How to use this book

It may seem obvious, but I'd like to explain the frame of mind that I think will help you the most when reading this book.

Ancient vs Modern Philosophy

Our modern idea of philosophy is wrong. We see philosophy as dry and academic, as the exposition of abstruse theoretical systems of thought that have absolutely no application in daily life. Philosophy today is dead and lifeless.

That's not what philosophy was in the ancient world...

My Biggest Discovery

When I first started studying ancient philosophy, I quickly realized that those philosophers weren't just talking about abstract, academic theories in the way we think of philosophy today. To the ancients, philosophy was a way of life.

What exactly does that mean? To be philosopher didn't mean to be an academic or teacher. It didn't mean to be someone that develops theories. In the past, many philosophers didn't develop any theories at all, never taught and never did any formal schooling. They simply lived a 'philosophical' lifestyle.

Their lifestyle set them apart from everyone else. They lived simply, modestly and as much as possible in a state of deep thought. One of the ways they did this was through regular spiritual exercises.

The ancient philosophers practiced a variety of spiritual exercises which today we would recognize as a form of active meditation. They would explore certain topics and ideas that were important to understanding the cosmos and remaining in the proper philosophical frame of mind. They would do this through spoken dialogues with others; in other words, actual conversations with other philosophers in which they would explore the nuances of philosophical concepts. They would also have internal dialogues with themselves, read regularly, write to themselves, engage in acts of the imagination to change their perspective and expand their world-view and they would explore the natural world to learn as much as possible about the true nature of things.

In order to gain the most from this book, you need to see this as one large spiritual exercise that you can embark on alongside me. I wrote it in bite-sized pieces because each idea is a topic for meditation, an idea to explore over and over until it becomes something you feel in your bones, deep inside you.

The goal of this book is to show you the intellectual journey that I went through to find a deeper meaning in my life and put myself at peace with my existence. These are the questions I posed to myself and the active meditations I performed (and still do in some way, every day).

This is the chain of ideas I discovered which helped me learn to live a more 'philosophical' life: a life not dedicated to external pursuits, but to the internal pursuit of developing my mind, improving my character and becoming a better person.

I learned these lessons (and am still learning them...) over years of struggle with self-doubt, confusion, financial stress, bankruptcy, eviction and medical crises. I suffered from an existential crisis for a long time, not knowing who I was or where I should go.

Spiritual Exercises

Each idea in here is presented several times, first in simple short forms then in more detailed forms and finally in the shortest forms possible.

Each concept is intended as a topic for contemplation and meditation. Many practitioners of mindfulness meditation like to make their minds 'empty'. This is obviously an excellent practice, but I find that mindfulness which actively probes into the nature of reality to be just as inspiring and uplifting. By using your mind as a 'beam of light', you can peer deep into the things that surround you.

I have avoided difficult academic language as much as possible. In order for something to be of practical use, it must be easily understood and remembered.

Repetition is key. I've found that I have to repeat these ideas over and over to myself, contemplate them, meditate on them and formulate them for myself over and over. As Epictetus said, these ideas must be 'at hand' always, so you can turn to them when you need them.

The best way to do that is to have a dialogue with yourself, write to yourself, find the way of expressing these ideas to yourself so that they are embedded deep in your mind.

I find that one of the best ways for me to truly learn something is to imagine I am explaining it to someone else. When I go on my photographic excursions, I typically walk through a forest, debating myself within my own head. My wife says she can see me talking to myself, silently moving my lips and waving my hands. I must look crazy!

But this is how I probe my thoughts for weakness, gaps and inconsistencies. This is how I make these ideas concrete, repeatable, and always 'at hand'.

Photography

Finally, I should explain the photography you'll find throughout this book. All are my original works, except for the mummy portrait (I wish I could see that in real life to take a portrait!).

One of my favorite forms of active meditation is to go on excursions in the forests, mountains and coastline of my home, the Pacific Northwest.

When I first started doing this, as I was hiking and contemplating things, I would come across a beautiful scene and snap a picture with my phone. Well...you can see where this eventually took me. Soon enough, the cell phone wasn't enough and I started upgrading to better and better 'real' cameras.

Before I knew it, I was going out with professional gear, and photographing in a serious way. I found that I could express certain philosophical concepts through imagery, as well as words. The photographs would capture the idea and help remind me of a concept. Photographs made concepts more 'real'. The images helped make those ideas have greater impact and served as reminders. From there my passion for photographing nature grew and grew.

Daily Practice

Although it's difficult to do this sort of practice daily, when I do, I find myself in a totally different frame of mind and better able to deal with the every day problems of life. I can change my perspective and observe life through the viewpoint of the cosmos.

I find I have the most luck when I set up triggers to remind me to meditate. For example, I have certain photographs and images that remind me of a concept and spur me to spend some time in contemplation.

Whenever I can, nothing beats a hike in the forest. When I have time I love to go out in the morning and spend some time walking and thinking. I find the rest of the day to have a different sort of energy from a normal day.

Other times, I simply leave a book by my nightstand so every night before I go to bed I see it and feel guilty if I don't read a little. Reading and re-reading classic works serves to reinforce the concepts and make them sink in.

Finally, I find writing and re-writing to be extremely effective for me. I keep a journal hidden away that I occassionally pick up and write in. But most importantly, I keep a note-taking app on my phone and jot down ideas and formulations as often as I can.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions, comments or would just like to say hi, please feel free to get in touch with me at:
hello@everythingisfullofgods.com

or on any of the usual social media tools (just search for Everything is Full of Gods and you should be able to find me)

I'd genuinely love to hear from you!

To see more of my photography go to:
www.everythingisfullofgods.com

When Antisthenes was asked what profit he had derived from philosophy he replied: "The ability to converse with myself".

—Diogenes Laertius