A lord asked Takuan, a Zen teacher, to suggest how he might pass the time. He felt his days very long attending his office and sitting stiffly to receive the homage of others.
Takuan wrote eight Chinese characters and gave them to the man:
Not twice this day
Inch time foot gem.
Happy New Year, my friend!
As you set your New Year’s Resolution, remember Takuan who teaches each ordinary moment is like a priceless gem.
How often do we rush through our days, focused on the next task, goal, or milestone, losing all touch with our present experience? We feel our days stretch on endlessly and we forget no moment will ever arise again.
Your inbreath just now is one less breath you are going to take in your life. And so too with your outbreath. Consider this for a moment.
As 2025 begins, I invite you to make this present moment your New Year’s Resolution. To ‘be here now’ is the most elusive goal (it always needs achieving) - and yet it is the goal which, being achieved, gilds every experience we have with gold. Our ‘new-year-new-me‘ is realized at every instance when we remember the gem in our hands.
May your treasury be always full,
Simeon
Embrace Your Shadow: Carl Jung’s 3 Steps to Wholeness
What if the parts of yourself you fear the most hold the key to your wholeness?
In my new video, we delve into Carl Jung’s 3-step process for integrating the shadow—those hidden, repressed aspects of your psyche. Discover how facing your unconscious can transform inner conflict into authentic self-awareness.
Quote of the Week
‘We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born.’
—Meister Eckhart