The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder • Streamed live 2 hours ago Happy Friday! Check out Sam’s conversation with Daniel Hunter, activist & co-author of the book What if Trump Wins?: An Interactive Pick-Your-Path Adventure. Check out Daniel’s book here: https://www.amazon.com/What-Trump-Win… Check out Daniel’s piece entitled “10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won”: https://wagingnonviolence.org/2024/11…
Monthly Archives: November 2024
Astrology Of December 2024 – Mars Goes Retrograde
(Astrobutterfly.com)
Can you believe it’s December? 2024 is coming to a close, and this month is packed with astrological surprises.
While we have quite a few planets changing direction this month, the key highlight is Mars retrograde in Leo. Mars only goes retrograde once every 2 years, so when it does, that’s quite a big deal.
Another reason why this Mars retrograde cycle is so important is that it is part of the unusually long, 6-month Mars-square-Pluto transit.
This is deep, intense restructuring work. It’s my will vs. collective will – as we’re being asked to learn the fine line between standing firm in our convictions and adapting to forces beyond our control.
At this Mars retrograde, we may feel powerless if we stubbornly stick to our guns, OR we can use this energy to regroup, readjust, and learn to swim with the tide rather than against it.
December 2024 also features the 2nd Jupiter-Saturn square, 2 mutable lunations – a New Moon in Sagittarius and a Full Moon in Gemini – that will stir shifting circumstances but also exciting opportunities, and a goal-oriented New Moon in Capricorn just before New Year’s Eve.
But let’s take a look at the most important transits of the month:
December 1st, 2024 – New Moon In Sagittarius
On December 1st, 2024, we have a New Moon at 9° Sagittarius. The New Moon is square Saturn in Pisces and trine Mars in Leo. The New Moon is also in a wide opposition orb with its ruler, Jupiter, now at 17° Gemini.
New Moons are times of new beginnings – when seeds are planted for the future.
At the New Moon in Sagittarius, the Mars motivational fuel is there, but we are second-guessing ourselves (square Saturn).
Should we go ahead? Should we plant the seed? The answer at a New Moon is always yes – because that’s what the New Moon does every month: it gets pregnant with new ideas, new possibilities, and new beginnings.
The seed planted at the New Moon in Sagittarius will require effort and perseverance. It will challenge your beliefs and comfort zone. Yet, it is something that will ultimately help you grow and move forward (Sagittarius).
December 7th, 2024 – Mars Goes Retrograde In Leo
On December 7th, 2024, Mars goes retrograde at 6° Leo.
This is a significant astrological event because it’s so rare. Mercury goes retrograde three times a year, most outer planets once a year, Venus every 18 months; Mars goes retrograde only every 26 months.
When Mars goes retrograde, what used to feel like the default way of being suddenly shifts. This often translates into a huge wake-up call or a sense of urgency to reexamine your direction and motivations. It’s no wonder Mars retrograde periods tend to be highly eventful.
Many people with an astrology background may try to make a point about not initiating major projects or making bold moves during Mars retrograde, yet they end up acting boldly anyway, because there’s such a sense of urgency about this transit.
Almost always, Mars retrograde brings a shift in perspective. Even when external circumstances remain unchanged, your inner motivation and approach will shift.
Shifts in perspective might sound like a Mercury thing, but are Mars at its essence. Mars is the planet of personal will. Mars and Venus are our neighboring planets, so we are influenced by them concretely and directly – more so than the distant outer planets.
How this might look like for you of course depends on your natal chart, but also on the more generic aspects, like the current Mars-Pluto opposition. For more details, keep an eye for Astro Butterfly’s Mars retrograde guide closer to the date.
December 7th, 2024 – Venus Enters Aquarius
On December 7th, 2024, Venus enters Aquarius.
If we used the phrase “Don’t hate what you don’t understand” in the context of Pluto in Aquarius, the Venus in Aquarius equivalent might be “Love what is different.”
Venus in Aquarius is a forward-thinking Venus – highly inclusive, and naturally drawn to what’s quirky, unique, and defies norms.
During Venus’ stay in this sign, we have the chance to get a taste of this energy: embrace something different, explore the unconventional, or approach familiar situations from a fresh angle, with a more open-minded attitude.
December 8th, 2024 – Neptune Goes Direct
On December 8th, 2024, Neptune goes direct at 27° Pisces.
If you have planets between 27-29 degrees (in any sign, but particularly the mutable signs of Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, or Sagittarius), this is the last time Neptune in Pisces will touch and activate those points in your chart.
Neptune is in its last degrees of Pisces. We won’t have much longer of Neptune in its domicile sign – so let’s make the best of it.
As it changes direction, what is Neptune in Pisces whispering to you? What magic, invitation, longing, subtlety, serendipity, or dream is it trying to reveal?
Many associate Neptune transits with illusion, but there’s much more to Neptune than that.
Yes, a Neptune transit might feel like an illusion if we judge it solely from the 3D perspective. If we dream of a unicorn, Neptune in Pisces – or any other planet, for that matter – won’t magically deliver it to our door.
But that’s not what Neptune is here for. Neptune is here to infuse us with a sense of possibility, a vision, a feeling – something that can lead us to places we’ve never been before.
What is Neptune in Pisces whispering to you, like a mermaid calling from the sea?
What does its foggy presence ask you to stop holding onto – because it’s outdated, irrelevant, or no longer serving you? What distant dream or forgotten memory does its mist stir within you, inviting you to explore what could be?
December 15th, 2024 – Full Moon In Gemini
On December 15th, 2024, we have a Full Moon at 23° Gemini. The Full Moon is square Neptune in Pisces. Mercury, the ruler of the Full Moon, is in Sagittarius, about to turn direct. Unexpected turns of events may initially leave you confused, making you second-guess your options.
The Full Moon in Gemini reminds us of the 7 of Cups Tarot card, where someone stands in front of different cups floating on a cloud. Each cup holds a different item – like a dragon, jewels, snake, or a castle.
These Full Moon in Gemini options can be the “shiny object syndrome” OR real opportunities – ones that may not initially look like what you thought you wanted but turn out to be great solutions or workarounds to problems or areas where you felt stuck.
The Full Moon in Gemini is an invitation to reconsider your options and explore new perspectives. Remember that Gemini is a dual sign.
Every decision or scenario has another side to it, and your perspective might shift when you consider the opposite view. Sometimes, what seems like an illusion can be even better than the real thing.
December 16th, 2024 – Mercury Goes Direct
On December 16th, 2024, Mercury goes direct at 6° Sagittarius, just in time for the holiday season.
This has not been the easiest Mercury retrograde; Mercury formed tense aspects to Saturn and Neptune in Pisces, and Jupiter in Gemini. Lifestyle changes, unexpected travel, or other disruptions may have tested our adaptability muscle.
But we’ve made it. Yes, as Mercury moves direct, it will again pass through the same area of Sagittarius that squares the planets in Pisces and opposes Jupiter in Gemini. BUT – by now, we know what needs fixing. We know what we need to do.
December 21st, 2024 – Sun Enters Capricorn
On December 21st, 2024, the Sun enters Capricorn. Happy birthday to all Capricorns out there!
This is that time of the year when we naturally become more retrospective, take stock of the past, get organized, and regain our mojo and determination to move forward.
December 24th, 2024 – Jupiter Square Saturn
On December 24th, 2024, we have the 2nd Jupiter-Saturn square at 14° Gemini and Pisces. Jupiter and Saturn, the social planets, remind us of larger societal and structural themes. The square is unlikely to affect our holiday mood, but it may interfere with our long-term goals or logistical plans.
There’s been so much mutable energy this month, so it’s not like we’re unfamiliar with the ‘winds of change.’ But this feels a bit different – more structural. There’s a growing awareness of the moving pieces and the foundational pillars in our lives that need an upgrade.
If in December you’ve found yourself thinking: “Damn, I got stuck in traffic again and was late for work,” or “I couldn’t make it to my friend’s birthday because she lives on the other side of town,” or “Why is everything so inconvenient right now?” – perhaps what needs to change is not just the details but something deeper and more structural.
Maybe it’s time to consider moving to a more practical location. Or finding a job that aligns better with your lifestyle. Or reassessing your priorities altogether. The Jupiter-Saturn square will bring awareness to what truly needs changing – the foundational moving pieces that dictate all the smaller details of your life.
December 30th, 2024 – New Moon In Capricorn
On December 30th, 2024, we have a New Moon at 9° Capricorn. What perfect timing for New Year’s resolutions!
More often than not, the New Moon in Capricorn occurs after Dec. 31st, which means that our New Year’s resolutions are seeded during the Sagittarius lunar season, rather than the Capricorn one. This explains the enthusiasm – but also the occasional lack of practicality and follow-through.
However, when we set our New Year’s resolutions during the Capricorn lunar season, we are much more likely to achieve them.
The New Moon is almost unaspected, apart from a wide-ish sextile to its ruler, Saturn, now at 14° Pisces – we have free will, with just enough support from structure and discipline to guide us forward.
December 30th, 2024 – Chiron Goes Direct
On December 30th, 2024, Chiron goes direct at 19° Aries. Chiron’s change in direction and the New Moon in Capricorn are an invitation to break free from the status quo and do what needs doing.
Chiron is often associated with healing, but it’s more than that. Chiron is that dull ache in our soul that questions our narrative and pushes us to seek something deeper, more meaningful.
The timing of Chiron stationing direct just before the new year couldn’t be more fitting. This is an opportunity to leave the past behind, let go of what 2024 brought, and start again.
Just as Chiron is half-human, half-God – a bridge between the mortal and the divine – we too are crossing a threshold. As we step into the new year, we have the opportunity to create something more meaningful and aligned with our deeper purpose.
Weekly Invitational Translation: Low information voters can screw everything up and still feel self-righteous.
Translation is a 5-step process of “straight thinking in te abstract” comparing and contrasting what you think is the truth with what you can syllogistically, axiomatically and mathematically (using word equations) prove is the truth.
The claims in a Translation may seem outrageous, but they are always (or should always be) based on self-evident syllogistic reasoning. Here is one Translation from this week.
1) Truth is that which is so. That which is not truth is not so. Therefore truth is all that is. Truth being all is therefore complete, therefore thorough, therefore exact, therefore perfect. I think therefore I am. Since I am and since truth is all that is, therefore I am truth. Since I, being, am truth, therefore I, being, have all the attributes of truth. Therefore I, being, am all, complete, thorough, exact, perfect. Since I am truth and since I am mind (self-evident), therefore truth is mind. (Two things equal to a third thing are equal to each other.)
2) Low information voters can screw everything up and still feel self-righteous.
Word-tracking:
information: knowledge, acknowledge, admit, allow, let, leave, love
vote: vow, desire, choose
screw up: mismanage, disrupt
manage: to be in charge, to govern, to be responsible for
self-righteous: sense of moral superiority
3) Truth being all therefore one there is no inferior or superior since there is no other. Therefore the oneness of truth precludes self-righteousness. Truth being one, there can be no government or responsibility outside of truth, therefore truth is self-governing OR truth is responsible for itself. Truth being one and choice implying two or more options, therefore truth is the only option. Truth being consciousness and truth being all, therefore limitless or infinite, therefore truth is infinite consciousness. Consciousness being knowing or acknowledging or admitting or allowing or giving leave to or loving, therefore infinite consciousness is infinite loving.
4) The oneness of truth precludes self-righteousness.
Truth is self-governing OR truth is responsible for itself.
Truth is the only option.
Truth is infinite consciousness.
Infinite consciousness is infinite loving.
5) Infinite consciousness is infinite loving.
For information about Translation or other Prosperos classes go to: https://www.theprosperos.org/teaching.
“My therapist suggested it might be diamonds.”
by Joan Baez
July 22, 2024
I used to think the alternative to black and white
must be gray. To avoid living a dull life,
I dressed in black and white,
I thought in black and white—
not just good or bad, mind you,
but perfect or damned
gifted or worthless
ethereal or demonic
emblazoned or cast out.
I scoffed at anything average
and avoided middle ground—
you know, The Gray Area.
As a result, I let slip most of my life.
I was chronically anxious, insomniac,
promiscuous, multiphobic, depressed,
hypervigilant, and, luckily, immensely talented.
I had antennae that could turn corners ahead of me,
protect me from the mortal danger of, say,
eating dinner in a restaurant
or making a new friend—
you know, The Gray Area.
When I was half a century old, I tore off the antennae
and turned my life over
to a power greater than myself—
which by that point could have been
a toothpick.
I pitched myself into a sea of memories
and headed blindly like a hoodwinked shark
for the marrow of the inner core me;
I pictured pustules of venom but
my therapist suggested it might be diamonds.
For months, I thrashed about,
recording dreams, grasping for clues,
fighting for my life and the life of my son.
When I came up for air from my flailing,
I began to see shards of color.
Slowly, I began to see my life was
sanctified, matchless,
and I would trade it for no other.
I should not have been shocked to find that
a diamond was in fact the core of me.
I continued to scrape off tenacious parasites.
I discovered that sorrow is an ocean,
fury is blue, pain is my companion,
but love had not been smashed to bits
so badly as to not be mendable,
like a gypsy violin
crushed beneath a Nazi boot.
I needed patience and an artisan.
My therapists became my artisans.
People around me
unearthed the gems I had been promised
and held my heart
in their cradling hands
as I split up into a hundred pieces,
a hundred bright souls
sorting out their places in a dazzling necklace
taking in and reflecting sunlight,
working to mend me,
to help me survive my deliverance
and transcend my survival.
Joan Baez is a dynamic force of nature whose commitment to music and social activism has earned global recognition, ranging from induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to the Ambassador of Conscience Award, Amnesty International’s highest honor. Retired from active performing since 2019, Baez appeared in the 2023 documentary Joan Baez: I Am a Noise, which premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival, and that same year published the acclaimed book of drawings Am I Pretty When I Fly?
Photo by Ramona Rosales
From When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance. Published by Godine
Joan Baez — “This Gift of a Voice”
Image from Chicago Humanities 2024 – David T. Kindler © All Rights Reserved.
“Hope is a muscle.”
Link to audio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/joan-baez-this-gift-of-a-voice/id150892556?i=1000678307988
She is known as the voice of a generation. The Queen of Folk. A legend. An icon, the one who sang “We Shall Overcome” alongside Martin Luther King Jr. at the 1963 March on Washington. As much as anyone, Joan Baez embodied the spirit of that decade of soaring dreams and songs and dramas set in motion that echo through this world of ours. Meanwhile, her love affair with a young Minnesota singer-songwriter calling himself Bob Dylan, whose career she pivotally helped launch, is also reentering the public imagination with a big new movie. And her classic heartbreak hit about him, “Diamonds and Rust,” is topping global charts anew.
But Joan Baez at 83 is so much more intriguing than her projection as a legend. She grew up the daughter of a Mexican physicist father and a Scottish mother in a seemingly idyllic family. But even at the height of her fame, she was struggling mightily with mysterious interior demons. She and her beloved sisters finally reckoned in midlife with a truth of abuse they had buried, even in memory, at great cost. She has reckoned with fracture inside herself and been on an odyssey of wholeness. She is frank and funny, irreverent and wise. Among other gifts, she offers a refreshing way in to what it means to sing and live the reality of “overcoming,” personal and civilizational.
Krista spoke with Joan on stage at the 2024 Chicago Humanities Festival.
Joan Baez published her first (wonderful) book of poetry at the age of 83: When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance. She was one of the leading artists of the 1960s folk revival, and brought her voice to the Civil Rights and anti-war movements of that decade. She performed for over 60 years, releasing more than 30 albums. She has won scores of awards and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017. In addition to her poetry, she has published a book of drawings, Am I Pretty When I Fly?: An Album of Upside Down Drawings, and painted a series of portraits called Mischief Makers. You can find the links for her books here.
Find the transcript for this show at onbeing.org.
______
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(onbeing@substack.com)
Word-Built World: titman
Photo: Nikchick
A.Word.A.Daywith Anu Garg
titman
PRONUNCIATION:
MEANING:
noun:
1. The smallest or weakest in a group, such as the runt of a litter.
2. A person of short stature, physically or metaphorically.
ETYMOLOGY:
From tit (any of various small birds), short for titmouse + man. Earliest documented use: 1807.
From Chaos to Clarity: The Revolutionary Power of Being Alone
Why taking time for yourself is the ultimate rebellion against modern life.
NOV 27, 2024
When I was 17, my best friend Clark Stinson and I hauled two 12-foot tepees and a hundred pounds of dried food a 3-day walk deep into the Chippewa National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, setting them up on opposite sides of a small lake. We brought a few books on spirituality and spent three months mostly meditating; three days of each week we practiced total silence, writing to each other on slates with chalk. I wrote about it in my autobiography The Prophet’s Way: it was one of the most liberating and enlightening experiences of my life.
Here’s something that might surprise you: some of the world’s most brilliant minds — from Bill Gates to Georgia O’Keeffe — have one fascinating habit in common. Like Clark and me, they deliberately spend time alone. Not because they’re antisocial, but because they’ve discovered something powerful about solitude that most of us have forgotten in our hyperconnected world.
Let’s get something straight right away: being alone isn’t the same as being lonely. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. While our Surgeon General has warned about the dangers of loneliness in America (comparing it to smoking in terms of health risks), choosing to spend time alone might be one of the most powerful tools we have for mental health and creativity.
Think about it this way: your brain is like a computer that’s constantly running multiple programs — social interactions, work tasks, family responsibilities, and the endless ping of notifications. When do you ever give it a chance to close all those programs and reboot?
That’s where solitude comes in. It’s like hitting the refresh button on your mental browser when it’s got too many tabs open.
But here’s the crucial part that changes everything: it has to be your choice. Forced isolation (like being stuck at home with an injury) isn’t the same as choosing to spend a Saturday afternoon hiking alone or deciding to take a solitary lunch break to recharge. The power lies in the choice.
Recent science is backing up what philosophers and artists have known for centuries. When researchers studied people’s emotional states, they found something fascinating: time alone helps us process strong emotions in a way that being with others simply can’t match. It’s like having an emotional clearing house, where we can sort through our feelings without the pressure of managing someone else’s reactions too.
And creativity? That’s where solitude really shines. When you’re alone, your mind is free to wander down unexplored paths without anyone else’s expectations or judgments getting in the way. It’s no wonder studies have found that people who choose solitude tend to be more creative.
But here’s the million-dollar question: how much alone time do we need? Well, that’s like asking how much coffee someone needs — it’s deeply personal. Some people thrive on substantial doses of solitude, while others need just a little to feel refreshed. The key is finding your own sweet spot.
Interestingly, age plays a role too. If you’re in your twenties and find solitude challenging, you’re not alone — research shows younger adults often struggle with being alone. But here’s the good news: like a fine wine, our appreciation for solitude tends to improve with age. By the time people reach their senior years, many have discovered the peaceful joy of chosen alone time.
Want to make the most of your solitude? Here’s what works:
First, treat it like a date with yourself — plan something specific rather than just drifting aimlessly. Maybe it’s that book you’ve been meaning to read, or finally trying that watercolor set gathering dust in your drawer.
Second, choose calming activities. Research shows that gentle, mindful activities like gardening, walking, or reading work best. Think of it as giving your brain a spa day rather than taking it to a rock concert.
And perhaps most importantly — put down your phone. Social media during solitude is like trying to meditate at a party — it defeats the purpose. Give yourself permission to truly disconnect.
Remember, you’re not being antisocial by seeking solitude — you’re following in the footsteps of some of humanity’s greatest thinkers and creators. In our world of constant connection, choosing to be alone might just be one of the most powerful decisions you can make for your mental health and creativity.
So the next time someone asks why you’re spending time alone, you can tell them you’re not just taking a break — you’re giving your brain the gift it needs most: the freedom to simply be.
Can curiosity heal division?
Scott Shigeoka | TED@BCG
• September 2024
Curiosity is about seeking what unites us rather than clinging to what divides us, says author and curiosity expert Scott Shigeoka. Drawing on his research into fostering connection and healing division, he shares what he learned traveling across the US meeting people with views opposing his own — and shows why recognizing our shared humanity begins with getting curious.
TED is supported by ads and partners
About the speaker
The Radical Power of Gratitude to Rewire Your Brain and Life
Science proves that daily appreciation can dismantle stress, amplify joy, and create lasting mental wealth…
| THOM HARTMANN NOV 27, 2024 |
Practicing daily gratitude is a habit I picked up from my spiritual mentor, Gottfried Müller; when Louise and I took a long hike through the trails of Forest Park here in Portland yesterday, for example, we stopped a few times to look around at the forest and just notice what an amazing world we live in and then to say “thank you” to all the life around us.
Every day, when we take our daily walk, we do this. Sometimes it’s our amazement at the clouds or the geese or the river or just the fact that we’re alive. I think of what my parents or my deceased brother would give for just a few minutes of what I’m experiencing and it fills me with awe and appreciation.
And I’m so grateful to you for reading and sharing my writings. You’ve helped built a real and meaningful community both here on Substack and on the radio/TV. Thank you!
I always suspected that this daily practice of gratitude helped keep me sane in these insane times, but now I’ve discovered there’s actual science behind the mental health impacts of it.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, science is revealing that our annual tradition of giving thanks might be more powerful than we ever imagined. Research shows that expressing gratitude doesn’t just make us feel good momentarily — it actually reshapes our brains in ways that enhance our well-being long after the holiday dishes are cleared away.
When you take a moment to count your blessings, your brain releases dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that create feelings of pleasure and contentment. It’s like turning on a happiness switch in your mind.
But what’s really fascinating is that this isn’t just a temporary boost — these moments of thankfulness create a positive feedback loop, training your brain to look for more reasons to be grateful.
Brain imaging studies have captured this process in action. When people express gratitude, they activate the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s command center for decision-making and emotional regulation.
This triggers a cascade of beneficial effects, including sharper attention and increased motivation. Think of it like building a muscle — the more you exercise gratitude, the stronger these neural pathways become, making it progressively easier to access positive emotions.
Perhaps even more remarkable is gratitude’s effect on stress. When you focus on appreciation, your brain actually dials down the production of cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone. This helps explain why grateful people often seem more resilient in the face of life’s challenges — their brains are literally wired to handle stress better.
But the benefits don’t stop there.
Research conducted at Indiana University found that practicing gratitude can actually change the structure of your brain, particularly in areas linked to empathy and emotional processing.
It’s as if giving thanks regularly renovates your brain’s emotional architecture, creating lasting improvements in how you process experiences and relate to others.
These changes ripple out into nearly every aspect of life. People who practice gratitude regularly report sleeping better, probably because they’re replacing anxious thoughts with appreciative ones before bedtime.
They tend to have stronger relationships, likely because gratitude activates brain regions involved in social bonding and empathy. Many even report improvements in their ability to solve problems and think creatively, suggesting that a thankful mind is also a more flexible one.
Want to harness these benefits for yourself?
Science suggests several effective approaches. Keeping a gratitude journal helps reinforce positive neural pathways, training your brain to focus on the good in your life. Expressing appreciation to others not only strengthens your relationships but also activates reward centers in your brain.
Even simply pausing throughout the day — my favorite practice — to notice and appreciate positive moments can help reshape your neural circuitry.
The most encouraging aspect of this research is that gratitude’s effects appear to be cumulative and long-lasting. Studies have found that people who regularly practice gratitude experience positive changes in brain function that persist months after they begin the practice. It’s like compound interest for your emotional well-being — small investments in gratitude today can yield increasing returns over time.
As your brain becomes more adept at recognizing and appreciating positive experiences, you may find yourself naturally adopting a more optimistic outlook on life. This isn’t about ignoring life’s challenges or pretending everything is perfect. Rather, it’s about training your brain to maintain a sense of appreciation even while acknowledging difficulties.
So this Thanksgiving, as you share what you’re grateful for around the holiday table, remember that you’re doing more than participating in a cherished tradition.
You’re engaging in a scientifically validated practice that can transform your brain and enhance your well-being. Each expression of thanks is like a small deposit in your neurological bank account, building toward a richer, more appreciative way of experiencing life.
In a world that often seems designed to highlight what’s wrong, cultivating gratitude might be one of the most powerful tools we have for training our brains to notice what’s right. And that’s something truly worth being thankful for.
Oliver Sacks on Gratitude, the Measure of Living, and the Dignity of Dying
By Maria Popova (themarginalian.org)
“Living has yet to be generally recognized as one of the arts,” proclaimed a 1924 guide to the art of living. That one of the greatest scientists of our time should be one of our greatest teacher in that art is nothing short of a blessing for which we can only be grateful — and that’s precisely what Oliver Sacks (July 9, 1933–August 30, 2015), a Copernicus of the mind and a Dante of medicine who turned the case study into a poetic form, became over the course of his long and fully lived life.
In his final months, Dr. Sacks reflected on his unusual existential adventure and his courageous dance with death in a series of lyrical New York Times essays, posthumously published in the slim yet enormously enchanting book Gratitude (public library), edited by his friend and assistant of thirty years, Kate Edgar, and his partner, the writer and photographer Bill Hayes.
Oliver Sacks by Bill Hayes
In the first essay, titled “Mercury,” he follows in the footsteps of Henry Miller, who considered the measure of a life well lived upon turning eighty three decades earlier. Dr. Sacks writes:
Last night I dreamed about mercury — huge, shining globules of quicksilver rising and falling. Mercury is element number 80, and my dream is a reminder that on Tuesday, I will be 80 myself.
Elements and birthdays have been intertwined for me since boyhood, when I learned about atomic numbers. At 11, I could say “I am sodium” (Element 11), and now at 79, I am gold.
[…]
Eighty! I can hardly believe it. I often feel that life is about to begin, only to realize it is almost over.
Having almost died at forty-one while being chased by a white bull in a Norwegian fjord, Dr. Sacks considers the peculiar grace of having lived to old age:
I am sorry I have wasted (and still waste) so much time; I am sorry to be as agonizingly shy at 80 as I was at 20; I am sorry that I speak no languages but my mother tongue and that I have not traveled or experienced other cultures as widely as I should have done.
Oliver Sacks by Bill Hayes
But pushing up from beneath the wistful self-awareness is Dr. Sacks’s fundamental buoyancy of spirit. Echoing George Eliot on the life-cycle of happiness and Thoreau on the greatest gift of growing older, he writes:
Oliver Sacks by Bill Hayes
In another essay, titled “My Own Life” and penned shortly after learning of his terminal cancer diagnosis at the age of eighty-one, Dr. Sacks reckons with the potentiality of living that inhabits the space between him and his death:
“I now reckon upon a speedy dissolution,” he wrote. “I have suffered very little pain from my disorder; and what is more strange, have, notwithstanding the great decline of my person, never suffered a moment’s abatement of my spirits. I possess the same ardour as ever in study, and the same gaiety in company.”
Gliding his mind’s eye over one of Hume’s most poignant lines — “It is difficult to be more detached from life than I am at present.” — Dr. Sacks considers the paradoxical way in which detachment becomes an instrument of presence:
On the contrary, I feel intensely alive, and I want and hope in the time that remains to deepen my friendships, to say farewell to those I love, to write more, to travel if I have the strength, to achieve new levels of understanding and insight.
Oliver Sacks by Wendy MacNaughton for Brain Pickings
Such intensity of aliveness, Dr. Sacks observes, requires a deliberate distancing from the existentially inessential things with which we fill our daily lives — petty arguments, politics, the news. With his characteristic mastery of nuance, he points to a crucial distinction:
Decades after his beloved aunt Lennie taught him about dying with dignity and courage, Dr. Sacks lets this lesson come abloom in his own life. True to the defining enchantment of his books, he turns his luminous prose inward, then outward, and in a passage that calls to mind William Faulkner’s sublime living obituary, he exits this world — the world of writing and the world of life, for the two were always one for Dr. Sacks — with a breathtaking epitaph for himself:
Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.
Gratitude is a bittersweet and absolutely beautiful read in its entirety. Complement it with Dr. Sacks on the life-saving power of music, the strange psychology of writing, and his story of love, lunacy, and a life fully lived, then revisit my remembrance of Dr. Sacks’s singular spirit.