Inklings Bruce Sanguin's blog

Being and doing: a false dichotomy? It’s common to hear spiritual seekers berate themselves for “doing” and not “being”. What exactly does this mean though? To most people it means sitting quietly, not having to be busy, and not distracting themselves with activity. Which I get. Compulsively being on the move as a defence against … Read more

To live your own life is not selfish. The theme of this website, Live Your Own Life, can be misconstrued as a life of selfishness. Or the exertion of a heroic will to make things go the way mainstream culture has told us will make us happy. This is always in the direction of increased … Read more

I Am One with the Mess I mentioned in my last blog that I’d been reading Krishnamurti. “The observed is the observer”. Huh? This is a repeated teaching. Here’s my best shot at what he means. What we observe, the world as it is, is pretty much a shit show of corruption, violence, greed, etc. … Read more

Suffering is inevitable. Misery is optional. Ending unnecessary suffering is the trick to becoming human. I recently emerged from a dark night of the soul. That’s what John of the Cross (15th – 16th century) called the suffering of the soul’s purification en route to union with God. The dark night is a time of … Read more

Psychedelic Therapy The purpose of psychedelic psychotherapy is to deepen the capacity for connection between the patient and the therapist. Individuals utilize psychedelics for various purposes. These include: gaining direct insight into the nature of reality; exploring their subconscious; enhancing creativity; and enjoying recreational experiences at social gatherings or in natural settings. All valid. I’ve … Read more

Virtue signalling is a failure to be an individual. Most political opinion postings on social media these days are little more than virtue signalling. Here’s a working definition that I picked up from the internet: “The public expression of opinions or sentiments intended to demonstrate one’s good character or social conscience or the moral correctness … Read more

Taylor Sheridan is making good TV. I watched the series, The Mayor of Kingstown and loved its gritty, dystopian tone. Then I watched two of his other filmsYellowstone and the prequel 1883. I loved Yellowstone and I hate it when prequels are lame. So it took me a minute to garner the courage to watch … Read more

Who would you be if you were to stop trying so hard? Many who come to see me expect lots of homework between sessions. They have a problem that they want fixed. Obviously there is something wrong with them, and they think I’m in the self-improvement business. When I tell them that there’s actually nothing … Read more

The hardest part of recovering from failures of love in childhood is breaking through psychological denial. Denial is a defence against reality. It’s purpose is to keep us from seeing and feeling the truth of how we were being treated in the past and in the present. Ego and denial are synonymous. Ego is the … Read more

Self-pity is not self-compassion. Self-pity can become a go-to posture when things are not going our way. It is a feeling that life is conspiring against us. Even our loved ones are treating us unfairly. The boss is being a dick. It’s all too much to take. It’s not fair. And it’s entirely possible that … Read more