The Garrison Institute is a diverse community, not a monolith. Each of us is positioned at the intersection of contemplative practice and engaged action in the world, where we come into contact with all kinds of inspiring teachings, new thinking, timeless wisdom, cutting-edge research, and critical insights.
In this space we are featuring different members of our community and some examples of what they’re thinking about currently, and what inspires them.
And, what inspires you?
I’m finding new inspiration from seemingly far-flung sources – Indigenous wisdom, relational quantum mechanics, relational systems thinking. Except increasingly, I recognize they aren’t so far-flung; they all speak to deep relationality.
I am inspired by the natural world around me like the Cardinal bird couple that lives in my backyard. The sound of children’s laughter, the ocean, balmy breezes, the smell of earth in the air just after a summer rain, curiosity, and generative conversations.
What inspires me today is a constellation of visionary figures who each, in their own way, made science, kindness, love, and curiosity feel like home, such as my father Julio Villamil, Carl Sagan, Bill Nye, Mr. Rogers, Alan Watts, and Bob Ross.
The people gathered here—on the edges of our systems—are my teachers. I draw strength from those living in the cracks, who've built lives in the face of exclusion and harm. Their wisdom isn't theoretical—it's forged through survival, creativity, and care.
Dipa Ma was a little bundle of a woman wrapped in a white sari with a huge psychic space, radiating light and peace. Greeting me, Dipa Ma would take my head in her hands, stroke my hair, and whisper, “May you be happy, may you be peaceful.”
I learn endlessly from retreatants, partners, and teachers. Their stories, inquiries, and insights are woven into my own path. Many of these encounters stay with me—quiet teachings I carry and often share, long after the formal gathering ends.
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