Hey Friends,

I’m writing to you today from the other side of our first “maiden voyage” here at the Ranch of the Flying Pigs, and I’ve got to say, I’m feeling pretty stoked.

Before diving into some of the juicy insights percolating in the field, I want to take a moment to wax poetic about “The Ranch of the Flying Pigs.”

First things first, you have got to see it for yourself.

The inner child of the English mystics had it right when they declared, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.”

For many years I have held a vision of stewarding a retreat home that fosters the optimal conditions for deep inner healing work, and I’m beyond the moon to say we’re arriving. Now is the time to skillfully spread the word so that those who are called can benefit from this precious opportunity. More on that soon…

But seriously, the Ranch of the Flying Pigs?

Let’s be clear, that’s a working title and it may change as new insights emerge – but here’s a hot take:

You know that phrase, “When pigs fly and hell freezes over?” For us, it’s about those game-changing moments when a deep healing insight catalyzes a paradigm shift, allowing us to see from a new vantage point. Suddenly, our old model of “reality” makes us giggle, even roll over laughing at ourselves and the human hubris of thinking we really know what’s going on!

What do we know for sure?

Well, in the spirit of our philosopher of science, David Deutsch, the realm of the unknown infinitely exceeds what is known.

And, this is actually good news.

It means we can be fundamentally optimistic about what’s possible because we know things can get better.

So, how good can it get?

~~~

Let’s pivot to the land of juicy insights and see if we can land the plane on inspiring a more dynamic range of focus – into the land of, easy does it.

Kind of like, “Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” — Lao Tzu.

Oh, how our humble psycho-biology is in dynamic play with Time!

Gandhi nailed it when he said, “Speed is irrelevant if you are going in the wrong direction.”

So to start, direction is key.

There is no substitute for knowing your dharma in full detail and heading towards its North Star.

To the extent that is foggy or you’re moving fast with A+ effort but going in the wrong direction, I think we can all agree, a serious piece of work needs to happen there.

But the next level is where things get really interesting because once you know what direction you are heading in and why, speed becomes relevant in a big way.

“The flow of how you go about stuff, is like, a big deal.” Said a local 14 year old girl who wished to remain anonymous.

Lewis Carroll had a whimsical way of capturing the essence of this when he said,

“The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”

But, before I try to get you all Zenned out with me here…

…let’s be real – You probably won’t even keep reading this if it feels like it’s going to go on too long.

I know with even some of my favorite writers I will scroll past their long ass posts to get a sense of how long it will take me to read it, and then decide if I will stick with it to the end or bail out before I’m committed.

To that effect, I want to get to the essential point.

SLOW DOWN  – Check yourself before you wreck yourself- Just kidding, it’s not that simple.

But it is kinda like the classic Navy Seal quote,

“Slow is smooth, Smooth is fast.”

Consider this freestyle mytho-poetic riff:

Viewing things as too difficult removes us from the engaged, embodied cognition of the present moment, and can disassociate us from the reality of our endeavor.

To improve our ability, whether in sport, creative writing, influence, meditation, etc…

We need to allow things to get easier and easier. Easy does it.

We need to find the easing that allows for the smoother and smoother…

This movement towards easy is actually an expression of trust in our essential capacities.

The trust – the ease – allows more meta-cognitive brilliance to shine through. (The real secret sauce of awareness technology)

Which leads naturally to be be so absorbed in the essential tasks of our dharma,

…such that the receptivity of the present moment naturally gets deeper without any contrived mental “extra”… So we are more fully here, and more fully with it… getting better and better, faster and faster.

Said differently, this enjoyment of easy, is where our technical proficiency advances to the highest levels.

At a certain stage of development, “hard work” is the hindrance. Easy is the way.

Easy does it.

~

Ok! That’s a wrap on juicy insight land… ! If you want to talk more about bringing the medicine of easy into your difficulties, feel free to write me back, as it’s at the leading edge of my learning right now.

And, if you are feeling a visit to the Ranch of the Flying Pigs, and want to set up a bespoke retreat of deep healing work and contemplative practice, let’s talk! The bird songs, deer, and redwood forest sunsets might be singing your name on the winds…!

I’m going to leave you with the essence of deep practice from the one and only Ash Sangoram, one of our beloved Mystic poets making good use of his PhD in Neuroscience with his deepening meditation practice!

~DHR