Archives for October 2009

What Matters Most

What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life by James Hollis, Ph.D. what_matters_most

On Friday, October 16th James Hollis was in Vancouver lecturing for the Jung Society. He has great questions; the kind that lead you deeper and expand your thinking. He began by telling us that reclaiming personal authority was the task of the second half of life and went on to ask, “What’s your philosophy of discrepancy?”

By that I took him to mean, how do you explain the differences? The differences between where you are and where you thought you’d be? The differences between what happens and what you expected? The differences between what you wanted and what you have? He went on to talk about the importance of self-acceptance and the challenge of finding a way to continue to open to your life so that you can keep your appointment with destiny.

The large audience at Christ Church Cathedral was rapt and involved. A group of us showed up at the Museum of Vancouver the following day to hear more and came away with a better understanding of the importance myth and the need to get to the heart of the archetypal stories that come into play in our daily lives. A considered life brings layers of richness and resonance so that, in the end, our home is our journey and the journey becomes our home.

If you weren’t able to be there, his book covers the material he spoke to in the lectures. It will give you lots to ponder.

Leafy Splendor

PA210141Last week when the late afternoon sun and a breeze turned the leaves, wearing their last burst of intense colour, into drifting magic, Aimee and I went for a walk.  One of the things about keeping company with a dog is knowing that you will be outside at least four or five times that day, so even if you get engrossed in your work,  your friend’s not going to let you forget that the world is there. This day we escaped for a longer walk. As I watched her investigate a section of leaf-covered lawn with intense interest, her nose touching the leaves and rooting for the grass underneath, the demands of the day fell away. We stood together on a carpet of gold and red leaves with the wind shaking more down around us. It was quiet, except for the breeze rustling the leaves, and the distant bark of another dog. Nothing to do but breathe, and swim in colour.