Slow Design Studio

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DEEP BREATHS - SLOW THOUGHTS

Thinking is like breathing. The same air
circulating through thousands souls,
passing their bodies, clearing minds.
Breathing in, breathing out
returning air on to eternity.

urðr /Wyrd - the norse equivalent to Kharma.

Time is a steady stream

In the old Norse perception of time, the past and the future were equally important to a person’s life as present time. The three Norns (goddesses) Urd, Skuld and Verdande; Past, Present and Future, were guardians of Urdabrønn – the well of time. All actions, big and small, were poured into the well and emerged as knowledge, giving the Norns wisdom of the world, that was spun into threads of fate –one for every new life to be born. They were all interwoven in the big, common carpet of destinies called Wyrd, the Norse equivalent to Kharma.

When the book Visual Wisdom was made, little we knew about a worldwide pandemic to hit us just over a year later, yet I am not surprised that the texts and sentences we have selected in the book seem almost more relevant today. According to the Norse mindset, nothing is void of meaning.
It is as if every sentence of the book has got a new sound bottom. About moderation, about sharing, about defying fear, that everything has an end, and how the end is also the beginning ...

My own text about breathing can also be seen in new light. Covid 19 (corona) is a virus that attacks the lungs. Those who are ill describe it as a pressure in the lungs, - it becomes difficult to breathe.

To think is like breathing I wrote. Did thinking become too heavy too?

Superficial and poor breathing techniques make us more prone to stress and illness, the same can be said about the mind. Superficial thoughts are more prone to short-term and poor decisions. Have we been acting inconsiderate for too long? Have we taken for granted what gift we are given to walk on this earth, and what responsibility we have for preserving it for our descendants?
Do they not deserve to breathe clean air in the future too?



We all float with the tides of time. Each movement has ripple effect.
Nothing is void of meaning. All things are connected.


The virus spread faster than the wind, and all over the world the response has been to pause everything, showing us how connected we are by invisible global networks. When the net unravels one place, the consequences are for everyone.

I imagine three sisters sitting in the shade of a big ash. Spinning threads that they use to darn the holes in a large weave that constantly unravels.

Satellite photos shows that there are significant drops in the air pollution after the worldwide implements of measures against the pandemic. Will this make more people breathe a little deeper?
Can we make it last?



For those of you who would want to cultivate slow thoughts, and who may now have some extra time to breathe deeper, I have lowered the price of Visual Wisdom until Easter.
(You may also be interested to know that the Norwegian Krone never has been weaker so for anyone paying in another currency now is the time to buy something from Norway… )

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