john silkey
@silkeyj
john silkey
@silkeyj
if the next kin are ready and open to listen. even if not, we will still speak and offer what we can
When we tell our kids, “You’re a good kid having a hard time … I’m here, I’m right here with you,” they are more likely to have empathy for their own struggles
No one benefits from you scrolling on your phone and feeling sad and then going to Starbucks.... See more
The antidote is figuring out what you care about, what you're good at, and what you like doing that can make the world a little bit better.
Then, really do that thing.
You can’t do everything, but there are a few things you can do really well. You have to
ii. 1/3 Concrete - tuning in to reality and senses and self
Part of the first steps. Go inward, have the courage to ask the questions and sit with not knowing. You must experience life in order to know. Not watch it like a spectator.
What does a modern cultural grounding look like? Is modern culture even sufficient to ground a soul? (I don’t think so - the over emphasis on the individual has led to a severing of the connection to place, community, culture, lineage, religion, or any other larger narrative.)
We must use that hyper individuality to our advantage - dive deeply into the individual - who am I, what am I, what are the big questions that I’ve been taught to avoid about my place in existence, where and to what do I feel connected or disconnected in a self, other, system framework. Take what would feel selfish - a deep excavation of the self - and the way through the self will illumninate the connection to something bigger than the self.
"I was waiting for something extraordinary to happen, but as the years wasted on, nothing ever did unless I caused it.”
—Charles Bukowski
Catalyzing confidence
On a spiritual path working with different modalities that move forward in simplicity (though it may appear to be complexity - like mahamudra) the next question or feeling is often “ok I’ve done this, so now what?”
The question, as you move forward, morphs into “ok, so now how?”
The question ‘what am I doing’ loses its pull and interest. “How am I being” becomes much more alive, and focuses on the individual as a vessel connected to the whole, and therefore allowing that whole to come through based on how the individual shows up.
Grief is transformational - if we allow it
It shows us much greater depths of our being, of our abilities, of our feeling and connecting