When I think about modern society, one of my first thoughts is that I sometimes just want to be like this picture…
There’s a lot that I value about modern society. For starters, I love technology. In fact, a significant portion of my life has been devoted to studying, fixing, and maintaining computers in some form or another. But unfortunately, levels of technology can take away from having a genuine human experience.
I also love convenience. I’m a sucker for my Prime One Day Delivery. But as we shift more and more brands to “cheap online only” we end up losing a lot of quality products. There’s also some things that need to be touched or felt before buying… and although it seems like a world of products are at our fingertips, that tends to be an illusion — we’re actually sacrificing a significant number of choices in favor of the same thing being repackaged and resold under different brand names.
Convenience extends to food as well. I’ve never really enjoyed the time it takes to prepare, consume, or clean up after meals. Fast food and delivery services offer a potential solution to that problem, but then you just have no idea what you’re putting into your body. Grocery delivery and meal kits give partial convenience at a high premium. Oh, but have you ever ordered produce? It seems like they intentionally make bad picks of unripened or nearly-spoiled fruit.
But why are we so obsessed with convenience and the ability to cut down on the time it takes to do some of these mundane tasks like shopping for goods? Because most people are trapped in a world of consumerism… and time, which is our only real asset, is predominately being given to corporations. The end result is that a significant number of folks end up feeling at least partially miserable and are slaves to the system rather than its master.
Sometimes I feel like I would trade all of the convenience for an opportunity to rewind the clock and live a simpler life. I have thoughts about communes hidden away in the woods — collections of spiritual people who are devoted to the good of the group. But then, of course, it sometimes starts to sound like a cult.
Good morning and happy Monday, friends!
It’s been an interesting week. I had a great interview with Opal Luna. The unedited footage is up on Patreon as an early access benefit to supporters. I’m also wrapping up my edits to Jack Chanek’s interview, so that should be finished soon and available publicly on YouTube.
I made a few short videos and they are all here if you’d like to entertain yourself for a few minutes. I also posted an article about Sacred Geometry. I’m hoping it’s the first of many, as this has always been a topic that I’ve had a very special interest in.
Selene and I were able to get some additional donation request forms approved, so another shipment of books went off to a prison.
I rolled my Kyphi into tiny little balls. They’re coated with a powdered mix of sandalwood, myrrh, and frankincense. If you’d like to watch this hour long task sped up to 60 seconds, check out this short. Now it’s going to sit for a few weeks and cure, but I honestly can’t wait to see how it smells. I’m trying to resist the temptation to burn the uncured incense every day — and I’ve failed already a couple times. What I have burned so far, however, smells sweet and wonderful.
Kyphi progress!
Have you ever wondered how much salt is in ocean water? I’ve been wondering for a while. Also, I thought it’d be cool to make my own salt for ritual or alchemy purposes that hasn’t been processed by a factory.
Yesterday seemed as good of a day as any to answer that question, so Selene and I went to the beach. I armed myself with two empty gallon jugs and collected some of the ocean to bring back home with me.
Hello from the beach!
I took the water back home and spent most of the evening boiling it down on the stove. I’m actually very surprised by the result and how much salt was produced.
Look at all this salt!
It’s almost dry, but not completely. I’ll be popping this in the oven for a few minutes at a low temp to get rid of the excess moisture. And then I’m sure I’ll share more about this process in a video or something in the future.
Stay tuned for more! There’s lots of writing to be done in the near future.
Cheers!
Aerik Arkadian 
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