By Daniel Finneran
ABOUT PNEUMA
Relax into a forest of dreams,
and let your mind be free
Pneuma is the point at which wellness, fitness, poetry, and philosophy converge. It is the meeting place of body and spirit, matter and mind, at which life is lived to its fullest. Our aim here is to seek, to recover, and, above all, to apply the wisdom of the past in an effort to empower wellbeing in the present, and, ultimately, to achieve the “good life” to which we all aspire. I’m your host, Daniel Finneran, and I’ll be your guide on this journey. Thank you for joining me.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF “PNEUMA”?
Pneuma is one of those old, strange, deeply significant words for which there is no perfect definition. It appears in a variety of sources, from the writings of the Stoics, to the numinous legends held by our sacred texts.
It is the very essence of poetry, of metaphor, of the holy union between the material and the spiritual realms.
It means, fundamentally, breath or wind–the air by which your lungs are filled, your skin is chilled, and your entire being enlivened.
Yet it carries, as I said, a double meaning. It is the vital principle of life, the invisible force by which we humans are inspired. Notice that final word: inspired. Ultimately, it all returns to the breath.
You can read more about this profoundly significant word, Pneuma, here.
In what way is Pneuma different?
1. Deeply meaningful meditations
Here, on Pneuma, you’ll not find the type of bland, new-age, therapeutic, insipid spiritualism to which you’re usually subjected. Our meditations are for the thinking mind, the beating heart, and the feeling soul. Each episode is inspired by the great thinkers of the past, the acknowledged geniuses of bygone ages, to whose timeless wisdom and profound insight, we gratefully return. Explore their wisdom with me.
2. The wisdom of the ages
And to whom, you might ask, might we be returning? These meditations will bring us back into communion with the greatest minds who’ve ever lived. We’ll visit Marcus Aurelius for advice on endurance; Epicurus for help on understanding the meaning of a “good life”; Aristotle for an appreciation of true happiness and virtue; Edmund Burke for a lesson on the beautiful and sublime; Walt Whitman for an ethereal reunion with the self; and Cicero for an exposition on wisdom and friendship.
3. A soothing, soporific voice
Since acquiring the faculty of speech, some twenty-nine years ago, my voice has been distinguished for its abnormally soothing quality. I was an infantile marvel: my childish babblings regularly put my parents to sleep! Now, as an adult, I’ll be using my voice’s soporific power to relax and guide you. You’ll not find a better voice to which, if you so choose, you can fall asleep, or, if of a livelier disposition, you can set your breathing, stretching, or walking cadence.
PODCAST
Premium Content
Coming Soon
Articles
Hello all, and welcome to this episode of Pneuma. I’m your host, Daniel Finneran, and I’m so glad that you’ve decided to …
Good morning, and welcome to another episode of Pneuma. Just this once, you’ll be spared the long-winded introduction to which I’m susceptible, …
Hello all, and welcome to this episode of Pneuma. I’m your host, Daniel Finneran, and I’m honored that you’ve decided to join …
Hello, and welcome to another episode of Pneuma. Spring (the season than which there’s none slower in arriving, nor quicker in departing) …
Good morning, and welcome to this gentle, guided meditation with which to loosen your body, and begin your day. As always, thank …
Hello, and welcome to this gentle, guided meditation by which I hope to broaden your feelings of gratitude—to those people or things …