Spiritual Lessons From Beggars
Jacques de Villiers – writing quest: Article 47/365 I’m that guy. When I see that the robot is red I slow down so that I can catch it as it turns green. All in the effort to avoid the beggar. And, if I am confronted by the beggar (damn you red robot), I do that verkakte, patronising […]
Ingratitude is the ultimate discourtesy
I recently finished reading Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time by Karen Armstrong, a renowned author on comparative religion. There was a piece about the definition of kafir that piqued my interest. For my South African reader, you know that we have our own distasteful history with the word “kaffir” which we annexed with great […]
Now that was from left field … panic attacks
A couple of people on this list said that I haven’t sent out a piece of text for a while. Since 8 February. Who knew? Who knew that I’d have a massive panic attack in Fourways Mall around that time because I couldn’t find out where my car was parked. And, they haven’t stopped since. […]
Move it up
Do you ever look at yourself in the mirror and have a small panic attack because you feel as if you’re running out of road and running out of time? I do. I have plans for my life, but these might not be the plans that are destined for me, and I might be called […]
The Point Of Purpose
You’ve probably heard all these motivational sorts talk about finding your purpose. But a purpose is not to be found … just by being born, we’ve already found and fulfilled our purpose. We tend to confuse purpose with an outcome. You’ve probably heard things like: – My family is my purpose.– My purpose is to […]
The Magicians Way Book Review
The Magician’s Way: What It Really Takes to Find Your Treasure by William Whitecloud My rating: 4 of 5 stars This piece of text was recommended to me by a colleague in Noordhoek, South Africa. I’m glad that I got to read it. William Whitecloud’s take on navigating life is a compelling read. He gives […]
Ghost
Sunday, 31 May 2020 How long has this lockdown been. 8 weeks? 9 weeks? I don’t know. It feels interminable. I feel like I have no voice in this new world. It has brought the best and the worst out of me. It has united and polarised us. It has unmasked the biases I didn’t […]
Jacques de Villiers is presenting a discourse at Lokinwi Body, Mind & Spirit Fair
I’ll be presenting Practicing For Death Helps Me Live at the Lokinwi Body, Mind & Spirit Fair on 14 September 2019. Here’s the gist of the discourse: As a practising Sufi and armchair Stoic memento morri (Remember you will die) is carved into my psyche. The timeless words of Roman Emperor and Stoic Philosopher, Marcus Aurelius, are […]
The Shallows
I was at the beach a couple of weeks ago. When I swam I stayed in the shallows. Every now and again, I’d spot a small fish or some sea shells. It was pleasant enough. But after a while I got bored. Seriously, one can only body surf for so much. When I’m at the […]
The Profane Creator
The more I play on this planet the more I realise that there is no difference between the sacred and the profane. The mundane, material and carnal activities that we do in this world are sacred. Going to work, studying, feeding a baby or changing a lightbulb is divine. If we so choose, any day-to-day […]