Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

There are many times in my life where I have questioned my own sanity when it comes to creativity and work related habits. Sometimes it is easy to feel alone in the world when it comes to these things and this book is a true gem when it comes to revealing the secret lives of many of the most talented artists in the history of time. This book proves not only that most of us is far from perfect and that we all struggle, but also contains insight on productive and life sustaining habits from some of the most talented minds in history. For me this book was a great comfort in times of struggle but also a motivational tool to keep me going. One of my most interesting reads this year, highly recommended!

Franz Kafka, frustrated with his living quarters and day job, wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, “time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers.”
 
Kafka is one of 161 inspired—and inspiring—minds, among them, novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, who describe how they subtly maneuver the many (self-inflicted) obstacles and (self-imposed) daily rituals to get done the work they love to do, whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing, drinking vast quantities of coffee, or taking long daily walks. Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in the kitchen, the top of the refrigerator as his desk, dreamily fondling his “male configurations”. . . Jean-Paul Sartre chewed on Corydrane tablets (a mix of amphetamine and aspirin), ingesting ten times the recommended dose each day . . . Descartes liked to linger in bed, his mind wandering in sleep through woods, gardens, and enchanted palaces where he experienced “every pleasure imaginable.”

Here are: Anthony Trollope, who demanded of himself that each morning he write three thousand words (250 words every fifteen minutes for three hours) before going off to his job at the postal service, which he kept for thirty-three years during the writing of more than two dozen books . . . Karl Marx . . . Woody Allen . . . Agatha Christie . . . George Balanchine, who did most of his work while ironing . . . Leo Tolstoy . . . Charles Dickens . . . Pablo Picasso . . . George Gershwin, who, said his brother Ira, worked for twelve hours a day from late morning to midnight, composing at the piano in pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers . . .

Here also are the daily rituals of Charles Darwin, Andy Warhol, John Updike, Twyla Tharp, Benjamin Franklin, William Faulkner, Jane Austen, Anne Rice, and Igor Stravinsky (he was never able to compose unless he was sure no one could hear him and, when blocked, stood on his head to “clear the brain”).

Brilliantly compiled and edited, and filled with detail and anecdote, Daily Rituals is irresistible, addictive, magically inspiring.

Get it here:
Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea

At the start of 2014 I tried floating (sensory deprivation tank) for the first time and I have kept it up as often as I can ever since. Floating is an amazing experience which is difficult to put into words. If you are interested in meditation and exploring your mind you will love floating. The best part is that it will supercharge your meditation practice and make it possible for you to reach deeper levels quickly which would otherwise take up to years to develop. With practice floating makes OBE and astral projection experiences a reality and provides deep emotional relaxation that lasts for a long time after your floating session. In some countries floating is used as a proven treatment for depression, anxiety and insomnia. If you have a possibility to try floating where you live I highly recommend it, I will write more about floating in my upcoming ebook.

Michael Hutchison wrote a definitive book about all the studies done concerning floating. The book is called “The Book of Floating”. He addresses sleep studies and brain wave states where floaters were compared to Tibetan Lamas. It seems that for every year a Zen Monk or Tibetan Lama meditates, their brain can produce one minute of “Theta” brain wave while meditating. Theta is the mystical brain wave that normal people only produce for a split second when falling asleep and then again when waking, it’s considered a euphoric brain state.

With this premise a monk who has been meditating for 20 years can produce up to twenty minutes of Theta brain wave while in meditation. Michael says however, that these are the only people in the world who are able to produce theta like this except floaters. Michael’s book says that floating studies revealed that floaters with no meditation experience easily produced twenty minutes of Theta durring a one hour floating session.

There are many other stories, studies, anecdotes and revealing facts regarding FAQ and paranoia about drowning, sanitation, constructing a tank, and claustrophobia, etc. 

Get it here:
The Book of Floating: Exploring the Private Sea (Consciousness Classics)

Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome

If you suffer from chronic stress, fatigue, anxiety or insomnia I highly suggest you read up on adrenal disorders. Especially if you are an HSP which are more susceptible to these kinds of problems. It is estimated that 90% of doctors visits are for issues that stem from stress. Prolonged stress is also the source of most of our diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, which all belong to some of the most common causes of death in modern society. Stress disorders is something that are just now beginning to be fully understood and I believe that in the future it will be one of the most important things to educate the public about in order to prevent disease. I have personal experience with suffering from adrenal fatigue and chronic low cortisol levels, this book is one of the best ones on the subject and provides lot’s of good tips on how to heal. I will be writing more about these type of problems in my upcoming ebook.

Dr. James Wilson has helped hundreds of people with adrenal fatigue regain their health and vitality during his 24 years of private practice. For the past 10 years he has also lectured extensively to physicians and is acknowledged as an expert on adrenal function and other endocrine imbalances, and their impact on health. With a researcher’s grasp of the science behind adrenal function and a clinician’s understanding of its human impact, he has helped many understand the physiology behind the condition.One of the few people to hold 3 doctorate degrees and 2 master’s degrees, all from different disciplines, he received his Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from the University of Arizona, with minors in immunology, microbiol-ogy, pharmacology and toxicology. In addition, he holds degrees as a Doctor of Chiropractic and Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine. His master’s degrees are in bio/nutrition and experimental psychology. Dr. Wilson was also one of 14 founding fathers of the Canadian College of Naturopathic medicine (CCNM) in Toronto, Ontario. He is listed in The International Who’s Who in Medicine (Cambridge, England) and currently resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Get it here:
Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome

The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions–Today

This is the #1 book on the field of treating health problems like depression, insomnia and fatigue with the supplementation of amino acids. This approach is superior to antidepressants like SSRIs and should always be tried first before considering any medication. The reason why this is not done is because you cannot patent these amino acids because they exist naturally in our bodies, hence there is no money to be made for big pharma. Germany is one of the few countries in the world where doctors often consider a more natural approach like this before prescribing antidepressant medications. Amino acids like 5-HTP, Tryptophan, GABA, Tyrosine and Phenylalanine are used to correct imbalances in serotonin, dopamine, GABA and endorphins that help regulate our moods.

Are you a part of the bad mood epidemic? Here are the answers you’ve been looking for!

Julia Ross’s plan provides a natural cure for your mood. Drawing on thirty years of experience, she presents breakthrough solutions to overcoming depression, anxiety, irritability, stress, and other negative emotional states that are diminishing the quality of our lives. Her comprehensive program is  based on the use of four mood-building amino acids and other surprisingly potent nutrient supplements, plus a diet rich in good-mood foods such as protein, healthy fat, and certain key vegetables. Including an individualized mood-type questionnaire,The Mood Cure has all the tools to help
you get started today and feel better tomorrow.

Get it here:
The Mood Cure: The 4-Step Program to Take Charge of Your Emotions–Today

Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle

Here is a interesting read on consciousness from the talented mind of one, if not the most famous psychologist of all time, Carl Jung. Synchronicity is the word for the meaningful coincidences that appear both in the external world and in the mind. On multiple occasions in my life strange things have happened which I cannot explain. Things that seem connected but cannot possibly be because the chance that they would is so extremely small. An simplified example would be the times when you thought about something or said something, just to have it appear or be mentioned on television or in a song a few seconds later. It happens to all of us but science have yet to been able to explain the nature of this phenomenon. In this book Carl Jung provides his beliefs and experiences with it and provides ample food for thought for you to explore this further in the mysterious world of consciousness.

Jung was intrigued from early in his career with coincidences, especially those surprising juxtapositions that scientific rationality could not adequately explain. He discussed these ideas with Albert Einstein before World War I, but first used the term “synchronicity” in a 1930 lecture, in reference to the unusual psychological insights generated from consulting the I Ching. A long correspondence and friendship with the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Wolfgang Pauli stimulated a final, mature statement of Jung’s thinking on synchronicity, originally published in 1952 and reproduced here. Together with a wealth of historical and contemporary material, this essay describes an astrological experiment Jung conducted to test his theory.Synchronicity reveals the full extent of Jung’s research into a wide range of psychic phenomena.

This paperback edition of Jung’s classic work includes a new foreword by Sonu Shamdasani, Philemon Professor of Jung History at University College London.

Get it here:
Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle. (From Vol. 8. of the Collected Works of C. G. Jung) (Bollingen Series XX: the Collected Works of C. G. Jung, Volume 8)

The post Best INFJ Books: Recommended Reading List #3 appeared first on INFJ Ramblings.

I have played around with music, painting, drawing and other things that lets me express my Se most of my life. I have always been drawn to it and the last couple of years I have begun to understand the implications it can have for an INFJ. It’s a bit of a hate love relationship. It is very easy for me to imagine the perfect outcome of a piece of art in my mind, the ideal of what I want to create. But when put under pressure, self doubt or perfectionistic tendencies can often implicate things and distort your vision. I can start to obsess about details and feel like the results never come out like I imagined them to be, it’s never perfect. This is where the tension comes from playing around to much with our inferior and it can make you grow impatient with yourself and create stress and self doubt.

I’ve seen other articles on blogs that recommend INFJs against career choices that involves our Se. I’m a bit divided in it and I feel INFJs should go down that line of work if they want, as long as they feel that it also brings them happiness. Personally I don’t feel fulfilled without getting to indulge myself in some project using my Se, it is the only time I actually feel free and out of my busy introverted mind. It’s brings me peace inside while working with my Se and since I enjoy doing it, I’ve become talented in this area which makes it easier to pick it as a career choice. I create something in the external world and I feel that bridges the gap between my mind and the external, which I often feel  quite separated from. I like the idea that others get to enjoy what I’ve created and as an intuitive artist I bring a completely different perspective into creating art. When under pressure working in a career choice like this can bring you a lot of stress, but as they say no pain no gain. I believe we can’t function to our full potential until we learn how  to handle our inferior function, and there is no other way then by using it often. Avoiding it will just make you want to indulge in it more and it is a part of you either you like it or nor.

It is good to make sure you also have other interests that let’s your Ni relax alone in it’s natural habitat without Se. I like to read, write and speculate about deep things. The key is balance your functions and know when you are overdoing it and it is doing you more harm then good. If art interests you find your personal perspective in it, the side that lets you use all of your skills as an INFJ and also indulge in your Se as needed. I’m convinced that INFJs can excel well in this area if you learn your limits and what particular set of skills you bring to the table.

The post INFJ Careers to Avoid and the Best Jobs for INFJs appeared first on INFJ Ramblings.

to how rare INFJ types are in MBTI. In this post I want to discuss the INFJ enneagram and how Type 5 Enneagram relates to INFJs.

After reading about it for  some time I have come to the conclusion that MBTI is brain functioning and Enneagram is about morals and values in life. In combination they can describe a person good and compliment each other well.

There also seems to be a correlation between MBTI types and Enneagram types to a certain degree. Here is some interesting reading concerning this subject:

Enneagram Type Test On-Line Stats:
http://www.9types.com/rheti/stats.html

Table of Enneagram Marriage Frequencies:
http://www.9types.com/writeup/enneagram_marriages.html

Enneagram Type and MBTI Type Compared (Statistics):
http://personalitycafe.com/enneagram-personality-theory-forum/85323-enneagram-type-mbti-type-compared-statistics.html

This is a great book explaining everything you need to know about Enneagram, highly recommended:
The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types

I’ve also done a bunch of Enneagram tests myself and recently bought the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator test which is a scientifically validated test for testing your Enneagram type. You can find it here: http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/

My results concerning my own Enneagram type is that I’m a 5w4. Here is some information about the 5w4 type that I’ve copied:

5w4 – The Five with a Four-Wing: “The Iconoclast”

 

The traits of the Five and those of the Four reinforce each other in many ways. Both Five and Four are withdrawn types: they turn to the inner world of their imagination to defend their egos and to reinforce their sense of self.

They both feel that something essential in themselves must be found before they can live their lives completely. Fives lack the confidence to act, and Fours lack a strong, stable sense of identity. Thus, Fives with a Four-wing have difficulty connecting with others and staying grounded.

People of this subtype are more emotional and introverted than Fives with a Six-wing, althrough paradoxically, they tend to be more sociable than the other subtype. As a result of their Four component, they are also more interested in the personal and intrapsychic.

The two types also have some significant differences in their approach. Fives are cerebral, holding experience at arm’s length, while Fours internalize everything to intensify their feelings.

Despite these differences–or because of them–these two personality types make one of the richest subtypes, combining possibilities for outstanding artistic as well as intellectual achievement.

Notewothy examples of  5w4 Enneagram subtype include:
Albert Einstein, Werner Heisenburg, Friedrich Nietzsche, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Cage, John Lennon, k. d. lang, Laurie Anderson, James Joyce, Emily Dickinson, Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Buster Keaton, Gary Larson, Stephen King, Tim Burton, Clive Barker, Franz Kafka, Umberto Eco, Jean-Paul Sartre, Oriana Fallaci, Glenn Gould, Peter Serkin, Hannah Arendt, Kurt Cobain, and Vincent van Gogh.

In healthy people of Enneagram 5w4 subtype:

We find the union of intuition and knowledge, sensitivity and insight, aesthetic appreciation and intellectual endowments.

Fives with a Four-wing are likely to be involved in the arts as writers, directors, designers, musicians, composers, choreographers, and so forth. The subtype has been somewhat overlooked in many descriptions of Fives because they do not fit the stereotype of the academic/scientific Five (the Five with a Six-wing).

This subtype is more synthetic in its thinking, pulling things together and seeking out new ways of looking at things, Also, Fives with a Four-wing tend to utilize their imaginations more than the analytic, systematic parts of the mind which are more the domain of the other subtype.

If they are involved in science, Fives with a Four-wing are drawn to those areas in which there is less emphasis on experimentation and data collection than on intuition and comprehensive vision.

This subtype is particularly aware of–and on the lookout for–the beauty in a mathematical formula, for example. For this subtype, beauty is one of the indications of truth, because the order which beauty represents is a confirmation of the objective rightness of an idea.

One of the foremost strengths of healthy Fives with a Four-wing lies precisely in their intuition, since intuition helps them uncover areas of knowledge where their conscious thoughts have not yet ventured. The

Four-wing adds a desire to find a unique, personal vision to the curiosity and perceptiveness of the Five, and the result is a propensity to “tinker” with familiar forms until they become something almost unrecognizable.

In talented Fives with a Four-wing this can lead to startling innovations in their chosen fields of endeavor.

In Average Fives with a Four-wing, Enneagram 5w4:

The Four-wing adds emotional depth, but causes difficulties in sustaining efforts and in working with others. Fives with a Four-wing are more independent than Fives with a Six-wing and resist having structures and deadlines imposed on them.

There can be an off-putting detachment from the environment, both because they are involved in their thoughts and because they are introverted and emotionally self-absorbed.

Analytic powers may be used to keep people at arm’s length rather than to understand them more deeply. Emotionally delicate, people of this subtype can be moody and hypersensitive to criticism, particularly regarding the value of their work or ideas, since this impinges directly upon self-esteem.

Both component types tend to withdraw from people and be reclusive. They can be highly creative and imaginative, envisioning alternate realities in great detail, but can get lost in their own cerebral landscapes.

The Four-wing gives a propensity to fantasizing, but with the Five with the Four-wing, the subject matter tends toward the surreal and fantastic rather than the romantic. Individuals of this subtype can become highly impractical, spending most of their time reading, playing intellectual games, or specializing in trivia.

There is often an attraction to dark, forbidden subject matter or to any way of self-expression which would disturb or upset others. Some Fives with a Four-wing become fascinated with the macabre and the horrific.

As they become more impractical and fearful about their possibilities in life, one typical solution is to find emotional solace in various forms of self-indulgence–in alcohol, drugs, or sexual escapades.

Unhealthy persons of 5w4 Enneagram subtype:

May fall prey to debilitating depressions yet be disturbed by aggressive impulses. Envy of others mixes with contempt for them; the desire to isolate the self from the world mixes with regret that it must be so.

Intellectual conflicts make their emotional lives seem hopeless, while their emotional conflicts make intellectual work difficult to sustain. Moreover, if this subtype becomes neurotic, it is one of the most alienated of all of the personality types: profoundly hopeless, nihilistic, self-inhibiting, isolated from others, and full of self-hatred.

Unhealthy Fives with a Four-wing retreat into a very bleak, minimal existence, attempting to cut off from all needs. The self-rejection and dispair of the Four combines with the cynical nihilism of the Five to create a worldview that is relentlessly negative and terrifying. Social isolation, addiction, and chronic depression are common. Suicide is a real possibility.

I can relate to a lot of this and have definitely experienced the unhealthy aspect of it. I’m very introverted and intuitive, the intuitive aspect of my personality brings me my HSP sensitivities and introversion amplifies them.

I tend to have to withdraw often to recharge and struggle to keep control of my feelings. I’m detached from reality and experience feelings of disembodied from reality on a daily basis, I think this is what feeds my need to use my Se function since it grounds me in reality.

I’m predominately a feeler in my values and morals but I’m stuck in my mind thinking all the time. Interested in science, psychology, technology, paranormal subjects and tend to lean towards the mystical instead of rational.

I like to investigate and understand the world around me and as a child I used to break things apart and put them back together again to understand how they worked. Always had a big imagination and love the arts. I studied programming growing up and was good at it but ended up working
with digital arts and media because I enjoy that even more.
Probably because it also feeds my inferior function Se as an INFJ, for both good and worse. When I’m stressed I can be very self indulgent and neurotic, isolating myself from the world both in my mind and externally.

Here are some results from cognitive tests I’ve done recently, I feel that I di
ffer somewhat from other INFJs and in some aspects are similar to INFPs. But as you can se my Si inferior is very poorly developed as INFJs/INTJs. If anybody else can relate to any of this please feel free to comment!

http://www.keys2cognition.com/explore.htm

Cognitive Process	Level of Development (Preference, Skill and Frequency of Use)
extraverted Sensing (Se)	*******************  (19.3) limited use
introverted Sensing (Si)	**********  (10.2) unused
extraverted Intuiting (Ne)	**************************************  (38.5) excellent use
introverted Intuiting (Ni)	***************************************  (39.6) excellent use
extraverted Thinking (Te)	*********************************  (33.5) good use
introverted Thinking (Ti)	*****************************  (29.6) average use
extraverted Feeling (Fe)	*************************************  (37.3) excellent use
introverted Feeling (Fi)	********************************  (32.2) good use

http://cognitivequiz.com/quiz.html

Your Cognitive Functions:

Introverted Intuition (Ni) |||||||||||||||||||||||| 11.29

Extroverted Intuition (Ne) ||||||||||||||||||||||| 10.58

Extroverted Feeling (Fe) |||||||||||||||||| 8.07

Introverted Feeling (Fi) ||||||||||||| 5.85

Extroverted Thinking (Te) ||||||| 2.93

Introverted Thinking (Ti) ||| 0.69

Extroverted Sensation (Se) || -2.2

Introverted Sensation (Si) |||| -3.23

Your Extroverted Intuition (Ne) is very developed.

Your Introverted Intuition (Ni) is very developed.

Your Introverted Thinking (Ti) is moderate.

Your Extroverted Thinking (Te) is moderate.

Your Extroverted Feeling (Fe) is moderate.

Your Introverted Feeling (Fi) is moderate.

Your Extroverted Sensation (Se) is low.

Your Introverted Sensation (Si) is low.

Humanmetrics Jung Typology Test™

Your Type INFJ

Introvert(78%)  iNtuitive(100%)  Feeling(88%)  Judging(33%)

• You have strong preference of Introversion over Extraversion (78%)
• You have strong preference of Intuition over Sensing (100%)
• You have strong preference of Feeling over Thinking (88%)
• You have moderate preference of Judging over Perceiving (33%)

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http://www.youtube.com/artist/frank-ocean

 

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