I watched a brilliant film last night called "Call Me By Your Name" about a seventeen-year-old boy and a man in his twenties who fall in love over the course of a summer. It's one of the most beautiful love stories I've ever seen. It captures the headiness, the intoxication, the tenderness, the pain, the … Continue reading A Dreamless Codeine Sleep
For a few weeks, I've been mulling over which Buddhist figure should be the centrepiece of my shrine. I initially thought of Green Tara - the Buddha of compassion - who has been a familiar figure for me my whole life. Growing up, my Dad had a small Green Tara tapestry hanging in our home, … Continue reading Embracing Darkness With The Buddha Of The North
It's been roughly a year since my last episode of depression began. That might seem like a sign that it was seasonal-affective induced. However, more than any other time of year, I typically associate late spring with being the time that I typically start to experience depression; so I think that the arrival of winter … Continue reading “To Descend Is Also God’s Will” – Radical Acceptance, Depression + A Poem
I don't really know what to write about today specifically, so I suppose I'll just write about how I feel and what's on my mind. After last week's outburst post, I knew that my next counselling session would feel different. I told him today that it felt like a month since our last session. He … Continue reading Counselling, Validation + Childhood Fantasy
I wanted to share with you. I had a list, in fact, of topics and prompts which would set this room aglow with pure connection. We would talk about boundaries and how well I'm setting and maintaining them, we'd talk about anger and grief and how well I'm navigating and managing them, we'd talk about … Continue reading I Wanted To Share With You
I mentioned to a colleague at work the other day about going to a Buddhist class one night and she said that she didn't think she'd have it in her to meditate and "sit there with no thoughts". I rushed to say to her what I say to anyone who has similar apprehensions about meditative … Continue reading Bliss, Despair, Terror – Meditation + The Importance Of The Spiritual Community
My last post saw me getting transparent about my addictive tendencies and how meditation and Buddhism had provided the space and support to allow that transparency to blossom. So now I'm not on retreat anymore and I don't have a 7.00am rising bell to gently coax me out of bed, or a beautiful shrine room perfumed … Continue reading A New Normal
Since my last blog post, I've been on a week-long Buddhist retreat and celebrated my 24th birthday. I'll insert a passage from my journal reflecting on turning 24: "That's a great age," women in their 30's tell me; but in a way, I feel more pressure upon hearing that. I receive it to mean that … Continue reading Healing Addiction Via Buddhism + A Happy Birthday
The importance of not coming off "desperate" or "clingy" cannot be overstated, it would seem, when it comes to dating. And for good reason. It can be off-putting, alarming even, for someone to respond instantaneously to every message you send them and to be perpetually agreeable and pliable. Also, venting your off-base frustrations with them … Continue reading Thoughts On…Dating Apps + A Poem
Being in a relationship is something of a security blanket for many people. Like an "at least I'm not alone" sort of thing. The presence of a significant other can absolutely add value to our lives and provide a form of support through adversity; but it's simply irrational to regard anyone in a relationship as … Continue reading “Why Are You Single?”: The Bizarre Idealisation of Relationships
