What are you curious about?
Do you feel the shift towards structure and curiosity, too? Whether I assign it to back-to-school time, Virgo season, or just the transition towards more Fall temperatures, this time of year always gets me questioning what I want to learn next.
For me, recently, it’s related to finances. I’ve seen this topic floating around my circles of late. Many of my friends with experiences of marginalization have expressed having a fraught relationship with money. Either feeling subject to it, resentful towards it, or in many cases confused by and fearful of it.
As part of my own learning, I’ve been trying to see every dollar I spend as a vote. In this context, I want to educate myself as to who is benefiting from the dollars I spend, so I don’t unconsciously contribute to the oppressive systems I actively fight against.
The UN recently came out with an IPCC Climate Report that labeled this time a Code Red for humanity and highlighted the fact that we humans are solely responsible for the onslaught of natural disasters we are currently facing. And while a handful of major corporations are the guiltiest parties in this, the way I choose to redistribute my money can go a long way in influencing who maintains that sort of power. If that doesn’t feel like a powerful call to action, I’m not sure what else possibly can!
How are you entering this transitional season? What are you curious about?
ICYMI.
Ten Percent Happier app.
This summer Ten Percent Happier has kept me happily busy working away to deliver new material to you in new ways. Four new meditations from me are on the app with more to come, including a challenge in the Fall and a podcast interview.
Join the app, find me there, and let me know what you think of the meditations!
My book turned 1 on August 4 🥳
A little over a year ago my book, Mindfulness Meditation for Beginners, came out. I’ve received such encouraging feedback from those of you who read it. More than one hundred of you left your feedback on the book’s Amazon page, including over ninety 5-star reviews!
You can purchase your copy here (signed if you wish!). If you already have it, please consider leaving a review on Amazon letting other folks know what you think.
Recorded audio program of meditations in my book.
Not everyone enjoys reading a meditation and trying to recall it in meditation practice with one eye open. Which is why, earlier this summer, I launched the accompaniment to my book, 50 Meditations to Practice Awareness, Acceptance, and Peace. You can buy it here. If you haven’t bought my book yet, you can get both at the same time, too!
Meditate.
Enjoy this meditation, Countdown to Ease, from my latest audio program 50 Meditations to Practice Awareness, Acceptance, and Peace, available for purchase here.
Dawned on me.
As a verb, dawn can mean "become clear" or “enter one's consciousness or emotions.” It’s in this spirit that I share with you some of the things that help me get clear in various ways. May it be the same for you, too.
Read.
You’re Still Exhausted by Anne-Helen Petersen
A piece from Anne Helen Petersen (found in one of my fave newsletters From the Curious Mind of Jocelyn Glei) on surfing yet another wave of pandemic burnout — the over-scheduled summer, which has been a very familiar place for me this season.
Read.
Unbanked and Underbanked Americans
Although US-centric, I found this article incredibly eye-opening regarding demographic details of the fully banked, unbanked, and underbanked. Spoiler alert: underbanked consumers are more likely to be men, while unbanked consumers are more likely to be women.
For Fun.
Seeing Double: 15 Sets of Twins to Start School in one Council Area
Because not all news needs to be bad or intense! Here’s a fun one from Scotland. Enjoy!
Learn .
How to Find the Right Therapist for You
Many of you know how much I appreciate my therapy sessions, and feel that it has catapulted my growth in ways “only yoga” or “only meditation” could not have offered. I know not everyone has the financial resources for therapy, however, with apps like Better Help, it’s becoming increasingly accessible. Once you decide you want to try (or re-start) therapy, there’s the task of finding the right modality and therapist for you. This article may help.
Subscribe and Learn.
7 Finance Focused Newsletters Written by Women
For those of you also in a phase of learning and unlearning money stories. This is a list of 7 newsletters that deal with various aspects of this specific topic. I haven’t vetted them all but am slowly working my way through.
Attend.
TNI Fundraising Event: Awakening Joy with James Baraz
In Buddhism, Joy is both a Factor of Enlightenment and one of the four Divine Abodes. Today, as we are bombarded with news that heightens our fear and sadness about the world, more than ever it is vital to understand the importance of joy as a central aspect of spiritual practice. Techniques will be offered for developing gratitude, learning to love yourself, opening up to the hard stuff as a path to joy, and finding joy in the happiness of others.
