PneumaMeditations

What if you had to live your life not only once, but innumerable times over? Would this be a blessing? A curse? Would you delight in the opportunity to live it again? Or, if you haven't lived such a good life thus far, would you bewail the prospect? In his work, "The Gay Science", Friedrich Nietzsche explores this idea. He does so through his doctrine of "Eternal Recurrence", of which the Pre-Socratic philosopher, Heraclitus, is acknowledged to have been the originator. In this meditation, we take up the doctrine of Eternal Recurrence and think about it deeply. Please send your comments to pneuma.finneran@gmail.com With affection, Daniel

Dan Willingham is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and the author of many celebrated articles and books. His latest work, Outsmart Your Brain, offers invaluable advice for the student whose goal is to maximize his or her fullest learning potential. But you don’t have to be a student–enrolled at a prestigious university or an expensive high school–in order to benefit from his wisdom; We can ALL afford to become better learners, more discerning readers, and more intelligent people–and Professor Willingham is here to show you how! In this episode, Dan and I discuss: How to read for deeper comprehension; The “SP3R” technique; Active v. passive reading; The use of Highlighters, and if they actually help; Writing notes in the margin or at the end of a book; The use of electronics to aid memory; Various types of procrastination; Ways to combat procrastination; How to establish and stick to habits; Why he calls memory the “residue of thought”; Why we remember trivial things, but not significant ones; Following one’s passion v. purpose; Finding purpose in difficult settings; Whether or not rereading is worthwhile; Important advice to America’s students; and MUCH MORE! I hope that you enjoy this episode! Thank you so very much for tuning in. Links to Dan’s stuff: His personal website: http://www.danielwillingham.com/ Twitter: @DTWillingham TikTok: daniel_willingham Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DTWillingham His latest book, Outsmart Your Brain, available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/Outsmart-Your-Brain-Learning-Hard/dp/1982167173/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3VAJRS34JBI9L&keywords=daniel+willingham&qid=1684269299&sprefix=daniel+will%2Caps%2C109&sr=8-2. +++ My Stuff: Finneranswake.com Email: finneranswake@gmail.com Instagram: Daniel Ethan Finneran (on which I post short clips from episodes) Twitter: @DanielEFinneran PNEUMA!! My Wellness and Meditation channel: @pneumabydanielfinneran Pneumameditations.com Check out Pneuma to listen to the Internet’s most soothing voice. With affection, Daniel #psychology #study #conversation

zzzzZZZZzzzz 😴😴😴 Hello everyone! Welcome to this latest installment of “Fall Asleep With Me”. In this series, I read classic bedtime stories and great works of literature to which you can (and most assuredly WILL) fall asleep! Tonight’s episode is a sleepy, dream-inducing reading of “Brideshead Revisited” by Evelyn Waugh. Please subscribe to this channel for many more sleepy bedtime stories and soothing meditations to which the whole family can listen along. Send your book recommendations to pneuma.finneran@gmail.com. I can't wait to read them! During the day, be sure to check out my other channel, Finneran's Wake, on which I host profound and enlightening conversations. With affection, Daniel

Are you ready? Here’s the secret: Gaining mastery over your emotions is as simple as replacing one word with another. When angry, do you say: “I am angry”? Try this: the next time that you’re visited by the emotion of anger, simply substitute the word “feel” for “am”. “I feel angry” is much different from “I am angry”. Feelings are fleeting. They are visitors to which you can either open or close your door. Being is a bit more permanent. Once you perceive your emotions as visitors, you can gain control over their coming and going. I hope this meditation is helpful! If so, please subscribe to this channel and share this episode with an (overly emotional!) friend. Be sure to check out my other channel, Finneran’s Wake, on which I host profoundly insightful and endlessly edifying conversations. With affection, Daniel

Grounding (or mindfully connecting your bare feet to the earth) is one of the simplest, least expensive, and most powerful things that you can do for your health. And guess what? With a little guidance, it’s something at which you can become an expert in just a few minutes’ time! In this episode, I’ll help you to become a “grounding” pro! I’ll lead you through my own grounding practice, to which I religiously commit a few minutes every single day, no matter the weather. This is my “Advanced” grounding practice. I’ll be sure to create an episode with which novices might have an easier time. Do consider joining Pneuma’s growing community! Please subscribe to this channel (and encourage family and friends to do the same)! I assure you, nothing transactional is involved. Our goal is to promote wellness, to obtain happiness, and to know eudaimonia. Share your comments and thoughts below or email me directly at pneuma.finneran@gmail.com Visit my sister project, @finneranswake to watch my long-form conversations with diverse and fascinating people. finneranswake.com With undiminished affection, Daniel

The title, I think, says it all! In this video (over whose script I toiled for weeks!), I count down from 100 to 0 in a super SLEEPY tone of voice. My prediction is that you won’t make it past 75. When you wake up, be sure to comment below with the last number you remember hearing. I’m curious to know if there’s a soporific “sweet-spot” at which everyone falls asleep. Please consider subscribing to this channel and sharing it with family and friends. With your help, our community can continue to grow! Blessings, Daniel

In a previous episode, we meditated over a question than which, in my opinion, there simply is none bigger, more profound, nor more important: “TO BE, OR NOT TO BE”. (Or, in other words: to keep on living, or to give up and die). This is the famously quotable line with which Act III of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” opens. Hamlet, the troubled Prince of Denmark does what he does best: he dithers. I suppose, ultimately, he decides NOT to be (a decision for which nearly everyone close to him suffers). In “Paradise Lost”, the great epic written by John Milton, an unlikely proponent of the “TO BE” position, Belial (one of Satan’s fellow demons!) comes forth and answers Hamlet. He says, in short: “To be no more; sad cure; for who would lose, Though full of pain, this intellectual being”? Join in this fascinating meditation as we explore a devil’s “pro-life” response to Shakespeare’s Hamlet! Become a part of the Pneuma family (16 members strong!) by subscribing to this channel. “Like” this episode, give it a good rating, and share it with a loved one. Leave me a note in the comments section below, or send me an email directly at pneuma.finneran@gmail.com Please visit my other channel @finneranswake on which I talk, at delightfully long length, to a diverse array of fascinating people. May you enjoy tranquility and bliss!