Have you ever wanted to write your own meditations like Marcus Aurelius? Many of us have been swept away by the poignant beauty of the philosopher-emperor’s thoughts to himself. And if you’re like me, you may have considered trying to do something similar yourself. But where to begin? It can be intimidating trying to follow in the footsteps of greatness.
At the Stoic Arts Conference a few weeks ago I offered some ideas for getting started on your own meditations. Here I’ve adapted that workshop for Substack, so you’ll see it’s in bullet-point format. The most important piece of advice: don’t try to recreate Marcus’ vision exactly—just create something that speaks to you. Draw on your own life experiences and the things that are important to you. Remember, you are not writing for anyone else, but as a spiritual exercise for your own self-cultivation.
And a second general piece of advice: don’t become overly focused on the quality of the language you write down. Instead focus on visualizing compelling concepts and see how you can express them in your own words. You can always spend time refining your expressions later.
Background
“In the Meditations, Marcus uses two types of language: technical Stoic vocabulary and metaphorical language” (Francesca Alesse, “The Form and Function of the Meditations as Ethical Self-Cultivation,” in The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, p. 39)
“Besides using philosophical language mainly of Stoic origin, Marcus shows an especial fondness for metaphors and similes. This is not simply a rhetorical or narrative device accompanying the highly compressed exposition of doctrines, but an expressive form that plays an essential part in the practice of self-cultivation.” (Alesse, p. 42)
“The structure, the linguistic uses, the rhetorical devices all aim at enabling one to practice self-cultivation, first while writing down the text, then while re-reading it.” (Alesse, p. 43)
“Every single linguistic element plays an important role in askēsis…as a tool not for learning school doctrines, but for promoting personal spiritual progress.” (Alesse, p. 44)
Examples of Metaphor in the Meditations
Be like the headland, with wave after wave breaking against it, which yet stands firm and sees the boiling waters round it fall to rest. (4.49)
Nature has looked to each thing's ending no less than its beginning and its course in between, as does a boy who throws a ball into the air. What good is there for the ball in rising up or harm for it in falling down and even striking the ground? What good is there for the bubble in being blown or harm for it in being burst? And the same is true of a lamp. (8.20)
You climbed aboard, you set sail, and now you have come to port. So step ashore! (3.3)
Steps to Writing Your Own Meditations
Find your metaphor. Look around for metaphors that make sense to you. You might want to start thinking about this in everyday life, observing and writing down your favorites. Or you can look for inspiration in beautiful photography and art. (At the workshop we were inspired by images from Unsplash, like those above.) If metaphors aren’t your thing, you can simply note down observations about life and death, then go from there.
Identify themes this metaphor represents for you. Some good possibilities: death, time, impermanence, ephemerality, change, beauty, renewal, etc. Write down 3 important points about that concept.
Optional step for experienced Stoics: Select a Stoic principle relevant to that theme. Don’t get hung up on this step if you’re not sure what to do here. But if you’re very familiar with Stoic concepts, you can select one that applies to your theme, such as appropriate action, reason, judgment, impressions, reserve clause, emotion, social roles, cosmos, fate, virtue, etc. Write down 2 important principles relating to that concept.
Put the theme and concept in the context of your life. Drawing on the important points and principles you identified above, write down specifically how this applies to you. Explore what, why, when, where, who, and how.
Refine your language. When you feel that you’ve expressed the idea with clarity and personal connection, you can think about refining your language. Now you can think about changing words and revising sentences to make your thoughts elevated and eloquent.
Reread and enjoy. As Francesca Alesse notes (above), the goal of this exercise is spiritual progress “first while writing down the text, then while re-reading it.” The true purpose of this exercise is not a perfect finished product but rather the process of focusing on virtue and developing your character.
Closing Reminders
Remember this is a spiritual exercise—the point is the process, not the product
Sit with your thoughts and writings, re-reading and repeating
Continue to develop your meditations in new directions
Look with new eyes – find philosophical metaphors all around you
I hope you’ve found these suggestions useful. Please let me know in the comments below if you’ve tried to write your own meditations and if you have advice for others.