“October Sun”” on Poet’s Journal, with reading by author. donhynes.com/october-sun/ “Stranger to the Beautiful” my new collection of poems, available now on Amazon and Ingram Spark in paperback and ebook formats. amazon.com/Stranger-Beautifu…

A final wise lesson from Seneca’s Letter 1.

“Sky and Root”” on Poet’s Journal donhynes.com/sky-and-root/ “Stranger to the Beautiful” my new collection of poems, available now on Amazon and Ingram Spark in paperback and ebook formats. amazon.com/Stranger-Beautifu…

From Amadeus best clip ever One aspect of the film that is often overlooked is that Salieri is also a master musician. He is one of the few people who immediately recognizes and fully appreciates Mozart’s genius. In this scene, Salieri accurately transcribes every note based on Mozart’s highly condensed instructions. From a technical standpoint, this is an extremely demanding task, requiring extensive musical knowledge, a deep understanding of musical structure, and advanced score-reading and notation skills.

As twilight falls over Purgatory, progress grinds to a halt. In Canto 7, Sordello leads Dante and Virgil to a breathtaking yet sobering location: The Valley of the Rulers. Once the sun sets, no soul can take a single step forward, reminding us that we cannot navigate the dark without the illuminating power of divine Light and Truth. Inside this green hollow, Dante encounters Europe’s greatest emperors and kings. Men who were once bitter rivals, now sitting side by side. Despite their immense secular power, they were found negligent because they consumed their lives with geopolitics and ambition while postponing the spiritual care of their own souls. Dante’s timeless warning echoes across the centuries: True leadership is not measured by the size of an empire or the balance of a bank account. When prudence is replaced by cunning, realms fall to ruin. Now, in Purgatory, these princes are finally learning to wait for the Light. 📌 In this episode, discover: - The law of the night, and why progress stops at sunset - How the illusion of secular power and the negligence caused by it hampered the spiritual progress of these secular rulers - Dante’s timeless lesson on true leadership

“Atonement”” on Poet’s Journal donhynes.com/atonement/ “Stranger to the Beautiful” my new collection of poems, available now on Amazon and Ingram Spark in paperback and ebook formats. amazon.com/Stranger-Beautifu…

It’s not that life is short. We just waste so much of it. 🐝 We put of the life-giving break 🐝 We tell ourselves there will be time for important things later 🐝 When in truth, time is the one thing we never get back. We all can invest it wisely, but too often we don’t pause to think about this until it’s too late. ✨Seneca warns us of this common blind spot in Letter 1. And now, every month, you can join me to read & unpack one of his Letters, starting right here. Welcome to Sundays with Seneca! I’ll be dropping a new episode every first Sunday, including every single word of one of Seneca’s Letters. By the time we complete the series, you’ll have read the whole book. But that’s not all. Read at your own pace and join me here on X weekly to unpack key lessons from each Letter, so you get the most out of what Seneca has to say. You can stream the first two episodes of Sundays with Seneca now, at The Greats Story Lab (& on YouTube). Link in bio.

“Breathing Silence”” on Poet’s Journal donhynes.com/breathing-silen… “Stranger to the Beautiful” my new collection of poems, available now on Amazon and Ingram Spark in paperback and ebook formats. amazon.com/Stranger-Beautifu…

Would you refuse earthly immortality? In Book 5, it can feel surprising — jarring even — to meet Odysseus for the first time. This is not the great Greek hero we have heard about. This is a broken man; he sits weeping on a rock by the sea. He longs for home. Some stories lean into the allure of earthly immortality, but not The Odyssey. Homer reminds us that one moral life, well lived, is far more precious. You can follow our entire course on The Odyssey FREE, and stream the award-winning vertical shorts series as well at The Greats Story Lab — link in bio. I’ll also be sharing more about The Odyssey in this fall’s issue of @mereorthodoxy. This year marks my 24th teaching Homer to undergraduates @Baylor and I look forward to sharing! With thanks to managing editor @NadyaWilliams81.

“Open Doors”” on Poet’s Journal donhynes.com/open-doors/

Dante Minutes recap: Purgatory 4

In canto 4, Dante finds climbing Mount Purgatory difficult. Virgil insists that Dante put in the effort and keep going. Change can be challenging and, sometimes, we want to skip to the end. But the journey and the effort along the way are what make all the difference. #DanteMinutes

The Odyssey, by Homer: Book 4 (Link in bio for free course, including 27 video lessons, written lessons & bonus materials.)

Caveman Issues Dire Warning That The Wheel Is Going To Eliminate Countless Jobs buff.ly/u9nCQoL

My “singular” author and writing for the day, following @SJ_Murray ‘s Seneca wisdom.