🌀🐇 #67 click to hallucinate, take the leap, epic breathwork app

Plus Da Vinci on Uncertainty  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ​ ​ ​ ⚡️ Enlightening Bolts Gems of The Weird and Wonderful From Around The Web 👾 All Aboard The Othership: Use this app to ride your breath into peak experiences that inspire a sense of awe and belonging. Seek comfort in the depths of that which is a little uncomfortable. [Try it here.](=)​ 🪂 The Day You Decided To Take The Leap: This illustrated article explores how we weigh the risks and benefits of the leaps we take in life. A significant concept is the hidden gains we make when we take this kind of courageous action. [Read it here.](=)​ 👁 This Will Make You Hallucinate: Stare at this strobe effect for just 30 seconds and you'll experience a weird wobbly visual distortion. Do not use if you're sensitive to flashing lights. [Try it here.]()​ Did someone forward you this email? Get this newsletter every week when you [sign up here.](​ 🎇 Image of The Week ​ This mesmerizing shot of a single snowflake was taken by Jason Persoff on December 31st during the first proper snowfall in Colorado this year. The elegant intricacy of nature is mind-blowing. Details like the ones seen here always conjure astonishment in me. But as I share in the next section, nature can be as brutal as it is beautiful. 🔥 Up In Flames This week I'm present to the loss that has my neck of the woods reeling. On December 30th, high-speed winds combined with drought conditions created a perfect storm for a fire to rage through two neighboring suburbs. I could see the flames raging from my living room window. Anticipating evacuation, I packed up a bag with what I consider to be my most valuable and essential possessions. Mostly objects that are irreplaceable. Videotapes from my childhood. A photo of my grandmother that has no copies. This isn't the first time I had to pack a bag like this. In 2012 my house caught on fire. The only things that weren't completely ruined were the things I took with me. I think an experience like that engendered a loose grip on physical possessions. I've never been one to accrue a large amount of "stuff." The things I hold onto seem to be extremely useful or worth coveting. This isn't to say my way is the right way. Some people carefully craft a space putting tremendous intention into making everything fit together. Others mindlessly consume and over the years end up with closets full of uselessness. Our identities can become tied to the things we own. This isn't inherently a bad thing. Totems and talismans can serve as powerful symbols for what we're cultivating in our lives: a reminder of where we came from and where we're going. Our things can promote a sense of familiarity and comfort that is increasingly hard to discover in this chaotic world. But we are always bigger than our stuff. Fortunately, the bag I packed was not needed. The winds blew the other way. Tragically, more than 1000 structures burned that day. Miraculously, out of 35,000 people evacuated only 2 remain unaccounted for. There's hardship to be faced. Blessings to be counted. Grief to be metabolized. My heart goes out to all those who lost their houses. Our homes, however, transcend the physical walls that hold them. Our homes exist suspended inside the relationships we tend to. That recognition might offer some solace. To be clear, this isn't a call to toxic positivity and spiritual bypassing. There's a tremendous amount of loss to navigate. Most people would trade whatever silver lining you can gather from this tragedy to get their house back. I'm sorry for those who are suffering from the grief-stricken whiplash. I mean this beyond this particular tragedy. It's at the top of my mind for obvious reasons. I also extend my sympathy to all those enduring the general strife the world has encountered in recent years. I hope you at least have the warmth of friendship or even the kindness of strangers to lean on during these difficult times. And if you're doing relatively well, I hope you can be that friend or stranger for someone else. 🌊 Surf The Wave On a brighter note, we've been building an immersive experience for a small group of people to kick off the new year in an inspired way. It's a 21-day challenge called Surf The Wave. If you participate you'll become a founding member of our new HighExistence community. This experience is the antidote to New Year resolution hype while providing you with the flexible structure you need to experience profound yet sustainable growth in 2022. You'll clarify your vision, align with your natural motivational rhythm, tune into inspired flow states, release stress and overwhelm and so much more. This is not a start-with-a-bang-end-with-a-whimper kind of experience. It's a science-based system designed to promote both holistic well-being and productive flourishing. The doors to join open this Saturday, January 8th with the experience kicking off on Saturday, January 15th. We'll be sending you more information tomorrow so you can begin deciding if this is a good fit for you. 🌻 Closer To Life Savor these words from the always poetic Rainer Maria Rilke: ​ "It seems to me that almost all our sadnesses are moments of tension, which we feel as paralysis because we no longer hear our astonished emotions living. Because we are alone with the unfamiliar presence that has entered us; because everything we trust and are used to is for a moment taken away from us; because we stand in the midst of a transition where we cannot remain standing. That is why the sadness passes: the new presence inside us, the presence that has been added, has entered our heart, has gone into its innermost chamber and is no longer even there, - is already in our bloodstream. And we don't know what it was. We could easily be made to believe that nothing happened, and yet we have changed, as a house that a guest has entered changes. We can't say who has come, perhaps we will never know, but many signs indicate that the future enters us in this way in order to be transformed in us, long before it happens. And that is why it is so important to be solitary and attentive when one is sad: because the seemingly uneventful and motionless moment when our future steps into us is so much closer to life than that other loud and accidental point of time when it happens to us as if from outside. The quieter we are, the more patient and open we are in our sadnesses, the more deeply and serenely the new presence can enter us, and the more we can make it our own, the more it becomes our fate." 🤓 Learn This Word Pleroma: Fullness; abundance; plenitude: in gnosticism, the spiritual world, or world of light, including the body of eons. The totality of divine powers. ⏳ From The Archives A hand-picked classic HighExistence article. ​[Leonardo Da Vinci’s Sfumato Principle: Embracing Uncertainty with Ease](=)​ Life has been a mystery since the beginning. Death is the greatest mystery that we don’t like to talk about. Who can blame us? The uncertainty of not knowing can be painful, uncomfortable and even threatening. Uncertainty comes in all forms, and although we all-too-often shield ourselves with illusions of certitude, the present coronavirus pandemic makes uncertainty more palpable than ever. Despite an ongoing worldwide effort, we still don’t know much about the coronavirus. According to James Gallagher’s BBC news article, we haven’t been able to answer basic questions such as: How many people have been infected? How deadly is it? What are the full range of symptoms? Where exactly did it come from? Can you get it twice? Will the virus mutate? And more… As healthcare professionals continue to seek solutions, many of us confined to our homes during this Great Pause around the world wonder just how long this pandemic will last–we just don’t know. The misinformation, conspiracy theories and mixed-messages from both experts and leadership amplify our uncertainty of what to believe. The question remains: how can we transform the coronavirus crisis into an opportunity to better embrace uncertainty so that we may not only maintain our sanity but also thrive so as to create a better world out of these unsettling times? ​[Continue Reading](=)​ 📚 Reader, Come Home The next issue of our premium newsletter [Stairway To Wisdom](=) is coming out on Friday and we'll be diving into Reader, Come Home by Maryanne Wolf. =​ Here's just a taste of what's inside: “We arrive at last at the end of the reading act. Insight is the culmination of the multiple modes of exploration we have brought to bear on what we have read thus far: the information harvested from the text; the connections to our best thoughts and feelings; the critical conclusions gained; and then the uncharted leap into a cognitive space where we may upon occasion glimpse whole new thoughts.” Want access when it's released on Friday plus 52 additional book breakdowns? Sign-up for the Stairway To Wisdom. Right now you can claim a free trial so you can test-drive with zero risk. [Get Your Free Trial](=) 🎬 Endnote We hope you enjoyed this issue of Down The Rabbit Hole. Feel free to reply and tell us what you think. Want to help us spread the word? We love sharing these gems of wisdom and wonder with you each week. If you love receiving them and want to help us spread the word, here is one quick way you can do that: Forward this email to one friend. That's it. It will take 5 seconds and will help us spread the good vibes and reach more people. We appreciate you. With Wonder, Mike Slavin & The HighExistence Team P.S. Did a friend forward you this email? Read previous issues and sign-up to receive future issues here: [(​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​[Unsubscribe]( | [Update your profile]( | 40 E. Main St. #1137, Newark, DE 19711 [Built with ConvertKit](=)