S B S
Singing Bowls and...
by Cameron King, parliamentarian
Seneca?
Ancient Rome and meditation have an interesting backstory. While Romans didn’ t practice mindfulness and introspection in the traditional sense like those within Buddhism or Hinduism, they had opportunities to reflect in other ways. From Seneca to Marcus Aurelius, many ancient philosophers utilized stoicism to prepare their mind and reduce overall stress. Paconius Agrippinus wrote eulogies to himself about the hardships of life, focusing mainly on the positive actions he could learn from, as reported by Epictetus. Marcus Aurelius mentions separating from those“ distressing” or
having“ unhealthy passions” to create spaces for individuals to reflect and sit within their own thoughts. Courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom became the four cornerstones of stoicism and, with them came the ability to control your emotions and learn by sitting in silence, which became a daily practice for many, especially philosophers, teachers, lawyers, and other political figures.“ Premeditatio Malorum,” translated as the“ pre-meditation of evils,” as well as“ Amor Fati,” the“ love of fate,” became two phrases to recall in ancient philosophy, reminding people to think the worst, but also to free their minds and understand that everything has a purpose.
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