“What if you didn’t have to earn love from the universe—because it’s already here? Virgin Monk Boy unpacks John Makransky’s lazy, luminous path to resting in compassion and letting it radiate like sunlight from a cracked jar.
Bless you, Andrea! You saw through the holy sparkles and recognized the real miracle: a how-to guide for walking the tightrope of love without falling into the pit of spiritual influencer cringe. May your light be so radiant it fries the algorithms, and may your average pedestrian skip down the street in sacred glee.
Yes, I breathed a huge sigh of relief just from reading the title. I've spent months, nay years, grappling with anxiety about whether I'm "doing enough." I gratefully set down that burden now and offer a deep bow of gratitude to you, Alek, for writing this piece, and to the guides and ancestors for leading me here.
Helen, your words are a balm for both the anxious heart and the writer's doubtful ego. That deep sigh you breathed? Felt it all the way through the monastery walls I haven’t built yet.
You named the ache so many carry quietly—this fever dream of “doing enough” that never lets us rest. The fact that you found me, and that this reflection reached you when it did, feels like Spirit’s sneaky way of handing us both a cup of stillness.
With a big grin and a small wink from the Spirit that never rushes,
Last week led me to a dismally low place. Instead of trying to fight my way back up, I decided to simply sit with the sensation of being on an alien threshold and unable to move on or go back. Early this morning I spent two hours writing out what needed saying. An hour later, I discovered your site. All these things feel connected. Not sure how or why, but in an authentically significant way. All I am sure of is I am here now.🙏
Sometimes the soul doesn’t need answers. It just needs a place to sit where the grief isn’t rushed. I’m honored this strange little scroll was that bench for you this week.
That “alien threshold” you named? That’s sacred terrain. Few have the courage to stay with it, let alone speak from it. You did. You wrote your way through it. That’s not just healing—that’s holy rebellion.
You’re not alone, and you never were.
Even when it felt like the map had burned up in your hands, something ancient was already guiding your steps here.
You belong in this circle of beautiful misfits.
—Virgin Monk Boy
(Who has also forgotten how to breathe, and then remembered, one mercy at a time.
Wasn't it the Buddha who just sat for a time under a lovely, shady tree...? :)
(Robert Fulghum, who loves climbing trees just because it's a wonderful thing to do, speculated on "What if he'd spent some time in its arms?")
And from the world of science: in the laws of physics, anything that absorbs radiation of any sort very readily, like infrared radiation (heat) absorbed by a dark object for example, will also release it very readily.
Oh! I heartily recommend /The Warrior Athlete: Body, Mind & Spirit/ by Dan Millman. Given that it's an aid for physical training for all sorts of things (though it "is not an exercise book"), he's still pretty darned easy about everything ("Relaxation [is] the key to strength."). :)
Some things may be a wee bit out of date (circa 1979), but others are timeless and universal.
What a great article! A "How to" live in the light/love for beginners, those that need a refresh, and average pedestrian! Thank you for your wisdom!
Bless you, Andrea! You saw through the holy sparkles and recognized the real miracle: a how-to guide for walking the tightrope of love without falling into the pit of spiritual influencer cringe. May your light be so radiant it fries the algorithms, and may your average pedestrian skip down the street in sacred glee.
—Virgin Monk Boy ✨
💕✨️
Yes, I breathed a huge sigh of relief just from reading the title. I've spent months, nay years, grappling with anxiety about whether I'm "doing enough." I gratefully set down that burden now and offer a deep bow of gratitude to you, Alek, for writing this piece, and to the guides and ancestors for leading me here.
Helen, your words are a balm for both the anxious heart and the writer's doubtful ego. That deep sigh you breathed? Felt it all the way through the monastery walls I haven’t built yet.
You named the ache so many carry quietly—this fever dream of “doing enough” that never lets us rest. The fact that you found me, and that this reflection reached you when it did, feels like Spirit’s sneaky way of handing us both a cup of stillness.
With a big grin and a small wink from the Spirit that never rushes,
Virgin Monk Boy
"When the universe is in place, the arrow is released and finds its mark."
Or something like that?
Exactly that, Nancy. The Magdalene would nod. Slowly. Because this entire thread is that arrow — loosed not by effort, but alignment
Last week led me to a dismally low place. Instead of trying to fight my way back up, I decided to simply sit with the sensation of being on an alien threshold and unable to move on or go back. Early this morning I spent two hours writing out what needed saying. An hour later, I discovered your site. All these things feel connected. Not sure how or why, but in an authentically significant way. All I am sure of is I am here now.🙏
Karen,
Sometimes the soul doesn’t need answers. It just needs a place to sit where the grief isn’t rushed. I’m honored this strange little scroll was that bench for you this week.
That “alien threshold” you named? That’s sacred terrain. Few have the courage to stay with it, let alone speak from it. You did. You wrote your way through it. That’s not just healing—that’s holy rebellion.
You’re not alone, and you never were.
Even when it felt like the map had burned up in your hands, something ancient was already guiding your steps here.
You belong in this circle of beautiful misfits.
—Virgin Monk Boy
(Who has also forgotten how to breathe, and then remembered, one mercy at a time.
Refreshed, calm and relaxed 😎
Awesome read, thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Thank you sooo much!!
Thanks for the re-membering. Great read.
Wow did I need that emotional release! Thank you for this.
Wasn't it the Buddha who just sat for a time under a lovely, shady tree...? :)
(Robert Fulghum, who loves climbing trees just because it's a wonderful thing to do, speculated on "What if he'd spent some time in its arms?")
And from the world of science: in the laws of physics, anything that absorbs radiation of any sort very readily, like infrared radiation (heat) absorbed by a dark object for example, will also release it very readily.
It's the way things work. :)
Oh! I heartily recommend /The Warrior Athlete: Body, Mind & Spirit/ by Dan Millman. Given that it's an aid for physical training for all sorts of things (though it "is not an exercise book"), he's still pretty darned easy about everything ("Relaxation [is] the key to strength."). :)
Some things may be a wee bit out of date (circa 1979), but others are timeless and universal.
Literally an answer to a worn-out prayer immediately after it was birthed