Tag: art

pursuit of becoming

Posted on by Ajmal

We’re taught that the path to happiness is paved with achievements, acquisitions and checking boxes until we’ve “made it.” Yet could this dogged pursuit of some future arrival be obstructing our ability to feel fully alive in the here and now ? After all, every destination inevitably dissolves into a new departure point once reached. The goalpost perpetually moves, leaving us striving yet again for something else to make us whole. What if we stopped postponing our gratification and entrusting it to some illusive “there”? What if we reconnected with the beauty and magic of the ordinary, unadorned moments that make up the waking dream of our daily existence? In doing so, we realize the greatest prosperities have been here all along – the simple grace of breath, the affectionate gaze of a loved one, the simple brilliance of a sunrise. When we attune to these perennial marvels, life’s richness multiplicities in ways no pursuit of becoming could ever match.

mind is a nomadic cloud

Posted on by Ajmal

We often think of our minds as these enclosed spaces, contained solely within our skulls. But what if our awareness actually extends far beyond those physical boundaries? What if we are each permeable fields perpetually exchanging information with the entire universe? It’s easy to get caught up in the delusion that our thoughts, beliefs and internal narratives are completely private and isolated from the wider holographic web of life. Yet frontline scientists have discovered that we are open systems constantly downloading codes and influencers from our environments on levels we’re barely cognizant of. The microbes inhabiting our guts shape our moods, cravings and perspectives. The positioning of planets and lunar cycles demonstrably affect our behaviors and biorhythms. Even being exposed to certain words, sounds or images rewires our neural circuitry and hormonal flows in profound ways. We are more like nomadic clouds drifting across a seamless skyscape than fenced-off islands of consciousness

awakening at crossroads

Posted on by Ajmal

“When it comes to the human soul, the real battle is the struggle to truly become oneself. Not the self that others might want us to be, not even the self that we might wish to be; but the deep self and inner soul trying to awaken at critical crossroads in each life.”

Michael Meade

water and jars

Posted on by Ajmal

an illustration in the diary in the cloud to remember today in the future. My son spent hours playing with jars and water, fully immersed in his own wonderland. We chose to leave his play unstructured, allowing his imagination to run free. The alchemist : ). I tried to copy the same scene to have this illustration.

mental muscles

Posted on by Ajmal

Every one of us have difficulties we go through. Only you and I know how it means for each of us. The more you accept that difficulty is inevitable and get familiar with that reality, the less it will shake you when it strikes. Embracing the darkness prepares you, so it doesn’t feel so scary after stretches of peaceful light. If you understand why challenges serve a bigger purpose in God’s plan, it becomes easier to make the best of whatever get thrown your way. You stay grounded and reflect on the reason behind it, rather than just falling apart. Constant sunshine gets you used to smooth sailing. The first storm catches you totally off guard, unprepared for how to navigate hard knocks. But if you’ve already stared down dark clouds and rough seas many times before, you know the drill for weathering the storm. I’m not praising adversity out of some negative, pessimistic view. I’m doing it to develop the resilience and understanding needed so those hard tumbles don’t keep flattening us. Writing and pondering about adversity builds mental muscles for pushing through it. The more we exercise that mind strength, the less threatened we’ll feel when the heavy stuff weighs down again. We’re preparing, not dwelling.

a child’s “why”

Posted on by Ajmal

No matter how much we study sciences, philosophies, or histories, it’s the never-ending questions from a child’s mouth that humble us most. Their innocent, relentless inquiry lays bare how little we truly understand about existence. The most learned academics can meticulously map the cosmos, codify all knowledge into volumes, and hypothesize theology’s deepest meanings. But then a tiny human barely out of the womb will ask a startlingly profound “Why?” that stumps us all over again. In that moment, the veneer of assured, encyclopedic understanding shatters. We’re reminded that for every nagging existential mystery we’ve dissected and catalogued, a dozen more inscrutable conundrums await under each new layer peeled. An unapologetic child simply won’t accept “because I said so” as an answer. They demand to know the reason behind every reason in a way that strips our egotistical overconfidence bare. Their stubborn pursuit of fundamental truth across every “Why?” humbles the most zealously certain mind. To a child, our vaunted mastery of subjects is still hopelessly inadequate – mere fragmentary pieces muddling the big picture. Their endless curiosity exposes how much of life remains cloaked in humbling unknown no matter our credentials. The biggest questions burn from the smallest lips. And it’s their blunt, relentless need to know more that viscerally underscores just how much further we have to go.