The Equinox Has Arrived & You Will Never Be The Same!
You can feel it — the change.
It’s unfolding all around us in a manner so overt it’s almost whispering a secret you can’t help but overhear. The evening air cools just a little more, carrying with it the kind of quiet promise that only comes with seasons in transition. The trees, weary from the relentless heat, stand still, breathing in the relief of an over 110-degree heat wave finally retreating.
And just like that, it’s over — for now.
There may still be one last flicker of summer, a final flourish in the early days of October, but we are unmistakably on our journey toward the winter solstice. With it comes a slower rhythm. I feel myself moving more gently through the day, letting a natural spaciousness unfurl in my tasks. There’s an effortless refinement — like the air is guiding me to ease.
To honor this day of the Equinox, I embark on a new 40-Day Creative Exploration. I’ve done this kind of thing before — breathed deeply and slowly for 40 days, even walked backward for 40 days to disrupt my habitual habits and see the world through new eyes.
This time, the exploration is about place.
For the next 40 days, I will journey to locations I’ve never set foot in. Places with unfamiliar longitude and latitude will be chosen through intuition or random selection. I’m opening myself to the unknown, to places hiding in plain sight. But this time, I want to go deeper. I want to tap into what we often overlook in our fast-paced world: the power of place.
Why place?
Because as story creators — writers, actors, filmmakers — every narrative we shape, every moment we capture, is rooted in place. Place isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a character, an energy that breathes life into every story we tell.
With its unyielding pulse and towering history, New York holds a very different energy than the sprawling, sun-soaked streets of Los Angeles. Both cities hum with the stories lived, dreamed, and created there.
And yet, each place has its own history, independent of us, flowing like an undercurrent beneath the present-day reality. The philosopher, stage, and film director Peter Brook spoke eloquently of the “empty space” — a place where anything can happen, where stories are born in the unlikeliest of corners. Gurdjieff, the mystic, talked about the layers of reality we often fail to notice, distracted by the surface of things.
This exploration is about sinking into those layers.
I think of the millions of pilgrimages people have made to sacred spaces since the dawn of time, to places where history and spirit collide. People travel across the world to experience that energy, to feel how the past alters the present and how both shape the future. Every place holds a memory, a vibration. Sometimes it’s faint, and sometimes it’s overwhelming — but it’s always there. You just have to be present enough to feel it.
And so, I begin today.
For the next 40 days, I’ll go to places I’ve never been before, with little to no expectations. My aim is to be fully present with the is-ness of each space. This openness will allow me to notice what I’m not noticing — to observe how I feel as I enter and exit these spaces and to witness the unseen discoveries that will surely unfold.
Jean-Luc Godard once said, “It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.” This journey is as much about being as it is about going. It’s not a conquest but an invitation to the new. Each place will reveal its own subtle magic, and I’ll be there — open, listening, and allowing whatever insights want to emerge. When we do experiments like this, we open the door to having more experiences – and isn’t that a considerable part of the creative process?
And so, you’re invited to join me.
I’ll document the journey and share reflections, photos, and thoughts on social media. You can walk through these spaces with me. At the end of these 40 days, I’ll post a recap—a reflection on how new lands create new landscapes within ourselves. Below, you will find the link to the app I will be using to generate the random locations I will be going to, as well as my other rules of engagement for this 40-day Creative Exploration.
Because the real journey is always about the inner terrain, isn’t it?
Today is Day #1.
Day #1 is always today.
Here we go. To new lands and places inside us that we have yet to discover.
Joshua Townshend
Los Angeles, Calif.
September 22nd 2024
40 Day Creative Exploration. “Rules” of Engagement
#1. Every day, at the time of your choosing or some other random indicator, go to a place you have never been before.
#2. You can either walk or drive there, mixing that up based on the day you have to work with. You can pick a spot randomly or intuitively on your map or use the app, and they have a lot of ideas and tips for this kind of exploration. https://www.randonautica.com
#3. The “daily journey” starts when you travel towards the destination. Your deepened state of awareness needs to begin at this time. The noticings continue until you leave the day’s destination or return to your starting point.
#4. You can start with the intention of that journey, or you can skip having a personal intention and trust and allow it all to happen with you.
And we have two bonus options.
A. Stacking: You can continue the same journey from the first destination to the next, making that day’s experience even more impactful.
B. Night journal: In the evening, journal about your journey as if you were journaling about a nighttime dream.
