A Certain World: A Commonplace Book, by W. H. Auden, is an anthology of passages and quotations from other authors, selected by Auden, arranged alphabetically by subject. He called it "a sort of autobiography." Subjects include time, sin, and landscapes. It was published in 1970. Image and caption courtesy of Wikipedia.
For a while now, I have been fascinated with commonplace books. I discovered my favorite poet, W.H. Auden, had published one in 1970, and ever since, I've wanted to keep one for myself. That said, a lot has changed since the '70s – for one, there is this thing called the internet. No longer do we need to collect these tidbits, organize them, and publish them in a hardback book for others.
While there are a thousand (or perhaps million) different sites out there on which I could pin, tag, or post to my heart's content, they all seem commercially driven in some way or another.
Additionally, ever since I began my daily meditation practice a little over a year ago, I have had so many brief meditation "aha's" come to mind, only to forget them later in the day. So, I felt the need to start journaling (note-taking) to capture some of those before they left my brain forever.
So, I thought, "why not combine the two?" And, "why not put my favorites out into the universe for others to happen along and perhaps find value in?" I've intentionally chosen a publishing platform that will allow me to stay autonomous from others. I'm not trying to be the next suggested article in your blog feed. And because this isn't my source of income, I apologize in advance if I am slow at adding content to it.
I don't pretend to be an expert in anything I'm posting about or suggesting. I'm just a human being trying to pass along things I've discovered intuitively – stuff I find exciting, compelling, joyful, or fun.
Ultimately, I'm a creator, not an "influencer." I'm not selling advertising on here or trying to build a giant network of followers, only to subversively hock products at you. I'm trying to make connections between the crazy thoughts in my head, the universe we inhabit, the work I create, and the fantastic creations of others.
I've spent a considerable amount of my life taking in the world around me and not sharing a lot back with the rest of you. This site is one attempt to do so. I hope you find some value in it.