Day 46 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · February 15, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Meister Eckhart
Sermons, c. 1300
“The soul grows by subtraction, not by addition.”
C O N T E X T
Meister Eckhart, the medieval German mystic, inverts our usual assumption: growth comes not from acquiring more but from stripping away. Knowledge, possessions, even identity — let go of what is unnecessary, and what remains is the essential self.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“What could you subtract from your life or identity that would leave you closer to who you actually are?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about one belief, habit, or possession whose removal would simplify your inner life.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Eckhart's subtraction echoes Thoreau's deliberate simplification but goes deeper: not just simplifying circumstances but simplifying the self. Is self-knowledge about learning more about yourself, or knowing less?
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