⚡️ Enlightening Bolts

🪐 You're a Dream of the Universe (According to Science): Absolutely everything you think about yourself and the universe could be an illusion. As far as you know, you are real and exist in a universe that was born 14 billion years ago and that gave rise to galaxies, stars, the Earth, and finally you. Except, maybe not. Watch it here.

👁 I Got Saved By The Beauty of The World: The late poet Mary Oliver is among the most beloved writers of modern times. Amidst the harshness of life, she found redemption in the natural world and in beautiful, precise language. Krista Tippett met with her in 2015 for this rare, intimate conversation. Listen here.

☁️ The Cloud Of Unknowing: The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text serves as a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the Late Middle Ages. This is a summary. Read it here.

🎇 Image of The Week

This is a photo taken of a fair weather waterspout in Wind Point, Wisconsin by Ariel Anton. Fair weather waterspouts are small, weak rotating columns of air that form over bodies of water, typically in warm, tropical areas, and are not associated with severe thunderstorms. They develop on the surface of the water and work their way upward, often appearing as slender, rope-like structures. These waterspouts are generally less dangerous than tornadic waterspouts and can last for a few minutes to an hour.

✅ I Use These Daily

The list below contains a few things I have used daily for more than 2 months to promote a sense of well-being and wholeness in my own life. These are legitimate recommendations. They aren’t affiliate links or paid links. I find them genuinely useful and thought maybe you might too.

• Myco Rest: I have taken these capsules for the past 6 months to improve my sleep. It is a blend of Lion’s Mane mushroom, Reishi mushroom, and L-theanine. I sleep like a baby. One of the few “supplements” I take on a regular basis because I prioritize sleep so highly. Learn more and get some here.

• Habits Garden: I have used this app for the past 144 days to track my daily habits. I love the user interface. The gamification elements are fun without distracting from the core aim of building new behaviors. Highly recommend it. Learn more and get the app here.

• Breathwrk: I have done short breathwork exercises everyday for the past 137 days. There are many reasons to do breathwork but my focus is to unlock a sense of centered focus. I use their 3-minute “energize” exercise. Learn more and get the app here.

• Yoga Nidra: I have done 10 minutes of non-sleep deep rest or as it’s classically called “Yoga Nidra” for the past 73 days. You can listen to the same free recording that I use here.

❓Do you have something you use everyday to promote a greater sense of well-being? Reply and let me know. I’m always on the hunt for new tools, apps and practices.

⚾️ My Father As A Child

I came across this poem from Nikita Gill this week and I absolutely love it:

“In another universe,

I meet my father

when he is a child.

We play catch in the woods

and as we play he tells me

he isn't allowed to cry

but sometimes the world

hurts him and he doesn't know

what to do with all that pain.

So I give him the shoulder

he needs to cry on.

And he does. He does

until the tears are done.

Afterwards, I buy him ice cream

and listen to his laugh,

the glowing warm laugh

of a child who knows he is safe.

I wish someone could

have done that for him.

Been a kind, safe place

for the child he used to be.

Would it have made a difference?

Would it have made a difference?”

🤓 Learn This Word

Kairosclerosis: A moment in which you realize that you're happy but simultaneously destroy that happiness by overthinking it

⏳ From The Archives

A hand-picked classic HighExistence article.

Ernest Becker’s Unflinching Examination of How the Fear of Death is Secretly Controlling Your Life

Everyone knows on some level that they’re going to die, but very few people really believe it.

I’m talking about the real, emotional, visceral understanding of the fact that one day, you will cease to exist.

It means that all of your future possibilities will remain unrealized, and everything that you have come to know will come to an end. It also means that the moment of death is the last time in eternity that you will be able to feel something; to experience all there is to experience, to love everyone who’s around to be loved.

This is an agonizing realization, but it also comprises one of the most powerful appeals to really and truly live.

Personally, I know of no greater reason to be happy now, to attack your goals now, to learn more now, to love more now, than the idea that you will one day die.

It’s now clear that we human beings are actually the only creatures on earth who are aware of the fact that we are going to die one day, and the knowledge of this fact comes with enormous psychological consequences. It turns out that the fear of death motivates more of our behavior than we might believe.

​[Continue Reading]

🎬 Endnote

I hope you enjoyed this issue of Down The Rabbit Hole. Feel free to reply and tell me what you think.

Want to help spread the word?

I love sharing these gems of wisdom and wonder with you each week. If you love receiving them and want to help me spread the word, here is one quick way you can do that:

Forward this email to one friend.

That's it. It will take 5 seconds and will help us spread the good vibes and reach more people. I appreciate you.

With Wonder,

Mike Slavin