Does Life Nourish or Vampire?

John Moriarty and Everyday Grace

Hi guys!

I hope you enjoyed, or got something from my last essay. Essentially a call to lie down on the ground!

I have a mouthful of ulcers which is nice. OK, I exaggerate. Just one or two ulcers but it’s a sign that I’m run down. 

Luna was off school with a cold and a cough. She’s a force of nature and even ‘under the weather’ she’s running barefoot through Autumn.

Here’s a picture taken yesterday…

As she was bouncing around the park in her unconventional style - going up slides instead of down them and on the outside instead of in- I was thinking how lucky I was to get so much feedback on my writing.

When I get a direct message it’s an instant reminder that a lot of my readers are people that I know personally. Either as clients or friends. And often that line is blurred.

Some of you guys are on the Substack app and comment directly under the article. However, I think the majority of you don’t have the app, and read it direct from your email…is that true for you?

It’s all rather wonderful to hear from you either way. My writing seems to land in the most unexpected ways and I think that’s great. Writing finishes with the reader not the writer —as the powerhouse

Simon Haisell

likes to remind me.

Substack Notes

If you’re not on Substack, you won’t be getting the Notes I’ve been sharing so I thought I’d pop them here. They might be handy for one or two of you.

‘Notes’ are basically old-school Tweets or new-school Threads if you’ve migrated there.

I don’t think you’re missing anything by not being on Notes by the way,

There’s lots of amazing creative folks on there, but it’s just more noise to cipher at the end of the day.

My last few Notes I was passing on stuff people been recommended to me. Stuff that I’ve gotten a lot out of. So I thought it only fair to pass that stuff on to you guys! ❤️❤️❤️

✨Things like the Merlin app - which is a very friendly app for identifying birds. There’s a lot of love for this app and you can see why. It gets us outside and still. And stillness is always the answer. 🤍 🦜

http://merlinbirdid.com

Explore the world of birds with Merlin Bird ID!

✨ I also mentioned Spotify are running +300 free courses from their app until November- creative courses like how to use Procreate which I love but lots of other categories too 💚🎧

Today, not on Notes but here, I’m sharing, not an app this time, but my appreciation for one particular person.

I hope you love him half as much as I do!

He’s the greatest Irish thinker and writer that you’ve never heard of (yes some of you will have heard of him this is a place of deep thinkers after all but I’m confident most won’t have!).

He was brought into my awareness by fellow Irishman (and my standing meditation teacher

Mairtin mcnamara

) and his name is…

John Moriarty

Taken from us too soon, but he leaves behind a legacy of the richest of philosophy for our modern age.

I’ve written about him previously - way back in 2022! Was my writing better back then I wonder?? I feel like I may have gone downhill :/

I’m sure John won’t mind me saying that his books are nigh impenetrable. But only because he refused to compromise what he wanted to say. I think there’s a lesson in itself. Despite his publisher’s best efforts to get him to water down his writing, so as to appeal to a broader audience, he stuck to what he wanted to write…in the way that he wanted to write it

Fortunately there’s a decent amount of video and audio recordings of John. Just YouTube search his name.

I know philosophy is generally heady stuff but John lived his philosophy and I think he’s asking that of us too.

“Ask of your society, does it nourish me or does it vampire me?”

Definitely buy his books. Just don’t expect to digest them. Better to let the words wash over you and trust, by a process of osmosis, you’ll get what you need from his writing.

I can’t tell you how much he’s shaped my inner world. It’s even felt like he’s held my hand through tough periods over recent years.

I’m forever grateful for Mairtin’s generous spirit, who didn’t hesitate in pointing me in John’s direction.

Now, maybe with a little more hesitation than Mairtin, I’m pointing him in yours.

I hope you get your own tiny gems from this mighty, mighty thinker.

Let me know what you’re drawn to in his words or just what you’re up to this week.

Always chuffed to hear from you guys.

David. 💖