronation, & More
Sloww Sunday is an email newsletter sharing inspiration to awaken the art of living.
In a modern world focused on the trendy, here’s your weekly dose of the timeless.
1 // Sloww Stuff
New Public Posts:
- A “Short” Summary of Everything I Learned from Sloww’s Posts 101-200 — This is literally post #201 on the site! I did the same thing for the first 100 posts. It’s amazing to see how Sloww’s focus areas have naturally evolved over time.
- A Simple Story about Surrender with Michael Singer: The Metaphor of the Hot Air Balloon — This is a short post taken directly from the podcast you’ll see below.
New Premium Posts: Premium already includes 9 posts and counting! Learn more about Premium Membership.
- How to Start Growing Spiritually with “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer (+ Infographic) — An actionable guide to get started with spiritual growth: the spiritual path, understanding your predicament, and committing to the inner work of freedom.
- Stream of Consciousness: Is Life a Sine Wave of Repeated Hero’s Journeys? — Excited about this theory that connects sine waves, fractals, golden means, and hero’s journeys.
2 // Video I’m Watching
Finding Your Life Purpose with Ikigai — Ken Mogi (YouTube | 9 mins)
You know that viral 4-circle ikigai venn diagram? It’s not representative of what ikigai actually means in Japan. In fact, almost all the videos and articles online about ikigai don’t accurately represent ikigai! I’ve previously written the truth about ikigai and why the diagram needs to evolve—now I’ve decided to go even deeper into the origins/research and turn it all into an eBook. Coming soon!
“Ikigai can be something small or something big. So, in a nutshell, ikigai is a spectrum. The complexity of ikigai actually reflects the complexity of life itself. So, in order to be a master of ikigai, you really need to appreciate how complex and rich life actually is.” — Ken Mogi
Pair with:
3 // Podcast I’m Listening To
Living From a Place of Surrender — Michael Singer (Sounds True on YouTube | 60 mins)
Honestly, this is so good that I may listen to it a second time. Michael Singer is the bestselling author of The Untethered Soul and The Surrender Experiment.
“If we pay attention, we will realize that every moment around us there is a world that we do not create—that’s been there for 13.8 billion years—and there are trillions of cells in your body that are doing what they’re supposed to do, all of nature, everything. And, you wake up and you realize, ‘I’m not doing any of this. I didn’t make my body, I didn’t make my mind think, I don’t make my heart beat, I don’t make my breath breathe—yet I have this notion that I have to make things happen. Yet, all throughout the universe things are happening everywhere, and I’m not doing them. So, why exactly am I the one that’s in charge of what’s unfolding in front of me?’ And, what you realize at some point, is that you’re not. That the moment in front of you that’s unfolding is no different than all the zillions of other moments that aren’t in front of you that are unfolding in accordance to the laws of nature, the laws of creation. So, you start to practice saying, ‘I don’t want to check inside of me first to see what I want and what I don’t want. I want to pay attention to what the universe is creating in front of me—just like it’s creating everywhere I’m not—and let me see how I can participate in that, be part of that, instead of interfering with it with my desires and my fears.’ That’s living from a place of surrender.” — Michael Singer
Pair with:
- Premium: How to Start Growing Spiritually with “The Untethered Soul” by Michael Singer (+ Infographic)
4 // Article I’m Reading
The Coronation (Charles Eisenstein | 40 mins)
I’ve been following Charles more and more lately. This article touches on a little bit of everything. His books The Ascent of Humanity and The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible are on my reading list.
“None of the world’s problems are technically difficult to solve; they originate in human disagreement. In coherency, humanity’s creative powers are boundless … What else might we achieve, in coherency? What do we want to achieve, and what world shall we create? That is always the next question when anyone awakens to their power.” — Charles Eisenstein
Pair with:
5 // Quote I’m Contemplating
Quote: “You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” — Jon Kabat-Zinn
Question: Are you trying to control the waves? Or, are you trying to learn to surf them?
Worth sharing? If you enjoyed this issue of Sloww Sunday, please share with a friend or two (or post socially). It’s easy for them to subscribe for free here.
Have feedback? It’s always appreciated! Please let me know by email or socially. Also, please let me know if you come across interesting content on the same wavelength as Sloww. I may be able to include it in an upcoming newsletter.
Have a flow-filled week!
Go with the Sloww,
Kyle Kowalski
Founder, Sloww
