I’m Rachel Dickson: TEDx speaker, storyteller, and truth-teller exploring what it means to return to your truest self. This is a space for healing, authenticity, and the bold inner work of choosing yourself, unapologetically.
On art, honesty, and finding what’s real beneath the surface—Field Notes with Rachel Dickson
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10/23/25 Hey there, quiet alchemists, truth-tenders, and rememberers of what matters! quintessenceThis fascinating term dropped back into my orbit this week. I love being reminded of things I once deeply pondered and now carry within my being. And when I’m reminded of them...is like a spark or a bolt of lighting...a reverberating AHAH moment! This word comes from the Latin words quinta essentia. Quinta being “fifth” and Essentia being “essence”. But what is quintessence? “Ancient and Medieval Philosophy: the fifth essence, of which the heavenly bodies were thought to be made, distinguished from the four elements of fire, air, water, and earth; hence, the most pure essence or most perfect embodiment of a thing or being.”
As a lover of art...and now as a painter...I’ve pondered long and hard on what makes a good painting. What is the key factor? If you want to truly nail a painting of a songbird, you must—must—get the eyes right. If the eyes are dead the painting will be dead too...empty or void of the essence of the bird. The same holds true for any living thing...dogs, cats, birds, fish, people. The essence is in the eyes. Which brings me to why I’m writing this today. It circles back to a question I’ve been asking myself for quite some time: What truly matters? I believe the answer lives at the very center of discovering the quintessence. According to the dictionary, quintessence means:
When we boil life down to its central core—to what remains after all the fluff, all the noise, all the bullshit, all the fool’s-gold distractions have burned away—that’s where what truly matters lives. Self-honesty is essential in finding that center of what matters. So is noticing where we place our value. “If you want to know truly what you idolize, what you are committed to, what you most deeply believe, merely look at what you’re doing with your time—and how you feel about it, truthfully.”
— from The Book of Mastery (Book Three)
These are the keys to unlocking our greater selves. As we walk the path back to our own knowing..and then bring it forth and live from within our own quintessence. This is how we learn to identify the time-wasters, the fool’s-gold attention-snatchers, and refocus our energy on what is truly valuable… what is worthy of our life force. This is the way. 🔥 Wild-Heart Practice of the Week:"The Burn-Away Practice" Write down everything that’s been demanding your attention lately—big or small. Let honesty be your matchstick. 🎶 Something for the Path Here’s a powerful poetry reading that reminds us to start where we stand. https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3idBQIB1FB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link How about a little virtual high-five? Field Notes is a weekly dispatch. If this note resonated, feel free to forward it to someone who might need this reminder. Until next time, P.S. Thank you for being here. Thank you for walking this steady path back to our hearts with me. You can find Rachel's Tedx Talk that ultimately led to the creation of these Field Notes at www.RachelDickson.com |
Rachel Dickson
I’m Rachel Dickson: TEDx speaker, storyteller, and truth-teller exploring what it means to return to your truest self. This is a space for healing, authenticity, and the bold inner work of choosing yourself, unapologetically.
12/03/25 Hello, wild-hearted, truth-tellers, hope-dealers and beautiful souls! When I was a kid...my parents told me I was a “strong-willed child.” (Thank you James Dobson). This wasn’t any kind of badge of honor. Trust me. This was a way to label someone who was different...someone who pushed against the expected...someone who asked a lot of questions for better understanding...someone who didn’t just accept the status-quo as gospel. Many things that I was told just didn’t resonate with...
11/27/25 Greetings Creators, Collaborators, Hope-Dealers, Bridge-Builders and Bringers of Light! If you’re new here — welcome. Field Notes is a weekly dispatch of reflection and soul care sent every week. It’s Thanksgiving Day here in America. And this is the first year in many years that I did not make a made-from-scratch pumpkin pie. I distinctly remember when I was living in Tennessee ….when I decided from that day forward I would always make a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. This was due to...
11/21/25 Hello, quiet souls finding meaning in ordinary moments. A Note on Gratitude (and a Slow Driver) I didn’t feel inspired when I sat down to write this. No big revelation.No thunderbolt of insight.Just a small memory from my moment on the road. There was a driver in front of me going slower than I wanted. You know that feeling — the tightening, the impatience, the silent wishing they would just move along. And then something unexpected happened. I thought:What if? What if that driver...