PODCAST · society
Perennial Meditations
by Perennial Leader Project
Perennial Meditations is a podcast for seekers and curious minds. Each episode delivers a quote, a meditation, and a practice—inspired by the writings of Stoics, Saints, and Sages. Learn more at perennial.substack.com.
Episodes
-
St. Thomas Aquinas: "The Things We Love" | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “The things that we love tell us what we are.” — Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica We are very good at describing the person we intend to be. Generous—just waiting for the right moment. Present—once things...
-
Dostoevsky: "Beauty Will Save the World" | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “Beauty will save the world.” — Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot He meant it literally. Fyodor Dostoevsky stood before a firing squad at twenty-eight, heard the order, and was reprieved at the last possible...
-
St. Teresa of Ávila on the Interior Castle | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “The important thing is not to think much, but to love much.” — St. Teresa of Ávila, The Interior Castle Most of us are more familiar with wisdom than we are changed by it. We read carefully, reflect...
-
Montaigne on the Human Condition | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “Every man carries the whole stamp of the human condition within him.” — Montaigne, The Essays This is either deeply humbling or quietly liberating, depending on the day. We spend considerable energy...
-
Confucius on Two Kinds of Lost | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “Learning without reflection is labor lost. Reflection without learning is perilous.” — Confucius, Analects The first type consumes everything—self-help, philosophy, psychology, spiritual wisdom. They can...
-
St. Francis and the open hand | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “It is in giving that we receive.” — St. Francis of Assisi This sounds like a pleasantry, but it is actually a provocation. Most of us are wired to assume that receiving comes first, that we give from...
-
Plato on Conquering Oneself | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “For a man to conquer himself is the first and noblest of all victories.” — Plato, The Laws Every tradition has a version of this. The Stoics called it discipline. The Buddhists called it renunciation. The...
-
Socrates on the Examined Life | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates, Plato’s Apology He said these words at his trial. Not in a lecture hall or a private dialogue with friends, but standing before a jury of five hundred...
-
Heraclitus on the Only Constant | Perennial Meditations
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe “The only constant is change.” — Heraclitus, Fragments We have all heard this. We nod when we encounter it, the way you nod at something that sounds true without quite landing. Then life changes in a way…
more -
Ep. 260: Monastic Wisdom for the Rhythms of Life | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe You’ve likely experienced the optimistic reset: a fresh note, a new week, and a well-crafted routine. It includes things like reading, prayer, or exercise. Then life happens. A late night. A tough...
-
Ep. 259: How to Quit - A Philosophical Guide | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Today’s essay is about something most of us rarely talk about. Quitting. From the time we’re young, we’re taught to admire perseverance. “Finish what you start.” “Never give up.” “Stay the course.” “Push...
-
Ep. 258: Stop Fixing Yourself. Try This Instead. | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Many of us treat our inner life like a home renovation project. If I could just fix my overthinking, my consistency issues, my need for approval, and my procrastination, I could finally become “the person...
-
Ep. 257: A Meditation on the "Present" of Christmas | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Christmas invites us to reflect on gifts, but the most meaningful one is the hardest to give. It isn’t bought or wrapped; it has nothing to do with ribbons or receipts. The true “present” of Christmas is...
-
Ep. 256: Sinner and Saint - The Paradox of Human Development | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Before we begin, it may help to name the kind of territory we’re entering—because this essay (or episode) is all about paradoxes and polarities. A paradox is two things that seem to oppose each other but…
more -
Ep. 255: The Saint's Guide to Happiness | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the profound and surprising vision of happiness taught by the 13th-century theologian and philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. Long before modern self-help…
more -
Ep. 254: How to Be Bored - An Ancient Guide to Being Where You Are | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the art of boredom: a journey through ancient philosophy, psychology, and modern thinkers like David Foster Wallace. From the desert monks who believed...
-
Ep. 253: The Art of Thinking - From Socrates to St. Augustine | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we trace a journey from the streets of ancient Athens to the inner life of a restless bishop. Socrates challenges us with the idea of the unexamined life, while…
more -
Ep. 252: The Surprising Wisdom of Schopenhauer's Pessimism | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we enter the world of Arthur Schopenhauer—the philosopher of pessimism, and, unexpectedly, a teacher of compassion. Schopenhauer believed that happiness cannot be found...
-
Ep. 251: Kierkegaard on the courage to choose | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we sit down with Søren Kierkegaard, the 19th-century Danish philosopher often considered the father of existentialism. Specifically, we explore insights from his book...
-
Ep. 250: Dostoevsky - Freedom, Suffering, and Love
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the moral and psychological depth of Fyodor Dostoevsky, one of the greatest novelists and spiritual thinkers in history. From his near-execution in 1849 to…
more -
Ep. 249: Immanuel Kant - The Three Fundamental Questions | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the life and thought of Immanuel Kant through the lens of three enduring philosophical questions: “What can I know?” “What should I do?” “What may I hope?”...
-
Ep. 248: Nietzsche on the Fear of Change | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to the provocative thoughts of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844—1900) to explore one of the most overlooked yet essential inner struggles: the fear of change. Building...
-
Ep. 247: Abraham Maslow on the Fear of Greatness | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore a hidden but deeply human struggle: the fear not of failure—but of greatness. Drawing from Abraham Maslow's insights, we consider what it means to avoid our...
-
Ep. 246: Socrates on the Fear of Death | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to Plato’s Apology and the final words of Socrates to explore how philosophy can liberate us from the fear of death. Socrates stood trial, was sentenced to die,...
-
Ep. 245: St. Francis on the Paradox of Joy | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to the life and teachings of St. Francis of Assisi to uncover a countercultural and liberating truth: true joy is not found in comfort, success, or status—but…
more -
Ep. 244: How to "Look Again" at Life
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we discuss why we often struggle to see ourselves or life clearly, and how to calm restless minds while examining our perceptions and our place in the cosmos. We focus…
more -
Ep. 243 — The Philosophy of Desire | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we examine an essay from the “Know Thyself” series on The Philosophy of Desire. You can expect to learn about the influence of desire in our daily lives. Why desire…
more -
Heraclitus on the Wisdom of Change
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Today, on this Sunday edition of Perennial Wisdom, we are turning to the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, who famously said, No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it is not the same river and…
more -
The Timeless Art of Leading a Life | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we discuss the timeless truths shared across cultures and traditions that guide us in cultivating a life well-lived. Rather than chasing life hacks, quick fixes, or...
-
St. Benedict on the Ladder of Humility | Perennial Meditation
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Today, on this Sunday edition of Perennial Wisdom, we reflect on humility—not as weakness or self-negation, but as wisdom—through the voice of one of the great spiritual teachers: St. Benedict of Nursia.…
more -
Plato on Seeking the Good | Perennial Meditation
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Today, on this Sunday edition of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to one of the great pillars of Western philosophy—Plato—and his vision of the Good. Not just goodness in the moral sense but the ultimate source…
more -
Philosophy as Therapy for the Soul | Perennial Wisdom
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we delve into how philosophy offers healing, not by curing mental illness, but by guiding us to live with clarity, freedom, and meaning. By drawing insights from…
more -
Think Like a Monk: A Monastic Guide to Life
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we turn to monks and the monastic life for wisdom. In this video essay, we explore how to “Think like a Monk” by drawing from The Wandering Mind by historian (and...
-
The Art of Responsibility | Shane Trotter
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Shane Trotter (author of Setting the Bar). In our conversation, Shane and I explore the complexities of character development, focusing on themes such as...
-
Life is Short | Dean Rickles
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Prof. Dean Rickles, the author of Life is Short: An Appropriately Brief Guide to Making it More Meaningful. Dean is a professor of history and philosophy of...
-
Practical Stoicism | Brittany Polat
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Brittany Polat (co-author of Stoic Ethics: The Basics). In the conversation, we explore the application of Stoicism in relationships, love, and ethics. You...
-
The Art of Spiritual Formation | Dr. Brian Russell
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, I welcome Dr. Brian Russell back to the show. Brian is an author, professor of biblical studies, and transformational coach. He is also the host of Deep Dive…
more -
The Wisdom to Know the Difference | Carl Erik Fisher
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Dr. Carl Erik Fisher (author of The Urge: Our History of Addiction). In the conversation, Dr. Fisher, an addiction psychiatrist and bioethicist, shares...
-
The Common Good with Shane Trotter | The Character Lab
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Shane Trotter (author of Setting the Bar). In the conversation, Shane and I explore the intersection of character and the common good. We discuss the role…
more -
Beyond Stoicism with Massimo Pigliucci
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest Massimo Pigliucci (co-author of the new book Beyond Stoicism) discusses the importance of seeking wisdom beyond Stoicism. We explore the distinctions between...
-
The Way of Zen with Henry Shukman
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Henry Shukman. Henry is a poet, author, meditation teacher, and co-founder of the single-path meditation app The Way. His most recent books are Original…
more -
Embracing Mortality: Lessons from Seneca | James Romm
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is James Romm (editor of How to Die and How to Have a Life). In the conversation, James and I discuss the importance of preparing for death, the role of virtue...
-
How Socrates Can Change Your Life | Donald J. Robertson
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Donald J. Robertson, author of How to Think Like Socrates. Donald is a psychotherapist, the author of several phenomenal books on Stoic philosophy, and a...
-
The Self-Directed Life - Making Sense of Free Will with Ken Sheldon
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, my guest is Ken Sheldon, author of Freely Determined. Ken is a psychology researcher and professor; his areas of study are positive psychology, motivation, and...
-
How to Live - The Life and Philosophy of Socrates | Perennial Lives
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we search for lessons from the life and philosophy of Socrates. Expect to learn the key to simple living, the role of testing your assumptions, and much more. 📺 Watch…
more -
The Philosophy of Gratitude - An Ancient Guide to a Grateful Life
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of the Perennial Wisdom podcast, we search for insights into the nature of suffering, gratitude, and the good life. Expect to learn why the Buddha said, “Life is suffering,” along with what...
-
The Paradox of Emotions - Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the paradoxical lessons on the nature of emotions. Expect to learn why “negative” emotions are not obstacles to the “good” life. The problem with…
more -
"How to Live to Oneself" | Bonus Contemplation with Montaigne
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, I share a short guided contemplation inspired by the Essays of Michel de Montaigne. It's part of a new series on the podcast and the Perennial Meditations YouTube...
-
How to Live (and Die) Like an Epicurean - The Philosophy of Pleasure
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, we explore the ancient philosophy of pleasure (Epicureanism) to find three lessons for modern living. Expect to learn what the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus…
more -
"Think of Yourself as Dead" | Bonus Contemplation with Marcus Aurelius
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe In this episode of Perennial Wisdom, I share a short guided contemplation inspired by Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. It's part of a new series on the podcast and the Perennial Meditations YouTube Channel.…
more
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Perennial Meditations is a podcast for seekers and curious minds. Each episode delivers a quote, a meditation, and a practice—inspired by the writings of Stoics, Saints, and Sages. Learn more at perennial.substack.com.
HOSTED BY
Perennial Leader Project
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Perennial Meditations have?
Perennial Meditations currently has 269 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Perennial Meditations about?
Perennial Meditations is a podcast for seekers and curious minds. Each episode delivers a quote, a meditation, and a practice—inspired by the writings of Stoics, Saints, and Sages. Learn more at perennial.substack.com.
How often does Perennial Meditations release new episodes?
Perennial Meditations publishes regularly with 269 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Perennial Meditations?
You can listen to Perennial Meditations on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Perennial Meditations?
Perennial Meditations is created and hosted by Perennial Leader Project.
URL copied to clipboard!