🌀🐇 #80 transcendence, hppd, a cloud never dies

Plus Never Giving Up  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ​ ​ ​ ⚡️ Enlightening Bolts 🌩 A Cloud Never Dies: This documentary tells Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh’s life story. [Watch it here.](=)​ 👁 High Existence Podcast Episode: I interview Ed Prideaux on HPPD, Psychedelic Narcissism and the Pitfalls of Pathologizing. [Listen here.](=)​ 🪞 What is Transcendence: The True Top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. [Read the article.](​ 🎇 Image of The Week ​ The first image of a star from the James Webb Space Telescope. If all goes as planned, this $10 billion project will continue to produce dazzling images with its sensitive cameras. It will use additional instruments to capture data that can help us more deeply understand the forces and facets of the universe. 📺 The Main Characters Yet To Debut I find we often imagine the future using what's present. We fail to factor the unexpected because, of course, then it would be expected. But there's something I want to encourage you to leave room for: The main characters yet to debut. What do I mean? There are significant individuals who will play an important role in the unfolding of your life's journey that you have yet to meet. They aren't on your radar at all. Some day they'll show up and at the time you likely won't even realize it. The context in which you meet them can be completely mundane. A casual dinner party. A trip to the cafe. An airplane seat. They might become a business collaborator, a dear friend, or a romantic interest. Who knows? We can't anticipate how they will fit into the plot but it will be significant. These people exist, walking around right now, sharing this same globe. It's just not time for you to discover them yet. But you will. And as you move through your days you might come to witness chance encounters as life auditioning new characters for your storyworld (and you for them). I like this frame because it inspires curiosity and intrigue in situations that would otherwise feel very "normal." But today could be the day you look back in 20 years and think "That was the day everything changed because that was they day I met..." Or tomorrow. Or the next day. These plot twists are bound to happen. There's no way around it. So pay attention. Binge watch your life with (at least) the same amount of interest as the shows you find captivating. You've got a front-row seat to a story never told before in the history of the universe. Sure it might rhyme with others but in its complete majestic detail, the life you are living is wholly, completely unique. 🃏 Welcome To The Show Tune into these wonder-provoking words from Wayne Houchin: "I had a vision once. I dreamed that I was standing in a lush redwood forest. It was quiet and still. The trees were beautiful and the air was fresh. I heard a noise and turned to see a man walk out from behind a tree some distance from me. As he walked toward me, I could see that he was dressed as a jester. His clothes were old and he wore a colorful but worn hat. At first I was frightened, but as he moved closer I could see that his eyes were kind. He walked right up to me and slowly put his face directly in front of mine - we were nose to nose. His face stretched into a wild smile. Then, he reached his hand down to the ground and began to lift the grass up. It was as if reality itself was a curtain - the kind of curtain you would find on a big stage in a theater. The trees, the dirt, the ferns - everything around us began to lift up to reveal a blinding white light shining from beneath. As he lifted the curtain higher, the light grew and grew - until I realized that my eyes were actually beginning to open. I was starting to wake up from my dream. The light I saw shining beneath the curtain in my dream was actually sunlight streaming through a window in the room. The curtain that was being lifted was actually my eyelids beginning to open. As my eyes fully opened, I heard the jester whisper in my ear, “Welcome to the show.” And there I was, laying on a friend’s couch. My wife was sitting across from me, sunlight was streaming through the window and the birds outside sang their song." 🤓 Learn This Word Miegakure: is a Japanese word describing the practice of partially obscuring some garden elements from view, creating a sense of tension, forcing the viewer to move around the space to explore it, either physically or visually. ⏳ From The Archives A hand-picked classic HighExistence article. ​[A Poignant Comic on Why You Should Never, Never, Never Give Up](=)​ Of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are, “It might have been.” ― Kurt Vonnegut When you were younger… Did you ever have grand, ambitious dreams? What happened? Did you have fragile half-formed ideas that you felt would one day be strong enough to conquer the world? What happened? Did you ever experience that boundless sense of possibility? What happened? Do you still have those dreams, or did you leave them behind as you went forward through time? The following comic illustrated by Zen Pencils and written by concert pianist James Rhodes features an exploration of that soul-piercing question we often feel when we nostalgically gaze into our past: What happened? This won’t be a pleasant read, but it will be cathartic. As you go through each image in the comic, you’ll feel the razor drawing closer and closer to the threads that hold your excuses and rationalizations together. When you’re done reading, you will feel a sense of lightness. To quote Tyler Durden from Fight Club, “It’s only after we’ve lost everything that we’re free to do anything.” It’s time to let go of the things that prevented you to go after those things that used to be most important to you. ​[Continue Reading](=)​ 🏠Without A Home The next issue of our premium newsletter [Stairway To Wisdom](=) is coming out on Friday and we'll be diving into Evicted: Poverty and Profit in The American City by Matthew Desmond. =​ Here's just a taste of what's inside this book: “Most federal housing subsidies benefit families with six-figure incomes. If we are going to spend the bulk of our public dollars on the affluent - at least when it comes to housing - we should own up to that decision and stop repeating the politicians' canard about one of the richest countries on the planet being unable to afford doing more. If poverty persists in America, it is not for lack of resources." Want access when it's released on Friday plus 60+ 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](=)