I have studied many of the great philosophers throughout history, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Plato, Hypathia, Diogenes the cynic, Epicurus…etc.
I have even studied philosophy at the university level. But it wasn’t until I actually decided to incorporate those principles in my own life that I gain a real sense of its trans-formative powers to change my life around for the better.
Learning philosophy is one thing, practicing it is quite another.
In studying the art and teaching of philosophy I’ve learned that the ancient philosophical schools were very different from what we think of today as philosophical instruction. It wasn’t so much teaching students within a classroom setting complex systems of thoughts, ideas as is the focus today, although there was some of that going on, but more a methodology of improving people’s lives going forward.
Philosophy is an attempt to answer the question of how best to view the experience of life, and what could one do to attain the best experience of living this life.
Many ancient philosophical instructions included practical exercises and techniques useful in living a self examined life.
The role of these exercises and esoteric practices were analogous to the role of physical exercise and training for professional athletes.
One of the most likely important practices was called the Morning and Evening examinations. Both of which I have incorporated within my own life and have been practicing for years:
Night Examination
“Don’t suffer sleep at night to close thine eyes,
Till thrice thine acts that day thou hast o’er-run: How slipped? What deeds? What duty left undone?
Thus thine account summed up from first to last, Grieve for the I’ll, joy for what good has passed.”
Pythagorean Golden Verses (translated from the Greek).
Morning Examination
“As soon as thou hast waked,
In order lay the actions to be done that following day.”
Pythagoras
Expand Outward
Philosophical exercise:
Viewpoint from the Center
View yourself expanding out, in such a way that you incorporate your neighborhood, your city, state, country, continent, earth, moon, stars, planets, galaxies, universe – attempting to comprehend it intuitively in its entirety.
View from Above
“You imagine yourself ascending into the sky, seeing the earth below as a blue orb in space. By doing so you lose your sense of individually, idea of citizenship and begin to see yourself as part of the universe…
Other practices include:
Examination of Dreams
To explore your dreams and what they say about you. Carl Jung taught that dreams can reveal forces Mobilizing in the unconscious, which help facilitate spiritual and emotional growth. Ancient dream guides tell us that to dream of passing an examination forecasts success in life but if you fail the exam you likewise fail in life. Jung believed that archetypes such as the animus , the anima , the shadow and others manifested themselves in dreams, as dream symbols or figures. Such figures could take the form of an old man, a young maiden or a giant spider as the case may be. Each represents an unconscious attitude that is largely hidden to the conscious mind. Although an integral part of the dreamer’s psyche, these manifestations were largely autonomous and were perceived by the dreamer to be external personages. Acquaintance with the archetypes as manifested by these symbols serve to increase one’s awareness of unconscious attitudes, integrating seemingly disparate parts of the psyche and contributing to the process of holistic self-understanding he considered paramount
Dream Interpretation is the process of assigning meaning to dreams.
In many ancient societies, such as those of Egypt and Greece, dreaming was considered a supernatural communication or a means of divine intervention, whose message could be unraveled by people with certain powers. Dreams were also a way of communicating with the divine. The Bible cites many examples of this.
Spiritual Journal
By journaling we can record and explore our progress and growth along the philosophical path! To gain insights, into our thoughts and feelings. It helps us live the examined life in a much more fulfilling way!
A dream diary (or dream journal) is a diary in which dream experiences are recorded. A dream diary might include a record of nightly dreams, personal reflections and waking dream experiences. It is often used in the study of dreams and psychology. Dream diaries are also used by people trying to lucid dream. They are also regarded as a useful catalyst for remembering dreams. The use of a dream diary was recommended by Ann Faraday in The Dream Game as an aid to memory and a way to preserve details, many of which are otherwise rapidly forgotten no matter how memorable the dream originally seemed.
The very act of recording a dream can have the effect of improving future dream recall.
Keeping a dream diary conditions a person to view remembering dreams as important. Dreams can be recorded in a paper diary (as text, drawings, paintings, etc.) or via an audio recording device (as narrative, music or imitations of other auditory experiences from the dream). Many websites offer the ability to create a digital dream diary.
Meditation
Meditation has been practiced since antiquity as a component of numerous religious traditions and beliefs. Meditation often involves an internal effort to self-regulate the mind in some way. Meditation is often used to clear the mind and ease many health issues, such as high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety. It may be done sitting, or in an active way—for instance, Buddhist monks involve awareness in their day-to-day activities as a form of mind-training. Prayer beads or other ritual objects are commonly used during meditation in order to keep track of or remind the practitioner about some aspect of the training.
Meditation may involve generating an emotional state for the purpose of analyzing that state—such as anger, hatred, etc.—or cultivating a particular mental response to various phenomena, such as compassion.
Simple meditation exercise:
Sit comfortably and be aware of a certain part of your body, like a pinky or index finger. Just be aware of it. Concentrate on that. Feel it. Practice this for several minutes through out the day. Let other thoughts pass by. If you lose focus, that’s OK just center your attention back to that particular area of the body you are mediating on. And hold it there for as long as you can, increasing the time intervals as you practice …
Another great meditation exercise , that has helped me a lot is “Be still and Know” by Roy Masters (see http://www.fhu.com/meditation.html).