Hey everyone :) As of late, I've been really getting back into philosophy and I have taken it upon myself to go on an impromptu journey of expanding my knowledge and worldviews particularly in relation to the philosophy of art, morality, and aesthetics. I have not written any poetry in a while despite my best efforts, and I think it's almost as if I had this well of knowledge that my ideas were drawing from, but as time went on, it ran dry as I was not consuming enough 'educational' content to keep my mind creative. Since ending university, the constant learning that I took for granted is now entirely up to me to continue. Beginning to explore philosophy again, I have already had so many ideas for new poems and things I want to create.
I thought I would make a post about it here, as I invite all of you to join me in this endeavor and I thought it would be cool if we could swap recommendations and discuss different books, ideas, and our thoughts, and in turn, build a deeper sense of community within the cove while bettering ourselves as poets.
I wish I had taken more philosophy in college/grad school. I was a psychology major and I remember taking a course in existential psychology. It was a life altering experience that helped me to build the foundation I used to work with clients when I became a therapist. I remember hearing about the power of freedome, the desirability of freedom and the reality that with freedom comes the response -ability to make choices. This terrifies many people and so people don't choose.....but then choosing not to choose -is a choice. I love this stuff.
if you're interested in stepping outside your comfort zone and looking at things from a perspective completely different then check out the philosophy of Ayn Rand. You may not agree with her, but who wants to live in an echo chamber?
Apparently the word poet comes from the Greek for ' maker' as poets would receive wisdom from the gods and make sense of it and transmit it to everyone else, answering the important philosophical questions.
So is your plan to use philosophy to inspire your poems or use your poems to explore philosophical ideas?
Philosophy is such a wonderful field of study to explore, especially in terms of poetry.
Perhaps you may take a look into the Persian mystic, Rumi. He's widely known for his love poetry, but he also has much more to offer.
Another person I loved to read about was Miyamoto Musashi, primarily known as a ronin, he eventually gave up swordsmanship to become a Buddhist monk. It's in his later life as a spiritual practitioner that his philosophy on focus, or simply put - the way, that becomes quite interesting. He's got 21 principles called Dokkōdō.
Think this is a wonderful idea,Sophie.
Philosophy in regards to life has always been in my mind,pretty much my entire time on Earth.
I do support you in this endeavor and I do think inspiration can come from anywhere at anytime.Poetry or any artform.
If this kick renews your poetry,I say go for it.
Your second to last poetry video was creatively stunning,so I do look forward to your next poetic work.
Philosophy driven perhaps???
Time will tell.
In terms of resources:
The Power of Now by Eckart Tolie
One Heartbeat Away by Mark Cahill
Hiya, I'm a fan of author Paulo Coelho. His books have strong elements of spirituality and philosophy in them. If you haven't already read his work the Alchemist would be a great place to start. Also Kahil Gibran's The Prophet is a good read.
If you're on Twitter I find writing prompts sometimes set up my poetry. In particular I recommend these 3 prompts: #moonmystic #atreyasverse #moonmystic
Always interesting phrases and words.