I thought it might be fun to start sharing some of the books, stories, music, and ideas currently accompanying me on my journey. Consider this a glimpse into the conversations happening on my bookshelf, in my headphones, and around my craft table.
What I’m Reading
Ibn Arabi and Modern Thought: The History of Taking Metaphysics Seriously by Peter Coates
This was one of the recommended books in the Studio of Meaning Book Club on Substack.
What I appreciate most about this book is that it does not simply dismiss modern and postmodern thought as false or inferior. Instead, Coates carefully explores where modern perspectives align with Ibn ʿArabi’s metaphysics, where they diverge, and how our understanding of reality has gradually shifted away from traditional ways of seeing.
One passage that particularly stayed with me was:
“Science and technology rather than negating this world-picture, reveal the extraordinary potentiality and possibilities of Being.”
The book serves as a reminder that the tension between tradition and modernity is often more nuanced than we imagine. It also brought me back to Ibn ʿArabi’s invitation to empty ourselves of excessive conceptual thinking and sit in a state of decorum (adab) , presence, attentiveness (muraqaba), and readiness before the Real (al-Ḥaqq). Not as passive spectators, but as participants in a living conversation with reality itself.
This was one of the recommended books in the Studio of Meaning Book Club on Substack.
What I appreciate most about this book is that it does not simply dismiss modern and postmodern thought as false or inferior. Instead, Coates carefully explores where modern perspectives align with Ibn ʿArabi’s metaphysics, where they diverge, and how our understanding of reality has gradually shifted away from traditional ways of seeing.
One passage that particularly stayed with me was:
“Science and technology rather than negating this world-picture, reveal the extraordinary potentiality and possibilities of Being.”
The book serves as a reminder that the tension between tradition and modernity is often more nuanced than we imagine. It also brought me back to Ibn ʿArabi’s invitation to empty ourselves of excessive conceptual thinking and sit in a state of decorum (adab) , presence, attentiveness (muraqaba), and readiness before the Real (al-Ḥaqq). Not as passive spectators, but as participants in a living conversation with reality itself.
What I’m Re-reading
Rumi’s Masnavi, Book Three
Since I unfortunately do not know Persian, I am reading the Masnavi through both Arabic and English translations.
Book Three focuses on the concept of knowledge. And, much of its wisdom revolves around the limitations of our ways of knowing, particularly the rational knowledge.
Again and again, Rumi reminds us that people receive according to their capacity, preparedness, and innate disposition. True knowledge is not merely information gathered from books, lectures, or teachers. It is what becomes realized and verified within the heart (taḥqīq).
The book also explores the subtle ways the self and its inner narratives can deceive us. It calls us to remain awake, discerning, and vigilant.
At the same time, it offers tremendous compassion. When we stumble, make mistakes, or choose poorly, Rumi reminds us that these too become part of our education. Even our missteps contribute to self-knowledge and, ultimately, to knowing God.
There is something deeply liberating in realizing that growth is not separate from our failures, it often arrives through them.
Since I unfortunately do not know Persian, I am reading the Masnavi through both Arabic and English translations.
Book Three focuses on the concept of knowledge. And, much of its wisdom revolves around the limitations of our ways of knowing, particularly the rational knowledge.
Again and again, Rumi reminds us that people receive according to their capacity, preparedness, and innate disposition. True knowledge is not merely information gathered from books, lectures, or teachers. It is what becomes realized and verified within the heart (taḥqīq).
The book also explores the subtle ways the self and its inner narratives can deceive us. It calls us to remain awake, discerning, and vigilant.
At the same time, it offers tremendous compassion. When we stumble, make mistakes, or choose poorly, Rumi reminds us that these too become part of our education. Even our missteps contribute to self-knowledge and, ultimately, to knowing God.
There is something deeply liberating in realizing that growth is not separate from our failures, it often arrives through them.
What I’m Watching
Marvel’s Doctor Strange
Yes, I know… I am a little late to the party.
Being well into my fifties, I don’t always keep up with popular culture. But I recently enrolled in Dr. Ali Hussein’s retreat: Prophets Through Pop Culture: Timeless Prophets Through Stories of Our Time.
That inspired me to revisit some of the modern myths that have shaped contemporary imagination: The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Marvel universe.
What fascinates me is not the special effects but the enduring themes hidden beneath them: calling, sacrifice, temptation, moral discernment, transformation, and the complexity of our human experiences. The stories change, but the questions remain remarkably similar. Perhaps every age retells the same truths using the symbols it understands best.
Yes, I know… I am a little late to the party.
Being well into my fifties, I don’t always keep up with popular culture. But I recently enrolled in Dr. Ali Hussein’s retreat: Prophets Through Pop Culture: Timeless Prophets Through Stories of Our Time.
That inspired me to revisit some of the modern myths that have shaped contemporary imagination: The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the Marvel universe.
What fascinates me is not the special effects but the enduring themes hidden beneath them: calling, sacrifice, temptation, moral discernment, transformation, and the complexity of our human experiences. The stories change, but the questions remain remarkably similar. Perhaps every age retells the same truths using the symbols it understands best.
What I’m Listening To
“Caravans” by Barbara Dickson
This song was recommended by a dear friend, and I immediately fell in love with it.
Its theme echoes what I explored recently in the Storytellers & Alchemists episode The Merchant and the Parrot: knowing when it is time to let go.
One verse in particular captures the difficulty of that threshold:
Oh, I don’t know where I’m going
But I’m going
There are moments in life when we know something has reached its end. A role, a relationship, an identity, a dream, a season.
We know it is time to release it, yet the unknown that follows can feel frightening.
And yet remaining where we no longer belong can slowly suffocate us.
Another verse expresses this beautifully:
I need to breathe, I need to leave
There is courage in walking forward before the path becomes visible.
Sometimes freedom begins with a single uncertain step.
This song was recommended by a dear friend, and I immediately fell in love with it.
Its theme echoes what I explored recently in the Storytellers & Alchemists episode The Merchant and the Parrot: knowing when it is time to let go.
One verse in particular captures the difficulty of that threshold:
Oh, I don’t know where I’m going
But I’m going
There are moments in life when we know something has reached its end. A role, a relationship, an identity, a dream, a season.
We know it is time to release it, yet the unknown that follows can feel frightening.
And yet remaining where we no longer belong can slowly suffocate us.
Another verse expresses this beautifully:
I need to breathe, I need to leave
There is courage in walking forward before the path becomes visible.
Sometimes freedom begins with a single uncertain step.
What I’m Inspired By
Soulful Stitch: Finding Creativity in Crisis by Cas Holmes and Deena Beverley
For me, stitching is much more than a relaxing hobby or self-care practice.
It is a form of reflection. A form of listening. A way of opening the doors of khayāl (sacred imagination) so that ideas, feelings, questions, and insights can gradually take shape in cloth and thread.
In this book, Cas Holmes and Deena Beverley share how their creative practices helped them navigate difficult periods of life. They speak about intentionally creating small pockets of time devoted to their craft.
These pockets of time are not merely dedicated to art.
They are dedicated to the soul.
They become places of restoration, renewal, and quiet meaning-making amid the noise, ambiguity, and demands of everyday life.
In a culture that often celebrates productivity above all else, there is something profoundly countercultural about making space simply to create, wonder, and listen.
Perhaps creativity is not a luxury after all.
Perhaps it is one of the ways the soul knows itself and remembers what truly matters.
And now I turn the question over to you. What books are sitting on your bedside table? What songs are lingering in your heart? What stories, ideas, or creative projects are keeping you company these days? I’d love to hear what is inspiring you on your own journey.
For me, stitching is much more than a relaxing hobby or self-care practice.
It is a form of reflection. A form of listening. A way of opening the doors of khayāl (sacred imagination) so that ideas, feelings, questions, and insights can gradually take shape in cloth and thread.
In this book, Cas Holmes and Deena Beverley share how their creative practices helped them navigate difficult periods of life. They speak about intentionally creating small pockets of time devoted to their craft.
These pockets of time are not merely dedicated to art.
They are dedicated to the soul.
They become places of restoration, renewal, and quiet meaning-making amid the noise, ambiguity, and demands of everyday life.
In a culture that often celebrates productivity above all else, there is something profoundly countercultural about making space simply to create, wonder, and listen.
Perhaps creativity is not a luxury after all.
Perhaps it is one of the ways the soul knows itself and remembers what truly matters.
And now I turn the question over to you. What books are sitting on your bedside table? What songs are lingering in your heart? What stories, ideas, or creative projects are keeping you company these days? I’d love to hear what is inspiring you on your own journey.
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