Book Review: The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness

Part workbook, part guide and part creative journal, The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness is a hardcover containing paper-based goodies, such as booklets, postcards and whimsical little notes you can write to yourself.  Written by Irene Smit and Astrid Van Der Hulst, the creative directors of cult creative magazine Flow, TheContinue reading “Book Review: The Book That Takes Its Time, An Unhurried Adventure in Mindfulness”

Travel:Exploring early mediaeval churches in Eirann

I visited this crumbling relic, the largest and oldest remaining church in the Irish village of Glendalough in 2009. It was one of the largest known early Christian churches in Ireland. The church was originally dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul but ceased to be a cathedral in 1214. The large rectangular stones atContinue reading “Travel:Exploring early mediaeval churches in Eirann”

Travel Poetry: The Crackling Thunder of Frozen Lake Menteith

I wrote this poem in 2011 during a particularly bewitching snow-storm on Lake Menteith in Stirlingshire, Scotland. I had borrowed a pair of old, worn out and blunt ice-skates that were a size too small. And together with my friend, we set out to skate on the lake and also record the audio of theContinue reading “Travel Poetry: The Crackling Thunder of Frozen Lake Menteith”

Art: The Horoscope of Prince Iskandar (1411)

A sublime Persian horoscope crafted from lapis lazuli and gold leaf by hand for Prince Iskandar. The Prince was named after Alexander the Great and was the grandson of Tamerlane, the Turkman Mongol conqueror. This horoscope shows the positions of the stars and planets in the sky at the moment of Iskandar’s birth on 25thContinue reading “Art: The Horoscope of Prince Iskandar (1411)”

Book Review: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

Jon Kabat Zinn is a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and is the founder of a stress reduction technique called MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), which is used in hospitals and medical centres throughout the world. He is a student of Thich Nhat Hanh and a life-long teacher andContinue reading “Book Review: Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn”

Tane Mahuta’s Triumph by Jane Crisp

In the beginning there was no sky, no sea no earth and no Gods. There was only darkness, only Te Kore, the Nothingness. From this nothingness, the primal parents of the Maori came, Papatuanuku, the Earth mother, and Ranginui, the Sky father. Papatuanuku and Ranginui came together,embracing in the darkness, and had 70 male children. TheseContinue reading “Tane Mahuta’s Triumph by Jane Crisp”

How slow-growing lichen opens up the vast universe

The Lichenologist from Matthew Killip on Vimeo. Hidden within this remarkable short film The Lichenologist is the slowly-growing story of the unassuming and vividly beautiful botanical wonder of lichen. Kerry Knudsen has the auspicious title of  Curator of Lichens at the University of California. He dispels common misconception between lichens and mosses. The latter beingContinue reading “How slow-growing lichen opens up the vast universe”

An interesting holistic model for health according to the eight tentacles of the Octopus, Te Wheke in Māori culture

The Maori (the indigenous people of New Zealand) which includes myself, have a very different way of defining health outcomes compared to western medicine. Te Wheke (the octopus) is often used as a symbol to define integrative and holistic health. This holistic approach to health encompasses ten elements in Maori life. Funnily enough this holisticContinue reading “An interesting holistic model for health according to the eight tentacles of the Octopus, Te Wheke in Māori culture”

Asmrion the online generator of positive feelings

Asmrion is an elegant and beautiful ambient sound simulator that’s best enjoyed with headphones. It’s completely interactive and has a very natural, organic and soothing user experience with subtle buttons to shift up and down volume. It’s possible to attune yourself with these app tools to varying states of consciousness, all pleasant, reassuring and relaxingContinue reading “Asmrion the online generator of positive feelings”

Marshall Berman: All that is solid melts into air

To be modern is to find ourselves in an environment that promises us adventure, power, joy, growth, transformation of ourselves and the world – and at the same time that threatens to destroy everything we have, everything that we know, everything that we are. Marshall Berman, “All that is solid melts into air’.