space & silence

In a world of constant noise and distraction, we have forgotten the value of silence and solitude. We are constantly bombarded with information, from the news to social media to the latest gossip.

This constant stimulation adds stress, anxiety, and overload. wonder | wander | world pick of the week recommends the words and sage advice of author and podcaster Cal Newport of The Deep Life Movement.

photograph by Natalia Swarz

We need to create space in our lives for silence and solitude. This doesn't mean that we have to live in a cave or give up all forms of technology. But it does mean that we need to be mindful of how much information we consume and how much time we spend interacting with others.

When we make time for silence and solitude, we give ourselves a chance to relax, recharge, and reconnect with ourselves. We can start to see the world in a new light and come up with new ideas. We can also develop a deeper sense of peace and contentment.

It's not easy to create space for silence and solitude in our busy lives. But it's worth it. It's the only way we can truly find peace and happiness. ~ Cal Newport, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

all hallow tide

The triduum of Allhallowtide - All Saints’ Eve (Halloween, Oct 31), All Saints’ Day (Nov 1), and All Souls’ Day (Nov 2) brings much to the fore. Death. Transformation. Letting go.

The state of bardo is magnified and multiplied. Stumbling in the mystical mists that are intermediate, transitional, liminal - suspended in a state between death and rebirth.

Dia de los Muertes - Day od the Dead

Autumn is the ideal season here in the east coast - lifting Spirit with its gorgeous and vibrant palette. Vivid reds, golden oranges, bright yellows, verdant greens. Chakra colors - root red, sacral orange, solar plexus yellow, heart green. Universal, centered - core colors within as all around.

wild hearted

Nature and wilderness have so many gifts to enrich ourselves and our lives. At the 2023 Nature Summit over thirty enthusiasts and leaders include us in these important conversations - sharing their experience and expertise so generously.

With crucial questions to address today: 

• What important lessons does nature have to teach us?
• How do we connect with the healing power of the natural world?
• How do we love the Earth, draw inspiration from its beauty and protect it in times of crisis?

free online nature summit - May 9 to 15, 2023

We are offered a different alternative. lose the fun flimsy fantasy of certainty and liberate the self from the need to control or predict what matters to us.

Even deconstructing the illusion of self as the individual to make it like a noun - letting go and letting the verb emerge. To be.

We are as an interconnected whole - be how we live in massively connected processes. Inter-connected. Intra-connected.

Freeing ourselves. Letting love emerge. Returning to our true nature.

life affirming life

We celebrate our two Taurian bookends in April - the eldest and youngest family members of our clan. The traditional way we pamper and show our love is with food.

siblings & cousins gathered together

Home cooked or finely catered - intimate family meal or wild grand fiesta - it's best declared with comfort food and a festive feel.

Since our father turned 80 it's become a tradition for the whole family to gather at home and spend the whole month celebrating these bonus years together.

as the day ends, we gather together to celebrate

For adults and kids alike we all hang out - mostly around the table or sala, chattering away about any and every thing.

We come and go, see friends, meet strangers, eat out, dine in, fling open doors and invite them all to gather with us in celebration of life - up, down, all around.

sunset skies ablaze

Now that the home compound is full house - we cross over through each other's homes. Sharing time, company, food, and conversation.

It is a rowdy and joyous gathering, packed with activities and overlapping timelines. Planning, chatting, or quietly sitting around - it does not matter.

new dawn panganod (cumulonimbus) clouds

We enjoy hanging out together - spilling over into normally empty rooms and areas. Making space.

Reverting back to a simpler time. Making the time to spend together. No schedule, no agenda.

Rest seems like a nice contrast to stress but enthusiasm always reigns over all else.

hang out time - the best of life

parody of life

wonder | wander | world is immersed in a deepening all-encompassing cycle of life and death. As our elders live bonus years in their 90s and 80s we celebrate our 66th and 43rd birthdays. Multi generations in life's second, third, and fourth acts. 

In a culture that dreads the inevitability of aging - treats it like a disease to be cured with potions and regimens, anesthetizes it with botox and silence - forgetting that growing old is a tremendous privilege not given to most. 

@wwwomen decades ago

Hardly questioning imposed external ageism obsessions with cosmetics and cosmetic surgery come by what scholar Kathleen Woodward calls “the youthful structure of the look” - a harsh gaze that turns the old into “The Other.” 

Pinoy life adventure couple | UK based Genre and Michaela

Shout out for our fellow Pinoy peeps! wonder | wander | world is pleased to showcase the wonderful traveling tandem, Genre and Michaela of Life Adventure Philippines. 

on Facebook

A Filipino couple currently based in England. Join them in their travel, fitness, and photography adventures. Via videography and photography they share itineraries and tips through their video stories and on-site films.

UK based Pinoy couple, Genre & Michaela

They give you an idea of places through their perspective. Aiming to provide their viewers with a virtual experience. Especially those who cannot leave their homes at the moment. Through their videos and photos, we get to go along with them.

on Instagram

Barbara Kingsolver | scientist & artist

Reading a recent interview of Barbara Kingsolver on the publication of her latest book, Unsheltered - wonder | wander | world was inspired to post Literary Hub's list of essential texts on climate change as well - precisely because they were also written by women. Hurrah!

Kingsolver's Guardian article was aptly titled, "It feels as though we are living through the end of the world." If we should be so lucky that the world as we have come to know it since the time of defeatist folks like Trump and Duterte is indeed coming to an end, we declare resoundingly - bring it on.

It is time. We believe the sick cruel world of their dour imaginings must be extinguished forever more.

Another Kingsolver interview on Longreads has an even better title: "I've always been praised or accused of ambition." Where they discuss the writing craft and the effects of “writing while female.”

Set in New Jersey, home to wonder | wander | women too, Kingsolver returns with a timely novel that interweaves past and present to explore the human capacity for resiliency and compassion in times of great upheaval.

Perfect timing indeed. Happy reading to all.

RIP Napoleon Abueva

Philippine National Artist and beloved teacher Napoleon Veloso Abueva has died.

Those of us blessed to have learned at the feet of this master have had our lives brightened and altered by his inspiring humanity.

Along with an intrinsic love and respect of beauty he imbibed what is true and traditionally Filipino.

Light up our skies as you were a constant beacon in our lives. RIP beloved Master & Maestro!