Julia Baird’s Awe-Inspiring Adventures and much moreΝβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ Νβ€Œ 
James Pillion
 

MY FAVOURITE THINGS | There’s More to Life Than This

β€œThe most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious; it is the source of all the true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.”

β€” ALBERT EINSTEIN
 

β€˜Change Your Energy; Change Your Mind’

This line, pinched from Lou Reed’s The Art of the Straight Line, sheds light on my favourite discovery of the year. Making every choice matter. Learning to interrogate any given moment in search of a greater sense of harmony. Drawing in that which fills my cup and stripping away all else. I owe the greatest debt to the company on my nightstand. Books like Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act, Julia Baird’s Phosphorescence, Dr. Wayne Dyer’s Wisdom of the Ages and Joe Dispenza’s Becoming Supernatural that reinforce the power of intention and Paramahansa Yogananda’s belief that β€˜there is Something behind the kingdom of ordinary consciousness’.

Thank you for reading and above all for your continued love and support.

Wishing you all a very Happy Holidays with my end-of-year playlist πŸ₯³
 

Phosphorescence πŸ“š

Julia Baird’s Phosphorescence is both a confessional and compelling testimonial on the power of deliberate living. Rooting out the pangs of inertia by tapping into the wellspring of wonder. Because to receive awe where it lives is not just to taste the divine but to spark a sense of possibility in the present. Through every chapter, Baird laces a subtle message, one that has become a central mantra of mine. Live life in discovery. Because when we’re consumed with forward momentum, moving through the peaks and troughs of daily life with intentional insistence, there’s no time to dwell in despair. I have Baird to thank for turning me onto David Attenborough’s Life That Glows. Ecstatic viewing.

β€œThose who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” β€” Rachel Carson
 

The Apprentice πŸŽ₯

Oscar Wilde’s two tragedies came to mind while watching this new release on the eve of the recent US election. What happens when we get everything we ever wanted and more? Sebastian Stan walks the line, rising above parody to deliver a portrait of a (fairly) principled young man bursting with earnest ambition. Director Ali Abbasi doesn’t equivocate on the story’s true villain. For while Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong becomes the quintessential Kingmaker in body and mind) excels as a surrogate father, the kind Donald Trump always wanted, it’s Democracy herself that’s on trial. This Oedipal tragedy is vital viewing for anyone obsessed with origin stories.

 

Reignite Your Relationship πŸ“»

I savoured Rich Roll’s two hour chit-chat with Esther Perel on a wet and stormy drive back from a weekend away. Ever since reading Mating in Captivity, Perel’s remarkable examination of modern love, I have all the time in the world for the globetrotting psychotherapist. Perel’s approach can be summed up in the simple maxim. Go with the Flow. Beware the logic of certainty, Perel warns, and with it the pitfalls of hubris, especially when it comes to our partners inner life. As someone who is currently (very) single I love dwelling on the open-ended nature of Perel’s rhetoric and with it the question of what we’re missing in any given moment. 
 

A Murder At The End of the World πŸ“Ί

I’ve gotten into the habit of letting most shows go after the first couple episodes, a deflating development echoed in Willy Staley’s How Everyone Got Lost in Netflix’s Endless Library. A good deal of relief was had in finding a limited series that bucked the trend. A Murder At The End of the World is as current as it comes, weaving identity politics, global warming and AI into a clever whodunit. Kudos goes to Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij for running a tight ship, executing this seven-part series with some wonderfully unexpected hairpin turns and sumptuous visuals. While Emma Corrin was enjoyable as the Gen Z whiz, Harris Dickinson’s haunting cameo lingers while Clive Owen surprises.

 
 

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice πŸŽ₯

My Hollywood sequel boycott was bent for Tim Burton’s cult classic reprise. While I went in with great trepidation, all concerns soon vanished into the ether after Danny Devito’s delightful cameo (quite literally) gives life to Monica Bellucci. In a refreshing turn, Burton turns generational prejudice on its head, casting the adults as the true parasites of woke. I miss leading characters speaking the whole truth and the juiciest dialogue is saved for Michael Keaton who triumphs as the potty-mouthed poltergeist. The imaginatively inventive sets are the best kind of throwback while the closing dream sequence is a marvel to behold. 
 

Bird On A Wire πŸ“Ή

To judge by this wonderful 1974 documentary, it’s been a (very) long fifty years. Because to spend time with Leonard Cohen in this rather unconventional portrait of an Artist on tour is to witness an altogether different kind of celebrity. A man unafraid to wear his heart on his sleeve in leading from behind, boldly sharing a message that has been trampled upon by clichΓ©. That we speak for all of us. Watching the Canadian troubadour handle self-doubt during his closing show in Jerusalem is a masterclass in humility. His sudden tears leaving me melancholic in the best kind of way. 
 

Quincy Jones πŸ‘€

I was walking the beach in NazarΓ©, a fishing town made famous for its supreme surf, when news of Quincy Jones’ passing came through. The prodigious artist wasn’t a household name to me until Quincy, the 2018 documentary, captured my fascination. Not so much for his prolific output but for his open-book philosophy to life. The creative spirit was an advocate of Abundance, whose β€˜More Love, More Life’ outlook was truly infectious. In speaking truth to power, this giant of American music inspires me to shed false modesty in order to tell my story for all it’s worth.

β€œImagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, could share a little of what he is good at doing.” β€” Quincy Jones
 

Solpor 🎢

Alejandro GuillΓ‘n, better known as Baiuca, is fast becoming an institution in his homeland of Spain. From the opening bars of MuΓ­Γ±o, the Galician native serves up something kind of wonderful, marrying propulsive percussion with regional tradition. I love the way GuillΓ‘n draws inspiration from the past, featuring voices versed in centuries-old incantations. The trance-inducing tones of the cantareiras of Lilaina, a quartet of sisters, makes the title track sing. This 2018 release is art personified, blurring old and new into one hypnotic concoction.

 

Thanks for reading. To show your support, forward it to someone who’d like it or treat yourself to one of my books.

If you’re seeing this newsletter for the first time, you can read previous issues and subscribe here.
 

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