Find meditation really boring? You’re not the only one
Other practices like sermons, yoga and retreats can also trigger ‘spiritual boredom’. Here’s why it’s normal and even useful
by Thomas Goetz
Transcend
Finding meaning, wonder and spirituality
Confessions of a teenage fundamentalist
My world was dark and scary. But beautiful things crept in, and threats of hell just couldn’t compete
by Liz Boltz Ranfeld
Complexity science can deepen your mindfulness practice
What if ‘stress reduction’ is the least interesting thing mindfulness does? Complexity science offers new ways forward
by Pavel Chvykov
Guides
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How to plan a pilgrimage
Whether religious or not, you can undertake a special, meaningful kind of journey that could leave you changed forever
by Oliver Smith
How to think about the sublime
An exquisite mix of fear and awe, pleasure and pain, the sublime stretches the imagination and reveals the limits of reason
by Nicole A Hall
Popular
Complexity science can deepen your mindfulness practice
What if ‘stress reduction’ is the least interesting thing mindfulness does? Complexity science offers new ways forward
by Pavel Chvykov
Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind
To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing
by Michael Uebel
We can live well, even though we don’t have a higher purpose
The novelist and poet Ursula K Le Guin shows we can reject nihilism and naive optimism by practising our collective freedom
by Alexis Shotwell
African proverbs provide the blueprint for a meaningful life
Incorporating ancient African wisdom into wellbeing interventions could push positive psychology beyond its Western roots
by Richard Appiah
Psychedelics are philosophical tools for demolishing assumptions
By shaking up our sense of how things are, substances like LSD or psilocybin have the potential to promote deep learning
by David J Blacker
Is modern asceticism about conformity or quiet revolution?
From detoxes to slow food, today’s asceticism is often about fitting in. But we can rediscover its transformative power
by Iryna Mykhailova
How to plan a pilgrimage
Whether religious or not, you can undertake a special, meaningful kind of journey that could leave you changed forever
by Oliver Smith
Monet understood the elusive power of a place’s atmosphere
The gist of a scene or place can subtly alter our very sense of being, an affecting quality captured by Monet’s paintings
by Pablo Fernandez Velasco
Popular
View allComplexity science can deepen your mindfulness practice
What if ‘stress reduction’ is the least interesting thing mindfulness does? Complexity science offers new ways forward
by Pavel Chvykov
Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind
To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing
by Michael Uebel
We can live well, even though we don’t have a higher purpose
The novelist and poet Ursula K Le Guin shows we can reject nihilism and naive optimism by practising our collective freedom
by Alexis Shotwell
African proverbs provide the blueprint for a meaningful life
Incorporating ancient African wisdom into wellbeing interventions could push positive psychology beyond its Western roots
by Richard Appiah
Notes to self
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Videos
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To become more attuned to the world around you, try sketching outdoors
Video by The Museum of Modern Art
Born of memory and mystery – the otherworldly works of a self-taught, unhoused artist
Reignite your creative fire with blackout poetry – the art of framing what’s already there
An Aboriginal painter depicts scenes from her youth in this beautiful short
This sculptor finds deep weirdness – not divinity – in the human form
The barbarians are at the gates in this electric Laurie Anderson performance
Beauty is woven into everyday life for the quilters of the American West
Monet understood the elusive power of a place’s atmosphere
The gist of a scene or place can subtly alter our very sense of being, an affecting quality captured by Monet’s paintings
by Pablo Fernandez Velasco
A life-saving boredom
For years, I sought to escape my own mind. Once I became fascinated by it, getting high lost its allure
by Rafael Frumkin
African proverbs provide the blueprint for a meaningful life
Incorporating ancient African wisdom into wellbeing interventions could push positive psychology beyond its Western roots
by Richard Appiah
We can live well, even though we don’t have a higher purpose
The novelist and poet Ursula K Le Guin shows we can reject nihilism and naive optimism by practising our collective freedom
by Alexis Shotwell
The birthday gift
In the Soviet Union, you’d never wish someone ‘S dnem rozhdeniya!’ without a proper present
by Margarita Gokun Silver
Is modern asceticism about conformity or quiet revolution?
From detoxes to slow food, today’s asceticism is often about fitting in. But we can rediscover its transformative power
by Iryna Mykhailova
Psychedelics are philosophical tools for demolishing assumptions
By shaking up our sense of how things are, substances like LSD or psilocybin have the potential to promote deep learning
by David J Blacker
Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind
To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing
by Michael Uebel
Hollywood’s fixation on the wrong stories won’t help our world
Today’s global problems are caused by broken systems, but the studios still feed us a diet of movies focused on individuals
by Namir Khaliq
The ‘panzoic effect’: the benefits of thinking about alien life
Reflecting on the potential for extraterrestrial life can inspire awe and have a profound effect on your worldview
by Graham Lau
Circles possess a defiant beauty in the abstract works of Howardena Pindell
Directed by César Martínez Barba
How to make your life feel more meaningful
Existential psychology offers specific ways to find meaning, giving you a buffer against despair in these anxious times
by Steven Heine
Cultural taboos arise from a basic feature of the human mind
Unquestioned community rules on marriage, dining and even black cats often stem from our hunger to explain random events
by Kevin (Ze) Hong
Social comparison is driving us to despair. It doesn’t have to
In the social media age, it seems impossible not to measure ourselves against others – but we can dodge the worst pitfalls
by Wojciech Kaftański
Losing her eyesight, a painter’s art evolves with the way she sees the world
Directed by Liberty Smith
Ride along on a road trip suffused with LSD, petty theft and true love
Directed by Aric Allen