Day Ten: A divine spark.
I reckon old Count Lev Tolstoy, the Russian author and aristocrat, was onto something when he wrote these words over a century ago:
“People usually think that progress consists in the increase of knowledge, in the improvement of life, but that isn't so. Progress consists only in the greater clarification of answers to the basic questions of life. The truth is always accessible to a man...because a man's soul is a divine spark, the truth itself. It's only a matter of removing from this divine spark, everything that obscures it. Progress consists, not in the increase of truth, but in freeing it from its wrappings. The truth is obtained like gold, not by letting it grow bigger, but by washing off from it everything that isn't gold.”
— Leo Tolstoy
Instead of me unpacking what that means for you, how about this: grab a pen and some paper and free write a page about how these words hit you. Don’t overthink it, just write. Then reread what you wrote and sit with it throughout today.
And, at some point in the next 24 hours, take a seat, close your eyes, and try this breathing meditation:
Inhale: “My soul…”
Exhale: “…is a divine spark.”
(Repeat for 2-3 minutes a couple of times throughout today.)
Then go back and read what you wrote. Notice what’s different. Notice how you feel.
And, live from that place.
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Steve Knox | Carmel, CA