Forecast for 2026
Welcome to a new year of provocation
It’s good to be back and writing after my summer holidays. Taking a break has given me the chance to step back and reflect on what I’m doing here and why I’m doing it.
I started Provocations when I was finishing my PhD. I suppose I wanted a way to keep writing and to keep learning. Writing these weekly philosophical musings definitely keeps me thinking and reading.
In the last few years, though, it has morphed into something else. I have become more and more interested in what I could write that would actually he helpful to you, the reader. Especially as my philosophical interests started to evolve and I began my research into the spiritual traditions of medieval India, most particularly the Tantric tradition of Kashmir Shaivism.
This year I plan to continue this work. My hope is to bring you philosophical insights that are helpful and practical. And yes, I hope to continue provoking you too.
To start off, I plan to write a six week series, starting Saturday, covering six of the most basic ideas from Tantric philosophical theology. I want to do this with an ear for plain language and an eye for practical application.
The six weeks will cover basic Tantric perspective on:
Monism
How everything can be ‘one thing’ and what this means for how you live
Consciousness
How your consciousness reflects the universe itself and why this matters
Energy
How the Tantric concept of energy unites science and spirituality and what this makes possible
Liberation
How to find spiritual liberation using Tantra and what this looks like
Enjoyment
How to enjoy life using Tantra and why this matters
Freedom
How Tantra gives you freedom to live the life only you can live, but with spiritual depth, intellectual rigour and ethical grounding.
And, what’s more, I’ll bring in the bombastic atheist Nietzsche from time to time just to really get things going.
Come along for the ride, share this newsletters with friends and family, and let me know what you think.
Neil