(Above: Happy Ganesha Chaturthi! Mercury enters Virgo.)

An empty man is full of himself.
— Edward Abbey

It is true. The more we fill ourselves from the outside — through entertainment, work, substances, busyness of all types, purchasing, etc. — it is to fill a sense of emptiness inside.

The daily average screen time globally is now 6 hours and 35 minutes. For 11-14-year-old children in the US, that average is nine hours (speaking more to a parent issue than child, with no offense intended).

We are misled to think we are not enough. There is not enough. And that joy must come from external sources.

This is like putting a leash on a dog and pulling it in a direction it doesn’t want or need to go.

The truth is we have everything we need — at all times.

Consider you enter this world empty-handed, and you leave this world empty-handed. Nothing, absolutely nothing, goes with you.

There is something to "nothingness." Nature is unadorned and yet radiantly beautiful. As are we.

This is a mind problem and opportunity.

Thoughts only tell you you are not enough. Buy this, buy that. Listen to this podcast, watch this series, keep working, keep doing, and stay busy.

Anything but stop and drop into this moment. Drop into the nothingness, which is the fullness you are looking for in disguise.

Frustration and stress lead you there once you realize the external sources of “joy” follow an up-and-down trajectory, no different than a drug. Something then opens.

Once you realize that “filling” leaves you empty, you start looking elsewhere. To meditation, to books, spiritual teachers, and so on. And even this path can replace the previous one if we are not careful.

Eventually, you stop. You learn to appreciate the beauty of this moment and the perfection of it. You wonder and awe at the mystery of creation. Synchronicities and moments of grace open your heart to the unseen dimension of reality.

You slow down. You feel more. Even breathing becomes an act of enjoyment.

Pure being. That’s what you are.

It is simply a matter of getting to it by removing all the things that are not it.

That is the spiritual journey for all of us. We already know where the joy is.

It’s right here. 🙏🏻

Suggested Use
- Have pen and paper ready.
- Read this passage once.
- Then, reread it a little more slowly. Pause. Reflect.
- Journal any connections or intentions that come to you.
- Come back a few days later and read again.
- Repeat two or three more times.

There is no correct answer. Only take what resonates.
Kindly share these words if you feel another could benefit.

ॐ शान्तिः