Philosophy Wise logo.
Philosophy Wise logo.

Philosophical Guidance  

The book Philosophy Wise and the collection of tarot-style cards in The Philosopher’s Deck provide tools and ideas for how philosophy can serve as a practical guide for everyday life. If you would like to further discuss how to use these resources, you may book a 50 minute session with me. Together we work to apply some of the lenses introduced in Philosophy Wise to a specific question or concern to demonstrate how to use philosophy in your daily life. 

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Philosophical Discussion Groups  

Philosophy was traditionally a dialogue between people; a conversation that brought forth wisdom and insight. Plato’s writings, for example, powerfully show Socrates engaging in philosophical dialogue with the people of Athens. Philosophy Wise offers an array of discussion groups and workshops to facilitate and strengthen your understanding of philosophy as a way of life. We are hoping to offer workshops as early as 2023.

Discussion topics include:

  • Existentialism as a Way of Life: Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Sartre
  • How To Overcome Fear: Epictetus, Camus, Augustine
  • Death, Dying and Mourning: Confucius, Buddha, Epictetus
  • Living With Uncertainty: Kant, Camus, de Beauvoir
  • Living Without Regret: Socrates, Nietzsche, Arendt
  • On Gratitude: Epictetus, Rumi
  • Stillness, Silence and Connection: Lao Tzu, Weil, Buddha
  • Living with Purpose: Kierkegaard, Du Bois, Fanon
  • Living with Balance: Aristotle, Anzaldúa, Descartes

Philosophy Retreats

Join us on a 10 day international retreat (inquire about adding or subtracting days) where we read, talk and practice philosophy. It will take us some time to get this leg of Philosophy Wise off the ground. Check in again in 2023 for program status.

Lineup of all depicted philosophers.
© 2022 • Philosophy Wise

So, what exactly can you expect from a one-on-one session? Your appointment will have three phases. First, I will ask you to share a particular question or concern. Once I have a handle on what’s going on, I will guide you to certain philosophers to help you think through the matter at hand. Finally, we will discuss how these philosophers may help you approach your question to empower you to apply philosophy to your everyday life. You may also request a session using the Philosopher’s Deck to more intuitively approach your questions and explore solutions.

Please note that these guidance sessions are not a substitute for professional therapy. I am a philosopher with a certificate in philosophical counseling, but I am not a licensed therapist. Philosophical guidance sessions are a unique form of intervention that have their own specific value. Traditional psychotherapy typically takes the form of a long-term relationship between therapist and client, and is likely to cover many issues and concerns over a prolonged period of time. Philosophy Wise’s guidance sessions, on the other hand, are brief and highly targeted clarifications of a specific question or concern. I can normally facilitate clarity within one 50-minute session, although for more complex issues you may want to return for another session.

These sessions may be conducted over the phone, through video meetings, in-person discussion (depending on location), or by way of written dialogue. A mix of different formats may also be useful. 

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The Philosopher’s Deck Journal

The Philosopher’s Deck Journal contains a set of five questions to guide your reflections on each of the 22 thinkers found in The Philosopher’s Deck. It provides a place where you can write down your thoughts and feelings as you converse with each thinker to help empower you to live more mindfully and purposefully. Applying and reflecting on the wisdom of these thinkers allows you to broaden your horizon of possibilities and vision of how to live a more meaningful and fulfilling life.

The Philosophy Wise Journal

The Philosophy Wise Journal is a tool to help guide your journey to living a more philosophical life.  To philosophize is to engage in introspection, reflection, and questioning. It is to practice the life of the mind—where awareness, self-consciousness, and clarity are seated.   

 Use this journal to reflect on the questions found at the end of each chapter in Philosophy Wise. Writing down your thoughts and feelings as you enter into dialogue with each philosopher will enrich your understanding of each thinker’s perspective on how to live a good and fulfilling life, while deepening your understanding of what matters most to you. 

The Philosopher’s Deck

The Philosopher’s Deck brings together the wisdom of philosophy and the practice of using images to contemplate and evaluate life situations. For centuries people have been using cards to meditate on archetypes that have resonated throughout human experience. The most popular set of cards is the traditional Tarot deck. The Philosopher’s Deck follows the framework of the Tarot’s 22 major Arcana cards but is geared more toward helping you arrive at wisdom and clarity through reflection on a set of timeless philosophical ideas and principles. The Philosopher’s Deck depicts 22 of the world greatest thinkers and their key ideas and concepts to spark insight and bring about clarity through wisdom. Each philosopher has carefully been chosen to relate the meaning of their life and work to the meaning of the corresponding card.  Socrates depicts the idea of Self-Examination; Buddha the idea of Impermanence, Rumi the idea of Love, Sartre the idea of Action; Nietzsche the idea of Self-creation; and Arendt the idea of Judgement.  See the Table of Contents for a full list of the themes covered in the Deck and use the cards to arrive at deeper levels of understanding. 

Philosophy Wise, The Book

Philosophy Wise re-invigorates philosophy’s initial impulse to help people live more meaningful lives. Written for philosophers and non-philosopher’s alike, it shows you how to gain clarity and wisdom by using the lens of philosophy to approach your everyday concerns. 20 of the world’s greatest thinkers are presented as guides, each offering you their vision of how to live a more purposeful and satisfying life. Experiment and choose from a kaleidoscope of timeless ideas to gain a deeper understanding of what matters most to you.

Table of Contents:
Socrates: Self-Examination, Lao Tzu: Receptivity, Buddha: Impermanence, Confucius: Tradition, Aristotle: Character, Epictetus: Acceptance, Augustine: Happiness, Rumi: Love, Rene, Descartes: Reason, Immanuel Kant: Integrity, Soren Kierkegaard: Leap of Faith, Friedrich Nietzsche: Self-Creation, W.E.B. Du Bois: Education, Simone Weil: Attention, Hannah Arendt: Thinking, Jean Paul Sartre: Action, Simone de Beauvoir: Ethical Freedom, Albert Camus: The Absurd, Frantz Fanon: Resistance, Gloria Anzaldúa: la Mestiza