The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo

What does it mean to truly awaken to your life—moment by moment, day by day?

In this heart-opening episode of Mind Set in Stone, Dave and Poppy explore The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo, a beautifully poetic daily guide that gently leads readers into greater awareness, gratitude, and compassion.

Nepo’s meditations blend spiritual insight with raw honesty as he draws on his own journey through illness, love, and transformation. Dave and Poppy reflect on some of the book’s most moving passages, sharing how small daily awakenings can lead to deeper meaning, connection, and peace.

Whether you're navigating a storm or simply seeking more presence and clarity, this episode invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and return to the wisdom of your own heart.

Awakening isn’t a destination—it’s a practice. Begin again today.

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Stay curious. Stay bold. And keep your Mind Set in Stone. Powered by Big L Riz Media — where ambition meets transformation.

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Mind Set in Stone Podcasts. If you enjoyed our deep dive, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review! Share your thoughts with us on social media, and let us know which book you’d like us to explore next. Until next time, keep your mind set in stone and your curiosity open.

This has been a Big L Riz Media Podcast—where big ideas meet lasting impressions.

Transcript

 Hey Mind Set in Stone family, we've got something special just for you. This is an exclusive Easter Monday bonus episode to say thank you to all our loyal listeners. Your support means the world to us, and we wanted to give you a little extra inspiration to kickstart your week.

So, settle in, relax, and enjoy this surprise drop. You've earned it.

Welcome to the Deep Dive. We take a single set of sources, explore them really thoroughly, and bring you the core insights. Today, that source is The Book of Awakening by Mark Nepo.

Think of this as, well, your shortcut to understanding some pretty powerful ideas about life and how to live it more fully.

Yeah, it's a great book. Mark Nepo's work here, it's really a collection of reflections. They offer this gentle but still quite profound guidance, you know, on our inner journey, navigating life's complexities.

It's got praise from people like Michael J. Mahoney, who called it reliable. And Melody Beattie mentioned how it brings spirit into just everyday life.

And Nepo's own story adds weight, doesn't it? His own experience nearly dying. It gives his insights this particular depth, an urgency almost.

Definitely, that context is important.

Exactly. So, our goal in this deep dive is to pull out some of the most resonant themes from Nepo's work and translate them into clear practical takeaways for you, the listener, without getting too bogged down in abstract stuff.

Good plan. Where do we start?

Let's begin with something really fundamental. Just how improbable and, well, precious our human existence actually is.

Yes, the opening. Nepo kicks things off by asking us to consider all the possibilities that didn't happen. He says, you could have been an ant, I could have been an anteater.

You could have been rain; I could have been a lick of salt.

Exactly. But we were blessed in this time, in this place, to be human beings. It's that sheer wonder of being here, now like this, when countless other options existed.

It's like winning some kind of cosmic lottery.

It really does make you stop and think, doesn't it? We just rush through our days, ticking off lists, and rarely stop to think, wow, I exist. And Nepo follows this right up with a direct challenge for you, listening now.

So, what will you do today, knowing that you are one of the rarest forms of life to ever walk the earth?

Yeah. How will you carry yourself? What do you do with your hands?

What will you ask? And of whom?

It's such a powerful prompt. It really asks you to live intentionally. What tiny shift maybe could you make today just recognizing how unique this moment is?

Precisely. It takes this big philosophical idea and makes it immediately practical. If life is this rare, how does that shape our choices, our interactions, our whole way of being right now?

It hits that desire we all have for relevance, you know, not just knowing something, but living differently because of it.

Okay. Now let's think about something else, something we all carry around, burdens. The things that can, often without us realizing, stop us from moving forward.

Nepo uses the simple but really strong image, a man in the snow.

Oh yeah, the man loaded down with stuff. Struggling to open a door because he just won't put anything down even for a second.

It's a perfect metaphor, isn't it?

It really is. For emotional baggage, old beliefs we haven't examined, even just physical clutter sometimes, we cling to it all. Habit, maybe.

Fear of letting go, even when it's clearly getting in the way.

I think everyone can relate to that feeling. Being weighed down, trying to juggle everything without letting go of what's not helping anymore. It's like trying to walk through a crowded room with your arms totally full.

Or you just get stuck. So, thinking about that image, what's one thing, even a small thing, that you might be ready to sit down today, just to create a bit more space?

It's such a common thing, this reluctance. We often think holding on equals security, right? But sometimes, real security comes from being able to adapt, to shed what we don't need.

Like a snake shedding its skin. It's vulnerable, sure, but it's necessary for growth. What skin might you need to shed?

That's a good question. Okay, another big insight from Nepo is this shift. He talks about moving from emphasizing how unique we are to recognizing how deeply connected we all are.

He mentions his own journey, realizing what I've always thought set me apart binds me to others.

That's a huge pivot. We're often pushed, aren't we, to focus on what makes us different and stand out.

Yeah, definitely.

But Nepo's suggesting that our shared experience, the good stuff, the bad stuff, the vulnerabilities, that's what really weaves us together. Think about a time you felt totally alone, then found out someone else went through something similar.

It feels almost counterintuitive sometimes, given the messages we get about standing out from the crowd. But maybe real belonging isn't about highlighting differences, but finding that common ground. And Nepo links this to another trap, comparing ourselves.

He writes, when we compare ourselves to others, we see neither ourselves nor those we look up to. We only experience the tension of comparing. It's just a zero-sum game.

It pulls us away from appreciating our own worth and the uniqueness of others, too. Think about scrolling through social media. How often does that leave you feeling genuinely better about your own life?

Rarely, if ever. It's usually the opposite. Comparison really is the thief of joy, like they say.

And self-awareness, too. It's like looking one of those funhouse mirrors, right? You don't see yourself clearly or the other person.

Nepo puts it beautifully. Every living thing has its own unique anatomy of being that is more than enough.

Just embracing that. That inherent sufficiency, it could be incredibly freeing.

Absolutely. Comparison often just papers over insecurity, doesn't it? We might try to puff ourselves up by putting others down, but that's fragile.

It isolates us.

Right.

Real strength comes from knowing and valuing your own path, your own gifts, without needing to measure them against someone else's ruler. What if just for one day, you consciously decided not to compare? What might you notice about yourself, about the world?

Nepo also dives into how fear subtly shapes our reality. He says fear gets its power from our not looking at either the fear or what we're afraid of.

Avoidance feeds it, and this creates blind spots. He gives some great examples. Fear of heights blinding us to the sheer vastness of a view.

Or fear of spiders making us miss the amazing design of their webs.

Right. Or fear of passion stopping us from experiencing deep connection. Think about a fear you hold.

What reality might that fear be blocking you from seeing?

It's like every fear is a filter, isn't it? Blocking out certain information, certain experiences. And since fear is pretty universal, we all have these filters.

We all navigate this kind of inherent blindness. So, what's one fear maybe you've been avoiding looking at? And what could be waiting on the other side if you did?

Just acknowledging the fear, that's the first step.

Right.

It gives you power to understand its influence and maybe choose to look beyond it. Like turning on a light in a dark room. Suddenly, you see the whole space, not just scary shadows.

Okay. Let's shift gears a bit. To our expectations about rewards, we often assume effort leads to external praise or getting exactly what we wanted.

Nepo kind of challenges this straight-line thinking.

Yeah. He points out that the life of experience unfolds with a logic all its own. External rewards?

Sure, they can happen. But often, the real fulfillment is in the experience itself.

How so?

Well, the reward for breathing is the air you take in. The reward for climbing the mountain is the new view you get. The reward for kindness is that inner warmth of giving.

It's finding the value in the action.

That's a powerful shift. It moves us away from always chasing validation from outside and towards just appreciating the inherent rewards. Imagine doing something not just for the end result, but for the learning or just the feeling it gives you while you're doing it.

How might that change things?

And this focus on intrinsic reward, it builds resilience too. If your motivation comes from inside, you're less dependent on external stuff for satisfaction, less likely to get derailed by setbacks. The journey itself becomes fulfilling.

Okay, sticking with challenging ideas, Nepo shares a really vivid analogy about pain, using salt and water.

Ah, the master and apprentice. The master asks, does a spoonful of salt make a glass of water totally undrinkable?

Apprentice says yes, obviously.

Right. Then the master asks, does that same spoonful of salt make a lake undrinkable? Apprentice says no.

Lesson, the amount of pain in life remains the same, but the amount of bitterness we taste depends on the container we put the pain in.

Stop being a glass, become a lake. It's so memorable and practical. When tough stuff happens, the goal isn't always to get rid of the pain, often impossible, but to expand our capacity to hold it, broaden our perspective.

So how can you create more lake-like space in your life right now?

It involves things like resilience, self-compassion, connecting with something bigger than just your immediate problem, nature, maybe, community, a spiritual belief.

Right.

Those broader connections help dilute the pain's intensity. Remind us it's just one part of a much bigger picture.

Okay. On a slightly different note, Nepo encourages us to embrace being easily pleased. He kind of questions this idea that being super demanding means you're sophisticated.

Yeah.

He gives examples of people who make their lives unnecessarily complicated with rigid preferences, high expectations and ultimately limit their own joy. Think about someone you know, maybe even yourself, who's really particular. Does chasing that perfect thing actually lead to more happiness?

Often not. It's like building walls around yourself with demands, then wondering why you feel cut off. Nepo suggests one key to knowing joy is being easily pleased.

Finding contentment in simple things instead of always focusing on what's missing or not quite right.

What small pleasures might you be overlooking today?

That's a good question.

Being easily pleased isn't about settling for less where it really matters. It's about cultivating appreciation for the small joys that are everywhere. A mindset shift that can seriously boost your daily happiness.

Okay, now Nepo goes deeper into our connection with the world. He draws on the amazing story of Jacques Luceran, who was blind but navigated by developing this incredible sense of interconnectedness.

Luceran learned to tune in to what he called a current of life. It connected him to everything living. He understood it as love.

This shifted him from just living in front of things to living with them. It gave him this deep sense of belonging. Have you ever been out in nature and just felt connected to the trees, the air?

That's a little glimpse of what he's talking about.

It's moving beyond just observing to feeling like you're part of the whole web. Nepo links this directly to restoring our original oneness.

He explains that feeling separate from that common beat of life, it cuts us off from vitality, from strength. We create conflict inside by rigidly labeling things, good, bad, right, wrong.

The judging mind.

Exactly. But underneath all those judgments, life itself, all of it, carries this inherent energy and truth. Think about a time you felt completely in sync with your surroundings or with other people.

That's a taste of this oneness.

So, our habit of categorizing and judging can actually isolate us, drain our energy.

It seems so. Recognizing the underlying connection can help us move through life with maybe more fees, less internal fighting.

Reconnecting with that fundamental unity, it could dissolve those rigid boundaries we put up. Let us tap into a deeper piece, a sense of belonging. We're all part of the same dance.

Well said.

This brings us neatly to a really crucial topic, self-love. Nepo uses this tender image. Loving yourself is like feeding a clear bird that no one else can see.

It's lovely, isn't it? A quiet, internal act, nurturing our inner self. He says it's offering your palm full of secrets like delicate seed, gently acknowledging, accepting our vulnerabilities.

They start to lose their power. It's inner work, often unseen, but so fundamental.

What secrets might you need to offer that clear bird inside you today?

That's the question.

It's a beautiful way to think about self-compassion, a private act of acceptance. And Nepo stresses the vital link between this inner work and how we relate to the world.

He puts it bluntly, in loving ourselves, we love the world. Our inner state just radiates outward. It shapes how we see things, how we interact.

When we're kind to ourselves, that kindness naturally flows out to others. Think how much easier it is to be patient with someone when you feel okay inside.

So true. And he tackles a common misconception, doesn't he? This idea that we have to choose, be kind to ourselves or be kind to others

Yes, he insists being kind to ourselves is a prerequisite to being kind to others. You can get poor from an empty cup, right? Honoring our own needs lets us offer genuine selfless kindness, not resentful obligation.

Have you ever felt resentful helping someone? That might be a sign you need to refill your own cup first.

Self-care isn't selfish. It's foundational.

Okay, so acknowledging that big life changes can feel overwhelming, Nepo offers a more manageable way in. Breath by breath, little death by little death, dropping all we carry instant by instant.

It's about breaking it down. Small incremental steps. Instead of a massive overhaul, what's one tiny burden?

A negative thought, maybe. A small bit of clutter that you could consciously let go of right now.

This gradual letting go, these little deaths, allows us to shed what's not serving us without huge stress, like pruning a plant. You remove the dead bits to encourage new growth.

And trust that the core of you, what's been carrying you, will continue to do so when freed.

And if we feel stuck or numb, Nepo advises reconnecting with slower rhythms, nature's rhythms. Simply slow your thoughts to the pace of cracks widening, slow your heart to the pace of the earth soaking up rain.

And wait for the freshness of the beginning to greet you. In our crazy fast world, we lose touch with that. Deliberately slowing our inner pace brings calm perspective.

Think about being in nature. How does it change your breathing, your thoughts? It's an invitation to find that stillness inside.

He also talks about the unifying power, this common pulse beneath everything that makes compassion even possible.

This underlying connection, it's the foundation for empathy, for understanding. When we quiet our minds, we can sometimes sense this shared rhythm, this one voiceless song connecting us all. It's that feeling you get when you connect deeply with someone, maybe without even speaking.

There's also that lovely image of Christine finding a clearing in the woods, off the path, and losing the urge to go at all.

Yes. It symbolizes those unexpected detours in life that lead to profound discoveries. Nepo writes, it is the path off the path that brings us to God, for our hearts are just small birds waiting, being open to the unplanned, trusting our inner guidance.

Have you ever taken an unexpected detour that led somewhere really meaningful?

Many times. It's often where the magic happens.

And when it comes to sharing our feelings, Nepo speaks about making an accurate inlet of the heart, being open, but with boundaries.

It's a tricky balance, isn't it? Vulnerability versus healthy boundaries. It's resting our truth without just dumping our stuff on others, or getting swamped by their pain.

How do you usually share difficult emotions? Is it real sharing or more like burden transfer?

Something to reflect on. Nepo also warns about the seed of lack, that feeling that drives us to always want more, thinking external stuff will bring internal fulfillment.

He reminds us, one experience taken to heart will satisfy our hunger to be loved by everyone. It's about fully savoring, integrating our experiences, not endlessly chasing the next hit. Think about a time you felt truly seen, truly loved.

How did that nourish you long after the moment passed?

He also stresses the power of living directly and simply, aligning our inner and outer worlds.

Quoting Lao Tzu, he says, the act of simplicity of living directly is the doorway to the source of all being. Honesty, authenticity, cutting through the clutter. What's one area of your life where you could be more direct, more simple?

And he introduces this idea of first sight, seeing with freshness without the filter of habit.

He calls it God sight, heart sight, soul sight. Perceiving the world with childlike wonder, it restores our sense of aliveness, deepens appreciation for the ordinary. Try looking at something you see every single day as if for the very first time.

What new details popped out? What feelings?

Nepo also draws a line between the natural sadness of the world and our own resistance to reality.

He encourages accepting hardships without seeing them as proof of personal failure. Life has loss. It has difficulty.

Resisting that reality just adds another layer of pain. How can you soften your resistance to something challenging right now?

He also talks about that paradox, needing stillness right when things feel most urgent. Our true needs are often hidden behind our immediate worries.

And the path to growth, he suggests, often lies in pausing right in the middle of the chaos. When you feel totally overwhelmed by urgency, what's one tiny act of stillness you could try?

And he warns against just rushing through life, accumulating experiences but not truly living them, urging us to slow down the train that is me until what I pass by is again, unseeable, touchable, feelable.

Otherwise, we just check boxes without feeling anything. Choose one task today, just one, and really engage with it. Savor the details, don't rush, what do you notice?

Nepo also brings up the twin powers of beauty as a kind of solace, a balm and uncompromised truth, which cleanses.

Bearing witness to both the beautiful and the difficult parts of life. That allows for deeper understanding, for healing. What's one truth, maybe an uncomfortable one, that you might need to acknowledge today?

He reflects on that shift many of us feel from wanting control to longing for connection.

Real strength isn't in isolated dominance, is it? It's in shared vulnerability. Where might you be trying to exert too much control?

What if you allowed more connection, more shared responsibility?

He uses the image of the mouth as an opening that comes alive when life flows through.

Encouraging us to breathe with our hearts, become conduits for life's music. How can you be more open to the flow of experience, even the tough stuff?

Nepo then questions how we prioritize things, external concerns versus what truly moves us. He shares his own realization, facing mortality, that the real purpose of money is just to help make love work.

Priorities shift dramatically when we face big things, don't they? Consider what truly matters to you. How are you aligning your time, your energy, with those core values?

He tells that story of the monkey trap too, reminding us to identify and release our own race, the thing we cling to so desperately that it keeps us stuck.

What are you holding on to so tightly that it might be keeping you trapped?

And he talks about that frustration, waiting for others to see our pain. He emphasizes, though, that love needs truthful expression be acted upon.

Right. People aren't mind readers. What small fear or hurt might you need to actually voice?

Nepo equates developing our inner life with opening our deepest eyes and raising our walls, but inwardly cultivating inner resources.

What small act of inner reflection or self-care could you do today to nurture that inner world?

He notices how we're drawn to things that reflect ourselves, but warns against limiting our experience to only mirrors.

Life's richness is in its diversity. How can you step outside your usual comfort zone today, engage with something or someone different?

He uses the metaphor of Nepo and Sokin's long-distance friendship to talk about our connection with bigger unities. Truth. Love.

How can you consciously cultivate a deeper connection with those fundamental aspects of being in your daily life?

Nepo stresses letting feelings digest fully, not rushing onto the next thing before processing the last.

So much confusion comes from wrapping new experiences in unfinished feelings. What emotion might you need to give yourself space to fully feel today?

He describes that involuntary cycle, taking life in, letting feelings out, emphasizing the need for a healthy flow.

How can you make sure you're allowing feelings to move through you, not get stuck?

Using birds learning to fly as a metaphor, Nepo encourages trusting the process of love, of passion, even without knowing the destination.

Where might you be holding back from love or passion because you're afraid of the unknown?

He shares some poignant memories of moments he didn't fully appreciate at the time, really highlighting present moment awareness.

Choose one moment today, be fully present, all senses engaged. What do you notice?

Nepo then says it very simply, the fastest way to freedom is to feel your feelings.

What emotion have you been pushing away that might actually be holding you captive?

He brings in that dozen belief about shedding skin, connecting it to the necessity of change.

Dead skin can't feel. What old skin belief, habit, identity might you need to shed for new growth?

Nepo explains how authenticity, what he calls mana, helps others grow towards their true selves, not just towards us.

How can you show up more authentically, more genuinely you in your interactions today?

He uses the story of the worm making silk, a metaphor for transforming our experiences, even difficult ones, into something valuable.

What challenging experience could you start to weave into something meaningful?

Nepo uses the image of streams flowing to the sea to represent the shared nature of all human feeling.

How can you connect with that shared human experience of emotion today, maybe just acknowledging that others feel joy, sadness, fear, just like you do?

He suggests that living loudly in the heart can reduce the need for excessive talking.

Interesting idea. How can you communicate more through your presence, your actions, today?

Comparing a heart packed with hurt to a seed that can't imagine blossoming, Nepo emphasizes the courage needed to crack open.

Once cracking, it cracks all the way. What small step of vulnerability feels possible today?

He shares that Native American question for the sick. When was the last time you sang?

What's your song? How can you give voice to your inner self today, even if it's just a quiet hum?

Nepo talks about that thin line between living fully and just, watching. How hesitation can lead to isolation.

Where might you be holding back watching from the sidelines instead of participating?

He states, quite broadly, anything that removes what grows between our hearts and the day is spiritual.

Simple moments, watching coffee being stirred, seeing a robin, falling on ice even. What small act of connection or presence can you cultivate?

Nepo highlights that quiet courage needed for inner growth, trusting our inner guidance, like a tiny plant finding light.

What small step can you take today to honor your inner knowing?

Quoting Lao Tzu again, he stresses the power of humility. All streams flow to the sea because it is lower.

Where might letting go of the need to do or control actually empower you?

He explains that negative self-centeredness isn't just arrogance. It can also come from feeling deflated leading to taking on too much blame.

That grandiose assumption that we control everything. How can you offer yourself more compassion, less blame today?

Using that iconic Indiana Jones scene stepping out over the chasm, Nepo illustrates needing to step into fear, that wisdom moment of trust.

What small calculated risk might you be willing to take today?

He offers analogies for navigating pain. Be like flowing water, adapt like fish in the ocean.

How can you approach any pain you're feeling with more fluidity, more acceptance?

Nepo speaks of the freedom that comes when we're sincere, not needing an audience to feel valued.

How can you be more authentic today, regardless of who's watching or approving?

He explains that our soul unfolds through surprise, that being too prepared can wall us off.

The key isn't avoiding surprise, but preparing how to respond to it. How can you cultivate more openness to the unexpected?

Nepo affirms that abundance is always present, even when we're in pain and can't see it, like leafless trees rooted in the earth.

What small blessings or sources of abundance, however tiny, can you acknowledge right now?

He compares love to water again, filling any space, covering gently, leaving no trace.

How can you allow more of that gentle, pervasive love to flow through you today?

He encourages healthy persistence, like a salmon swimming upstream, finding its path.

What is your upstream? What meaningful effort are you pursuing with determination?

Nepo shares the powerful story of Wu Feng, whose courageous presence stopped a brutal ritual, illustrating the power of presence beyond words.

Only the soul's presence coming from us can attract the soul's presence in others. How can you bring more mindful presence, not just words, to your interactions?

He talks about embodiment, living in our hands, connecting through physical action, building something, touching flowers.

To live in our hands humbles our mind. What small act of physical engagement with the world can you do today?

Using the water analogy one more time, Nepo explains compassion, reflecting reality without imposing ourselves or getting lost in it.

Problems need handling, yes, but they aren't the core current of life. How can you offer empathy without trying to fix or getting swept away?

He advises checking our own perspective what we're looking through before trying to fix what we see.

What assumptions might be coloring your view right now?

Nepo explains that cycle, being thrown into the storm of humanity and drawn back to the center of oneness.

The center is found through the storm, the storm is survived from the center. How can you find your center amidst today's challenges?

He emphasizes un-gloving ourselves, taking off the layers of hesitation that prevent us from truly feeling life.

Where might you be holding back, gloved, preventing yourself from fully engaging?

Using the metaphor of a burning boat, Nepo encourages jumping through fear, trusting the greater sea will quench the flames.

What fear might you need to jump through, trusting in a positive, albeit unknown outcome?

He encourages living fully in the present today, experiencing happiness now, not just working towards it later.

What can you do right now to fully experience and appreciate this very moment?

Nepo suggests thriving relationships need deeper inner kindnesses. Affirmation, clarity, support, beyond just politeness.

What deeper kindness may be affirmation or understanding can you offer someone important in your life today?

He shares watching two sleeping monkeys just touching, a symbol of that simple need for connection to truly let go.

How can you offer or receive a moment of simple, comforting connection today? Maybe just a hand on a shoulder.

Quoting that Zen saying about covering the world with leather versus wearing shoes, Nepo points to inner transformation.

What small inner shift feels more achievable than trying to change the whole world today?

Quoting Rilke, he encourages patience with the unsolved questions of the heart, loving the questions themselves.

What unanswered question can you simply hold, embrace for now without needing an immediate answer?

Using the metaphor of stepping from a boat to a dock, Nepo shows how small the gap to love often is, but fear makes it seem huge.

What small step towards connection feels possible, focusing on the simple need to be held or to hold.

He compares the water's surface, our turbulent thoughts to the deep water, our calm spirit, reminding us we're never truly cut off from inner peace.

How can you dip below the surface chatter and access that deeper calm within you right now?

Nepo likens our search for love to a patient, humble process, growing in the open, waiting, like placing an object in the sun.

How can you cultivate patience and openness in your relationships, in your pursuit of connection?

He explains that true guidance comes from fishing in the waters of our spirit. Inner acceleration connects us to the ocean of all spirit.

What question can you bring to your inner wisdom today? What net of mindful heart can you use?

Nepo contrasts painful fragmentation, heart, mind, body separate with the unity of embodiment, feeling wounds fully.

How can you be more present in your body with your feelings, allowing that unity today?

Using that Zen story of the monkey in the river listening versus truly hearing or getting wet, he encourages experiential knowing.

Where might you need to move from just observing or studying life to actively participating, to getting wet?

Nepo introduces the Conan about fish, accepting they don't have arms, so they grow fins, accepting limitations to embrace our true nature.

What grand fantasy might you need to let go of to fully embrace who you actually are? What fins could you grow?

He defines courage as the heart's blossom, a threshold crossing, not just big moments, but standing before ourselves without illusion.

What small act of courage of crossing a threshold can you embody today?

Nepo explains mental health stems from the relationship between our deepest self and the source of life, the sacred.

How can you nurture your connection to what you find sacred or deeply meaningful today?

He encourages seeing the light in others, acknowledging it, and then trying to see it in ourselves.

What positive quality can you recognize in yourself and in someone you admire today?

Nepo discusses the danger of false hope in relationships, secretly wishing others would change instead of dealing with the reality, staying current.

How can you bring more honesty, more present moment truth to your key relationships?

He cautions against that false bargain, losing our unique voice for external acceptance or success, like Ariel wanting legs.

It doesn't work inside where it counts. How can you honor your own unique voice and perspective today, even if it feels risky?

Nepo emphasizes that fundamental, sometimes scary human need to be touched, to be led in.

How can you consciously offer or receive a moment of safe, comforting, perhaps nonverbal connection today?

Using the bathtub analogy, he explains faith as resting below the surface of fear, moving through the sinking feeling to trust you'll be held.

Where in your life might you need to take that risk? Let go and trust a larger process.

He introduces Ubuntu, I am because you are, highlighting our deep interconnectedness and mutual dependence.

How can you acknowledge and appreciate your interdependence with others today, recognizing shared vulnerabilities?

Nepo encourages imagining life without our protective emotional roofs, just to feel the possibility of clear days.

What emotional barrier, just for a moment, might you be willing to imagine lowering? What might that feel like?

Embracing paradox, he writes about becoming like water, letting grief rinse through us while still reflecting light. Compassionate presence.

How can you offer that kind of presence, allowing, reflecting, without taking on others' burdens today?

He shares watching a little dog explore through direct touch, learning through physical connection, finding joy in it.

Direct connection brings things alive. What can you touch, feel, or directly interact with in your environment right now to feel more grounded?

Nepo explains that paradox. True inner safety comes through the shifting sands of risk of opening ourselves.

What small risk of vulnerability being authentic may be might actually lead to greater inner security or connection.

He uses the analogy of ripe fruit. When plans and ambitions become useless skin, as the soul fills out with compassion, joy.

At that point, postponing living for the future leads to inner decay. How can you prioritize being present, and being full, over striving today?

Nepo discusses the vulnerability of wanting connection most, when we feel most sensitive those agitations of the dark. True intimacy requires trust, revelation.

How can you create space for tenderness, for real intimacy, not just physical, even when it feels challenging?

Using the river analogy, he shows we don't own what passes through us. The deepest things shape us. We don't need to cling.

What profound experiences shaped you that you can now acknowledge and integrate, perhaps letting go of the need to hold on to it so tightly?

He shares the image of a duck asleep on a lake, a lesson in complete surrender to life's mystery.

Where might you need to release your grip, just surrender and trust the natural flow today?

Nepo uses nature trees shedding leaves, waves turning to explain that little deaths prevent big deaths. Change is necessary.

What small habit, belief or old self might you need to consciously let go of today to allow for new growth?

He shares feeling beautifully insignificant against a vast landscape, gaining perspective.

How can you connect with something larger than yourself today? Nature, the nice guy. Art, to gain a broader perspective on your worries.

Nepo emphasizes that when loved ones hurt, they often need our open heart, our presence more than our advice. Dump our pockets of knowledge.

How can you offer someone in need your undivided, open-hearted presence today without trying to fix them?

He suggests suffering can make us an instrument for unseen vitalities. Each is a living flute, simplifying us so a deeper song can emerge.

What deeper song might be waiting to be played through you, perhaps revealed through challenges you've faced?

Nepo defines enthusiasm not as a forced mood, but as the ripple effect of decommission in life, that sensation of oneness.

What activity can you fully immerse yourself in today, losing yourself in it, to experience that natural enthusiasm?

He encourages the strenuous yet simple practice of living fully despite limitations, showing up authentically like a rose.

How can you fully embrace your present circumstances, limitations and all, and still show up fully today?

Nepo explains true strength comes from connecting to the stream of life, the elemental relationship of soul to spirit, like a tree standing in wind.

How can you consciously connect with your inner spirit, your sense of life force, today, feel that underlying strength?

He shares living through worry during his illness, realizing it's often the mental echo of fear, not the fear itself.

What worry can you bring into the present moment today? Examine it without letting your mind spin future catastrophe scenarios.

Comparing our journey to inward exploration, Nepo urges listening to the wind singing in our veins, our deep inner knowing.

What inner wisdom, what gut feeling might you need to pay closer attention to today?

He acknowledges that tension. The dual impulse to be separate and to belong. Healing often depends on keeping things joined.

How can you nurture both your unique individuality and your deep need for connection today? Find the balance.

Nepo uses the act of singing while pregnant with dreams as a metaphor for nurturing our inner potential opening passages.

What small act of creative expression or self-nurturing can you engage in today, regardless of skill?

He suggests the true use of our knowledge isn't just knowing, but caring, applying understanding with compassion.

How can you apply what you know with greater care, greater compassion in your interactions today?

Comparing the heart to the moon reflecting unseen light, Nepo conveys the quiet power of love.

How can you be a source of quiet love and connection for yourself and others today?

He encourages reflecting on which past experiences still hold strong feelings and how they shape us now.

What past experience might you need to revisit with fresh eyes, understanding its ongoing influence?

Nepo states simply, the god in us is a full presence, not partial, not screened.

How can you connect with your own sense of inherent wholeness, your divine spark, right now?

He tells that story of the man refusing rescue in the flood. Help often comes only after we exhaust our ego, let go of control.

Where might you need to surrender, stop trying to control everything, and allow for help or a different outcome?

He defines unconditional love not as accepting bad behavior, but as a constant inner light, allowing for flaws while still addressing actions.

How can you cultivate more that steady unwavering inner love for yourself and others?

Nepo views recurring struggles not as failures, but as waves shaping us into a smoother shore, refining us.

What recurring challenge might actually be polishing you, shaping you in unexpected ways?

Using the image of dolphins caught with tuna, he warns against losing our individuality within a larger group or system.

How can you honor and protect your unique perspective, your individuality today?

Nepo tackles forgiveness, not losing the truth of what happened, but releasing the pain's grip, not defining ourselves by hurts.

What pain might you need to release not to condone the action, but to free yourself, to love yourself from the center out?

He emphasizes, we are rare, not perfect, encouraging self-compassion for our messy, colorful human nature.

Come downs aren't failures, just earthiness. How can you offer yourself soothing, not blame, for your human flaws today?

Defining faith, he quotes Paul Tillich, faith is the state of being ultimately concerned.

What is your deepest commitment, your ultimate concern that guides your life?

He explains that balance, stillness, being, and movement, doing. Wisdom lies in their unity, often seen naturally in kids.

Which comes easier for you, stillness or action. How could you integrate a bit more of the other into your day?

Nepo observes, we come with no instructions. Life is discovery, a breathing puzzle we figure out over time.

What are you curious to explore or learn about today? Embracing the not knowing.

He defines happiness beautifully, that harmony between being and doing. When our purpose is life and our talent is living it fully, now.

How can you align your actions with your authentic self in this moment, finding that harmony?

Nepo suggests courage often lies not in resisting the painful variety of life, but in leaning into what nourishes, letting the rest pass.

What is nourishing you right now? How can you consciously lean into that?

Quoting Nisargadatta Maharaj, Wisdom tells me I am nothing, love tells me I am everything, and between the two, my life flows.

How can you hold both that humility, I am nothing, and that inherent worth, I am everything today? Let your life flow between them.

He shares Maryam Elx's story, surviving hardship with bread for others, and a broken comb for self-affirmation.

What small act of self-affirmation, however simple, can you offer yourself today?

Nepo distinguishes between reflex reacting from old patterns, old hurts, and response acting consciously from our center.

In what situation today might you choose a conscious response over a habitual, perhaps outdated, reaction?

He uses that dream image, bees making honey from his failures, finding sweetness, growth, even in mistakes.

What honey, what learning or sweetness, might be emerging from a past failure or difficult relationship?

Comparing our sense of calling to the caribou's innate migration despite danger, Nepo highlights following inner guidance, even with risks.

What is your inner migration? What core belief or calling are you being drawn towards, perhaps despite obstacles?

He acknowledges patience is hard, but needed to see the whole picture, like waiting for the tide to recede to reveal what's underneath.

What situation might require you to practice patience today, trusting that deeper understanding will emerge if you can outweigh the dark?

Nepo compares our movement in the world walking down the street, driving to cells in a body, even simple actions contribute to the whole.

How can you recognize your interconnectedness, your contribution, just through your presence and actions today?

He shares that powerful story, Buddha and the murderer Angulimala. Buddha's profound stillness, I have stopped, you have not stopped, leads to transformation.

Where in your life might you need to find an inner sense of stopping, a profound stillness amidst the chaos?

Nepo advises doing one thing at a time, entirely, not avoiding, anticipating or advising, just living it.

Do one thing at a time and do it entirely, and it will lead you to the next moment of love. What one task can you focus on fully right now?

Using Yates metaphor of the wolf's rib, freezing it in blubber to catch a bear, he illustrates the often-indirect challenging hunt for truth.

What indirect path, maybe counterintuitive, might you need to explore in your pursuit of understanding or truth?

He connects crisis to unexpected openings, a jarring of our ways that can bring us closer to our spirit. Remember the Chinese symbol, danger opportunity.

What potential opportunity might be hidden within a current crisis or challenge you're facing?

Nepo views plans not as rigid blueprints, but as kindling, providing initial heat and light, but not dictating the fire's ultimate shape.

How can you hold your plans more lightly today? Use them as a starting point, but remain open to unexpected shifts.

Using the analogy of squinting thinking we see like a tiger while truth is everywhere, he illustrates how limited perspectives blind us.

Where might you be squinting in your understanding of a situation or person? How could you open your vision?

He compares personal growth to breaking through concentric shells of confinement, like unfolding wounds.

What current shell, what confinement might actually be a threshold for growth if you approach it differently.

Nepo affirms that being centered includes confusion. A lake holds mud, clarity, everything. Our center holds all our experiences.

How can you accept your moments of confusion, worry or doubt as part of your wholeness, part of your center?

He discusses the cost of splitting ourselves, trying to be both participant and observer simultaneously. It diminishes the experience.

Where might you need to fully engage in an experience today, rather than standing back and analyzing it?

Nepo encourages accepting our fragile guest status on earth, embracing impermanence to truly inhabit the present, using the shower as a reminder.

How can you embrace your temporary nature today, using it to appreciate this present moment more fully?

Quoting Rumi, he reminds us of the sun in every person, that inner light, our companion.

How can you connect with and acknowledge your own inner light and the light within others today?

Nepo explains that the summit within our deepest desires, our wholeness is often realized through the journey, through our limitations wearing us open.

What limitations might be paradoxically opening you up, leading you towards a deeper understanding of yourself?

He uses the analogy of friends becoming lovers who found their own way first, illustrating healthier interdependence, wanting each other more, needing each other less.

How can you cultivate relationships based more on conscious desire and choice, less on neediness or dependency, connecting with the risk taker and truth seeker within?

Nepo views sleep not just as rest, but as a quiet miracle, an innate meditation, a necessary surrender allowing renewal.

How can you approach rest, approach sleep tonight, with more awareness, more trust in its restorative power?

He uses the beautiful stained-glass analogy. Honesty reveals the images of life that shape us. Sincerity fills them with color.

We need light to see each other fully. We are sacred windows in the making.

How can you be more honest, more sincere in expressing your true colors today? Place yourself in the light.

Sharing that ancient pilgrim story, building a raft by giving up cherished things to cross the river, Nepo illustrates letting go to gain strength.

The strength comes from releasing what matters most. What might you need to release metaphorically to move closer to your holy land, your deepest goals?

He emphasizes that health comes from restoring direct experience. Living is the original art. Life as an unwritten story to be lived.

How can you engage more directly with your life, your senses, today? Treat living itself as your primary art form.

Nepo cautions against shaping our lives only around external needs, security, approval. It can lead to a loveless life. Pursuing passion keeps us alive.

What brings you truly alive? How can you bring more of that passion into your life, even if it feels less secure or practical?

He advises, counterintuitively sometimes, to pursue the obstacle. The block itself often contains the path through.

What obstacle might you need to face directly, go through rather than around, to find freedom?

Nepo affirms that love courses through everything, a fundamental force. But it requires engagement, wrestling, like finding that ball of lead to truly understand and use it.

How can you actively engage with love in relationships in the world today? Wrestle with it to understand it better.

He shares the Native American question about listening to other stories and mentions psychodrama bringing inner stories to life.

When was the last time you truly listened to someone else's story? And what story within you needs to be brought to life, needs to be heard?

Nepo shares the poignant stories of Goya and Melville. Their unique gifts weren't fully seen or appreciated in their time. Reminders of the irreplaceable nature of each person's calling.

What unique gift do you possess? How can you honor and express it regardless of external validation or understanding?

He explains that having a long-term perspective, the horizon, doesn't stop storms but makes them bearable, contrasting despair with faith making our way despite the pain.

What horizon, what larger perspective or long-term faith can you connect with today to help you navigate current challenges?

Nepo emphasizes that believing isn't a final conclusion. It's an ongoing way of engaging with life's vitality.

How can you approach your beliefs about yourself, the world, the future with more openness, more curiosity as an ongoing exploration?

Introducing that Taoist concept, the world can't be improved, only experienced. Acceptance leads to freedom, nowhere to go.

Where might you need to let go of trying to fix or change things and simply accept the present moment? Finding freedom within that acceptance.

Using the metaphor of the woman carrying stones to mark her path, then realizing she must give them away to find home within, Nepo advises releasing burdens.

What stones, worries, regrets, expectations are you carrying that you could set down today to feel more at home inside yourself?

In moments of deep connection, oneness, our spirit lights up like a candle flame, melting away separation. This is true ambition, melting into the experience.

What small act of connection, presence or immersion can you engage in today to seek a tiny spark of that deeper unity?

Nepo describes the subtle renewal from moments of realness, the miracle that makes no sound, like the sun's unseen work.

What quiet moment of authenticity, of just being real, can you cultivate or notice today?

He poses that powerful direct question, what will you do with what you have left, urging us to value the present, the softness within?

If you truly let go of clinging to the past and worrying about the future, what possibilities open up for you right now? What do you actually have?

Nepo encourages us to sing your pain song, to express our inner truths, our hurts, to keep the world possible, to soften danger.

What is your pain song? What truth needs voicing, even if quietly, to allow healing or movement?

Sharing the story of Grandma Minnie's forgotten name resurfacing, Nepo illustrates how triggers can reveal long buried parts of ourselves, the big old fish of the heart.

What small treasure, what unexpected memory you're feeling might be pointing you towards a forgotten but important part of yourself.

And finally, he emphasizes that ancient, powerful need for acknowledgement, I see you, I am here, shared with joy and sincerity, essential for vitality.

With whom can you share a moment of genuine acknowledgement today, truly seeing them and allowing yourself to be seen?

So, as we wrap up this deep dive into Mark Nepo's The Book of Awakening, wow, we've covered a lot of ground, reflections on being human, living with more awareness, more intention.

We've explored the sheer preciousness of being here, the importance of letting go of burdens, the incredible power of seeing our interconnectedness, and that whole journey of self-discovery.

Yeah, we touched on fear, reward, pain, joy, the absolute necessity of self-love.

We talked about slowing down, being authentic, finding the sacred in just everyday moments. Ultimately, Nepo is inviting us to a continuous awakening, doesn't he? Yeah.

Peeling back layers to find our truest selves and our place in it all.

Exactly. And this exploration, it was really for you, listening on your own journey of learning and growth, as a final thought to mull over. Consider how Nepo's constant emphasis on the present moment.

Yeah.

On embracing both our flaws and our connections. How might that serve as a guide for you day to day? What one small conscious shift could you make today, right now, to be more present, more accepting, more connected?

Just pick one thing.

Just one thing. We really encourage you to carry one insert, one idea from this deep dive with you into the coming days. See how it feels, see how it might illuminate your path.

Thank you for joining us

We hope you're leaving with fresh insights and a spark of inspiration. Remember to subscribe, leave a review, and check back for more episodes as we dive into new worlds of thought, one book at a time. Until then, keep your mind set in stone and your curiosity open.

This has been a Big L Riz Media Podcast, where big ideas meet lasting impressions.