Welcome to The Naked Nowletter! My community is for those seeking a deeper connection with their true essence and a more intimate relationship with themselves, others, and the unseen world. We explore authentic communication, connection, and what it means to get Naked in the Now. Each week, I share a personal story, enriching thoughts, and juicy practices—plus occasional links to articles that inspire presence and transformation.
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Camp Nothing: What Seven Days of Silence Taught Me About Letting Be and Letting Ideas Flow
Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read
The moment I arrived at the retreat center and settled into silence, something unexpected happened. On day one, instead of emptying my mind into a serene pool of nothingness, I was ambushed by a slew of creative ideas — including a very insistent vision of a Christmas play! I had intended to practice letting go of thoughts. However, what I noticed is that presence (with perhaps a bemused detachment) also creates space for whatever wants to bubble up.
Doing Nothing, Seeking Nothing
One of the biggest lessons of the retreat was the difference between trying to let go — an effortful act — and simply letting things be.
Society conditions us to “do.” We are often perpetually working on improving ourselves or others, always reaching for a goal. To let things be feels strange.
But on retreat, this is what we practice—doing nothing. In my case, doing nothing included blowing my nose a lot — I had a cold the whole week, and apparently the universe didn’t think silence was enough of a challenge. The funny thing is, doing nothing sometimes means allowing whatever is coming up to come up and just noticing it, letting it all be.
So, while on retreat, we actively practice doing nothing, while also actively seeking…nothing.
I know that sounds strange. First, seeking is still doing. Second, how do you seek for nothing?
We retreatants are usually not yet ready to completely let go of all doing. So, we pare it down to one goal: seeking nothing. Mystics say what we’re seeking is often “nothing,” -- in other words, the presence always and already there, even before any seeking. So we seek nothing and aspire to surrender to it.
And when we do, Life rushes in.
A Nudist Camp for the Mind
I started jokingly calling this retreat Camp Nothing. Picture a nudist camp for the mind: stripping away everything, looking for nothing, and discovering that nothing is strangely, wonderfully full.
I will say this: I have had a taste of this nothing, and truly, it is everything.
When Nothing Becomes Everything
I touched this nothing on another retreat—one where I was also practicing letting something in, instead of letting it go. On that retreat, I was practicing Tonglen, a Buddhist practice of letting suffering into the deepest reaches of your heart, where it dissolves. (Notice how it is very different from the New Age practice of inhaling positive energy and exhaling negative energy.)
As I took in the negative thought, I felt deeply inadequate, but suddenly realized there was a truth to it. The problem-solving ego would always feel inadequate, would always seek to improve itself.
In the next moment, I registered something that I could only call “nothing.” It felt like nothing, and my brain quickly told me, “That’s nothing. It can’t help you.” But on that retreat, like this most recent one, the teacher had instructed us to look for nothing. When I turned my attention to this nothing, I suddenly was it. I was the emptiness itself, and it was pure love and compassion.
“With this realization came a sense of awe and an incredible lightness of being, a buoyancy—energy without any vibration and a sense of loving invincibility. There was no sense of self. Thoughts were still happening, but they were on the periphery, and I no longer identified with them. The dramas of life were innocent delusions of the ego, and there was only compassion—sweet, gentle, impersonal. The emptiness was full. It was everything. It was utterly unadorned nakedness, and I was it.”
So, coming into this most recent retreat, I carried that memory with me. While I was still hopeful that my thoughts would subside, I also understood the power of letting them be — of letting them in, even.
Naked Writing as Letting Be
On “solo” day of the retreat, (a day with no teachings), I implemented another secret weapon for letting thoughts be. I practiced naked writing for several hours, paying close attention to everything, especially thoughts as they arose and slipped away. The result? Another fully formed play arrived. No effort, just presence and creative expression.
It reminded me of the secret of Naked Writing and Naked in the Now: creativity and awareness flourish when we stop striving. When we stop forcing, when we let things be, we open space for life’s gifts — ideas, insights, even playful nudges from the universe.
Juicy Practice: Your Mini Camp Nothing
Try your own mini “Camp Nothing”:
Sit quietly for 10–20 minutes with no agenda.
Notice what arises — thoughts, images, feelings — without chasing or pushing anything away.
If ideas come, welcome them like unexpected guests. Optionally, do a short naked writing session, letting words flow freely. You can write to this prompt, “Right now, I notice…”
Presence doesn’t require perfection, silence, or effort. It just requires showing up — sniffles, creative ideas, and all — and noticing what is.
Good News
Readers around the world continue to share glowing reviews of Naked in the Now!
New professional review of Naked in the Now from Chanticleer Book Reviews (a benefit after winning the Grand Prize for Mind & Spirit) will be published on October 6, 2025. If you missed it, before they also published an interview with me that you can read here.
My latest podcast interview was with K. Margaret Solorio on Intuitive Wisdom podcast. The topic? A favorite: Writing as a Path to Awakening.
Upcoming Article: Can We Talk About Aging Shame? — soon to appear in Spirituality & Health.
Upcoming Events
Write by Red Rock – October 1, December 3, 2025., February 4, 2026, March 4, 2026. Join me for in-person sessions of presence-based writing and playful exploration at the Blue Diamond Library, 12:30 to 2 pm.
New Write Now Mind coming soon! (Let me know if you want to pre-register!)
Write by the Sea – ongoing Zoom writing and awareness practice. Mondays at 1 pm PST. (By invitation, but ask me if you are interested!)
Closing Note
Here’s to finding the richness in nothing, and letting ideas, presence, and playfulness flow naturally into your day.
The meditation bell at Alton Collins Retreat Center
Welcome to The Naked Nowletter! My community is for those seeking a deeper connection with their true essence and a more intimate relationship with themselves, others, and the unseen world. We explore authentic communication, connection, and what it means to get Naked in the Now. Each week, I share a personal story, enriching thoughts, and juicy practices—plus occasional links to articles that inspire presence and transformation.
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