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My proposed assignment for you would be fun, but it wouldn’t be easy. It would require you to dissolve at least one of your fixations, escape at least two of your habits, and override at least three of your dogmatic beliefs. I’ll completely understand if you’re not up for the challenge. But if you’re game, […]

I love to listen to DJ Schmeejay on San Francisco radio station KUSF. Like a throwback to the Golden Age of FM radio in the 1970s, he plays a “visceral, cinematic” mix that delights you with a flow of unpredictable juxtapositions. Unlike some music experts who harbor haughty elitist prejudices, the dude is an open-minded […]

I’m not a big believer in the idea that dreams are prophetic. I’ve recorded thousands of my own dreams, and just three of them have foreshadowed waking life events that actually occurred. However, I have often found it valuable to regard my dreams as pointers on how to develop unripe aspects of myself. For example, […]

In his opening comments on an episode of his TV show, Stephen Colbert announced, “I have butterflies in my stomach. I just ate a cocoon quesadilla.” If I’m reading the omens correctly, you, too, will soon have fluttering sensations in your gut, but not because of your food choices. Rather, you’re likely to be quivery […]

If we wish to outline an architecture that conforms to the structure of our soul, wrote Friedrich Nietzsche, “it would have to be conceived in the image of the labyrinth.” I take this to mean that clarity, assuredness, and single-mindedness are luxuries the ego may indulge in, but they are not the natural state of […]

When teen pop star Miley Cyrus appeared on David Letterman’s late-night TV talk show, band leader Paul Schaeffer asked her if she lip-syncs to pre-recorded music during her performances. Miley replied that no, she never fakes it. For evidence, she said, anyone could go watch a Youtube clip from one of her concerts. Sometimes she […]

Here’s your mantra: BIG GREEN LUCK EVERYWHERE. I urge you to say it frequently in the coming days. Sing it softly to yourself while you’re driving your car or riding on public transportation. Whisper it as a prayer before each meal. BIG GREEN LUCK EVERYWHERE. Chant it in rhythm to your steps as you walk. […]

This is an excellent time for you to revamp your relationship with your body. All the cosmic rhythms are aligned to help you. How should you go about it? The first thing to do is formulate your intentions. For example, would you like to feel more perfectly at home in your body? Would you revel […]

The Latin motto “Dulcius ex aspiris” means “Sweetness out of difficulty.” It has a different meaning from “relief after difficulty” or “character-building from difficulty.” It suggests a scenario in which a challenging experience leads not just to a successful outcome, but also to a delicious, soothing harmony that would not have been possible without the […]

Seth Grahame-Smith rewrote Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. He kept 85 percent of her material, but also added a big dose of “ultraviolent zombie mayhem,” creating a new story, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. In his version, Austen’s tale is expanded and altered by the previously unrevealed activities of zombies. I urge you […]